UH athletes get new playmatesUniversity of Hawai`i student-athletes are taking their talent out of the gym and giving guidance to a younger generation. Read about their how they spent their day mingling with preschoolers.

See page 8

New movie falls short of ‘Get Shorty’ Although Barry Sonnenfeld’s latest film, “Big Trouble,” does not live up to expectations set by his previous film “Get Shorty,” it’s still a hilarious hit.

See page 3

Reporter recalls van cam ordeal

By Kiele Akana-GoochKa Leo Contributing Writer

While the rest of the state tries to forget the recent ill-fated traffic camera program, Mike Leidemann, the Honolulu Advertiser’s transporta-tion writer, looks back on the past four months from a slightly different perspective. “(It) was an intense, almost day-to-day story that lasted about four months, with lots of daily, breaking news,” Leidemann said. Speaking to University of Hawai`i journalism students at the Manoa campus on April 11, the 20-year Advertiser veteran said he never considered himself a hard news

reporter. Leidemann’s background includes copy editing, page design-ing and five years experience feature reporting on subjects like gardening and architecture. In October Leidemann was reas-signed, against his “personal inclina-tion”, to covering the transportation beat. About a month after his trans-fer, Leidemann was introduced to what would become “possibly the most hated public policy initiative in Hawai`i history,” according to an April 14 article he wrote for the front page of the Advertiser. Traffic cameras were first announced in a high-profile Department of Transportation confer-

ence this past November. At the time, “nobody really cared,” Leidemann said. “Nobody really understood at all what was going to happen in the community.” What did happen was a public outcry so loud it would eventually cause legislators who legalized the program to repeal it in less than half a year. “I think this one really pissed people off more than anything,” he said. Leidemann said he and the rest of the Advertiser staff knew they were on to a big story. The program was intended to slow traffic, reduce accidents and allow police officers to focus on other responsibilities. Instead, the program primarily succeeded at raising the ire of the general public, who suspected the traffic cameras were more motivated by profit than a concern for public safety. According to Leidemann, the vendor running the cameras, ACS,

State and Local Solutions, pocketed almost $340,000 in the first three months of this year. ACS was com-pensated by the state for each ticket paid by the speed violator. Other complaints voiced includ-ed invasion of privacy and increasing insurance premiums. Although Leidemann supported the traffic camera program, he said, “It was run terribly.” He said the pro-gram could have found acceptance in Hawai`i had the vendor followed its own public relations plan outlined in its contract with the state. “They did not try and sell the public,” Leidemann said. “They just ignored their own advice.” While covering the traffic cam-eras, Leidemann ran into trouble early on trying to discover the thresh-old below which drivers could sur-pass the speed limit without getting a ticket. Transportation officials would not reveal the threshold, Leidemann

said, because it was a liability issue; officials balked at suggesting that even a little speeding was accept-able. “Liability runs the world these days,” Leidemann said. “But clearly, this (the threshold) is what people wanted to know.” Along with his quest to uncov-er the actual speeding threshold, Leidemann also wanted to know how many people were getting tickets. How big was this program really going to be? Leidemann reviewed stacks of paperwork inches thick documenting the vendor’s records collected during its speeder stake-outs. The records included the number of speeders cited, their speed, the location of the infraction, the posted speed limit and more. Working with this abundance of information, Leidemann was able to

Ill-fated traffic program was possibly Hawaii’s ‘most hated’ plan, he says

Abercrombie & Fitch’s cul-tural ‘joke’ backfires

Chia-min Ina Chang • Ka Leo o HaWai‘i

Megan Cheney-O’Byrne, a graduate assistant of health education at the University Health Services Center, trains volunteer students and does presentations at UH and Chaminade University.

Better safe than sorry

By Cynthia ChotHe Stanford daiLy (Stanford u.)

(U-WIRE) STANFORD, Calif. - On Tuesday morning, Stanford University senior B.J. Lee was browsing the Abercrombie & Fitch Web site when he came across a T-shirt that read, “Wong Brothers Laundry Service — Two Wongs Can Make It White.” Next to these words were two smiling figures, with slanted eyes and wear-ing rice-paddy hats — reminiscent of 1900s popular-culture depictions of Chinese men. Less than 48 hours later, more than 75 students — of many racial backgrounds — gathered Wednesday night in the lounge of Okada House, the Asian-American theme house, to discuss the company’s line of T-shirts that portray Asian-Americans in what many students have called a stereo-typical and derogatory manner. Another T-shirt reads, “Wok-N-Bowl — Let the Good Times Roll — Chinese Food & Bowling.” “Abercrombie and Fitch Buddha Bash — Get Your Buddha on the

