Kushibo's photoblog

Inspired largely by The Marmot's Travel & Photo Blog (which I think should be called The Marmot's Pinhole), I've decided to try my hand at a photoblog. Between my Nikon D60, my iPhone, and some older cameras I've owned, I've taken a few pictures I'm proud of.

Anyway, the blog can be found here (this gave me an excuse to finally lay claim to the kushibo.com domain). Any suggestions are appreciated.

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Obama news from the Aloha State

For starters, a state appeals court here in Hawaii has reaffirmed the denial of a request to inspect and review President Barack Hussein Obama’s birth certificate that would prove (or disprove) that he was born here in Honolulu:

In a 3-0 vote, the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a 2009 ruling by then-state Circuit Judge Eden Elizabeth Hifo, who dismissed the lawsuit by a man identified as “Dr. Robert V. Justice,” who represented himself. He listed a Beverly Hills, Calif., address on his court papers.

In his legal brief to the appeals court, Justice wrote the inspection of the birth certificate will “ensure the health and safety of all 300 million of us by making sure that our military and our nuclear and chemical arsenals are still under our control and not in the control of any one of our enemies.”

The appeals court said Justice sought the review under the state open-records law requiring the disclosure of documents based on a showing of “compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of any individual.”

A win for Obama. A win in part because it will make the birthers keep outing themselves as nutters, with Donald Trump doubling as their leader and Exhibit A.

A loss for Obama? His golfing buddy and school chum has been arrested for prostitution:

A regular Hawaii golfing buddy and Punahou School friend of President Barack Obama was among four people arrested Monday night during a prostitution sting operation in Kakaako by Honolulu police.

Waialua resident Robert Richard “Bobby” Titcomb, 49, was arrested at South and Pohukaina streets at 9:40 p.m. Monday.

Titcomb was charged with prostitution and released after posting $500 bail at 11 p.m. The offense is a petty misdemeanor that carries a $500 fine. People convicted may also face probation, community service or up to 30 days in jail.

The area is close to a massive homeless shelter, which makes me think Barry's bud was slumming it, so to speak. Kinda dumb, when the authorities have been cracking down on homelessness in a big way, scrutinizing anyone who isn't in the shelter.

I did not take this photo.
I am too chicken.

Really, if you're going to go to a prostitute in Honolulu, just head to Waikiki. They're easy to find, walking along main streets and mingling with the tourists, and apparently they don't try all that hard to cover up what they're doing.

In fact, one of the funniest things I've ever seen in Honolulu was when I was walking back to my car from the Apple Store at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. There was a woman, obviously selling her services, talking very loudly to a man that appeared to be a middle-aged Japanese or Korean tourist, yelling for all to hear, "No, I told you, I don't accept credit cards!"

New Years in Waikiki

Lots of people here. I guess something is supposed to happen.

UPDATE:
Oh, I guess it was this. A ship off-shore was shooting off a very nice fireworks display just as the clock struck midnight.

Indeed, the streets of Waikiki were crowded with revelers, many who started to get very sh¡t-faced and very stupid. It was like Shinchon on, well, any other night.

We made our way to Denny's, which unlike Honolulu's other 24/7 offerings, was actually open. Our group shared a fudge brownie à la mode and a slice of New York-style cheesecake with strawberries.

Apparently half of Waikiki got the same idea sometime after we did, as the place got quite crowded by 1 a.m.

Breakfast for dinner

I'm at Eggs & Things, enjoying fluffy pancakes with coconut and guava syrup (that's two different syrups).

This Waikiki place is famous with Japanese tourists, and the waiter was about six Japanese sentences into getting us seated before I finally told him, "Eigo hanashimasu" (i.e., "We speak English").

The food here is great, by the way. That is, if you like breakfast. The one thing I generally missed in Seoul was a good Western breakfast, and I've spent the last four years in Honolulu making up for the prior decade or so in Seoul.