WE'RE NO. 6!

Lots of vaccine left after swine flu's peak

Swine flu got a lot of attention as the new deadly virus strain swept the globe. Scientists rushed to develop a vaccine, and doses were initially hard to come by because of limits the government imposed. But now that that the outbreak has peaked, there are tens of millions of unused doses nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that fact last week, in its first state-by-state report on vaccination rates. Hawaii residents were lauded for helping to stem the global outbreak; the CDC report noted that the state has the nation's sixth-highest swine flu vaccination rate.

HAPPILY IDLE

Hanging out on Furlough Friday

The trend of Furlough Fridays has captured the attention of The Wall Street Journal—and Hawaii got mentioned in a Friday article, “;TGIFF: Some idled state workers find 'Furlough Fridays' can be fun.”; Of note was Darrin Carlson, morning radio host on Hilo's B97, who created this rhyme: “;Here is where we sit bored out of our wits, state workers staying home everywhere. Well we got no place to go, so the state can save some dough, watching TV in our underwear. It's Furlough Friday ... “;

LIVE, LOVE, DANCE

The Merrie Monarch show must go on

For the first time since it began decades ago, the Merrie Monarch Festival will go on without its two founders.

As thousands of hula dancers, kumu, musicians and fans prepare to descend on Hilo this week, the loss of Dorothy “;Aunty Dottie”; Thompson and Uncle George Naope will loom large.

Thompson died last month at age 88; Naope died in October at age 81. The festival started gaining momentum after 1968, when the two joined cultural and logistical forces to put on the annual, now-booming event.

The hula and mele are the main attractions, of course, but it was a bonus to watch the two work the fest: Uncle George in his flashy outfits, Auntie Dottie with her no-nonsense style. The force of two such strong spirits is sure to create chicken-skin moments throughout the Wednesday to Saturday festival.