Aloha Airlines shuts down

Aloha Airlines, which has been operating since before Hawaii became a state, abruptly announced yesterday it is shutting down passenger service after today.

The 61-year-old carrier, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy just 10 days earlier -- its second such filing in a little more than three years -- said it ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for its passenger business.

David Banmiller, president and chief executive of Aloha, accused Mesa Air Group's go! of pushing Aloha over the edge.

"Unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business," said Banmiller, referring to a below-cost interisland airfare war that go! triggered when it entered the Hawaii market in June 2006.

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Aloha ‘oe

Castro resigns

HAVANA - Fidel Castro, ailing and 81, announced Tuesday he was resigning as Cuba’s president, ending a half-century of autocratic rule which made him a communist icon and a relentless opponent of U.S. policy around the globe.

The end of Castro’s rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul Castro to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel fell ill in July 2006.

President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition, though he doubts that would come about under the rule of another Castro.

Bhutto assassinated

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack. Ms Bhutto - the first woman PM in an Islamic state - was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi when a gunman shot her in the neck and set off a bomb. At least 20 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.

President Pervez Musharraf has urged people to remain calm but angry protests have gripped some cities, with at least 11 deaths reported. Security forces have been placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.

Ms Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, and had been campaigning ahead of elections due on 8 January.

It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.

Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO, Norway - Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is "the greatest challenge we've ever faced."

World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.

Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

"It is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced, but it is also the greatest opportunity we have had to make changes," he later said at a brief news conference in Palo Alto, Calif.

Gore did not take any questions. As he walked away a reporter asked if he would run for president, but Gore did not respond.

Gore’s film "An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary on global warming, won an Academy Award this year. He had been widely expected to win the peace prize.

No End In Sight

"No End in Sight" is the most coolheaded of the Iraq war documentaries, the most methodical and the least polemical. Yet it's the one that will leave audiences the most shattered, angry and astounded.

Directed by Charles Ferguson, making his feature debut, the film relies mainly on interviews with people who were either inside the Bush administration or on the ground in Iraq in those crucial early months following the fall of Baghdad. Most of those interviewed are either career diplomats or career military officers, not anti-administration types by any stretch. Some, like Richard Armitage, were in the White House inner circle. Yet they describe an administration of such colossal ineptitude and baseless arrogance as to boggle the mind.

Ferguson doesn't impose an interpretation on the material. Some will come away from the film convinced that invading Iraq was a monumental mistake, while some will think that it might have worked. Some will come away confirmed in the opinion that the United States needs to pull out as soon as possible, while others will find confirmation for the belief that leaving now would be the worst possible course.

Yet "No End in Sight" is likely to unite everyone in the common opinion that the invasion and occupation were mismanaged on an epic scale. It's not just that "mistakes were made," to use the tired passive-voice cliche of feigned contrition, but rather that only mistakes were made. In instance after instance, the administration ignored genuine experts in favor of people with flashy, erroneous notions. They ignored the advice of people on the ground in favor of functionaries in Washington with neither military experience nor familiarity with the Islamic world.

Can We Win The War in Iraq?

Dissecting the U.S. deployment of 133,000 troops on the ground in Iraq, Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies recently calculated that only 28,000 are actually in the field at any given time.

To put that number in perspective, Luttwak points out that the New York City Police force has 37,000 police officers - yet U.S. coalition forces are being asked to keep control over a nation of 28 million, including the urban hotspots of Baghdad with its 6 million inhabitants, Mosul with 1.7 million, Kirkuk with 800,000 and Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold with a population of 250,000.

That's just 28,000 soldiers to interdict insurgents and jihadists coming over the borders with Syria and Iran, to patrol all the cities, protect all the oil fields, pipelines, banks and utility infrastructure... and to provide cover for the U.S. military bases, airfields and convoys.

It gets worse: the latest plan proposed by the administration cuts U.S. forces to just 104,000 troops, with an increasing share being National Guard and Army Reservists who, rather than playing their usual supporting role, are this time headed for the front line - because when it comes to Iraq, it's pretty much all front line.

To give you some sense of the danger, small arms are so abundant that $10 will buy you, retail from a street vendor, an AK-47 machine gun and all the ammunition you can carry.

Which brings us to the question addressed in this special WWNK feature, can the U.S. win in Iraq?

Corruption in Iraq not discouraged

One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted.

Or worse.

For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

Why David Rosen is suing Kamehameha

I AM THE attorney who is preparing to sue the Kamehameha Schools and its trustees to have their use of a racial classification to exclude those with no native Hawaiian ancestry declared illegal ("Lawyer's search for clients to sue Kamehameha raises questions," Star-Bulletin, May 23). I am not doing this for financial gain or to make a name for myself, as many have asserted. My motivation, while difficult to believe for some, is principle.

