A Night of Remembrance

I watched a television program last night – an ESPN “30 for 30” presentation called “Ghosts of Ole Miss,” and it reminded me of where I was and what I was doing during the period covered by the documentary.

“Ghosts of Ole Miss” is about the integration of the University of Mississippi in September 1962 by James Meredith, 29, the first African-American to enroll and attend the university. It is also about the almost-forgotten 1962 Rebels football team that won the National Championship that year. The feature was written and narrated by Wright Thompson, who personally witnessed some of the events.

Alabama’s segregationist Gov. Ross Barnett had pledged that no black person would ever attend Mississippi while he was governor. President John F. Kennedy and Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy were equally determined that Meredith was going to enroll.

It was the State of Mississippi residents and students against the United States of America Army and the National Guard. It was the Civil War all over again, complete with fixed bayonets. There were fires in the night, clouds of tear gas, horrific injuries from gunfire and beatings, even deaths, during the face down. It was a war zone.

The early ‘60s were a shameful period in American history, with continued horrible segregation and treatment of African Americans. Being a freshman at the University of Hawaii in a state where races lived in harmony, it was hard to fathom how such hatred could exist. But exist, it did.

James Meredith persevered, and there was talk of closing the university. But the 1962 Mississippi football team – the Ole Miss Rebels – gave everyone a reason not to close the school. It kept on winning and was a source of pride to Mississippians. They beat Arkansas in the Jan 1, 1963, Sugar Bowl, finishing the season undefeated, the first-ever Ole Miss team to do so. They won the National Championship, but were somewhat disdained, thanks to national disgust over the way Meredith was treated.

This year, on the 50^th anniversary of their accomplishment, they got their due recognition by the students. Good for them.

Back in 1962, over at the University of Hawaii, residents of my dormitory – Atherton YMCA House – were simply appalled. We wanted to do something, and the best we could come up with was the writing of letters to James Meredith supporting his cause and encouraging him onward.

The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii wanted to send a delegation to Mississippi to observe the situation, but they were denied the funds in an overwhelming vote. Hence, the letter-writing campaign.

I wrote a letter – a couple of handwritten pages – talking about how difficult it was for me to imagine what he was going through, since although I am in an ethnic minority, I didn’t experience anything close to what he was going through. My letter was one of those chosen to represent A-House and to be sent to Mississippi. It was a good feeling.

Did he ever get the letter? I have no idea. I do know he got tons of hate mail calling him everything in the book, all the racial slurs and expletives you can imagine. So maybe the letters of support weren’t really read. I hope they were.

It was painful to watch “Ghosts of Ole Miss,” even for someone who spent that year thousands of miles to the west, separated from Ole Miss by an ocean and three-quarters of a continent.

If you get a chance to see a rerun of the program on ESPN, do so. It’s not really a sports story, it’s a story about our nation and its continual growing pains. Watch it. Especially if you are too young to remember the events of 1962. It’ll be worth your while.

Tsunami Warning After-Thoughts

October 27, 2012 Queen Charlotte Fault Earthquake
Predicted Tsunami Wave Amplication (Energy)
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency

Having had some time to reflect on the "non-tsunami" warning we experienced in Honolulu this past Saturday night, here are some of my thoughts.

First of all, it definitely was NOT a non-event. It was important and necessary that everybody take all the precautions required to prevent a potential disaster. There are two reasons to err on the side of caution. One is actual: What if a tsunami actually did hit? The other is a bit more prosaic: Protect your legal ass.

If tsunami did hit, then lives would have been saved. Of that, there is no question. And, if a tsunami did hit and the state and city governments, and private businesses and organizations, chose to ignore the danger, then there will be lawsuits galore and a lot of people would go to jail. That’s the “protect your legal ass” part.

