Luis Francia, Mahana Walters
HAWAII isn't alone in facing lack of English proficiency among its students, particularly those from other countries. California has a major problem in the area, and apparently it extends all the way up to the state Board of Education. Its figures appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle under "Native Languages," and listed those students who were "limited English proficient" in California schools. There were 991,000 Spanish pupils, 49,000 Vietnamese, etc. and then came the alarming "Pilipino, 22,000 pupils." Pilipino? Just who has the limited proficiency here? . . . Proficiency is a
limited thingSPEAKING of which, the Barnes & Noble calendar for August lists on Aug. 6 poet Luis Francia appearing with his anthology, "Flippin' Filipinos On America." . . . Filipino comic Andy Bumatai has always been one to laugh at himself, witness his line about how he hated to go to the Outrigger Canoe Club because they had a sign in the recreation area there stating, "No Flips in the Pool." . . .
GRANTED, Brook Mahealani Lee is a hard act to follow. After winning the Miss Hawaii USA pageant she went on to win Miss USA and then Miss Universe. But her teen-age counterpart, Miss Hawaii Teen USA, Mahana Ka'ahumanu Walters is going to give it her best shot. The 17-year-old Kamehameha Schools graduate certainly has thoroughbred credentials. She's the daughter of recording artist Owana Salazar and the late Ronald Walters, and is the great-great-granddaughter of Princess Theresa Owana La'anui Wilcox and the Honorable Robert Kalanihiapo Wilcox, Hawaii's first delegate to the U.S. Congress. Family and friends of Mahana's will be meeting July 30 at the Ocean Club at Restaurant Row for an informal fund-raiser. She's due to depart for the national competition Aug. 4 and the event itself will be televised Aug. 20 and be aired on CBS. Among those entertaining at the fund-raiser are Puamana, Melinda Caroll, Jerry Santos and, of course, her mama . . .
AS former isle D.J. Kamasami Kong was returning to the hotel where he lives while working at FM-802 in Osaka, who should he bump into but Herb Ohta Jr. The son of the famed ukulele whiz, who's also concertizing this summer in Japan, has been performing in the Rhiga Royal hotel chain this month. Yet another Ohta, this one Herb's daughter Geri, is also in Osaka, managing the very swanky Ritz-Carlton. Now Kong is working on a way to get all the Ohtas together in his Kona Connection Coffee Shop in Taipei . . . Ohta swings through Japan
IT was a busman's holiday for David Niao, a driver of TheBus. You wouldn't think he'd be looking forward to taking a drive when he got off work, but he was just that after he won the Nissan Altima KSSK gave away at Ala Moana Center the other day. He was so stoked about winning the $19,000 car that he ran into the Ala Moana Foodland, where he once worked as a checker, and told all his former work buddies. The best part of all -- he won the car on his birthday! . . .
THE final totals are in and the "Pigskin Pigout" suckling pig feast and auction at Murphy's Bar & Grill to benefit the UH football program raised $48,500. That put it well ahead of the $37,000 raised at the first such "Pigout," and very close to the highly optimistic $50,000 which owner Don Murphy had set for himself this year . . .
WHILE cigarette manufacturers are getting sued all over the mainland, cigar smoking still retains its cachet in Hawaii. Witness the elegant cigar club in Nauru Tower. But nowhere are cigar aficionados being catered to as they are at Maui's Kea Lani Hotel. The newly renovated lobby bar has a humidor and the hotel is offering serious puffers $200 Davidoff cigars, among other premium brands. On Saturday the hotel will host Maui's premier release of Napa Cigar Company products, a line developed by Robert Mondavi Jr. and Christian Grimshaw -- $40 to get in. And early next year, the National Association of Tobacco Retailers will hold its meeting there, and that's not total puffery . . . No cheap stogies here!
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.