It's not your money once it's flown

It's been a weird week, financially speaking. First I get a call from the savings-and-loan outfit that handles my home mortgage. We have it set up so the monthly house payments come directly from a checking account.

The assistant mortgage manager says, "Mr. Memminger, I just want to let you know there was a little problem with your account."

"Didn't we cover the mortgage payment this month?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "The problem is that we accidentally took out a little more from your account than was needed, about an extra thousand bucks."

I said, "No problem, just put it back or credit next month's payment"

He said, "Well, actually, Mr. Memminger, we've been thinking about getting some new furniture for the lobby, and your overpayment would sure help out in that department."

I said I wasn't interested in buying furniture for their lobby and for them to return my money.

He said, "The thing is, it's technically not your money now since we have it. And it would be for the greater good of the bank and all of our customers in general if we could just go ahead and use that overpayment to improve the bank's infrastructure."

I said, "You can stick your infrastructure. Give me my money back."

He said the matter would be taken up by the bank's board of directors. He hung up before I could protest.

... Had the world gone mad? Apparently, yes, because when I got home, I turned on the news and found out that the state had overcharged residents more than $763 million in taxes. Gov. Linda Lingle at least wanted to give $100 of that overcharge back to the taxpayers. After all, it was our money. But Calvin Say, speaker of the state House, said there were all kinds of things that overcharge could be spent on, and he didn't think any of it should be returned to the taxpayers.

I'm not sure what he wants to spend it on, but I think I heard something about lobby furniture, infrastructure, employee raises and some kind of air compressor. Apparently, when it comes to other people holding money that belongs to you, possession is more than nine-tenths of the law. Weird.

President Bush: Hero or Villain?

When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times.

Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.

The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13 percent named him as their favorite while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.

political cartoons

Democrats win House, Senate tied

Democrats erased the Republican Senate majority Wednesday with a cliffhanger victory in Montana, hours after taking control of the House in an election that delivered a rebuke of GOP scandal, the Iraq war and the course of a nation.

With Democrats now assured of 50 Senate seats, the battle for outright control came down to Virginia, where the party's candidate, Jim Webb, held a small lead.

For Republicans, it was an election that started out grim and got only grimmer with the the new day. First, voters brought down the Republican House majority after 12 years in power, and gave Democrats a majority of governorships for the first time in just as long.

Then Senate control began slipping away, the narrow GOP majority ground down to nothing, protected only by Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote if the contest ended at 50-50.

Democrats hoped to shape a 51-49 majority with a Virginia victory for Webb, a former Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan. Webb led by fewer than 9,000 votes out of more than 2.3 million cast, and with the margin so small and so much on the line, GOP Sen. George Allen was not conceding. If a recount is held it could take weeks to be conducted by a panel of judges.

Rumsfeld to step down

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.

Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.

The development occurred one day after congressional elections that cost Republicans control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate as well. Surveys of voters at polling places said opposition to the war was a significant contributor to the Democratic Party's victory.

Saddam sentenced to hang

[12/29/06] Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who spent his last years in captivity after his ruthless regime was toppled by the U.S.-led coalition in 2003, was hanged before dawn Saturday for crimes committed in a brutal crackdown during his reign.

[11/5/06] BAGHDAD, Iraq – An Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein to the gallows for crimes against humanity, closing a quarter-century-old chapter of violent suppression in this land of long memories, deep grudges and sectarian slaughter.

The former Iraqi dictator and six subordinates were convicted and sentenced for the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town after an attempt on his life there.

Shiites and Kurds, who had been tormented and killed in the tens of thousands under Saddam's iron rule, erupted in celebration — but looked ahead fearfully for a potential backlash from the Sunni insurgency that some believe could be a final shove into all-out civil war.

Saddam trembled and shouted "God is great" when the hawk-faced chief judge, Raouf Abdul-Rahman, declared the former leader guilty and sentenced him to hang.

Bush vs. Kim Jong-il

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States is seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbors and allies, with Britons saying President George W. Bush poses a greater danger than North Korea's Kim Jong-il, a survey found on Friday.

A majority of people quizzed in three out of four countries polled also rejected the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The findings came just days before the U.S. mid-term congressional elections, with a growing number of U.S. voters wanting their troops in Iraq to be brought home.

Britain's Guardian newspaper said it carried out the survey along with Israel's Haaretz, La Presse and Toronto Star in Canada and Mexico's Reforma.

