You might miss it just glancing at the Star Advertiser website, but today the paper has put out a special Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary Commemorative edition. You can buy the paper copy for $1.00. But some (or all? -- I assume it's all in the print replica) of it is online too (for subscribers).
Here's (the beginning of) the cover story.
Oahu was an impregnable fortress.
Japan wouldn’t dare attack the United States, a first-rate nation,
and its Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Possibly elsewhere, such as in the
Philippines, but certainly not Hawaii.
That was the American mindset — until just before 8 a.m. Dec. 7, 1941.
From the lowest-ranking American defenders who fought back — some
still in their teens, and some firing with .45-caliber pistols and
Springfield bolt-action rifles — to the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm.
Husband E. Kimmel, the Japanese air and submarine attack was a stunning
surprise that caught U.S. forces flat-footed.
On the battleship USS Nevada, the band literally played on as bombs
fell, so confused were crew members initially as to what was going on.
Kimmel, in his Pearl Harbor headquarters, was surveying the
destruction befalling his fleet, and the death that accompanied it, when
a bullet crashed through the window and bounced off his chest.
Examining it, he remarked, “It would have been merciful had it killed
me.”
In the attacks that lasted just over two hours, 2,390 American
service members and Oahu civilians were killed; 21 ships of the Pacific
Fleet, including eight battleships, were sunk or damaged; and 164
aircraft were destroyed. Fifty-six Japanese aviators and up to nine midget submarine crew members died.
Seventy-five years later Pearl Harbor continues to intrigue and mesmerize a nation unused to fighting wars at home.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Fidel Castro
Fidel
Castro, the fiery apostle of revolution who brought the Cold War to the
Western Hemisphere in 1959 and then defied the United States for nearly
half a century as Cuba’s maximum leader, bedeviling 11 American
presidents and briefly pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war,
died on Friday. He was 90.
In declining health for several years, Mr. Castro had orchestrated what he hoped would be the continuation of his Communist revolution, stepping aside in 2006 when a serious illness felled him. He provisionally ceded much of his power to his younger brother Raúl, now 85, and two years later formally resigned as president. Raúl Castro, who had fought alongside Fidel Castro from the earliest days of the insurrection and remained minister of defense and his brother’s closest confidant, has ruled Cuba since then, although he has told the Cuban people he intends to resign in 2018.
Fidel Castro had held on to power longer than any other living national leader except Queen Elizabeth II. He became a towering international figure whose importance in the 20th century far exceeded what might have been expected from the head of state of a Caribbean island nation of 11 million people.
Cuban state television announced the death but gave no other details.
In declining health for several years, Mr. Castro had orchestrated what he hoped would be the continuation of his Communist revolution, stepping aside in 2006 when a serious illness felled him. He provisionally ceded much of his power to his younger brother Raúl, now 85, and two years later formally resigned as president. Raúl Castro, who had fought alongside Fidel Castro from the earliest days of the insurrection and remained minister of defense and his brother’s closest confidant, has ruled Cuba since then, although he has told the Cuban people he intends to resign in 2018.
Fidel Castro had held on to power longer than any other living national leader except Queen Elizabeth II. He became a towering international figure whose importance in the 20th century far exceeded what might have been expected from the head of state of a Caribbean island nation of 11 million people.
He dominated his country with strength and symbolism from the day he triumphantly entered Havana on Jan. 8, 1959, and completed his overthrow of Fulgencio Batista
by delivering his first major speech in the capital before tens of
thousands of admirers at the vanquished dictator’s military
headquarters.
A spotlight shone on him as he swaggered and spoke with passion until dawn. Finally, white doves were released to signal Cuba’s new peace. When one landed on Mr. Castro, perching on a shoulder, the crowd erupted, chanting: “Fidel! Fidel!” To the war-weary Cubans gathered there and those watching on television, it was an electrifying sign that their young, bearded guerrilla leader was destined to be their savior.
A spotlight shone on him as he swaggered and spoke with passion until dawn. Finally, white doves were released to signal Cuba’s new peace. When one landed on Mr. Castro, perching on a shoulder, the crowd erupted, chanting: “Fidel! Fidel!” To the war-weary Cubans gathered there and those watching on television, it was an electrifying sign that their young, bearded guerrilla leader was destined to be their savior.
