The following is Part Three in a multi-part series about real life in Hawaii. --Part One, “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” --Part Two, "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" --Part Two: "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" (Continued) --Part Two: "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" ...read more

The following is the conclusion of Part Two in a multi-part series about real life in Hawaii. --Part One, “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” --Part Two, "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" --Part Two: "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" (Continued) Waimea, also known as Kamuela, has ...read more

The following is the continuation of Part Two in a multi-part series about real life in Hawaii. --Part One, “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” --Part Two, "Renting in Hawaii With Dogs" Before we go any further, it's important to note that Hawaii isn't entirely to blame for ...read more

The following is Part Two in a multi-part series about real life in Hawaii. Part One, "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying," can be found here. In 2010, I lived in a 3,200 square-foot McMansion in Reading, Pennsylvania, located at the farthest outskirts of the Philadelphia ...read more

Let's clear something up right off the bat. There are two things that invariably irritate people who live in Hawaii. The first thing is when mainlanders forget that it's a state. Seems weird, but these tiny islands out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean are just as much ...read more

Contrary to popular myths and stereotypes, Hawaii, and especially Honolulu, has a serious problem with poverty and homelessness. It's not hard to spot tent cities in parks and near industrial areas, where hula dancers, surf boards and mai tais are nowhere in sight. In fact, ...read more

One thing I've learned since I moved to Hawaii three years ago: I'm not allowed to complain about anything that happens here. Of course, I don't really care about that rule. As George Clooney said in his monologue at the beginning of The Descendants, life is just as real here as ...read more

The marriage equality debate in the United States has finally come full circle, with Hawaii’s Democratic governor, Neil Abercrombie, on Monday calling a special session of the state Legislature for October 28 to take up a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the 50th ...read more

The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From The Washington Post: Hawaii Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye has died at age 88, his office confirmed Monday night. His last words, according to a statement released by his staff, were “Aloha”. Inouye has been hospitalized since early ...read more

Just a quick programming note - I'm located in DC and Hurricane Sandy is set to hit in a few hours. I'm stuck at home for the foreseeable future having stocked up on water and emergency food supplies. We've been told to expect power outages and for the internet to go down, so ...read more

By Chez Pazienza: An ongoing meme on the podcast that Bob Cesca and I do involves a debate over how much good actually comes from constantly bitching online. It typically goes something like this: Bob plays the admittedly heroic role of the passionate crusader, a guy who ...read more

My good friend Alyona Minkovski interviews Congress Matter Editor David Waldman on the astonishing case of the The Corrections Corporation of America's bid to buy up the nation's prisons. The Corrections Corporation, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent ...read more