Ever drank 'swipe'?

What is the alcoholic drink ‘swipe’ or ‘swipes’?

"We did have ‘raising jack,’ or what we guys from Honolulu called ‘swipe,’ which was a Hawaiian word for bootleg liquor… We made our ‘swipe’ by stealing a five-gallon tin of canned peaches or plums or pineapple from the nearest ration dump, and putting a double handfull of sugar in it to help it ferment, and then leaving it out in the sun in the jungle with a piece of cheesecloth or mosquito netting over it to keep out the bugs."

Ever drank 'swipe'?

Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio

I have to admit that I am not a die hard Doctor Who fan but I am not totally ignorant or put off by this science fiction series. Of course I don't subscribe to the package that includes the BBCA which is the channel that currently airs Doctor Who on Oceanic Cable.

On Tuesday (12/27/16) while looking at the fandango web site I came across a listing for a Doctor Who presentation at the Dole theater called Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio. I contacted my movie going friend who is a Doctor Who fan and invited her to the presentation which she said okay even through she told me she saw it during on BBCA, it was the Christmas 2016 special.

While we got there 1/2 hour before the presentation started and got our seats I then asked my friend if she wanted something from the concession stand, normally she doesn't get anything but in this case she wanted something to eat (as well as I) and off I went to get the food. The lines were super long and at the same time Dole scheduled Rogue One at another big theater at the same starting time as our presentation.

By the time I got the food and return to the theater I had missed the first 13 minutes of the movie. What I saw was this:

1. Two men in a room discussing about brains in jars.
2. Woman sneaking around outside the room listening in to the two men.
3. Woman bumps into an older man who is munching on sushi.
4. One of the men admits to the other that he has been converted and the second man will have the same fate as he.
5. First man locks the second man in the room while three other men appear in the room and doing something bad to him.
6. Woman and the older man sneak off to another section of the building, the TARDIS is on the floor. Clearly the older man is Doctor Who but the woman admits she is a reporter (and not the companion).
7. Another man appears to the woman and the Doctor and the three of them discuss a company with locations in capital cities around the world except for one place.
8. The three of them are confronted by the first man who is holding a gun at them.
9. While the first man wants to call security he wants no one alive, he says he will shoot them as intruders.
10. The Doctor counters by saying "go on tell them you shot us in the back in self defense" and he and the other two people turned their back on the first man.
11. First man tells them to "face me now" and there is a knock behind the first man.
12. The knocking continues and the first man asks what is that sound.
13. The three people says its not them.
14. The Doctor says it sounds like someone is knocking on a window.
15. The woman says it can't be they are on the 100th floor of the building.
16. Everyone turns around to the window and the music starts to have familiar grandiose theme to it.
17. Man dressed in black (with cape) hovering outside, shatters the window and then enters the building.
18. Some dialogue that one would read in a comic book is spoken by the man in black with the first man shooting his gun at the man in black. The bullets have no effect on him.

At this point I am going to stop my late introduction to this episode, suffice to say it contains a low key alien invasion, some skipping around different locations on Earth, witty dialogue by the Doctor and adding in good portion of the superhero genre.

Dole is playing this episode again on Thursday night (12/29/16) or you can purchase it thru iTunes (which I did when I got home on Tuesday night).

Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio

La La Land

My friend that I normally watch movies with suggested seeing La La Land on Sunday (12/25/16) late afternoon at the Ward Theater.

I had ask my friend what kind of movie La La Land was and she replied it is a musical. While I am not dead set against seeing a musical I am not really that well versed in that genre. I went in with an open mind, however I did dozed of a couple of times during the movie not because I was bored but rather, this was the second movie of the day and we had a bottle of wine with our lunch between the movies.

If you are the type of person who likes musicals with dance numbers in between and jazz in itself then this movie should work for you.

La La Land

RIP George Michaels

A sad goodbye to one of the most amazing voices. RIP George.

RIP George Michaels

Costs to close nuclear power plant?

