by Senator Will Espero
District 19

Democrats believe in extending the ladder of opportunity because the overall well-being of society improves as more citizens are able to reach their goals.  As we and our neighbors achieve our own “American dream,” our well-being spills over into the community.  That is why Democrats have traditionally invested in education, in job training, in strengthening families, and home ownership.  Becoming better educated, acquiring valuable workplace skills, being able to buy a home of our own and shape our family lives in a positive way, all contribute to the stability and productivity of society.

Under the Bush Administration, federal financial aid was cut by $12.5 billion, drastically reducing the amount of student aid available for our high school graduates to attend college.  Funding restrictions put the maximum Pell Grant at $4,050 for 2003-2004, up to $4,731 for 2008-2009.  With rising tuition and other higher education costs, these Bush Administration reductions strained the ability of students to obtain the training they needed for the career goals they had.

HR 4872, the “Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010,” helps restore the American dream.  Known as SAFRA (”Student Aid & Fiscal Responsibility Act”), the education portion of the health care reform law enables more students to attain a university education.  Investing in students is an investment in America’s future.

The greater availability of financial aid also strengthens families.  Parents are stressed with paying a mortgage and daily life expenses.  The additional expense of putting their grown children through college makes parental responsibility even more difficult.  The greater availability of college funding provides financial and personal relief to those parents who want their children to reach their potential through higher education.  Those young people will also be better able to support the families they someday will have after they train for a career.

SAFRA spreads out federal education dollars in part by eliminating subsidies to private banks.  It instead uses the cost-effective route of the federal Department of Education administering the student loan program.  Under the previous system, the federal government paid private banks money to give out student loans.  By eliminating those bank subsidies, that money can be rechanneled toward more student financial aid. 

HR 4872 bolsters the Pell Grant, a long-standing Democratic program that has enabled students to be able to go to college.  It originated in 1965, is named after its sponsor, Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, and is known also as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) program.  SAFRA amends the Higher Education Act to include mandatory funding for the Pell Grant and includes an appropriation of $13.5 billion. 

The College Access Challenge Grant program will receive $150 million for fiscal years 2010 through 2014.  Funding would be extended through 2019 for programs at “minority-serving institutions” including programs that help low-income students earn degrees in science, technology, engineering or math.  Alaska/Native Hawaiian institutions will receive $15 million; $5 million will go to Asian American and Pacific Islander Institutions, and $5 million is appropriated to Native American non-tribal serving institutions.

Repaying student loans after graduating is another measure of relief.  The Income-Based Repayment program is amended to cap student loan payment for new borrowers after July 1, 2014.  Currently at 15%, loan repayment would go down to 10%.  Loans previously, had 25 years to be repaid.  The amendment would forgive remaining balances after 20 years of repayment.  This especially helps students with high loans, such as medical students.

When the health care reform bill was finally passed in the US Senate, Democrats observed with solemnity the absence of one of its strongest advocates, Senator Ted Kennedy, who had long fought for health care for all Americans.  The education portion of the reforms would have been dear to him as well.  As was said of the “Happy Warrior,” Senator Kennedy’s life was “not to champion those with wealth or power or special connections.  It was to give a voice to those who were not heard; to add a rung to the ladder of opportunity; to make real the dream of our founding.”

by Senator Will Espero
District 19

This has been an awesome year for the James Campbell High School (JCHS) Sabers.  Tyson Tynanes-Perez successfully defended his state wrestling title.  Chabrielle Gushi took the OIA Girls wrestling title.  The boys wrestling team placed first in the OIA.  Rudy Cabalar, Jr. is the new state golf champion.  The robotics team scored first place titles at the Maui Invitational, Hawaii Region FIRST, West Oahu, Leeward Coast, and Northridge tournaments, as well as three Judges’ Awards for best robot, and other awards.  The media team got top honors in Brown Bags to Stardom and E Ola Pono competitions, and other honors in many of its other contests.  The Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps has received the distinguished unit title for eleven consecutive years.  Three students won Pacific Asian Affairs Council travel scholarships to Vietnam.

I am proud to represent a school where students invest in their own education and are motivated to excel, not just show up and get by.  JCHS is up for a National School Change Award, a recognition it well deserves.  Located in one of the poorest areas in Hawaii, in older days, students thought little beyond getting married and getting a job, and went to school because it was required and dropped out as soon as they wore out their parents. No more. Now JCHS is a school brimming with achievements. 

Educational reform has long been a campaign issue.  Governor Lingle ran on a never-materialized promise that she would replace the DOE bureaucracy, with its 80% administration/20% teacher ratio, and put in local school districts instead.  The year-long Friday Furloughs that affected 170,000 public school students put changing the current system at the forefront.  One idea is to make principals the “CEOs of their schools” both to increase motivation and accountability for improving school performance. 

James Campbell’s turn-around is a stellar example of the tremendous influence of a principal and the vitality of the teachers who work with her.  Principal, Dr. Gail Awakuni, is JCHS’ driving force.  Her one band, one sound philosophy is that the collaborative, dedicated effort of her teachers, counselors, and staff all function together so that students benefit from their time at JCHS. 

James Campbell High School leads the State of Hawaii in redesign, finding innovative ways to open horizons and help the entire range of its students to find their avocation, be it the military, college, or work force.  In its quest for teaching methods that actively involve students in their own learning, JCHS became the first and only public school to implement AVID, NOVA.NET online learning, inclusion, Permethean Boards, Achieve 3000, Read 180, Cognitive Tutor, I-Grading of progress over time, and Response to Intervention (RTI).  All students are given opportunities for service learning, projects, internships, Senior Projects, and running start programs with the Chaminade University and University of Hawaii system.   In 2007, JCHS became the first public school in Hawaii to be given approval for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), a distinction held by only 2000 schools around the world. 

JCHS’s open enrollment policy allows motivated students of all GPAs to challenge themselves in subjects they are interested in, via AP, AVID or IBDP.  As a result, students excel in subjects they had not previously considered.  Ten years ago there were only two AP courses; now there are 22.  JCHS has high enrollment in science, AP, and rigorous honors courses, and the AVID and IBD programs.  A majority of students take science all four years.  Last year, 1 out of 6 students (16%) took Advanced Placement (AP) exams. 

