Kauai Pow Wow “Drum, the heartbeat of the people”

Kauai hosted it’s annual Pow Wow in Kapaa this past weekend, and the theme was “Drum, the heartbeat of the people.”  In honor of this theme, all indiginous drummers were invited to participate, and Auntie Ilima Rivera’s Keiki Halau performed traditional Tahitian dances during a break in the ceremony.
With my two grandsons in tow (age 2 [...]

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Credit Crisis – One Woman’s Solution

I feel a bit like the child in the “Emperor’s New clothes” story…am I the only one that sees the Federal Bailout as a smoke & mirror solution, leaving the American homeowner “naked” and possibly homeless? 
Ironically, in re-reading Hans Christian Andersen’s story from the 1800’s, the analogy is closer than I even remembered.   I’m afraid [...]

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Bubble to Burst – Real Estate Assets or Securities?

The American dream of owning your own land goes back to the Pilgrims coming to America searching for a home to call their own.  Never mind, there were people living here already – that’s a different story. 
I grew up in Nebraska where the pioneer history is part of my family roots.  My father was raised on the ranch [...]

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Federal Mortgage Relief – for whom?

Perhaps I’m not really understanding the “big picture” – but the recent announcements from Washington seem to continue a path of subsidizing and rescuing financial institutions with little or no direct relief to the victims of predatory lending practices who are currently at risk of losing their homes. 
In a recent article from Inman News, Jack [...]

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Hawaii Building Permits may take longer

In a recent newsletter from the Hawaii Association of Realtors, I learned about a new law that will make it difficult, if not functionally impossible to make any changes to what are now considered “historic” properties.  Effective July 8, 2008, a new law went into effect that requires older  properties (structures over 50 years old) to get a clearance from [...]

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