Nuclear power, it has many benefits and many drawbacks. Did you ever wonder how much it costs to disassemble (that is, decommission) a nuclear power plant? The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Southern California is already closed, and work has started on disassembling the plant. This is what the OCRegister says about the costs:

Quote:

In 2013 – the year the closure was announced – decommissioning efforts at San Onofre cost $237.9 million, according to Edison’s filings with the Public Utilities Commission. In 2014, they cost $210.8 million; in 2015, $282.8 million; and 2016, about $240 million. An additional $1.4 billion will be spent by 2020, and $1.6 billion more by 2030, after which spending is expected to taper off.

That's billions .... :eek:

"Billion" dollars is hard for me to put into perspective. Well, let's see, a minimum wage worker in Hawaii will earn under $18,000 /year. There are a whole lotta' more zeros in "billions" than "thousands"... Hummm, OK, that hasn't helped me break it down, so maybe I'll compare it to the cost estimates of rail in Honolulu.

KHON2:

Quote:

That’s the latest projection from federal officials who say the cost for Oahu’s rail project can go up to $8 billion.

Now I feel worse than ever. :(

Costs to close nuclear power plant?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I do plan on seeing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I just don't know when that will be. I kind of hoping that a friend I usually go to movies with on Christmas Day would be in the mood to see this movie.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Got milk? Soy milk, that is.

Rep. Welch's press release:

Quote:

Welch leads bipartisan effort to stop the illegal branding of "fake milk" as real milk.

Some members of Congress have

Quote:

today urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to exercise its legal authority to investigate and take action against the manufacturers of products they falsely claim to be milk.

The milk industry has seen a drop in milk prices paid to dairymen, as well as a drop in sales to consumers. At the same time, sales of products such as soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk have increased dramatically.

So what is to blame? Oh, of course! The culprit is the non-dairy industry's misuse of the word milk, and the public's inability to realize that soy/rice/almond milk does not come from cows.

What's the fix? Banning non-dairy products from having the work "milk" in their name. For us dumb consumers, well we need all the help we can get in realizing that soy milk comes from a plant not a cow.

It can't be the the reason of a decrease in the consumption of cow's milk has to do with concerns over hormones and other ingredients that are introduced into milk, could it? Or those of us who remember the heptachlor debacle of the early 1980's when we started taking note about milk contaminants, and in the years since have reduced our consumption and found other alternatives?
Flashback news: Heptachlor in milk, NYTimes, May 23, 1982:

Quote:

Findings Not Told for 2 Months Laboratory technicians at the health department discovered the contamination in Oahu's milk in January but did not report it to their superiors until March 11. Tests confirmed by Federal laboratories on the mainland showed that milk from cows that had been fed so-called ''green chop'' of shredded pineapple leaves had become contaminated with the heptachlor. Although none of the green chop was supposed to be used as cattle feed for at least a year after the spraying, some of it apparently slipped into the feeding bins.

Today there remains by many concerns about bovine growth hormone (BGH), illegal usage of antibiotics, etc, which affects the consumers' desires for alternatives. So, while it is great that there are alternatives to cow milk, what drives many of us away is not that there are indeed alternatives, but that we just don't want milk to be part of our day-to-day diet. Relabeling soy milk with a new name will not matter to me, I"ll just buy the product under its new name, but at the same time THAT isn't going to save the milk industry from its decline, because that decline comes from within the milk industry's practices that it employs.

[Hummm, wonder if that will affect Milk of Magnesia, too?]

Got milk? Soy milk, that is.

Endangered seabirds killed, suspect(s) indicted/charged

Finally, the first of the suspects has been arrested in the mutilation and killing of endangered Layson Albatross at Kaena Point a year ago. First to face the courts is 19-year-old Christian Adam Gutierrez.
Civil Beat:

Quote:

The federally and internationally protected seabirds were killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 28 [2015] in a wildlife sanctuary at the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve on Oahu’s leeward coast.