In Britain, which alongside Israel is traditionally a close Washington ally, 69 percent of those questioned said they felt U.S. policy had made the world less safe since 2001.

A majority of Canadians and Mexicans agreed, with 62 percent of those polled in Canada and 57 percent in Mexico saying their neighbor's policy had made the world more dangerous.

As for Israel, just 25 percent of people asked said Bush had made the world safer, while 36 percent felt he had upped the risk of conflict and a further 30 percent said at best he had made no difference.

Israelis alone were in favor of Bush's decision to invade Iraq, with 59 percent for the war and 34 percent against.

The ratio was starkly different in the three other nations. Some 89 percent of Mexicans felt the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein was unjustified, as did 73 percent of Canadians and 71 percent of Britons, the survey said.

The perceived failings of U.S. foreign policy placed Bush alongside al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a cause of global anxiety, it said.

North Korea's nuclear test last month drew worldwide condemnation, while Western powers are trying to force Iran to scale back atomic work they fear may be used to make bombs. Iran says its aims are purely peaceful.

Asked whether they thought the U.S. leader was a great or moderate danger to peace, 75 percent of British people said yes. Some 87 percent felt the same about bin Laden, while Kim scored 69 percent and Ahmadinejad clocked 62 percent.

Just 23 percent of Israelis said Bush he represented a serious danger, with 61 percent disagreeing.

ICM interviewed 1,010 adults from October 27-30 in Britain. Professional local opinion polling was used in the other three countries, the Guardian said. In Israel, 1,078 people were asked, 1,007 were quizzed in Canada and 1,010 in Mexico.

The War in Iraq

[12/6/06] The long-awaited Iraq Study Group report, which was delivered to President Bush Wednesday morning, concludes that the situation in Iraq is “grave and deteriorating” but could still be improved if the U.S. focuses mainly on strengthening the Iraqi army and launches an immediate “diplomatic offensive” to win cooperation from countries such as Syria and Iran.

Both steps would mark a sharp departure from the current Bush administration approach, and could receive a chilly reception from the White House as well as U.S. military commanders in Iraq.

In releasing the report to Congress and the public, the members of the group acknowledged “the current approach is not working,” said panel co-chair and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton at a press conference to discuss the report.

On the politically potent issue of U.S. troop levels, the panel, which called the report “The Way Forward,” recommends a quick and dramatic reduction in U.S. combat forces under a scenario whereby the U.S. would shift its focus to advising and supporting the Iraqi army. Barring “unexpected developments” on the security front, the report suggests that all U.S. combat brigades not needed to protect U.S. advisers or pursue terrorist cells would leave Iraq by March 2008. [Tomorrow's News Today]

[11/9/06] The past couple of days have been filled with anticipation over the outcome of which party will emerge victorious during this year's elections. Adding to the flurry of activity, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield unexpectedly announced his resignation raising further questions about the future of American policy. Both the parties and individuals newly appointed to government positions will have an impact on both fiscal policy for the markets (dividend and taxes) and on our foreign involvement (the war in Iraq).

There have been hints as to what ISG [Iraq Study Group] might recommend, but the broad options boil down to these:

1. Recommend that the United States continue with the current strategy: military operations designed to create a security environment in which an Iraqi government can function.
   
2. Recommend the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces and allow the Iraqis to sort out their political problems.
   
3. Recommend a redeployment of forces in Iraq, based around a redefinition of the mission.
   
4. Recommend a redefinition of the political mission in Iraq.

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[10/16/06] The United States has opened up a window of opportunity for other powers. Iraq and Afghanistan have absorbed a large percentage of U.S. ground combat capability, limiting U.S. military options elsewhere. An internal political crisis has further limited the Bush administration's options. With the outcome of the November midterm elections uncertain, outside powers have a window of opportunity in which to take risks. This week, the North Koreans took advantage of that window of opportunity.

Earthquake knocks out power in Hawaii

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake centered on the Kona side of the Big Island — the largest to rattle the Islands in 23 years — and a 5.8-magnitude quake that followed disrupted air traffic on all major islands yesterday, sent boulders crashing onto Big Island highways and knocked out power throughout most of the state.

Iraq War Made Terror 'Worse'

(CBS/AP) The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has increased the number of terrorist groups worldwide and "made the overall terrorism problem worse," a U.S. intelligence official said in a secret study.

The assessment of the war's impact on terrorism came in a National Intelligence Estimate that represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, CBS News learned Sunday.

Dog the Bounty Hunter arrested

[9/19/06] HOW HAPPY would the United States be if some bounty hunter from Mexico named "El Perro" came across the border and started dragging Mexican rapists and killers back into Mexico? We'd give him a medal and urge him to keep up the good work.

