By Sam Slom
President, Smart Business Hawaii and SBH Entrepreneurial Education Foundation
Wow oh wow oh Waipio! Weren’t the boys from Waipio teriffic? They did us all proud as U.S. Little League Champions. What a run. And what great publicity garnered for Hawaii by the sportscasters. You can still help defray the costs of the expensive trip for the boys and their parents with donations either to any First Hawaiian Bank branch or to Clear Channel Broadcasting. Mark your check payable to the Wapio Little Leaguers.
See you at Aloha Stadium tomorrow for the UH – USC opening football game at 5 pm (watch for that massive traffic jam). The UH Warriors are bringing a lot of question maks to the big game. USC with a new coach coming off major sanctions. Anything goes. The rest of the UH season schedule is so-so.
The final Perry Boys Smorgy’s Buffet closed in Waikiki on Saturday night. Those inexpensive buffets helped get me through college decades ago.
Hana Sushi took the former Coldstone site in Hawaii Kai.
It looks like the end of the line for Blockbuster.
The feds gave final approval to the $3 billion merger (all stock) of United and Continental Airlines (October 1) to become the world’s largest airline.
God Bless the lawyers: a Hawaii resident has made national news for his lawsuit (allowed) against a South Korean video game maker. The plaintiff alleges he is so addicted to the game he can’t do anything. Can’t get out of bed. Can’t feed himself. Has no energy. Sometimes I feel like that (especially at the State Capitol) but I’m not a video gamer.
What the smell? Businesses and residents in the Ilikai and Waikiki area complaining about foul odors. (More than usual). It appears that it is the City’s sewer near Duke’s Lane that is the culprit.
Children first? No, it seems unions are first, children are the pawns to get more taxpayer money. Visit our new transparency website shining the light on Hawaii’s education issues – www.educate808.com
This weeks’ Special legislative Senate Session today and tomorrow, will consider the judicial confirmations of Maui Circuit Court judge Blain Kobayashi and Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee, Mark Recktenwald. On Saturday, CJ Ronald Moon turns 70 and will officially retire. The new Kapolei court complex is being named after Moon.
Today at the Pacific Club, former Governor Ben Cayetano, “Broken Trust” editor Randy Roth and traffic expert Cliff Slater examine “Hawaii: Is It Broken?” at 11:30 in the Pacific Club. I get to M.C. The event is open to the public and co-sponsored by Grassroot Institute, HPU and SBH.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced the re-opening of State marine waters to the new fishing year for bottomfish today, Wednesday, September 1. The fishing year was closed earlier this year on April 20, 2010 and remained closed until August 31, 2010. Seven bottomfish species were affected by this closure: onaga, ehu, opakapaka, kalekale, gindai, lehi, and the hapuupuu. The proposed total allowable catch (TAC) for the new fishing year is 254,050 pounds of Deep 7 bottomfish. The TAC is monitored through commercial landings. The bottomfish fishery will close when the 2010-2011 commercial landings reach the TAC limit, or on August 31, 2011 when the fishing year ends, whichever comes first. The Department also reminds bottomfish fishers that the State’s twelve bottomfish restricted fishing areas will continue to remain closed to bottomfish fishing.
Governor Linda Lingle announced that the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting which will be held in Hawai’i next November (12-13) has been designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano informed Governor Lingle in a letter dated Friday, August 27, 2010 that she has approved the Governor’s request for the National Special Security Event designation. Governor Lingle submitted the official request in May after she and State Adjutant General Major General Robert Lee met with Homeland Security and Secret Service officials in Washington, D.C. in February to discuss security for the APEC meeting. Under the NSSE designation, federal agencies, state and local law enforcement, and public safety agencies will coordinate operational security as well as contingency plans for the APEC meeting that will be held in Honolulu November 12 -13, 2011.
State Rep. K. Mark Takai invites you to attend a historic Honor and Remember event this Friday, September 3, 2010 at 2:00 pm at The Eternal Flame, across the State Capitol . Honor and Remember is an organization that was founded in 2008 by Mr. George Lutz, who lost his son to war. Honor and Remember’s mission is to promote a new national symbol honoring individuals who serve or have died in military service to America. The nationally-recognized flag will fly continuously as a visible reminder to all Americans of the lives lost in defense of our national freedoms. Additional information can be found at: https://www.honorandremember.org and https://www.honorandremember.org/faq.php.
Personalized Honor and Remember Flags have been presented to dozens of families since May 2008. Now Mr. Lutz is traveling throughout the nation and as part of his 50-state tour, Mr. Lutz is visiting Hawaii to do a special flag presentation ceremony to three Hawaii Gold Star Families. The Honor and Remember Flag has been endorsed by the American Gold Star Mothers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Fleet Reserve Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force Security Forces Association and the Naval Reserve Association. The flag has been officially adopted by several states and many cities. Please contact Lisa Vargas in Rep. Takai’s office at at 586-8455 if you have any questions. We hope you can join us for this very special event.
Governor Linda Lingle will address us at our next monthly SBH SUNRISE Networking Breakfast, Thursday, September 30, 7-8:30 am at the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana. LIMITED seating; first come first served. Call Darlyn for reservations: 396-1724.