Quote:

Albatrosses are up to 3 feet tall and can weigh up to 10 pounds. They can live more than 65 years. The killers smashed eggs and cut off the feet of some of the birds, apparently to remove identification tags. Some bird monitoring equipment was also stolen in the incident.

KITV:

Quote:

Nearly a year after a number of albatross were killed at Kaena Point, investigators have their first arrest.

HawaiiNewsNow:

Quote:

Christian Gutierrez, 19, surrendered to authorities Tuesday after he was indicted last week on theft and criminal property damage charges. He also faces 14 counts for animal cruelty. The Punahou School graduate was allegedly one of several former classmates at Kaena Point last December, when several Laysan Albatross were killed. At least 15 nests at the Kaena Point were destroyed,

There is something deeply disturbed with anyone who would commit such a hands-on bloody and cruel crime. The parents and families of those indicted must be cringing at the names finally going public. Well done, boys, and each be sure to give your Mom and Dad big Christmas hugs from their outstanding child. :(

Besides the families, if indeed this killing of birds was done by people who had a connection to a school that enjoys a great reputation, it must hurt the entire school to hear this sad story.

Endangered seabirds killed, suspect(s) indicted/charged

Ing's proposed budget (Dec.2016)

Budget planning is underway in Hawaii. Today's StarAdvertiser reported on Gov. Ing's proposed budget:
Dec 2016 (today's article):

Quote:

"Gov. David Ige today unveiled his proposed $28.5 billion state budget for the next two years."

Meanwhile, from a May 2016 SA article:

Quote:

"Hawaii lawmakers have passed the state’s $13.7 billion budget for 2017."

Question #1: So Ing's new proposed budget is for the two years 2018-2020? (Since the 2017 budget is already set.)

Question #2: How does the $28.5 two-year budget compare to the the previous two-year period?

I wish the SA would do a bit of additional research on some of the articles it puts online, instead of just a few paragraphs with seemingly inadequate attention made to make them into a better learning opportunity.

Ing's proposed budget (Dec.2016)

Smog leads to China flights cancelled

HawaiiNewsNow reports on the horrible smog today in China. It is so bad that flights have been cancelled. Now, I'm used to the idea of flights being cancelled due to hurricanes, snow, and other weather related problems. But cancelled because it is too smoggy?:eek:

Quote:

Beijing and much of industrial northern China are in the midst of a "red alert," the highest level in China's four-tiered pollution warning system. The red alert affected 460 million people, according to Greenpeace East Asia, which calculated that about 200 million people were living in areas that had experienced levels of air pollution more than 10 times above the guideline set by the World Health Organization.

Quote:

China has long faced some of the worst air pollution in the world, blamed on its reliance of coal for energy and factory production, as well as a surplus of older, less efficient cars on its roads.

Visual distances right now in:
Beijing - 0 miles (flights cancelled)

Kona - 10 miles
Honolulu - 10 miles
Kahului - 10 miles
Denver - 10 miles
Boston - 10 miles
LA - 10 miles

Paris, France - 6 miles
Ahwaz, Iran - 5 miles [ranked in top 10 smoggiest city worldwide]
Ludhaina, India - 1 mile [ranked in top 10 smoggiest city worldwide]

Smog leads to China flights cancelled

Half of Hawaii's adults: diabetes and weight problems

Online Hawaii News Now has an article about Hawaii being named the healthiest state in a new study. But close reading finds these two facts:

Quote:

State officials estimate that more than half of Hawaii’s population has undiagnosed type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Other highlights in the report were obesity rates. Although Hawaii has a low obesity rate – 23 percent compared to 30 percent nationally – more than half of Hawaii’s adult population is overweight or obese.

It seems strange to me that we can be healthiest, yet at the same time have half our adults with diabetes issues, plus half our adults are overweight or obese. How does that translate to health?

Whatever the full criteria that was used shows that makes us "healthiest", it does not seem logical to somehow absorb the disturbing diabetes and weight issues of Hawaii's adult population into a result of the healthiest state. Unless the adults of other states are in really awful health, so in comparison we still rank #1??