Principal Gail Awakuni’s dynamic leadership and the beyond-the-call-of-duty team efforts of her teachers and staff to reach out to the youth of Ewa have completely changed James Campbell High School.  The proof of this change is all around.  Ten years ago, 50% of freshmen dropped out of high school in their first year.  Today, 95% finish freshman year, and of those, 97% stay in school through senior year, one of the highest rates in Hawaii.  One-third of the student body is on the Honor Roll; 99% of seniors graduate; 74% of students go to college.  Last year, students received $10.5 million in college scholarships, including the highly competitive Gates, Quest Bridge, Horatio Alger, and Dell scholarships.  In 2004, JCHS was one of 30 schools across the U.S. selected as a Gates Foundation Pathways to College Access School for sending students from underserved populations to college.

A multitude of Saber awards, honors, championships, and titles span a diverse range, for both students and faculty.  For its turnaround, James Campbell High School was named a 2004 National Association of Secondary School Principals “Break-Through School” for 2004.    JCHS has shared the effort behind its success in changing the school culture at national conferences such as AVID and the National Association of College Admissions. 

For several years now, JCHS has met its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) several years in a row in all but one category.  Last year, JCHS was one of only three high schools and the only Title I high school in Hawaii to do so.  As the largest high school in the Hawaii with the second largest special education population, its special education scores are the state’s highest, as a result of its successful co-teaching, inclusion program. 

JCHS’s achievements prove that the key to improving our schools is to create an environment and provide opportunities so students know they can achieve more than they expected of themselves.  “There is life past Renton Road,” the saying goes at the Saber campus, and their success shows that our schools can be places where students invest in their future.

The Varsity and Junior Varsity girls soccer team took the state championships for 2007, with the Varsity girls team going on to third place in the U.S. championship.  Lowen Tynanez-Perez placed first in the 2007 state wrestling championship and later took third place in the 10^th Annual Cliff Keen World High School Wrestling championship.  The Varsity Girls Basketball won the 2008 state championship. 

Marites Barangan was honored as a Miliken “Teacher of Promise” for 2008.   , Wendell Tashiro was named the “2008-2009 State of Hawaii Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year” for his 3-D computer Auto Cad program.  Counselors Eleyne Fia (2007-2008) and Rick Yamashiro (2008-09) were both named the “State of Hawaii Counselor of the Year”. 

In 2008, JCHS won first place in the state Pacific Asian Affairs Council (PAAC) WorldQuest Competition, no small feat in a contest of 65 other teams from private and public schools statewide.  The victory earned the team a bid in the national competition.  Each year, at least one Saber is awarded a Pacific Asian Affairs Council travel scholarship, which has taken students to Beijing, Taiwan, South Korea, and Vietnam.  In 2003, James Campbell became the first Leeward Oahu school to place first in the state Math Bowl competition, and remains the only Leeward school with this accomplishment.

The Teacher in Space Program was announced in 1984, with Christa McAuliffe selected in 1985. Art Kimura, who directs the Future Flight program, and Joe Ciotti of Windward Community College were Hawaii’s two candidates. Here are interviews with both:

ART KIMURA

What got you interested in space long, long ago?

As a child, I loved the old Buck Rogers movies and have been a science fiction fan for many years including the more recent Star Trek and Star Wars programs. I have grainy black and white photos of my black and white TV screen during the 1st moon landing of Apollo 11, while serving on active duty in the United States Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, and like many others throughout the world, I was awed by the idea that humans could step foot on another world.

Did you like science – were you a science fiction fan – was it watching NASA’s early achievements?

I grew up on/near the ocean so the idea of becoming a marine biologist was always my goal…the other goal was to become a fighter pilot. Both directions changed in college….during an Air Force ROTC physical, finding out my right eye was 20/25 and no 20/20, did not qualify me for pilot training; and a course in invertebrate marine biology literally got me to re think marine biology (the lab work being too mundane). The possibility of teaching had never entered my mind until I thought about what I could do with an undergraduate degree in zoology. It was not until my student teaching semester that I understood and became passionate about wanting to be a science teacher, having an incredible mentor as a cooperating teacher, at McKinley High School.

How was STEM back then? Did you have to take the initiative to learn on your own? How did you go about learning about space?

I recall that during my 9th grade year taking biology, we only had two hands on lab experiences that I could recall. There were no indelible memories of my high school physics or chemistry but I remember them being positive experiences. There were no advanced placement courses in math or science and social clubs vs. science clubs were more of the norm. It was emphasized in our family that high school completion was not the goal but merely a transient point toward going to and completing college; with both of my parents having to stop their schooling in 8th grade, there was always the fundamental goal of all of us going to college. The message from my parents must have worked as all 3 children graduated from college (along with now all 8 grandchildren); we will always be grateful for that emphasis on education and being educated.

As a teacher, I always liked the hands on approach to teaching…laboratory experiments, field trips, relevant to learning. Having developed a course in which students worked at off school sites (the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium, the Hawaiian Humane Society, Straub Hospital) for course credit during the school day, was a means to do so.

What did you feel were your strong points going into the Teacher-in-Space competition?

I felt that just the opportunity to apply was a great honor; to imagine that I could be standing in a line of applicants, even if thousands in the line, would be an amazing experience. Naively and incorrectly in retrospect, I felt that my Air Force experience (having been on active duty for 5 years, then joining the Hawai Air National Guard, having been given responsibilities as an officer to supervise operations including air defense of the southeastern United States and Okinawa during my time on duty, coordinating rescue and medical evacuation missions, and having worked in highly intense operational situations) and the project and experiential teaching and learning emphasis in my classes were complementary.

Please describe the intellectual/social environment that led to the Teacher-in-Space concept.

The selection of a teacher to be the first private citizen in space would have emphasized the importance of classroom teachers to the fundamental goals of education and to our nation’s future along with the inspiration it would bring to teachers and students around the world.

How did you feel when the Teacher-in-Space program was announced and what made you apply?

As noted above, personally, I felt just the opportunity to apply was a privilege….the application required you to be a classroom teacher and although I am sure other occupations such as journalists, lobbied to be included, it was an honor just to turn in the application to be considered. I believe we knew that this was not to be a flight just for a teacher’s personal experience and recognition, but a flight of a representative of all of the millions of hard working teachers who daily try to take students on flights of imagination, to make them reach for a dream and a larger goal in life.

What had you hoped to accomplish?

