HMO ‘accredit’
to the islandsTHERE'S little wonder that Health Plan Hawaii president Bob Nickel is smiling these days. Word has filtered down that the HMO affiliate of HMSA has received a three-year full accreditation from the group that evaluates managed care organizations around the country. The official notice is to be posted on the accrediting group's Internet Web Site (www.ncqa.org) next Wednesday. That news has also put smiles on the faces of the 62,000 members of Health Plan Hawaii, as well as the 1,500 participating physicians, health professionals, hospitals and health centers that make up the plan's provider network, the largest HMO network in Hawaii. "I won't be passing out cigars," says Nickel, "because Health Plan Hawaii is so committed to preventive health care." Bad news for those of us who like a stogie now and again ...
TURNING heads in Keo's, Waikiki was "La Femme Nikita" herself, Peta Wilson. She even planted a kiss on the reddened cheek of owner Keo Sananikone for a contribution to his celebrity photo wall ... Peta should be rushin' to Alfred's at Century Center where Alfred Wollenweider has extended his "Russian and Fine Art in Retrospective," through July 18. To go along with the Russian art, he's featuring such Slavic dishes as Borscht Moskovskaia, Ogurtze Salad, Salmon Pojarski, Piroshki and Nalistniki. Or sample the favorite dish of Joseph Stalin, Shashlyk Pokarski.
El Nino and Hilo
HERE'S something of a scoop. The New York Times Magazine is doing a piece on El Nino Sunday, and it'll include coverage of the drought suffered on the Big Isle while rains inundated the mainland. Big Isle photog Tim Wright opened up his file of drought photos for the Times, even as he informed them the drought was over. "We now get rain twice a week," Wright deadpanned. "The first time for three days and the second time for four days." That's a little Hilo humor, folks ...FOR those nostalgic about old Hawaii, and that includes just anyone who lived here in those days, Michael Cord of Cord International has released two CD gems on Hana Ola Records, both digitally remastered. One is "Alfred Apaka -- the Lost Recordings," done locally between 1945 and 1949, and the other is "Lei of Stars," featuring just about every major recording star of the day (Alfred, Pua, Jules, George, Benny, Alvin, Gabby, Richard, Andy, Genoa and more) on a total of 20 tunes. It's the Vintage Hawaiian Treasures Series, Volume 10 ...
FOR the guy quoted in the Advertiser as saying he "may have been the first" to sell old records back in 1962, I recall vividly buying old 78s at Meister's Music in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1950 for a dime apiece. And they made no claims at being first ...
Country matters
THERE are all kinds of political fund-raisers, but Boys & Girls Club volunteers Sharon Fairbanks and Suzy Churchill are staging what looks like one, only to benefit the club, and not any politico. This rally takes place tomorrow at Lanikuhonua, the former Leeward Coast retreat of the late Alice Kamokila Campbell. On hand will be such political rally veterans as Aunty Genoa Keawe, plus Kawai Cockett and the Nuuanu Brothers. Rumor has it that old time politicians, including former Gov. Bill Quinn and retired U.S. Sen. Hiram Fong, will be there to show the young bucks how it was done in the good old days. Club president Ron Schmid points out one difference -- instead of stew and rice there'll be a lavish array of local food favorites guaranteed to get your vote of approval ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.