Floor,” reads another. The meeting was organized and led by the Asian-American Students Association, at the request of several students, and lasted until 2 a.m. After Lee discovered the T-shirts, he sent an e-mail to students and student groups on campus, including AASA, in which he called the T-shirts a “slap in the face to the Asian and Asian-American com-munities.” Upon receipt of this e-mail — and subsequent e-mails sent by other students in response — many students wanted the opportunity to discuss how to react to and take action against Abercrombie & Fitch. Between the time Lee first noticed the T-shirts and the meeting held Wednesday night, similar e-mails quickly spread across the country. “Several universities and orga-nizations learned of these T-shirts through that initial spark,” said AASA Chairman Bryan Kim, a sophomore. “[They] noted the origin of the e-mails and expected Stanford’s AASA to react. Student groups representing dozens of universities have already

contacted me asking what they can do. “The community here, which AASA is a part of, is expected to lead some plan of action.” At Wednesday’s meeting AASA encouraged students to call Abercrombie & Fitch to file formal complaints. On Thursday the San Jose Mercury News reported the company received about 60 telephone com-plaints Wednesday, many of them from Stanford students. On Thursday the company announced it would pull the T-shirts from all of its 300-plus stores — just one week after they first went on sale. All but one T-shirt have been pulled from the Web site. “If anyone still has doubts about how valuable community centers and student groups are to the Stanford community, they should consider that in the course of 48 hours, a group of Stanford students was able to orga-nize, mobilize and activate a campaign to get a national clothing retailer to

See T-shirt, page 2

See Traffic, page 2

Vol. XCVI Issue No. 138 Monday, April 22, 2002The Voice of Hawai‘i

U N I V E R S I T Y O F H A W A I ‘ I A T M A N O A

which turned out to be six miles per hour above the legal speed limit, as well as the magnitude of the program, but not without encountering a few roadblocks. At first, the State Department of Transportation provided ACS’s infor-mation without hesitation. But after the tremendous negative sentiment displayed by the public through let-ters to newspapers, e-mails to the state government, and comments on the radio, the DOT stopped providing reporters the information on a daily basis. That forced Leidemann to look elsewhere for his answers. In the contract, hundreds of pages long,

Leidemann remembered reading that the courts would also be provided the same information by ACS. He talked to the judiciary spokesman and was able to get the information he needed, as long as he asked the right ques-tions. And when he did receive infor-mation from the transportation depart-ment, it was in Excel, a computer spreadsheet program he was unfamil-iar with. Leidemann said he knew of, at most, five people in his newsroom who could work with Excel. “It’s kind of a pathetic thing wandering around the newsroom at 5 o`clock, asking, `You got Excel on your computer?’” Leidemann said. With the traffic camera program ordered to a halt by Gov. Ben Cayetano

and unanimous votes by both the state House of Representatives and the Senate to repeal the program, leg-islators are now looking into the red light section of the program that was never implemented. This part of the program, which was also killed in the legislation, would target drivers running red lights at intersections. Besides a newfound knowledge of Excel, Leidemann is left with more than 100 stories to his credit in the last four months alone. “I’ve never written anything like that amount of stories on one subject before,” Leidemann wrote in an April 15 e-mail. “I’m looking forward to doing some longer, more thoughtful pieces about transportation issues in Hawai`i, including ones that take a little more time to research, report and write.” Leidemann is already in pursuit of another potentially hot topic. “I think the coming debate over the city’s Bus Rapid Transit Plan is going to be intense; a very big story,” he wrote. Leidemann wrote that the city plans to turn two lanes of car traf-fic on several busy thoroughfares, including Dillingham and Kapi`olani Boulevards, into bus lanes. “They literally want to make traffic worse so more people will want to ride the bus,” he wrote. “I’m convinced when this happens, a whole lot of drivers are going to be very angry, just like with traffic cameras.”

minal student John Lim said. Sophomore Sung Woo Cho spoke with Hampton Carney, a spokesperson for the company, when he called to file a complaint. “I wanted to get the message out to Abercrombie that Stanford students had negative feelings about the pic-tures and words on these T-shirts,” Cho said. According to Cho, Carney offered him a personal apology and said the T-shirts were designed “only to give people a chuckle.” In an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, Carney

Page 2 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Monday, April 22, 2002

NEWS

Honors program to expand in fallKa Leo Staff

Starting in Fall 2002, Manoa students not in the Honors Program will be allowed to register for “A-Sections,” the Honors versions of core courses. This change in enrollment policy for lower-division Honors courses will expand the access students have to classes in the Honors Program. Seats in these classes that have

not been taken by Honors students during the scheduled call-in times will be open to other students at Manoa during the non-scheduled call-in time period. All courses are indicated on stu-dent transcripts as Honors. All stu-dents will be expected to perform to an Honors level. Attending an A-section Honors class would be a way to “test-drive” the Honors program without commit-

ting if one were not sure about being fully a part of the program. It is also a way to build a stronger undergraduate record. Students capable in one area can take Honors classes in that disci-pline, without being obligated to take courses in areas in which they feel tentative. Students can earn an certificate from Honors if they complete 16 credits of A-Sections with a GPA of at

least 3.2. These courses represent an opportunity for any Manoa student to build a solid foundation for a Bachelor of Science degree such as Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geology & Geophysics, Global Environmental Science, Mathematics, Medical Technology, Meteorology, Microbiology, Physics, or Zoology. For more information go to www.

