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    High cost of living continues to drive away Hawaii residents

    Grassroot Institute
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    High cost of living continues to drive away Hawaii residents
    The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urges lawmakers to cut taxes and ease homebuilding regulations to stem the state’s population decline

    HONOLULU, Dec. 29, 2022 >> Hawaii recently experienced the fifth-highest population decline in the nation, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

    The Census Bureau reported earlier this month that Hawaii’s population dropped by almost 7,000 people, or 0.5%, between July 2021 and July 2022, marking yet another year that Hawaii’s population has dwindled.

    During that time period, the state logged 15,788 births and 13,328 deaths, for a natural increase of 2,460 people. As for people moving in and out of the state, overall international migration was a positive 5,785 people, but Hawaii lost 15,212 people to moving within the U.S., for a total decrease of 9,427 people.

    “Too many local families who have lived in Hawaii for generations are seeing their children move to the mainland or out of the country to better support themselves,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President and CEO Keli’i Akina said.

    “In addition to facing this emotional toll, those of us who still live in Hawaii are left to foot the bill for our oversized government.”

    Hawaii’s population has declined every year since 2016, and surveys have shown that the state’s high cost of living is the main reason.

    “Now, we need lawmakers to take concrete steps to reverse this trend,” Akina said, noting that state and county lawmakers could start by lowering taxes and making it easier to build housing.

    The Institute’s conversations with people who left Hawaii, documented in its “Why we left Hawaii” series, confirm that high housing costs are driving residents away.

    “Rent is far too high, even if splitting the costs with a friend,” former Wahiawa resident Colyn Slocum told the Institute this fall. He now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    “One day, I do wish to return. But until the economic possibilities make it appealing enough, there is little to incentivize anything other than a few return trips,” Slocum said.

    Said Akina, “Lawmakers should aim to cut down on the size of government and reduce taxation in 2023 to make Hawaii more affordable.”

    Free-Fall – The Herd – Love It  or Leave It

    Joseph Carlisi
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    Free-Fall – The Herd – Love It  or Leave It

    We are bombarded daily with news and information concerning man made environmental changes that are altering and reconfiguring the landscape of the earth’s surface. The events being reported are undeniable and disturbing, as they are reducing rather than nurturing the carpet of life that once covered the planet.

    Why is this?

    spe·ci·a·tion – noun –  BIOLOGY – the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.


    Perhaps, humanity has not yet defined itself as a single species. We seem to have formed several subspecies, differing profoundly in levels of awareness and behavior.

    The primary subspecies consists of a vast herd – like conglomeration that comprises the majority of individuals. A lesser but rapidly growing subspecies is comprised of individuals in varying stages of awakening.

    This description of the two primary subdivisions, in no way intends to suggest superiority or inferiority to either group. This discussion seeks only to describe the impact and consequences of this division on the ability of the planet, to support life as we understand it.

    The herd is and maintains the status quo. It is the guardian and guarantor of the system, the social order. This system is the cumulative set of agreements, beliefs, common perceptions and behavioral patterns that define human existence. This apparently, seamless system is consistently programmed into us from the moment of birth to the moment of death by parents, teachers, religious leaders, political leaders . . . . . all of the sources of authority that we are plugged into. Uniformity and conformity are scrupulously enforced in ways that range from direct and obvious to subtle and subliminal. Penalties for deviation can include death, imprisonment, humiliation, rejection and disenfranchisement.

    Herd members avoid taking responsibility for their individual and collective acts. Rather, they choose leaders from their ranks and entrust them to make decisions for them . . . . .to lead them. If things go well, they commend the leaders; if things go wrong, they blame the leaders. They often replace them.

    Environmental free – fall is steadily approaching a point of no return and is the direct result of the historical, collective acts of the human herd subspecies. Herd members are driven, individually and collectively, by the ego centered mind or me, that has been carefully and steadfastly fashioned and fitted by the system . . . . .the social order. This vast collection of me units compete and strive for self-fulfillment based on the accumulation of things and the achievement of transient goals and objectives which serve only to temporarily inflate and bolster individual and collective egos.

    The satisfaction is passing and leaves the individual or herd group with a renewed and intensified thirst for more. Nature, the host environment is seen as an unlimited, disposable, warehouse of items set in place by a higher power for man’s exclusive use.

    The awareness of the herd has not extended to a point where it is capable of grasping the unity and inter- connectedness of all life in nature and, of course, the resonant effects of its destructive activity on the web of life which includes itself.

    Neither good nor bad . . . just the way it is.

    Where does this leave us?  The possibility of deferring change to a future agenda is no longer possible. The window of time available to alter human behavior to an extent necessary to avert an irreversible, catastrophic chain of ecological events is closing rapidly. This is not a matter of soon or maybe. This is right now. We are approaching the threshold of extinction. It comes down to two choices. We can make our stand with the herd, take no responsibility, look for someone to blame, maintain the socially engineered fictions of separateness, specialness, superiority and continue navigating aimlessly, without connection, in darkness. The journey will be short and one way.

    NU 9-15-05 Carlisi, 9/15/05, 4:28 PM, 8C, 5312×7050 (4945+3799), 133%, SG 9.13.05, 1/8 s, R90.0, G51.8, B52.8

    The other choice is to quietly detach from the herd by simply taking responsibility for our own lives and

    actions . . .  allowing one’s essential self the chance to awaken, prevail and navigate . . . to move beyond larval awareness.

    The future is unknowable. The environmental free – fall that we are experiencing will play out and rebalance. That is all we can be sure of.

