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HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY — Kohola: Whale
PIDGIN WORD OF THE DAY —Bris: Wharf
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY — I Ho’okahi Kahi Ke Aloha: Be one in love
HAOLE SAYING OF THE DAY — “Hope is tomorrow’s veneer over today’s disappointment.“ - Evan Esar

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WEB SURF SPOT OF THE WEEK — Think Green Hawaii
WEB GAME OF THE WEEK — Sock & Awed – TRY IT!
NETCAST OF THE WEEK — Slate’s Podcasts
GOOD DEED SITE OF THE WEEK — Recycle Hawaii

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December 18th, 1846: Lahaina is closing its busiest whaling year ever (before or since),  servicing an estimated 600 whaling vessels. The industry had many influences on the Hawaiian  Islands, two being most prevalent.

Whaling captains used Lahaina as a source of labor, hiring local men to load and unload ships, and to become crew. Hawaiians — along with most Pacific Islanders — were known as kanakas when  they became crewmembers. The money these kanakas spent on themselves, as well as the money the  ships spent, became the driving force in the Lahaina economy for more than six decades.

This economic engine brought the second and most damaging influence: the decimation of local  character, culture and beauty. One newspaperman visiting from San Francisco wrote, “The truth is the whole Hawaiian nation is rotten with licentiousness now. Men hire out their wives  and daughters without the least scruple, for the sake of money…. In Lahaina during the whaling  seasons there are upwards of 400 instances of intercourse with sailors daily. One Lahaina  establishment is a perfect sink of iniquity…dancing naked girls for the entertainment of the customers and the whalemen.”

Eighteenth century historian Ernest Dodge wrote of this time that “the whaling element was disastrous for the native population, with sexually transmitted diseases, liquor, and a myriad other foreign influences decimating the local culture with increasing rapidity.” Mr. Dodge should visit today if he wants to see decimation, this time by the hands of developers.

December 18th, 2008: The whales have arrived here, once again. Teh whaling vessels are gone. A small victory.

EVENTS ON THIS DAY

1352 Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1774 Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia by Empress Maria Theresa
1796 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 George Washington’s body interred at Mount Vernon
1839 1st celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper, New York NY
1849 William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1859 South Carolina declared an “independent commonwealth”
1862 Battle at Lexington TN (Forrest’s Second Raid)
1898 Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph)
1920 1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
1956 Japan admitted to the United Nations
1956 “To Tell the Truth” debuts on CBS-TV
1956 Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1956 Phil Rizzuto signs as New York Yankee radio-TV announcer
1961 For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
1961 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 78 points vs Los Angeles
1961 Britain’s EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
1961 KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1962 Dmitri Shostakovich’s 13th Symphony, premieres in Moscow
1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1964 “The Pink Panther” cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
1964 During services held for Sam Cooke, fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1964 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1965 Borman & Lovell Splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini VII mission
1965 Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates
1969 Britain abolishes death penalty
1972 US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1973 Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1980 Bruce Sprinsteen’s concert at Madison Square Garden
1980 Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws
1980 IRA’s Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1980 Vietnam adopts constitution
1989 “I Love Lucy” Christmas episode, shown for 1st time in over 30 years
1994 “What’s Wrong With this Pic?” closes at Circle in Square NYC after 12 performances
1994 Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
1994 General Hospital stars Kristina Malandro & Jack Wagner wed
1994 Norman, Couples & Azinger win LPGA Wendy’s 3-Tour Golf Challenge
1994 Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
1996 Start of 1st Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe & England
1996 TV industry executives agree to adopt a ratings system

BORN ON THIS DAY

1779 Joseph Grimaldi England, pantomimist (“greatest clown in history”)
1913 Willy Brandt [Herbert Frahm] German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel 1971)
1916 Betty Grable St Louis MO, great legs/actress (Gay Divorcee)
1917 Ossie Davis Cogdell GA, actor/playwright (Hot Stuff, Man Called Adam)
1927 Ramsey Clark US Attorney General (1967-69)
1943 Bobby Keyes rocker
1943 Keith Richards England, rock guitarist (Rolling Stones-Brown Sugar)
1955 Ray Liotta Newark NJ, actor (Henry Hill-Goodfellas, Sacha-Casablanca)
1969 Joe Randa Milwaukee WI, infielder (Kansas City Royals)
1969 Keith Piper cricketer (Warwickshire & England A wicketkeeper)
1969 Marco Coleman NFL defensive end (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers)
1969 T C Wright WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals)
1970 Lucious Harris NBA guard (New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks)
1971 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Barcelona, tennis star (Olympics-silver/bronze-92)
1971 Frank Pimiskern CFL safety (British Columbia Lions)
1971 Joe Dziedzic Minneapolis MN, NHL left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1971 Markus Finke WLAF running back (Rhein Fire)
1971 Neil Little Medicine Hat, NHL goalie (Philadelphia Flyers)
1972 Eric Unverzagt NFL/WLAF linebacker (Sea Seahawks, Scotland Claymores)
1972 Jeff Nelson Prince Albert, NHL center (Washington Capitals)
1972 Marcos Ondruska South Africa, tennis star
1973 Jason Williams Gonzales LA, baseball infielder (Olympics-bronze-96)
1973 Keith Washington NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens)
1974 Peter Boulware linebacker (Baltimore Ravens)
1975 Michael Barry Toronto Ontario, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1978 Naomi Lang Arcata CA, dance skater (& Peter Tchernyshev)
1980 Christina Aguilera Staten Island, NY, singer (Genie in a Bottle, What A Girl Wants)

DIED ON THIS DAY

1710 Peter Codde apostile vicar (1688-1704), dies at 62
1829 Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck French nature investigator, dies at about 85
1831 Willem Bilderdijk Dutch poet/literary (My Relief), dies at 75
1835 Johann Georg Anton Mederitsch-Gallus composer, dies at 82
1839 Charles-Henri Plantade composer, dies at 75
1841 Felice Blangini composer, dies at 60
1858 Joseph-Henri-Ignace Mees composer, dies at 81
1862 Johnson Kelly Duncan architect/Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 35
1865 Francisco Manuel da Silva composer, dies at 70
1869 Louis Moreau Gottschalk composer, dies at 40
1948 Janet Fay hammered to death by the Honeymoon Killers
1986 Mamo Clark actor (1 Million BC, Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island), dies
1990 Anne Revere actress (National Velvet), dies of pneumonia at 87
1990 Paul Tortelier composer, dies at 76
1991 June Storey actress (South of the Border), dies of cancer at 73
1992 Mark Goodson TV game show producer (Goodson-Toddman), dies at 77
1992 Mother Clare Hale cared for NYC AIDS babies (Hale House), dies at 87
1992 Richard H Ichord US leader of House Un-American Activities Committee, dies
1993 Sam Wanamaker actor (Private Benjamin), dies of prostate cancer at 74
1994 Heinz Bernard Lowenstein actor/director, dies at 71
1994 Lilia Skala Austrian/US actress (Ship of Fools, Caprice), dies at 98
1994 Peter Hebblethwaite English editor-in-chief (The Month), dies at 64
1995 Chaim Pearl rabbi, dies at 76
1995 Georgio Fini restaurateur, dies at 70
1995 Ross Thomas author, dies at 69
1996 Arthur Jacobs musicologist, dies at 74