Most
people in the crowd had no idea what Mr. Castro planned for Cuba. A
master of image and myth, Mr. Castro believed himself to be the messiah
of his fatherland, an indispensable force with authority from on high to
control Cuba and its people.
He
wielded power like a tyrant, controlling every aspect of the island’s
existence. He was Cuba’s “Máximo Lider.” From atop a Cuban Army tank, he
directed his country’s defense at the Bay of Pigs.
Countless details fell to him, from selecting the color of uniforms
that Cuban soldiers wore in Angola to overseeing a program to produce a
superbreed of milk cows. He personally set the goals for sugar harvests.
He personally sent countless men to prison.
But
it was more than repression and fear that kept him and his totalitarian
government in power for so long. He had both admirers and detractors in
Cuba and around the world. Some saw him as a ruthless despot who
trampled rights and freedoms; many others hailed him as the crowds did
that first night, as a revolutionary hero for the ages.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Obama awards his last Presidential Medals of Freedom
WASHINGTON — President Obama
gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian
honor, to 21 artists, sports figures, scientists and philanthropists on
Tuesday in a bravura performance that had the East Wing, stuffed to
capacity, laughing and whooping with appreciation.
“Everyone
on this stage has touched me in a powerful personal way,” Mr. Obama
said at the ceremony’s end. “These are folks who have helped make me who
I am and think about my presidency.”
***
Let's see if all 21 are mentioned in the story:
1. Robert Redford
2. Bill and Melinda Gates
3. Tom Hanks
4. Diana Ross
5. Michael Jordan
6. Ellen DeGeneres
7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
8. Bruce Springsteen
9. Cicely Tyson
10. Robert DeNiro
11. Vin Scully
12. Lorne Michaels
Nope, 12 more. ... and here they are:
13. Elouise Cobell
14. Richard Garwin
15. Frank Gehry
16. Margaret H. Hamilton
17. Grace Hopper
18. Maya Lin
19. Newt Minow
20. Eduardo Padrón
Nope, 11 more. Bill and Melinda Gates are two different people.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
death knell for Obamacare?
[12/21/16] Federal health officials Wednesday touted a record 6.4 million customers sign-ups on the federal Obamacare marketplace HealthCare.gov so far this open enrollment season — topping last year's pace during the same time period by 400,000 customers.
And they sharply warned that insurance coverage gains under Obamacare could be lost if President-elect Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans follow through on their threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Those threats have led some would-be HealthCare.gov customers to ask whether they should sign up for coverage for 2017, officials revealed.
"The American people don't want to go backwards," said U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Sylvia Burwell, who cited analysis that has projected up to 30 million people would lose coverage if Obamacare were to be repealed without a replacement plan in place.
"These are people's cancer therapies, diabetes medications and mental health treatments on the line," Burwell told reporters during a conference call.
"Every one of the 6.4 million people enrolled represents a story about how the Affordable Care Act has changed health care in America, and why coverage matters," she said.
"We're going to keep moving forward, we're going to finish open enrollment by enrolling more people than ever," said Burwell, who in late January is set to be replaced as HHS secretary by Trump's nominee to the department, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.
[11/10/16] WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's election ushers in a time of high anxiety for people with health insurance under President Barack Obama's law, which expanded coverage to millions but has struggled to find widespread public acceptance.
While repeal now seems likely, that may take Congress months. A replacement for the 2010 health care law could take even longer, and may retain some of its features. Republicans are saying they want to protect people who now are covered from losing health care in the shift.
Voters "don't want Washington to fix Obamacare, they want to make health care affordable," said House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Calif., whose committee oversees much of health care. "I'm confident we will have more truly affordable health care for just as many Americans."
"It's our goal to dismantle Obamacare and actually focus on lowering the cost of coverage for people," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Republican leadership. "It's a commitment on behalf of Congress and the president-elect to get this done."
[10/25/16] Obamacare premiums to rise 25% in 2017
***
[8/30/16] WASHINGTON >> With the hourglass running out for his administration, President Barack Obama’s health care law is struggling in many parts of the country. Double-digit premium increases and exits by big-name insurers have caused some to wonder whether “Obamacare” will go down as a failed experiment.
If Democrat Hillary Clinton wins the White House, expect her to mount a rescue effort. But how much Clinton could do depends on finding willing partners in Congress and among Republican governors, a real political challenge.
“There are turbulent waters,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s first secretary of Health and Human Services. “But do I see this as a death knell? No.”
