MORE VIEWS FROM PURGATORY

I've got an assortment of photos on my desktop I was planning to use for future blogs, but will clear them all by just inserting them into this transitional posting featuring views from my Purgatory, only half-way making any sense.  I begin with, to the left, lava flowing into the ocean off the Big Island, then two shots I took while on a flight over Oahu, beginning with a view of, from the top left, Craigside (biggest brown building), where I lived for 32 years, 15 Craigside (the shorter green one), my final home, and Pali Highway to the right:

In the second shot, the dark area is Diamond Head, with the Ala Wai Golf Course below that and Waikiki to the right:

Back on land, at the right edge of Diamond Head are two lookouts:  at the very top after a hike, and lower down where cars park by the lighthouse, and on occasion you can actually see Molokai, Maui, the Big Island, and, maybe Lanai.  From this site, looking up to the top, you can see the higher lookout location, with my new Honda Fit, which now has a license plate:

And looking towards the ocean below are surfers:

Here at this scenic spot is where I had my favorite huli-huli chicken bento (note how the drumstick always sticks out of the container) which I had purchased from Hawaii's Best Kitchen, next to Rainbow Drive-In:

Moving on to the Ewa side of Waikiki, my new Honda Fit (before license plate, for these photos are not in chronological order, which replaced my ten-year old Honda Fit) next to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  

Then a few yards further along the coastline towards downtown, a sunset view of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor:

Then in the Ewa direction is the Ala Moana Shopping Center, location of Vintage Cave Cafe (which is an Italian restaurant, not as expensive as Vintage Cave, the French-Pacific-Japanese fusion icon), where I enjoyed lunch of pizza and Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita (Italy) and salad from Tijuana (Mexico, invented by Caesar Cardini):

Next, a series of meals I had at 15 Craigside, beginning with my favorite lunch there, sashimi (always donated by Henry, our poker commissioner) with white and red wines:

That's all we ate, sashimi.  Of the 90 meals/month I pay for at 15 Craigside, I only have, perhaps, 20 in our dining room.  My lanai is where I most eat, starting with Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, which first opened just about when I was graduating from LSU in 1972 (outside of New Orleans).  The must have is the jalapeño pepper, which comes dangerously close to killing you with the hotness, but absolutely necessary to maximize the experience.  Note how large it is on the salad plate.

The chicken is cheap, but that is a very expensive bottle of Stanford Cab.  Ham and eggs:

My breakfasts are sometimes simple:

Then again, there are the extravagant ones with Japanese Wagyu Beef and sashimi:

Finally, photos I took of Pearl's statue at Jindaiji with those angelic chimes to the left, the recent total eclipse of the sun, and ending with where I began, the flow of lava from the current Big Island eruption:

I neglected to say that yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average broke yet another all-time high,  closing at 22,558, and did so again today, now up to 22,642.

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IS THIS FINALLY TIME FOR SOME SENSIBLE GUN CONTROL?

Yes, but forget any kind of gun control in the United States for some time to come.  With Republicans controlling both the Congress and White House, the deadliest shooting massacre ever is not enough to spur significant change.

Last night before I went to bed, the TV news indicated more than a hundred were killed and many others injured in Las Vegas by a lone gunman.  The morning paper said only two dead, but as I now watch CNN, more than 58 dead and 500+ injured are the current statistics.  The information keeps changing, the latest intelligence is that White Supremacy and Muslim terrorism are probably not the behind this tragedy.

Here are some poll results:

Quinnipiac University. June 22-27, 2017. N=1,212 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ± 3.4.
"Do you support or oppose stricter gun laws in the United States?"9/15 & earlier: "Do you support or oppose stricter gun control laws in the United States?"
		Support	Oppose	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	6/22-27/17	54	42	4
	Republicans	27	68	5
	Democrats	80	18	2
	Independents	54	42	3
	6/21-27/16	54	42	4
	12/16-20/15	47	50	3
	9/17-21/15	45	48	7
	6/24-30/14	50	47	3
	9/23-29/13	54	41	5
	3/26 - 4/1/13	53	42	4
	2/27 - 3/4/13	51	42	7
	1/30 - 2/4/13	52	43	5
	7/8-13/08	54	40	5

Clearly, stricter gun laws are favored by Democrats (80% - 18% against) and opposed by Republicans (27% - with 68% in favor) .