I would have hoped that given the opportunity, we could bring the unique space experiences to the students’ understanding. I proposed taking everyday objects such as kitchen utensils and see how they would function differently in micro gravity. I also wrote in my application that the unique perspective of Earth from space, would be one that world leaders should experience and see…to know that there are no boundaries seen from space, that all parts of the planet are connected, that the fragility of the earth could be see through visible signs of human interaction with the Earth and the relatively small layer of air that kept Planet Earth alive.

Please describe what the competition process was from your viewpoint.

It was an amazing personal experience to be sure; to be asked to describe your philosophy of life in a minute, while being videotaped from head to toe, to meet the other state finalists and to be awed by each had done in their teaching and in their community, and to meet the NASA officials and judging panel members, made an indelible mark on my life and career. Many of the Teacher in Space state finalists have become close colleagues and friends, even now some 26 years after we first met. While in Washington DC, we all signed on a single sheet of paper our names, knowing that one would become the selected Teacher in Space. I remember telling my life when I returned home of who I thought would be selected in the top 10 of the finalists….little did I know to be sure as none of the 10 I had in my mind, were selected in the final 10 selectees. I do recall sitting next to Barbara Morgan on one of the bus rides; today we have become great friends and colleagues. We got to meet 5 of the crew members. After Christa and Barbara (Christa’s back up) were selected, we were kept abreast of their training through news letters and photos. Many came to Hawaii for the Challenger Center National Faculty Meeting during which we spent a week on the Big Island, touring the volcano, snorkeling in Kona and paying tribute to the Challenger crew at the Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Space Center.

What was the experience like for you as we anticipated the inaugural flight.

Like everyone, we were excited and in awe of what we hoped would take place; I had sent Christa a sprig of T leaf, although not optimistic she would be able to fly with it, as a symbol of good luck, that I told her I would propagate and pass out to teachers after her remarkable flight. We convened in Orlando/Kennedy Space Center with the other state TIS finalists anticipating the launch. After several delays, we were taken to the viewing area for the launch on Monday; with the countdown frozen several times and finally cancel led due to cross winds, we left thinking that they would not be launching the next day. Already late in reporting back to work (I was training to become a school administrator), we decided along with many others, to return home.

How did you feel watching it? What was your reaction following this including its effect on
the space exploration program?

My family and I did not see the launch live; we were on a flight from Orlando to Chicago and while flying thinking that they had launched, there were in space, etc. Upon exiting the plane in Chicago, by coincidence, the pilot came out in the corridor and exclaimed that the Challenger had exploded; we rushed into the airport to look for a television and by then, they were playing and re playing the accident/disaster time and time again. Our first thoughts were for the families of the crew members who were there at the launch. Like everyone else, we were stunned and saddened by the outcome of what promised to be a flight for education and for educators.

What led to your developing the educational programs that you now direct?

In large measure, if Challenger had flown successfully that day in January 1986, my path would have gone in a totally different direction; at the time, I was training to become a school administrator. The fact that Hawaii’s Ellison Onizuka was on board along with the teacher, Christa McAullife, changed everything. We got involved in the Teacher in Space Education Foundation including serving on the board for a time, and the follow on Challenger family organized Challenger Center for Space Science Education, including conducting workshops and presentations for thousands of students and teachers, and bringing the idea of the now Challenger Learning Center to Hawaii (now located at Barbers Point Elementary School). All that we have done since 1986 is an outgrowth of the Challenger mission which we regarded as an educational mission. Christa had planned to do 12 experiments during her time in orbit. We were extremely fortunate in Hawaii as at the time, the Department of Education allowed me to do programs statewide for two years, in classrooms and libraries. The Department of business, economic development and tourism, created an Office of Space Industry, charged with looking into space related activities that included a launch capability from the Big island as well as a space camp. After having initiated taking students to space camp starting in 1987, and then over the years, taking 500 students and teachers there, I was invited to join the Office of Space Industry on loan from the DOE, to help initiate a space camp for Hawaii that we started in 1991 using the lava fields of the big island as a simulated lunar terrain and taking advantage of the solar eclipse that year. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Future Flight Hawaii in June 2010 with our program at UH Manoa.

Please tell about your programs.

We have been privileged to have been a part of this amazing journey in which our goal has been to inspire the next generation of explorers. Working with NASA over the past 26 years has brought space related activities to thousands of children and teachers in Hawaii. From our Hawaii version of a space camp called Future Flight Hawaii (http://www.higp.hawaii.edu/futureflight/), with now over 8500 participants experiencing themes of returning to the moon, a mission to Mars or a mission to our blue planet, Earth, to coordinating for 14 years statewide Department of Education space conferences (funded by the legislature since 1990), to classroom and school presentations (How to use the bathroom in space to over 150,000 children and teachers), to conducting workshops and courses for hundreds of teachers, to initiating the Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day and Astronaut Lacy Veach Day some 10 years ago which brings together 1200 students and parents to learn science from community resources, to helping initiate scholastic robotics in Hawaii some 11 years ago and helping expand these programs to now over 400 teams in more than 100 schools statewide to creating international partnerships and exchanges with a STEM focus, the opportunities to meet and support teachers, students and parents has been a joy to have been a part of (http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/Newsletter-Fall2008-forWeb.pdf).

Anything else you’d like to say regarding STEM or astronomy.

Investing in STEM education, in ways that have accountability for resources expended, is critical to our state and nation’s economic future well being, national security, and maintaining our way of life. We are trying to educate students today, not even knowing the kinds of jobs that will be created in the future; as technology evolves, we need students who have those critical life skills of problem solving, effective team work, responsible decision making and time management with innovation and adaptability to changing technologies and global opportunities. We need our students to be measured against global and national criteria, and to set the bar very high for them. Most importantly, we need to invest in gaining the public’s understanding and support for STEM; why is it that hundreds wrote letters in protest against traffic cameras…and yet when news about the deplorable performance of our students in science, there are not protests and call for action? As much as we honor athletes and athletics, entertainment and entertainers, we need to honor those who excel academically and the “coaches” and “managers” who make the opportunities available to students to exel in programs that will one day lead to one of them finding the cure for cancer, or a non polluting sustainable energy source, or new industries for Hawaii. We need to have advanced STEM academies throughout our state.

