The Blue Hawaii Podcast

51! Ryan has some fightin' words for Grassroots Institute of Hawaii and the #Kochtopus, R. Kelly is doing his best Brett Kavanaugh impression, Hawaii's infrastructure gets a not-so-great report card, and we look at some bills that are definitely NOT passing the state legislature this year.

Then, we sit down with author and journalist Melanie Warner, formerly of Fortune Magazine and the New York Times, to talk about her latest opus: The Magic Feather Effect: The Science of Alternative Medicine and the Surprising Power of Belief. We talk about where she gets her inspiration, what the "placebo" effect is really all about, and what discoveries surprised her along the way. Oh, and her favorite restaurant in Honolulu is Mud Hen Water! Check her out at melanierwarner.com or on twitter @melanie_warner

Plus! Shoutouts to Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, outgoing UH Law School dean Avi Soifer, birthday celebrant Hokulea (she doesn't look a day over 43!), LeBron James, the Cook Islands, Southwest Airlines, and most importantly -- Iolani Baseball/Auburn baseball stud Everett Lau!

Listen, Enjoy, Subscribe, Share, and GET IN TOUCH! Brought to you, as always, by Royal Thai Garden Ewa Beach. Accept no substitutes!

Another low-key and totally normal week! We're talking Hanoi, Michael Cohen, Bibi going ByeBye, the Kealoha scandal, and more. Then, we're joined by two wonderful, talented, and passionate guests: Dawn Morais Webster and Corie Tanida. They tell us about the critical effort to push for Automatic Voter Registration in Hawaii, and we also get into the need for a living wage (shoutout Nate Hix!), the current state of religion in politics (check out Dawn's writing on needed reforms in the Catholic Church -- https://dawnmorais.com!), and of course....their favorite restaurants in Honolulu (shoutout to Olive Tree, Hugh Lee's, and Island Brews)!

PLUS we have shoutouts: the most ferocious dynasty in Hawaii high school sports -- the Iolani Math Team, good news for the Hawaiian hawk,a great new podcast from NBA legends Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, and congratulations to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit on achieving the federal subpoena triple crown. And surprise -- another one of Trump's judicial nominees doesn't know shit about Native Hawaiian rights or history!

Like, tag, share, subscribe, get in touch, and enjoy....we'll see you next week!

What happened last week? Four US Senators made the news, but only three are running for President. Honolulu's biggest corruption scandal is growing almost as fast as the city's cost of living. And a 16-year old dweeb from Kentucky thinks Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post owe him $250 million?

Plus, we have a a whole bunch of shoutouts: to Aunty Twinkle and our dear friends at Puuhonua o Waianae on their next big move; to Shane Akoni Nelsen for the awesome work he's doing at Kealakekua Bay on #Hawaii Island (see more in Hawaiian Airlines' Hana Hou Magazine); and to our fellow media mogul LeBron James hitting the studio with 2 Chainz and hitting the court for Space Jam 2.

All that and much, much, MUCH more on this new episode of Honolulu's most adequate and uncontroversial podcast!

PS: here's the article, which we start quoting around the 32 minute mark - https://hanahou.com/22.1/on-the-path-of-the-gods

*Recorded before Bernie's 2020 announcement*

Where is Najuma the elusive African ground hornbill? Why is Ilhan Omar in trouble again? What does AIPAC actually do? When will the Kabuki Theater Political BS stop? Why are Ryan and Josh crushing on a 37-year-old Mayor from Indiana's rust belt (hi Pete Buttigieg, call us)? What's going to happen with the Green New Deal? What was Kamala Harris actually listening to in 1986? How does the Harris Campaign stop her from falling into the "cool relatable aunty" trap? What does 21 Savage have to say about his newfound freedom? Why did the State Department recognize the University of Hawaii at Manoa? And finally (at 30:30), what can our dear friend Nate Hix from Living Wage Hawaii tell us about this year's State Legislative Session so far?

All those questions, and our attempted answers, in this hot new episode of The Blue Hawaii Podcast! Go check um now go check um now go!

