BY SAM SLOM – Memorial Day: Fewer Vets and Young People. Monday, we celebrated Memorial Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe. As I was reminded, Veterans Day recognizes ALL veterans; Memorial Day honors those in the military who gave their lives for our liberty. There were fewer living veterans attending events, a trend noted annually, and very few young people. Many people, too many, do not know the significance of Memorial Day or the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform to preserve our Freedom. They’re too busy taking “selfies.”
Churches Beat Atheists. Score one for God. The Alliance Defending Freedom had a major victory over Atheist Mitch Kahle and his wife Holly Huber, when the court dismissed a renewed lawsuit against two Oahu churches that falsely accused them of defrauding the government simply for paying agreed-upon rent to the public schools in which they meet.
Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said, “The only thing these churches have done is serve the schools and bring great benefit to their surrounding communities. No one benefits from this suit except the two atheists bringing it, who stand to gain financially if they are successful. As ADF has said all along, their legal attack has no substance. The court did the right thing in gutting this lawsuit of its substance, and we are confident that the minor pieces that remain will be dismissed as well. We appreciate the serious research and consideration the court has dedicated to this ruling.”
Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for Separation of Church, has invested a great deal of his time trying to stop prayer at the legislature and city council. He most notably fought the state to have crosses removed from the side of the road after 8 people were killed at Sacred Falls on Mothers’ day in 1999. He complained the crosses created “the appearance of a government preference for the Christian religion.” The families had put the small white crosses there as a reminder of their loved ones.
Anti-Job Minimum Wage Signed. With much fanfare, and the cheers of many who are not working and those unions and special interests who earn much more than minimum wage, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Hawaii’s new minimum wage bill into law (Act 82) last week in the Capitol Auditorium. The bill will kill jobs and make it even harder for the young, inexperienced and untrained to get a foot in the door entry job. The current $7.25 an hour rate increases over 4 years as follows: 1/1/15 $7.75; 1/1/16 $8.50; 1/1/1/17 $9.25 and 1/1/18 $10.10.
Coldwell Banker Digital. Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, announced that it has launched a comprehensive new digital marketing partnership with Google and Cox Media Group that will build on the company’s tech leadership in the housing industry. The marketing campaign will reach a minimum of 300,000 viewers every month and help drive more traffic to the company’s cbpacific.com website and ultimately to its agents and their listings. With the Google Display Network, Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties will be able to reach more than 83 percent of unique Internet users around the world, including people in more than 100 countries and who speak more than 20 languages.
Horner Steps Down at FHB. First Hawaiian Bank President and CEO Bob Harrison was named chairman of Hawaii’s largest bank last week following the retirement of Don Horner, who will remain on the board.
Carvill Joins With Sotheby’s. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC announced that Carvill & Company in Kailua, will be the newest member of its real estate network and will operate as Carvill Sotheby’s International Realty as of June 4.
Scott Carvill is broker/owner of the firm, serving the Windward, Honolulu and North Shore markets. With the addition of this firm, the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand now has nine independently owned and operated offices throughout Hawaii.
Petition Targets HECO. A petition and massive emails by the group, Hawaii Two Futures, have emerged in the last few days urging lawmakers to “hold Hawaiian Electric (HECO) accountable for grid reform.” This was an issue during the last Session and will re-emerge in 2015.
Help for Small Business. Profitability Revolution, LLC Debuts the Largest Video Library focused on Small Business. Now small business owners can get the answers they need in one place. The Profitability Revolution library holds more than 100 impactful videos on HR, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Personal Development and more by business experts who have done it – not just talked about it. To preview the library go to www.profitabilityrevolution.com.
Dale Carnegie Tips. SBH member Jan Kaeo of Dale Carnegie Training, offers five tips for Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace:
- Understand the Cause. Fear, stress and uncertainty create negative attitudes and a fertile ground for rumors.
- Solution: Define your expectations, be approachable, and dispel rumors ASAP.
- Words Get Twisted. Remember “Whisper Down the Lane?” A message whispered from child to child is comically garbled the further it travels. This can happen with word-of-mouth in the workplace.
- Solution: Encourage people to come to you first – no strings attached.
- Fine-Tune Feedback. Management advice from Dale Carnegie offers many ways to diplomatically deliver positive and negative feedback.
- Solution: Remember to target the problem, not the person; the goal is finding solutions.
- Everyone on the Same Page. Virtual and onsite employees face many of the same challenges.
- Solution: Make it easier to interact and share. One idea: a virtual “Water Cooler” web or Facebook page.
- Target Problem People. Toxic workers kill morale. Put them on notice that the behavior will not be tolerated.
- Solution: Offer help (job training, anger management). But give a deadline and enforce it. “
Rudy Rummel. I just learned from Jay Lembeck that a mutual friend, Prof. Rudy Rummel died earlier this year. Rudy was internationally known and respected for his war and peace modeling. He was also my business partner with Convention Speakers of Hawaii, and my number one tennis foe when I could still locate a backhand. He was undefeated. In case you didn’t know all about him, Jay sent this:
Rudolph Joseph Rummel (October 21, 1932 – March 2, 2014[1]) was professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii. He spent his career assembling data on collective violence and war with a view toward helping their resolution or elimination. Rummel coined the term democide for murder by government (compare genocide), and his research claims that six times as many people died of democide during the 20th century than in all that century’s wars combined.[2] He concluded that democracy is the form of government least likely to kill its citizens and that democracies do not wage war against each other[3] (see Democratic peace theory).