 
JOE CIOTTI

Windward will be upgrading our theater in August with state-of-the-art technology which will make it the first fulldome planetarium on the island of O‘ahu. The new DigitalSky2 projector system will allow audiences to experience immersive adventures in a true 360° environment, including 3D features. We plan on celebrating its grand re-opening in September.

What got you interested in space long, long ago?

When I was in elementary school, I got catch up in the fever of the Sputnik era. When I attended Fordhan Prep High School in the Bronx, N.Y., I was fortunate enough to be selected for a summer internship at the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium. I’ve essentially been in the planetarium field ever since. I lectured at the Bishop Museum Planetarium for 25 years and have designed both WCC’s Hokulani Imaginarium and UH-Hilo’s planetarium at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.

Did you like science – were you a science fiction fan – was it watching NASA’s early achievements?

Science fiction has always been a gateway to my fascination with science possibilities. The adventures of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Star Trek filled my dreams with space flight; the actual race of the Moon filled my aspirations to pursue a career in space science.

How was STEM back then? Did you have to take the initiative to learn on your own? How did you go about learning about space?

Actually, STEM is not a new concept. I was involved with it in high school in the mid-1960’s. More recently, it’s been package more cleverly to better promote the opportunities available for careers in science and technology. Branding these fields together into a single acronym has peaked the consciousness of our community to the possibilities that were actually always there. In this case, marketing has made a major impact in supporting these essential fields. Astronomy and space science are by their very nature STEM-based. I learned to integrate these areas throughout my education. As a result, when I started the Center for Aerospace Education (CAE) in 1985, I made STEM an integral part of the services that it offered to the community. Of course, the term STEM wasn’t invented back then. It was couched in such phrases as multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary.

Please describe the intellectual/social environment that led to the Teacher-in-Space concept.

After the race for the moon was won and with the last manned mission to its surface in 1972, public and governmental interested in NASA began to wane. The space stations of the USSR (Mir) and USA (Sky Lab) didn’t evoke the same excitement for exploration that the lunar missions did. By the time the first Space Shuttle was launched in 1981, the world was getting complacent with space travel. It was as if space flight had become common place. To rejuvenate interest in NASA, it was decided that the shuttle would carry common citizens into earth orbit. The first would be a teacher — to be followed by a journalist , musician and others. In fact, several U.S. congressmen had already used their clout to ride the shuttle before this program got off the ground. The idea was to show that space was accessible to everyone—the common man.

How did you feel when the Teacher-in-Space program was announced and what made you apply?

I had applied for the astronaut program prior to the TIS program, but my eyesight (although correctable) was a drawback. The TIS program was opportunity’s proverbial knock on the door. I tell my students that you never know when that knock will come; all you can do is be prepared for when you open the door. In my case, I had earned advanced degrees in astronomy and education and had extensive experience in the planetarium field and high school teaching. I felt ready when the knock was heard. It seemed like a perfect match.

Please describe what the competition process was from your viewpoint.

I was vastly impressed with the high caliber of teachers that were selected from across the country. Anyone of the 113 candidate who attended the selection process in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1985 would have made an excellent educational ambassador for promoting interest in space science. This was after all a golden opportunity to show students the connections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as the careers they offered. Still not called STEM back then, but STEM nevertheless.

What was the experience like for you as we anticipated the inaugural flight.

Florida was unusually cold for the launch that January of 1986. Delays pushed back the launch date to a point where I was forced to return to Hawaii. I had many commitments. I was teaching not only at St. Louis High School, but also at Windward Community College and the Bishop Museum planetarium.

What was your reaction following this including its effect on the space exploration program?

I immediately began visiting schools across the State to talk about the dreams and aspirations of the crew aboard Shuttle 51L who perished that January morning. It was a teachable moment. It was important for focus on two important things:
• how these astronauts lived …. not how they died.
• exploration – and for that matter, all meaningful endeavors undertaken in life – involve risks.

What led to your developing the educational programs that you now direct?

After being selected as one of Hawaii’s Teacher-in-Space candidates, I wanted to give back to the community. In the Fall of 1985, I established the blueprints for what was to become the Center for Aerospace Education (CAE). It was to focus as hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The plan was ambitious in calling for various outreach facilities, such as a planetarium, observatory, exploratorium and flight training simulator. Initially, the CAE involved my presenting astronomy and space science talks at K-12 campuses across the State. When I moved to Windward Community College, I received the administrative support opportunities to make these dreams a reality. I solicited funds from private individuals, foundations, NASA and other federal agencies and the State government.

Please tell about your programs.

Since its opening in 1985, the CAE has serviced over 250,000 people. Each year approximately, over 12,000 visitors take advantage of our aerospace outreach facilities. The CAE’s slogan is: “The sky is not the limit. Let your imagination take flight.” The Center for Aerospace Education (CAE), which was piloted in Fall 1985 and officially established on 20 October 1986, supports WCC’s credit and community outreach programs in aerospace science. The CAE operates several educational facilities, which serve WCC students in astronomy, Polynesian Voyaging and other courses, as well as over 12,000 community visitors annually. Over the years, the CAE has sponsored numerous teacher training workshops—providing support for hundreds of teachers in public and private schools. The following facilities and services are offered by the CAE:

• Hokulani Imaginarium (dedicated Oct 2001) is a high-tech, multi-media facility, which functions both as a planetarium and as a specialized theater in scientific visualization. This facility serves K-12 teachers and students as well as the general public. The Imaginarium also supports the college’s astronomy and Polynesian Voyaging programs. The Imaginarium will become the first fulldome planetarium on O‘ahu with the installation of a state-of-the-art projector system this September 2010. For Imaginarium shows, check our website.

• Aerospace Exploration Laboratory is the flagship of the CAE. Founded in 1989, this resource center acts as a low-tech “hands-on” science exploratorium assisting K-12 students and teachers in discovering scientific principles through low-tech experiential activities.

• NASA Fight Training Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL) was dedicated in Oct 2002 in partnership with NASA Glenn Research Center. This flight-simulator training facility includes a zero-g Drop Tower, wind tunnel and flight simulator. It supports supports WCC’s Hawaii Space Grant program, the college’s credit and students and teachers in grades 5-12.

