Chris Damitio, local author and blogger (and artist and one-time podcaster), is about to take a hike. A long hike, around the entire perimeter of the Island of Oahu. He’s starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 19, heading east from UH Manoa, through Waikiki, and then over 130 miles around the island until he gets back where he started.
Damitio told me he hopes to get to know Honolulu’s many and diverse shoreline communities along the way, meeting and learning about people, and documenting his trip as he goes on Twitter and on his blog. (I also suggested he map his journey on BrightKite.)
Why now?
“I’ve been thinking about doing it for a long time and this seems like the right time to do it,” he says.
Apart from his cell phone, Damitio is taking minimal gear and minimal cash. He invites people will join him for any portion of his walk, and is hoping he’ll find a few meal partners and couches to surf along the way.
He’s no stranger to challenging journeys. Damitio is the founder of Hawaiihikers.com, a local hiking club, and has written a book on urban survival and “the art of rough living.” When he’s not walking around the island, he’s a full-time anthropology student at UH.
“If you were asked, would you accept an offer to be the Vice President nominee?” That question was put to the 97 members of the U.S. Senate who are not running for U.S. President by The Hill. Only a selection of the responses made it into the print edition, but The Hill has published every senator’s response, verbatim, online. Both of Hawaii’s senators said they weren’t interested… in notably different ways.
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka: “No. I think there are so many others who represent us so well. Coming from Hawaii, I’m here 30 years already, and I’d rather give the opportunity to somebody else.”
Sen. Daniel Inouye: “If I were asked, I would say, ‘You’re out of your mind.’”
The responses from their fellow senators ranged from dead serious to hilarious. Iowa’s Sen. Tom Harkin’s reply? “No, I’d have Jon Stewart stand in for me. Jon Stewart. That’s my guy.” And more than one mentioned a dislike of funerals.
It’s been a year since prominent Hawaii-born surfer Emery Kauanui was beaten to death outside his mother’s apartment in La Jolla, Calif. It was the brutal conclusion to an altercation in a nearby bar earlier that evening, and left surfers everywhere in shock. Now that the murder trial is drawing near, the incident is making headlines again, as prosecutors hope to charge the five men who attacked Kauanui — members of a local group that called themselves the “Bird Rock Bandits” — under tougher gang violence laws.
Kauanui moved from Hawaii to La Jolla with his mother in 1992. His death has brought some past brushes with the law to light, and he certainly got some punches in on that fateful night. But for the most part the story of his death has been framed as one in which he was the victim of increasing territoriality and simmering hostilities in the surfer community at large.
This morning, though, I heard a curious take on the case on NPR’s hip Bryant Park Project. It was an interview with Terry Rodgers, a reporter who has been covering the story for the San Diego Union Tribune. And while I suppose he may have simply felt obligated to reflect both sides of a case that has largely emphasized the motivations of Kauanui’s assailants, I couldn’t help but get the feeling he wasn’t all that impartial. [Read more →]
Hawaii’s Sen. Daniel K. Akaka is the latest “superdelegate” to back Hawaii-born Barack Obama’s bid for President of the United States. His announcement was first noted by NBC’s Domenico Montanaro on MSNBC and confirmed via a Star-Bulletin report on Akaka’s official statement. His announcement brings the number of superdelegates pledged today to four, all supporting Obama.
Obama previously backed Akaka’s reelection in 2006, appearing in a local television commercial when Akaka faced a challenge by former Rep. Ed Case, so his endoresement may not be too much of a surprise. Still, his announcement gives Obama the support of three out of four members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation: Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono have also endorsed Obama.
Hawaii’s senior, and most powerful senator, Sen. Daniel Inouye, has endorsed Clinton.
Obama has picked up 22 superdelegates since last Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, versus Clinton’s one. With today’s announcements, Obama now leads Clinton in both pledged delegates and superdelegates.
Today is the last day of shooting for Season 4. And driving to work past Honolulu Harbor this morning, what should appear like a vision but the Freighter Kahana. She was docked at Kewalo Basin, where tell-tale trailers and crew trucks were gathering. But I had to do a double-take. She wasn’t the rusty, dirty vessel we’ve been seeing on “LOST.” She was painted and clean and looking good. [Read more →]
The reality of eDemocracy in Hawaii gains momentum as members of HawaiiConCon.org and Citizens’ Committee on ConCon call on citizens to join Hawaii’s newest open online community at HawaiiConCon.org. Over 70 Hawaii citizens including prominent political and technology leaders have already joined HawaiiConCon.org to “learn, discuss, and decide” on the merits of whether to hold a State Constitutional Convention. Former Congressman and co-founder Ed Case stated, “What we are trying to do here is to lay those pros and cons out and to have a discussion; a discussion that thus far hasn’t really occurred anywhere else in Hawaii.”