So when our "perro," our "Dog," went into Mexico and dragged an American scumbag rapist out of that country and brought him back to the United States, you'd think the government of Mexico would thank us for cleaning up our own messes.

But no. Instead they demand bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman be extradited to Mexico to face kidnapping charges. How screwed up is that?


[9/16/06] A federal magistrate judge let the "Dog" out yesterday to the delight of his fans who packed the courtroom at his detention hearing.

Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of the reality TV show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," was released to home detention on $300,000 bail yesterday. Chapman had been held since his arrest Thursday by federal agents for his extradition to Mexico.

Federal Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren allowed Chapman to continue his bail bond business and filming his TV show in Hawaii while not in house detention. He also ordered Chapman to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

Brook Hart, another Chapman attorney, argued there were special circumstances that should allow his clients to go free. He said the Mexican government sought extradition three years after the Chapmans left Mexico. Hart said it is questionable whether the crime Chapman is accused of is a crime in the United States. This would mean he cannot be extradited for the Mexican crime, Hart said.

Hart said Chapman was charged with unlawful restraint of liberty or false imprisonment but not kidnapping.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Johnson argued that the Chapmans subjected themselves to the laws of Mexico when they sought Luster, never knowing that bounty hunting was illegal there.

Kurren told Johnson that "in the spectrum of cases, it really is on the lower end."

[9/15/06] The "Dog" spent last night in the federal pound.

Duane "Dog" Chapman, the well-known bounty hunter made even more famous by his A&E reality show, was arrested yesterday at his Portlock Road residence in connection with his June 2003 capture of convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Also arrested in different locations were his son Leland and partner, Timothy Chapman.

Honolulu attorney Brook Hart, who represented all three yesterday at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court, said the Chapmans are alleged to have violated Mexican law that prohibits the capture of fugitives by persons not authorized under Mexican law. The Mexican government is seeking to extradite the trio.

[Doesn't have the Mexican government have better things to do?]

damaged pedestrian overpass stalls traffic

A military truck trailer rig, transporting a hydraulic excavator westbound on the H-1 freeway at Aiea, hit and damaged the Aiea Pedestrian Overpass. The westbound side of the freeway was closed causing rush-hour traffic to back up.

Motorists were stuck in stalled traffic for hours as westbound vehicles were diverted from Moanalua Freeway and the H-1 near Halawa.

Crocodile Hunter killed by stingray

Steve Irwin's deadly encounter with a stingray was captured on dramatic videotape and shows TV's "Crocodile Hunter" pulling out the animal's poisonous barb that had pierced his heart moments before he died, officials said today.

The beloved naturalist was being videotaped snorkeling above the beast for Ocean's Deadliest, a new TV documentary. Queensland Police Superintendent Michael Keating said the footage showed nothing suspicious about Irwin's death nor evidence that he provoked the animal. Police held the tape as evidence for a coroner's inquiry, a standard procedure in high-profile deaths or those caused by other than natural causes.

News of Irwin's death shocked his native Australia, and fans around the world poured out their grief and condolences.

Israel bombs Lebanon

[8/15/06] Israel began slowly pulling out forces from southern Lebanon and made plans to hand over territory Tuesday on the first full day of a tense cease-fire that already has been tested by skirmishes and rocket fire.

[7/12/06] BEIRUT, LEBANON — Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel today and captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded in southern Lebanon with warplanes, tanks and gunboats, and said seven of its soldiers had been killed in the violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the soldiers' capture "an act of war," and his Cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon.

Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel

Zar'it-Ayta al-Sha`b incident

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[8/10/06] George Friedman comments.

The Israelis have few options. They can continue to fight until they break Hezbollah -- a process that will be long and costly, but can be achieved. But they then risk Hezbollah shifting to guerrilla war unless their forces immediately withdraw from Lebanon. Alternatively, they can negotiate a cease-fire that inevitably would leave at least part of Hezbollah's forces intact, its prestige and power in Lebanon enhanced and Iran elevated as a power within the region and the Muslim world. Because the Israelis are not going anywhere, they have to choose from a limited menu.

The United States, on the other hand, is facing a situation in Iraq that has broken decisively against it. However hopeful the situation might have been the night al-Zarqawi died, the decision by Iran's allies in Iraq to pursue civil war rather than a coalition government has put the United States into a militarily untenable position. It does not have sufficient forces to prevent a civil war. It can undertake the defense of the Sunnis, but only at the cost of further polarization with the Shia. The United States' military options are severely limited, and therefore, withdrawal becomes even more difficult. The only possibility is a negotiated settlement -- and at this point, Iran doesn't need to negotiate. Unless Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the top Shiite cleric in Iraq, firmly demands a truce, the sectarian fighting will continue -- and at the moment, it is not even clear that al-Sistani could get a truce if he wanted one.

