Strollerderby : hawaii

Breaking News -- Obama to Suspend Campaign for 2 Days

Madeline Holler — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:13:00 GMT

Barack Obama's campaign managers told the press that the Illinois senator will suspend his presidential campaign for two days later this week. He will keep his schedule Tuesday in Florida. But his plans for Thursday and Friday in Wisconsin and Iowa will be replaced with campaign stops in Indiana on Wednesday.

Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has become very ill and he will spend the two days with her in Hawaii instead of out on the campaign trail.

Dunham helped to raise Obama and the two have always been close.

From a campaign spokesperson [via USA Today]:

"Recently, his grandmother has become ill, and in the last few weeks, her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. ..."

Obama mentions the 86-year-old Dunham frequently. She was a trailblazer in her own right, too. Her grandson wasn't the only person influenced by her.

She "blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii banking circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s and rose to become one of the Bank of Hawaii's first female vice presidents."

Best of FameCrawler: Week of August 29th

Whit Honea — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Holy Crap! Is That an Engagement Ring on Jennifer Aniston's Finger?

Jessica Biel Pregnant!!?

Is Michelle Obama Pregnant?

Julia Roberts Goes To Hawaii

The Obama Text: Barack is My Booty Call

Zuma Zuma Zuma Zoom

Matthew McConaughey: Nanny Ain't Alright, Alright or Little Levi and the Longboard

Ashlee Cries At The Doctor's Office?

Is Dolly Parton Dead?

Minnie Driver - HUGE Bump TINY Bikini - Photos

Guess Which Celebrity Rebecca Romijn is Naming One of Her Twins After?

Want Your Baby to Star on 'Lost'?

Jen Chaney — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:02:00 GMT

Technically, it could happen. Julie Carlson, the extras casting director for the hit ABC series, is seeking a new set of infants to play the role of Aaron, son of Claire and son of future Kate, on the fifth season of "Lost." (If you watch the show, you understand how the kid can have two moms. If you don't, well, spend some time at Lostpedia after you finish reading this blog post.)

Carlson is looking for babies who weigh between 10 and 17 pounds and have blond hair and either blue or green eyes. If you think your kid fits the bill, you can send a photo and phone number to: Julie Carlson, "Lost" cast, 510 18th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816. One important catch: Since the show is shot in Hawaii, it would probably help if you live there, unless you are willing to relocate at a moment's notice. (Um, if it got me closer to Josh Holloway, yeah, I'd consider it.) They begin filming the season later this month.

By the way, even though Aaron is a boy, female infants have definitely been cast in the role. In fact, over the weekend, all 16 of the babies that played Aaron last season had a little reunion in Honolulu. Thirteen of those kids were girls.

"Females tend to have the rounder face and they don't age as quickly," Carlson told the Honolulu Advertiser. "Plus, the boys squirm more."

I always knew that Aaron kid looked different in each episode. Now I know why. If someone would just explain what happened to the island during last season's finale, I'd feel even better.

Photo Rebecca Breyer/Honolulu Advertiser

I Vote for Year-Round School

Karen Murphy — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 11:32:00 GMT

Tomorrow school bells will once again toll throughout the land.

At least, they will where I live. For lots of you, school started a couple of weeks ago, or maybe last week, and I'm only partially blind to the fact that hey! there are other countries out there! and it's a whole different season in some of them!

But back to the back-to-school. Major relief there, dude, because the summer, it is way too long. Too many repetitions of "I'm hungry" and "What can I dooooo?" have soured me on long summers.

And I am so not alone. 3000 schools across the U.S. have gone to a year-round schedule, and I applaud them. And there are actual real and semi-scientific reasons for it, too, the main one being this:

Kids who have shorter breaks from school, especially low-income kids, seem to retain more of what they learn.

True. I'd forget stuff too after 10-12 weeks of not doing it, and spending several weeks of each new school year reviewing the previous year's work seems like a waste of time. Many schools, then, are moving toward a non-traditional schedule with shorter summer breaks; the entire state of Hawaii has moved to such a thing, with only a seven-week summer break. Other schools have several month-long breaks through the year including one in the summer. The alternate schedule seems to work best in elementary grades, though, because there can be major balkage when you mess with things like football season or other sports in high school, not to mention summer jobs and college prep season.

I would totally embrace a modified year-round schedule with longer breaks through the year: my kids would stay engaged through the year, would have longer breaks mid-year to rest and refresh, and I would hear the whining about "What can I doooo?" much much less, and there'd be lots of opportunity through the year for breaks and vacations.

