Reading: Honolulu’s Newspaper Columnists

I love the print editions of Honolulu’s daily newspapers, The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. I also read the weekly MidWeek newspaper printed by the Star-Bulletin’s parent company. We’ve got some outstanding columnists, as well as some who are simply horrid and a waste of newsprint and ink. Here are my top two and my bottom two:

The Winner: Star-Bulletin’s Erika Engle and her business column “TheBuzz.” It is informative, as you would expect of a business-related column, but lively in a nonbusiness way, if that makes any sense. I’m not a businessman, but I look forward to every column.

The Winner: MidWeek’s Dan Boylan and “Mostly Politics.” Literate, intelligent, timely, amusing and thoughtful. While it’s just one man’s opinion on things happening in Hawaii, that man sees and hears things that matter for all of us, and he writes in a manner that invites you to think.

The Loser: MidWeek’s Larry Price and “The Right Price.” Gibberish babble from a man who makes a living babbling gibberish on radio.

The Loser: Advertiser’s David Shapiro is intelligent, but when he bites, and he bites often, it is dripping with bitterness. He writes with a chip on his shoulder and wants to bring his target down to his level. A reader does not have to go far beyond the lead paragraph to sense the level of Shapiro’s pain. He has a very good way with words, but who wants to step in his mud pile? Not me, so more often than not, I stop reading. Too bad, what a waste of talent.

Reading: Ben Cayetano’s Memoir

Chapter One is titled “Life in Kalihi.” It is an important part of Ben Cayetano’s life. It is his foundation, it is his blood. His Kalihi is full of memories, both delightful and painful, and he tells them well.

I know someone who grew up in Ben’s neighborhood. He knew the Cayetano boys and was the same age as Ben’s younger brother, Kenneth. He told me that Ben was a “thug” and a “punk” who seemed destined more for a life in prison than in public service. So this colored my expectations as I started reading Ben’s memoir and I was surprised to find a different Ben, as told by Ben. I am not surprised that an author would want to portray himself in the best of light and Ben is no exception, but there seemed a ring of truth to Ben’s memories and portrayals. They ring true because his Kalihi is the Kalihi of my own memory.

I am nine years younger than Ben and I grew up in Palama, a part of town a couple of miles from Ben’s lower Kalihi. But I had friends who lived in Ben’s neighborhood, so I am familiar with the sites and streets he describes. Ben and I also went to the same public schools in Kalakaua Intermediate and Farrington High. Like him, I was a pretty good student until my junior year in high school. And like him, my parents got divorced and my dad raised us. So I understand Ben’s motivations and joys and pain. I have walked in his shoes or, more likely, his “slippas.”

Ben has been tsk-tsked for citing race and racism in his book. I suspect these detractors did not live nor grow up in someplace like Kalihi, or they are in denial. Race was an accepted thing in my day, but not in a divisive way. It was an acknowledgement of someone’s background and culture. You were proud of who you were, just as your friends were of their culture. My closest buddies were Japanese, Korean, Caucasian, Okinawan, Chinese and Filipino. I was friends with Samoans, Tongans and an African American. If I got the stink eye, it was not because of my race. In this pot, you learned to be humble to get along, and humility took me a long way in my life, both in Hawaii and beyond the Pacific.

In writing about the good teachers at Kalakaua, Ben mentions Mrs. Burmeister. I never had her as a teacher, but knew of and respected her reputation as one tough human being. I remember one day when I heard  a fight was going to take place after school in the adjacent park. My friends and I went to see it. The crowd was huge, at least 300 kids. The two guys we all came to see were in the middle of the pack, sizing each other up. They had just put up their dukes when someone yelled, “Burmeister coming!” Everyone ran for cover, including the two fighters! As I ran up the street, I turned to see Mrs. Burmeister wading through the fleeing crowd, not saying a word but just plowing ahead. By the time she reached the spot where the fighters had stood, the crowd had thinned to a few bewildered young kids. Yes, she was one tough person, but you had to be. Now, many years later, I wish my memories were not limited to her toughness. Did she have hobbies? Did she have children and grandchildren? Did she volunteer for a charity? Did she have a sense of humor and laugh at jokes? Did she love her students and take secret pride in their accomplishments as citizens? Did she feel proud when Ben Cayetano became governor?

That’s something that I really appreciate about reading Ben’s memoir: It gives me the opportunity to reflect on my own life as I live Ben’s. More comments to come in future postings. Mahalo.

Viewing: The Soloist

I went to Pearlridge Center to see “The Soloist” today. I did not know what to expect, because the movie had gotten mixed reviews ranging from “dud” to “terrific.” I had been impressed by the trailer earlier this year and I am a fan of actors Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The story of gifted but troubled musician Nathaniel Ayers being “discovered” by L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez was well known and seemed perfect for a movie.

I am sad to report that the film was a disappointment. It was jerky, both emotionally and artistically. The acting was terrific, but the characterizations were superficial. All atmosphere and no depth. I actually yawned a few times. I could not wait for it to end, but wait it out I did because I wanted to give the film a chance. It deserved a chance to redeem itself. But it did not happen.

I rate this movie…

First a word about my rating system. You are probably familiar with stars (4 stars being the top) and thumbs (up = approval). I decided to base my rating on the cost of admission, $8. If a film is terrific and worth the bucks, I will rate it as $8. If the movie is horrible and, well, highway robbery, I will demand a REFUND! So, in my system, a movie will be rated from $8 (the top rating) down to REFUND! (the worst rating).

So, how much would I actually have paid to see “The Soloist” and not feel ripped off?

The Soloist = $2.

Listening: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I am listening to the audio CD “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” performed by Jim Dale. The CDs are in my car and I listen to them while I drive. They make my slow and long morning commute so much more bearable and, sometimes, I find myself regretting that I did not spend more time in the car so that I could hear more.

I read the book shortly after it was published and it is my favorite of the seven written by J.K. Rowling. So, having read the book, why am I listening to it as well? In two words: Jim Dale.

This talented man delivers a terrific performance that gives depth and flesh and emotion and color to those black and white words.

I had assumed his readings were edited together. He has a distinctive voice for each of the major characters: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Voldemort, Dumbledore, Snape and others. I assumed he took each character one at a time and read all the lines, then left it to the editors to assemble them into the finished product.

I was so surprised when I listened to an interview in which Dale said that it’s a cold read. That is, when he went into the studio, it was the first time he saw the printed pages. This took place months before the book was to be released so that the book and CD could reach the marketplace at the same time, so each recording session was new, exciting and challenging.

With hardly any time to warm up, he would start recording and rely on his vocal chords and his extraordinary talent to bring life to Harry and all the characters.

In future posts, I will comment on some of my favorite passages in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Reading: Ben Cayetano’s memoir

I am about half-way through Ben’s memoir and …

I really like it! A lot!

I did not know what to expect, but I definitely did not think that I would enjoy his book this much. Much of it is due to the fact that my interest and involvement in politics and legislative business started not too long after he was first elected to public office. So the events, names and controversies he mentions are very familiar to me. What keeps me turning the page is that he fleshes out the bones of headlines and 2-minute TV clips.

In future posts, I will comment on some of his more interesting stories.

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