BY SEN. SAM SLOM, R-HAWAII KAI – Aloha, Shiro. One of Hawaii’s most beloved business pioneers, and all around American good guy, Shiro Matsuo, the ukulele whiz and Mr. Aloha behind Shiro’s Saimin stores, died last week. Shiro was 93. Last year, the saimin king lit up an SBH Sunrise Networking Breakfast with his song stylings, positive messages and wink in his eye. Former Governor Linda Lingle, said: “Hawaii has lost a strong community leader and a role model for small businesses everywhere. Franz Shiro Matsuo was a friend and supporter of mine for several years. I’ll never forget his warm smile and aloha spirit.
“Shiro’s life story is one of perseverance and determination, as he came from humble beginnings, faced adversity, and yet achieved his dreams and aspirations. And, he honored our country by serving proudly during WWII with the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. My condolences go out to his ‘ohana, employees and countless friends who had the honor of spending time with this unique and wonderful man who always dreamed big, worked hard, had fun and represented our State in such a special way. He will be missed!” I agree. Shiro will be strumming his uke in Heaven.
Inouye Insulted?! Last week, during a Chamber sponsored debate among Honolulu Mayoral candidates, Kirk Caldwell, Peter Carlisle and Ben Cayetano, as the rail boys gushed overSenator Dan Inouye, Cayetano had the gall to say, with all due respect, our Senior Senator was “out of touch” with the every day Hawaii citizen. YIKES! What a fire storm that ensued. Everyone attacked Ben for being “disrespectful.” The compulsory union rail group, Pacific Resource Partnership, put up a website, “BeNiceBen.com” and Inouye’s DC office issued a statement that the 87 year old Senator, in office for more than 55 years, was “hurt” by Ben’s remarks. Seriously? Are you kidding me? The decorated WWII war hero, standout in many political wars and leader of Watergate hearings was insulted by that remark? More people have continued to dump on Ben including Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. The Republican Mayor received grants from Inouye for Maui County and is there to attack Ben. Wow! The pro-rail people must really be desperate. And this is only the start of the 2012 campaign.
Chili With Cayetano. On Thursday, May 17, the feisty former Gov. Ben Cayetano, who is running for Honolulu mayor, will hold a chili & rice get together at Kaiser High, beginning at 6 pm. A lot of Independents and Republicans will be there.
The Girl on Da Bus. Have you seen the latest pro rail propaganda (that you are paying for) tv commercial with the school girl and her laptop on the bus proclaiming the bliss of the coming $6 billion rail? It is part of the new “Imua Rail” series of misleading commercials. Anyway, she will be an old lady by the time the rail is finished-if not stopped in court this year-and she won’t even be able to have a seat on the elevated steel-on-steel train. Stop Rail Stop!
Trashed. Besides neglecting sewer repairs, water mains and road maintenance, the City continues to fall behind on regular as well as bulky trash pickup. You know what I mean. Your garbage stays out on the street past its normal pick up day because of City excuses. And this Administration wants to run a choo-choo? And then there are City park rest room closures (see HawaiiReporter.com for an exclusive on this).
Way to Go, Jason! Jason Cheng, a junior at Kaiser High, has earned a top composite score of 36 on a recent ACT test. Cheng was honored by ACT, the ACT Hawaii Council, and Kaiser High during an awards assembly. Gwen Mau, chair of the ACT Hawaii State Organization, presented Cheng with his award and Principal John Sosa with a plaque for the school. Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, roughly one-tenth of one percent receive a top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2011, only 704 of more than 1.6 million students earned a composite score of 36. The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.
Tom Simon At SBH Sunrise. FBI Special Agent and Honolulu scam buster, Tom Simon, will be SBH’s special guest speaker at the next monthly SBH Sunrise Networking Breakfast, Thursday, May 24, in the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana (3rd Floor), from 7 – 8:30 am.Call Darlyn (396-1724) to reserve now. Unless you are on the run.
