Photo of the Day: Sunset from Ala Moana

Sunset from Ala Moana, originally uploaded by macprohawaii.

This was shot several months ago using expired Kodak 400 ISO color film in a Yashica Electro 35 mm Rangefinder camera. Scanned to digital.

Walgreens Store Under Construction

Photo of the Day - November 24, 2013.

This photo was taken through a glass panel on the Kapiolani Blvd. side of the new Walgreens Store that is now under construction on the corner of Makaloa and Keeaumoku Streets. The new site replaces the old one that was torn down earlier this fall to make way for the new.

Because the top photo was taken through glass, a reflection of the Heald College building also shows in the photo, kind of like a double exposure, but not really.

These photos were taken yesterday while walking around the block.







Photos of the old Walgreens Store and former Tower Records building.

Moments Before Disaster

Moments Before Disaster, originally uploaded by macprohawaii.

I was only 6 years old when this happened. I remember coming home from school and my Mom was all teary eyed. I don't remember any of the TV or radio news coverage. It was not until a few days later, when pictures in LIFE and other magazines depicted the sequence of events along that motorcade route that led to the President's untimely death. In my little mind at that time, to me it was like someone had killed God.

John F. Kennedy 1917 - 1963

books.google.com/books?id=U1IEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&sou...

This photo is in the public domain. This is the Photo of the Day for November 22, 2013.

Last Day For This Big Tree

Workers are chopping this big old tree down. The following press release was issued from the State Department of Agriculture website:

"If you are commuting to the Main Office of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture this week, be aware of lane closures from Wed., Nov, 20 to Tues., Nov. 26. from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the area around Keeaumoku St., S. King St., and Young St.

The Department of Accounting and General Services will be removing a large 80-year-old earpod tree which has been determined to have extensive internal decay and poses a potential hazard to the public.

Motorists are advised to drive with caution, observe and obey all traffic controls, anticipate delays, and consider alternate routes."

More photos to be posted.

You Have a Chance to Bid on Stuff that Used to be Owned by Japanese Billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto

Photo of the Day: November 19, 2013.

Yes, tacky stone and marble statues that once graced several Kahala Avenue properties belonging to eccentric Japanese billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto are up for auction along with hundreds of other items from his former Kahala homes this coming weekend. Oahu Auctions are putting the items up for bid at a public auction to be held this Saturday, November 23 starting at 9:30 am. The auction will be held at 4631 Kahala Ave. in Honolulu, east of Diamond Head.

Alexander and Baldwin (A&B) new owners of the former Kawamoto properties have decided to sell all of the items and eventually upgrade and sell the neglected upscale properties in one of Honolulu's most ritzy neighborhoods.

Details from the auction flyer:

Kahala Auction

Massive Collection of Artwork & Furnishings from Multiple Homes

Saturday, November 23, 2013
9:30 am • 4631 Kahala Avenue

No Reserves-No Upsets-ALL MUST GO!

A treasure trove of European and Asian furnishings, small and life-size marble and bronze statues, wall décor, lamps, chandeliers, fine china, trays, pottery, dining room and bedroom sets, leather chairs and sofa sets, chaise lounges, outdoor furniture, display cabinets, chairs, contemporary rattan pieces, French and Italian mirrors, area rugs, desks, entertainment centers, an assortment of chests, commodes, marble pedestals, console tables, porcelain figurines, wooden masks, framed art concrete pagodas, garden sculptures.... and much more!

Preview at oahuauctions.com or 11/23 - 8:00am Terms: 13% buyer's premium cash, check, credit card with local I.D. Some items subject to pre-sale. All items sold as is, where is. For additional info call Oahu Auctions (808) 321-7419.

Above is a small sample of some of the items available for bid. Check the Oahu Auctions website for more photos and details.

A few months ago shortly after the Kawamoto properties were sold to A&B, I walked along Kahala Avenue to take the following pictures:





More photos in my flickr set: Kahala Ave. Junk Art

Photo of the Day - November 17, 2013.

Inducted to the Paniolo Hall of Fame, originally uploaded by macprohawaii.

Inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame

My late uncles George and Paul Kealoha shown in this photo from the early 1950s at Spencer Beach Park in Kawaihae on the Big Island of Hawaii, were posthumously indicted into the Hawaii Cattleman's Paniolo Hall of Fame on November 16.

Uncle George and Uncle Paul both worked as ranch hands on Kukuiau Ranch through much of their lives. Kukuiau Ranch was once a sprawling cattle and dairy operation that covered nearly 9,000 acres on the slopes of Mauna Kea mountain along the Hamakua Coast.