Half of Hawaii's adults: diabetes and weight problems

Favorite food that you make for the holidays?

The Christmas and New Years season is upon us. Do you have a favorite food or recipe that you make for the holidays? If I am contributing to a New Years party, one of my favorites to make is Crispy Won Ton, stuffed with a vegetarian combo of tofu, Chinese 5 spice, green onions, and few other ingredients. MMMM, crispy on the outside, and soft and flavorful on the inside.

Do you have a favorite to make? I'm not talking store-bought here, I'm talking about breaking out your pots and pans, or BBQ, or blender and ice, or ....?

Favorite food that you make for the holidays?

Anyone know of a guitar amp tech in Makakilo area or such?

Cause i think my guitar amp has tubes that went bad and was wondering if there are any amp techs nearby.

Anyone know of a guitar amp tech in Makakilo area or such?

"Wentworth", binge worth

Binge watching, anyone? I've rediscovered a series that I first binge watched about a year ago or so. Now I've come across two new seasons that have been added since I last saw the show on NETFLIX.

And what is this intriguing series that will keep me awake for way too many extra hours? "Wentworth". Think of it as Australian prison version of our American "Orange is the New Black" (another binge-worthy series). If you like OITNB, you'll find this comparable, only grittier. Wentworth would convince about anyone that being in is jail is not how they want to spend their time. And that goes for being either a prisoner or being a guard. :eek:

So get your chores done, put the kids to sleep, and ready yourself for spending way more hours than you expect in a late night of viewing. Advice: don't have an early morning planned for the next day.

"Wentworth", binge worth

Hawaii opera theatre: A streetcar named desire

I spotted something that seems interesting:
HAWAII OPERA THEATRE: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Jan 27,29 and 31, Blaisdell Center

It is one of my favorite movies ("Haven't YOU ever ridden that streetcar?" Or the best-ever-Brando-acting, "Stelllllaaaa".)

Anyway, how will that intense play be turned into an opera? What potential!

Hawaii opera theatre: A streetcar named desire

RIP Palani Vaughan

Palani Vaughan, May 27, 1944 - Dec. 8, 2016

What a wonderful voice, historian of Hawaii, and entertainer with an abundance of class. RIP Palani.

"Palani Vaughan, who stimulated a revival of interest in King David Kalakaua when he recorded a four-album series devoted to the king in the 1970s and ’80s".

RIP Palani Vaughan

United's new fare doesn't include overhead bins

Now matter how it is explained in twisted garbled Airline-Speak, United Airlines is about to switch to a fee system that does NOT include using overhead bins for some passengers.
The Washington Post:

Quote:

As part of the company’s new pricing tier, Basic Economy, passengers who purchase the airline’s cheapest fares will only be allowed one personal item that must fit under a seat. Additionally, customers will not be assigned seats until the day of departure, meaning people on the same ticket could be separated.

Smells like a charging for overhead bins to me ....... how about you?

Crowded foot space is in our future..... and perhaps sitting next to an upset crying six year old who is separated on the flight from his parents.

United's new fare doesn't include overhead bins

McDonald's Menu!!

(Dec.6, 2016) - Oh my gosh hubby & I went through a McDonald's drive through, &.on their sign it says "Oreo McFlurry $2.19" ,in a small circle un able to be seen with the naked eye (until you actually look at it up close) it says" snack" what does that mean??.no one knows what that means!!! Then at the end on the cashier, we were charged " $2.89 " - WHAT THE ..?? that wasn't right !! I complained about it & wanted my exact change, then at the end I was the mean one!!! GAWD!!! we got the exact change anyway, but to them I am the one who's the scrooge. What the fudge?!!! I am.not working, I am the the one with the frozen shoulder , I get yelled at for getting the right Change because I felt as if they were doing the bait and switch or what ever you want to call it!!!! Actually when I went back myself to double check on the price, I saw this lady in her car at the drive through wanting to order the Oreo Mc flurry, I told her that at the cashier side they will charge $2.89 even though the sign says $2.19. , I was trying to show her my receipt, but I think she believed me any way.lol. I don't know if she declined ordering the oreo or just accepted the price that they will charge her $2.89. Who knows. At least i told her. I don't ever want to go to any McDonald's if that's the case with their prices from those idiotic Corporate chains. :mad: They can just STICK IT!!! :mad:

McDonald's Menu!!