PS: Here's the link we mentioned:

https://jfrej.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/JFREJ-Understanding-Antisemitism-November-2017-v1-3-2.pdf

POST-RECORDING UPDATE: 21 SAVAGE IS A FREE MAN!!! (http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2019/02/21-savage-released-immigration-detention-center/) #AbolishICE

Congratulations, dear listener! You have excellent taste -- you've picked Honolulu Magazine's "Seven Local Podcasts to Listen to Now!" Ryan and Josh react to their first-ever magazine feature (you win this round, Design Talk Hawaii/ AM 690), unpack Trump's #SOTU (shoutout to #Kauai, which got its first ever "delusional Trump voters in a diner still like Trump" piece in The Garden Isle), and examine Tulsi Gabbard's problematic first major presidential endorsement (I wonder what David Duke thinks about our last episode?)

We also share three big updates: one to 21 Savage's situation in ICE detention, one to FreedomHouse's annual nations report, and one to the Oxford English Dictionary. You might say they're all... #hammajang.

We round out the show with a sport report -- Paul Pogba's big brother is coming to #MLS! -- and all the #NBA pettiness you need to get you pumped for Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis (sorry I forgot your name, Kostas) in this weekend's all-star game. Have a listen, subscribe, and get in touch!

PS: Next time you're at Mariachi Restaurant in Lihue, tip your servers and bartenders well -- they've had to deal with a lot of BS!

PPS: here are the articles we referenced:

Hanna Giorgis 21 Savage and the False Promise of Black Citizenship

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/21-savages-ice-detention-false-promise-black-citizenship/582013/

Michelle Goldberg: Latvia Above Us, Croatia Below

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/opinion/freedom-house-trump-democracy.html

Let my people go (to the recording studio)! We convened a roundtable of Honolulu's young Jewish professionals to kvetch about the world (and not just because it's tax season). We discuss what it's like to be a liberal Jew in Trump's America (the Nazis love him, but Israelis do too?), our generation's changing views on Israel and Palestine (and realizing we may not have been told the whole story), #BDS, The Women's March, American evangelicals' vicegrip on our foreign policy, and why Ryan's SodaStream makes him a Zionist pig.

Plus, is Bernie Sanders the only one who can fix things in 2020? It's unclear, but one thing is certain: none of us are voting for Joe Biden.

PS - How is this relevant to Hawaii, you ask? Take a look!

https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-small-island-of-judaism-in-hawaiian-politics/

PPS: We also celebrate the worst Jew on the internet, Ben Shapiro! (Honorable mention to Mort Klein of ZOA and Josh Hammer of the Daily Wire, better luck next year fellas).

But first! Ryan and Josh discuss the need to #AbolishICE, Cory Booker joining the 2020 primary, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam emerging from the racism time machine, and the officially-scheduled City Council special election in East #Honolulu (with 3 particularly blistering op-eds from #Hawaii journalists).

And, sports! The Pacific Rim Cup is this weekend at Aloha Stadium, featuring Vancouver Whitecaps, Real Salt Lake, Iwaki FC, and V-Varen 2005 Nagasaki; Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic making basketball news, and shoutouts to local boy Kevin Mawae on being the first Native Hawaiian to make it to the #NFL Hall of Fame (and a begrudging mazel tov to Julian Edelman).

Grab a glass of Manischewitz, some gefilte fish poke, settle in, and enjoy! But call your mother first, would it kill you?

Podcasters becoming men, men becoming wolves! Come meet our new friends Alison Hartson and Eric Schrager from Wolf-PAC, an exciting activist organization founded by Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks. They are leading a bold new effort to get money out of politics and put campaign finance reform directly in the hands of the American people through a constitutional convention -- let's find out how they're doing it, and what it means for Hawaii!

Alison is the former National Director of Wolf-PAC and ran as a Justice Democrat in the 2018 U.S. Senate Primary against incumbent Diane Feinstein. She now works with The Young Turks as captain of the TYT Army, a grassroots online collective dedicated to holding establishment media accountable and promoting responsible journalism.

