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Aloha award goes to Aloha, er, Akaka
It’s fitting that the man who came to be known as "Mr. Aloha" — former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka — is the first recipient of the state’s Aloha Order of Merit Award. In fact, it seems like the award was crafted specifically for him, since it was created 20 years ago but awarded to nobody else until now.
Akaka spent 14 years in the U.S. House and 22 years in the U.S. Senate, working quietly but steadily on behalf of constituents back home. He was someone whom Democratic Party leaders could count on, all the while excelling at spreading Hawaii’s famous aloha spirit throughout the nation’s capital.
One feature of the Aloha Order of Merit is that Akaka might be called upon to serve as an emissary for the people of Hawaii. At age 88, he might not find any travel for that role appealing, but there’s no doubt, as Gov. Neil Abercrombie put it, that "When one considers the idea of aloha, I think … the name Daniel Akaka follows soon after."
Enjoy the cold while you can
Call it what you want, it’s still climate change. The recent spate of heavy downpours and cold weather — well, cold for us — should be replaced with sunnier skies for the rest of the week, according to extended forecasts. That’s a welcome change in the climate.
Still, even low temperatures in the 50s and 60s don’t compare to last week’s crazy cold weather on the West Coast. Temperatures dropped to the upper 20s — below freezing — in parts of usually warm and sunny San Diego County earlier this week. Just a reminder that even warm climes can experience winter.