No Vote For You | Diesel Exhaust | Local Shippers Under Scrutiny

BY SEN. SAM SLOM – No Vote For You. The State Senate placed the final nail in the coffin yesterday (11-12-13!) by approving same sex marriage, by a vote of 19-4 (Taniguchi and Dela Cruzabsent), during the “Special” Session that began October 28 and dragged on to its 3rd week. The House had approved the measure on Friday, 30-18. The gleeful Governor will sign the bill today in order to beat Illinois. Voters will not get a chance to let their voices be heard as was the case in 1998. Next stop: Court. Hawaii REALLY needs Initiative, Referendum, Recall and Term Limits. Same Sexers can marry December 2.

EDNA’s Impact. Senate lawmakers last Thursday passed a bill that some say bans workplace discrimination against LGBT individuals and others warn that the bill allows transgendered men to teach in schools, use girls’ and women’s restrooms and ignores religious liberty and privacy of employers, employees, women and girls.  With the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, many see the 64-32 vote on ENDA as a stepping stone on the way to support for same-sex marriage passage in other states.

That fact concerns the American Family Association, which is now encouraging Americans to contact their Congressmen to express their opinions about ENDA.
AFA President Tim Wildmon cited several issues that the full passage of ENDA would create, including the infringement of religious liberties in America, as well as possible right to privacy concerns for students in schools and employees in the workplace.

Wildmon said that 21 states and Washington, D.C. currently have protections that say that employees can’t be fired for being a homosexual. But other ‘protections’ like these don’t exist. “An American can be fired for being a Yankees’ fan!” he added.

ENDA is not currently scheduled for a vote in the House, and House Speaker John Boehner has voiced his opposition on the grounds that ENDA would cost small businesses and create “frivolous litigation.” And he’s right. Freedom to Work is suing Exxon for not hiring a lesbian when the organization sent fake resumes to the gasoline giant.

ENDA states that it would “prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.” The law is not new in Washington; on many other occasions- in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001-02, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 and most recently in April 2013- ENDA bills have been introduced to at least one house of Congress.

For more information on American Family Association, visitwww.afa.net.

Chisholm, Morihara at SUNRISE.  The next SBH SUNRISE Networking Breakfast forum, next Thursday, November 21 (7 -8:30 am) will feature Erin Chisholm of Pacific Business Consultants and David Morihara of Morihara, Inc. discussing, “What is Your Company Worth in Today’s Market?” Contact Susan at SBH (396-1724) for reservations.

Help the Phillipines But…  News of the devastating Super Typhoon “Haiyan” that hit the Philippines has many Hawaii residents, businesses, and agencies seeking ways they can help.  Hawaii residents are known for their generosity, and given the close cultural and historical ties between Hawaii and the Philippines, Hawaii residents will likely generously donate money to aid in rescue and relief efforts.

Attorney General David M. Louie issued this special consumer alert to encourage Hawaii residents to consider donating to relief organizations, but to first verify the donations are made to reputable charities.  “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy, and I know the people of Hawaii are already looking for ways they can help.  However, we all must be careful of scammers and charlatans” said Louie.

Attorney General Louie urged consumers to consider the following tips before donating to a charity:

• Donate to charities you know and trust.  Be alert for charities that seem to have sprung up overnight in connection with current events, like a natural disaster.

• Consider giving to organizations that have a strong history of providing disaster relief, and ask about what percentage of the donation will benefit the relief effort.

• Do not contribute cash.  Make a check or money order payable to the charitable organization, not an individual.
• Check out the charity with the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, or GuideStar.

Kim 4 Congress.  State Senate Prez Donna Mercado Kim, announced for Congress (CD-1) last week. The long time Democrat, former City Councilmember, State Rep. and State Senator, joins an ever increasing Democrat crowded field: Council members Ikaika Anderson and Stanley Chang, State Rep. K. Mark Takai and State Senator Will Espero. There will be more. Kim is known for her surgical state investigations including the Special Hydrogen Fund, UH “Stevie Wonder Blunder,” and now the failed CGI contracts with the State Tax Department and Health Connector. Where are the Republicans?

Charley’s Updates App. Charley’s Taxi Hawai’i App was recently updated to version 1.3 for iPhone®. It’s a total rewrite to follow new iOS7 guidelines and Apple® approved. It also takes advantage of new functionality in the newest iPhones.

With one tap your current location and street address will show in Maps using the very latest location services. Handy when you need to know where you are in plain language, quickly. With one tap you can be listening to Hawai’i NOAA weather radio on your iPhone!

The list of popular locations now has over 320 restaurants, shopping, golf, visitor attractions, places of worship, spas, fitness clubs, and hospitals, all with one-tap phone numbers, newly updated. They also added website links for each listing. Of course the App continues to feature speed dial connections to Charley’s 24-hour dispatch, reservations, medicab, and Japanese dispatch. You donʻt need to be connected to the Internet to use any or all of the one-tap call features.

And there’s a quick link to Charley’s full web site.  Currently this App is offered for FREE. Very useful for residents as well as visitors.   Visit TouchHawaiian.com today for more information, or download the App on iTunes® or the App Store.

Small Biz Saturday.  This coming Saturday is the annual Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express. Consumers are urged to buy and support their local small businesses.