I was four years old when the last Constitutional Convention (or ConCon) was held. And while we last voted on whether or not to have one in 1998, I suspect I — like many residents — had no idea what a ConCon was. I do know, however, that Hawaii has changed a lot since 1978. And while the Hawaii State Constitution shouldn’t be fiddled with on a whim, it was also designed to be revisited at most every decade to adjust to changing times.
I don’t know whether having a Constitutional Convention in 2008 is a good idea. As with all ConCons, a lot of people see an opportunity for positive change, and a lot of people see potential for chaos or losing hard-won ground. Everyone from environmentalists to Native Hawaiian groups would have a lot at stake if a ConCon happens, and I honestly can see a strong case for continuing to work within the law and legislature rather than tampering with our state’s core document.
But what’s most important to me is that I, and everyone, understand the question. Perhaps no simpler than, “What is a ConCon?” Frankly, whichever way people decide on whether or not to have one, I want that vote to be an informed one.
And one key difference between 2008 and 1978, or even between 2008 and 1998, is the pervasiveness and power of the Internet. It’s power to educate, inform, foster interaction and connect communities is incredibly relevant to government, to “participatory democracy.” And that’s the spirit behind HawaiiConCon.org. Everything you need to know should be online. And conversations about power and process shouldn’t be limited to the halls of government (or the dining rooms at country clubs). Shouldn’t everyone have a say? Everyone can, through the power of the web.
I’m excited to be a part of growing HawaiiConCon.org, as much on the geek side as on the political front. I love talking about the social web, about “Web 2.0.” It’s a whole lot of fun. But it’d sure be nice to see these tools used for something more fundamentally important to life in Hawaii. If you already blog or vlog, podcast or tweet, if you already spend time learning and playing on the web, I think HawaiiConCon.org deserves a good look.
Sign up, ask questions, study, and spout off. It’ll be good for you, and hopefully everyone, to grow this information and conversation.
A couple of tidbits to start the week. First, local “LOST” fans may want to make their way down to the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel tonight for the taping of the “NightTime with Andy Bumatai” show. Tonight’s star guest is Michael Emerson, a.k.a. Benjamin Linus. Head down to the S.O.S. Showroom at 6 p.m. to see if Andy’s easygoing style will be able to pry any answers out of one of the show’s most incredible actors. Secondly, of likely interest to “LOST” fans everywhere, a chance star sighting at the Halekulani yesterday. Pulpconnection reports that Sonya Walger, a.k.a. Penelope Widmore, is on the island. Does that mean she’s on The Island? Who knows. But I’m hopeful that this means we’re going to see long-lost lovers Desmond and Penny draw at least a little bit closer in the Season 4 finale.
Renown “digital wonderer” Burt Lum will soon be returning to the airwaves with “Bytemarks Cafe,” a radio show about technology and the web coming in July on Hawaii Public Radio (KIPO-FM 89.3).
“It’ll be a magazine format with news bytes, interviews, cool websites and an audio pick of the week,” he explains, and adds that he is already on the hunt for topic suggestions and interesting people to interview.
Burt says he’s always had a love for radio, having once had a regular show during his college days at Stanford (where he earned an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering).
The “Bytemarks” name, meanwhile, is also celebrating a milestone of sorts: it’s been ten years since “Bytemarks” debuted as a regular column in the Honolulu Advertiser. Even though that gig ended in 2004, he quickly jumped to radio with a self-produced and self-financed show called “Rough Take.” With “Bytemarks Cafe” on HPR, plenty of talented people will be working hard behind the scenes so that Burt can focus on the heart of the show: the ideas, and the people.
SPOILER ALERT! As we draw nearer to the Season 4 finale, the “LOST” production crew is bringing the story ever closer to the pivotal moment when the Oceanic Six get off the island. To tell that story, they headed way out to Wai’anae, the arid, rural west coast of O’ahu. They established a base camp at Wai’anae Regional Park, and enlisted a handful of boats to carry equipment and crew across Pokai Bay. [Read more →]
You haven’t lived until you’ve humiliated yourself on live television. I had that unique opportunity this morning after doing my regular “LOST” commentary on KITV (the Honolulu ABC affiliate). The next segment was some fitness drills with current and former members of the UH Warriors football team, sponsored by Jamba Juice. I was enlisted to join the news team. The rest is television history.
Aafter the broadcast, of course, we all went upstairs to watch this clip, over and over and over again. In slow-motion, too. Apparently the morning deejays at KCCN even called to check if I was okay… and to laugh heartily.
Mahalo to Clayton for sending me the video to share with the world.
Chris Damitio, local author and blogger (and artist and one-time podcaster), is about to take a hike. A long hike, around the entire perimeter of the Island of Oahu. He’s starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 19, heading east from UH Manoa, through Waikiki, and then over 130 miles around the island until he gets back where he started.
