Just back from The Natural Step presentation at the UH-Hilo; check out their website to learn more about who they are and what they do. My gut reaction — we wont avert environmental disaster by listening to consultants. My own experience of The Natural Steppers was colored by current events in the Amazon Basin, where  the indigenous people are putting their lives on the line to protect that region from a major assault by Earth-raping corporations. The assault is facilitated by the Peruvian government working to live up to free trade agreements with the US, and it will be carried out by multi-national oil, mining and logging companies. Compared to the blood that is being shed by those on the front lines, the contrived analysis (and punch lines) delivered by the presenters seemed frivolous.

My apologies to Alex Frost (County R&D) and Tom DeWitt (UH- Hilo) who made the effort to introduce this approach to community business leaders but I found the end result of little value. If you wanted to attract those who really needed to hear what these well-paid consultants had to say, you  should have held the presentation during the day and provided an invitation-only free lunch to those doing the most damage; if you get a similar chance in the future, you’ll find a who’s who in that regard on Billy Kenoi’s list of top donors.

People have been asking for word on what Angel and Nita are up to since the campaign often enough I figure it would be worthwhile to give a short report and save having to repeat myself everywhere I go.

The Pilagos are in good spirits and looking great — well rested due to the immense relief of pressure and more time at the beach. Angel has been catching up on neglected domestic duties — by that I mean home repairs. Nita spent some time redecorating but much more time devoted to her blossoming designer clothing business. She has a new line due to arrive in the next few weeks and she has promised my readers first crack at viewing and learning about what’s new in the world of Wahine Toa. Word has it Angel’s got some of his own artwork on the pieces coming in as does their son Che. 

As for the politician in the family, he is already getting itchy and has confirmed he will run again for his old North Kona council seat. Meantime Angel is busy tracking politics at the county and state level. When I told him a story about Clayton Hee in the basement of the capital building wearing boxing shorts and gloves and punching at his legislative aide while Rocky music was blaring in the background, he was only slightly amused. “That is all very well and good,” he said, “but there are more important things to think about Kristine.”

True that, like the pending GMO legislation. So, bruddah may have taken a break but he hasn’t missed a beat.

Now if I could get him to write a column for the new media venture . . .

At the juncture of Kopilimai Road and Highway 19, just a short way from the main intersection in the residential area of Papaikou, 73-year-old Manuel Sarme stands by the roadside. He is holding a sign that reads: A’ole Papa’ikou Point Project.

Sarme is one of about 90 people who have come out on this unusually chilly Saturday afternoon to protest a proposed rezoning of agricultural lands along this section of North Hilo coastline, just above the establishment known as “Pinky’s.”

“I live here all my life,” Sarme says before listing the reasons he is opposed to the rezoning. Although he expresses himself quite well, the spry septuagenarian needs no words to present his best argument. His bright smile, alert eyes and strong build are proof of a life well led — “I live the life of the land,” he explains — and he is here to protect that lifestyle not only for himself but for future generations.

If you want to understand how the Papa’ikou Point project might effect the community that surrounds it, by all means, do not read the recent petition submitted to the Land Use Commission by the developer. As it stands, what Carlsmith Ball LLP produced on behalf of Stephen Shropshire is a conglomeration of absurdity, unsubstantiated assertions and outright wishful thinking. All of which leaves simple folk scratching their heads but LUC staff acting as if such nonsense is worth expending taxpayer resources to process.

In times marked by grand speeches and historic firsts, by mass euphoria and star power it is easy to overlook the quiet heroes of our day. Unless you knew Fred Stoeber, that is, in which case the celebration of the changing of the guard on Capital Hill came both bitter and sweet. Yes, it was real and yes, Fred understood that change was at hand, but his passing on December 19 brought an end to the subtle power this quiet hero wielded. There on the grassy knoll before the Hilo Downtown Post Office on Fridays from 3:30-5 p.m. Fred Stoeber would sit summoning all the stillness he could muster as a counterweight to the rampant aggression in the world. Those who sat or stood with him, those who understand what it takes to turn hype into true change, those who are left to hold Barack Obama to his promises lament the loss of such a vigilant soul. In many ways, we need Fred now more than ever.