Koko Head Rifle Range Meeting. All shooting at targets beyond 100 yards is prohibited at the Koko Head Rifle Range. This rule went into effect Friday, November 1, 2013 in response to a report of a bullet passing through the kitchen window of a residence on Makani Kai Place, within the Queen’s Gate gated community in East Hawaii Kai, Sunday morning, October 27, 2013. Subsequently examined by Koko Head Range staff, the bullet was .30 caliber and appeared scuffed. There are two other separate .30 cal bullet recovery incidents from the area. Fallen hanging metal targets propped at an angle on the slopes of Koko Head  are implicated. The report was discussed in the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting October 29, 2013.

Unfavorable comments about Koko Head safety were made by Chair Greg Knudsen. The issue is added to the next Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting starting at 7pm, Tuesday, November 26, 2013, in the Hahaione Elementary School Cafeteria, 595 Pepekeo St, Honolulu. On the agenda will be the Koko Head Shooting Complex “safety improvements” and a discussion on the changes that have been made at the KHSC.Public attendance is encouraged. Makani Kai Place is approximately 2,550 yards directly down range from the Koko Head rifle range firing line, behind the Koko Head Crater rim which rises a maximum of 678 feet above the floor of the range.

Local Shippers Under Scrutiny. The Horizon 10-Q alerted several readers and Hawaii Reporter to a whistle blowing case against all Hawaii carriers (Matson included) for falsifying fuel charges on military household goods shipments.

>Here is the case

HVB Annual Meeting. Please join the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau for their Annual Meeting

Thursday, December 5

Sheraton Waikiki

Molokai/Lanai Rooms

9:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Network with Industry Partners

10:00 a.m. – Noon

HVCB Leisure and Meet Hawaii Presentations

Light refreshments will be served in the morning and there will be no charge to attend.

Please RSVP at HVCB2013.eventbrite.com by Monday, December 2.

Airport Ramp Closures. The state Department of Transportation advises Oahu motorists of ramp closures on the H-1 Freeway Airport Off-Ramp (Exit 16) in both directions from 11 p.m. Saturday night, November 15, to 4 a.m. Sunday morning, November 16, for traffic signal installations. The “Arrivals” ramps leading down to Aolele Street will be closed during this time. All “Departure” ramps will remain open. Motorists are advised to use the Nimitz Highway underpass as an alternate route to the Airport.

UH Shidler Scholarships. The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to more than 200 business students for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The College’s annual Scholarship Luncheon, held on November 4, 2013, recognized donors for their commitment to education, and gave the donors and scholarship recipients an opportunity to connect.

This year’s scholarship luncheon featured guest speakerEddie Flores Jr., president of the L&L restaurant chain. Flores said he was amazed to see so many recipients of his scholarship. In 2007, Flores established a $1 million endowed scholarship at the Shidler College of Business. This year alone, Flores’ scholarship helped 52 students from the Shidler Freshman Direct Admit Program.

“We are extremely grateful to our alumni, the business community and friends of the College for establishing scholarships for our students,” said Shidler Dean V. Vance Roley. “With the cost of tuition and books, academic scholarships can make a world of difference in the lives of our students.”

Each academic year, full and partial scholarships are awarded to undergraduate and graduate business students based on academic achievement, financial need, specific area of concentration, community service and/or other criteria established by the donors. For a full list of the 2013-2014 scholarship recipients >visit here.

Diesel Exhaust. ABF markets Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Supported by Cervantes-Delgado, Inc., their bulk supply partner, the new Honolulu facility will produce DEF that meets ISO 22241 and DIN 70070 standards.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is a urea based fluid specifically engineered to clean the air by reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in diesel exhaust. DEF is non-toxic, non-polluting and non-flammable liquid. DEF is safe to handle, store and poses no serious risk to humans, animals or the environment.

“Manufacturing in Hawaii is challenging” says Bernie Boltz, Founder of AirBlue Hi. ” However, DEF is 62.5% purified water so there is a freight advantage to making DEF here. We also provide DEF in a closed loop delivery system which means the drums can be refilled on site or reused several times. ”

Beginning in 2010 the EPA required truck manufacturers to eliminate NOx emissions in diesel trucks. By 2014 EPA requirements will include diesel passenger cars, pickups and off road tractors. These new vehicles are designed so they will not run without DEF. Within a few years DEF will be as strategically significant as diesel fuel itself and locally manufactured DEF will be critical to Hawaii’s transportation security.

Campaign Probe Today. The State Campaign Spending Commission meets today at 10:30 am to discuss campaign violations by several high profile Hawaii politicians.

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 tosmartbusinesshawaii.com.

Let’s Move?  The First Lady’s newest policy program, “Let’s Move,” interestingly, is being funded by reductions in food stamp moneys (SNAP). Pass the arugula please.

UH Football Jokes Begin. The 2013 University of Hawaii “Rainbow Warriors,” now 0-9, face San Diego State this Saturday with prospects of 0-10. Local joke: “What’s Chinese for Von Appen (who led UH to an 0-12 season)? Answer:  Chow.  Hmmm. Go ‘Bows!

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!

Don’t forget to read your current (October) monthly SB NEWS by PDF attachment or link. More expanded news and views for the Hawaii business community. A limited number of printed copies are available for mailing if you call SBH (396-1724).

Some readers have inquired about placing an ad on the right margin of these weekly blasts, which reach more than 15,000 people. Interested? If you want your business ad posted, the cost is $50 for one placement or $150 per month (4-5 placements). Contact 396-1724.