    ****************

    Joseph Carlisi – Biography     

    Born and raised in New York City, he earned BA and MA degrees in Philosophy at Hunter College of the City University of New York and then continued his graduate studies in Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology working under the mentorship of Marvin Minsky. Joseph worked as a part time content and copy editor for Harvard University Press (science and medicine) while attending M.I.T.     

    After ten years as a university lecturer, researcher and administrator, he started and managed an advertising / public relations firm in San Diego, CA that handled a wide range of commercial accounts. On the academic side, he published a series of seven articles on animal behavior for Harvard Magazine and two books: “A Guide to Personal Power” and most recently “Playing God on the Eve of Extinction”.

    Joseph Carlisi creates oil on canvas paintings that can be described as vivid, surreal and unexpected. His paintings have been exhibited and sold in: Honolulu, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami, Tokyo, Yokohama, Amsterdam, Berlin and Salvador Brazil.

    Joe’s art is available for purchase.

    Contact him at carlisijoseph@yahoo.com.

    Life in Portugal–Buying my Portuguese Dream House (Part 1)

    Kurt Stewart
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    Life in Portugal–Buying my Portuguese Dream House (Part 1)

    Editor’s Note:  The dream of buying an old house in the countryside for cheap and then remodeling it captured our man in Europe, Kurt Stewart, in 2020 just when Covid hit. He’d been living in a downtown apartment in Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, and the lockdown had just been imposed. It seemed the right time for him and his wife to get out of Dodge, so they looked for and found an old fixer-upper and began their adventure in a little hamlet in the middle of Portugal’s central Dão wine region. Their goal was to establish a B&B in the heart of Portugal. This is part 1 of his two-part story.

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          Fitzcarraldo, Werner Herzog’s epic 1982 film, tells the story of a would-be rubber baron, Brian Sweeny Fitzgerald, who is obsessed with the idea of building an opera house in a small Peruvian town near the Amazon basin in the early part of the 20th century. He dreams of bringing Enrico Caruso, the greatest opera singer of his time, to perform there for its christening. In order to realize his vision, Fitzgerald decides he must first make a fortune in the rubber trade. He eventually secures a parcel of land in an out-of-the-way corner of the jungle which is set between two rivers. One of these rivers is unnavigable due to its severe rapids, while the other would serve as the waterway for transporting his rubber to a warehouse downstream.

    Poster from 1982 film Fitzcarraldo

    He buys an enormous, 320-ton steamship for this purpose, which he names the Molly Aida, but in order to get the ship to the river where his rubber plantation is located, he has to face the Herculean task of bringing it overland, through the jungle and over a 40-degree mountain. The endeavor is so insane that the ship’s crew abandon Fitzgerald, but with the help of local natives, and using a primitive system of pulleys, he eventually manages to get the steamship to the river. To his horror, however, Fitzgerald watches the ship get carried away by the rapids after the chief of the tribe cuts the boat from its moorings as a sacrifice to the river gods.

    I am Fitzgerald, and this 230-year old house is my Molly Aida. There is no opera house or Caruso at the end of my story, just a lot of jungle to get through and mountains to climb. My story, like so many others that tell of the beautiful madness that is the dream of owning an old, European stone house in the countryside, is one of Fitzcarraldo-ian obsession, of holding onto a dream.

    I am part of a trend that started back in 2015 in Italy with the loudly announced selling off of houses and villas in the Italian countryside for one euro (about 1.13 USD). The so-called, “Casa 1 Euro” was an initiative by local city halls in towns across Italy to revitalize economies by bringing in people to take over abandoned properties and re-populate the towns.

    The dream: a house in Europe for just over one dollar

    Many of the homes that went on sale were bare-bones, dilapidated structures in need of a complete overhaul. But Americans and people all over the world jumped at the chance of owning a home in the picturesque Italian countryside. Their trials and tribulations after launching into this adventure have been well-documented in the New York Times and other publications, but the trend of owning a home such as these, accelerated by Covid and its constrictions, is now firmly established here in Europe.

    Who wouldn’t want to own a European, centuries old house in the middle of a gorgeous wine region like I was pondering? Away from the cities, the congestion and during Covid, the constrictions, people have been scrambling to find alternatives in rural settings and are willing to forgo many of the comforts and commodities that living in urban centers afford.

    Back to the jungle and that steamship. It is 2020, and my wife and I have just bought a very old, very stone house in the Portuguese countryside. We chose the province of Viseu in north-central Portugal for lots of reasons: the famous Douro and Dão wine regions are nearby, there are many hiking trails and national parks in the vicinity, the local cuisine is excellent, and the region is developing the potential for sustainable tourism that we wanted to be involved with.

    Map of Portugal with green flag marking the location of house

     I wish I could say we got it for one euro – in fact we paid a little under the going price here in Portugal for a three-story, granite-block house with just over 1,000 square meters (about 10,700 square feet) of land and garden area. Although considerably more than one euro, the house, we felt, was a good buy.

    And it had one major advantage: it was ready to live in from day one. Built on a foundation of granite stones, it had been standing in that location since 1793. There was no doubting its solidity. Subsequent owners had made alterations and additions over the centuries, but this place, we could see, had withstood the test of time.

    Date of the house, 1793, etched into a granite lintel above entrance

     The previous owner had left in a hurry, it seemed, because there was all manner of furniture, from chests of drawers, mirrors, kitchen equipment, antique wooden settees, and 50’s era armchairs, to various garden tools left behind. Like many a new homeowner, we were a little nervous after the fact, with a few pangs of buyer’s remorse, but excited by all of the possibilities it gave for remaking the place in our image. We walked in on that first day, keys to our new home in hand, and uttered those four fatal words that would come back to haunt us: “It has great potential”.

    End of part 1

    ********************************************************************

    Kurt Stewart is a writer, educator and entrepreneur who has been telling stories about the places he has lived and worked for more than 35 years.  