Rolling Stones releasing new blues album

The Stones have a new album after a decade on no releases. It was recorded over just 3 days, and hopefully will be a great collection of casual artistry! I'm going to need to do a bit of YouTube research to listen to the original bluees recordings that the Stones used for inspiration.
The SA reports:

Quote:

“Blue & Lonesome,” the iconic rock group’s first album in 11 years, is out Friday. The 12-track set, recorded last December at British Grove Studios in West London, includes covers of blues songs from Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Eddie Taylor and more. Eric Clapton, who was recording at the same studio, plays guitar on two tracks, while Jagger plays the harp throughout.

Just in time to make it on to my Christmas Wish List! :)

Rolling Stones releasing new blues album

Hep A Shot...

( i am sorry i haven't been here in a long time) on Aug. 25, 2016 hubby & I well, he wanted us to get a Hep A shot in the Kaiser Hospital, thereafter from the 25th to the end of Aug , My arm started to hurt :-( , I really didn't think anything of it, I just thought it was like one of my chronic pains, the pain started to increase towards or around Sept, ( i think the lady who did it, shot the needle all the way through the bone or through the muscles, :-( ) i went to see my male doctor, he looked at me , asked me to raise my arms etc, I told him that I started having pains from the shot, & he concluded that it had nothing to do with it, I called him several times more in regards to it or hoping that he would have an alternative suggestions (too be honest I don't even know why I even bothered), he still insisted that I see him, this went on for 3 more times , lol. I kept replying that I already saw him, in between the lines (after seeing him in person, he didn't do or say anything to help ). My arm continues to hurt & I didn't know what to do because I tried everything else that I knew of- seeing my doctor, a chiropractor, a healer, a pastor/healer etc which didn't help at all . While all that, I continued to attend to my physical therapy which is taking forever because any cold places that I go to, affects it greatly with pain :-( , then hubby found an 800 number for me to call to make a professional complaints about it, so I called them & told them about it , after my several calls with this 800 number (with Kaiser for the complaints ) towards the end, nothing came out of it :-(, then I finally I got sick & tired of having my male doctor, (at the same time I wished I could send a complain about him, but I didn't ), he didn't even bother to request an x-ray just to see if any bone fracture, when i went to see this other doctor who cared about about me (which she happens to be my cancer doctor ) she requested to have the x-ray, which came out to a negative on bone fracture, so I finally. switched to a female doctor, & I told her what happened, & asked me to raise my right arm, push/pull against her hand etc to see how weak my right arm is etc, she concluded that I have a frozen shoulder (on my right upper arm), then she recommended me an anti-inflammatory medicine which also has a lot of side affects 😯, as opposed to what my male doctor recommended me to have is an cortisone shot, which she broke it down for me & told me that if i take it, the pain I have will come back worse, ( my hubby & my female doctor both agreed upon the side effects of the cortisone shot), although I will still see that specialist & see what he recommends , my female doctor recommend me to see that specialist for the shot, but I don't have to take it. My hubby recently went to target to get an electric blanket, although I live in Hawaii, in the area where we moved to recently, the temperature during the nights get colder, that it feels (FOR ME) like it is 40 to 50 degrees, & plus the cold temperatures affects my painful arm greatly too :-( . So the electric blanket helped a great deal for me . I am somewhat happy for my decisions for changing to a female doctor, i hope she can be more sympathetic towards me & helping me out in anyway she can etc. Well, that's the gist of anything thats new with me, my arm still continues to hurt, but I don't think it will hurt as much during the night time with the new electric blanket :-). My mom, & one of my hubby's cousin both recommended turmeric (pill form) & my mom recommended vitamin D3. So I am hopping those 2 will be much better than the anti-inflammatory medicine I was given , at least those 2 does not have any bad side affects like the Meloxicam 😮. I have been using my left arm a lot (95% of the time) too :-( it's been difficult for me having to use my left arm a lot since I am right handed. Sigh. The only thing I can't do with my left is write , & use the virtual keyboard on my phone & tablet. :-(. The ONLY thing I want for Christmas is MY right arm to get better. Sigh. I am tired of waiting, going to P.T. & on top of that, having to pay a copay to go to honolulu kaiser hospital , i think Kaiser SHOULD pay for all MY fees, cuz it's their fault I am in this condition :-(. !!!! ---- what would you do ( &/or what course of action would you do) if you had my condition?? please help in any opinion you can give me on what's the best course of action to take &/or do if you were in my place?. It seems like I am missing something even though I feel we have tried everything else, & nothing worked. I hope there are better course of action than what we have already done. Please help. P.S. I am sorry for the long story.