While the United States was focused on the chimera of an Iranian nuclear bomb -- a possibility that, assuming everything we have heard is true, remains years away from becoming reality -- Iran has moved to redefine the region. At the very least, civil war in Lebanon (where Christians and Sunnis might resist Hezbollah) could match civil war in Iraq, with the Israelis and Americans trapped in undesirable roles.

Ehren Watada won't go

[2/4/07] 1st Lt. Ehren Watada goes on trial in a military court as the nation's first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.

It's a trial with significance beyond Lieutenant Watada. The case will provide a test of how far officers can go in resisting an order and how much they can criticize their superiors – notably the commander in chief. Over time, Watada came to believe that the Bush administration lied about the reasons for invading Iraq and concluded its actions were "illegal and immoral."

The Pentagon, however, argues that no soldier can pick and choose assignments, something that would undermine a core tenet of the military – the command structure. It also says that when people join the Army, they lose some of the free-speech rights of a civilian.

[2/4/07] Army 1st. Lt. Ehren Watada maintains that the crux of his court-martial proceedings is the legality of the war in Iraq, despite what a military judge has said.

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[12/26/06] Letters to the Editor

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A patriotic Eagle Scout who had hoped to make the Army his career, 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada says the war in Iraq is illegal and that he will not deploy with his Fort Lewis unit when it leaves in two weeks.

Watada, an artillery officer, said even after enlisting he did not believe that "an invasion was fully justified, but I believed the president's claims should be given a benefit of doubt. At that time, I never imagined that our leader could betray the trust of the people over something as serious as war."

Watada could face up to five years in jail and a dishonorable discharge if he is convicted at a court-martial for failing to join his 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Regiment, unit when it begins leaving for Iraq on June 23.

Eric Seitz, Watada's civilian attorney, acknowledged at a state Capitol news conference that Watada will face an uphill battle in making those arguments.
But Seitz said "there is a lot of support" for Watada. "There are a lot of people who are opposed to the war. There has been a crescendo of opposition against the war in the last couple of months.

Watada has drawn the support from various anti-war groups and politicians such as former Gov. Ben Cayetano, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, former Lt. Gov. Jean King, former Rep. Sam Lee and state Sens. Clayton Hee and Clarence Nishihara.

[not in online edition] However, others, like Rebecca Davis, co-founder of Military Families Voice of Victory, said in an emailed statement that she hopes that Watada is prosecuted "to the fullest extent."

"He is a coward and a traitor. His actions will only serve to get his fellow soliders killed so that he can save himself and become famous," Davis said.

Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, June 8 --Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mastermind behind hundreds of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq, was killed early Wednesday by an airstrike --north of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born high-school dropout whose leadership of the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq made him the most wanted man in Iraq, was killed along with several other people near the city of Baqubah, the officials said.

U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on a house in which Zarqawi was meeting with other insurgent leaders. A U.S. military spokesman said coalition forces pinpointed Zarqawi's location after weeks of tracking the movements of his spiritual adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, who also was killed in the blast.

Following the attack, coalition forces raided 17 locations in and around Baghdad, seizing a "treasure trove" of information about terror operations in the country, U.S. Army Major Gen. William B. Caldwell IV told reporters at a military briefing here. Some of the raids focused on targets the United States had been using to monitor Zarqawi's location, Caldwell said.

The stated aim of Zarqawi, 39, in addition to ousting foreign forces from Iraq, was to foment bloody sectarian strife between his fellow Sunni Muslims and members of Iraq's Shiite majority, a prospect that has become a grim reality during the past several months.

His killing is the most significant public triumph for the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq since the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein, although analysts warned that Zarqawi's death may not stem the tide of insurgency and violence any more than Hussein's capture did. Copying Osama bin Laden's leadership strategy, Zarqawi set up numerous semi-autonomous terrorist cells across Iraq, many of which could continue operating after his death.

dropouts left behind

In 2004-05, the latest year for which Department of Education statistics are available, some schools had [dropout] rates almost twice the state average. In many, the rate has been growing.

The highest in the state was Wai'anae High, with a dropout rate of 29.2 percent. That means nearly three of every 10 students who started ninth grade together four years earlier left school without graduating.

Close behind were McKinley High and Nanakuli High and Intermediate, with respective dropout rates of 26.5 percent and 26.6 percent, followed by Farrington High at 22.6 percent.