Okay, having established all that, here are some other thoughts:

Honolulu took another big economic hit on Saturday night. It was the Saturday before Halloween, and Waikiki was planning on a hopping good time. Tourists would be spending money, the banquet rooms were booked and prepped with food and entertainment for the dozens of private parties and gatherings of all sorts. Someday soon, someone is going to come up with a dollar figure, and I betcha it’s going to be staggering.

Something has to be done about the traffic jams resulting from the warning. As it is, there aren’t and adequate number of routes out of Waikiki, especially when we not only have vehicles leaving, but vehicles entering as well to pick up people who’d be stranded when their Saturday night social functions shut down unexpectedly.

Ewa Beach is no better. We saw that on the television coverage.

I’m not a tourist in Waikiki, so I don’t know if the rooms have any tsunami education information. I’m not just talking about inundation zones and evacuations, I’m also talking about the very nature of the waves (or more appropriately, surges) that could hit. A tsunami isn’t a normal wave; it doesn’t just hit and pass. Think of it as a raised shelf of water that goes on and on and on.

Tourist imagination must have been running wild. They must have been scared to death. That’s because the local television and radio stations only concentrate on the “get to safe ground” fast message. They don’t talk about the improbability of a tsunami from the east actually inundating Waikiki. To think that borders on ludicrous. They need to be told this and calmed, yet urged to take the evacuations seriously, because … well, because nothing is certain and one just never knows.

I wish local television would prepare appropriate coverage now so they don’t concentrate solely on Waikiki. Nothing’s going to happen there. Use the traffic cams in Waikiki as necessary, but do something now to ensure proper cameras and lighting are set up in Kahului, Maui, and Hilo on the Big Island, where inundation is much more likely and serious.

And don’t give the excuse that the lateness of the warning didn’t give enough time last weekend. There should have been emergency coverage planning already in the works. And I always believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Something could have been done to give us adequate coverage in the neighbor islands.

People are stupid … the locals rush to the stores and stock up on four things: Rice, Spam, batteries and toilet paper. Especially toilet paper. This reaction is a throwback to the days of the shipping strikes, when all of Hawaii’s goods arrived via ships. Who of us who lived in Hawaii during the ‘50s-‘70s doesn’t remember shortages? But that’s not going to happen today.

For a hurricane, yes. Make sure you’re stocked, but not at the last moment. Make sure you’re ALWAYS stocked. The panic buying reported on Saturday night made me shake my head in disgust.

People are stupid … television coverage showed people going down to the beach in Waikiki. Okay, sure. I know it’s unlikely that they’d be swamped by a tsunami. But they are showing a tremendous amount of irresponsibility, to themselves, to their families, and to others who might be encouraged by their stupid actions.

During the devastating Hilo tsunamis of 1946 and 1960, people died because they went seaside and walked along the exposed reefs to pick up fish stranded when the water receded. People also died when they ignored or missed the warning sirens.

There’s not much anyone can do to stop the effects of a tsunami, economically or otherwise, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take the hits and come back strong. And we can’t do that unless we heed the warnings and do the right things.

So much for that … until the next time. Then, I’ll watch the whole thing happen all over again on the local news.

It's the Great Pumpkin!

It's almost Halloween, and the Great Pumpkin is making its annual appearance ... I saw it at Whole Foods the other day, standing guard over a flock of pumpkins outside the supermarket.

Are you ready, Linus?

Season's Best Craft Fair

 

Every year, I participate in an ornament exchange with chat friends who frequent a bulletin board that I visit daily. Yesterday, my USC Trojans lost to the University of Arizona, and you know what they say: When you’re down in the dumps, go shopping. So that’s what I did.

I thought I’d get my exchange box completed early, so I went to the Season’s Best Craft Fair at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall – a three-day affair with more than 200 vendors – in hopes that I’d find a Christmas ornament that I could send to my exchange partner.

Well, it wasn’t as I expected. There weren’t many Hawaii-made ornament booths there. Oh, there were tee-shirt and quilt and jewelry vendors, but nothing quite Christmassy (guess it was a little too early in the season). However, I did find something for my exchange box, so all in all, the day’s venture was a success.

