50 States, 50 Days, Two Thumbs

This morning, we got to meet Matt “Fiddy” Fidler and Scott MacDonald, of Vancouver, B.C., who achieved the goal of hitchhiking to all 50 state capitals in 50 days. As they put it on their website:

The rules of Hitch50 are simple. We can’t pay for ANY transportation. And we must get a photo in front of every state capitol building in 50 days or less. Most importantly, we must provide readers of our website with original content at least once every day and at least once every state.

Why are we doing this? We both just graduated college and didn’t exactly pursue the typical business jobs our classmates were chasing, so we needed something to do. Something fun to do, which involved traveling and meeting people and sharing experiences with them.

Well, they hoisted their thumbs and got a ride out of Times Square in New York City on Oct. 10, and reached their goal by landing in Honolulu this past Tuesday (how they “hitched” a ride to Hawai`i is something I’ll let them explain on their website).

They apparently learned more than they thought they would during their odyssey.

We’ve spent the last 1200 hours traveling almost 24,000 miles, through 50 states, 3 countries and five time zones, our average speed for the past 50 days is just under 20 MPH. It seems like 1100 of these hours were spent talking with the people of America and hearing their stories. We never planned for this to be a sociology project, but as it evolved and as we began to see the differences and similarities of Americans the true underlie of America became clear.

The friendly rivalries between states, cities and colleges was always amusing to hear, and while people are different everywhere the common themes of kindness and unity are apparent in every corner of the country, but more than anything Americans are proud, and for good reason. The cultural and geographical diversity and beauty of this country is not matched anywhere in the world and is something to be very proud of. So when you hear the problems and troubles of the world, try to step back, focus on positivity and realize how good life is in America and how good the people of America are.

Please do visit their blog — it sounds like it was an excellent adventure.

Ben.
ben@kitv.com

No More Peepers

Mahealani’s been wearing her glasses on the air for the past two days, and many of you have commented that you like them. However, the reason for the on-air specs is that she’s going to have Lasik surgery this week, and to prepare for the procedure, she had to stop wearing her contact lenses. So, for those of you who enjoyed the glasses, here’s one last look at them.

No Earthquake. No Tsunami. No Kidding.

Last night’s hoax about an earthquake and tsunami hitting Hawai`i was just that: a hoax. Sure, many of us are a bit jittery lately since the Oct. 15 earthquake off the Big Island and the small Nov. 15 tsunami. But is it possible to predict exactly when an earthquake will happen? Where it will occur? How strong it will be? That it will cause a tsunami?

The answers are no, no, no, and no.

While scientists can look at the probability of an earthquake occurring in a certain area, predicting an earthquake that specifically is absolutely impossible.

You don’t have to take my word for it. An excellent online resource is the U.S. Geological Survey Web site, which has the facts, especially the FAQ section.

Ben.
ben@kitv.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this this Thanksgiving Day, here are some photos I took yesterday at Ka Hana O Ke Akua Church in Wai`anae Valley. The small church holds a meal for the homeless every fourth Wednesday of the month, and since this month’s event was just a day before Thanksgiving, the church decided to turn it into a Thanksgiving celebration. Many of the folks who attended are those who live in the tents along the northern Wai`anae coast, particularly those in the Makua area.

Connie Tom, the volunteer coordinator for the church, refers to them as the “houseless,” rather than homeless. According to Tom, it’s because many of them have a family, even if their home is a tent, a van or a tarp. Tom says, “They just don’t have a house.”

The church wants to increase its efforts to assist them. But yesterday was just a time for church volunteers to serve up the 25 imu-cooked turkeys and all the other Thanksgiving trimmings. By the way, these photos were taken after most of the people returned to the beach — with more meals being prepared to be delivered to those who weren’t able to make it to the church.

On that note, please have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Aloha,
Ben.
ben@kitv.com

Oh No! There’s TWO of Them!

No, you weren’t seeing double this morning. Our Monday exercise and fitness expert Sofija brought along her sister, Eva, with the black top, who is visiting from Philadelphia. Take a wild guess what she does for a living. I wonder if there’s a morning news team there that does an exercise segment with her.

Sofija was supposed to appear on the newscast only during the summer, but she proved to be so popular that she agreed to keep coming in every Monday morning to torture us — I mean, teach us ways to keep fit and healthy. We do refer to her constantly as the Mistress of Pain, but we do so with affection. Sofija and her sister have a great way of teaching the seemingly infinite number of exercises you can do with an exercise ball and a mat; they help you out and give you tips until, somehow, you get it right. And when you do, they’re very positive. Frankly, a two- or three-minute segment doesn’t do her justice.

A side note: Sofija told me her sister was in town because her whole family is coming to Hawai`i for Thanksgiving. She said they didn’t have Thanksgiving where they grew up, but it is a Big Family Event now that they are in the United States.

