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.
Plans are in the works to hold a WordCamp conference right here in the Aloha State. Whether you are a hardcore WordPress hacker, a happy WordPress user, or want to know more about WordPress, this event will be for you.
The explosive growth of WordPress has been nothing short of a revolution for online publishing. It’s become a key tool for individuals, groups, and Fortune 500 companies alike. Your neighbor might use it to blog about her cats, while CNN uses it to power its immensely popular Political Ticker.
There is a massive community of programmers, designers, and marketing professionals invested in improving and maximizing WordPress. A WordCamp brings all these groups together to “learn from each other, figure out the future of publishing on the web, and have a good time.”
Mullenweg, who says WordCamps are his “favorite events,” said he’d love to see it happen and may even return to attend.
Lew is eying October for WordCamp Hawaii, and I’ve already made contact with WordCamp gurus Matt Thomas and Maya Desai to get things rolling online. The most important part, however, will be bringing together the diverse bunch of Hawaii WordPress users so that we can collectively make the most of this fantastic tool.
Are you a WordPress user, or WordPress curious? Make yourself known! Let’s do this thing.
Kodomo No Hi, or Children’s Day (formerly Boy’s Day), is traditionally celebrated on May 5 in Japan, but the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii gave locals a head start with its “Keiki Fun Fest” on Sunday. There were all kinds of activities from kids’ games to calligraphy, crafts and gifts for sale, demonstrations and live performances, and food (including “tako balls” and the famous KC Drive Inn waffle dogs).
The centerpiece for us was the formal kimono dressing and portrait sittings. They’re part of the Japanese tradition of Shichi Go San, which translates simply to “Seven Five Three,” a rite of passage for boys three and five years of age and girls three and seven years of age. It’s usually observed in November, but again, the JCCH was happy to offer it early. Our sons, Zac and Alex, are five and three years old, so this was their year. We signed Katie up as well, even though she’s ten (and even though she did Shichi Go San when she was five — yeah, not the best timing).
The kimono dressings are done by Masako Formals, and the portraits by King Digital Imaging. And the package is not cheap. But the dressing alone is impressive, and as out of touch as I am with my Japanese heritage, it meant a lot to do something traditional… if not for our kids, at least for their grandparents.
We were really pushing our luck, too. It was risky enough subjecting our kids to a formal dressing and portrait sitting (and to be sure, we saw several kids that couldn’t take the long process and had meltdowns before they could finish). But when I realized that we somehow had all three of them in full costume at the same time, I prevailed upon the haggard photographer to attempt a shot with them together. Miraculously, it worked.
Enjoy the video! You can also watch or download it in a variety of formats via my videoblog.
Scaling down somewhat from the huge shoot at Kalaeloa on Wednesday, the “LOST” crew headed out to upscale East Honolulu today to film at a mansion in Kahala. Specifically, they returned to Hurley’s mansion as last seen in “Tricia Tanaka is Dead,” a $5.5 million property that’s actually on the market.
There wasn’t much to see from the street, but when a group of extras made a run for craft services they were impossible to miss. Party hats, loud shirts, a couple of cheesy plastic lei… it certainly looked as if Hurley has something to celebrate.
A young woman in a party dress was especially starstruck, in love with Jorge Garcia, charmed by the babies Aaron, and impressed by Naveen Andrews (Sayid)… who was there with Andrea Gabriel (Nadia).
What was the occasion? Who else was there to celebrate? I guess we’ll just have to wait for the season finale to find out.
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.
