Not everyone opposes federal recognition

That administrative fast track to federal recognition so reviled by Hawaiian nationalists gets a different reception in the continental United States.

The National Congress of American Indians has endorsed the Obama administration’s push to help indigenous groups throughout the country achieve nation-within-a-nation status, calling proposed new rules "a matter of long-overdue justice and fairness." Eighty-one tribes in California alone are seeking recognition, with 34 likely to benefit from the proposed easing of current rules. Federal recognition brings with it additional federal funding, and is a prerequisite to be able to even apply to open a casino.

Satisfries go the way of the McLean Deluxe

Tricky business, this fast-food marketing trade. People may say they want healthier fare, but what they buy is something else altogether. Witness the early demise of the Satisfries, that less-fattening version of the classic burger accompaniment. Burger King has killed them off in the same week that Wendy’s gave permanent status to the 680-calorie Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger.

Of course, BK isn’t alone. McDonald’s has its own history of failed alternatives to the classic sandwiches introduced mostly as a trimmer alternative. The McLean Deluxe, the low-fat patty with a seaweed-derived filler, ended up in the trash bin, too.

Then there were the really strange diversions. In the early ’60s, before Mickey D’s settled on Filet-o-Fish to appeal to meat-avoiding Catholics, it tried the "Hula Burger," a grilled slice of pineapple, topped with cheese, in a bun. Mmm-mmm, not good.