This photo is from my Mom's collection who is George and Paul's sister.

---------

12 to be inducted into Paniolo Hall of Fame

West Hawaii Today Nov. 16, 2013

"Twelve cowboys will be inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame during the the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council Annual Convention at noon Saturday at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

The members of the Paniolo Hall of Fame are among the generations of Hawaiian cowboys who have stood out in their contributions to cattle ranching throughout all the islands.

The 2013 Paniolo Hall of Fame inductees are: Johnny Correia Jr., 1927-1994, Kukaiau and Jack Ramos 77 ranches, Hawaii; James S. “Jimmy” Greenwell, Palani Ranch, Hawaii; Robert L. “Bobby” Hind Jr., 1921-1988, Puuwaawaa and McCandless ranches, Hawaii; William F. Jacintho, ,Jacintho Ranch, Maui; Peter Kalahoolewa Kainoa Sr., 1890-1966, Kahua Ranch, Hawaii; William Miki Kalaniopio Sr., 1926-1991, Hana Ranch, Maui; Frank Aola Ke Sr., 1925-1981, Hawaiian Ranch, Hawaii; George R. “Keoki” Kealoha Sr., 1928-2008, Kukaiau Ranch, Hawaii; Paul H. Kealoha, 1927-2003, Kukaiau Ranch, Hawaii; Francis Napua Poouahi, Kaupo Ranch, Maui; Walter “Wala” Stevens, 1931-1994, Parker Ranch, Hawaii; and Matsuichi Yamaguchi, 1895-1936, Parker Ranch, Hawaii.

All 116 members of the Paniolo Hall of Fame are listed at hicattle.org."

---

This photo was taken in the late 1940s. It is from my Mom's photo collection. The Kealoha men, Milton, Papa Sam Kealoha, Paul and George were all employees of Kukuiau Ranch on the Big Island at this time. This is the Photo of the Day for November 18. Added to this post on 11-18-2013.

Sitting

Photo of the Day - November 15, 2013.

This one is from a few months back, taken at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park in Honolulu, Hawaii. Shot on film with Minolta X700 35mm SLR camera.

Photo of the Day: Playing with the Sun

Photo of the Day for November 14, 2013.

Today's "Photo of the Day" look quite similar to yesterday's photo. In fact it is from the same series of "Sunset at Kaka'ako" photos that I shot yesterday. The reason this photo was chosen was to highlight the effect and software that I used to get the image.

The photo was manipulated with a piece of software called Fotor. Fotor is an application that runs on Mac OSX, Windows 7 and 8, iOS, Android and online. This software can create a number of special effects with digital photos including collage, HDR, high contrast, intense color and lomo to name a few. I applied several effects to the image above to achieve this look. Isn't it nice?

Fotor is a free app available for the aforementioned platforms. You should try it.

Photo of the Day: Today's Kaka'ako Sunset

November 13, 2013.

The blending of the sun, clouds, sky, sea and surf made for this beautiful photo late this afternoon at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park.Photo by Mel. Camera used: Canon Powershot S5 iS.

Here's another sunset shot:



More Hawaii Sunset Photos on my Flickrstream. Thanks for stopping by.

Governor Abercrombie Signs SB1

Governor Neil Abercrombie signed SB1 which will legalize same sex marriage in Hawaii starting on December 2. The bill signing was held at the Hawaii Convention Center before a crowd of invited guests, legislators and supporters. The bill signing makes Hawaii the 15th State to recognize same sex marriage. Photo from Hawaii Senate Majority.

Governor's Press Release (link)

11-12-13: State Senate Pass Same Sex Marriage Bill

Photo of the Day: November 12, 2013

Supporters of same sex marriage were jubilant right after the State Senate announced that it passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1 HD1) by a vote of 19 to 4 with 2 excused. The floor session for SB1 lasted for 3 hours as most senators spoke on the legislation, the majority all saying that it "was time" for this "equal rights" legislation to become law.

Hawaii will be the 15th state in the union to approve same sex marriage once Governor Neil Abercrombie signs the legislation into law.