    After leaving his native San Francisco in 1981, he began his writing career in Paris where he wrote feature articles for Paris Passion magazine and USA Today. He later moved to Portugal where he taught in the School of Film and Television at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto. He spent several years in Malaysia working with the Ministry of Education training teachers in the public schools. While there, he wrote travel stories for the Hawaii Reporter. His latest venture involves country living in the heart of Portugal’s still undiscovered central region.

    Kurt Stewart
    Kurt Stewart

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    Pauly Shore, Jon B., Candlebox Unplugged, Marlon Wayans, The Rascals, Daryl Bonilla and James Mane JANUARY 2023 at BLUE NOTE HAWAII

    Daniela Stolfi-Tow
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    Pauly Shore, Jon B., Candlebox Unplugged, Marlon Wayans, The Rascals, Daryl Bonilla and James Mane JANUARY 2023 at BLUE NOTE HAWAII

    Pauly Shore, Jon B., Candlebox Unplugged, Marlon Wayans, The Rascals, Local Comedian Daryl Bonilla and James Mane

    Comedy continues when Comedy U brings local favorite Daryl Bonilla, followed by Haitian-Canadian comedian Che Durena, Mark Normand and James Mane. GRAMMY® nominated soul artist Jon B. returns while local singer-songwriter Ron Artis II comes home for a much-anticipated evening with his full band The Truth. Nineties grunge band Candlebox is bringing their unplugged show and actor and comedian Marlon Wayans is back for his annual appearance. Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro returns with pop trio Pure Heart and singer-songwriter Howie Day makes his Blue Note debut for one-night only. Tavana returns with special guest Taimane and The Rascals, fronted by legendary singer-songwriter Felix Cavaliere, appear for three nights. The month rounds out with Mike Lewis and his Big Band in its monthly residency.

    Parking is validated at the OHANA East Hotel for $6 for four hours and at the Outrigger Waikiki for $15 for four hours valet.

    Pauly Shore – Blue Note Comedy Serie – Tuesday, January 3

    Tickets: Premium Seating $39.50, Loge Seating $35.50, Bar Area $29.50

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Pauly Shore tasted super-stardom in 1990 when his MTV show “Totally Pauly” hit the airwaves to major fan approval. The show ran for six years, leading Pauly to a one-hour HBO comedy special, “Pauly Does Dallas,” and starring roles in films like “Jury Duty,” “In the Army Now,” “Bio-Dome,” “Encino Man,” “Son In Law” and “A Goofy Movie.”

    Comedy U Presents Daryl Bonilla – Wednesday, January 4

    Tickets: Premium Seating $20, Loge Seating & Bar Area $15 – $5 increase day of show

    Showtimes: 7:00 p.m. Doors: 5:30 p.m.

    Daryl Bonilla is a stand-up comedian performing regularly in Hawaii. He has headlined several shows in Honolulu. He has also opened for Ron Funches, Felipe Esparza, Geechy Guy, Andy Bumatai, Gary Owen, Demetri Martin and Tom Segura. He released his first comedy album entitled “What Year You Grad?” in the fall of 2017 and it is available on iTunes, and spotify. He won Hawai’i comedian of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Featured on 808 Viral in multiple viral hits like “Local Dad Jokes” and “You know you local when”.

    Jon B. – Thursday, January 5 & Friday, January 6

    Tickets: Premium Seating $55, Loge Seating & Bar Area $45

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. – Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Platinum-selling R&B singer Jon B. is a consummate artist, an accomplished musician, songwriter and producer. His rich textured body of music is a testament to one man’s love for all things soul. The GRAMMY® nominated artist’s collaborations include After 7, Toni Braxton, Color Me Badd, the Spice Girls, Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur.

    Che Durena – Blue Note Comedy Series – Saturday, January 7

    Tickets: Premium Seating $45, Loge Seating $40, Bar Area $35

    Showtimes: 7:00 p.m. Doors: 5:30 p.m.

    Haitian-Canadian comedian Che Durena is known for his work as a host and writer for “My Most Amazing Top 10” (over 7.6 million subscribers) and has amassed a social media following of over seven million with over 197 million likes on his viral TikTok rants and commentary. His comedy offers an absurd angle on his experiences living abroad and his perception of matters like culture, race, relationships and drugs. Catch him on tour this January!

    Ron Artis II & The Truth – Sunday, January 8

    Tickets: Premium Seating $45, Loge Seating & Bar Area $35

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Ron Artis II is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in Hawaiʻi among an exceptionally musical family. Full band, trio or solo, Ron has performed and collaborated with Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Jack Johnson, Jake Shimabukuro, Booker T Jones, Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce) and G Love among others. If this wasn’t a rich line – up of names, go spend a few moments reading the lyrics to Ron’s songs. Each song is laced with intention, deep conviction, story and a heart that has truly been there.

    Candlebox – Unplugged Wednesday, January 11 & Thursday, January 12

    Tickets: Premium Seating $45, Loge Seating & Bar Area $35

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Candlebox perform two nights live and unplugged in Honolulu. Emerging from Seattle’s burgeoning mid-1990s grunge scene, Candlebox quickly found mainstream success with their deep, lyrically-driven melodies and big radio hooks. Power anthems like “Far Behind” and “You,” from their debut, self-titled album exploded onto the charts propelling the album to sell more than four million copies worldwide.

    Marlon Wayans – Blue Note Comedy Series

    Friday, January 13 & Saturday, January 14

    Tickets: Premium Seating $69.50, Loge Seating & Bar Area $50

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Marlon Wayans is an actor, producer, comedian, writer and film director. His films have grossed more than $736-million in domestic box office, an average of nearly $50-million per outing. As a stand-up comedian, Marlon hit a career milestone with his highly anticipated first-ever stand-up comedy special, “Woke-ish,” which premiered on Netflix in February of 2018.