Most favor background checks:

"Do you support or oppose requiring background checks for all gun buyers?"
		Support	Oppose	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	6/22-27/17	94	5	-
	Republicans	93	7	1
	Democrats	98	2	-
	Independents	95	5	-

But any background check would not have alerted authorities to Stephen Paddock, because he was a reasonably wealthy retired accountant who had no negative record of any kind.  His father was a convicted bank robber, so that might have in some way influenced attitudes.  Yet, his brother Eric surely looked "normal" on TV and was absolutely astounded that Stephen did what he did.

Further:

"If more people carried guns, do you think the United States would be safer or less safe?"
		Safer	Less safe	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	6/22-27/17	35	57	8
	Republicans	61	28	12
	Democrats	9	87	4
	Independents	36	56	8

Again, the partisan difference is significant.  If every one of the 20,000 and more in the audience at this country-western performance had a gun, perhaps there might have been more casualties, for some would have hastily shot back.  

CBS News Poll. April 21-24, 2017. N=1,214 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 3.
"In general, do you think laws covering the sale of guns should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?"
		More strict	Less strict	Kept as they are	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	4/21-24/17	54	11	33	2
	Republicans	38	16	44	2
	Democrats	73	5	20	1
	Independents	51	11	37	1

Finally:

McClatchy-Marist Poll. July 5-9, 2016. N=1,053 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ± 3.
"Do you think Americans are safer with more guns or fewer guns?"
		More guns	Fewer guns	Number is about right (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	45	46	3	5
	Democrats	16	77	2	4
	Republicans	79	16	3	3
	Independents	44	44	5	7
"Do you favor or oppose a law to ban the sale of assault weapons and semi-automatic rifles?"
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	51	46	3
	Democrats	74	23	3
	Republicans	30	66	4
	Independents	48	49	3

Apparently, Paddock had no automatic weapons, although he might have converted a rifle to that capability.  But you would have thought more Republicans would be for banning human-killing machines.

However, the general public, meaning voters, strongly support the banning of these weapons.  Continuing:

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). June 19-23, 2016. N=1000 registered voters nationwide.  Margin of error, plus or minus 3.1.

"One proposal in Congress would ban the sale of selected semi-automatic firearms referred to as assault weapons. Would you favor or oppose this proposal or do you not have an opinion one way or the other?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/19-23/16	51	31	18

There is bipartisan support for the following:

CBS News Poll. June 13-14, 2016. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 4.
"Do you favor or oppose a federal law requiring background checks on all potential gun buyers?"
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	6/13-14/16	89	8	2
	Republicans	92	6	2
	Democrats	97	2	1
	Independents	82	15	3

"As you may know, individuals on the U.S. government's terrorist watch list are not allowed to fly on planes. Would you support or oppose banning those on the U.S. government's terrorist watch list from purchasing guns?"
		Support	Oppose	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	6/21-27/16	86	12	2
	Republicans	85	12	2
	Democrats	91	8	1
	Independents	83	15	3

However, Paddock appeared to be just another American and passed all background checks.

From Quinnipiac:

"Is your opinion of the National Rifle Association favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it?"
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Haven't heard enough	Refused
		%	%	%	%
	6/21-27/16	38	36	24	2
	Republicans	72	7	19	2
	Democrats	8	62	30	1
	Independents	36	38	23	2

To conserve space, I won't even go into the inanity called the National Rifle Association.  You can find another hundred surveys on this subject.  Today there seem to be extreme views about everything from North Korea to hurricanes to Russia, but gun control has not changed much, even after Sandy Hook, where 26 were killed, 20 children, by, again, just another deranged American, Adam Lanza.

Why are so many citizens so enamored with guns?

• There seems to be some sincere, but probably ignorant, support for the Constitution, plus high sense of liberty and freedom.  To buy a gun is a right, and don't you dare take that away from me.
• Sure guns kill, but they also protect.  I want the security for peace of mind.

I've posted on this issue on innumerable occasions, and the one that sticks in my mind was:

     THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS OBSOLETE AND SHOULD BE REPEALED

To quote:

• When this amendment was created:
• the military and citizens owned muskets
• lawmakers were fearful of a new government
• there was no organized police network
• there remained the danger of the British
• there were Indians
• If I lived then I would own a musket.

