January 8, 2008

Boy Scout saves president

I was a Cub Scout den mother when my son was young. I wasn’t very good at it and handed the reins over to someone more competent after the first year. My son opted for baseball over scouting after a few years, so he never went on to become a Boy Scout. I’ve been trying to remember the civic lessons we emphasized during his scouting years and I’m pretty sure “jumping in front of an assassin’s knife” never came up. The values that would spur one to do that were certainly stressed, though, and the world is today saluting an amazing young man who didn’t hesitate when he saw a chance to act.

Boy Scout Mohamed Jaisham Ibrahim is being hailed as a hero in the Maldives after he stopped a man with a knife from killing President Abdul Gayoom.

“This fellow in the crowd with a knife in his hand attempted to stab the president in his stomach,” government spokesman Mohammad Shareef tells the Associated Press. “But a 15-year-old boy came in the way, and grabbed the knife. One brave boy saved the president’s life.”

Read the entire story at USA Today.

I don’t know how badly his hand was injured, but a report at International Herald Tribune states that he was unable to move some fingers after the incident. I hope the international community will help supply whatever support he might need to get back full use of his hand. I, for one, will gladly contriubte towards purchasing whatever exercise equipment he made need to help with rehab. Join me, won’t you, in saluting this young man who exemplifies all that the Boy Scouts stand for?

Photo credit:Haveeruonline

Technorati Tags: assassination attempt, Boy Scouts, current events, heroes, Maldives, Mohamed Jaisham Ibrahim, news

July 11, 2007

Finding the humor in aging

I’m having a birthday next week. When I was younger that meant anticipating special activities - dinner with friends, perhaps a party, always a cake lovingly made by a family member. These days it pretty much just means I’m getting older. My birthday anticipation ritual now includes enumerating which of my parts have failed in the last year. I’m increasingly aware of the changes my seniority have brought to my body and my role in society. Yesterday a client suggested that my retirement options may have dwindled down to one: finding a sugar daddy. I’m not as sharp as I was in my younger years, and it was several hours later before it dawned on me that his remark was a test balloon to see if I was interested. Well, let’s see: he’s attractive, intelligent and sexy, he has a sense of humor, and the business that brought us together was the sale of his second home for about three-quarters of a million dollars. I’m guesstimating that he’s in his early seventies. I dated men in their forties when I was in my twenties, so I’d say that there are no barriers to his eligibility, wouldn’t you? Acknowledging that I’m mature enough to consider a relationship with a man in his seventies is actually kind of liberating. It empowers me to glory in my accumulated years of wisdom and experience and to take a few good-natured pokes at succeeding generations who are still in denial about their eventual arrival at this same point. I have to admit though, that Gene Weingarten, a journalist for the Washington Post, does it better. His is a decidedly male point of view and relies entirely too much on the size of his prostate as a measure of his senior status, but I still found myself nodding in agreement with his sage observations and their inevitable conclusions. “But one day something will make you realize that you are both in irreversible decline and a miserable failure. Example: Your new boss is younger than you. Better example: The new president of the United States is younger than you. Best example: The new pope is younger than you, and then he dies.” He and I have both accepted that we are likely to lay claim to that best example with the investiture of the next pope. I’d laugh, but there’s that embarrassing bladder-leakage problem at my age …

I found Gene Weingarten’s column through a new personalized news aggregating site which accumulates my history of interests and presents me with stories that reflect my tastes. My thoughts lately are focused on finding the humor in aging, and Thoof is helping me keep my grip on sanity as I approach yet another milestone in the journey from cradle to grave. Each time I log onto Thoof I find new websites, articles and videos that that reflect my current interests. If I survive this birthday and find a need to focus on something new, my history at Thoof will keep evolving to reflect my redirected interests. Items that I find elsewhere can be submitted, too, and will be added to the body of knowledge that helps Thoof find interesting reading that’s tailored to my tastes. Perhaps someday soon my Thoof will be filled with insight into how a tired, mid-fifties woman can keep up with the insatiable appetites of a dynamic seventy-something partner. Hey, don’t scoff! You’ll be here someday, too!

