Waikiki During Quarantine

oneula

Miki Dora status
Jun 3, 2004
4,366
2,729
113
Lots of books on this stuff power, money and land grabs leading to total control.

I'm more interested in hearing what people are actually doing than what they are saying about what's currently happening.

As 7th grade border students bored out of our minds "quarrantined" on campus, Kawika(David) Eskaran and I begged Wright Bowman our drafting teacher to teach us how and let us help him repair an old koa canoe he was restoring on the weekends.
It was a boring repetition of drilling holes along a crack line and then hammering bamboo skewers into the holes hundred of these over and over again. So we started jabbering away when Mr Bowman looked up with his cockeyes behind those thick glasses pointing his hand at us, the one with the chopped off finger yelling "boy, no talk, do! or go home. Do, no talk".
Never forgot that life lesson. Deeds matter, words only distract.

So what we all doing here to fix this?
Things ai'nt gonna fix themselves all by themselves, that's for sure.
what's your plan?
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,955
15,042
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
Tupola is my classmate from KS. She was/is extremely intelligent, although I don't think it comes across on appearances.

As far as doing, I'm loosely part of a group that has been working on building a tech/startup industry in Hawaii, but start up funding was trending way down before the pandemic.

Tourism is the easiest to get back on track because infrastructure is already there, so we gonna have to go that route, but my mentality as a small business owner has changed. Lots of ideas, but this is just personal, nothing to do with the greater Hawaii.
 

Waiehu

Legend (inyourownmind)
Apr 1, 2009
350
198
43
Sorry if this sounds rough but is just a personal assessment from an outsider who became an insider or more of a witness.

hawaii has been a one party state since the 442nd(inouye/sparky) came back from WW2. They realized how "white" Hawaii was with the big five and missionary decendants running all of Hawaii. So they formed "the machine", Central Pacific Bank etc etc. and with John Burns as their front man they took back control learning from the best, their former white slave masters who took over by force(overthrow) like they always have. Instead of force they used silent corercion the secret tool of asian culture throughout the centuries. So from that point forward this place has always been run "behind the scenes". People who were not raised here come here and go crazy because nothing makes sense to them they call it "rock fever" but it's mostly that they don't fit in and will never fit in culturally. When I came home from a 15 year stint in the northwest I went through the same thing driven crazy by the daily news and apparant "stupidity" all around me. And then I realized the problem was more in my head than anything else and that in the end all you can do is to try and make a difference anyway you can no matter how small instead of expecting this place to change to accomodate you. That's the the mental "flip" required for people to transition to become part of this place/organization versus expecting this place to change to meet their needs/expectations. That battle goes on daily here people either adapt or they eventually give up and leave. Way different than those that are forced to leave because they can't afford it or find a job they have been trained for paying the wages they can get elsewhere.

There's like 6 republicans here pretty much all bozos other than okimoto, theilen(kailua) but she's aging out like ward(aina haina). Wonder why there's republican reps from kailua and aina haina? Actually I have always liked Thielen from some reason she seems old school. Then you got the two bozos Favela and McDermott from my district. They come from my neighborhood and I've seen them in their non-public lives before they were elected. Bozos from bozo land. The best chance the republicans had were was with Andrea Tupolu from the west side she was their brightest star and hope for the future. They need more young locals to grow the party Beth Fukunoto was great but then changed party after Trump was elected. Val Okimoto is another rising star but there's really no republican party here to speak of. Hawaii aligns more with democrats(boomers) and independants(Gabbard) for the younger voters. Its mostly the transplants and ex-military that vote republican. Gabbrad blew it here with her presidential run, it showed her personal greed(her local rep) versus her loyalty to her constituents.

Lots of books on this stuff power, money and land grabs leading to total control.

Tourism is just the carrot to keep the sheep occupied, fat and happy like what they have done thoughout the rest of the country when the artificial low prices brought in by foreign slave labor designed to make the masses believe they are better off than they really are/were. But the wool got pulled off their eyes with this unexpected pandemic and everyone now sees how bad off they actually were with their "house as a cash machine" over spending and larger than life shopping lifestyles always thinking they could count on next week or next month's paycheck.

I'm more interested in hearing what people are actually doing than what they are saying about what's currently happening.

As 7th grade border students bored out of our minds "quarrantined" on campus, Kawika(David) Eskaran and I begged Wright Bowman our drafting teacher to teach us how and let us help him repair an old koa canoe he was restoring on the weekends.
It was a boring repetition of drilling holes along a crack line and then hammering bamboo skewers into the holes hundred of these over and over again. So we started jabbering away when Mr Bowman looked up with his cockeyes behind those thick glasses pointing his hand at us, the one with the chopped off finger yelling "boy, no talk, do! or go home. Do, no talk".
Never forgot that life lesson. Deeds matter, words only distract.

So what we all doing here to fix this?
Things ai'nt gonna fix themselves all by themselves, that's for sure.
what's your plan?
There were many levels of Daniel Inouye that the vast majority are not aware of. Only whispered behind closed doors.
 

Waiehu

Legend (inyourownmind)
Apr 1, 2009
350
198
43
Younger times, my long time girlfriend was third generation Japanese on Maui. Family had many members of the generation who returned from WWII, went to school on the GI bill and then moved into County and State positions. Amazing at parties and family functions where I would be the only non Japanese in attendance, as the night would go on and the beer and sake would flow, the things that were discussed.
 

racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,955
15,042
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
Even with a “do not travel here” 14 day quarantine for all arrivals, we are still getting 1,000 arrivals per day. The Hawaii demand is too strong. When they lift the 14 day quarantine I could see daily arrivals jumping back up to 5,000 to 15,000. Our usually daily arrivals are 30,000. Worldwide recession and people will still travel here.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,137
9,374
113
eastside oahu
My moms cousin is one of those behind the scene guys. At a recent birthday party my folks said the whose who of movers and shakers(takers) were there. He’s been investigated but says he’s just a simple businessman.

Been working the whole time. Lot of residents want to expand, ADU, or fix up their properties. Either for rental or move family in with them. At the beach now with my son. Waves haven’t really come up yet but he loves getting rolled in the shorebreak. He’s been really sad not being able to see his classmates except on Zoom. Lots of people at Kapiolani Park and Waikiki.
 
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WaialuaNate

Legend (inyourownmind)
Mar 19, 2011
387
222
43
I think you said you used to work at Huggos PPK? Bongo Bens across the street announced they are closing for good. Can't see too many restaurants surviving here with low capacity. Hopefully landlords will try to work with them.
Kincaid, you on the BI?