And:

But times have changed!  A well regulated Militia armed with pistols and even assault rifles would not stand a chance against our Department of Defense equipped with tanks, F-35s, aircraft carriers, nuclear missiles and the like.  The argument that you can't trust the government so you need guns to neutralize them is absurd.

More gun ownership means a higher rate of gun deaths:

Oh, we own more guns/residents than any other country, by far:

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I can go on and on, but read my posting on gun control.   Amen.

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A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

The 15 Craigside Photography Club meets today for lunch and critiques of photos we submit for discussion.  We are given a theme, which today is "a picture is worth a thousand words."  My difficulty with that  assignment is you are supposed to show in each photo a story with little, or no, explanation.  Further, we are told, ask yourself:  who, what, where, when and why?

Some things in life are so obvious that anyone should be able to imagine those 1000 words.  Frankly, I could not find one in my archives with that characteristic.  I guess a shot that evokes totally different reactions from the viewers, each with vivid imaginations, might qualify for that theme.  For example, on a photo I used yesterday, Tiger Eating Toyota, might evoke the same interpretation.

My three photos would fail those tests, because only I know the true story.  It might be remotely possible that my clubmates and mentor could be inspired to create their own fantasy, but they wouldn't be close to the reality.  Anyway, I'll tell them the true story to sear in their memory why I took those photos:

1.  There was a time when I must have owned a hundred ties.  Now why would anyone from Hawaii have this collection?  I might have worn a tie once or twice on the Manoa Campus in my now 45 years here.  Well, blame my travels for this fetish.  Back in those old days, through the streets of Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Itaewon, vendors sold ties for $1 each.  However, within the bunch is a Jim Thompson (an American with quite a life) silk tie from Thailand for around $150.    (If you guessed the right one as the more expensive, you would be wrong.)  Also, many of them have yet to be used.

I just looked at eBay, and there is a bunch of Jim Thompson's.  Hey, that gives me an idea about what to do with mine.  I'll keep one, for I'm going through my LAST of everything, including my final major speech, to MENSA in a week, and now plan to actually wear a tie and handkerchief (yes, most of them are accompanied by an identical handkerchief, also costing a buck each) at a retirement dinner for a colleague in Tokyo in a couple of weeks.  Boy, will they be surprised.  What hurts is that I once had more than a hundred, and donated to Goodwill at least 50 of them.  After all, I still haven't seen a homeless person here wearing one my ties, or any tie at all.

2.  The top of this blog shows me with Diamond Head.  That photo was taken from House Without a Key at the Halekulani Hotel.  Well, two months ago I was enjoying a martini at HWaK, and all of a sudden, a magnificent rainbow appeared over Diamond Head.  In all my years over half a century of being entertained by Hawaiian troupes and Miss Hawaii hula dancers here, I had never seen a rainbow over Diamond Head.  Appropriate too was that La Mer, a second story adjacent restaurant, was Pearl's favorite, and her ashes are at the base of the historic kiawe tree which not too long ago fell in a storm, but a sprout re-grew into what will be their new symbol.

3.  Last year I went on a two-month around the world trip.  I asked Daryl, the maintenance manager, if he could arrange for the person cleaning my room to each Friday add two inches of water to three tubs where I placed a few herb plants and several orchids.  When I returned, there were ten buds of cattleya orchids in two pots and a blooming sunburst (below, which was not submitted but inserted here for you).

I might add that this sunburst plant was not in those tubs.  It went without water for two months.  Here is my theory:  certain plants bloom when they are threatened.  Their reaction to a lack of water or too much water is to do anything to survive.

In my entire life I have bought maybe a hundred cattleyas.  After the bloom goes, we are told to water the plant, but keep the root dry.  Every one of them in the past died.  This was the first time I ever got cattleyas to bloom.  Maybe it's a trade secret to drown the plant for two months to scare it into blooming, but I'll need to try this again.  I leave on a ten-day trip next week.

The sunbursts are different.  I first bought a sunburst flower to give to Pearl in 1982 when she was recovering from an operation.  She brought it home, and green leaves began to sprout.  After the leaves turned brown, she saw that there were two bulbs.  She dried them out and a few months later, planted them, but read that they should not be watered.  A few months later each plant began to bloom, later sending out these leaves.  She must have grown 25 plants over time, many she gave away to friends.  I brought three to 15 Craigside, and one surprised me on my birthday last month (above right) by blooming outside my lanai railing.

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Happy to report that on this first day of October there is no ocean storm on Planet Earth:

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