Next year’s health insurance sign-up season starts a week before the Nov. 8 election, and the previews have been brutal. Premiums are expected to go up sharply in many insurance marketplaces, which offer subsidized private coverage to people lacking access to job-based plans.
At the same time, retrenchment by insurers that have lost hundreds of millions of dollars means that more areas will become one-insurer markets, losing the benefits of competition. The consulting firm Avalere Health projects that seven states will have only a single insurer in each of their marketplace regions next year.
Administration officials say insurers set prices too low in a bid to gain market share, and the correction is leading to sticker shock. Insurers blame the problems on sicker-than-expected customers, disappointing enrollment and a premium stabilization system that failed to work as advertised. They also say some people are gaming the system, taking advantage of guaranteed coverage to get medical care only when they are sick.
Not all state markets are in trouble. What is more important, most of the 11 million people covered through HealthCare.gov and its state-run counterparts will be cushioned from premium increases by government subsidies that rise with the cost.
But many customers may have to switch to less comprehensive plans to keep their monthly premiums down. And millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government marketplaces get no financial help. They will have to pay the full increases or go without coverage and risk fines. (People with employer coverage and Medicare are largely unaffected.)
Tennessee’s insurance commissioner said recently that the individual health insurance market in her state is “very near collapse.” Premiums for the biggest insurer are expected to increase by an average of 62 percent. Two competitors will post average increases of 46 percent and 44 percent.
But because the spigot of federal subsidies remains wide open, an implosion of health insurance markets around the country seems unlikely. More than 8 out of 10 HealthCare.gov customers get subsidies covering about 70 percent of their total premiums. Instead, the damage is likely to be gradual. Rising premiums deter healthy people from signing up, leaving an insurance pool that’s more expensive to cover each succeeding year.
“My real concern is 2018,” said Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president with Avalere. “If there is no improvement in enrollment, we could see big sections of the country without any plans participating.”
If Republican Donald Trump wins the White House, he’d start dismantling the Affordable Care Act. But Clinton would come with a long list of proposed fixes, from rearranging benefits to introducing a government-sponsored “public option” as an alternative to private insurers. Not all her ideas would require congressional action.
“She is going to find it important to continue to expand health care,” said Joel Ario, a former Obama administration official who’s now with the consulting firm Mannatt Health.
People in the Clinton camp say she recognizes that as president she’d have to get Obama’s law working better, and is taking nothing off the table.
A look at some major ideas and their prospects:
PUBLIC OPTION
Clinton’s primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, advocated “Medicare for all” and that pushed Clinton to a fuller embrace of government-run insurance. But Democrats could not get a public option through Congress even when they had undisputed control. Whichever party wins the Senate in November, the balance is expected to be close and Republicans are favored to retain control of the House.
While a new national insurance program seems a long shot, Obama’s law allows states to experiment. “I think the public option is more likely to be tested at a state level,” Sebelius said.
SWEETENING SUBSIDIES
Clinton has proposed more generous subsidies and tax credits for health care, which might also entice more people to sign up. But she’d have a tough time selling Republicans. It may be doable in the bargaining around budget and tax bills, but Democrats would be pressed to give up some of the health law’s requirements, including a premiums formula that tends to favor older people over young adults.
INCREMENTAL CHANGES
Whether it’s fixing a “family glitch” that can prevent dependents from getting subsidized coverage, requiring insurers to cover more routine services outside the annual deductible, or reworking the premium stabilization program for insurers, incremental changes seem to offer a president Clinton her easiest path.
MEDICAID EXPANSION
Expect a Clinton White House to tirelessly court the 19 states that have yet to expand Medicaid for low-income people. She’d ask Congress to provide the same three full years of federal financing that early-adopting states got under the health law. GOP governors would demand more flexibility with program rules.
“I’m just hoping that reality begins to sink in when she is inaugurated,” Sebelius said. “If the law is not going to go away, then let’s make it work.”
And they sharply warned that insurance coverage gains under Obamacare could be lost if President-elect Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans follow through on their threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Those threats have led some would-be HealthCare.gov customers to ask whether they should sign up for coverage for 2017, officials revealed.
"The American people don't want to go backwards," said U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Sylvia Burwell, who cited analysis that has projected up to 30 million people would lose coverage if Obamacare were to be repealed without a replacement plan in place.
"These are people's cancer therapies, diabetes medications and mental health treatments on the line," Burwell told reporters during a conference call.