said, “We personally thought Asians would love this T-shirt.” However, many Stanford students have expressed views contrary to the expectations of the company. “These offensive T-shirts are indicative of the blind eye that America continues to turn to racist portrayals of Asian-Americans,” junior Toru Mino said. “We should take this opportunity to finally demand that these demean-ing images no longer be tolerated in mainstream culture.” Stanford students wanted not only to talk about what was happening but also to organize and plan an effective way to act against the company. The

agenda for Wednesday night’s meet-ing included coming up with a list of demands. Among these were a formal, public apology from the company and a halt on production of the T-shirts. “We are currently in the process of strategizing an effective national campaign surrounding this issue,” Kim said. “I’ve been talking about this with student leaders around the nation, and they agree that we must create a con-solidated plan of action.” AASA is in the process of draft-ing a list of demands and a mission statement. Once completed, a “flexible plan of action to pressure Abercrombie to accept these demands” must be cre-

T-shirt: Clothing company defends designsFrom page 1

ated, Kim said. In the past Abercrombie & Fitch has received complaints about its cloth-ing and advertisements. According to the article in The Chronicle, last year the company “caught flak from some activist groups, and even state govern-ments, for what they viewed as sexu-ally suggestive advertising campaigns and catalog photos.” Carney admitted Abercrombie targets many groups in their designs and advertisements. “We poke fun at everybody, from women to flight attendants to baggage handlers to football coaches to Irish-Americans to snow skiers. There’s really no group we haven’t teased,” he told The Chronicle.

Traffic: Reporter predicts more traffic dramaFrom page 1

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Eat, sleep, read kaleo

Monday, April 22, 2002 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Page 3

Big cast, laughs in ‘Big Trouble’By Christopher JohnsKa Leo Staff Writer

Barry Sonnenfeld’s (“Men In Black,” “Addams Family”) new film “Big Trouble” is big fun. It’s reminiscent of “Get Shorty,” another Sonnenfeld hit, even to the point of reuniting Sonnenfeld with Rene Russo and Dennis Farina. Set in Miami (like “Get Shorty”) and stocked with another great ensemble cast, “Big Trouble” begins with a surreal “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” opening narrated by a Frito eating, halo-adorned Puggy (Jason Lee). From that point on the film speeds through its short 84-minute run time without pausing to let you catch your breath. “Big Trouble” features great per-formances from Tim Allen as Eliot Arnold, a divorced, Geo-owning single father of a teenage son, Matt Arnold (Ben Foster). In addition to Matt’s normative teen angst, he suf-fers from a low self opinion because he has a “loser” father. Rene Russo as Anna Herk is Arthur Herk’s (Stanley Tucci) unhappy wife and Eliot Arnold’s romantic interest. Jenny Herk (Zooey Deschanel) is their angst-ridden teen-age daughter, Matt Arnold’s romantic interest. Arthur Herk is an unscru-pulous business associate who has a contract against his life for embez-zling money from his company, which is implied a designs weapons. The two hit-men after Arthur are Henry Algott (Dennis Farina) and an unnamed hitman played by Jack Kehler. There are also two Russian arms dealers, Leonid (Lars Arentz-Hansen) and Ivan Chukov (Daniel London); two stupid scumbag thieves, Snake (Tom Sizemore) and Eddie (Johnny Knoxville); two no-holds-barred, national security-invok-ing FBI agents, Pat Greer (Omar Epps) and Alan Seitz (Heavy D); two Miami police officers Monica Ramiro (Janeane Garofalo) and Walter Kramitz (Patrick Warburton); tree-dwelling, Frito-munching, Martha Stewart-reading Puggy (Jason Lee), and the sexually harassed Cuban maid who loves him, Nina (Sofia Vergara). “Big Trouble” also features cameos from Andy Richter (“Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) and Martha Stewart, who agreed to have her head superimposed on a dog. There is a surreal hallucinogen-spit-ting toad, which leads to the Martha Stewart/dog fiasco. Throw in a portable nuclear weap-on that “looks like a garbage dispos-