The social cost is heavy. These young people may be doomed to low-paying jobs or menial labor, and may never have the earning power to support a family or the training to contribute what they might have to society. They're also more likely to be the ones involved with drugs, unwedded pregnancy, gangs and criminal activity.

A survey of 716 male inmates of the 1,003 men incarcerated at Halawa Medium Security Correctional Facility in 2005 showed that 35.8 percent did not have high school diplomas, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety.

Iraq's unity government takes office

BAGHDAD, Iraq – After five months of often bitter wrangling over Cabinet posts, Iraq's unity government took office Saturday (May 20) and vowed to fight the insurgency, restore stability and set the stage for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops.

The new permanent government resulting from December's elections in which 12 million Iraqis participated has been portrayed by Western officials as the best hope for changing the dynamics of violence in Iraq. But it must expand control and persuade insurgents, assassins and militias to stand down, with no guarantee of success.

Puerto Rico out of money

Puerto Rico's government shut down Monday after the U.S. commonwealth ran out of money to pay 100,000 public employees, temporarily throwing them out of work.

About 500,000 students are out of school as the shutdown left 40,000 teachers idle. Forty-three government agencies and all 1,600 public schools on the island were closed.

The closure comes after the legislature and the governor failed to reach a last-minute deal to address the government's $740-million budget shortfall. The legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a budget since 2004 and debts continue to pile up.

Congress advised to reject Akaka bill

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recommended yesterday that Congress reject a bill granting federal recognition and self-government rights to Hawaiians.

The action was a blow to supporters of the controversial bill, which was introduced six years ago by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, and other members of the Hawai'i delegation.

Akaka said in a written statement that his goal is still to have the bill heard on the Senate floor.

sewage dumped into Ala Wai

As much as 10 million gallons of raw sewage has been dumped into the Ala Wai Canal since Friday and city officials say it could be a week before the spill stops. The sewage was purposely diverted to the Ala Wai after Friday's heavy rains apparently caused a 42-inch sewer line to rupture on Kaiolu Street in Waikiki. The amount of waste already released rivals the biggest sewage spills the city has ever seen.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, speaking at a press conference at Kaiolu Street yesterday, said diverting sewage into the canal was unavoidable.

rain hits Oahu

A midday downpour thundered over Honolulu yesterday, overwhelming an area already saturated from six weeks of rain.

Homes and businesses were inundated, roads were closed, mudslides threatened homes and Kahala Mall was flooded out for the weekend.

The torrential rains flooded major thoroughfares, overflowed the Manoa and Makiki streams, and knocked out phone service for many East Oahu residents. The rain also overwhelmed waste-water treatment facilities in Kaneohe and Waimanalo, sending thousands of gallons of untreated waste water into Kaneohe Bay and around the Waimanalo plant. Sewage spills were also reported at Manoa, Kakaako, Enchanted Lake, Kailua Heights and Aliamanu.



[4/16/06] Listen To The Rain (special report)

gas prices and the gas cap

[9/13/06] Hawaii gas prices hover above mainland prices

[6/11/06] A Star-Bulletin analysis indicates that Hawaii motorists could have saved an average of 10 cents a gallon on regular gasoline in the past month if the state's wholesale gasoline price cap law had remained in place.

Instead of rising and falling with mainland markets as they had under the price caps -- with sharp week-to-week changes of more than a dime in many cases -- Hawaii prices have remained fairly consistent since Gov. Linda Lingle signed the legislation to suspend the caps on May 5.

Since then, the daily statewide average as reported by AAA's Fuel Gauge Report has ranged from $3.38 to $3.43 a gallon, with the average settling at $3.41. The national average over the same time has been about $2.88 a gallon. Under the old price cap formula, the statewide average over the past month could have been about $3.31 a gallon.

[5/6/06] The repeal of the gas cap should bring more stable prices, but not necessarily lower prices

[5/5/06] Legislature retires the gas cap

[4/29/06] The gas cap being suspended indefinitely

[3/23/06] A PUC study concludes Oahu drivers are paying 5 cents per gallon more under the gas cap law.

[3/5/06] A NEW state study suggests an average household might have paid up to $65 more for gasoline in Hawaii from September through January as a result of the state's wholesale gasoline price caps. The analysis prepared by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism attempts to determine what gas prices would have been without the price caps, which took effect Sept. 1, the same day oil and gas prices nationwide began climbing to record highs following Hurricane Katrina's landfall in the Gulf Coast. It estimates that consumers paid $54.9 million more for all grades of gasoline over the five-month span.