    Jake Shimabukuro & Friends Sessions with Special Guest Pure Heart Wednesday, January 18 & Thursday, January 19

    Tickets: Premium Seating $45, Loge Seating & Bar Area $35

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m. Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro returns with pop trio Pure Heart! Over the past two decades, Jake has proved that there isn’t a style of music that he can’t play. Jake’s transcendent skills is how he explores his seemingly limitless vocabulary – whether it’s jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk or even classical – many call him “the Jimi Hendrix of the ‘ukulele.”

    Hawaii News Now Presents

    Mark Normand

    Blue Note Comedy Series

    Friday, January 20 & Saturday, January 21

    Tickets: Premium Seating $40, Loge Seating $35, Bar Area $30

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Through his relentlessly punchy writing and expert delivery, Mark Normand is quickly becoming one of the most talked about comedians on the scene and was dubbed by Jerry Seinfeld as the “best young up and coming comic.” He most recently self-released a one-hour special “Out To Lunch” on YouTube, which has amassed over 11 million views. An extremely prolific stand-up, Mark can be heard on his multiple appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” or on his own podcast “Tuesdays with Stories.”

    Howie Day

    Sunday, January 22

    Tickets: Premium Seating $45, Loge Seating & Bar Area $35

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    Howie Day’s emotionally resonant lyrics and inventive melodies have earned him both critical praise and a legion of devoted fans. He is known for his energetic, heartfelt shows, where he connects with audiences through the strength of his songwriting and his quirky sense of humor. Day’s warm tenor voice “soars into fluttering, high registers, but also grates with real, pleading grit,” as one critic put it. After sales of over a million records and two Top 10 hits, Day is back on the road in support of his new studio album, “Lanterns.”

    Hawaii News Now Presents

    James Mane

    Blue Note Comedy Series

    Wednesday, January 25

    Tickets: Premium Seating $25, Loge Seating & Bar Area $15

    Showtimes: 7:00 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m.

    James Mane is a larger-than-life Samoan stand-up comedian, actor and podcast host from Hawaii. He is the first Samoan to do stand-up comedy on American television via FNX’s “First Nations Comedy Experience” which highlighted many Native American comedians and other indigenous people and can be seen on Amazon Prime. Mane has worked with comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Bert Kreischer, Doug Stanhope, Wanda Sykes, Ronny Chieng, Graham Elwood, Louie Anderson, Eddie Ifft, Amy Schumer, Brian Posehn, The Impractical Jokers, Cedric The Entertainer, Patton Oswalt and many others.

    Tavana with Special Guest Taimane

    Thursday, January 26

    Tickets: Premium Seating $25, Loge Seating & Bar Area $15

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m.

    Tavana is a one-man band from Honolulu, who uses his feet to lay down a variety of grooves to accompany himself while playing guitar and singing soulful, island-inspired rock and blues. He has performed and recorded with Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Henry Kapono, John Cruz and Leon Mobley (Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals), and has been the supporting act for Alabama Shakes, Shakey Graves, Xavier Rudd, Jenny Lewis, Julian Marley and Kaleo to name just a few. He is a multi-Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominee. Joining the blues-rocker is special guest and ʻukulele virtuoso, Taimane!

    The Rascals

    Friday, January 27 to Sunday, January 29

    Tickets: Premium Seating $55, Loge Seating & Bar Area $45

    Showtimes: 6:30 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

    The message has always been to stand for peace, love and happiness. For legendary singer-songwriter Felix Cavaliere, making people feel good is primary to his illustrious 50-year career that includes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriter Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame and GRAMMY® Hall of Fame. Few artists can claim they defined a generation; Cavaliere continues to remind us to keep listening for the world’s beauty.

    Mike Lewis Big Band

    Monday, January 30

    Tickets: Premium Seating $35, Loge Seating & Bar Area $25

    Showtimes: 7:00 p.m.

    Doors: 5:00 p.m.

    Local trumpeter and bandleader Mike Lewis returns to the club with his 17-piece big band!


    About Blue Note Entertainment Group

    Blue Note Entertainment Group, founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan, is a multi-faceted entertainment company that owns and operates New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club and Sony Hall; The Howard Theatre (Washington D.C.); and Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide (Milan, Italy; Honolulu, HI; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan; Napa, CA; and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil). Blue Note Entertainment Group also presents shows outside of its club network. The annual Blue Note Jazz Festival was established in 2011 and has since grown to become the largest jazz festival in New York City each June. Subsidiaries of Blue Note Entertainment Group include the GRAMMY®-nominated record label Half Note Records, whose catalogue includes over 50 titles recorded live at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, as well as Blue Note Travel, Management Group and Media Group.

    Lives Matter

    Tom Yamachika
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    Lives Matter

    In the weekly columns I have been writing in this space, I have been concentrating on money. The government makes us pay money in taxes, and then spends it in a way that is supposed to make our lives better.

    Trouble is, our government here isn’t really good at telling us what they spend money on, making it difficult for common people like us, and for lawmakers whose responsibility it is to spend tax money wisely and in an impactful way, to understand whether money is being spent the right way.

    In a recent study called the American Dream Prosperity Index, the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream in partnership with Legatum Institute compared several aspects of life here in Hawaii to those in the other states. According to the Index, Hawaii ranked first in health, fifth in governance, 12th in safety and security and 18th in social capital. Hawaii’s areas for improvement include business environment (ranked 51st, meaning last in the country), economic quality (ranked 51st), infrastructure (ranked 35th) and education (ranked 28th).  Under “Governance,” even though we got a pretty good mark overall, the score was weighed down by “Online Fiscal Transparency,” where we ranked 50th.