al” and you have a film that, while crowded, is great fun and incredibly funny. Being a short film, its charac-ter development is minimal. And although this film has been panned by critics and under-appreciated by audiences, it still has a lot to offer. James Newton Howard’s score is a mix of percussion. Whenever Puggy is onscreen Howard modifies his score to lend a “holy” aspect to this character, the music, contrasting sharply with the Afro-Cuban percus-sion, posits Puggy almost as a reli-gious figure. This representation of Puggy is carried a step further in that Puggy is often filmed with light being fractured in such a way that a halo appears surrounding his head, add to this Puggy’s physical appearance, which resembles a Christ figure, and his role as a spiritual mediator is affirmed. However, this role as a spiritual mediator is never truly developed and leaves the impression that, had Sonnenfeld opted for a longer run-ning time allowing for greater char-acter development, Puggy might have been an even greater figure. As it stands, the super-strong Puggy — the only character capable of carrying the suitcase containing the nuclear device — seems almost out of place, or per-haps under-used, in many scenes. As you may have noticed in the above character list, most of the characters come in pairs. They also, almost universally exhibit amoral behavior: the romance between Eliot and Anna is an adulterous one, the relationship between Matt and Jenny carries overtures of incest due to the developing relationship between their parents. The film provides some innova-tive shots, like the bizarre swan-dive by a grinning Tom Sizemore. Also the set decoration is to be lauded — the seedy Russian bar and the conspicu-ousness of the Herk house are great contrasts, providing more tension inherent in the theme of twos. The film was originally slated for an October 2001 release, but was one of the films delayed after 9/11 due to implied terrorist themes. The supposed terrorist themes is greatly exaggerated in this statement because “terrorism” suggests something well-organized, some highly motivated action designed to provoke a reaction. The elements of “terrorism” in this film are hardly intentional, nor are they designed to provoke a reaction,

ABOVE: L-R Patrick Warburton, Tim Allen, Ben Foster, Rene Russo and Zooey Deschanel are all tied up.

LEFT: Stanley Tucci (left) goes nose-to-nose with a psychedelic toad that releases hallucinogenic venom when frightened.

CourteSy PhotoS

Ka Leo O Hawai`i is accepting applications for the follow-ing editorial positions for the summer and fall semesters:

Managing EditorNews Editor

Opinion EditorFeatures EditorDesign Editor

Chief Copy EditorCopy Editors

All positions except for Copy Editors require at least one semester of college-level news media experience. Please pick up an application at the Ka Leo building, located across the lower entrance to the Bookstore. Applications are due on Monday, April 30.

FEATURES

See Trouble, page 7

Reopen Aloha Tower already, it’s not a likely terrorist target

UH to become environmentally friendly? It’s been long overdue

Took ‘em long enough. The University of Hawai`i system should have been incorporating envi-ronmentally efficient themes into building structures and classroom cur-ricula years ago. As representatives of the state’s edu-cational sector, have a responsibility to take up issues appropriate to an academic institution. Environmental friendliness belongs at the top of our list. How can we expect the state to recognize the need for environmental respect if we as a university do not teach and demonstrate it? The Sustainability Charter, if imple-mented right, will teach our students

proper respect for natural resources, demonstrate a willingness to work towards preservation, and — most important to the university — save us money. The only concern we have with the charter is that it will not go far enough. This kind of project has to be one that the school is willing to commit to; a lukewarm acceptance of the ideas without the work that goes into applying them is useless to us. We need to ensure that we do the work necessary to make our buildings as energy efficient as they can be; similarly, we need to see to it that these themes are effectively introduced into the UH curriculum. We hope to see huge changes stem from this charter.

THE ISSUE: The University of Hawai`i is developing a system-wide Charter of Sustainability which is intended to promote eco-logical awareness, research, and the incorporation of environmental efficiency into UH operations. The Charter hopes to include themes of environmental efficiency and preservation into existing UH curricula. It also hopes to provide for restructuring UH buildings to operate in an environmentally friendly way — conserving water, energy, etc.

Page 4 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Monday, April 22, 2002

Oh, come on. The reason the Aloha Tower is still closed is that it is a byproduct of bureaucracy. Doing things in a state government is hard enough; undoing them is an altogether different mon-ster. Nobody would disagree that Aloha Tower is ready to be reopened; very few would disagree that it was ready to be reopened months ago. Altough a historic monument, it hard-ly ranks in the same caliber as the targets of terrorism we’ve seen thus far. Security should be a concern, but this is not a matter of security. It’s a matter of the state government forget-ting that it locked up Aloha Tower, and not being able to wade through

its own bureaucracy to open it. Meanwhile, the 5,000 tourists and residents who would normally be visiting it a week — providing economic stimulus to the vendors that surround the tower — are going elsewhere. Somebody needs to wake up and open up the Tower.