The vote breakdown is as follows:

Voting in favor of SB1 (19)

Sen. Rosalyn Baker (D West Maui, South Maui)
Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D Downtown, Nuuanu, Liliha)
Sen. J. Kalani English (D Molokai, Lanai, Upcountry Maui, Hana)
Sen. Will Espero (D Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point)
Sen. Brickwood Galuteria (D Kakaako, McCully, Waikiki)
Sen. Josh Green (D Naalehu, Kailua-Kona)
Sen. Clayton Hee (D Heeia, Laie, Waialua)
Sen. David Ige (D Pearl Harbor, Pearl City, Aiea)
Sen. Les Ihara, Jr. (D Moiliili, Kaimuki, Palolo)
Sen. Gilbert Kahele (D Hilo)
Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran (D Waihee, Wailuku, Kahului)
Sen. Michelle Kidani (D Mililani, Waikele, Kunia)
Sen. Clarence Nishihara (D Waipahu, Pearl City)
Sen. Russell Ruderman (D Puna)
Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D Kalaeloa, Waianae, Makaha)
Sen. Malama Solomon (D Naalehu, Kailua-Kona)
Sen. Jill Tokuda (D Kailua, Kaneohe)
Sen. Laura Thielen (D Hawaii Kai, Waimanalo, Kailua)
Sen. Glenn Wakai (D Kalihi, Salt Lake, Aliamanu)

Voting in Opposition of SB 1 (4)

Sen. Mike Gabbard (D Kapolei, Makakilo)
Vice President Ronald Kouchi (D Kauai, Niihau)
President Donna Mercado Kim (D Kalihi Valley, Moanalua, Halawa)
Sen. Sam Slom (R Diamond Head, Kahala, Hawaii Kai)

Excused (2)

Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (D Wheeler, Wahiawa, Schofield)
Sen. Brian Taniguchi (D Makiki, Tantalus, Manoa)

Links

HawaiiRemembers.com
Senate Approves Same Sex Marriage Bill (HNN)

Special Session Slideshow
Photos by Melvin Ah Ching




Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Photo of the Day: November 11, 2013.

Sunrise at Ala Moana Park - November 11, 2013. Taken with my Sony Cybershot P50 camera. It was well worth getting up early to get this view.



Remembering on Veterans' Day - November 11, 2013. Taken with my Sony Cybershot P50 camera.

Starting with this entry, I plan to have a photo of the day posted to this blog whenever the moment strikes me. Hopefully this will be a daily feature on those days when I don't have other extensive blog entries like I did this past week.

The photo of the day will either be a current photo related to a featured post for that day, a current photo of that day that is not related to any other featured post, or digging deep from my photo archive, a picture from the past and perhaps the story behind it.

This blog absorbed my old Flickr Photo blog hosted on this site a few years back with the intention of posting more photos. I now intend to follow up on this. We'll see where this goes.

Most photos appearing in this series are also displayed on my Flickr Photostream.

Gay Marriage Bill Passes Out of State House

The Hawaii State House of Representatives passed SB1 HD1 on third reading vote last night by a 30 to 19 margin with 2 representatives absent. The bill now goes back to the State Senate where it is expected to easily be approved on Tuesday, November 12. After that it goes to the Governor for signature which will then allow same sex marriages to be performed starting on December 2.

Opponents have filed a court challenge to this legislation and the judge has indicated that the legal complaint will be heard as soon as the Governor signs the bill into law.

As I have stated several times in this blog, I am opposed to and will continue to oppose same sex marriage indefinitely.

Photos from all day rallies held by two sides of the issue at the Hawaii State Capitol on November 8.









I think most supporters of traditional marriage would have supported same sex marriage if the decision had been left up to the voters instead of the liberal minded legislature and governor. All we are asking for is a vote on this issue at the polls and not by the legislature. What is wrong with that?







Gay advocates are bringing a terrifying new world into the mainstream. The fallout from this legislation will be far and wide, touching all sectors of society, business, education, sports, religion, and more. It will also be very expensive to people and organizations who want to hold on to their most cherished belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.





Dishonorable Roll Call: The 30 Representatives who voted for same sex marriage and denied the right of the public to decide.

