Hawaii

In currency markets, officials can sometimes make their own brand of money rise or fall simply by hinting it ought to. Traders make the assumption that a given remark signals policy action to come and they buy or sell now rather than play catch-up later at a less favorable price. That's what happened to the yen Monday. Economic Minister Akira Amari, appearing on a Sunday talk show not unlike the ones we have in America, remarked that "people say the excessively strong yen has corrected quite a bit," and added, "if the yen keeps weakening from here, there could be negative effects on people's lives." The yen has been quite strong for years. Last fall a mere 85 yen could buy a dollar. Retirees on fixed incomes, a politically powerful group in Japan, loved this, and Hawaii reaped a benefit, too, as Japanese flew to Hawaii and shopped till their dropped, their yen buying power as strong as they could remember it ever being. The strong yen was tough on Japanese corporations, however. Their profits made in dollars and euros converted back to fewer yen. It weakened the Japanese economy at time when it had also been buffeted by the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leak. Japanese manufacturers had also suffered from flooding at factories in Southeast Asia, and chilly political relations in China, which reawakened the traditional Chinese antipathy to the Japanese and made it harder to do business. The new Abe government in Japan had vowed to do something about this, the Bank of Japan went along, and in a matter of months the yen-dollar exchange rate had changed from 85 to 100, or parity. And it kept going. On Friday it was 103. In Hawaii, our Japanese guests had lost a third of their buying power since September. More importantly from the standpoint of the global economy, the weaker Japanese yen led to the Bank of Korea taking steps to weaken the Korean won. The Korean central bank began driving interest rates lower to weaken the won so Korean exports would be price-competitive with Japanese exports. There were warnings of a global "currency war." In Monday currency market trading in Asia, the yen fell fractionally to 102.59 yen, down a half a yen in one trading session. Monday in Asia is Sunday in Hawaii so the numbers will be different when "Sunrise" is on the air, but there seems to be hope that the rapid change in the yen's Waikiki value might settle down for awhile.

by Larry Geller The headline in the May 1 issue of Ka Leo, the University of Hawaii student newspaper, is Admin looks at increasing campus police, surveillance (Ka Leo, May 1, 2013) was like déjà vu all over again, and again, and again. Where I have I read about UH increasing campus security? Well, for example, in this August 27, 2005 article: UH vows to create rape-free campuses (Star-Bulletin)

Hawaii 24/7 Staff Ka’u High School graduated the Class of 2013 Friday evening in Pahala. - visit Hawaii 24/7 to read the full story -

It’s been an incredibly fun week traveling to Kauai and Maui with the TODAY Show crew to shoot the opening travelogue introducing the Hawaiian Islands. All done on behalf of my client, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. The show goes live tomorrow, Monday, May 20 at 1 a.m. from The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. […]

National Hepatitis Testing Day will be observed in Hawaii on Monday, May 20, 2013. In collaboration with Hep Free Hawaii, Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) clinics and other community-based sites are offering free hepatitis screenings to the public on May 20 to encourage people to find out their hepatitis B and C status. National […]

Jeff Dale photo. Jeff Dale has been in love with Hawai’i since he was a young child on his first visit from California. He has been taking pictures of the Big Island for the past decade and has a keen eye for capturing the essence of Hawai’i Island. His work has been featured on the cover of Breathe Magazine. More of his work can be found at the following websites: jdale.smugmug.com, JEFFDALEPHOTOS on Instagram and on Facebook Jeff Dale Photography.

He had me at the lede: "No grist for the mill". Turns out, John. R. Ehrenfeld, too, is having a hard time finding inspiration in the sustainability conversation, thus far. Yes, at first (say, 5 years ago), there was a rush of insight and innovation setting out in new directions. Today, as Ehrenfeld opines, "So [...]