As I sit here before my keyboard to write about Fred, to honor him with a few words, I am wanting a cord that attaches to my heart on one end and my laptop’s USB port on the other. I am wanting the feelings I have for this man to stream from my heart and come out on the screen in perfect prose, purely and without effort. Why not, I am thinking. It was that easy to love him.

Before I go any further let me confess that I hardly knew Fred. We had, by any standards, a very limited relationship. I was formally introduced to him when I served as personal assistant to Aitken Roshi. Fred was a student of the venerated Zen master and a frequent participant at the zazen sessions held at Aitken Roshi’s home in Kaimu. During our introduction I recognized him as the guy at Miyo’s and came to know him, first and foremost, in that capacity.

This is how it was between Fred and I: I would walk into the restaurant that bears his partner’s name and if he happened to be working that day I would greet him.

 “Hi Fred!”

“Oh, hi, how are you?”

That was, for the most part, the extent of the verbal portion of the exchange. Although over the past two years, while I served as editor of Big Island Weekly, Fred would make sure to credit me for a job well done and complain that it was hard to find a copy of the paper each week. Then came the real substance of our connection — ‘the hug.’

Imagine Santa Claus as a Buddhist — with pure white hair and whiskers, full red lips, beautiful blue eyes and spectacles slipping down his nose, a striped apron tied around a wide middle — who delivers not presents but plates of udon and sushi and tempura, regardless of whether you are naughty or nice. Imagine this because it adds to the description of ‘the hug’ — the incredibly warm ursine embrace that drew you in and took you to a place where peace reigned and the madness of the world simply did not exist. Divine love and the hint of cooking oil, this was what I always found in Fred’s arms.

At Miyo’s his hugs were both appetizer and dessert, I would get one when I came in and another on the way out and no special treatment in between. The fact that I availed myself of his affection did not put me into a special class. His goodwill was there for anyone who had the sense to order it, just like the udon and the sushi and the tempura, and for the same purpose — to nourish body and soul.

If I might make another confession, I sometimes went to Miyo’s in need of ‘the hug’ more than the food. Which is not to say that Fred was any less friendly in other locales. He brought ‘the hug’ with him wherever he went, and sometimes we would perform our little ritual with less than five minutes lapsing from opening to closing, no matter how it appeared to passersby.

This was how I knew Fred, and this was enough to endear him to me forever. I can only imagine what he meant to those who knew him well. My own heart aches in sympathy, especially for his much beloved partner of 40 years, Miyo.

If you could find life’s dial and set it to ‘chill,’ that was Fred. He was a fine-tuned instrument at large in an existence marked most often by chaos, intent on edifying all that is good about humankind. While he is greatly missed and nothing can make up for the loss, I encourage those who knew him to take a quiet moment to reflect on their own memories of Fred Stoeber. I think you will be amazed, however simple these memories may be, at how powerful they remain.

Fred’s remains have been interred at the home he shared with Miyo in Waiakea Uka. He now rests beneath a bodhi tree cultivated from a cutting of the original tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

 

 

 

Okay, sorry for the long delay in posting and providing any news about the new media venture and what shape it will take. Here is as much as I know: There will be a new venture and, for the time being, it will be focused on using the Internet as a platform. I continue to advocate for a print version and it seems at some point that will have to happen because the demand for such is great. In the meantime, let’s rejoice in the environmental benefits the worldwide web affords. 

As for what to expect, over the next month, improvements will be made to this site and then we will make one last (I promise) jump to our new home. Trust me, it will be worth it — classy digs with fun features, lots of eye candy AND opportunities for the business minded in our progressive news ohana for advertising. Of course, we are committed to attracting the best of the best, no selling out. 

Contact me if you want in, content or advertising wise. I will direct your query appropriately. And rejoice, we worked hard for this and now we have a truly local-based media outlet to keep us informed and connected. We may be KUBEHEADS, but we are not alone.

K

Be forewarned, wrapping your head around the dynamic situation evolving in response to the state’s push for biomass energy projects is going to take determination. If you are hoping to have a say about whether this results in a more sustainable future or in what one concerned citizen called a “biomassacre,” you’d best jump in now.

