Posts from — August 2008

After another long post production session, I have finally managed to get the substance of the Kona mayoral forum from August 28th up on the site.

This forum was broadcast live on LAVA 105, so the pace was lightning fast (which is good, especially for radio), leaving me little time to change tapes between questions. Still, I recorded 99.9 percent of the entire forum. Only one answer is missing, (Joseph Barrozo in the “Solutions in tough economic times” section) the content of which is posted in writing beneath the video. Otherwise, its all there.

Obviously, the inclusion of all 8 candidates makes some of the videos (the forum questions) much longer to watch. However, unlike the first mayoral video section shot in Hilo, seen here, you will now have a chance to see and hear the 4 other candidates who weren’t invited to the first forum. You will see that they bring a unique perspective to the table, and nearly steal the show at times (each in their own way, of course)

The videos are found here: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080828konaforum.htm

Kailua-Kona, HI - Another mayoral forum heading into the upcoming election, this time held at the Kealakehe High School cafeteria on the west side of the island. This time, all 8 mayoral candidates are involved.

The presentation here will be similar to the August 13th Special Video Section for the Hilo forum. The entire event has been divided up into smaller video clips and arranged by subject in order to make the simplify the viewing process.

Candidates are, from left to right in the above picture, Joseph Barrozo, Stacy Higa, Lorraine Inouye, Billy Kenoi, Sam Masilamoney, Jasper Moore, Angel Pilago, and Randy Riley.

The forum is moderated by Sherry Bracken, the well known news reporter and radio host.

The event was sponsord by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Kona Outdoor Circle, PATH, Kona Board of Realtors, and the Hawaii Island Board of Realtors.

I have just presented a long video documentation of the events of Tuesday, August 26th. It was a tense but peaceful standoff at Kawa`a in the Ka`u district.

Credit must first go to David Schlesinger, of www.bigisland-bigisland.com, for communicating with me throughout the week on this matter.

It was a pleasure to meet Uncle Able, who has become known to many for his inspiring Hawaiian perspective on YouTube and other assorted internet media.

The video is here: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080826kawaa.htm

KAWA`A, HI - The County of Hawaii, in an attempt to survey lands they believe is theirs, is stopped by native subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom, who say the ‘aina belongs to their families. A standoff ensues between the two governments, and ends peacefully, as the county elects to leave without entering the property. Kawa`a has been the home to the legendary local Hawaiian figure, Uncle Able, for years.

I must ad that I am disappointed that no other main stream media wanted to run this story. Often, it is considered to be a triumph if a news source “scoops” other news sources by having an exclusive story. However, I thought this story was worth everyone’s attention. As a freelance journalist, it is my business to make this sort of video available to interested media. I made countless calls, but it appears as if they are taking a pass. It is a true shame that more people will not hear of this situation.

Please, spread the word about this video. It is an issue we should all ponder. The link will remain permanent.

The disturbing news had already spread around the island by this morning. I had gone to Kailua-Kona to get some footage of the Stinging Nettle Caterpillar public meeting at the Kona Outdoor Circle. As luck would have it, Hawaii Department of Agriculture entomologist Patrick Conant was there, leading the discussion. The caterpillar video is on the way, but Patrick was also nice enough to share some knowledge on the bee issue developing in Hilo.

The video is here: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080823bees.htm

KAILUA-KONA, HI - It is the news that beekeepers and farmers have been dreading to hear… the destructive varroa bee mite has been discovered in Hilo. The mite can kill an entire colony in weeks, and spreads easily. The impact on local agriculture could be disastrous. Hawaii Department of Agriculture Entomologist Patrick Conant explains the developing situation. NOTE: The beekeeper and honeybee video is file footage shot in New Jersey one year ago.

The real coincidence about that New Jersey footage… the beekeeper said he got his queens from Hawaii. This development could effect the beekeeping industry off the island as much as on.

I finally made it over to the west side for a few stories. There will be a few in the coming days.

The honorary first video story for the Kona side goes to the grand opening of a new police mini station.

The video is here: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080822police.htm

KAILUA-KONA, HI - A new police ministation celebrates a long awaited grand opening at the Hale Halawai facility in Kailua-Kona. Speakers, both police and elected official alike, express gratitude for the grand opening, but remind residents that more is needed in the future.

It could be argued that I went overboard with the length of this one, and I would concede that I most likely did. However, I did pick up on an interesting underlying issue to this otherwise happy moment, and that seemed to be that the police are still far from having an ideal situation in that town. One look at the size of the ministation (hence the name) and you can see the concerns. If these issues are of interest to you, I recommend taking the time to listen to what the speakers had to say.

I would also like to note that Mayor Harry Kim and councilman Angel Pilago were not in attendance, but they were sure to have a representative there to express their well wishes and gratitude.