    Again, however, the important thing isn’t money for the sake of money, but whether it’s being used wisely to make our lives better.

    We may have a stellar overall ranking in Health according to the index, but that does little for those in our state who are struggling for their lives each day.  Let’s start with those literally fighting for their lives in our hospitals and health care facilities.  After two years of being rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals find themselves at full capacity with staff shortages.  According to a recent release from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs announcing emergency rules allowing mainland nurses to practice in Hawaii temporarily, the agency has observed that:  hospitals were complaining about staff shortages even before the pandemic hit; hospitals are advising that 200-300 patients are waiting at hospitals to be discharged into a long-term care facility, but can’t because the long-term facilities are also understaffed; and that the average daily census for November 2022 was about 2,500, compared with an average of about 2,000 in the three prior years.

    Gov. Green seems to be directing his energy toward the health care situation.  We hope that he can help to turn it around.  Even if we are in a state where people might not require healthcare interventions as other places on the mainland, we need to be ready for those who need the interventions. 

    After all, the economy—or anything else, for that matter—is irrelevant to you if you’re in a pine box six feet underground.

    Lives matter.

    Then, of course, we really should be going after the economy, which is where we as a state are seriously falling behind the rest of the country.  And, in the meantime, we should be working on fiscal transparency so watchdog organizations like the Tax Foundation can bring pertinent information to our lawmakers when they decide how best to use the billions of dollars of public money that are entrusted to their care.

    Tahiti’s Very Hidden Heritage

    Robert Kay
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    Tahiti’s Very Hidden Heritage

    I’ve been a long time fan of French Polynesia and take a keen interest in its cultural legacy, especially when compared to Hawaii, my home state. On a recent visit to Tahiti a friend suggested we go off the beaten path to take in some “hidden” heritage attractions. (In this case I would say they were practically invisible).

    “I bet you’ve never seen what I’m about to show you,” he said. As the author of Fijiguide and two travel guides to Tahiti — the original Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit to French Polynesia and Hidden Tahiti, he was surely throwing down the gauntlet.

    Of course, I was interested.

    the Royal Cemetery (Cimetiere Royal Pomare) populated by the Pomares, Tahiti’s Royal dynasty
    A sign marks the location of the cemetery but you’ll need to walk through a patch of weeds to get to the gate. (Rob Kay photo)

    Most of the sites he had in mind were about 15 minutes outside of Papeete, in the Arue district. The other attraction was in the heart of the capital.

    First stop, the Royal Pomare Cemetery in Arue

    The first leg of our hidden heritage tour was the Royal Cemetery (Cimetiere Royal Pomare) populated by the Pomares, Tahiti’s Royal dynasty.  My friend was correct. I’d never seen this cemetery, which is located only about 5 kilometers from Papeete.

    This rusty gate in the entrance to the Pomare Cemetary
    The gate is easily accessed–the Ecole Arue1 Ahutoru is in the background. (Rob Kay photo)

    There’s a turnoff with plenty of parking so it’s easily accessed. There is signage that marks that spot, but you won’t see it easily from the road. The big landmark nearby is the Ecole Arue1 Ahutoru (school) which is adjacent to the cemetery. (See below).

    The Royal Pomare Cemetery has the remains of Kings Pomare I, Pomare II, Pomare III and Queen Pomare IV, as well as their descendants. Each royal tomb is marked by two sacred stones, oriented to the rising sun, which according to the Tahiti Heritage website, “allows the mana to establish a link between the earth and the cosmos.” 

    Is this stone structure a marae? I'm not certain.
    At the foot of the cemetery (see stone wall) is this marae-like structure. It may be a tomb. (Rob Kay photo)

    From the parking lot, you have to walk a few steps, across a patch of grass to get to the entrance of the graveyard which you approach from the right-hand side, coming from the road. There’s a weather-worn gate with no lock so it’s easy to enter.

    It’s not the best maintained cemetery which puzzled me. After all, this was Tahiti’s Royal Family.

    Kings Pomare I, Pomare II, Pomare III and Queen Pomare IV, as well as their descendants lie here.
    In this cemetery are the remains of Kings Pomare I, Pomare II, Pomare III and Queen Pomare IV, as well as their descendants. (Rob Kay photo)

    In contrast to Tahiti, Hawaii’s Royal Mausoleum State Monument on Oahu (operated by the State of Hawai’i) which includes members of the Kamehameha and Kalakaua Dynasties, is an impressive and well maintained structure. (A great resource on this attraction is Mauna Ala: Hawaii’s Royal Mausoleum by Don Chapman).

    Hawaiians express admiration, if not some nostalgia, for the dynasties of Kamehameha and Kalakaua.

    Tahiti obviously has a different history. One commentator speculated that contemporary Tahitians aren’t quite as enamored of their former rulers.

    Overview of the cemetery (photo by Rob Kay)

    His theory is that the Pomare dynasty never produced a larger-than-life personage such as Kamehameha the First. What’s more, the Tahitians never established a stable, world renowned kingdom like the Hawaiians did. Their last ruler, Pomare V, ceded the land to the French on 29 June 1880 for a stipend, and drunk himself to death.

    In the meantime, independence fighters died in an effort to keep out the invaders. Parts of Tahiti archipelago, such as the Island of Huahine, remained independent for several decades. (Huahine, which is laden with well maintained archeological treasures, has a long history of autonomy and an near sovereignty. Just speculating but perhaps that’s part of the discrepancy between the islands when it comes to preservation of archeological/cultural landmarks).