The problem with owning too many cookbooks is that there never seems to be enough time to get around to cooking from all of them. For example my copy of Off the Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry by Donna Hay has been sitting there for ages but I have not yet posted a recipe from it. Looking for a low-effort soup this week, I pulled it out and found Cannellini Bean and Fresh Tomato Broth and headed to the farmers market for fresh tomatoes and oregano. I ended up with a mixture of local Roma and large yellow and red tomatoes and decided that I wanted to roast them to pull out their sweetness and flavor. Served with grilled locally-baked rosemary and olive oil bread, it was a tasty light and simple meal.Cannellini Bean and Fresh (Roasted) Tomato BrothAdapted from Off the Shelf by Donna Hay(Serves 4)6 large ripe tomatoes, quartered* (I roasted my tomatoes)4 cups (1 3/4 pints) vegetable broth 1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 cans)sea salt and cracked black pepper2 Tbsp chopped fresh oreganogrilled bread to serve(Note: I felt like roasting my tomatoes so I just placed them in a baking dish and roasted them for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees. But, you could certainly don't have to roast them if you want a faster soup.) Place the tomatoes and half the stock in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture through the sieve and place in a saucepan with the remaining broth over medium heat. Allow the soup to come to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes, then add the cannellini beans, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer for 2 minutes and serve in bowls with grilled bread that has been drizzled with a little olive oil.*Donna notes: "Using really ripe tomatoes will give the soup a wonderful sweet flavor. If perfect tomatoes are not available, you may need to add a pinch of sugar to help boost the flavor. Notes/Results: This was just a simple, basic but flavorful soup--easy to make and full of comfort. The tomato broth is good with the flavor of the tomatoes and oregano really coming through. I wanted more beans so I added and extra can. With the mixture of homemade garlic broth and a little "no-chicken" soup base with water, no extra salt was needed and the tomatoes were ripe and sweet enough and along with the roasting, I didn't feel any need for added sugar. You could of course add to this soup--other veggies, pasta, etc., but I think it stands well on its own. I would would make it again. A soup, a couple of salads and a sandwich await in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's take a look!Sandra of Meadows Cooks shares this Simple Ramp and Asparagus Soup and says, "The soup has a real kick - just how my husband likes it. The cayenne really pops out of an otherwise mild melange. Potato is the mild filler with mild ramp and asparagus for flavor. I used white wine vinegar instead of white wine, and omitted the lemon juice, but think it probably is better as written. Spring brings us wonderful new produce as well as pollen. Here is my celebration of the positive side of new growth." Pam of Sidewalk Shoes made this pretty green side, Edamame and Mint Salad and says, "I’m always looking for ways to use my mint, so that I can keep it trimmed back and encourage spreading. When I saw this salad in the April issue of Everyday Foods, it sounded so simple. At first I thought the addition of butter was kind of weird, but it totally works. The only thing is that, you really need to serve it at room temperature, because taken straight from the fridge, the butter solidifies a bit. The flavors in this salad simply sing spring." Topping her mango taco wraps with salad is Janet of The Taste Space with colorful Black Bean Tostadas with Tangy Cabbage Salad. Janet says, "It worked really well. While the beans crisped up in the oven, I made the beautiful cabbage slaw. It came together seamlessly. Call them tostadas with crispy flatbreads or roll them into tacos. My mango wraps were crispy but if you let the beans

MEDIA RELEASE A traffic signal to replace the four-way stop will be installed at the Ane Keohok?lole Highway and Kealakehe intersection. Construction starts May 20 and is scheduled for completion Sept. 17. One-lane closures will remain in effect weekdays (excluding Memorial Day) between the hours of 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - visit Hawaii 24/7 to read the full story -

Capt. Elihu Harlam Mason, Medal of Honor, Union Army, Civil War BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D   Elihu Harlam Mason was one of Indiana’s earliest recorded heroes.  He was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War  and either the second or fourth recipient depending on what version of history you choose to believe, of the new, United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Elihu Harlam Mason (March 23, 1831 – September 24, 1896). Mason was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Great Locomotive Chase. Five feet 10.25 inches tall, light complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes; 31 years, 19 days of age on day of the Raid.  He was a farmer and married to Nancy L. Kelley, who was from Wausau Indiana. Mason joined the Army from Pemberville, Ohio, and by April 1862 was serving as a sergeant in Company K of the 21st Ohio Infantry.  During that month, he volunteered for a raid into Confederate territory to disrupt rail transport in Georgia. The mission failed, and all of the raiders were captured. In June, eight of the men, including the raid leader, James J. Andrews, were executed as spies. The remaining raiders, including Mason, made an escape from the Confederate prison on October 16, 1862. Very ill at the time, Mason was unable to keep up with the other soldiers and, at his own urging, was eventually left behind and recaptured by the Confederates. He and five other recaptured raiders were released in a prisoner exchange the next year, on March 18, 1863. For his actions during the mission, he was awarded the newly-created Medal of Honor one week after being exchanged, on March 25, 1863. He was the fourth person ever to receive the medal. Discharged for promotion 1st Lieutenant Co. L 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment, April 10, 1863. Promoted Captain Co. L 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment, December 30, 1864. Saw action in Andrews Raid; at Battle of Chickamauga, September, 1863; at Battle of Dug Gap, GA, September 11, 1863. Captured at Bridgeport, AL, April 19, 1862; escaped Fulton County Jail, Atlanta, GA, October 16, 1862. Recaptured October 18, 1862; sent to Knoxville, TN for trial but not tried; paroled via City Point, VA, March 17, 1863. Declared exchanged June 26, 1863. Captured again Chickamauga, GA, September 20, 1863; gunshot wound in hip; confined Richmond, VA, November 20, 1863, Macon, GA, May 7, 1864; paroled December 13, 1864, Charleston, SC. Awarded Medal of Honor, March 25, 1863.   Medal of Honor citation Mason's official Medal of Honor citation reads: One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, GA, in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Captain Elihu Harlam Mason is buried in Pemberville Cemetery, Pemberville, Ohio, Plot Lot 193, Center section. Gravestone for Capt. Elihu H. Mason, Pemberville Cemetery, OH. The information in this article was sourced from a variety of sources both internal and external. Every effort was made to ensure that the information is current and correct. These articles are presented to honor the heroes they are written about.