"Every one of the 6.4 million people enrolled represents a story about how the Affordable Care Act has changed health care in America, and why coverage matters," she said.
"We're going to keep moving forward, we're going to finish open enrollment by enrolling more people than ever," said Burwell, who in late January is set to be replaced as HHS secretary by Trump's nominee to the department, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.
[11/10/16] WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's election ushers in a time of high anxiety for people with health insurance under President Barack Obama's law, which expanded coverage to millions but has struggled to find widespread public acceptance.
While repeal now seems likely, that may take Congress months. A replacement for the 2010 health care law could take even longer, and may retain some of its features. Republicans are saying they want to protect people who now are covered from losing health care in the shift.
Voters "don't want Washington to fix Obamacare, they want to make health care affordable," said House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Calif., whose committee oversees much of health care. "I'm confident we will have more truly affordable health care for just as many Americans."
"It's our goal to dismantle Obamacare and actually focus on lowering the cost of coverage for people," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Republican leadership. "It's a commitment on behalf of Congress and the president-elect to get this done."
[10/25/16] Obamacare premiums to rise 25% in 2017
***
[8/30/16] WASHINGTON >> With the hourglass running out for his administration, President Barack Obama’s health care law is struggling in many parts of the country. Double-digit premium increases and exits by big-name insurers have caused some to wonder whether “Obamacare” will go down as a failed experiment.
If Democrat Hillary Clinton wins the White House, expect her to mount a rescue effort. But how much Clinton could do depends on finding willing partners in Congress and among Republican governors, a real political challenge.
“There are turbulent waters,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s first secretary of Health and Human Services. “But do I see this as a death knell? No.”
Next year’s health insurance sign-up season starts a week before the Nov. 8 election, and the previews have been brutal. Premiums are expected to go up sharply in many insurance marketplaces, which offer subsidized private coverage to people lacking access to job-based plans.
At the same time, retrenchment by insurers that have lost hundreds of millions of dollars means that more areas will become one-insurer markets, losing the benefits of competition. The consulting firm Avalere Health projects that seven states will have only a single insurer in each of their marketplace regions next year.
Administration officials say insurers set prices too low in a bid to gain market share, and the correction is leading to sticker shock. Insurers blame the problems on sicker-than-expected customers, disappointing enrollment and a premium stabilization system that failed to work as advertised. They also say some people are gaming the system, taking advantage of guaranteed coverage to get medical care only when they are sick.
Not all state markets are in trouble. What is more important, most of the 11 million people covered through HealthCare.gov and its state-run counterparts will be cushioned from premium increases by government subsidies that rise with the cost.
But many customers may have to switch to less comprehensive plans to keep their monthly premiums down. And millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government marketplaces get no financial help. They will have to pay the full increases or go without coverage and risk fines. (People with employer coverage and Medicare are largely unaffected.)
Tennessee’s insurance commissioner said recently that the individual health insurance market in her state is “very near collapse.” Premiums for the biggest insurer are expected to increase by an average of 62 percent. Two competitors will post average increases of 46 percent and 44 percent.
But because the spigot of federal subsidies remains wide open, an implosion of health insurance markets around the country seems unlikely. More than 8 out of 10 HealthCare.gov customers get subsidies covering about 70 percent of their total premiums. Instead, the damage is likely to be gradual. Rising premiums deter healthy people from signing up, leaving an insurance pool that’s more expensive to cover each succeeding year.
“My real concern is 2018,” said Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president with Avalere. “If there is no improvement in enrollment, we could see big sections of the country without any plans participating.”
If Republican Donald Trump wins the White House, he’d start dismantling the Affordable Care Act. But Clinton would come with a long list of proposed fixes, from rearranging benefits to introducing a government-sponsored “public option” as an alternative to private insurers. Not all her ideas would require congressional action.
“She is going to find it important to continue to expand health care,” said Joel Ario, a former Obama administration official who’s now with the consulting firm Mannatt Health.
People in the Clinton camp say she recognizes that as president she’d have to get Obama’s law working better, and is taking nothing off the table.
A look at some major ideas and their prospects:
PUBLIC OPTION
Clinton’s primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, advocated “Medicare for all” and that pushed Clinton to a fuller embrace of government-run insurance. But Democrats could not get a public option through Congress even when they had undisputed control. Whichever party wins the Senate in November, the balance is expected to be close and Republicans are favored to retain control of the House.
