Hawaii’s credit card debt could mean trouble

Remember when, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, there was a turnabout in American spendthrift ways?

Those days appear to be over, based on a report from CreditCards.com. Hawaii’s debt burden is eighth highest in the nation, with the typical card-carrier stuck in a 16-month payment grind.

That can mean a few things, one of which is that Hawaii residents are indulging themselves in unaffordable luxuries. But it also might mean the economic recovery didn’t help everyone, and that people need quick loans for the basic expenses. Or, very possibly, it’s some mix of the two.

Our canoe in Panama: Hokule‘a heads for canal

The Hokule‘a is en route to the Panama Canal. That should be a memorable sight, both for any onlookers seeing the Polynesian voyaging canoe and for the crew members, who probably haven’t witnessed such a traffic jam on their travels.

Likely their transit will happen at night. During daylight hours, directions switch every six hours, allowing larger ships crossing one way, then those in the other direction.

There’s just not space in the locks for two-way traffic.

Smaller vessels cross at night, with two-way traffic. But that shouldn’t be hard for a crew that sails by the stars.