Hep A Shot...

Drafting women

All military jobs are open to women, after the Pentagon removed restrictions including special operation forces last year.

Now, reported by the StarAdvertiser:

Quote:

The Obama administration declared its support Thursday for requiring women to register for the military draft, a symbolic but significant shift that reflects the U.S. military’s evolution from a male-dominated force to one seeking to incorporate women at all levels.

As women continue to integrate into different areas of military service, Obama pushes the envelope by announcing his support of a draft that includes both men and women. While I do respect women who choose to serve, I cannot support the drafting of women which would be used in times of war. If my son is facing an extremely dangerous situation which requires a high degree of physical strength and fortitude, I don't want the person fighting by his side to be a 5 ft, 100 lb, 20 year old female who has been drafted into the military and finds herself in the midst of combat.

Quote:

The White House emphasized that the administration remains committed to an all-volunteer military — meaning women, like men, wouldn’t be forced to serve unless there were a national emergency like a major world war.

I'm not in favor in any way of drafting women into combat, not even in "a national emergency like a major war".

Drafting women

Hawaii Island and New Zealand vs introduced predators

So what does Hawaii Island have in common with New Zealand when it comes to their native birds? Both have non-native predators that are endangering the bird populations.

On Hawaii Island's Mauna Loa there is a new 5-mile-long fence built specifically to keep feral cats out of the area where endangered Hawaiian petrels breed on Mauna Loa. The Washington Post informs us:

Quote:

To protect the petrels, the National Park Service and other organizations spent more than three years flying in people and materials to build the cat-proof barrier, a 6-foot-tall fence topped with a curved section that even the wiliest kitty is not supposed to be able to scale. It’s the longest anti-cat fence in the United States, and it encloses 600 acres of 8,000- to 10,000-foot-high terrain that petrels, also known as ‘u’au, now view as choice breeding territory.

Meanwhile, according to another Washington Post article:

Quote:

New Zealand, he said, has adopted the “ambitious goal” of eradicating its soil of rats, possums, stoats and all other invasive mammals by 2050. The name of the plan: Predator Free New Zealand.

The goal is "a full wipeout of introduced predators, which the government says kill 25 million native birds a year and spread diseases to cattle and deer". As on Mauna Kea, feral cats in New Zealand are also identified as unwelcomed predators.

As for the feral cats here in Hawaii, sadly, people still continue to dump off their unwanted kittens and cats, which then must survive by hunting, and thus contribute to the decline of native animals in many areas. While TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, Maintain) programs can help with some cat colony populations, it is not enough to protect endangered native animals. And many areas are not covered by TNRM volunteers and organizations, and those cat populations get bigger and bigger.

Will New Zealand have success with its Predator Free plan? Their program's goal is 2050.

Hawaii Island and New Zealand vs introduced predators