[10/30/05] The price gap has widened under the gas cap

[10/19/05] Gas skimpers running out of gas

[9/20/05] How the gas cap is affecting some families

[9/16/05] Up to this point, the pricing in Hawaii has reflected the warnings by Stillwater Associates

[9/15/05] Honolulu Gas Prices

[9/15/05] gas sales down as drivers wait for Monday's expected decrease in prices

[9/13/05] gas prices increase 47 cents a gallon

[9/9/05] Van pool phone lines are flooded. Bus ridership is up. Even good, old-fashioned walking is finding new enthusiasts. Apparently, Hawai'i drivers do have a tipping point: $3 per gallon.

[9/7/05] Gas prices top $3.00 but are still below national average

[9/1/05] Gas cap expected to spur jump in gas prices

[9/1/05] Drivers in Atlanta said stations were charging well over $3 a gallon for regular unleaded, and at least one station in Stockbridge, Ga., was charging customers $5.87 a gallon.

Hawaiian Telcom TV

Time Warner Oceanic Cable, the dominant television provider in Hawai'i, soon will face a major new competitor, which could result in lower prices for all viewers.

Hawaiian Telcom, the state's largest telephone provider, is preparing to launch a television service via high-speed phone lines as soon as August.

Dick Cheney off target

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

* * *

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.

"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."

"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."

* * *

In a stunning reversal of policy, Vice-President Dick Cheney has invited the openly shunned Jack Abramoff bird hunting. The Vice-President said he doesn't mind that Mr. Abramoff is currently embroiled in scandal; Cheney just wants to "help him get away from things." Cheney noted an attribute the pair shared. "I've heard that he has a talent for wandering off. That would make him an ideal hunting buddy. I've also insisted he forgo the neon orange vest for his traditional black trench coat and fedora. I just want him to feel at ease."

* * *

and much more

Governor Lingle's advisors fail fifth grade test

Lingle told HSTA delegates that her own senior policy advisers took the fifth-grade Hawaii math test and could not pass it.

(I wonder if she took the test herself?)

Photos of the Year

Time Magazine's photos of the year

I see the site still has photos for past years: 2004, 2003, 2002.

-- from Cool Tricks and Trinkets #387

Top Stories of 2005

The onslaught of Gulf Coast hurricanes, notably Katrina and the deadly flooding which devastated New Orleans, was overwhelmingly picked by U.S. editors and news directors as the top story of 2005 in The Associated Press' annual vote.

CNN readers were asked to reflect on the year's events and choose from a selection of top stories. The aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami and South Asian earthquake were ranked alongside politics and scandals at home and abroad, the deaths of a chief justice and a pope, Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson's brand of celebrity justice and a British royal wedding.

A new report card

[11/18/05] Schools given option to return to old report cards

[11/3/05] Teacher's Union wants to return to old report card

[10/16/05] Elementary schools will no longer use A's, B's and C's.

[10/1/05] When the state begins issuing new standards-based report cards for elementary schools next month, it will spell the end of that familiar grade scale and signal a new era featuring its odd-sounding successors ME, MP, N and U.

Remembering Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was no politician, but in an amazingly simple act of defiance, she gave extraordinary strength to the civil rights movement.

It is no exaggeration for me to say that I think of Rosa Parks every day, at least, every day that I ride the bus.

A lot of myths surrounded the life of Rosa Parks.

While millions view Parks as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, it is a designation she repeatedly disclaimed, citing that she was only doing what she thought was her right.

Pakistan hit by earthquake

Rescue workers pulled survivors from rubble and uncovered bodies from debris as darkness fell in Islamabad and elsewhere, a day after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake caused devastation across South Asia. Nearly 20,000 people were estimated killed in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan as a result of Saturday's quake.

The New Nickel

After nearly 100 years of depicting presidents in somber profiles on the nation's coins, the Mint is trying something different: The new nickel features President Jefferson, facing forward, with the hint of a smile.

[1/12/06] Coming soon to a cash register near you — a smiling Thomas Jefferson looking straight at you from a new nickel that will end nearly a century of tradition for U.S. coins.

New $10 Bill

A redesigned $10 bill with new background colors meant to thwart counterfeiters was unveiled Wednesday at a ceremony on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The new $10 bill follows the introduction of new $20 and $50 bills in each of the last two years.

Irish Republic Army declares end to violence against Britain

[9/25/05] The Irish Republican Army has given up its entire arsenal of weapons, demonstrating that its 35-year campaign to overthrow Northern Ireland by force is really over, the Canadian general who supervised the tortuous process said.

[8/1/05] The Irish Republican Army declared an end on Thursday to a 36 year campaign of violence against Britain that was aimed at unifying Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic.