Technorati Tags: aging, humor, news, news websites

June 25, 2007

Israel Kamawiwo’ole - 10 years gone

There will be sadness and smiles on this anniversary. The big man left us ten years ago, but his legacy touches us daily. It is not possible to go one day in Hawaii without hearing his sweet tenor and playful ukelele tickling the ear. I hear it from the radio of the car next to me in traffic. He sings to me as I weigh potatoes and check the freshness date on milk at the grocery. He croons from a CD player as I stroll the beach. His unique version of “What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sells toys and travel on TV. Iz is everywhere. He was - still is - the voice of Hawaii.

Come. Listen to Bruddah Iz. Yeah, that guy. You’ve been hearing his voice in movies and commercials for years. That one song took wing shortly after his death and spread his fame far beyond these islands. Listen to a medley from a new CD that combines Iz tracks with symphonic orchestration. I’m not sure yet what to think of the new sound. I think I prefer the simplicity of Iz, un-fooled-around-with, but I’ll buy the album. We all will. We need it for our Iz collections. It’s more though. Iz did well in his lifetime, but his estate is making more money now than he could ever have imagined. In the last twenty-four hours I’ve heard three people say they’ll buy his “new” music for his daughter. She is ours, too, and we want her to have the financial support of our love for her father, our affection for her. You can listen, read and watch on the Honolulu Advertiser/Bruddah Iz link above and I think you’ll see why. You’ll see why our Sunday paper this week was saturated with Iz, why we were all thrilled with the sample from the new album that arrived with it on our doorsteps.

He called this coast home. I’ve never seen his bust unadorned with lei. He is ever in our minds, this favorite son who spoke for the kanaka - the Hawaiian people - and to us all. The music and the man belong to the whole world now, but he’s a part of us in a way that others can’t know. We know the streets where he grew up, the ocean and beaches where he took his leisure, the drug culture that sucked him in. He was one of the fortunate ones, one of the strong ones who beat that powerful demon. He couldn’t beat his other demon though, the gross obesity that finally smothered the life out of him. His heart was enormous, but not big enough to keep beating under the weight of his nearly half-ton body. He had a heart attack at thirty and succumbed at only thirty-eight. His music has not stopped, though, and Iz has not really left us. He blesses our lives every day. I hope you’ll enjoy a little interlude with him today. Tip your hat to the big man and rejoice that his music lives on.

Technorati Tags: Hawaiian music, Honolulu Advertiser, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Iz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, What a Wonderful World

June 21, 2007

Veto for stem cell research

President Bush has again vetoed allowing federal dollars to be invested in human embryonic stem cell research, stating that it “crosses an ethical line” and “violates the sanctity of human life.” The president instead endorsed other types of stem cell research.

Hillary Clinton, one of Bush’s most vocal opponents, was quick with her rebuttal: “This is just one example of how the president puts ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families.”

I’m not asking for your politics or religious beliefs as concerns stem cell research (unless you want to state them, which you are certainly welcome to do.) If I knew how to post an anonymous poll for this post I would. Instead I’ll ask you what I believe is a straightforward question. The presidents job is to do the will of the people. Many polls say that the majority of the American public favors federally funded research using embryonic stem cells. Other polls show the opposite finding. So that’s my question to US readers, and I’d appreciate it if you would answer, with or without additional dialog.

Do you believe that federal dollars should be used for embryonic stem cell research?

My Digg buttons never work. Digg it here!

Technorati Tags: CBS News, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, human embryonic stem cell research, TheNewsRoom

June 4, 2007

The News Room

Just in case you need one more reason to come visit Hawaii, take a look a the video below. Kilauea has been putting on a spectatcular show for weeks now. You can come see me on Oahu, then take advantage of the interisland airfare wars to fly to the Big Island for $9.00 instead of the usual fare of around a hundred bucks. I’ve been to the Big Island a few times, but never when Madam Pele was showing herself so magnificently. Maybe I should spring for the nine bucks myself, ya think?