If you want to go, you’d better hurry, the show closes today. Then, you’ll have to check out the holiday and gift fairs at the local schools. I can skip those this year, because my ornament exchange shopping is done.

There were some neat offerings, so I was able to record quite a few pictures of some unusual gifts. Here are a few of the pictures I took. Enjoy.

Fabric Leis

 

Hand-made Quilts

 

Kiddie Tee Shirts

 

Chinese Good Luck Shirts

 

Candy Wrapper Handbags

 

Halloweenies

 

Credit Card Parking Meters

About four months ago, the City and County of Honolulu activated its first credit card parking meters on downtown streets. I finally saw one last week, and even got to use it.

Of course, I was only going to be in the parking space for a few minutes as I waited for the wife to run an errand, so I didn't use my credit card for the measly 25-cent charge. But it was interesting to see and use.

We are rapidly fulfilling that long-time prediction that we're becoming a cashless society. I remember maybe 12-15 years ago when I was staying in downtown San Francisco and dropped by a fast-food chain for a snack (I forget which one). I could have swiped a credit card for my purchase if I wanted to. Of course, I didn't want to at the time.

Today, maybe I'd do otherwise. After all, I charge as little as 99 cents for an iTunes app purchase on my iPad, or an ebook on Amazon.com. So a small credit card charge is beginning to make more and more sense as it's easier to pay a credit card balance off all at once, than keep digging cash out of one's pockets.

But, where do I draw the line? Certainly not at a quarter.

Happy Belated 4th Anniversary

An anniversary of sorts slipped by me a month and a half ago. Four years ago on Sept. 9, 2008, I posted my very first Left Field Wander blog entry – “Mowing the Lawn." It wasn’t very popular and as of today, has enjoyed only one visitor and reader ... me.

Since then, however, there have been 1,294 entries/posts as of today. In all, Left Field Wander has had a total of 93,028 visitors, an average of about 72 views per entry. That’s not bad. Everything I’ve read says a successful blog enjoys at least 25 visitors per entry.

The most popular post to date is “Japanese Tsunami Videos” (April 18, 2011) with 2,632 readers. That far outpaces the second-highest entry, "’Alouette’ is a Mean Song,” posted on March 18 of this year with 792 visitors.

Thank you for your continued readership; it makes writing Left Field Wander all worthwhile. I do write it primarily for myself, but it’s good to know others are enjoying it as well.

Random Musings 19

What if a spider is born technically challenged? Would another spider have to build her website for her?

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How come so many of my shirts have an extra button at the bottom?

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Why would someone write a book on how not to procrastinate? Who’s going to read it? A procrastinator?

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Why do they want us to wear loose-fitting clothes when we exercise? If I had loose-fitting clothes, why would I want to exercise?

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Remember how Mom used to tell you not to put sharp things in your mouth, and then she took you to the dentist?

 

My Baloney Has a First Name

I betcha you didn’t know today is National Bologna Day in the U.S. Don’t feel bad, neither did I. And if it weren’t for a kitchen conversation between Dagwood Bumstead and his neighbor, Herb Woodley, I could have gone another year in the dark.

It’s O-S-C-A-R.

Did you know that more than 800 million pounds of bologna (aka “baloney”) are ingested by us Americans every year? That works out to more than two and a half pounds per person annually.

My baloney has a second name,

One of my favorite memories of baloney is going to a special sale day at Pick ‘n Pay Supermarket in downtown Hilo sometime circa 1959-1960. They were giving free baloney sandwiches … nothing but a slice of baloney between two slices of soft, white Love's Bread, smeared with yellow mustard. Boy, was that delicious.

It’s M-A-Y-E-R.

Then, when I was going to college in Los Angeles, we used to frequent the little deli/market store just down the street, where the guy would slice baloney for you. I’d always ask him to make big slices, about a half-inch thick. Nothing like fried baloney and eggs in the morning!

Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!

And that ain’t no baloney.

Menthol

I thought about something one day as I sucked on a Ricola Sugar-Free Lemon Honey Herb lozenge to alleviate a brief spell of coughing.

What’s the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough drops and lozenges? Menthol – primarily manufactured from peppermint, a hybrid cross between watermint and spearmint.

You’ll find menthol listed in a bunch of off-the-shelf brands – e.g., Vicks, Burt’s bees, Ricola, CVS, Hall’s, Ludens.

What is it that makes some cigarette smoke cool to the throat and lungs when you inhale? Menthol. Which, by the way, does inhibit nicotine metabolism, believe it or not.

No wonder menthol cigarettes were touted and advertised as healthier than regular cigarettes in the 1950s. Remember Salem? Newports? Marboro Menthol? Surely you’ve heard of Kool.

It’s funny that what’s good for the throat is also bad for the throat.

48th Annual Food and New Products Show

My memory may be failing me, but wasn’t the Food and New Products Show larger last year? If I recall correctly, the booths occupied not only the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, but the Arena as well.

Ah well, be that as it may, this year’s show was interesting anyway. The wife and I received a couple of complimentary admission tickets from Vacations Hawaii when I booked my next Las Vegas trip and walked into their office at just the right time.

I don’t know exactly how many vendors and exhibitors had set up, but it had to be at least a couple of hundred – everything from plate lunches to local-made food products, from clothing to rail transportation proponents, from jewelry to pet products, from you name it to you name it.

One of the things I did was talk to a few vendors to ask them how they were doing at the show. The general consensus was that they all did “okay.” Not great, not bad, but okay. Interesting, as it gives a clue in microcosm of what the state’s economy is looking like at the moment.

The first booth I visited was a nursery, with an unusual flower on display. People were crowded around looking at the Lime Puff flower (Schaueria calycotricha), which grows on a three-foot tall shrub and is used in Hawaiian lei-making.

I thought about buying one, but it was the first booth of hundreds we’d planned to visit and I couldn’t feature myself walking around the exhibition hall carrying a potted plant, so I decided to return before we left. Guess what? I forgot to return. Oh well, no big deal.

The next booth that drew my attention was one selling bottled and jarred Hawaiian salts. These salts were harvested from local salt farms and from deep waters along the Big Island’s Kona Coast. They are beautiful salts – maroon red , cloud white, lava black and bamboo leaf gray-green. Nice names, huh? I made those up myself.

 

A heavenly aroma wafted around the aisle, sent our way by some women cooking teriyaki samples in their booth. I had previously decided not to sample too many foods – a stupid decision, I know, but intentions were good. Besides, if I tried something and liked it, chances are I'd buy it, and I didn't want to walk out of there carrying 25 pounds of stuff. 

 

One of the hottest booths (hot as in spicy) was one selling various local chili pepper waters. You know, the kind you find in bottles at restaurant tables, sometimes without labels, sometimes orange, sometimes red, but all the time hot and spicy enough to raise blisters on your tongue. Well, they had bottles of the stuff.

I’m not exactly a wimp when it comes to hot stuff, but I do know my limitations, so I definitely did not sample any of these.

My favorite booth was one that was selling something called “Wee-n-See.” It’s a little pad that you float in the toilet and coax your young child to pee (er, "wee") on it. When the kid does that, the blue pad turns color – a kind of burnt orange – and a picture appears.

I chastised myself later for not picking up a brochure describing the “whys” of the product. So I had to check it out online when I got home. When the child pees (er, "wees") on the floating pad, a picture appears as a reward. See, it’s used for toilet training. Proper pee produces picture. Aim well and you will be rewarded.

My astute observation: "It gives the kid something to aim for in life." That brought down the house. Everybody (a crowd of four) standing there laughed. I should charge admission, no?