Rep. Della Au Belatti (D - Moiliili, Makiki, Tantalus)
Rep. Tom Brower (D - Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako)
Rep. Denny Coffman (D - Naalehu, Captain Cook, Keahou)
Rep. Cindy Evans (D - Kaupulehu, Waimea, Halaula)
Rep. Faye Hanohano (D - Hawaiian Acres, Pahoa, Kalapana)
Rep. Mark Hashem (D - Hahaione Valley, Aina Haina, Kahala)
Rep. Linda Ichiyama (D - Salt Lake, Moanalua Valley)
Rep. Kaniela Ing (D - South Maui)
Rep. Derek Kawakami (D - Hanalei, Princeville, Kapaa)
Rep. Bertrand Kobayashi (D - Diamond Head, Kaimuki, Kapahulu)
Rep. Chris Lee (D - Kailua, Lanikai, Waimanalo)
Rep. Nicole Lowen (D - Holualoa, Kailua-Kona, Honokohau)
Rep. Sylvia Luke (D - Punchbowl, Pauoa, Nuuanu)
Rep. Angus McKelvey (D - Lahaina, Kaanapali, Honokohau)
Rep. John Mizuno (D - Kamehameha Heights, Kalihi Valley)
Rep. Dee Morikawa (D - Niihau, Koloa, Kokee)
Rep. Mark Nakashima (D - Kukuihaele, Lapahoehoe, North Hilo)
Rep. Scott Nishimoto (D - McCully, Moiliili, Kapahulu)
Rep. Takashi Ohno (Nuuanu, Liliha, Alewa Heights)
Rep. Richard Onishi (D - South Hilo, Keaau, Honuapo)
Rep. Karl Rhoads (D - Chinatown, Iwilei, Kalihi)
Rep. Scott Saiki (D - Downtown, Kakaako, McCully)
Rep. Calvin Say (D - Palolo, St. Louis Heights, Kaimuki)
Rep. Joseph Souki [speaker] (D - Waihee, Waiehu, Wailuku)
Rep. Mark Takai (D - Halawa, Aiea, Newtown)
Rep. Gregg Takayama (D - Pearl City, Waimalu, Pacific Palisades)
Rep. Roy Takumi (D - Pearl City, Waipio, Pearl Harbor)
Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R - Kailua, Kaneohe)
Rep. Jessica Wooley (D - Kahaluu, Ahuimanu, Kaneohe)
Rep. Kyle Yamashita (D - Sprecklesville, Upcountry Maui)

The next election is on November 4, 2014.

House Vote Tally for SB 1 HD 1 (Third Reading)

11/8/2013

H

Passed Third Reading with roll call vote; 19 voting no Aquino, Awana, Cachola, Carroll, Cullen, Fale, Fukumoto, Har, Ito, Johanson, Jordan, Matsumoto, McDermott, Oshiro, Tokioka, Tsuji, Ward, Woodson, Yamane and 2 excused Cabanilla, Choy. Transmitted to Senate.

Hawaii voters should not forget.

Photos: The Not So Special, Special Session

Derrick DePledge's Political Radar Blog Post

Senate President Donna Mercado Kim Announces Congressional Run for U.S. House

State Senate President Donna Mercado Kim announced this week that she is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives running for the 1st district seat that is being given up by current Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa.

She enters an increasingly crowded Democrat primary race that includes fellow State Senator Wil Espero, City Councilmen Ikaika Anderson and Stanley Chang, State Rep. K. Mark Takai and anti-human trafficking advocate Kathryn Xian. Rumor has it that former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann may also enter the race.

Ms. Kim is well known as the current State Senate President in addition to being the chair of the Senate Special Committee on Accountability that probed the infamous University of Hawaii "Stevie Wonder Blunder" concert scandal. She is also well known for her thorough research in many issues and deeply probing questions to anyone that has appeared before committees she sat on.

Most recently Donna Mercado Kim was one of four State Senators who voted against the same sex marriage bill now being considered in a special session of the Hawaii State Legislature.

Kim made her campaign announcement on November 6 at a press conference held at Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. She plans to raise at least $1 million in campaign funding.

At this point in time I remain undecided on this and every race in the upcoming 2014 election cycle.

Photo by Mel, taken at Iolani Palace 11-06-2013.

Let the People Vote

Hundreds turn out to protest during the State House session. November 6, 2013.





Despite hours of heated testimony in opposition to SB1, the Hawaii State Legislature is still bent on its mission to advance the Governor's agenda to make same sex marriage legal. Bad, bad, bad news for society, business, education and more as the gay agenda is spread like a cancer into the fabric of our culture.



More photos

Vote count: The legislature is not listening.

State House 

11/5/2013

H

The committee on FIN recommends that the measure be PASSED WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Luke, Nishimoto, Hashem, Ing, Kobayashi, Lowen, Morikawa, Onishi, Takayama, Yamashita; Ayes with reservations: none; 7 Noes: Johanson, Cullen, Jordan, Tokioka, Woodson, Fukumoto, Ward; and None Excused

State Senate

10/30/2013

S

Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 20; Aye(s) with reservations: None. Noes, 4 (Senator(s) Gabbard, Kim, Kouchi, Slom). Excused, 1 (Wakai). Transmitted to House.