• Lanihuli Observatory currently operates a NOAA weather satellite tracking station, a heliostat (solar telescope), a 16-inch optical telescop, a cosmic ray telescope and a radio astronomy telescope. The visitor’s Gallery includes a Magic Planet interactive display. This facility supports the college’s astronomy labs, Space Grants, K-12 outreach and the general public.

• Hawai’i Space Grant Consortium (HSGC) membership affords WCC students the opportunities to conduct aerospace science-related projects, such as zero-g research through our participation in the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program on-board its KC-135A aircraft. Currently, WCC Space Grant students are engaged in high-powered rocketry and preparing for competition at both national and international rocketry events.

Inspire 

NASA has initiated an outstanding STEM education program for high schools called INSPIRE (Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience).  The goal is to provide 9th- through 12th-grade students with both online and hands-on opportunities to explore education and career paths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with specific programs tailored to each grade level.

Applications for this program are currently being accepted through June 30, 2010, and NASA will announce its selections in September.

Students admitted to the INSPIRE program will participate in an “online learning community” facilitating interaction with peers and NASA engineers/scientists in diverse educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms. In addition, INSPIRE students will be able to apply for residential experiences at NASA facilities and participating universities nationwide (during the summer of 2011) that will afford unique introductions to multiple career options in aerospace.

Excited about this program?  More detailed information on INSPIRE may be found online here.

Explore

Space exploration holds tremendous potential for Hawaii.  In 2007, I sponsored a bill, which became law, to create the State Office of Aerospace Development (OAD) to promote this industry.  OAD, through its Director Jim Crisafulli, has done commendable work promoting aerospace in Hawaii.  Through its tireless advocacy, our State has repeatedly played host to conferences of international aerospace scientists and entrepreneurs, and won legislative support for a federal spaceport license application to help bring space tourism to our islands.  

OAD’S efforts at the legislature helped pass another bill I initiated to fund a federal spaceport license application to help bring space tourism to our islands.  In addition, OAD supported our State’s efforts to establish the Big Island as the preferred site for both the Thirty Meter Telescope and Advanced Technology Solar Telescope projects, which collectively will bring nearly 1.5 Billion to Hawaii through international partnerships, providing substantial employment, research and educational benefits to Hawaii residents statewide.

OAD instituted the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) at the University of Hawaii at Hilo -  a unique program dedicated to supporting scientific research, technology development, and pioneering education programs to advance space exploration and inspire the next generation of space scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. 

Initially funded through a bill I introduced in 2007, PISCES is built on global partnerships among industry, academia and the governments of space-faring nations. Over the past two years, PISCES has initiated innovative university and K-12 education programs on the Big Island, as well as sponsored international field demonstrations on the slopes of Mauna Kea to test new robotic technologies for future space missions. When fully developed, PISCES will feature a simulated lunar outpost on the Big Island where participants can conduct research and develop technologies toward working and living on the Moon and eventually Mars. The site will serve a dual function as an educational center for students, including K-12 pupils who can take a “Space Camp” field trip on the lunar analog site.

The OAD’s latest “out-of-this-world” endeavor is PISA, the Pacific International Space Alliance.  Being developed in collaboration with NASA Research Park at Ames Research Center in California, PISA will launch in November 2010, with the goal of facilitating collaboration among Asia and Pacific nations to design, develop, and implement both robotic and human missions to space.  PISA will be headquartered in Hawaii, with OAD serving as its international Secretariat.  Countries throughout Asia and the Pacific will contribute their funding and capabilities toward space exploration programs developed through PISA, which also will work closely with PISCES to foster innovation in scientific research, as well as the development, testing and evaluation of new technologies to support future space missions. 

In sponsoring the bill to create the Office of Aerospace Development, my colleagues and I envisioned the space industry as one that will provide many new research and education opportunities for our brightest and most talented residents.  I hope to establish Hawaii as a major contributor to global space efforts, as well as expand our State’s economic base with these high paying career opportunities.  Having the energetic and dedicated Jim Crisafulli as the Director of the Office of Aerospace Industry is a blessing.  Hawaii could not ask for a stronger advocate in this field.

The 2010 Legislature passed my resolution recognizing the strategic value of the aerospace industry in diversifying and strengthening Hawaii’s economy.  The industry possesses great potential for enhancing aviation safety and global security, improving health care diagnostics and delivery worldwide, and advancing the development and implementation of remote sensing and management of critical resources.

All four counties in Hawaii stand to gain from bolstering our aerospace potential. Kauai’s Pacific Missile Range Facility already provides the world’s largest multi-environment test and evaluation range for aerospace technologies.    Mauna Kea is the world’s premier astronomical observation site, with scientists from countries all over the globe competing for time to use the facilities.  The Air Force Optical and Supercomputing Observatory on Maui supports the most sophisticated deep space surveillance complex in the U.S.  Pioneering research in space-related fields is also being conducted through the UH-Manoa’s Institute for Astronomy and Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology. 

Hawaii’s future potential in aerospace is even more promising, and I will continue to provide strong leadership through my work with other aerospace advocates and legislative efforts to ensure that we realize the substantial scientific, commercial and educational benefits this dynamic growth industry can bring to our State.

                   WHEN:           Monday, April 26, 2010  
                                     2:00 p.m.

                   WHERE:         Room 016
                                     Hawaii State Capitol

Governor Lingle announced on April 21, 2010 that her administration intends to move forward with plans to build a jail facility in Pu‘unene at an estimated cost of $235 million. The project is expected to replace the aged and overcrowded existing Maui Community Correctional Center and provide for anticipated growth in the State’s inmate population. The Department of Public Safety will provide an update of current plans and design and the financial plan to complete the project.

by Senator Will Espero
District 19

Mahi mahi, salmon, ahi, aku, akule, opakapaka, ogo, limu, shrimp, tako, crab, squid luau, poke.  Sauteed in garlic, with wasabi glaze, stuffed, pan-seared, broiled, grilled, with butter-shoyu sauce, covered by teriyaki or miso sauce, deep fried patties, steamed and finished with hot peanut oil /soy sauce / ginger, carpaccio style, or  with tomato concasse, chili pepper water, konbu broth and truffle butter  – any way you like it.  Getting hungry yet?

Surrounded by the ocean, to fishermen’s and seafood lovers’ delight, Hawaii residents consume an average of almost 45 pounds of seafood per person per year.  That’s almost three times the amount eaten by on the mainland.  Seafood is an important part of our island cuisine.  Attend almost any party or buffet and you’re likely to find a fish dish along with the chicken, pork, or beef.  Who doesn’t have their favorite recipe or restaurant entrée choice for seafood?