We’re interested in what you have to say. Here are some ideas:Letters to the Editor If you want to voice your opinion about an article or a letter to the editor that has already been printed, go ahead. Letters should be about 300 to 400 words and reference the article it is in response to.Campus voices If you are concerned about an issue and would like to write a significant amount of text about it, you can do that too. Try to keep it about or under 700 words, though. If your submission is too short, it will be included in the Letters to the Editor category described above.Letters can be submitted in two ways: Typed, double spaced, on standard letter sized paper, or By e-mail (please proofread!).Generally speaking, we like the e-mail option the best. All submissions should include your name, major, and class rank. Faculty members: please include your department and position. Please remember that we reserve the right to edit sto-ries. Also, mailed submissions will not be returned.

Editorial Page Editor1755 Pope RoadBuilding 31-D

Honolulu, HI 96822Phone: 956-7043Fax: 956-9962

THE ISSUE: After Sept. 11, many historic landmarks were closed, including the historic Aloha Tower, one of Hawaii’s most rec-ognizable landmarks. It’s still closed. Aloha Tower officials aren’t clear why. State officials have not indicated when the tower would be re-opened. Governor Cayetano reportedly ordered transportation officials to re-open the deck two weeks ago, but the decks remain closed off. Before it was shut down, the Aloha Tower got 5,000 visitors a week to its observatory decks.

Not fair to target Dobelleby Lance CollinsKa Leo Staff CoLumniSt

If you read or watch the news, you’ll notice that the local media is targeting UH President Evan Dobelle. What better weapon for a target than senseless reporting which obscures relevant facts? The first scandal was College Hill. Before Dobelle became president, Mortimer and the gang got the UH Foundation and the Board of Regents to pay for fixing College Hill. After all, Mortimer did spend eight years trash-ing the place. But what was the mainstream media spin? Dobelle is corrupt for spending the money. But wait; wasn’t it Mortimer who trashed the place and the Board of Regents and UH Foundation who voted for repairs before Dobelle became president? The other major scan-dal surrounded some Janet Jackson concert tickets. During the Mortimer administration, the UH Foundation created a protocol fund. Mortimer used this money for God knows what. But when Dobelle used it, the media painted it as a graft and cor-ruption. I’m not a finance or economics major, but let’s look at this. Dobelle spends $200 a donor. If the donor gives just $400, Dobelle will have doubled the principle.

And he’s done it in the short term. But I doubt these people are giving that kind of small donation. Spending $200 a donor that brings in $10,000 in, in investment terms, is called a killing. A 50-fold increase

on a $200 investment is as good an investment can get without being Enron. But instead of commending

Dobelle for savvy fundraising strategies, the corporate media have tried to have him crucified. Are the media just attacking Dobelle selectively? Or, does an ethic of general skepticism pervade? I never heard the media raise a stink about Mortimer’s mismanage-ment of Mauna Kea. With the cul-tural and environmental desecrations aside, the financial mismanagement could only be described as fraud. While many telescopes were rented

out for little ($1 a year) or nothing, the same telescopes in Chile were going for $10 to $20 million. That’s something like throw-ing away $10 to $20 million a year and getting nothing. Not only was Mortimer flushing money down the toilet, but he was practically begging the legislature to cut the UH budget as much as it pleased (refer back to

the battle for so-called auton-omy). After all the budget cuts, Mortimer was foregoing about $100 million a year in non-tuition revenue for the university. But where was the media? The media attacks Dobelle when he makes savvy fun-draising decisions and was silent when Mortimer was losing about $100 million a year in revenue. Why would the media do this? One theory holds that the powers controlling the media do not want Dobelle to succeed. The theory goes that the powers-that-be liked Mortimer and don’t like Dobelle. So even when there are no problems, or problems surface that came from the Mortimer regime, the corpo-

rate media blames Dobelle. I don’t agree. I don’t agree with it because it makes the corporate media a calculating, power/control manipulating bunch. I know the corporate media and they aren’t that smart. My theory is that years

Mortimer used this (UH Foundation) money for God knows what. But

when Dobelle used it, the media painted it as a graft

and corruption

See Hypocrites, page 5

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exposing corruption in the Mortimer regime slowly got the media into reporting on it. But, now that Mortimer is gone, there is very little to report on. But that doesn’t stop a guy with one idea in his head and the will of a jackass. Because there isn’t anything really to report on Dobelle, they make it up. They find rath-er ingenious actions and omit most of the facts surrounding it. Or, on a particularly uncreative day, they recycle the ignored complaints sub-mitted during the Mortimer regime, erase Mortimer and put in Dobelle. So, when you read or watch sto-ries in the corporate media about Dobelle and his evil empire, use this simple test to see if it’s true: 1) Has the expiration date past? If the drama began before July 2001, it couldn’t have been Dobelle’s fault. He didn’t start until July 2001. 2.) Does it rebut the reasonably prudent person standard? If we pre-sume Dobelle’s action was that of a

