BIG BITE

Maui shark tours come up for air(ing)

The Maui County Council is wise to take up the contentious issue of shark tours before any such business opens on the Valley Isle. Assessing the pros and cons before someone's livelihood is at stake should make for a more reasonable debate, unlike the sometimes emotional discussions that took place on Oahu, where the adventure tours already occur. A Council committee recommends passing a bill to ban shark tours, and the full Council is expected to take up the measure at the end of the month.

TALK THE TALK

Aloha nui loa, Google

“;Huli ia Google”; (search Google) is a welcome new phrase in the Web lexicon, as a University of Hawaii-Hilo professor has made it possible to search the Internet in the Hawaiian language. For now, the capability is available only on Apple's Safari browser, but professor Keola Donaghy says other browsers should be updated this month. The achievement marks another milestone in the resurgence of a native language that once was perilously close to extinction.

PARENTING SKILLS

Down economy + fewer births = responsible adults

Another casualty of the Great Recession: America's baby boomlet.

U.S. births fell in 2008, the first full year of the recession, marking the first annual decline in births since the decade's start.

The drop is no surprise, as births historically decline during economic downturns.

But in a media age that glamorizes irresponsibly large broods (humans are not meant to be born in litters of eight), it's nice to see average American parents taking responsibility for bringing children into the world when they can afford to support them.