Tattoo artists bill moves forward in Senate

A measure designed to expand the venues in which licensed tattoo artists can work will have its final committee hearing in the Hawaii Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Friday.

House Bill 2283 was drafted by a group of tattoo artists, with the help of state Rep. John Mizuno, D-Ft. Shafter-Alewa Heights, who wanted to stage Hawaii's first-ever tattoo convention called Hawaii Inked.

State law requires that all tattoos must be done by a licensed tattoo artist in a permitted shop, in effect prohibiting any type of tattoo trade show or convention from taking place in Hawaii.

The group is pushing for legislation that would create an exception to the law. The original measure proposed allowing the state Department of Health to issue 14-day certificates of registration to tattoo artists to do their work in an educational or trade show setting. Their intent is to promote the emerging tattoo business in Hawaii as well as educate people on its cultural history and related health and safety issues.

However, the latest version of HB 2283 repeals the original tattoo artist licensure procedures on the books and instead would require all tattoo artists to register with the state Department of Health every year for a fee. Initial registration would cost $75 and annual renewals would be $7.50.

It's a change that concerns both the tattoo artists and Mizuno, who say registration would actually soften Hawaii's stringent licensing standards, which is not what they want.

"It's almost like a one-size-fits-all thing," Mizuno said. "You don't have as much oversight with just registration and there's an unintended consequence that there may be unqualified artists practicing. So, where's the oversight?

Jodo Mission Lahaina

Lahaina, which means merciless sun.
12 Ala Moana Street, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761
The Lahaina Jodo Mission was founded in 1912
the original temple was destroyed in a fire in 1968
Buddhist temple on the beachfront property.


The temple is located on Puunoa Point in Lahaina, the first capital of the Hawaiian Islands
Views of three neighboring islands Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe and the West Maui mountains.
The Great Buddha and the Temple Bell were completed in June 1968
In 1970, the main Temple and Pagoda were built
The present temple grounds have been dedicated to all our ancestors who have passed away.
Visiting the Jodo Mission will help to create and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of Buddhism.
The property is owned by the Lahaina Jodo Mission.

The present temple stands on the exact spot of the former temple building. The new structure was built in 1970 by traditional Japanese carpenters with the help of our members and friends.



Inside the temple, five outstanding Buddhist paintings adorn the walls. These were painted in 1974 by the renowned Japanese artist Iwasaki Hajin.

The 12-feet tall copper and bronze statue of Amida Buddha is the largest of its kind outside Japan. It was cast in Kyoto, Japan, from 1967 to 1968, and weighs approximately three and a half tons.




According to Buddhist legend, when Sakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana, his body was cremated at Kusinara. Seven of the neighboring rulers, under the leadership of King Ajatasattu, demanded the ashes be divided among them. At first, the king refused their demands and a dispute ensued, threatening to end in war. But a wise man named Dona intervened and the crisis passed. The ashes were divided and enshrined in eight great stupas in India. The ashes of the funeral pyre and the earthen jar that contained the remains were given to two other rulers to be likewise honored. Because of the enshrinements, followers came to worship and pay homage to these stupas, also called pagodas, which later became a symbol of the spiritual image of the Buddha.


At Lahaina Jodo Mission, this bell is rung eleven times each evening at 8 o'clock.

Kula property

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1. 4 bedroom 2 bathroom
   
2. 1580 square foot
   
3. huge studio slash 4th bedroom
   
4. 7759 square foot lot
   
5. 600 square foot lanai
   
6. Views Ocean Sunset
   
7. Upcountry Maui
   
8. Fully remodeled
   
9. Granite
   
10. travertine
    
11. Slate
    
12. Bamboo
    
13. Onyx
    
14. Stainless steel appliance
    
15. Maple cabinetry
    
16. Split Plan
    
17. Cathedral ceilings
    
18. A must see
    

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Investment property Makawao

investment property

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1. 4 bedroom 2.5 bathroom
   
2. 1660 square foot
   
3. studio and bathroom
   
4. 600 square foot
   
5. 8,515 square foot lot
   
6. 400 square foot closed lanai
   
7. Koi pond
   
8. Close to Makawao town
   
9. Easy to divide into a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath
   
10. while having a 1 bedroom 1 bath
    

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Maui No Ka Oi-L

Maui is on the verge of becoming the first area in the nation to average $4 for a gallon of regular. The average price in Wailuku reached $3.943 on Friday, the highest price in AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. At several stations, it was a penny shy of $4. In the remote coastal town of Hana, it was around $4.40 a gallon.

