Hawaii
A bit of aloha in
Sept. 11 remembrances
AS expected, there was non-stop recap coverage of last year's Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, and it was a kick seeing Pentagon security officer Isaac Hoopii on NBC with Matt Lauer and a new friend, a man whose life was one of those saved by Hoopii after the plane crashed into the Pentagon. After Lauer said goodbye, Hoopii managed to slip in a shaka sign and said, "Mahalo, Matt, aloha." ...
[ WE REMEMBER ]
NICOLE Morry is a woman born and raised on Oahu now living in Seattle, Wash., and she e-mails that she manages to keep up with what's going on in Hawaii through this column. After reading this week's "Where were you when ..." column, Nicole shared her own story. She was told about the Twin Towers while on a hydrofoil leaving Capri, Italy, and it wasn't until she'd concluded a three-hour bus ride to Rome that she could turn on CNN-Europe and confirm the report. The next day, Nicole says the Italian paper La Republica dedicated 30 pages of coverage to the attacks. People on the street would hear her American accent and stop her to express sympathy and ask if her family was OK. She was offered free meals, use of a cell phone, whatever. Of the many memorable moments she had, none topped hearing Pope Paul II on Sept. 12 painstaking reading in English for the benefit of Americans in the Vatican audience, offering sympathy and ending with, "I ask God to grant the American people the strength and courage they need at this time of sorrow and trial." Nicole reports, "It was so comforting to be there." ...
In this corner
HILO photog Tim Wright was taking some photos of BJ Penn, the first American Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt world champ, when Penn showed some reticence about posing outside, for fear people would stare at him. Wright told him not to worry." If anyone bothers you while I'm taking photos of you, don't worry -- I'll kick their okole." Penn's next fight will be aired on Pay-per-view on Sept. 27, the ultimate fighting championship in Uncasville, Conn. ...
Script selling made easy
MAKING the rounds of Honolulu is 25-year film consultant and developer Kathy Fong Yoneda. Her book, "The Script Selling Game: A Hollywood Insiders Look at Getting Your Script Sold and Produced" is in major bookstores around the country. Seen with Yoneda was former Cherry Blossom Queen Kathy Yamamoto Ohtani, wife of Queen's baby doctor Dr. Rob Ohtani, as well as local screenwriter and producer Keala Friel Yuen of Double Happiness Productions ...OUTRIGGER Reef G.M. Geoff Graf knows a bit about balancing books, but next week he'll be working with a whole new set -- children's books. As part of the hotel's Aloha Festivals celebration, Graf will be telling Hawaiian stories for kids at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Among the titles are "Surf's Up for Kimo," "The Legend of Guava Bear," Goldie and the Three Geckos" and "Iki, The Littlest 'Opihi." ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com
