America’s Hidden Duopoly
Check out this interesting podcast from Freakonomics on “America’s Hidden Duopoly.”
We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Republicans and Democrats constitute a wildly successful industry that has colluded to kill off competition, stifle reform, and drive the country apart. So what are you going to do about it?
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/politics-industry/
Maui Business Brainstormers Community alert – Highway 30 to Close- Please Help!
One of my students brought this petition to my attention and I thought I should share it for anyone who wishes to sign it! It was created by Maui Business Brainstormers. Here is a link to their website: Maui Business Brainstormers
A a service to our members, we are making you aware of this communication about the Lahaina Bypass, which in fact affects everyone on Maui and especially businesses in the tourism industry as well as West Side businesses. Any of you who have customers driving to or from the West Side to get to your business will be affected, and the reputation of Maui overall is likely to be impacted.
Please take one moment to help get some discussion and community input on the imminent opening of the new section of the Bypass, and the CLOSING of highway 30 at that point – by signing the online petition here:
Please pass it along!
We think many folks on Maui don’t realize that in March when they open the southernmost section of the “Lahaina ByPass”, they will be permanently CLOSING Highway 30 (Honoapiilani Highway) at that point, near “cut mountain’. ALL TRAFFIC WILL BE ROUTED ONTO THE BYPASS AT THAT POINT. You will no longer be able to drive from Lahaina/Launioapoko through to Olowalu (or the reverse) – that section of road will be permanently closed. Coming from Kahului toward Lahaina, ALL TRAFFIC WILL BE ROUTED ONTO THE BYPASS just past Olowalu to go north. To me, that means this is not a Bypass but a replacement highway – replacing 2 lanes (one in each direction) with 2 lanes, which does not help us with the traffic congestion to and from the West Side. And worse, the northern end now stops at Keawe Street, with no real traffic plan there at all to manage all the forced Bypass traffic trying to go north that will now be dumped off at Keawe (where Barnes & Noble and Walgreens are). Keawe Street is already dangerous (try exiting left from Walgreen’s, or worse yet, try crossing from Walgreen’s over to Foodland Farms…and we don’t even have the full ByPass traffic yet!!! There are no stop lights or anything planned for Keawe, other than a new right turn lane onto the lower highway. And with this plan, the lower highway that goes straight through Lahaina and out toward Kaanapali will become ONE LANE as it moves from Papalaua Street out towards Safeway (before and after Keawe), so Lahaina Town is going to get REALLY backed up going either direction across that intersection.
A meeting was held recently where the community attendees unanimously asked for the following:
1) Do not open the new southern Bypass section until there is a connector farther NORTH of Keawe, to bring the traffic pass Lahaina’s already-congested area
2) Keep the lower highway open permanently as an alternative to the Bypass. A “Bypass” means you can bypass another route – this plan shuts down any alternate route.
3) Improve Keawe Street to make it safe for the cross-traffic in and out of the Emerald Plaza industrial areas and the 2 shopping plazas (B&N, Walgreen’s).
But we were told the project is moving ahead anyway as planned and will open in Feb/March.
PLEASE sign the petition to help us at least have some input to the plan. PASS THIS ON TO AS MANY MAUI RESIDENTS AS YOU CAN. This affects everyone really, since West Maui is a huge tax base for the whole island and the traffic is rapidly becoming an inhibitor to residents and visitors alike. And of course all of us on the West Side have a vested interest to get a plan in place that will actually HELP traffic, not make it worse. Please sign and forward this link to others!!! !
“Lahaina- if you are not aware of the entirety of the proposed upcoming changes to our only highway…please look into it to see how you WILL be affected. Our community has significantly changed since the drafting of this proposal and we deserve proper urban planning as well as safe, effective traffic management. Please sign the petition to buy us all more time, so that the project can be done correctly and efficiently!!”
You can see the actual road plans here:
Study Abroad Scholarships
Next Monday, January 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. an information table introducing the UHCC International/Study Abroad Scholarships for year 2017-2018 will be
set up in front of the Ka Lama building. Class visits by the reps from UHCC VP Morton’s office to various classes are also scheduled for that day.
Each year our international scholarship recipients from UH Maui College have had life-changing experiences due to study abroad opportunities. Please spread the word and encourage your students to apply to one or more of the following scholarships:
Honda Study Abroad Scholarship
$2,000 – $8,000 in financial assistance to study anywhere in the world
Hakuoh University International Study Tour (deadline: March 1, 2017 at 4:00pm HST)
10-day summer homestay in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Aichi University Exchange Program (deadline: March 1, 2017 at 4:00pm HST)
One semester or one year student exchange program in Aichi, Japan
Monbukagakusho Scholarship (deadline: April 21, 2017 at 4:00pm HST)
One year of intensive Japanese language study followed by two years at a Senshu-gakko (specialized training college) in Japan
Study Abroad in Prague at Anglo-American University, Prague, Czech Republic
Participants may be eligible for a grant of $3,000 for one semester or $6,000 for academic year
Apply directly at http://www.aauni.edu/how-to-ap
If you have any questions, contact Jami Kurts, Community Colleges & International Education Manager at Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges at (808) 956-3855 or jlkurtz@hawaii.edu.
***Shanghai, China Hospitality Internship Presentations are scheduled for
Thursday, January 26 at 9:30-10:15 a.m. in Ka Lama 206A
.Everyone welcome!
Martin Luther King Jr. Speech in NYC in 1962
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech in New York City to “commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was recently discovered . In a measured but passionate tone, Dr. King reviewed the history of human rights in America, noting that the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation had fallen far short of achieving equality for all of its citizens.”
Maui Women’s March – Sat. January 21st
‘Onipa’a: Commemoration of the 124th Anniversary of the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
I encourage all students to attend this event next Tuesday, January 17th. If you are a student in my Tuesday night 6-9 pm class we will be meeting at ‘Ike Le’a Lecture Hall #144.
Civil Rights Discussion – January 19th
MAUI PEACE ACTION free public program:
MPA co-hosts the ACLU of Hawai‘i for a civil rights discussion Thursday, January 19, 2017, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., UH Maui College, Ka Lama 103.
Topics to be discussed are: Safeguarding Civil Rights in a Trump Administration, Community Control of Police Surveillance, and Ending Mass Incarceration in Hawaii. Coming to Maui to speak on these issues are ACLU-HI’s Legal Director Mateo Caballero; Legislative Coordinator Mandy Finlay, and Deputy Director Kit Grant.
The program is free to the public and is sponsored by the ACLU of Hawai‘i, the UHMC Human Services Department, and Maui Peace Action. Light refreshments, ADA-accessible. Walk-ins welcome. RSVPs help us plan: office@acluhawaii.org,
National Holiday – Hawaiian Independence Day (November 28)
November 28th is the most important national holiday in the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is the day Great Britain and France formally recognized the Hawaiian Islands as an “independent state” in 1843, and has since been celebrated as “Independence Day,” which in the Hawaiian language is “La Ku‘oko‘a.” Here follows the story of this momentous event from the Hawaiian Kingdom Board of Education history textbook titled “A Brief History of the Hawaiian People” published in 1891.
Here is the link: http://hawaiiankingdom.org/blog/national-holiday-independence-day-november-28-2/
The American Occupation of Hawai’i: Genocide through Denationalization with Dr. Keanu Sai
The following event will be taking place this Thursday, Nov. 3rd at 6:30 pm in Kalama #103. I encourage all of you to attend this event. Extra credit points will be given to those students that choose to write a one-page paper highlighting the main points of the talk and connecting it to a topic we have covered in class.
