Holiday aloha prevails in tough times

A lot of holiday aloha poured into the kettles held by the Salvation Army in the islands this year, the campaign raising almost $20,000 more than it did last year.

For reasons unknown, the charity surged especially in Kaneohe, where the bell-ringers brought in $65,000, compared with $42,000 in 2010.

Signs of economic recovery? Maybe — although some spots on the neighbor islands reaped donations below last year’s level. We may not be out of the woods yet.

The upside of the movie downside

It’s not that anyone wishes ill fortune to any industry, but some folks who must scrimp and save for every entertainment dollar have to be eyeing some of the latest movie statistics with a sense of relief.

The box-office tracking site Hollywood.com reports that ticket sales dropped 4.4 percent last year, to 1.28 billion, the smallest movie audience in 16 years.

The experts are blaming the bad economy paired with ticket price increases, as well as the faddish interest in portable video devices.

Whatever. As long as it means theaters will think twice before jacking up prices again, it’s all good.