reasonably prudent person under the circumstances, what have the media shown to rebut this presumption — unlike Mortimer, Dobelle hasn’t shown himself to be imprudent. 3.) Do the headlines “speak for themselves”? If the news piece relies on the headlines to prove otherwise meatless conclusory state-ments or announces the action and makes the action “speak for itself”

without any real evidence of wrong doing, has there been any wrong doing? 4.) What does your gut tell you? Is your reaction to the piece based in intuition or emotion? How does that help affirm or deny the media’s sto-ries? These four tests can

help you determine the l e g i t i - macy of any r e p o r t on Dobelle. If you think the big powers-that-be are really controlling the strings, then this test is superfluous. But, for the majority of us who refuse to give the corporate media that much credit, the four-part test will do.

reduced to rubbles, he wins, Arafat loses. Also remember in 1982, then an army general, Sharon had the mission to surround Beyrouth -- instead he invaded it, and it lead to the massacre of the Sabrah and Chatilla refugee camp by Christian militia, under the

eyes of the Israeli army. Today, an international

justice court in Belgium is trying to bring him into court for those war crimes (they also have a case against Arafat for terrorists attacks on civilians). Neither Arafat nor Sharon is a man of peace, and I’m not trying to take sides. M. Bean gives a long list of ter-rible things that happened to Jews in the past history. Can you do some-thing about it? Does he talk about

young children TODAY in the jenine refugee camp, who see the Israeli army destroying their town and hous-es with tanks and rockets? That you can do something about it because it is an army from a democratic country attacking a part of the population of this same country. I don’t know what one can do about fanatic freaks who are willing to blow themselves up to kill, but if anything, what Israel is doing today is likely to convince more and more Palestinians that they have nothing to lose anyway. Maybe the Jewish civilization has been victim of terrible crimes and we can’t do anything anymore, but today, men, women, and children are oppressed by an occupation army, now, and that we can say something about it. I don’t think there can be such a thing as a peaceful occupation of a land by an army, nor you can get what you want by killing civilians. But at least you can have control on an army. Today I am fearfully just waiting for the next terrorist attack, and the next round of state sponsored brutality. You can be totally opposed to Sharon’s politics without being an anti-Semitic. Let peace prevail on earth, but please leave religion out of it.

Jerome Aucan(by e-mail)

Department of Oceanography

Monday, April 22, 2002 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Page 5

Letters totheEditor

You can be totally opposed to Sharon’s

politics without being

an anti-Semitic. Let peace

prevail on earth, but please leave religion out of it

Israel, Palestine need to let go of past injustices, focus on peace today

Thank you, M. Bean, for your necessary piece on history, but let me add a couple of points of contempo-rary history one needs to know about to fully understand the deadly mad-ness of those two men, Arafat and Sharon. The current events have often been referred to as the “second Intifida,” i.e., war of the stones, and has been lasting for almost two years now. This all started under the previ-ous Israeli administration of Ehud Barak, when Ariel Sharon went on for a very provocative visit on the grounds of the Al Aqsa Mosq. Even American services had told him not to go. But he went anyway, and what started with stone throwing worsened to the point it is today. At that time, an agreement seemed really close, but Arafat and the Israeli administration still had to do a few more compromises. Now peace seems as far as ever. This pro-vocative visit of Ariel Sharon was merely an internal political move for his electoral campaign, success-ful as it seems. Now he can finally achieve his plan of getting rid of the Palestinians. Even if some peace agreement is reached today, the infra-structure of a Palestinian has been

Hypocrites: Media’s Dobelle-bashing calls for skepticismFrom page 4

So, when you read or watch stories in

the corporate media about Dobelle and his evil empire, use this simple test to

see if it’s true

Page 6 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Monday, April 22, 2002

For more opportunities and UH-related events,

visit our Web site at www.kaleo.org/bulletin

perhaps of course a good chuckle. In the film, the presence of a por-table nuclear device is accidental, mistakenly shipped to Russian arms dealers. And the device’s subse-quent presence on an airplane is due to the ineptness of Snake and Eddie, not an intentional political statement. Hollywood has a reputa-tion for playing it safe and their postponement of this film’s release is just one example. One word can sum up the atmo-sphere and theme of “Big Trouble”: surreal. Between the God-image of Puggy, the hallucinogen-spouting toad, constant references to Martha Stewart and no fewer than three

television sets and one computer monitor destroyed, there is suf-ficient evidence that the prescribed events have no possibility of ever occurring. However, that is one thing which makes this film so good. While “Big Trouble” is not as good as Sonnenfeld’s other films: “Addams Family,” “Addams Family Values,” “Men in Black,” and “Get Shorty,” this film is a wel-come, and funny addition. For someone seeking a realistic, awe-inspiring, and insightful film, you may want to skip this one. For anyone seeking a brief film inundat-ed with stomach-wrenching laughs this might be your film.

