The Army may like pink, but the Navy?

Forget the whole University of Hawaii worry that the Rainbow name was too wimpy. Imagine how some in the Navy feel about their gunmetal-gray ship paint fading to pink. In the testosterone-driven military, that will never do.

A few of the warships in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility are taking on a pinkish tint, something to do with the paint that was used.

But consider: Back in the day, the folks who built Tripler Army Medical Center chose pink for the hospital. There are a few stories about why that happened, including that Gen. Robert Richardson, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific in the war years, liked it. What the general wants, the general gets.

The story we like is that the Army Corps of Engineers’ Col. Robert B. "Woody" Wood said it should be pink because the red Moanalua dirt would stain it that color, anyway.

That reasoning won’t work for a ship, though.

Price is right, for sellers

Folks who follow Hawaii real estate are pointing to lots of good news for sellers in the current market. On Oahu, median prices are up for single-family homes and condominiums, with inventory so low that analysts expect the 2013 prices to beat the previous annual records. Statewide, sales and prices for vacation homes at master-planned resorts are also on the rise.

Which leads us to ask a silly question: Is there any good news out there for renters?