Oct 10, 2012 | Education
Filmmakers Destin Cretton (left) and Shan Liljestrand (right)
Two filmmakers with Maui ties will have their work showcased this month at the 2012 Hawai‘i International Film Festival on Oahu. The event, featuring more than 150 films from 40 different countries, is set for Oct. 11-21 at Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX and the Hawai‘i Theatre. The festival bills itself as a premier international film event with two mandates: “to be a festival of record for emerging films from Asia and the Pacfiic, and to present the top festival films from around the world.” For more information, go to www.hiff.org.
Entries of interest include features by 33-year-old filmmaker and teacher Destin Cretton and 22-year-old cinematographer Shan Liljestrand. Both men grew up on Maui, were educated in schools here and now make Los Angeles their home. They also share a passion for filmmaking. “I love working in an art form that requires so much collaboration with other people,” said Cretton, whose festival film title is “I Am Not a Hipster.” It’s about a young singer-songwriter in San Diego who is learning to deal with the loss of his mother. There are five live music performances in the film, which all interact with the story and elaborate the characters. Liljestrand’s first entry at the Hawaii Film Festival is called “‘Ape,” the name of a plant used by Native Hawaiians as a test to determine if someone was real or a spirit. The subject in the film is Daniel, a young man who suffers from mental illness and travels to Hana in a form of self-therapy, but once there, reality fades further away. “Making this film was a great education as I am constantly learning to make movies,” Liljestrand said.
Asked to give advice to young people interested in filmmaking, Cretton said, “Just find a story that is close to you and figure out a way to tell it. Maui locals are natural masters of the craft so if that’s what you’re interested in, just go for it.” Liljestrand added, “It all boils down to telling a story, so write, draw, take photographs, whatever you can do to tell a story.”
Oct 3, 2012 | Education
Voters have an opportunity on Nov. 6 to elect a woman to replace retiring Hawaii U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka. The race for the U.S. Senate seat features Democratic Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Hirono is giving up her seat as the Hawai‘i 2nd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives while Lingle is seeking to get back into political office two years after completing two terms as governor of Hawai‘i. The candidates have jointly agreed to participate in four statewide televised debates in October. These particular forums provide a chance for viewers to see the candidates together on one stage discussing their stance on the islands’ most critical issues and what they would do to address them if elected.
The four Hirono-Lingle debates are scheduled for:
- October 8, 7 p.m., on KHON, sponsored by AARP.
- October 16, 8 p.m. on KITV, sponsored by Civil Beat.
- October 18, 8 p.m., on PBS Hawaii.
- October 22, 8 p.m., on Hawaii News Now, sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Sep 26, 2012 | Events
The Maui Fair promises onolicious food and lots of fun, as well as engaging activities like robotics for youth and a new Events Arena. For the Fair’s Managing Director Sherri Grimes, the Robo Tech Maui Expo & Competition has brought much pride. The event for high schoolers has increased from just a few teams on Maui to more than 40 from across the state. “Robotics is really near and dear to my heart. Actually everything to do with education and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) is important to me,” she said. Grimes said she hopes the crowd will support the Fair by coming to see the Robo Tech competition. The events are organized by Maui high school students to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and math. There will also be a Lego competition for 4th and 5th graders.
The Fair, now in its 90th year, opens with the traditional parade on Thursday, and continues throughout the weekend with other draws including rides, food, entertainment, horticulture, livestock, photo, art and commercial exhibits. Grimes is expecting the crowds to exceed 95,000 during the four days. This year’s family-oriented fair is built on the theme of “A Timeless Tradition.” One of the newest features is an Events Arena which provides information and how-to demonstrations on a variety of topics from taiko drumming to hula zumba to caring for orchids and pets. “It’s educational. It’s engaging and it’s interactive,” Grimes said. “We’re very much looking forward to it.”
Maui Economic Development Board’s Focus Maui Nui program will return to the Fair where it distributes a survey for residents. This year’s booth will be in the Horticulture section of the gymnasium. The surveys are an opportunity “take the pulse of the community” on core Focus Maui Nui strategies and values: education, environment, infrastructure, sustainable business and cultural values. Free hand-sanitizers will be provided. For more information about Maui Fair 2012, go to www.mauifair.com.
Sep 19, 2012 | Community
With public help and government support, Maui Invasive Species Committee has made inroads in its work to eradicate annoying coqui frogs. Since 2006, 11 of the 17 Maui populations of coqui frogs have been silenced, according to Lissa Strohecker, MISC outreach and education specialist. A crew of five people work weekly from 1 to 11 p.m. staking areas, mostly in East Maui, to eradicate the frogs. “We’ve had quite a bit of success,” she said. “The landowners are always happy when we can get rid of them.” For each populated area of coquis, there are as little as 20,000 to as many as 90,000 frogs per acre.
Experts say the coqui frog was accidentally introduced into Hawai‘i from Puerto Rico sometime in 1988. The coquis’ mating call has become a noise nuisance, reaching up to 90 decibels, equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower. “They start calling in the late afternoon and continue all through the night,” Strohecker said. Aside from the noise, coqui frogs pose a risk to the environment because they eat Hawai‘i’s unique insects and spiders. Scientists have expressed concern that an established coqui frog population could be a food source should brown tree snakes ever make their way into the islands. “It also has an impact on tourism,” Strohecker said. While most reports of coqui findings are in East Maui, MISC worked diligently with Ritz-Carlton Kapalua to get rid of coqui frogs reported by the hotel.
Dale Castleton, owner of Dale Castleton Plant Nursery in Kihei, was one of the first businesses to enroll in MISC’s voluntary coqui-free nursery program. The requirements for participation include agreeing to treatments of citric acid and regular inspections. “It was a lot of work, but it was worth the time to be free of coqui frogs,” Castleton said. To date, there are nearly 40 participants in MISC’s coqui certification program. Strohecker said MISC’s staff depend on visitors and residents to call them at 573-6472 whenever they hear the coqui frog. A location is declared coqui-free one year after callings are silenced.
Sep 12, 2012 | Education, Environment
Hundreds of scientists, astronomers, engineers and a new generation of space leaders are gathering on Maui this week for the 13th Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference. Mike Maberry is among six representatives from the University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy who will be attending the 2012 event at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. “The AMOS Conference is the only annual world class space related technical conference held here in Hawai‘i,” said Maberry, assistant director for UH’s Institute for Astronomy. “It provides a great opportunity to network, to exchange ideas, and to get updates on advances in areas of technical interest.”
A program of the Maui Economic Development Board, the AMOS Conference is billed as the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space surveillance. The mission of MEDB, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, involves taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry and diversifying new opportunities. Maberry said the IfA has been participating in the conference since its inception. He said he attends to represent the IfA for networking opportunities “that may lead to collaborations for dual use technology development.” Scientists from the IfA have written several technical papers ‒ this year being no exception ‒ to share with others attending the conference.
The University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy is the steward of two of the best astronomical and space surveillance observatory sites in the world, Haleakalā on Maui and Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Maberry said the AMOS conference helps keep him updated on the latest in space surveillance. This year’s keynote address will be given by General William L. Shelton of the Air Force Space Command, U.S. Air Force. Also, the conference will host up to 300 Maui middle school students for a session with Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut and Space Foundation Special Advisor – Human Spaceflight. For more information, visit www.amostech.com.