How do you like my blog’s news service, The News Room? This is a resource I know I’m going to be using again, a clearinghouse for news from respected news sources like the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Press (AFP.) I enjoy blogging about my life and my own little corner of the world, but it’s good to reach outside that bubble to share relevant and timely stories like this. The News Room is constantly updated with stories and news releases from around the globe, so there’s always a variety of topics to choose from. Whatever your blog focuses on - hard news, entertainment, health and science - whatever, you need to bookmark this site. Categories are clearly defined, so it’s easy to go right to your area of interest and find the kind of information you like to share. The process is user-friendly, even for a techno-phobe like me. After I located the story above I clicked one button and and it was ready to copy into my blog. There’s no fee for the service and you can actually make money when you use it. Each article comes with a bit of advertising that produces the revenue to fund the service and can be added to the revenue stream for your blog. All of us in the blogosphere need to keep our posts fresh and relevant. This a great tool to help us do that. The possibility of income (and opportunities for some great prizes, too!) is just icing on the cake.

Technorati Tags: blog advertising, blog resources, Hawaii, Kilauea, news services, volcano eruption

April 30, 2007

Be angry! Be very angry!

First, if you are reading this early on Tuesday morning, May 1st, turn on your TV and watch Good Morning America. They’re doing a feature about cyberstalking. You may think you know how bad it can get, but maybe you don’t. Everyone knows about what happened to Kathy Sierra recently, but I wonder if most know how pervasive cyberstalking is. I’ve known for a while that one of my blogging friends has been harrassed and threatened by a stalker for years. I only found out this evening that her stalker is someone whose blog I visited a few weeks ago. His first few posts that day were full of racist filth, and he named specific people as targets of his bile and hatred. I closed his page in disgust and thougth that was the last I needed to ever hear or know about him. Now I know that he not only has targeted the one friend I was aware was being stalked, but also several other bloggers I’m associated with. He has caused some to quit blogging completely. He has threatened and stalked families of bloggers who appear on his radar. And he is not alone. This type of behavior seems to be becoming more prevalent, perhaps because many law enforcement agencies don’t consider it “real.”

Are we supposed to wait until someone carries out their threats to maim, rape and kill? What will it take for public officials and law enforcement agencies to put these bullying slimeballs out of business? The question is not rhetorical. I don’t know the answers, but I’m open to whatever ideas you may want to throw out there. How can we, as bloggers (and as women - most targets are women) combat this threat? We can talk about it. We can get the word out and raise awareness, but awareness without action is impotent. We are under attack and I think the time has come to go on the offensive.

Go. Read Kat’s post. Follow the link to her Washington Post interview. See what is going on in our blogosphere. Get angry. Join me in dialog and let’s talk about what we can do to put a stop to this meance.

Technorati Tags: blogs, bloggin, cyberstalking, cyber bullies, Kathy Sierra, stalkers, bullies

April 23, 2007

Our Pete is a hero

Remember Pete that I met last week at the Waianae Boat Harbor? I’ve been thinking about him the last few days because I knew there had been an terrible incident at the harbor, but what are the odds that someone I had just written about would have been involved, right? Well, I’m just catching up with the Sunday papers and discovered that I’m no good at playing the odds: Our Pete is a genuine hero!

I had some fun last week, teasing about being too old for him and what a hunk he is. Yeah, I was being kinda sexist. He probably inspires that in a lot of women. I knew from the brief conversation we had that he is much more than eye candy, so I’m happy to share proof of that with you today. Pete has what it takes to do the right thing. Pete - you rock!

I will not lurk around the Waianae Boat Harbor. I will not stalk Pete. I will value him for his substance, not his yummy facade. I will not lurk …

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Life in Hawaii, hero, Pete, hunk, Hawaiian man, news, boat explosion, current events, Waianae Boat Harbor