HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY - LAIKI:  Rice
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY -
“A rat eats, then leaves its droppings” (said of an ungrateful person)
 SEPTEMBER  30, 2005:  HONOLULU – After yesterday’s dismissal by a federal judge, of a lawsuit brought by environmental groups seeking an environmental impact statement, Hawaii Superferry spokesmen say they are now moving forward. Read Maui News article

SEPTEMBER IS (was) NATIONAL RICE MONTH
Rice is a staple for a large part of the world’s human population. It is the world’s most most consumed cereal grain, providing more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans worldwide. In Hawaii, and especially Maui, rice is always served with local dishes — breakfast, lunch and dinner. This tradition probably began in the 19th century when Japanese and Chinese immigrants were imported into the Hawaiian Islands to work the sugar plantations and brought their culinary traditions with them. Today’s large percentage of Asian-Americans helps make Hawaii the most culturally diverse state in the US.

Read the rest…

  HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY - ‘AU:  Swim
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY -
“Swim carefully in quiet waters, lest it splash into the eyes.”

September 29, 1961: The East Maui Irrigation Ditches, which currently bring as much as 160 million gallons of water a day from East Maui to the Central Valley, are shown to serve another purpose. Keo Makama, a physical education instructor on Maui, learns to swim in a Maui irrigation ditch. On this day, he becomes the first person to swim the Kaiwi Channel, the body of water between Molokai and Oahu. It took him 15 hours and 37 minutes.

Two Maui Girls Die Swimming Lowrie Ditch
Swimming, tubing or rafting  is no longer allowed in Maui’s ditches. Community pools are wider and safer.

Read the rest…

The superferry is a symbol.

For both sides. And each side knows that a great deal is at stake. It is not about money. If it were, there would be different people at the head of it. You don’t run an important race with bald tires. In fact, those at the head of the superferry ensure financial failure. They have failed before in other ventures, and survive purely on the basis of “arrogant political sycophancy.”

Read the rest…

  HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY - KOA: Warrior; Brave, bold, fearless;
Largest of Hawaii’s native forest trees (Acacia koa) prized for its carved beauty
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY -
“When one learns to be a warrior, one must also learn to run.”

PATSY MINK
September 28, 2002: In Honolulu, Congressperson Patsy Takemoto Mink dies of complications arising from pneumonia, which sprang from chicken pox. She was 74.

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Mink’s life was full of ‘firsts’. She was born in Pa’ia on December 6, 1927, and her political desires became apparent early. In high school, at what is now called Old Maui High in Hamakuapoko, near Pa’ia, Mink was elected class president in 1943, the first woman to be so honored. This was all the more remarkable because she was of Japanese descent during World War II, when Japanese Americans were often reviled and even imprisoned. She graduated class valedictorian the following year.

Read the rest…

  HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY – Mokuahua: Disappointment
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY – “I fly away leaving disappointment behind.”

Steven Tyler and his band Aerosmith cancelled yesterday’s (September 26th) War Memorial Maui performance at the last minute due to vague “scheduling conflicts.”

Rock Star Steven Tyler Launches Red Wing Motorcycle Company
“LOUDON, NH – September 25, 2007: Steven Tyler, in collaboration with Mark Dirico and AC Custom Motorcycles, today launched Red Wing  Motorcycle Company. Red Wing Motorcycles are the fusion of rock and  roll artistry and superior engineering. Imbued with Tyler’s sense of  style, each motorcycle is as comfortable to ride as it is sexy.”

Tyler’s artistic vision drove the outrageous design of the custom motorcycles, each hand crafted and hand signed by the legendary rock star.

 Read more about it …

Maui Swap Meet

Don’t you love it? I don’t know of anywhere else you can find such a variety of interesting, colorful, useful and just-for-fun products all in one place. The Swap Meet on Pu’unene Avenue in Kahului is held every Saturday, beginning at 7am  – you’ll want to go early to beat the heat and get the best and freshest fruits and vegetables from local growers.

Do you need a unique-to-the-islands keepsake for a visitor or mainlander? You can find it here. Do you need some colorful, cool island-style clothing at very affordable prices? You can find it here. Do you collect vintage aloha shirts? You can find them here. There is something for everyone, even if you only want to look at the passing parade of shoppers. The 50 cents admission is a bargain – come out and see for yourself.

Keep it fresh. Keep it fun. Keep it Maui.

- Haole Anna, Paia

  HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY – Nene: Hawaiian Goose
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY – “Do not catch it, for it is a bird reserved.”
  Adopt a Nene with Friends  of Haleakala National Park
  FULL MOON - Wednesday September 26th, 9:46am

The Hawaiian Goose or Nene, Branta sandvicensis, is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Nene is the world’s rarest goose and gets its Hawaiian name from its soft call.

The official bird of the State of Hawaiii, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild of the islands of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. A larger, extinct and possibly flightless species, the Nene-nui (Branta hylobadistes) was present in prehistoric times on Maui. Nene shares a recent common ancestor with Branta canadensis, the Canadian Goose.

Read the rest…

Maui Vacation Rentals

Let’s send every owner of an illegal vacation rental a slice of cheese to go with their whines, eh? They’ve benefited from breaking the law for years, in some places ruined the peace of a good residential or rural street, what with their tourist traffic, and now they complain about this administration’s decision to actually enforce the law. Well, they can’t shut them down fast enough, I say. And how about their paltry arguments? They need the income to live on the island! They contribute to the good economic health of the island. Yeah. I think I heard a drug dealer say that once.

- Maui Curmudgeon, somehwere on Maui