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Don't Get Mad... |
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Posted
on October 30, 2008 at 9:43 PM
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Don’t Get Mad…Get Madden
It was my second week as a citizen reporter for MTV News Choose or Lose and I opted to hit the west Maui caucus to see if the young people were being represented in this area of Maui, Hawaii. When I arrived at the caucus there were no youth. In fact, the people that were represented were white, Republican and older, all who seemed to know each other pretty intimately…they had obviously been around the “political” block.
It wasn’t until about two minutes prior to the start of the caucus that young peopl... |
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The Undecided Voter |
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Posted
on October 30, 2008 at 9:42 PM
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The Undecided Voter
My local church is a small, youth focused congregation. It is mostly local kids, Hawaiian and Filipino, high school and college aged. A few weeks ago, our pastor made a brief announcement before starting the sermon. He was interested in knowing who would attend a short term study on the political issues that are present in next month’s election. A large number of people raised their hands and expressed interest. Few youth are issue driven rather than party driven when staking their claim at the booth, but the response to our pastor’s announcement was proof enough of the interest that lies behind issue based voting.
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The Economic Crunch |
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Posted
on October 02, 2008 at 2:00 AM
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The Economic Crunch: How States Need the Contingency Plan
A signficant portion of our Mayor's time is spent working with those in the tourism industry to make sure that our number one source of income here on the islands is thriving. It's political "good business" to make sure that the hotel industry does not feel neglected here on the islands. With the current economic climate everyone has their eyes on occupancy rates at the hotels to make sure that we are keeping our Hawaiian economy sustained.
Of course, Monday, Dow dropped 777 points and nobody needs occupancy rates to know how the economy is doing.
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A Gap in Service: Human Trafficking within the US |
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Posted
on September 28, 2008 at 9:04 PM
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Thecla Miller received a phone call for help. She was informed on the call that a girl had been trafficked from the Mainland into Honolulu for the purpose of the sex trade. The police department had limited ability to help due to the lack of a state Human Trafficking statue, especially if the victims are a US citizen, or domestically trafficked person. Though meager in number themselves, international victims are protected more often, which falls into a federal jurisdiction.
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) contacted Thecla, the Director of Social Justice and co-founder of The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery (www.traffickjamming.org) at her church because under the state laws the girl had to be charged with prostitution. HPD asked Thecla if she was able to assist the girl in contacting trusted friends back on the mainland, and finally get her home safe.
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Brain Drain: Education at a Distance |
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Posted
on September 15, 2008 at 1:30 AM
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Brain Drain: Solving the Rural State’s Dilemma
There are eight main islands that compose the Hawaiian Islands. The main ones, Oahu, Maui, the Big Island (the island of Hawaii), and Kauai are those that most visitors are aware of, but still quite populated yet somewhat unknown are Kahoolawe, Niihau, Molokai and Lanai. All eight islands have a unique interest in maintaining a Hawaiian culture and allure, but all are facing a similar situation: brain drain among the youth.
It’s a relatively similar problem that rural states all over the country feel. How do we keep our youth invested in our state, while the resources to keep them here – quality education at affordable prices, specialized education, jobs that fulfill the need of a variety of professions – are so difficult to maintain?
Here in Hawaii, the problem is particularly challenging because the youth are spread out over these eight islands and rarely have the chance to stay...
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A Good Day to be Human |
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Posted
on September 04, 2008 at 7:03 PM
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A Good Day to be Human
Just when I thought, “It’s a terrific time to be a woman,” news broke on Sarah Palin’s daughter and her teen pregnancy.
But let me back up. Friday morning, just like you, I was stunned to hear the announcement that completely up scaled the Obama speech the night before: for the first time in history, the Republicans have chosen a woman to be the vice president nominee. Sarah Palin dropped into the limelight like Cinderella on the day of the Ball, and has caused just as much stir.
Nobody knew that she was a serious candidate, merely a remote possibility, such as Dani Carlson pointed out in her article about the choice of the Alaskan governor for the position. The New York Times painfully hinted this morning that the choice of Palin was rushed and made under pressure, and had more to do with the theatrics of politics, than politics itself.
But just like millions, I spent most of the day googling her...
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The Religious and the Anti Religious |
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Posted
on August 21, 2008 at 7:25 PM
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The Religious and the Anti-Religious
I’ve spent my life working out the details of my religious convictions within Christianity. I’m sure that this pilgrimage is familiar to some, but I am constantly balancing what is manmade religion and what is really the heart of God for my life. Within the mess of my understanding, my political beliefs and religious beliefs have got somewhat intertwined. I’ve spent years trying to figure out what is “Biblical” and what is tradition. Is it Biblical to believe in the death sentence? Or is it the tradition of the Christian church to believe in the death sentence? Some would say that tradition is religion, but over the years I have come to believe that relationship with God trumps tradition, and it even trumps religion. And that understanding has helped me form my thoughts about God and Christianity, and further evaluate my thoughts on politics as...
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Reef-er Madness |
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Posted
on August 06, 2008 at 7:20 PM
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The Reef's Grief: Maintaining Tourism with Environmental Sustainability
Ma'alea Harbor in south Maui recently received a piece of very discouraging news: the reef system surrounding the harbor has been declared a dead system, and all attempts to revitalize it have failed. Ten years ago, underwater pictures of this system showed a vibrant, living forest beneath the sea, filled with a variety of sea creatures…now muted shades of green and brown take its place and few, if any reef fish continue to make that location their home. After years of abuse and neglect by boaters and fishermen, this system had to be "let go" by volunteers struggling to keep it alive.
2008 has been declared International Year of the Reef in an effort t... |
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The Strike Crisis: Hawaii's Love for Imported Food |
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Posted
on July 09, 2008 at 9:32 PM
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The Strike Crisis: Hawaii’s Love for Imported Food
For the last week Hawaiians have been living under the threat of a possible strike by Matson Navigation Company. One of the main shipping carriers of freight and cars to Hawaii, Matson is responsible for bringing a huge percentage of our food and supplies from the San Diego area. To most of the Mainland, this may seem like no big deal but to those of us in this state who have a fondness for staving off hunger…well, we are a little concerned.
As a state we depend heavily upon food imported from the mainland. According to the Maui Times 85% of our food source is imported, much of that owing to Matson Navigation. A number that is distressing but even more staggering is the fact that, should any natural disaster or crisis occur, our islands are only 4 days away...
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Living Among Quiet Heroes |
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Posted
on July 01, 2008 at 2:22 AM
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Living Among Quiet Heroes
I felt so proud to be an American this week. I say this not only because it is true, but because, in all reality, I just haven’t felt proud to be an American much at all in the last few years. Please don’t let that be a commentary on my patriotism, it’s just that everyday life: the cost of gas, insurance and medications, the red tape, the political banter, it’s all kind of wearing on me.
But then I met Pam. As a citizen reporter it’s my job not only to report on the news, but to find the news. In my brief time working in this position, I have found very quickly that the person, who puts a face on the subject, really makes it newsworthy. Hence, Pam Ellison…or should I say, Major Pam Ellison of the National Guard became my newsworthy face this week.
It all started as a point of interest from our Executive Producer: MTV Research has found that 70% of...
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