Eric is the legislative director for Wolf-PAC in Hawaii. His first foray into politics came when he was inspired by Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential run. He’s also a military veteran, having served 30 years in the U.S. Navy.

All that and more, PLUS:

- 2020 gossip/ shameless speculation

- Their favorite food spots in HI

- Marie Kondo, Mortal Kombat, and Jalen Hurts

All this and more, brought to you by...

ROYAL THAI GARDEN EWA BEACH!

Listen, subscribe, and get in touch!

Well guys, just another normal week in American politics: Beto's Livejournal, Ben Shapiro saving #BabyHitler with facts and logic, and Tea Party darling Rand Paul seeking refuge in the loving arms of Canadian healthcare. Closer to home, one local columnist has v e r y strong feelings about Tulsi Gabbard's presidential bid, and friend of the show Tommy Waters has his "day in court." Plus, a listener takes issue with our hard-hitting journalism...about snails?

At 16:00, we sit down with energy and sustainability experts Natalie Lucas and Jordan Little. Natalie is a member of the Sierra Club's Board of Directors and runs Care About Climate, an NGO that works on climate change mitigation and adaptation projects around the world. Jordan is an electrical engineer and one of Hawaii's leading renewable energy specialists (you may have also heard of her in another capacity). We talk about the existential challenge of climate change, the fight against Trump's corrupted EPA, Hawaii's trailblazing renewable energy initiative, and much more. Good news: it's not too late to save the planet (and ourselves)!

You know what to do: hit us up on social media and like, subscribe, comment, and share share share!

PS: Josh is wrong about "specie."

SEASON 2 begins now! We're back! This episode we are joined by our very best friends and legislative correspondents, Nate Hix and Will Caron. They're talking about the push for a living wage in Hawaii and the craziness they expect this session at the #HILeg. We're also talking #Trump, the #wall, the #shutdown, and why conservatives keep letting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez live rent-free in their heads. Hear all this and more, plus a teaser of what's to come in Season 2! Have a listen, like, share, subscribe, and enjoy!

"F*ck it, we'll do it live!" If you couldn't make it down to see us at Marks Garage, or if you just want to relive the glory, give this episode a listen!

After we introduce ourselves and tell you a little bit about the show (we shamelessly ripped off Desus and Mero; have we mentioned we were on KHON???), at 4:20, we chat with our new friend Izik, a Na Hoku Hanohano award-winner and up-and-coming local music superstar. We talk about his covershot for Lei Magazine, his Molokai roots and musical influences, and Mariah Carey's glorious dominance of the holiday season. His fire new album, Obsidian, is available now on iTunes -- don't miss his upcoming big show (with some very special guests) December 5 at the Hawaii Convention Center!

At 13:00, we get the audience up for a game of "mad libs," inspired by Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of the infamous Benito. Be sure to hit her up on Twitter @Ale_Mussolini_ and let her know how much you enjoyed this segment!

At 19:45. we jump in to our election digest, focusing on both local and national contests (2020 suicide pact, anyone?)

At 38:00, we're joined by our BFF BF -- Beth Fukumoto! She tells us about the "not chill" job of running the coordinated campaign for the Democratic Party of Hawaii, why she voted yes for a constitutional convention, and why the "pink wave" on the mainland didn't make it to Hawaii. Starting at 50:30, we open it up to the audience for an #AMA. Plus, we talk about her exciting new project (and forthcoming podcast): SOLVING EQUAL!

You get some fun live commercials in there too, but just in case you miss them, shout out to our wonderful sponsors: Homebrew in Paradise, Living Wage Hawaii, Pukoa Sunscreen, Royal Thai Garden Ewa Beach, New York Life (Jason Anthenien), and Hi Design Barber and Lounge!!!. Additional shoutouts to our MC Chris Garth, our executive producer Jordan Little, The Arts at Marks Garage for hosting us, YPDA, Allison Hartson and The Young Turks TYT Army, and most importantly....shoutout to YOU, for listening and making this all possible!!!!!! Like, share, subscribe, and let us know what you want to hear next season!