HAWAII AT 50

Just another day in paradise. My view as I'm posting this blog:

The State of Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, 50 years ago as the 50^th state. I don’t remember much of this day because I was working at the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory in California after my freshman year at Stanford. I recall, though, being vaguely excited.

The island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world, rising from the sea bottom to a height of 33,500 feet. Mt. Everest is only 29,029 feet tall. Mt. Waialeale on Kauai regularly is the wettest spot with about 500 inches of rain.

The Hawaiian Archipelago consists of over 130 islands, stretching a length of 1,600 miles from the Kure Atoll in the north to the Island of Hawaii in the south, with Loihi soon (10,000 to 100,000 years) to pop up just off the southeast coast of the Big Island. Including both land and exclusive economic zone (200 nautical mile region), Hawaii is twice the size of Texas. Clearly, the economic future of Hawaii will depend on the ocean around us, but President George Bush in 2006 proclaimed the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the 139,797 ocean space north of Niihau, larger than all the national parks combined.

While 96°F has been recorded at the Honolulu Airport, the average daytime temperature in July is 82 °F and 72° in January. It does snow on Haleakala, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

The earliest speculated arrival of Polynesian settlers, probably from the Marquesas, then Tahiti, occurred approximately 300 years before Christ. The sugar industry imported workers beginning with China in the mid 1800s, then Japan, Portugal and the Philippines, resulting in a diverse blend of races. There is today, with a population of slightly more than 1.3 million, no racial majority, as the breakdown is very roughly 1/3 White, slightly more than 1/3 Asian and slightly less than 1/3 other (Polynesian, Black, etc.).

Hawaii is the most isolated population center on Earth. We are 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; and 4,900 miles from China. Interestingly enough, Oahu (Waikiki, Honolulu, etc.) with 1,650 people per square mile, has a higher population density than New Jersey, the most densely populated state at 1,134 people/sq. mi. But the State of Hawaii average is only 189 people/sq. mi. We live longer than any state, with a life expectancy of 80.

We have the supreme collection of telescopes on Mauna Kea, the most active volcano in Kilauea, largest dormant volcano in Haleakala and the biggest contiguous ranch with Parker Ranch. Our land use laws have been progressive, our unemployment rates are historically well below the national average, we have about the closest thing to a universal health program and have the only unified K-12 education system. We pay the highest state tax/capita (about $3,000/person) to support for much of this and more. Read my chapter 6 of SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity for more.

Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee and pineapples. At one time, we supplied most of the latter, but not so today. Our sugar industry has also severely declined, but biofuels could delay early extinction. The largest source of revenue exports of a single commodity today, it is reported, could well be freshwater desalinated from the deep ocean at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.

Held today as a celebration of half a century of statehood was a “New Horizons” conference at the Hawaii Convention Center. This was the only salient event commemorating our birthday. As might, sadly, and pathetically, be expected, 200 “Hawaiians” protested. I'll only report on the final concert with the Coasters, Platters and Drifters. They were fine, except I wonder why Tom Moffatt, who MC'd the event, did not instead involve Robin Luke (Suzie Darlin') and the Kingston Trio (Punahou, Stanford...and at their prime in 1959)? Sitting next to me was Andre the Giant Solar and his significant other. He really enjoyed the performance.

-

The Dow Jones Industrials jumped 156 to 9506. European markets were all up, while those in Asia were down. Crude oil reached a 10 month high, now near $74/barrel, while gold increased $14/toz to $954.

-

Typhoon Vamco, at 125 MPH, continues to move north, but will then take a northeast course to nowhere and weaken. Also in the Pacific, there is a disturbance that could strengthen and head towards Hawaii, but the consensus at this time time is a more southernly pathway. Hurricane Bill, now down to 105 MPH, will strengthen over the next few hours, but should mostly only provide big waves to the the east coast. There is predicted, though, landfall as a Category 1 into Canada.

-