Ben.
ben@kitv.com

Who’s The Host Here?

Earlier this week, we were visited by Derek Kurisu of KTA Super Stores on the Big Island. Looks like he turned into the host while we were eating his “hot hot hot dogs” made with Portugese sausage and kim chee. He was here as part of the state Agriculture Department’s “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” segment on the newscast. We shouldn’t be surprised that he took over the newscast — he has his own cable talk show on the Big Island.

A Scene From Tsunami Day

Harbor Police watch a surfer head out in choppy seas at Kewalo Basin at 9:30 a.m., shortly after they allowed people back into the water. Lifeguards at nearby Ala Moana Beach Park said a half-hour earlier, a small tsunami surge came ashore, washing up eight feet past what was the normal shorebreak at the time.

Down To Kalaupapa

Something I’ve always wanted to do is take the mule ride down to Kalaupapa, Moloka`i. And a few weeks ago, I finally had the chance to do so.

The former Hansen’s Disease colony is located on the northern peninsula of Moloka`i, and the only ways to get there are by plane, by foot, or by mule. I’d always seen the old bumper stickers from bygone years, and have often passed by the Mule Ride stables. So, somewhat spur of the moment, I decided to go.

You meet at the stables at 8 a.m. for a briefing on what to expect: the mules are well trained and know the trail, which drops 1,700 feet from Topside over three miles and 26 switchbacks along the cliff. And it’s a cliff. This is the view from the top, with Kalaupapa still shrouded in the morning clouds. (Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.)

My mule was the only white one, appropriately named `Ilikea (white skin). The mules also have a pecking order of sorts, and it turns out `Ilikea likes to be first in line, so I got a clear view ahead on the trip up and down. This is heading downward, about to reach switchback #10.

I also was the only “local” among the 13 riders. The others came from California, Washington, Texas — anywhere but here.

The trip down takes a little longer than an hour and a-half. At the bottom, we dismount and take a guided tour of Kalaupapa, including the grave of Father Damien and many of the churches he built.

You also get a view of the northern cliffs of Moloka`i, which are otherwise inaccessible. This was actually our view for lunch before heading back to the trailhead for the ride back up to the stables.

I didn’t go much into the detail of what happened at Kalaupapa, as there are many other resources that can go into the history, including about the mule ride itself.

And I have to thank our main guide Keanini (pictured right), Roy Horner, mule trainer “Buzzy” Sproat, and the rest of the “muleskinners” (top of the post) for their hospitality and a great time.

Aloha,
Ben.
ben@kitv.com

LOST with Terry O’Quinn

Meeting LOST actor Terry O’Quinn was a real treat for me and my photographer, Kevin Matsumoto. We’re both fans of the show and Terry’s character “Locke” is one of my favorite characters. The most difficult thing about the interview and writing the story was deciding what had to be cut for timesake. With that said, here’s the extra information from my interview that had to be left out, but not LOST. Terry, if you happen to read this, you were fascinating to interview and I enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for being such a wonderful actor and for helping to make television watchable again. You are definitely one of my favorite charaters on LOST and now one of my favorite actors.

MAHEALANI: Have you gotten rock fever yet?

TERRY: It’s the best place that I’ve ever worked, but when I’m not working I get a little bit stir crazy. I get a litte homesick (Terry is living on the North Shore. He was born in Michigan and moved to Hawai’i with his wife from Maryland). I feel like a visitor here and I’m a happy visitor. I feel like this is someone else’s home. This is the Hawaiian people’s home.

MAHEA: What made you decide to move to the North Shore?

TERRY: Basically this (points to Waimea Bay behind him) is what made me decide…. It’s really beautiful. It’s just a big fishbowl. It’s so clear and calm in the summer.

MAHEA: The last time we spoke, you said that you eat at Haleiwa Joe’s?

TERRY: They have treated me very well at Haleiwa Joe’s. They take good care of me there. I’ve got not complaints.

MAHEA: Do you have any favorite local foods?

TERRY: I eat more fish ahi and sashimi things like that than I do anywhere else… I have to be careful about what I eat on this island even though apparently you can get anything because it drops out of the sky. (Terry said he lost 15 to 20 pounds during the first season and he likes being trimmer).

MAHEA: Mr. Eko just died. Were you sad?

TERRY: I thought I’m glad it wasn’t me… I’m not sure any of us will survive the series. I’m not terribly confident.

MAHEA: How grueling is your schedule?

TERRY: (Terry said it takes 8 to 10 days to shoot each episode so with the bigger cast this season, the individual actors are actually working less and have long stretches of time off. This week he was off. When he is shooting, each day lasts about 12 hours). It’s not a terribly demanding role relative to let’s say Jennifer Garner’s role in Alias… I’ve never carried that kind of weight on a show and I have no desire too. (In LOST) your story comes along, it’s that much more important. You get a couple times or shots a year to sort of focus on your character.