Recent interactions between those angling for a piece of the action and those in a position to determine their share indicate the decision making process is well underway. Ignore Laura Theilen’s public protestations to the contrary. The director of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources made two public appearances this week to convince Hawai’i Islanders that the process is wide open to all comers. First at a hearing held Wednesday at the UH-Hilo Campus and then at a town hall meeting at the Honoka’a People’s Theater on Thursday, Theilen downplayed recent Land Board decisions favoring two biomass ventures hoping to make use of public lands. She also went out of her way to assert that none of the competing entities has been given an advantage. As she and Joshua Strickler, the State Energy Facilitator, were grilled Wednesday night by a panel consisting of Senators Russell Kokubun, Clayton Hee and Dwight Takamine critical details emerged and the fast track set up for the early comers stalled. Take note that recently elected Representative Mark Nakashima did a fine job of occupying his seat and projecting a blank stare.

News of these approvals, however preliminary, came to most Hawai’i Islanders by way of the local newspapers. The outrage sparked by the roundabout notification is what sent legislators scrambling. Jeri Moniz took the mic to speak on behalf of lessees that would be dispossessed if and when the deals were done. Moniz cited previous losses to local food producers because of concessions made to expand Pohakuloa Training Camp on the Saddle Road, and she called these and similar actions taken by the DLNR an “unethical means of bringing an entire entity to its demise.”

Moniz represented ‘boots on the ground’ opposition to the use of Hamakua lands for fuel over food production. What remains to be seen is what form that opposition will take in the future and how forceful the argument will have to be made to ensure the best use of these public lands.

In her testimony, Moniz stated that the parcels requested by the biomass energy producers amounted to “a significant part of the lands used for beef and dairy” production here. She estimated that 10 percent of the beef cattle raised on Hawai’i Island (which produces 76 percent of the state’s beef) grazes that land. By the time Moniz shared these concerns, Theilen had announced that lands used by the two local dairies — the only dairies still operating in the state — were “off the table.” Statements made later also sought to ease these concerns, still it seemed that the efforts made by Theilen and Strickler resulted in few converts.

The biggest difference between the two public meetings was the missing legion of aloha shirts at the second. Here the most oft repeated sentiment amounted to recognition of County Councilman Dominic Yagong as the people’s champion and it was people not players who dominated the venue. With the Honokaa People’s Theater capable of seating 525 and the place full (if not packed) a clear statement was made that the public intends to be part of any decision making.

On Thursday, Theilen was as calm, focused and unflappable as she was the previous night. She delivered all the same assurances that the department and land board had done nothing more than open a dialogue with first one and then another biomass company on how they might partner with the state to implement their respective business plans. When asked to explain differences between her statements and online summaries of the agreements reached, she directed those concerned to consult the actual minutes of the meeting. Theilen pledged that, contrary to what the summaries stated, environmental reviews would have to be completed before the state could grant a lease for the purposes in question.

The most pertinent question asked on either night just so happened to be the only question the otherwise responsive Theilen dodged: What, if anything, will the public have to say about the use of Hamakua lands for fuel production?

Who exactly are these interests looking to develop biomass ventures on Hawai`i Island?  For those interested in sticking with the issue and hoping to participate in the next public forum (scheduled January 13 at the Honoka’a High School) with their heads wrapped around it, look for an upcoming series of reports on the players and the promises they are making.

 

 

 

 

Looks like Reed Flickinger woke up from his binge and realized who he was in bed with. While I am not quite ready to give him the highly coveted Bust da Moves Award, he does deserve some credit — this despite the fact that the term “tar baby,” which he used in his editorial blasting Billy Kenoi, is best known as a racial slur. Still, the truth is the truth even when pointed out ungraciously by those who come lately to it.

I can’t attribute this as it was passed along without a byline, still it’s worth sharing. Just in case anyone thinks the quotations are for real, I am certain Palin didn’t say that (although she certainly could have).

Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy— Stunning Break with Last Eight Years

Chuck Flaherty’s comment on this issue is rather long but well worth the time it takes to read and digest. He has been at this for seven years and could use some support right about now. Please read and stay posted for more on community efforts to preserve the native ecosystem and prevent flooding as well as other environmental disasters. It is just shameful how these litigants have been treated not only by the Kim Administration but the local media.