For generations sugar production dominated the political, economic, and cultural profile of Hawai`i. At the end of this year the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, better known as C & H, will process its last crop and lay off its last worker. Parent company Alexander & Baldwin will divide 36,000
The image of Father Time handing his hourglass and sickle over to Young New Year is long embedded in western culture. In this postcard from 1910, Father Time looks happy and energetic as he advises his protégé on the year ahead. A fresh new year offers everyone the endless possibilities
I suddenly realized that while I’ve been writing about holiday traditions: the cookies, the presents, the magic, the colors, and of course, the stress, I neglected to mention that December is also National Fruitcake Month – with a special commemorative day December 27th. Holiday fruitcake aka Christmas Cake aka
It was 1963 when singer Andy Williams first shared his view that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Why is that you ask? Andy croons: … With the kids jingle belling And everyone telling you be of good cheer It’s the most wonderful time of the year
Red and Green are the colors most often associated with Christmas and the month of December. Freshly cut evergreen trees are green. Santa Claus wears the same red suit every year. I sometimes wonder why he delivers so many items of clothing but never updates his look. For thousands
Monday. November 30. You’ve survived the madness called Thanksgiving. Black Friday is over. Tomorrow you’ll turn the calendar page and realize it’s December, the month where joy and anticipation collide with stress, indecision, and over-indulgence. Before you jump in with both feet, consider scheduling in moments of serenity, calm,
To aid in your Thanksgiving preparations, I have modified a schedule I first heard in home economics class shortly after the pilgrims invented this annual feast. Are you ready? T-DAY MINUS 5 and 4. The weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday, is behind us now. But this is what you
This is how I felt on Saturday, the day after ISIS attacks in Paris left 129 dead and 352 wounded. The casualties were ordinary people enjoying a warm Friday evening. Their crime – being in target locations. A soccer stadium, a concert hall, and several cafes. The enormity of the
I hadn’t seen one in years. People used to wear red poppy pins near Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day to commemorate the men and women in the military who died in American service. Last week as I was going into the grocery store, an older gentleman came up to me.
Every writer has a lair. It may be in the empty space under the stair. [Sorry, I couldn’t help that one.] It might be in the garage, or the laundry room, or any place really. This is a photo of the desk area where I wrote Rama’s Labyrinth. There’s a
This past week has been exceptionally exciting. Rama’s Labyrinth, the book I’ve been working on for over five years, is now available on Amazon.com (some readers will find it on Amazon.co.uk). The ebook is US$2.99 and the softcover print volume is US$19.99. Rama’s Labyrinth is a biographical historical novel. We
American writer Washington Irving published The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 1820. It’s a spooky tale of murky possibilities. A perfect story for Halloween. The story begins in 1790 in an area near Tarrytown, New York that is called Sleepy Hollow. The hollow had a reputation for enchantment and the
This is a story about gardens at the Taj Mahal, and the man who made them uniquely British. This photograph taken in 1874 shows something you don’t see in contemporary pictures. Very tall trees. The Taj Mahal wasn’t just a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal. It was a Mausoleum and Gardens,
Autumn officially began with the Equinox on September 23, when the hours of darkness and light were almost equal. As we move forward in the northern hemisphere, the days become shorter and the nights, longer. It is a time of gloom and the early stages of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The
Watching the rain from Tropical Storm Niala splattering on my windows brings the coziness of curling up with a good book and hot chocolate to my mind. Hot chocolate is more than a satisfying warm drink filled with legal antioxidants and illegal sugar. It conjures up exotic origins, leisurely indulgence,
It’s time for a book review. This time the story is One Night at the Jacaranda (2013). The plot follows eight people who find themselves at the Jacaranda Bar for an evening of speed dating. The premise is simple. In author Carol Cooper’s heterosexual example, an equal number of men
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