Living on the Big Island… Seeking Employment

Many people move to the Big Island with this big idea that they are moving to Hawaii and getting away from all the mainland BS.

Of course living in “Paradise” is everyones dream.

People save up  their life savings just to retire here.

Is Hawaii the dream place that many people make it out to be?

Why do I see so many people moving here and suffering.

I don’t know what I would do without the support of ohana.

Finding employment on the Big Island for even those that are well qualified in many positions has become a bitch for even the best of us.

After 8-9 years working in a State job with DOE on Oahu, I made the choice to give up money to come home and live a simpler life so that I could be closer to Ohana.  My wife made it easier for me to make this decision nearly 3 years ago when she found an Agriculture job with the USDA that has made my transition over here easier.

I knew that finding a job might present some problems for me, but I really did not know the extreme situation that some people are actually in here on the Big Island.

I just want to say thanks to my mom, my wife, my in-laws and the rest of my ohana who have all given me support while I try to get back in the groove here on the Big Island.

So while I’m at it… I need to get the word out… I’m unemployed and looking for work.

If you have any job leads… feel free to email me at damontucker@yahoo.com

Michael Marzi’s Obituary From Anthony Marzi’s Myspace Page

From a bulletin Anthony Marzi posted on his Myspace Page

Michael Anthony Marzi 39, of Pahoa, died Oct. 3 at home.

Born in Kailua, Oahu, he tended bar at Luquin’s Cantina.

Viewing 9-10 a.m. Wednesday conducted by St. Peter Channel Catholic Church in Borthwick Hawaii Funeral Home Chapel. Mass at 10 a.m.; burial at Alae Cemetery at 11:30 a.m.

Survived by parents, Jo Ann and Dominic Marzi of Pahoa; sister, Carla Marzi, of Boise, Idaho; brothers, Joseph (Marie) Marzi of West Palm Beach, Fla., Vincent (Jennifer) Marzi of Winchester, Calif., Dominic (Nancy) Marzi of Pahoa and Anthony Marzi of Pahoa; and maternal grandmother, Mary Palandrani of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Arrangements by Borthwick Hawaii Funeral Home.

Michael was suffering from lymphoma. During his last hour he was surrounded by three of his brothers: Dominic, Vinny, and myself. He will be missed.

Sincerely,
Tony

Kenoi Vs. Pilago Debate LIVE on PBS

I’ll attempt to confirm things with Leslie Wilcox, about this upcoming PBS Debate between Kenoi and Pilago that was posted on Punaweb:

…The next debate is scheduled for 10/30 on Island Insights on PBS, this debate will be broadcasted live….

I hope there will be a way to ask questions… will get back to this blog posting on this as soon as I can find out more information.

Build Your Own Keck With Recycled Materials

This is to all those hard workers up on top of Mauna Kea reading my blog and playing cribbage. ;)

I was messing around with the Google 10 year Anniversary Searches and I came across this site where you can order your own mini version of the Keck Telescopes and build them yourself.

I don’t know if they are still available or not, but from the site 10 years ago, it states:

Keck Telescope SCIENCE KIT Price:

$18.95 each.

Free shipping within the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. For other countries, $8 is added to the order total for shipping and handling. See the “How to Order” button below. Space Craft SCIENCE KITs are designed and made in the U.S.A. using state-of-the-art processes and the highest quality recycled materials.

RIP DeWayne McKinney – The Wrongly Accused Convict Turned ATM Man of Hawaii

Here’s an interesting story I’ll just put in a few quotes here so you can get a gist of it:

DeWayne McKinney, who spent nearly two decades in prison for a an Orange County murder he insisted he did not commit and went on to start a multi-million dollar business has died in a scooter accident…

…McKinney had parlayed a $1 million legal settlement with the Orange Police Department into a multi-million-dollar automated teller machine business on the Hawaiian islands and had been in discussions with movie studio executives about turning his life story into a feature film…

…McKinney spent months searching for business ideas after receiving the financial settlement from the city of Orange, before settling on investing in the ATM industry.