Four Waters of Maui Removed From Private Control

HONOLULU, Hawaii, March 21, 2008 (ENS) - One of Hawaii's longest-standing water disputes was settled this week when the state Commission on Water Resources Management decided in a unanimous vote to designate four waterways on the island of Maui as a "water management area" under the state Water Code.

The designation, effective once public notice is published, puts the commission in direct control of these waterways, known by their Hawaiian name, Na Wai 'Eha - the Four Waters.

Since the plantation era, two companies have controlled most of the stream flows of these four waters - Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar, a division of Alexander & Baldwin, which operates one of the last sugar plantations in Hawaii on Maui's central plain; and Wailuku Water Company, formerly the Wailuku Sugar plantation, which sold off all its former agricultural lands for development and is now in the business of selling water.

The commission's ruling came on a petition filed in December 2006 by public interest environmental law firm Earthjustice on behalf of two Maui grassroots community groups, Hui o Na Wai 'Eha and the Maui Tomorrow Foundation.

The four waterways - the Waikapu, 'Iao and Waiehu Streams and the Waihe'e River - are perennial streams that traditionally supported a native aquatic ecosystem and the largest continuous area of taro production in the Hawaiian Islands.

The groundwater of the 'Iao Aquifer, which underlies much of four waters area, serves as the principal source of drinking water for Maui.

But large-scale diversions by sugar plantations have drained the streams dry for over a century and continue unchecked despite the modern decline of the sugar industry.

According to the ruling, water use from now on will be allowed only by commission permit.

"For too long, a few companies have treated Na Wai 'Eha stream flows as their private property, while public instream uses have gone ignored," said John Duey, longtime resident of the 'Iao Valley and president of Hui o Na Wai 'Eha.

"Now the Water Commission will be able to monitor and regulate water uses and ensure they are truly in the public interest," he said.

While present users of the four waterways have a one year window to apply for "existing uses," by law those uses are not grandfathered in.

During the commission's multi-step process extending over a year, numerous parties expressed their strong support for state control, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the former and present mayors and water directors, and the entire County Council of the County of Maui.

"We're proud to be a part of this collective effort to achieve the first-ever designation of streams for public management," said Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow. "Hopefully this will lead to similar progress for the many other streams and communities statewide needing proper stewardship."

The decision to designate Na Wai 'Eha is the first time the state has designated streams as a water management area. Previous designations have concerned only groundwater.

"Designation is a critical step in public management of the precious waters of Na Wai 'Eha," said Isaac Moriwake, an attorney with Earthjustice. "But it is only an initial step. We must remain vigilant to ensure that the many community members living in these valleys are empowered to have their water needs recognized, and that the precious waters of Na Wai 'Eha are used justly for the benefit of all the people, not just a handful of private interests."

The Affordable Housing Fund

The projects are:

• Waiehu Mauka Rental Housing (Lokahi Pacific), $1.2 million. Lokahi plans to develop 40 affordable rental units in seven multifamily buildings on a 6.5-acre lot in Waiehu. Total cost is estimated at $6.9 million. Projected start date is March 2009.

• 901 Lower Main St. (Habitat for Humanity), $1 million. Forty affordable homeownership apartments would be developed on land owned by Habitat for Humanity at 901 Lower Main St. in Wailuku. Total cost is $16.7 million. Projected start date is January 2009.