With all the seafood we eat here, we’re curiously dependent on importing 75% of it.  Given Hawaii’s ideal water, climate, and technological resources, we should be at the forefront of the explosive global demand for aquaculture.  Worldwide the industry has grown 8.8% annually.  In 2007, Hawaii’s entire aquaculture industry had $25 million in sales.

Increasing demand has led to depletion of fish stocks in the wild faster than they can be replenished.  Farming is the responsible way to go.  Sustainable aquaculture can help rebuild naturally occurring supplies of fish and prevent unhealthy reductions in ocean populations. 

Aquaculture can and should be a thriving sector of our agricultural industry.  Think of it as the seafood equivalent of farming food crops.  Plants and animals are bred, reared, and harvested in natural or man-made aquatic environments:  ponds, tanks, or the ocean.  Surrounded by the ocean, with near-perfect water and climate, it makes sense for us to support aquaculture to diversify our economy.  Consider the flavor factor:  in-state products can get from local aquafarms to seafood outlets in only a few hours.  Fresh tastes best!

Anyone who’s driven the North Shore has passed by the shrimp plate lunch trucks.    Hawaii produces more than 30 different kinds of ocean products:  finfish, shellfish, microalgae, seaweeds, ornamentals, and other specialty offerings.  The list is impressive:  kampachi, moi, tilapia, Asian catfish, flounder, mullet, sturgeon, groups, Asian carps, marine shrimp, freshwater prawns, lobsters, clams, oysters, ogo, sea asparagus, and other seaweeds, koi, and other freshwater and marine plants.  Most of these aqua farms are small, family businesses. 

Deeply rooted in our island tradition.  Aquaculture is in line with our Native Hawaiian culture.  With a strong stewardship conviction, ancient Hawaiians made an intensive effort to use water bodies from the seashore to the forests as a source of food, whether agriculture or aquaculture.  Fishponds – loko i’a in Hawaiian — were abundant in pre-historic Hawaii.  All the families in the ahupua’a cooperated in the huge effort to use stones to carefully enclose the water close to shore to build the fishpond.  Everyone who worked on constructing it earned the right to share in the catch.  The loko i’a were used to fatten and store fish for food.  Fish were kapu during the reproductive season so the stock could replenish itself.  By custom, no one took more than they could eat.   When weather conditions made ocean fishing unfeasible, such as in times of storms and high surf, the fish in the loko i’a provided a reliable source of food.

Technological Innovations.  Learning from the wisdom of our Hawaiian elders, open ocean farming holds promise as a means of growing the aquaculture industry.  Raising fish in ocean cages protects the stock from natural conditions such as predators as well as other fisherman, and allows for sustainable cultivation of a steady supply of delicious edibles.  Ocean farming also is environmentally crucial in that species that could potentially die out due to overfishing can be preserved in carefully maintained farms.  The upside of this technology is that prices can be steady, not “market,” due to reliable supplies that can be harvested with less effort than going out to the ocean in a boat and competing with other fishermen.

Chef Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s Restaurant, wowed 1,100 members at the American Culinary Federation Convention several years ago with a uniquely Hawaiian fusion dish, Steamed Whole Moi with Chinese Soy.  The moi came from Grove Farm Fish & Poi, which uses innovative open-ocean farming techniques that allow the rare species to be raised on a commercial scale.  Located two miles off-shore Ewa Beach, it is the first open ocean farm in the U.S., and produces 1.2 million pounds a year.  Another open ocean farm, Kona Blue Water Farms on the Big Island, produces about 600,000 pounds of fish.  It grows amberjack, which is sold as Kona Kampachi and is also known as kahala or Hawaiian yellowtail. 

Innovative biotech research makes Hawaii’s “Specific Pathogen Free” shrimp the gold standard for disease-free breeding shrimp.  Ninety per cent of the world’s supply to aqua farmers worldwide comes from Hawaii.  Technology also supports Royal Hawaiian Sea Farms.  There, marine biologist Steve Katase mixes warm surface water with cold, nutrient-rich, deep sea water pumped from 2,000 feet deep.  The combination churns the ogo in several above-ground tanks to create a flourishing crop of – drumroll please – one ton of ogo per week.  Royal Hawaiian Sea Farms’ impressive output of delicious seaweed is proof that our ocean delicacies can be farmed productively while treating the aina with malama pono.

Operating aquatic farms requires technical knowledge.  Hi-tech aquaculture creates high wage jobs, in research, training, higher education, industry conferences, and consulting.  Technology helps Hawaii’s water farmers recycle and reuse our natural resources, conserve water, and preserve our land.  The carefully controlled environments, scientifically balanced feeds, and close monitoring all work together to result in consistent premium quality.  With our year-long summer conditions, our seafood is available all the time at affordable prices.

Responsible seafood farming brings more products to the market and protects the fragile ocean ecosystem.  It is a positive solution to the food crisis caused by dwindling stocks caused by overfishing natural supplies.  Deeply engrained in our island roots, aquafarms strengthen our economy by supporting jobs and creating revenue streams.  Finally, homegrown food satisfies local and global demand.  Farm fresh seafood from the islands – it’s good for Hawaii and the world.

“With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it’s been easy to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing, to wonder if there are limits to what we, as a people, can still achieve. But today, we are affirming that essential truth – a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself – that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don’t fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what’s easy. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we got here. We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right.” With those gallant words, President Barack Obama pronounced the historic new law of the land.

The United States is not a pioneer. Every other advanced industrial society has decades ago guaranteed its citizens the access to medical care. We are playing catch up.

The historic Health Care Reform law is actually made up of two bills, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and H.R. 3509, the Reconciliation Act of 2010. Reform measures H.R. 4872 and S.R. 3590 are not perfect, but take this country in the right direction. These make health care measures affordable for the middle class, accessible for all Americans, and hold the insurance industry accountable.

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, the longest serving Congressional Representative and the third longest serving Congressman ever, has advocated for affordable health care for all Americans for 55 years. His father, who held the Michigan seat before him, also pressed for health care during his term. When Medicare was passed in 1965, the younger Dingell thought insurance would quickly follow for the rest of America. Sixteen years ago when President Bill Clinton tried to pass a bill for health insurance reform, Rep. Dingell was the chair of one of the key House committees handling the bill. Despite being a powerful lawmaker, it near killed him that he couldn’t get his own committee to send the bill for a vote on the House floor.