    Be careful crossing this intersection. Bligh tree is at the end of the crosswalk.
    The Bligh Breadfruit Tree is at the very end of the crosswalk. Be careful, this crosswalk has no stoplight or stop sign. You enter the monument through the gate, just to the right of the crosswalk. (Rob Kay photo)

    Bligh Breadfruit Tree

    We next visited the Bligh Breadfruit Tree which is conveniently located across the street from the cemetery. Of course, we’re referring to the iconic Captain William Bligh of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame.

    To get there simply take the crosswalk over to the opposite side of the street. It’s a busy thoroughfare with no stop sign or red light so take care. There’s no median either. Fortunately if you need to cross the cars often (but not always) will flash their lights to signal that it’s ok to do so. 

    Walk down the gate to a landing of the Bligh Tree monument. At the base of the tree is a plaque and a sculpture.
    Walk down the gate to a landing of the Bligh Tree monument. At the base of the tree is a plaque and a sculpture. (Rob Kay photo)

    The breadfruit tree is easy to see–it’s just the other side of the crosswalk but there is no signage indicating this historically significant site. I’ve been visiting Tahiti since 1978 and didn’t know this monument even existed!

    Once you’ve crossed the street, you’ll see a non-descript, white gate followed by a few steps that descend into a small enclosure, strewn with breadfruit leaves and even branches. Next to the tree is an attractive stone sculpture and a boulder with bronze plaque, with a description in French.

    The plaque explains that the breadfruit tree was planted from a shoot from one of the three surviving original trees brought by Bligh to Jamaica. It’s one of these fascinating full circle stories.

    The inscription tells the story–in French–of Captain Bligh’s odyssey. (Rob Kay photo)

    In 1792 Commander William Bligh of the English Navy came to Tahiti to gather breadfruit trees to transplant in the West Indies. The slaves working the plantations needed to be fed and breadfruit, being both nutritious and easy to grow, was the ticket.

    Bligh’s first voyage in 1787 however ended in disaster with the famous mutiny aboard the Bounty. His second voyage to Tahiti (August 1791-Agusut 1793) was successful. Bligh “sourced” his breadfruit trees mostly in Arue and arrived with them in Jamaica by February 1793.

    breadfruit from a descendant of a tree gathered by William Bligh
    Bonafide breadfruit from a descendant of a tree gathered by William Bligh.(Rob Kay photo)

    This tree is a shoot from one of the three surviving originals brought by Bligh to Jamaica, all of which are the progenitors of the breadfruit trees now found in tropical America.

    Fast forward 168 years to 1962, and a replica of the original Bounty voyaged to Tahiti and brought this very plant back to its land of origin. It was planted by the National Geographical Society appropriately enough in Arue from where Commander Bligh gathered his plants.

    Go behind for old elementary school to see the petroglyphs which are on the boulders at right.
    You’ll need to go behind an old elementary school to see the petroglyphs which can be found on the two boulders at right. The school is adjacent to the Bligh “Ulu” tree. (Rob Kay photo)

    The Petroglyphs

    My friend next directed me a few steps from the Bligh Breadfruit Tree, next door, to a dilapidated former elementary school now known as Fare Hotu, which serves as a Red Cross storage depot. He led me through a parking area illustrated with graffiti, to the back of the old school. The concrete foundation of the building spilled into a path that had become a sort of moat filled with a few inches of rainwater. Perhaps 10 feet from this wall was a fence covered with foliage. The ground was carpeted with a luxuriant growth of weeds from which also sprang a withering palm tree.

    Near the fence line were two shiny black boulders.

    The petroglyphs are associated with Hiro, a Polynesian mythological figure.
    The petroglyph (upper left) is associated with Hiro, a Polynesian mythological figure. (Rob Kay photo)

    My friend waded through the weeds to the boulder closest to us and with the swipe of his hand, brushed the weeds away to expose a petroglyph. On the other boulder was a similar petroglyph.

    According to Tahiti Heritage, these petroglyphs are associated with Hiro, the mythical warrior to whom the gods had gifted their power. 

    The petroglyphs are clearly worn down by the elements
    The petroglyphs are clearly worn down by the elements and in my opinion, should be protected. (Rob Kay photo)

    Tahiti Heritage notes: “These symbols had real power. Even today, divine forces emanate from these stones. However, only the pure-hearted and God-appointed people feel their mana (power). In addition, we find that these figures have been taken up in various fields such as tattooing or painting…”

    On to the Queen’s Residence

    We left Arue and headed to Papeete, to Maison de la Reine Marauas or “Queen Marau’s Old Bungalow” as labeled on Google Maps. Located on Av. du General de Gaulle, equidistant from Boulevard Pomare IV which runs along the waterfront and the Territorial Assembly, it couldn’t be more centrally located.

    Surrounded by a high fence, covered with a tarp, the owners don’t seem to be anxious for publicity.

    Queen Marau's Bungalow, as seen through the fence
    I pulled down the tarp to get this shot of the Queen’s Bungalow. (Rob Kay photo)

    Too bad. It’s a marvelous example of 19th century, colonial architecture and with the exception of a church or two, there’s precious little left in Papeete.

    In a passage from Tahiti Heritage, Princess Takau, daughter of Queen Marau described the house as follows:

    My mother lived in Papeete, in a big wooden house which she had had built, according to her own plans, by a Tahitian carpenter. We had to cover it with corrugated sheets. Pandanus roofs were no longer authorized in Papeete, due to the danger of fire. It’s a shame because these Pandanus leaves kept the interiors cool.

    This house, located on the old “Broom road” between the Pomare Palace and the sea, replaced the house built with whitewash and covered with foliage that had long lived in ariimatai (the mother of Queen Marau).