• Wailuku Wahine Hale Transitional Housing (Lokahi Pacific, Women Helping Women), $1 million. The money would go toward the purchase of a building at 1592 Mill St., which would provide transitional housing to low-income women leaving Women Helping Women’s emergency shelter or island homeless shelters. Total cost is $1.5 million.

• FLC Affordable Rentals (Family Life Center), $1 million. Family Life Center would purchase 10 apartments in the Harbor Lights Condominium and operate them as affordable rentals. Total cost is $1.5 million.

Kamaile Sombelon, executive director of Lokahi Pacific, said the goal for the Waiehu Mauka rental project was to provide housing for “the lowest of the low” — people at the bottom of the income scale — with rents around $600 per month.

Hokule`a book opening at 3 p.m. on March 15

Aloha Fellow poets, artists, musicians and normal people:
If you haven't heard, you have now. You're invited to a book signing/reading of Gary Kubota lyrical prose (I'd say poetry, but that scares some people) book about the voyage of the Hokulea. There will be photographs of the voyage on sale and fellow Hokule`a crew members, as well as a performance in Hawaiian and English.- Below is a press release with details. Attached is a flyer that you can print out and post! - Mahalo for your support, Gary


News Release—March 5, 2008

BOOK TITLE: "To Honor Mau: The Voyage of the Hokule`a Through Micronesia"

A book signing /reading for “To Honor Mau: The Voyage Of The Hokule`a Through Micronesia” is planned from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 15 (Saturday) at the Gallerie Ha at 51 North Market Street in Wailuku. There will be a reading/performance of a portion of the book. Some of the proceeds from the book will benefit the Hokule`a, along with the sale of photographs of the voyage.
The book, “To Honor Mau: The Voyage Of The Hokule`a Through Micronesia,”(in English and Hawaiian, with more than 50 photographs, published by Pacific Renaissance Press) is a historical account of the journey of the double-hulled sailing canoe Hokule`a to honor its first wayfinding navigator Mau Piailug. The Hokule`a crew helped to deliver the double-hulled sailing canoe Alingano Maisu as a gift to Mau on his home atoll of Satawal in 2007 – a journey of some 4,000 miles through an area known for its typhoons.
In 1976, using native wayfinding methods, Mau served as the navigator on the Hokule`a voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti. The voyage of the Hokule`a, built along the lines of a traditional Polynesian sailing canoes constructed mainly of wood and rope, helped to support the assertion that native Hawaiians were capable of navigating thousands of miles of ocean before European explorers. The historic Hawaii-Tahiti voyage in 1976 has sparked a renaissance of native voyaging, with several double-hulled vessels already built and being built in Hawaii.
The book describes the hardships and dangers in the voyage, the difficulties faced by islanders such as global warming, and the Pwo ceremony on Satawal conducted by Mau inducting native Hawaiians as wayfinding navigators.
The story is written in lyrical prose by Gary T. Kubota and was interpreted into Hawaiian by Kaimana Barcarse. Kubota, a newspaper correspondent, was a crew member on the Hokule`a through a major part of the journey. Barcarse, a Hawaiian Studies instructor at University of Hawaii-Hilo, has been a crew member on the Hokule`a. James Hadde, whose photographs are on the cover and inside pages of the book, was a crew member aboard the escort vessel Kama Hele.
“The book celebrates the culture of Hawaii and Micronesia and the way they have grown to have a mutual respect for one another,” Kubota said.
“I didn’t know at the start of the journey that Mau had suffered years of criticism from some Micronesians for sharing wayfinding secrets with native Hawaiians 30 years ago. The journey last year helped to vindicate Mau. It took five years and thousands of hours to build the Alingano Maisu, and Micronesians including Mau’s son sailed aboard her on the way to Satawal. That says a lot about the Hawaiians’ respect and love for Mau. It also says a lot about the sea-going toughness and character of native Hawaiians.”
There are a limited number of copies of the book ($18). Advance orders may be made through emailing PacificRenaissancePress@hotmail.com; calling 875-0315 and leaving a message.