MAHEA: How were you able to make “Locke” so memorable.

TERRY: i think the writers made him memorable at first. I don’t know exactly. Something just clicked apparently with what they wrote and what I did. It was just one of those things that was destined to be I guess.

MAHEA: How are you similar with “Locke?”

TERRY: I think we have a same sort of desire in faith and mysticism and things that aren’t conventionally explainable.

MAHEA: I heard you miss the old “John Locke?”

TERRY: I have a love-hate relationship with my character… I think he can be kinda irritating because he’s kinda hair brained. I’m a little bit more level headed. If you look at everything about his past, he was so unhappy. It was such an unhappy experience. I think he thinks he’s died and gone to heaven. If he could just find a woman.

MAHEA: That would be great!

TERRY: I’m not sure anyone would have him… He’s become obsessive. I don’t like the obsessive “Locke.” In the first season, he wasn’t so obsessive and then he’s going nuts this is the answer. Hopefully he’s learned something that the answer isn’t so easy to find and it’s probably going to be found within yourself.

MAHEA: Do you have any input on your character?

TERRY: I squeak a lot from now an then. I don’t really like that focus on your character stuff (the flashbacks). I kinda like when other people are having a story told and “Locke” pops up and he says something pithy and he goes back hunting or something.

MAHEA: It seems that after 3 seasons, he’s really become a character that you really cherish in a way?

TERRY: You?

MAHEA: No you!

TERRY: (smiling) He still doesn’t have a special friend on the island, Mahea. If you feel like coming to visit…

MAHEA: Well, if you need any reporters on the show. I’ll volunteer my time. (Note to LOST producers: please call me if you need an actor to play a reporter

TERRY: It wouldn’t surprise me. Just about anything can happen.

MAHEA: What have you learned from “Locke?”

TERRY: I think i’ve learn stuff about myself through the experience. There are aspects of the character that I wish were stronger in me… I like myself better in this show than I ever have.

MAHEA: Who’s your favorite character on the show?

TERRY: Mine of course (laugh)… If i couldn’t play mine. I’d probably want to play Sawyer or Hurley. I think the people who get to make funny observations… I’ve told the producers i’d like to work with Daniel (Daniel Dae Kim who plays “Jin”) more. He’s a terrific actor and think it would be fun go out on a trek in the jungle and do sign language with Daniel. (Terry also said Yunjin Kim who plays “Sun” is a wonderful actress and under utilized.)

MAHEA: Is your wife your toughest critic?

TERRY: She’s my fairest critic. I won’t let her come to the set anymore when we shoot flash backs and wear that (his hair piece) and she says ‘oh my God I can’t believe they got that on your head.’ (Terry covers his face)

MAHEA: I heard you’re a good knife thrower, but you’re also a good singer? Can you sing acapella?

TERRY: Can you sing with me?

MAHEA: Ummm, maybe. Don’t you have a favorite song… a bar of your favorite song?

TERRY: (Terry tries to change the subject, but I prevail) The secret is out. Mahea is a good singer. The next time you come to the set. We’ll play and we’ll sing.

MAHEA: Can’t you sing one little line? What’s your favorite song?

TERRY: (Terry belts out in perfect pitch) MANY RIVERS TO CRAWL… there’s a line.

MAHEA: (clapping) Very good. Very good!

During our interview, many fans came up to shake his hand and Terry said he’s not tired of the recognition or the approval. What a cool guy.

aloha,
Mahealani
mahea@kitv.com

Ed Bradley

I was a bit shocked this morning to learn that CBS newsman and “60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley died of complications from leukemia. It also got me to thinking, for the first time, about his role in getting me interested in broadcast journalism.

By the time I was in high school, I already knew that being a broadcast journalist, whether television or radio, was something I wanted to do, even though in the late 1970s, virtually all of the reporters were still white males. Ed Bradley could have stood out then, merely for not being white. But his reporting transcended that, which is probably why I hadn’t really analyzed it until today. I remember watching “60 Minutes,” sometime during that time period, when it ran his report about the Vietnamese boat people. It was the first time I saw Bradley, and his report was absolutely riveting, including the shots of him helping carry exhausted boat people to shore, and taking their letters that they wanted to send to relatives in the United States; it showed not only their plight, but pierced the TV screen to give us their sense of desperation. It was great reporting. From then on, I was a fan. And it didn’t really occur to me that he was black.

Reading some of the obituaries today, Bradley is described as one of the pioneers for blacks and minorities in journalism today. But I’d describe him as a damn fine reporter, and one of the reasons I do what I do today.

Ben.
ben@kitv.com