Monday, April 22, 2002 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Page 7

Monday, April 22v Help create a green UHM. Open dis-cussion with Dobelle and Neubauer on creating a Charter of Sustainability for UHM. 9:30 a.m., Hawaii Energy House, Free. Info: 956-9346.

v Honolulu International Film Festival Continues with HIFF’s “What time is it there?” A Taiwanese film directed by Tsai Ming-liang about a man intent on setting all of Tai Pei’s clocks to Paris time. 6:30 p.m. All HIFF films at Signature Dole Cannery Theatres.

v HIFF’s “Rain.” A film from New Zealand by Christine Jeffs about a young girl’s too-soon dive into “adulthood.” 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 23v HIFF’s “Chicken Rice War.” A film from Singapore directed by Cheek. A hip and hilarious take on the Romeo and Juliet story. 6 p.m.

v HIFF’s “Roots & Branches.” A Chinese film by Yu Zhong is a family melodrama about a tragic accident that leaves four children orphans. 6:30 p.m.

v HIFF’s “Flower Island.” A film from

South Korea by SONG Il-Gon about three injured women in search of a myth-ical, healing island. 8:45 p.m.

Wednesday, April 24v HIFF’s “Under the Moonlight.” HIFF’s “Pistol Opera.” A Japanese film by Seijun Suzuki that sequels the 60’s classic psychedelic cult classic “Branded to Kill.” 8:45 p.m.

v HIFF’s “How Harry Became a Tree.” A Mixed-European film by Goran Paskaljevic based on a classic Chinese fable. 6 p.m.

v HIFF’s “Under the Moonlight.” Irani film by Reza Mir-Karimi about a young girl who studies at a Korean school and will soon become the next Mullah at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 25v HIFF’s “La Spagnola.” An Australian film by Steve Jacobs is a comedy about betrayal and jilted lovers out for revenge. 6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 26v “A Sense of Place.” Display of work by students of Mt. Hood Community College as part of a Pacific exchange of

art. Opening reception 4 p.m., show runs through May 8. Gallery Iolani WCC; gallery hours Tues. - Sat. 1 - 5 p.m., Free. Info: 235-1140.

Saturday, April 27v “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Stage adap-tation from a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a woman diag-nosed with hysteria during the Victorian Era. 10:30 p.m., Kennedy Theatre, $7 ($6 discount rate, $3 students). Info: 956-7655.

Sunday, April 28v Faerber’s Race Against Violence 5K. A leisurely run through Manoa valley. Proceeds will go to Domestic Violence Clearing House and the UH Women’s Cross Country team. Race begins near 3112 Manoa road, ends at Manoa Rec. Center. 7 a.m., applications available at running and sports stores. Info: 538-0448.

v “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Stage adap-tation from a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a woman diag-nosed with hysteria during the Victorian Era. 8 p.m., Kennedy Theatre, $7 ($6 discount rate, $3 students). Info: 956-7655.

www.kaleo.orgThe Voice of Hawai‘i online

Trouble: Movie is not for those seeking deep insightFrom page 3

Page 8 Ka Leo O Hawai’i Monday, April 22, 2002

By Stanley LeeKa Leo Staff Writer

Who were your role models grow-ing up? Were they athletes or people in your daily life like mom and pops? What would our lives be like today if we grew up without these positive influences? The husband and wife duo of sports psychologists, Dr. Michael D’Andrea and Dr. Judy Daniels, help students answer some of these questions in their leadership class at the University of Hawai`i. One theory that they examine sug-gests that anybody can be a leader in their community. “All citizens have the responsibility of demonstrating leadership by actively and constructively participating in the community,” explained D’Andrea. To better understand that theory, student-athletes who are enrolled in the course are giving preschoolers and elementary students a glimpse into the sports they play. As D’Andrea explained, the stu-dent-athletes are “sharing their skills and knowledge with the next genera-tion coming up” as well as “teaching them how to live a responsible and car-ing life.” Growing up, Rainbow Wahine vol-leyball player Nohea Tano went to camps conducted by UH volleyball players. Now, Tano helps conduct simi-lar camps for younger girls. “I remember being young and look-ing up to the older girls,” said Tano. “Now you are the older girls and it’s amazing how people look up to you in that way.” At a recent visit to a preschool, Tano and teammate Hedder Illustre led 2- and 3-year olds in cheers like “Let’s Go Bows,” using megaphones and pom-poms. Fellow teammate Jennifer Carey used a beach ball to teach 4- and 5-year-olds proper hitting technique and shared one of her favorite childhood activities. “Growing up, I loved to read. It really helps when you get kids fired up