More than 350 organizations support the reform legislation including the American Medical Association, AARP, American College of Physicians, American Nurses Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, American Health Association, American Cancer Society Action Network, American Diabetes Association, Catholic Health Association, Federation of American Hospitals, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Families USA.

These reforms mean real benefits to people who are not getting their money’s worth from the current system. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) determined that the reforms will extend coverage to more than 95% of Americans. Spreading costs over this greater patient base will lower health care costs over the long term. The CBO calculated that the new law will cut the deficit by $138 billion in the first 10 years, and reduce it another $1.2 trillion in the next years.

And it’s not a job-killer, either. The expansion of access means that there will be more than 16 million new customers of health insurance companies, which is surely a boost to the industry.

Here are some of the benefits of this landmark legislation.

Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans

• Health plans will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick.

• Health plans will be banned from denying care to children with pre-existing conditions.

• Insurance companies are barred from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, health status, and gender.

• Middle class American families and small businesses will be given the largest tax cut for health care in history, through premium tax credits and cost-sharing assistance.

• Health exchanges will be created, which are competitive marketplaces to give individuals and small business the ability to buy affordable health care coverage, the way big businesses can.

• Employers who offer coverage to retirees aged 55-64 will be supported by a reinsurance program.

• Community Health Centers will be bolstered to expand access in communities where care is needed most.

• Government regulators will be empowered to review plans that demand unjustified, egregious premium increases.

• Eligible small businesses would receive a tax credit.

• Health plans will be prohibited from placing lifetime caps on coverage, and from 2014, from imposing annual limits on coverage.

Investments in Existing Government Health Programs

• Payments to primary care doctors under Medicaid and Medicare will be increased.

• Elders who face the “donut hole” for prescription medication would get relief. Medicare beneficiaries who “go into the donut hole” will receive a $250 rebate. After that, they will get a 50% discount on brand name drugs, which will increase to a 75% discount on brand name and generic drugs by 2020.

• Elderly patients in Medicare will have free, annual wellness visits. From 2011, elders can receive free preventive benefits under Medicare, such as for cancer and diabetes screenings.

• Senior citizens with at least one chronic medical condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes (80% of Medicare patients) will receive better chronic care.

Improving Overall Health and Preventing Chronic Disease

• The cost-share a patient pays for recommended preventive care would be eliminated.

Boosting the Health Care Workforce

• Scholarships and loan repayment programs will be available to train more doctors, nurses, and other professionals.

• Incentives will be available to primary care practitioners to encourage them to practice in underserved areas.

These improvements to our country’s healthcare system are due to President Obama and the Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen who did not give up on a difficult task. Many obstacles were erected to stop this important legislation, but advocates in Congress and throughout our country persevered and achieved a great legislative victory. Many past presidents tried to reform healthcare. It was a son of Hawaii, Barack H. Obama, who will be remembered as the architect of the great Health Care Reform of 2010.

Play Station 3, Wii, X-Box players, stand up and get noticed! Come on, you all know that the player with the fastest download is the one who’ll probably win. And with slow download, disconnects are such a drag…….

How does one gigabit broadband sound to you? It could happen if Hawaii gets more on the ball to show community support for the Google Gigabit Broadband Initiative. The United States is 38th in the world in internet speed, and Google wants US to get with the game, literally. A nationwide call for interest, deadline March 26, is out there for communities that want to be the test site for Google’s one gigabit demonstration project. Add your name to the list for supporting Hawaii as the chosen locale .

Google is looking for communities of 50,000 to 500,000. Its ultimate goal is to put pressure on broadband providers across the county to provide affordable, ultra high speed internet. In 2005, the town of Nuenen, Holland was an early test site for Fiber-to-the-Home technology, through European providers. Within the first year, 90% of residents signed up for the free installation, and by the end of the demonstration period, 97% of all households were connected. About a 100 new businesses sprang up, which were made possible by the availability of ultra high speed broadband capabilities. Since that time, Japan, Canada, and other countries have begun offering ultra high speed broadband.

About Google

Google is the creation of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The two were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. Their mission: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” The two doctoral candidates got their first funding from Sun Microsystem’s co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, $100,000 in August 1998, before it was even incorporated on September 4, 1998. Less than a year later, in June 1999, major investors contributed $25 million.

Five years later, Google’s initial public offering (IPO) took place in August 2004 in a unique online auction format. More than 19 million shares were offered at $85 a share. The sale of $1.67 billion gave Google a market capitalization of more than $23 billion. The vast majority of the 271 million shares remained under Google control. Many Google employees became instant paper millionaires. Its competitor, Yahoo!, benefitted, because it owned 8.4 million shares before the IPO took place. Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords, against Page & Brin’s initial opposition toward an advertising-funded search engine.

The Google web search engine is the dominant search engine in the US market, with a 65.6% market share. Google indexes billions of web pages so that users can search for the keywords they desire. Its web search technology has been employed into other search services: Image Search, Google News, Google Product Search (a price comparison site), Google Maps, Google Earth, and more. Advertising on Google provides 99% of its revenue, with a reported $10.492 billion in total advertising revenues for the 2006 fiscal year. Gmail is a free webmail service provided by Google. The service currently offers over 7400 MB of free storage with additional storage available for a fee. Google Translate handles 35 different languages. Picasa allows users to share photos. Then there’s YouTube. Providing all of this internet service are Google’s 24 server farms around the world of various configurations. It has 17 offices in the U.S., including The Dalles, Oregon; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Google executive compensation has allowed them to become investors in other start-ups. Former top executives now head other tech companies. YouTube’s former chief financial officer, Google’s former vice president of global online sales, and a high ranking engineer, all left Google to join Facebook. A program manager and senior specialist co-founded Twitter.

Ultra High Speed Internet Can Revolutionize the Way We Live

The ultra high speed internet makes possible breakthroughs in many areas Hawaii must confront, such as revitalizing the economy. Cloud computing lowers the cost of starting up a business by eliminating the high cost of purchasing hardware and software by transferring these to an off-site provider. The reduced initial investment will make it possible for more entrepreneurs to become business owners. Without servers to cool, less air conditioning is required. The savings in IT infrastructure and electricity lowers a business’s operating expenses, helping keep them profitable.