Pour the Tea. The Tea Party pulled off another big upset yesterday in the Indiana Primary. Veteran moderate GOP Senator Richard Lugar was defeated by Tea Party endorsed conservative, Richard Murdock.
Got Lemonade? Lemonade Alley, the kid-preneur competition is ramping up for a July 8 Magic Island event. Lemonade Alley is the way to a bright future for our next generation of leaders and we need your help to spread the word. Here’s what’s new at Lemonade Alley…
1. Lemonade Alley goes national!
8 cities nationwide from Honolulu to SF/LA to NYC. Of course the flagship event will be right here in Honolulu.
2. Winning teams get all-expenses-paid trips to Hawaii for a 4-day advanced entrepreneurs Camp BizGym in Honolulu, August 14-19, courtesy Capital One Bank. Local teams get $1,000 cash plus camp attendance.
3. Inaugural Camp BizGym grows a new travel category for Hawaii in entrepreneurial studies.
4. New/returning sponsors: Capital One Bank, ING Direct Bank, Hard Rock Cafe, Roberts Hawaii, Lex Brodies, Sunetrics and more!
5. Call For Entries now open through May 31.
6. Lemonade Alley Finals July 8 at Magic Island, Ala Moana Park.
Contact Steve Sue, Chief Lemon Head, Lemonade Alley at
Fortune 500. CBRE Group Inc. (NYSE:CBG) has been named to the FORTUNE 500 list of the largest U.S.-based companies for the fifth straight year. CBRE remains the only commercial real estate services firm ever included in the FORTUNE 500.
Sue You. There he goes again: professional Honolulu aetheist,Mitch Kahle, who was given $100,000 by the State, has now sued again. This time it is former Senate President and now Congresswoman, Colleen Hanabusa. As I said before, give him the money and watch him sue again. And again. Easy when the state (TAXPAYERS) represents deep pockets.
Salsa Sizzles. Son Caribe Band plus Melanie Riviera andSininho Samba Dancers will perform tonight, Wednesday, (6:00-9:30 p.m.) at Waikiki Community Center, 310 Paoakalani Ave. 923-1802. Refreshments and plate dinners for purchase by Da Spot and Ruby’s Organic Desserts. Salsa lesson for beginners @6:15 p.m. Complimentary parking is free. $5 Suggested Donation to Benefit Programs of the Waikiki Community Center. Waikiki Community Center>
INSIGHTS on PBS Hawaii Tomorrow, Thursday, May 10th, 8-9 pm, tune in PBS-TV, (Channel 10) to review the 2012 Legislative Session which ended May 4.
Host: Dan Boylan
Guests: Rep. Marcus Oshiro – House Finance Chair; Sen.Brickwood Galuteria – Senate Majority Leader
Sen. Sam Slom – Senate Minority Leader
Blake Oshiro – Deputy Chief of Staff, Governor Neil Abercrombie.
My odds? 4-1, better than the 24-1 odds during a legislative session.
Celebrate With Hawaii Reporter. Hawaii Reporter.com, Hawaii’s first electronic daily newspaper, celebrates its 10th anniversary on Friday, June 1, at the Waialae Country Club (5:30 – 8 pm ) Go to www.HawaiiReporter.com, for details of the dinner and the real news. HR, founded by Malia Zimmerman, continues to break major investigative stories. Tune in to KHVH every week day now at 7:05 am to hear Malia’s report.
May is Safe Biking Month. Get on a bike and be safe.
Point-Counterpoint on KHVH. Tune in Tuesdays 7-8 am to the Rick Hamada show on KHVH radio (8:30 am) to hear Senate Democrat Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria and me tackle the legislative issues at the State Capitol. Call in at 521-8383.
Real News. Go to www.HawaiiReporter.com, for the real news. HR, founded by Malia Zimmerman, 10 years ago continues to break major investigative stories. Tune in to KHVH every week day at 7:05 am to hear Malia’s report.
Want more local business information? Please visit the several SBH websites at:: www.smartbusinesshawaii.com,www.educate808.com and www.sbhfoundation.org.
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