A new twist to an issue that refuses to die

It’s October, which means that the prologue to the next lawmaking session is starting to pick up steam. Example: Physician-assisted suicide, a perennial topic at the Legislature, is the topic of a panel discussion set for noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow in the state Capitol auditorium. State Rep. Blake Oshiro, the House majority leader, is chairing the session.

In recent years, palliative care — treatment to enhance the comfort of patients at the end of life — has become more widely available, due to changes in insurance coverage and new hospice programs. It will be interesting to see if such advances have caused any shifts in opinions among those pressing for clearer death-with-dignity provisions.

East-West Center exhibit features Obama’s mama

Only five months after author Janny Scott released her biography of Ann Dunham, "A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mother," another fascinating tale of Dunham’s anthropology work in Indonesia has been assembled at the East-West Center Gallery in the East-West Center’s John A. Burns Hall.

An exhibition of Dunham’s notebooks, photos and collected artifacts is open to the public through Jan. 8. Numerous events, including addresses, videos and a panel discussion, will accompany the exhibit.

"None of this stuff is valuable at all in terms of its monetary value," said Dunham’s daughter Maya Soetoro-Ng, "but there were stories behind each piece."

For details, call 944-7177 or go online to arts.eastwestcenter.org.