on reading,” said Carey, who has read books to other classrooms in the com-munity.They see us as athletes, recog-nize us on TV, and then see us come in and read. That’s important for them.” “One of the benefits of being a stu-dent-athlete at UH is all the community service you get to do,” she said. “It’s great to get in and work with the kids.” Carey said she hoped the students she worked with walked away with the same message as well. “(I hope) they see us as posi-tive influences, good athletes, good students and that school is the most important part,” said Carey. “Learning about different things and taking an interest in school is important because (even though) our athletic careers are coming to an end, you can be a learner forever.” For their community service proj-ect, UH Warrior basketball player Paul Jesinskis and his teammates invited kids from Shriners Hospital to the Stan Sheriff Center. “I was cautious at first because they had real bad injuries,” said the 6’8” junior from South Africa. “But they were just kids who wanted to touch the ball and go around a little bit.” “We pushed some of the kids around in their wheelchairs, passed them the ball, picked them up, and let them dunk (it),” he said. “If I were a kid, that would be my highlight of the week.” Daniels said it’s good for the ath-letes to set aside some time to spend with the children. “They have a lot of things in their lives,” Daniels said. “Sports, academ-ics, a lot of different things going on so it’s nice they take a little time to work with the kids and give something back to the community. To actually be up close with one of the athletes, to practice hitting a volleyball, shooting a basketball or even putting on a jersey, is a real neat opportunity for the kids.” A positive influence was exactly what Jesinskis had hoped to be. During the visit to the preschool, Jesinskis, to the delight of many students, allowed the kids to wear his practice jersey. In

Andrew Shimabuku • Ka Leo o HaWai‘i

Wahine volleyball player Jennifer Carey teaches children at the UH daycare center about volleyball. Carey is part of a leadership class that allows student-athletes to realize their impact as role models.

Andrew Shimabuku • Ka Leo o HaWai‘i

Football player Matt McBriar lets one of the children at the UH daycare center know how it feels to wear his jersey.

UH athletes lead the way for children

order to emphasize teamwork on the basketball court, Jesinskis made sure the preschoolers passed the ball to each other before taking a shot at the hoop. “It’s nice for the student-athletes because they develop leadership and communication skills and for the kids because they get the opportunity to be around a role model, somebody they can look up to,” Daniels continued. Jesinskis said, “When I was grow-ing up, I remember seeing some athletes come in and that inspired me to look up to them and try to be like them. I hope some of these kids take that away with them; to be positive influences on soci-ety and give a little back.” It turns out the kids are not the only ones learning how to communicate, work together and hit a ball. For some student-athletes, the community service has been an opportunity to reflect on life. “It made me grateful for who I am and what I am right now. It made me realize the opportunities we have and how some people are disadvantaged and how they would love to be in your posi-tion,” recalled Jesinskis on his experi-ence with the kids from Shriners. “It’s an incentive for you to work hard and do the best you can.” As long as there is someone on the swings, leadership is a reciprocal cycle that never stops. The next time you stroll past a playground, remember the positive influences in your childhood and how you can return the favor to a younger generation. “(Leadership) is a method of life, a way of life,” said Jesinskis.

Sports Writers WantedIs sports all you talk about? Write about them and get paid! Ka Leo O

Hawai`i is looking for talented, outgoing individuals to write in our Sports section. Writers may apply to write on a regular basis or to serve as an occasional contributing columnist.

For more information, send us an e-mail at sports@kaleo.org.

Ka Leo Staff

University of Hawai`i basketball coach Riley Wallace will be hon-ored by the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawai`i in a celebrity roast on May 11. The foundation will present Wallace with the EFH Abercrombie Award, honoring him as the “Person of the Year.” The roast, which is dubbed the “Life of Riley,” features a celeb-rity panel of local sportswriter and

reporters and other supporters of the UH basketball program. Among the list of roasters are Paul Arnett (Honolulu Star-Bulletin), Stephen Tsai (Honolulu Advertiser), Bobby Curran (KCCN Radio-voice of UH Basketball), and Robert Kekaula (KITV). City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle will serve as master of cer-emonies. There will also be food and an auction. Items up for auction include a 2002 Mini Cooper from Mini of

Hawai`i and a 2002 Honda Accord courtesy of Honda Windward. The Epilepsy Foundation of Hawai`i is a member of the Aloha United Way and is affiliated with the Epilepsy Foundation of America. For those interested in attend-ing, contact Sheila Bierwert or Carla Evans at 538-3058 or Ed Kemper at 524-0330 (ext. 2). Individual tick-ets are $100. Tables of 10 run from $1,000-$5,000.

Coach Wallace to be honored, roasted by celebrity panel