First of all, mahalo to all the visitors who have taken the time to check out the mayoral forum video section this past week. The interest has not been a surprise, but it has easily been the most traffic this humble website has seen since its beginning less than a month ago.

Credit should also go to the number of links to the mayoral section provided by the dedicated Big Island bloggers. Sites like the ones run by Hunter Bishop and Damon Tucker have helped to get the word out. Chances are, if you have found the site, it is because of the internet vigilance of these sites. I can not say enough about the support of the local blogging community as a whole. It has been tremendous.

So, how does one follow up a hit like the mayoral forum? Well, it may not generate the same sort of interest, but the least I can do is reward the visitors with a chance to see one of nature’s most spectacular shows. Here you go:

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080820sunsetlava.htm

Waikupanaha, HI - A crowd gathers to watch the wonders of active geology, as the lava from the Kilauea volcano explodes when it meets the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The magma bursts seem to glow a brighter red as the sun sets, and the onlookers break out the cameras to capture the moment.

Perhaps a far cry from the content of the mayoral section, but for a videographer like myself, no less rewarding. I tried to capture not only the beauty of the scene, but the festive atmosphere of the gathering, which to me was reminiscent of the 4th of July. I hope you enjoy.

I’m very excited to share this video record of the big mayoral forum from the 13th of August. Plans are in the works to bring this to the public via other venues, but in the meantime, I am happy to host what I taped here on this website.

I hope everyone who regretfully missed the event takes the time to check out the clips. I arranged all the videos as logically as I could. They are quick and easily digested, so the viewer can go directly to watching the issues or candidates that are most interesting to them. Of course, I do hope people take the time to watch a bit from every candidate. I also hope this presentation will serve as a dependable tool for voters as they make their election day decision.

The section begins at this location: bigislandvideonews.com/20080813mayoraldebate.htm

I posted a thorough explanation for this section, which I will reproduce here:

Hilo, HI - A large crowd gathers at the University of Hawaii at Hilo to listen to the four leading candidates in this September’s mayoral primary election. Candidates for Hawaii County mayor: (left to right above) - District 4 county councilman Stacy Higa, state senator Lorraine Inouye, attorney Billy Kenoi, and County Council Vice Chairman Angel Pilago.

The entire substance of the debate is presented (below). Although there has been editing, it is important to know that the candidate’s statements and answers are presented in their entirety. Questions are sometimes presented to the entire field of candidates, and sometimes presented to only one candidate to answer. Answers in the videos range from three minutes to one minute, depending on the format.

Sponsors for this event included the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association, Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, and Hawaii Island Board of Realtors.

Questions were asked by Jerry Burris, longtime Honolulu Advertiser political columnist and reporter, and David Bock, Hawaii Tribune-Herald editor. The moderator was the well known Honolulu broadcaster, Linda Coble.

Note: Candidates who were not asked to be a part of the forum: Joseph Barrozo, Sam Masilamoney, Jasper Moore and Randy Riley.

ONOMEA BAY, HI - The work of Pauline Luktenhouse and her husband Dan is celebrated for enriching the Hamakua Coast for 30 years. In honor of the anniversary, residents of Hawaii are invited into the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden for a free day of flowering fun. Waterfalls, ocean views and rare flora are all a part of experience in the valley.

See the video here: www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080802hawaiibotanical.htm

Pauline Luktenhouse and Kate Logan were as welcoming to our camera as they were to the hundreds of residents who came out for a scenic stroll through the grounds. Mahalo to them and their staff for all the work they have done. This video tries to do justice to the beauty of the garden, but nothing can compare to being there in person.

HILO, HI - A new bill allows voters to receive and vote by absentee ballot on a permanent basis. Pat Nakamoto, Elections Program Manager with the County of Hawaii, explains the procedure, how it should increase voter participation, and discusses the measures taken to combat potential voter fraud.

The video is here: www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080801absenteeballots.htm

This certainly seems like it will make things easier for Hawaii residents to exercise their right to vote. However, in the past, I have seen all sorts of abuses of absentee voting in other parts of the country. Nakamoto assures that safeguards are in place to prevent fraud in Hawaii.

I have tried to create a good Big Island news portal a couple of times already, but i think the best way is a Feed Informer rss digest. It is called Big Island Roundup, and you will find it below the website’s video links on the homepage, next to the feed for this blog. I have included a couple of the Big Island news sources, both newspapers and blogs, and clicking on the headlines will transport the user offsite to the articles.

I hope this will serve the dual purpose of alerting our readers to the news items that Big Island Video News hasn’t covered, as well as generating extra traffic for the supportive local media entities, many of which have also joined our blogroll.

I’m working on getting the headlines to update more often. It seems to want to update once or twice a day, but it should be more often.