Rummel was the author of 24 scholarly books, and published his major results in Understanding Conflict and War (1975-81). He then spent the next fifteen years refining the underlying theory and testing it empirically on new data, against the empirical results of others, and on case studies. Power Kills (1997) sums up Rummel’s research.
Other works include Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocides and Mass Murders 1917-1987 (1990); China’s Bloody Century: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900 (1991); Democide: Nazi Genocide and Mass Murder (1992); Death by Government (1994); and Statistics of Democide (1997). Extracts, figures, and tables from the books, including his sources and details regarding the calculations, are available online on his website. Rummel also authored Understanding Factor Analysis (1970) and Understanding Correlation (1976). He was the author of the Never again series of alternative-history novels, in which a secret society sends two lovers armed with fabulous wealth and modern weapons back to 1906 with orders to create an alternative, peaceful century. These works are available online.
There is an extensive FAQ on his webpage, answering many questions and objections regarding the democratic peace and democide.[4] The book Never Again: Ending War, Democide, & Famine Through Democratic Freedom is available on his website. This book aims at popularizing his findings and is available as a free download. Rudy was a great thinker, a valuable asset to Hawaii and is missed.
Lefty Krugman Right. Lest we forget: Progressive Liberal Princeton Economist, and Star-Advertiser regular contributor, Prof. Paul Krugman, several columns ago bragged that the Veterans Administration was, a “huge policy success story which offers important lessons for future health reform….yes, this is socialized medicine.” Krugman went on to say the VA is how Obamacare will work. Agree. If we can’t take care of our Vets, how will the government take care of you and your family? Obamacare and the Hawaii Health Exchange Connector must end now.
Hawaii Republicans: Stay in Your Place! At the State Democrat Party Convention Saturday at the Sheraton Waikiki, Party Chair Dante Carpenter said, “Democrats are committed to keeping the Hawaii Republican Party in its place.” Seriously? Dante where is that bi-partisan love Democrats are always talking about? And what place is that for a true two-party system? What about the people of Hawaii who have been kept in their place for the past 50+ years by one political party? In its place? Wasn’t it a Republican President that ended slavery so everyone could find their own place without being kept by another?
OHA Applauds Obama. Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Colette Machado and Ka Pouhana/CEO Kamana’opono Crabbe commended the Obama Administration for taking an important step towards creating a pathway for Native Hawaiians to reestablish a government-to-government relationship with the United States.
OHA’s top leadership also applauded the Obama Administration for reaffirming the special political relationship between the federal government and the Native Hawaiian people. The federal government is considering whether to take administrative action on reestablishing a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians.
Machado and Crabbe also stressed that the consideration of a federal recognition pathway does not change OHA’s commitment to leave all options open with respect to the OHA-supported nation-building process. That process would include a Native Hawaiian election of delegates, who would then convene at a governance ‘aha to draft a proposed constitution for the Native Hawaiian governing entity.
If approved by the collective will of Native Hawaiians through a referendum, that constitution would then outline the next steps for the Native Hawaiian governing entity.
Don’t Fall! The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) and the Hawaii Fall Prevention Consortium in collaboration with AARP, FOODLAND Supermarkets, TIMES Supermarkets, MINA Pharmacies, KTA Superstores, and the Hawaii Community Pharmacy Association are sponsoring the statewide Senior Fall Prevention Awareness Campaign from May 29 to July 31. The campaign features newly released educational videos, free medication reviews, balance testing, and workshops that focus on preventing falls among older adults.
As a result of falls every year in Hawaii, on average 85 seniors die, 1,960 are hospitalized and 8,700 are treated in emergency departments resulting in almost $120 million dollars in hospital and physician charges. Falls disproportionately affect the elderly and increase dramatically in the years after age 65. Falls and fall-related injuries impose an enormous burden on individuals, society and Hawaii’s health care system.
To prevent falls and fall-related injuries that can limit mobility and independence: have your doctor or pharmacist review your medications yearly; have your eyes checked annually; make your home safer by removing fall hazards, and improve your lighting; and exercise regularly; it increases balance and flexibility. Go to nogethurt.hawaii.gov or call (808) 733-9202 for more information about fall prevention for seniors.
SBH Sunrise June 26. The next SBH Sunrise Networking Breakfast will be held on Thursday, June 26, 7-8:30 am in the Pineapple Room of Macy’s Ala Moana Center. Details on the SBH website or by calling 396-1724.
View “A Better Day” You can see a review of the major issues of the 2014 Legislative Session on my monthly O’lelo tv series, “A Better Day” by clicking here>
Want More Business? JOIN SBH! Is YOUR business a member of SBH? No? Lots of benefits. Strong networking organization. Call 396-1724 or go online to smartbusinesshawaii.com.
Hawaii Reporter.com, Hawaii’s first electronic daily newspaper launched in 2002, has all the breaking news and unlike other publications in town, is still free. Award winning Hawaii Reporter and Malia Zimmerman report daily (M-F) on the Rick Hamada Show heard on KHVH radio on 830 AM at 7:05 am. Malia will share the news behind the news.
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Tune in to Panos Prevedouros. SBH Director and UH Engineering Professor Dr. Panos Prevedouros is a weekly guest on Rick Hamada’s morning radio show every Tuesday from 7:05 a.m. to 8 am. Tune in!
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