    Queen Marau, photograph by Sophia Hoare
    Queen Marau, photograph by Sophia Hoare, 1 January 1889 (courtesy Wikipedia)

    The house was very spacious, with two wide verandas at its ends, one facing the old palace, the other facing the sea. It was surrounded by warm-colored shrubs, tiare and jasmine plantations. which enveloped him in their sweet perfume. These verandas sheltered you from the reverberation and the heat, so that one lived very little in the rooms. My mother most often stood facing the sea; it was there that she received her close friends, while the large living room with its walls covered with family portraits and furnished with what she had been able to save by buying back some of the palace furniture when it was sold at auction, was only used to receive distinguished visitors. Facing the living room, there was the large dining room in continuation of the veranda, to the right of which was another smaller dining room; open to the garden; on the other side a small veranda which gave access to the garden and through which one entered where my mother most often stood »

    Termite damage is evident on this structure.
    The old bungalow is clearly beset with termite damage. (Rob Kay photo)

    I was able to take a few photos by pulling down the tarp and the building has clearly seen better days. Termite damage is evident from the exterior.

    The family has sold the house–they couldn’t afford the upkeep. According to Tahiti Heritage, there have been several attempts over the years to protect this historic house and turn it into a museum. Most recently, a project was undertaken to classify the house at “the commission for natural monuments and sites, but the file remained unanswered, the owners asking for an exorbitant price.”

    Several Tahiti residents I spoke to agreed that the home could be into a museum. Much like Iolani Palace in Honolulu, it could become a wonderful attraction.

    The jury is still out on that one.

    Rob Kay has just published a revised edition of Suva, A History and Guide and covers Fiji in FijiGuide.com

    Disaster Preparedness & Food System Resilience in Hawaiʻi – January 27, 2023

    Albie Miles
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    Disaster Preparedness & Food System Resilience in Hawaiʻi – January 27, 2023

    The Future of Food & Agriculture in Hawaiʻi is a monthly speaker series.

    By Civil Beat, UHWO, Better Tomorrow Series, Waiwai

    Presented by The Hawaiʻi Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu, Honolulu Civil Beat, UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, and Waiwai Collective, this series is meant to generate key opportunities for community dialogue among a diverse audience, aiming to achieve a healthy, equitable, resilient and sustainable food system for Hawaiʻi.

    Agenda:

    Doors open at 5 p.m. for booths, music and a complimentary pupu. Speakers will start at 6 p.m, followed by an optional post-discussion community forum from 7 – 8 p.m.

    Speakers:

    David Lopez, Executive Officer of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency

    Subhashni Raj, PhD, Assistant Professor at UH Mānoa, Department of Urban and Regional Planning

    Marcel Honoré, Reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat

    Parking Directions: Ka Waiwai Parking is located on the makai side of the Varsity Building. The entrance to the lot is located off of Coyne Street. Parking is $6.

    ***if you park in any of the lots located on the mauka side of the building you will need to self pay at the self pay station. They will ticket/tow in these lots if you do not pay.

    Register Here at Eventbrite!

    Sponsors:

    The Future of Food and Agriculture in Hawaii is a joint project of Civil Beat, the Hawai’i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai’i – West O’ahu, and the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. These events are made possible through generous support from the Kellogg Foundation. BTSS is a joint venture of the Hawaii Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, and UH, with support from the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources and the Ulupono Initiative. Civil Beat’s agricultural and food security reporting is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.

    If you require special assistance or auxiliary aids and/or services (i.e., sign language interpreter or wheelchair accessibility), please contact Civil Beat at 808-737-2300 or email your request for an interpreter to membership@civilbeat.org at least 4 business days prior to the event.

    By registering for this event, you’ll receive a subscription to our free e-newsletters. And don’t worry, you can unsubscribe any time by clicking the link at the bottom of each email.

    Earning a Procurement Exemption

    Tom Yamachika
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    Earning a Procurement Exemption

    This week, we are focusing on the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).  They have been trying to award a tourism marketing contract worth tens of millions of dollars, as they have for the past several years.  In the past, that contract has always gone to the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), but this time around, there were a few twists and turns.

    Initially, the contract was open for bids, just like Hawaii state procurement law requires. Despite competitive bids put in by other entities, such as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), the contract award went to HVCB as usual.  CNHA filed a protest, alleging irregularities with the award procedure, and HTA decided to do the process over.  At the end of Round Two, HTA awarded the contract to CNHA, and this time it was HVCB‘s turn to file the protest.  Days, if not minutes, before our previous governor’s term ended, the head of DBEDT, under which HTA sits, decided to rescind the second procurement.

    At this point, the score is:  HVCB 1, CNHA1, and taxpayers nil (for those of you who haven’t been following the World Cup, that means zero). 

    These turns of events did not evade the watchful eyes of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which held informational briefings on the matter.  At one of them, HTA’s chief executive, John De Fries, suggested a simple solution:  Give HTA an exemption from state procurement law so it doesn’t have to follow all those burdensome procedures that the law requires.

    “You’re going to have to earn something like that,” Senator Donna Mercado Kim, one of the Ways and Means Committee members, was quoted as replying.

    That, of course, brings up a new and troubling question: how does an agency “earn“ a procurement code exemption?

    There are several reasons why we have a public procurement code.  According to the law in 1993 that adopted it, some of the reasons are:  (1) ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of all persons from whom our government buys goods or services; (2) fostering public confidence in the integrity of the procurement process; and (3) encouraging broad-based competition. 

    Obviously, it’s tough to have public confidence in the integrity of the procurement process when the process only applies some of the time.

