One of the little observed results of the 2012 election on Maui was the decisive approval of a Charter Commission proposal calling for a County Auditor. While not the sexiest job around, a decisive majority of voters (54 percent to 29 percent) voted to bring Maui County into the 20th century and hire an independent auditor–a person whose sole job is to investigate county … [Read more...] about Talking Story With New Maui County Auditor Lance Taguchi About His Plans And Why It Is Taking Him So Long To Get Started
government
Great Art and Government Follies and The Bar Is Always Open
THE BAR IS ALWAYS OPEN A 61-year-old Texas man admitted to a hospital not long ago appearing to be falling-down-drunk, even though denying having had even a single drink, was discovered to be unintentionally manufacturing beer in his stomach. With “auto-brewery syndrome,” stomach-based yeast automatically ferments all starches (even vegetables or grains) passing through, … [Read more...] about Great Art and Government Follies and The Bar Is Always Open
US Representative Tulsi Gabbard Blasts Pentagon Brass And National Security Agency Surveillance
TULSI GABBARD’S ON FIRE Wow, it isn’t every week that a Democratic congressional representative–especially one with impeccable military credentials–starts blasting both Pentagon brass and the Obama Administration’s immense National Security state. Then again, Tulsi Gabbard–who represents Hawaii’s Second District–isn’t your average congressional member. This is surprising … [Read more...] about US Representative Tulsi Gabbard Blasts Pentagon Brass And National Security Agency Surveillance
Backyard Barnyards and Crappy Art and Congress Saves Party Balloons
BACKYARD BARNYARD The Department of Agriculture reported recently that in four of America’s largest cities–New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Denver–nearly one home out of 100 keeps chickens either for a fresh egg supply or as pets, giving rise to chicken services such as Backyard Poultry magazine, MyPetChicken.com and Julie Baker’s Pampered Poultry store. Among the most popular … [Read more...] about Backyard Barnyards and Crappy Art and Congress Saves Party Balloons
First Amendment Blues and Celebrity Immigration and People With Too Much Money
FIRST AMENDMENT BLUES A bar in Horry County, S.C., named the Suck Bang Blow filed a lawsuit in May challenging the county’s new ordinance prohibiting motorcyclists’ “burnouts” (engine-revving with back-tire-spinning, creating smoke–and enormous noise). The bar claims that burnouts are important expressions of its customers’ “manliness and macho” and as such are protected by the … [Read more...] about First Amendment Blues and Celebrity Immigration and People With Too Much Money