While a new national insurance program seems a long shot, Obama’s law allows states to experiment. “I think the public option is more likely to be tested at a state level,” Sebelius said.
SWEETENING SUBSIDIES
Clinton has proposed more generous subsidies and tax credits for health care, which might also entice more people to sign up. But she’d have a tough time selling Republicans. It may be doable in the bargaining around budget and tax bills, but Democrats would be pressed to give up some of the health law’s requirements, including a premiums formula that tends to favor older people over young adults.
INCREMENTAL CHANGES
Whether it’s fixing a “family glitch” that can prevent dependents from getting subsidized coverage, requiring insurers to cover more routine services outside the annual deductible, or reworking the premium stabilization program for insurers, incremental changes seem to offer a president Clinton her easiest path.
MEDICAID EXPANSION
Expect a Clinton White House to tirelessly court the 19 states that have yet to expand Medicaid for low-income people. She’d ask Congress to provide the same three full years of federal financing that early-adopting states got under the health law. GOP governors would demand more flexibility with program rules.
“I’m just hoping that reality begins to sink in when she is inaugurated,” Sebelius said. “If the law is not going to go away, then let’s make it work.”
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
2016 mayoral race: Caldwell vs. Djou
11/9/16 - Caldwell defeats Djou to win re-election, 52% to 48%.
11/06/16 - Both are Oahu-born sons of professional men, both went to distinguished Hawaii private schools and both are lawyers.
But that’s about where the similarities end for Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou, the man trying to oust him from Honolulu Hale’s third-floor corner office in Tuesday’s general election.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser recently chatted with both candidates, and some of the people closest to them, to explore what makes each tick and how their personal backgrounds and life experiences led to this juncture.
9/30/16 - Chamber of Commerce debate (video)
11/06/16 - Both are Oahu-born sons of professional men, both went to distinguished Hawaii private schools and both are lawyers.
But that’s about where the similarities end for Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou, the man trying to oust him from Honolulu Hale’s third-floor corner office in Tuesday’s general election.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser recently chatted with both candidates, and some of the people closest to them, to explore what makes each tick and how their personal backgrounds and life experiences led to this juncture.
9/30/16 - Chamber of Commerce debate (video)
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Kenoi found not guilty
HILO >> In a stunning and unanimous verdict Tuesday, a Hawaii
island jury took 24 hours to find Mayor Billy Kenoi not guilty of all
charges related to personal and alcohol purchases that Kenoi billed to
the county — and later repaid — from 2011 to 2015.
A clearly emotional Kenoi hugged his wife, Takako, following the verdict and was crushed by supporters as he walked briskly out of Third Circuit Court without speaking to reporters.
Kenoi’s attorney Todd Eddins — a colleague from their days together in the Honolulu public defender’s office — told reporters outside court, “From the get-go we described the false accusations as flimsy. The trial established that that characterization was an understatement. This was an odious attempt to take down a once-in-a-generation good, decent man.”
Attorney General Doug Chin said in a statement, “The crime of theft requires proof a person intended to permanently deprive his victim of what he stole. The prosecution argued that not paying back funds to the county of Hawaii until after the press caught him was proof of Mayor Kenoi’s intent. We respect the verdict and thank the jurors for their service.”
The evidence phase of the trial lasted six days and spanned parts of two weeks.
Twenty witnesses testified, including former state Rep. Tommy Waters, Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho and celebrity chef Sam Choy.
A clearly emotional Kenoi hugged his wife, Takako, following the verdict and was crushed by supporters as he walked briskly out of Third Circuit Court without speaking to reporters.
Kenoi’s attorney Todd Eddins — a colleague from their days together in the Honolulu public defender’s office — told reporters outside court, “From the get-go we described the false accusations as flimsy. The trial established that that characterization was an understatement. This was an odious attempt to take down a once-in-a-generation good, decent man.”
Attorney General Doug Chin said in a statement, “The crime of theft requires proof a person intended to permanently deprive his victim of what he stole. The prosecution argued that not paying back funds to the county of Hawaii until after the press caught him was proof of Mayor Kenoi’s intent. We respect the verdict and thank the jurors for their service.”
The evidence phase of the trial lasted six days and spanned parts of two weeks.
Twenty witnesses testified, including former state Rep. Tommy Waters, Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho and celebrity chef Sam Choy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)