What about you? Could you give up the traditional long summer vacation for your kids and move to a year-round schedule?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j0yer2dIp2s8rsgTjHW81jtBCvmA

Girl Kicked Off Plane Due to Coughing Fit

Karen Murphy — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:32:00 GMT

Here I was thinking recently that Continental may be my new favorite airline. I hadn't flown them before until this past week, but I was impressed with the low cost of my last-minute ticket, the ease of check-in, and the fact that they may be one of the only remaining airlines to offer food in coach at no additional cost (not that it was good food, you understand, but at least it was something. And there were M & M's). So imagine my surprise when I read that Rachel Collier, a teenage girl returning to Hawaii from a school trip to New York City, was kicked off her plane and made to remain behind while her classmates went home without her, all because she was coughing.

I don't know, I'm thinking that this was a little, you know, extreme. Coughing?? I was married over ten years to an airline pilot and I'm pretty familiar with the circumstances under which they may and may not have someone removed from a plane. Sure, it's always the captain's decision, but at the same time they have a mountain of paperwork to do about it and explanations to be made, so for the most part, unless the pilot is a real control freak (which is a very real possibility, believe me), they don't make those decisions lightly. In other words, they'd better be pretty darned sure that the person in question is likely to cause a real disturbance or be somehow unsafe or prevent the flight attendants from doing their jobs. In this case, a doctor on the flight checked Rachel out and said she could make the trip safely, and flight attendants gave her water and all. But still the captain said no, and Rachel was left stranded with a teacher who stayed behind with her, with no luggage, no place to stay, no nothing.

I've had coughing fits that lasted a few minutes. I'm guessing lots of people have. Maybe there's more to the story than what's in the article, but I'm still thinking that removing Rachel from the flight was an overreaction and unnecessary (did they think she had TB, maybe? Avian flu? Hardly). I'll bet her parents were freaking out. Continental has agreed to reimburse her for the extra expenses incurred by having to stay behind but I'm thinking it's not enough to make up for the humilation and consternation experienced during her unplanned extra stay in the Big Apple.

Sarah McLachlan Holding On, 'Cause This is Gonna Hurt Like Hell

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:46:00 GMT

39 year old singer-songwriter, Sarah McLachlan, appears to be pregnant with her second child. The lovely crooner and founder of women's music festival, Lilith Fair, has sold over 30 million albums since her debut in the early 90s. She has an almost five year old daughter India Ann with her husband of ten years, Ashwin Sood.

McLachlan was spotted sporting a bump on a beach in Hawaii, where she's vacationing with her family. She's been out of the public eye since releasing her album, Wintersong, late last year, but she is reportedly still an active philanthropist. She supports a Vancouver B.C. program that funds music education for inner-city children.

Sarah darling, you've been through this before, so you definitely know you should "hold on" because "This is going to hurt like hell.

It's Not a Vacation When You Have to Take the Kids With You

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 21:02:00 GMT

In about a week, I will pack up my girls (ages 4 and 2) and head to Hawaii for three weeks. Sound resplendent? Not quite.

My mom lives in Hawaii and so we visit at least once a year, but it's so. not. a. vacation. when you have kids with you. Ooh! Let's share a hotel room with the kids so either we all have to go to bed at 7:30 or we're all up until 2:00 AM! Come on! It'll be fun!!! Side note: what is it about a hotel that the minute you cross the threshold with small children they will inevitably pick up a freak stomach virus and be vomiting within hours? Happens every time.

It's not a vacation when you're using the ice bucket as a puke-catcher. It's traveling. Traveling with kids. Gone are the days when I could slather on the Bain de Soleil (SPF 0) and wave down cabana boys when my Mai Tais ran low. (Mmmm rum. Sweet, sweet nectar of the gods. How I miss you.) No more sitting on the beach with the ear phones on reading the latest Judith Krantz novel. (That Princess Daisy girl-on-girl scene? I know you know what I'm talkin' 'bout.) Sure, I could leave the kids with my mom and try to sneak away for some "me time," but I get the "How long will you be gone?" action, and, you know. Why bother.

Don't get me wrong, my mom is a very adoring grandmother, but she's not going to play Candyland or make animals out of Play-Doh. She'll hit her stride with the girls when they are old enough to see A Chorus Line.

So until then, it's me vs. them. Me trying trying to keep the two-year-old from running headlong into the surf or crapping in my mom's pool. Me helping to brush every speck of sand off my four-year-old's towel and holding her in the ocean so that her entire torso remains dry lest she get a droplet of water on her face.

On second thought, cabana boy, I'll have another Mai Tai, please.

[photo of "Bunny" hating nature by CityMama]