Labor deal will enhance fall's joy

Fall in Hawaii has always been special for me.

Football and volleyball are in full swing, especially the University of Hawaii Warriors and the Wahine, to complement Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations!

I hope that the ugly specter of Hawaii workers' strikes will not come to be, and reasonable resolution and compromise will resolve the furlough/layoff government worker controversy.

Maybe the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Barack Obama, will come to Hawaii's help if necessary!

Princess projects are not related

On Princess Ka'iulani's birthday, Oct. 16, the film about her, which was shot in part at 'Iolani Palace in 2008, will hit the screen at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

I was surprised to hear that, after much debate, producers decided it will, in fact, be called “;Barbarian Princess,”; in stark contrast to who she was. Many of us have been under the impression that a new title was in the works after the protests in April 2008.

Because of much confusion, please let me be clear: This is a different film script from “;Ka'iulani — The Island Rose”; — a different production company altogether. Our organization is the Princess Ka'iulani Project from Maui, and we have been dedicated to researching and spreading the word of Ka'iulani's untold heroism. We celebrate the friendship between her dual Hawaiian/Scottish roots and invite others to join us in building these cultural bridges.

The Project (http://www.thekaiulaniproject.com) also serves as a gathering place for those with previously produced works.

I can't comment on their script, as I haven't read it. However, I do believe that their point in using the word “;barbarian”; is to illustrate just how wrong the American newspapers were back in 1893. The fact that Ka'iulani was referred to as a barbarian in newspapers — which she was — confirms the fact that the U.S. was receiving incorrect information about both Queen Liliuokalani and Princess Ka'iulani. It was humiliating for Ka'iulani then, and it's agonizing for us today, to hear the word “;barbarian”; in association with this beautiful soul. The point is, Ka'iulani was the antithesis of a barbarian — a “;flower of civilization”; with an education of the highest order — that is the point the filmmakers are trying to make.

Many people in Hawaii, however, are concerned that the ironic title will be too easily misunderstood and that the world won't “;get it.”;

Shame on greedy UH professors

Years ago I heard the term that “;town and gown”; will never meet. I guess that is certainly evident right now. Shame on the University of Hawaii professors who profess that the current economic problems should not be theirs and feel that general excise taxes on all Hawaii citizens should be raised — all this while every segment of our community is hurting with layoffs, foreclosures and more homelessness.

They are stating, “;Not in my back pocket.”; For shame, for shame.