TheBuzz
TheBuzz
National media eyebrows have been raised over the failure of American Classic Voyages. American Classic’s ship did not come in
Proof of that came in a phone call to the Star-Bulletin newsroom from the Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor."
The show's producers were working to gather various perspectives on the story, including that of someone in Hawaii who has observed and reported on the cruise line-turned-ship-builder's ups and downs.
In the late '90s, American Classic Voyages' subsidiary American Hawaii Cruises launched "Project America," a plan to expand the interisland cruise ship fleet and build the largest oceangoing ships constructed on U.S. soil in some 40 years in Pascagoula, Miss.
With support from Congress the company received government-backed financing.
The financing worked, the plan did not, hence the planned topic of the show, which producers told the Star-Bulletin would air tomorrow.
The O'Reilly Factor airs in Hawaii on Fox News Channel at 3, 6 and 11 p.m. weekdays.
Unexpected Hawaii
One might never expect to find a story about Hawaii on the New York Post's "Page Six pagesix.com," which is primarily gossip. Still there it was last week, a link to a story by Associated Press Honolulu staffer Ron Staton on the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum.Aside from a traveling exhibit, its existence is only virtual at www.hawaiimusicmuseum.org.
The story explains that President Joseph Paikai and other members are developing a fund-raising program and seeking a corporate sponsor on their way to finding a bricks and mortar home.
Got VC?
Venture capital has long been the brass ring of the start-up. However it's not like one can just go to the "venture capital store" to pick some up along with a dozen eggs or gallon of milk.The Wayne Brown Institute will conduct a seminar on obtaining venture capital for a limited number of entrepreneurs with plans for a "better mousetrap" this week in advance of the fourth annual Investors Choice International Equity Capital Conference on Maui in June.
The "Build a Business Plan to Raise Capital" seminar will take place March 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. and is limited to 50 participants. The $35 cost is discounted to $25 for members of the High Technology Trade Association and the Hawaii Venture Capital Association.
Registration information is available online at www.venturecapital.org/seminars.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com