Kudos to W.S. Merwin on his national honor

With the Librarian of Congress announcing the 17th poet laureate appointment—William S. Merwin, recently of the Valley Isle—the Star-Advertiser feels inspired to offer its own humble composition in his honor.

There once was a poet named Will
Who found quiet on Maui until
The title of "laureate"
Entered in his historiette
Gave Merwin a national thrill

For the record, "historiette" means a brief historical narration; you can look it up. More important, it rhymes with laureate. And, OK, nobody here will be giving up their day job to become a poet anytime soon.

Celebrities add support to Hawaii’s cause celebre

Hawaii now leads the world in protecting sharks against the heinous practice of shark-finning to make a soup delicacy. The new law, the only one of its kind, prohibits the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins here.

Honolulu-born actress Kelly Hu joined state Sen. Clayton Hee and animal rights activists at the state Capitol Wednesday to show support for the ban. It surely doesn’t hurt to have a celeb in on the cause. Also on hand was Bob Nixon, producer of "Gorillas in the Mist," now working on a documentary about problems humans have created in the oceans.