Hurricane Katrina

Thousands trying to flee New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina

Israel pulls out of Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers on Monday removed the last inhabitants from the settlement of Netzarim, the final settlement slated for evacuation, marking the end of 38 years of Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip.

In the Palestinian neighborhoods close to Dugit, residents watch the bulldozers work, and find it hard to believe that Jewish homes are being destroyed this time.

Walgreens in talks for first Hawai'i store

Walgreens, the nation's biggest-selling drug store chain, has set its sights on Hawai'i in an expansion plan that would deliver more consumer shopping options and could threaten the dominance of what many kama'aina regard as a local sales institution, Longs Drug Stores.

Walgreens, a behemoth with more than 10 times as many stores as Longs, is negotiating with the owner of Pearl Kai Shopping Center to build a store with a drive-through pharmacy as part of an effort to establish at least two or three stores in Honolulu, the owner of Pearl Kai said.

Star Bulletin Classified Ads

are now free (went effect sometime last month)

Peter Jennings

The longtime anchor of ABC "World News Tonight" died Sunday, some four months after he announced on the air that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Court rules against Kamehameha admissions policy

A federal appeals court today struck down the Kamehameha Schools' century-old Hawaiian preference admissions policy, saying it violates federal anti-discrimination law.

The American Sheik

Officially, he's Army Staff Sgt. Dale L. Horn, but to residents of the 37 villages and towns that he patrols, he's known as the American sheik.

"He has developed a great relationship with local leaders," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment. "They love him. They're not going to let anyone shoot at Sheik Horn."

Michael Jackson is innocent

Well, at least he was found not guilty anyway.

Global Poverty

Global poverty can be cut in half by 2015 and eliminated by 2025 if the world's richest countries -- including the US, Japan and Germany -- more than double aid to the poorest countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

Iraqi elections

Iraq votes amid violence

Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson passes away at 79

tsunami tragedy

The tsunami death toll now tops 116,000.

Various organizations are accepting donations.

Students raise thousands for tsunami relief

What is H&R Block?

Ken Jennings' Jeopardy winning streak ends at 74 games.

Dan Rather to step down from CBS

Will step down on the 24th anniversary after taking over from Walter Cronkite

Dump in Campbell Industrial Park

The City County votes to put dump in Campbell Industrial Park

proposal meeting criticism

Tam now wants to throw trash in Koko Crater

Harris calls Tam's suggestion ridiculous

City Council votes to expand Waimanalo Gulch landfill

bottle bill about to begin

pay now, refund later

A look at the bottle bill

Memminger chucks redemption plan

Lowes throws down gauntlet

Plans store in between Home Depot and City Mill

Colin Powell resigns

Secretary of State and three others resign. Condoleeza Rice is likely successor.

Palestinian leader Arafat dies at 75

CNN Story

Honest Change for Honolulu?

Still waiting for the second printout as I write this, but the writing is on the wall for this one too.

Tomorrow's headline in advance: Duke Bainum is the new mayor of Honolulu.

The second printout is in. And Mufi has pulled to nearly a dead heat, only 1000 votes behind. I may be be eating my words by the third printout.

The results are in. And Mufi has pulled off the surprising come-from-behind victory to become the new mayor of Honolulu.

How did he do it? Some are pointing to a smear campaign.

Bainum laments personal attacks.

Remember these words. Do we need it? Can we afford it? Can we maintain it?

We'll see if Mufi lives up to them. I hope so.

Mufi post-election interview

Four More Years of Bush

The networks are still hedging, but the writing is on the wall.

Bush will win Ohio and will have another four more years as president.

Kerry concedes

Duke and Mufi debate

Duke likes Mufi's singing

The candidate's vision for Honolulu

Who does the UK want for president?

Homer Simpson tops their poll

Lingle vs. Triumph

no contest

new BRT

New bus transit system ready to roll

Smooth debut for hybrid buses

final presidential debate

Bush and Kerry debate on domestic issues

Wal-Mart invades Honolulu

Wal-Mart opens on Keeaumoku

Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve, the star of the Superman movies dies at 52.

need some wood?

Does Bush own a timber company and other fact checks from the second debate

CNN Reports

Camp Cupcake

Martha reports to prison

the global test

What did John Kerry exactly say?

Rodney Dangerfield

Goodbye Rodney

The Debate

Who won the presidential debate?

Truth stretched at times

WTS/WTM

Foremost Dairies closes down

got milk?

Dobelle fired

UH regents fire Evan Dobelle after three years.

Ronald Reagan

The 40th president passes away at 93

[6/5/14] Ten Reagan quotes