    Under current law, there are only a few agencies explicitly exempt from the procurement code:  the regional system board of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC), which runs the state hospitals.  That is in HRS section 103D-102(c).  This exemption was enacted in 2007, as Act 290 for that year.  The exemption seems to have originated with the Senate Committee on Health that year, according to a report from that committee, which at the time was chaired by one Senator David Ige.  That committee’s draft of the bill included both an exemption from the state procurement code and an exemption from the tax clearance requirement so that vendors could deal with and receive payment from HHSC whether or not they were in compliance with tax laws.  It’s unclear from the bill drafts and committee reports how HHSC merited, or earned, an exemption from these laws.

    Maybe one day lawmakers can explain to us how an agency can earn an exemption from the Procurement Code, or perhaps clarify that they misspoke.  For now, however, we can rest assured that the idea doesn’t seem to be going anywhere this time.

    What It Takes to Spend $600M on Housing in Three Years

    Tom Yamachika
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    What It Takes to Spend $600M on Housing in Three Years

    As we have written about before, last year’s Legislature approved $600 million to our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to reduce the monstrous waiting list of Hawaiians waiting for homestead lands.  The catch, however, is that DHHL needs to spend the money, or enter into a contract to spend it, by June 30, 2025.  Otherwise, the money goes back to the general fund.

    On December 6, 2022, DHHL published a strategic plan to accomplish this lofty goal.  In that plan, it noted that Act 279, SLH 2022, the legislative act appropriating the money, also required the agency to submit to the legislature by December 10th any proposed legislation that the agency considered necessary or desirable.

    The legislative proposals, although they may be thought of as a wish list, seem to take direct aim at several key items that impede housing development today.

    First, DHHL proposes to exempt any development of homestead lots or housing from our general excise and use taxes.  The mechanics in the proposal are very similar to those used for the development of affordable housing; but, instead of having the GET exemption certified by HHFDC or a county housing agency, DHHL would be the certifying authority.  This dovetails with another proposal to require the counties to continue to issue affordable housing credits to DHHL on the same terms as it would issue credits to a private developer.  The counties already have to do this, but the law so requiring sunsets on July 1, 2024.

    Next, DHHL proposes to exempt any of its developments from school impact fees.  As we have written about before, the Department of Education can charge fees for new development because it would need to construct more schools to service the children in the new development.  The justification for this proposal is more questionable, because it basically asks taxpayers not living in the area to pick up the tab for construction of these new schools.  However, it is current law, enacted in 2021, and DHHL here is just asking for repeal of its current sunset date of July 1, 2024.

    Next, DHHL proposes to take over review of the effect of any proposed project on historic properties or burial sites for Hawaiian homestead lands.  Under current law, that review is carried out by the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  That office, however, has had problems with its systems and processes, including a significant backlog, leading to a designation by the National Park Service as a “high-risk” recipient of federal funds; the Park Service downgraded SHPD to a medium-risk recipient at the end of 2019.  DHHL’s proposal seeks to take over these reviews to “streamline the approval process,” indicating a distrust that SHPD would be able to complete its reviews in a timely manner.

    The next bill proposes that DHHL be given authority to issue temporary administrative rules, having the force and effect of law for up to 18 months, without complying with current requirements to give public notice, have a public hearing, and have the Governor sign off on the rules, as long as DHHL consults with its beneficiaries (i.e., lessees, applicants, and Native Hawaiians).  This sounds like a naked power grab, but, to be fair, some agencies such as the Department of Taxation also have similar temporary rulemaking authority, although the proposal here appears to be broader in scope (even temporary tax rules under HRS section 231-10.7 require the Governor to sign off, for example).

    Interestingly, DHHL has not asked for a blanket exemption from county zoning and permitting laws, as some Hawaiian groups are advocating.  Perhaps DHHL is planning an end run around those by using the unilateral temporary rulemaking authority described in the previous paragraph.

    It certainly is worth looking at the institutions and procedures DHHL is targeting in its proposals.  They are some of the major obstacles to land development today and have created inordinate delays in the process – just like the waiting list for Hawaiian homestead lands.  Hopefully, some of these processes can be streamlined or improved, or policy justifications for the delays can be articulated and brought to public view.

    What is Shoyu and why calling soy sauce “SHOYU” is wrong

    Daniela Stolfi-Tow
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    What is Shoyu and why calling soy sauce “SHOYU” is wrong

    The other day I said “Shoyu” to some friends visiting from the mainland.

    “What is shoyu?” 

    I explained that it is what we call soy sauce in Hawai’i.

    But it turns out I was wrong. Soy sauce and Shoyu aren’t even the same thing.

    We grew up saying shoyu in Hawai’i. We use it A LOT. I even lived in Japan. But I am embarrassed to say, I didn’t know much about it. Not even what is in it. I just called any black sauce in a bottle SHOYU and dumped it on everything.

    Soy sauce is actually one of the oldest condiments in the world ( 3 millennia worth of history). It is a by-product of fermented soybeans and wheat that have been mixed with brine, then packed with sea salt and koji, a type of mold.

    But Soy sauce and Shoyu are 2 different things.

    Soy Sauce is Chinese made with 100% soy, and “Shoyu” is Japanese  (wheat based) and slightly sweeter and thinner than Chinese sauces.

    The traditional process can take months and years. OR just days using Chemical Hydrolysis. And here is a big difference in taste!

    Fermented soy sauce, made using the traditional method, is said to have multiple health benefits because of the process it goes through when being made. It supposedly helps the digestive system, cardiovascular system and immune system. And it contains antioxidants that help the large intestine to produce good bacteria.

    Honestly, they could have told me it was made from old engine oil and I don’t think it would matter to us. Shoyu is probably the most used condiment in Hawai’i followed by Chili Peppah Wata. IYKYK. 🙂

    #shoyuloveforlife

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