Remote medicine will make it possible for rural residents to receive specialist consultations without flying to Oahu. The high quality visual images and sound transmission can enable doctors to view the same records simultaneously so they can discuss treatment plans. It may not always be feasible for doctors to take time off from a busy practice to learn new techniques, but with ultra high speed internet, many physicians can learn from the same teleconference. High quality images with continuous sound will allow doctors to learn procedures in entirety and ask questions to keep their medical training current.

Telework is another concept that can come to life. Working from home via internet connection takes workers off the crowded highways, relieving traffic congestion. With education, live video webcasting will allow more teachers to participate in professional development because with no more transportation costs to pay, more education dollars can be used for registering teachers for courses to help them learn the most current, effective instructional methods.

These are just a few of the ways that ultra high speed broadband can change the way we do things. Being selected as a test site could be an exciting opportunity for Hawaii. Let’s show our support by signing the online petition. Google, aloha, hele mai.

The Senate yesterday recognized the renowned island musical group Kalapana in celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary. On the floor were band members Malani Bilyeu, DJ Pratt, and Gaylord Holomalia.

Kalapana emerged as one of the most popular bands on the Hawaiian music scene in the 70s, producing a steady stream of hits. Their 1975 debut album was hailed as one of the best of the mid-70s Hawaiian renaissance. Tracks like “Naturally,” “Nightbird,” “The Hurt,” “You Make It Hard,” and “When the Morning Comes” became household tunes and still enjoy frequent play on contemporary Hawaiian radio. In concert they opened for bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, the Moody Blues, Sly and the Family Stone, and local favorites Cecilo and Kapono.

Musical trends have come and gone, but Kalapana’s many hits have remained Island classics. After 35 years, Kalapana still stands as a symbol of inspiration for contemporary Hawaiian music today.

Several years ago when my mother and father came to live with me, people commented, “Oh, you’re going to take care of your parents?”  I replied, “No, they’re going to take care of me.”

Hawaii has long been at the top of the list in sociologic and gerontologic research for best places to be a senior citizen.  Our Native Hawaiian culture reveres kupuna, placing value on the wisdom acquired by them, and according them high esteem in society.  The Pacific Rim and Asian immigrants brought with them their cultural values of filial piety for the elderly, displayed through their practices of revering parents and grandparents.  Unlike the predominant nuclear families on the mainland, many Hawaii families live in extended families, where the three generations care for, educate, support, and nurture each other.

Nearly one out of five residents of Hawaii is over 60 years old.  With the growing population of aged citizens, there is, thankfully, broad responsiveness to the common needs of this section of our community.  The City and County’s Elderly Affairs Division has a comprehensive resources guide entitled, “Senior Information & Assistance Handbook.”  You can call the Elderly Affairs Division Senior Helpline at 768-7700 or visit its website at www.elderlyaffairs.com.  Kokua Kalihi Valley’s Comprehensive Family Services also publishes a helpful resource guide entitled, “Housing Options For Seniors on Oahu.”

Housing

To move or not to move, that is the question.  Does a person’s current home provide the best environment for his physical needs?  Is or will his home be in disrepair due to inability to maintain it?  Does the home have adequate security?  Does the person need help for basic daily activities?  Those seniors who choose to stay where they are may find that the home modifications they require may be expensive.  Non-slip floor covering, grab bars in the shower and tub area, lever type handles, or increasing doorway width, among others, may also be needed.  Those seniors who choose to move have a variety of choices.  They can have a live-in health aide, or go to senior centers during the day, have in-home care, or group homes.

Caregiving

The Department of Veterans Affairs, www.eldercare.gov publishes a helpful series of caregiver pamphlets.  Among the topics:  “Caring for the Caregiver”; “50 Things Every Caregiver Should Know”; “A Checklist for New Caregivers”; “Rewards of Caregiving”; “Balancing Caregiving, Family and Work”; and “5 Tips to Avoid Caregiver Burnout.” 

The level of home care assistance differs based on the condition and abilities of the person.  A Health Companion can provide accompaniment during outings, housekeeping, stand-by assistance with bathing or dressing, meal preparation, and the like.  A Home Health Aide-Basic renders personal assistance such as wheelchair transfers, turning and positioning, dressing, feeding, vital sign monitoring, toileting, and exercise to maintain range of motion.  Seniors who need medical monitoring may require a Home Health Aide – Advanced.  For example, these could include care for bedbound persons, those with catheters or enemas, or who need blood glucose or blood pressure monitoring, and similar functions.  For seniors requiring more stringent nursing care, a Licensed Nurse may be needed, for example, patients who need nasopharyngeal suctioning, NG tube feedings, IV tubes, or ventilators. 

Transportation

Disabled persons can obtain a Parking Permit at any satellite city hall.  Seniors can ride TheBus at a discount.  The Senior Annual Pass costs $30 and can be purchased at TheBus’s main office at 811 Middle Street.  The Handi-Van provides curb-to-curb service for those who may not be able to walk as far.  A number of transportation companies operate to furnish either door-to-door or curb-to-curb services at various prices depending on the distance of the trip. 

Does my parent have Alzheimer’s?

The Alzheimer’s Association, in collaboration with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, has a hand-sized booklet “10 Signs Every Hawaiian Should Know – Is it Alzheimer’s or just signs of aging?”  that explains in an easy-to-understand way, what is normal and what is Alzheimer’s.  They can help you find the right doctor, provide information and support (591-2771 for Oahu or 242-8639 for Maui).  It’s normal to occasionally forget names or appointments , why you came into a room and what you planned to say, or where you were going or what day of the week it was, and to misplace your keys or wallet, or have a hard time balancing your checkbook. 

In contrast, an Alzheimer’s patient may forget what numbers are, where they are, how they got there or how to get back home.  He may find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks, such as preparing a meal, place a phone call, or play a game.  He may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers of clothing on a warm day or too little clothing in cold weather.  He may put things in unusual places, such as placing an iron in the freezer or wristwatch in the sugar bowl. 

As our citizens age, all of us will be affected.  Whether you are a caregiver or an elderly person, you are not alone.  There are many resources available to help if you need assistance and guidance.