He bought dozens of the banking machines and installed them in bars, restaurants and shopping malls in Hawaii, making huge profits from customers’ convenience fees.

At the time of his death, McKinney owned 42 ATMs on three Hawaiian islands and had a net worth of more than $6 million, said Carl Stein, who owned a company that processed transactions for McKinney…

Full Story Here

CBS coverage of his release here.

And some shot’s of him in Hawaii along with more of his story on the Hawaii transition here

I see the Adveritser just reported on this

Mea Culpa –  Maiora Premunt

AirAsia Looking at Hawaii Market

I just noticed that AirAsia is looking at Hawaii as one of their destinations for future flights:

…Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes told reporters he was particularly interested in Hawaii as another of the carrier’s long-haul destinations…

More Here

I gotta say, I do like the picture on the front of the AirAsia Website ;)

Manu Kai LLC Receives $52,983,851 for Navy Project

Wow, I can’t believe this start-up company, Manu Kai LLC, that was just started in 2006 and according to this report only has one employee, is receiving a $52,983, 851 contract that could rise to $737,932,436 over 10 years.

“Manu Kai, LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $52,983,851 fixed price, indefinite quantity cost plus fixed fee contract for range operations support and base operations support services. This contract includes a one-year base period, with nine one-year option periods which, if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $737,932,436. Work will be performed in Kauai, Hawaii, and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 2018. Contract funds in the amount of $31,700,310 will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.”

Today’s KO

Geothermal Picking up Steam

We have an excellent resource right here on this island and Geothermal is finally getting noticed nationally:

An unusual combination of economic and environmental forces have created a “perfect storm” that could help geothermal shed its back-seat status to its renewable cousins wind and solar energy, experts said at an international conference.

One after another, state and federal regulators, oil company executives, investor-owned utility officials and private developers on Monday recited the conditions in play to an overflow crowd of more than 1,000…

More Here

MESA Pilots Agree to Contract

After 10 months of bickering MESA pilots have finally reached a tentative agreement:

Regional carrier Mesa Air Group Inc. says it has a tentative contract with its pilots union after 10 months of negotiations. The Phoenix-based airline announced the deal Tuesday. Union members will vote to ratify the new contract in November.  The new contract includes more days off for pilots and gives them more control over their work schedules…

More Here

American Safari Cruises Defers it’s Venture Into Hawaii

Cruise lines have been hit hard, and it looks like another one might not come to Hawaii because of the economic crisis we are in.

…The crisis in capital funding markets and the U.S. economy has led American Safari Cruises to defer its entry into the Hawaii inter-island cruise market. “It’s the wise and prudent thing to do,” says Dan Blanchard, president and CEO of American Cruise Safaris. “We plan to inaugurate our Hawaii cruises when liquidity returns to the capital markets…”

More Here

Author of Negative Book on Obama Deported from Kenya

I’m a firm believer in free speech.  Even if I don’t agree with an authors content, I do believe people should be able to write freely without fear of persecution.  This almost sounds like the Salman Rushdie case at least the author doesn’t have a price on his head as Rushdie did.

The American author of a best-selling book attacking Barack Obama as unfit for the presidency was being deported from Kenya on Tuesday, a criminal investigations official said.

Jerome Corsi, who wrote The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, was picked up by police on Tuesday for not having a work permit, said Carlos Maluta, a senior immigration official in charge of investigations…

More Here

Hilo Woman Featured in NY Times Debate

Anna Webb of Hilo is featured in today’s NY Times blog section for her views on “The Debate, The Economy and Healthcare”

Anna Webb, 51, is the mother of three grown children who lives in Hilo, Hawaii. She works as a property manager and is a Democrat who is supporting Senator Obama.

…Anyone who is on the Internet knows that the rumors, misinformation and lies about Senator Obama have been circulating for the better part of a year or longer and, in my opinion, are already negative seeds planted in the minds and hearts of many Americans…

More Here