“Maui Hotel Numbers Low Again”
The sub Headline said, “64% Occupancy, $238 Average Room Rate.” If you read further down into the article (most won’t) you see that “statewide occupancy” was more like 70%. When I see those percentages I always think, “% of how many rooms?”
I checked into The Westin Maui on Wednesday afternoon (9/9) and told the front desk clerk that I prefer the Beach Tower. She said, “They may all be gone, I’ll check.” Upon checking, she told me that room 470 was the last available room in that tower. I took it. I then asked her what the hotel occupancy rate is, and she said, “The high 90’s.” On my flight back to Oahu today I sat next to Michael Troy, Director of Advertising and Promotions for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. He confirmed that The Westin Maui is 98% full. I asked him how many rooms in the hotel and he said, “700 plus.” That adds up to 630 full rooms, and I can assure you they are a lot more than $238.
The media would be doing everyone in Hawaii a big favor if they would make the good news the headlines.

Life and Death
This moving article in The Daily Beast describes Ted Kennedy’s final days. I hope that I too will be able to get out of bed on my last day here on earth.
I clearly remember the emotion surrounding the death of both JFK and RFK. Neither of them had the opportunity to live out their last days as Teddy did.

They All Have Families Too
The first three pages of today’s Honolulu Advertiser were filled with “Teddy Tales.” We were able to read a lot about his mourning family. I too mourn his death.
At the bottom of the 3rd page was this article. It talks about an American solier being killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan yesterday. The article said, “The death brought to 44 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month with four days left in August.” I wonder how many mourning family members that represents, along with close to 5,000 other Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. ALL of those deaths could have been avoided. How important were these lives to those that sent them over there?

It’s Enough to Make One Scream
Almost everyone I talk to, and definately those I work with, are seeing a recovery from past months, and are beginning to feel optimistic. Then along comes Pacific Business News with this latest fear mongering headline: “Recession to continue in Hawaii through ‘09″
As usual, you need to read down into the story to see how meaningless the headline is. In this case the 2nd paragraph say’s, “The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said in its report released Monday that it expects a 1.1 percent decline in the state’s 2009 gross domestic product and a 3 percent decline in the average job count for the year.”
Isn’t “98.9% stable” enough to warrant an encouraging headline?

Heidi Kraus
While dining alone at the Westin Maui recently I watched the flower girl go from table to table, being rejected at every one. I began thinking that her job was tougher than any retail salesperson I know of. Mine was the last table she came to. I asked her how she’s holding up with the rejection and she said, “Are you going to reject me too.” 
I said, “I’m alone this evening, but I was given a beautful lei this morning where I spoke, and in the Hawaiian tradition I passed it on to my waitress at lunch today.” She asked me where I spoke and I said, ” At 
Windward Unity Church.” I went on to say that church isn’t where I usually speak. She asked me what I speak about, and I said, “I teach salespeople to handle rejection.” She starred at me and asked my name. 
When I told her she teared up and told me that she grew up hearing about me from her mother, Anita Bell, and that she has read my books.
Anita worked for me for several years. Heidi went on to day that Anita died in April of Breast Cancer. She started crying, and said that she hasn’t gotten over it yet. I asked her to take a seat and we talked about Anita, my parents, rejection, life and success. She left smiling. I told her to say “Aloha” to Anita for me when she appears. 
My regret upon her departure was that I didn’t buy lei from her.

I really miss my father.

He worked 7 days a week to feed his family.

He loved his mother.

He loved my mother.

He loved his kids.

He loved his music.

He loved life.

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” 
-Mark Twain

It’s Free and Easy
Masae and I learned a very valuable lesson walking down Kalakaua Avenue after dinner the other night. We were with Pamela and Hamo Alualu. Kalakaua Avenue is lined with “flyer people” handing out all sorts of leaflets and advertising. I have over the years developed a pretty good “waive-off” motion as they reach out to me. As we passed one of them, Hamo accepted his hand-out, and as we walked away Pamela asked him, “Why did you take that?” His answer had impact. He casually said, “Just to be nice.” Wow! Think about that. Masae and I found ourselves talking about that the rest of the evening. “Flyer folks” take a lot of rejection and hear some pretty abusive comments. After all, they are just doing their job, and the pay isn’t that great, what’s wrong with being nice? You can just as easily throw the ad flyer away once you are out of site, but in the process you made someone feel successful, even if it’s for a moment. 
Mahalo Hamo for the lesson. I will be much nicer from here on.

Glad to Have YOU HOME Son
When our son Gilbert saw my Blog post on the guy with the pink shorts, he sent me these photos along with this note:

Hey Dad,
I read your blog about Afghanistan. Believe it or not, that’s where I was last year, over in Kunar Province Afghanistan. That picture was taken in the Korengal Valley AKA “Valley of Death.”
That is the worst place in all of Afghanistan. There are more deaths in that Valley than in any where else in Afghanistan.
That’s where I was man.
-Gil

U.S. Army Spc. Zachary Boyd in the Pink
When I first saw this photo in today’s paper I laughed, thinking it was an example of dereliction of duty. I began forming a Blog post in my mind about how important dress codes are. But as I looked at it further and read the story, my eyes watered up; they still are. Here we see a 20 year old boy hunkered down in a fox hole, exchanging deadly fire with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Young Zachary was sleepng when the shooting started. He leapt from his bed and grabbed his helmet, vest and rifle, but not his pants and shoes as he took his station behind sandbags. His comrads didn’t seem to see any difference.
I found myself thinking, “This kid should be on the beach somewhere, or out on a date with his girlfriend, or having dinner with his family back in Fort Worth, Texas.” All of that was far from real for this young MAN, and this photo truly does bring home the reality of the serious dangers being faced in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
His mom was contacted and she said she hopes to see her son back home by the Fourth of July. She was asked if he would he be wearing pink boxers in any Independence Day parades? “Don’t challenge him,” she said, laughing. “He just may do it.” I too hope that he is home as well as all of the others, and I don’t care what they are wearing. 

Political Blunder
This article in the Honolulu Advertiser tells the story, but fails to mention my feelings. I never rode the Superferry during its short stay in Hawaii, and possibly never would have. Three hours is just too long for me to spend getting from one island to another when I can fly in 20 minutes. In spite of that, I was moved close to tears when I looked out from my lanai on Saturday to see the Superferry heading out of town for the last time. Its sad energy reached all the way up to where I was standing. We used to watch it sail proudly by every day on it’s journey to and from Maui, but this time the direction was different as was the feeling. It had its tail between its legs, beaten down one last time by the Hawaii political machine.

It’s All About YOU
This story in today’s Honolulu Advertiser points out the importance of being aware of your “On-Line Reputation.” The article talks about how you might look to a prospective employer, but I suggest there are other reasons, possibly even more important than job searching, like impressing a business client or even a possible future life partner.
Most truly qualified people that want to work already have a job or business. There are exceptions to that however, such as those just relocating to Hawaii and perhaps embarking on a whole new career or lifestyle.
In any case, your reputation is important and there may be more information about you than you realize sitting on the Internet awaiting a simple Google search. After reading this article I did as suggested, and searched my own name. Wow; I had no idea how much was out there. To see just one example of this Click Here.
I suggest that you read the Advertiser story and then check yourself out. After all, someone else may be doing just that right now.