Many of Hawai‘i residents are baseball fans, especially when it comes to UH’s Baseball Bows. We take pride in these young men who represent our state in collegiate competitions, now playing all their home games in “the house that Les built.”
The 2014 season marks the 30th anniversary of the Les Murakami Stadium (built in 1984 and previously named the Rainbow Stadium). Coach Les, who was the cover story of Generations’ April/May 2013 issue, was honored on February 21st to commemorate the three decades of the stadium. He became the UH head coach in 1971, won his 1,000th game in 1998, was inducted in the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001 and retired after 31 seasons.
I am proud to say that my husband and I have been UH baseball fans since we met in 1974. Our three children, and now our son-in-law Trey and granddaughter Alexis, enjoy watching at least one game of the home series. Over the years, we have seen great wins and heartbreaking loses. Our most memorable were probably the two longest UH games ever played (prior to the “Les” being built). As we recall, it was in 1976 and we stayed until after midnight, sitting outside the stadium in center field (Scholarship Hill), where Gerald Ako and Derek Tatsuno pitched their entire games of 17 and 18 innings — and won!
Watching UH baseball is a great tradition for my family. To join the fun, call 808-944-2697 or visit www.hawaiiathletics.com.
Encountering today’s scam artist is very similar to seeing a professional magician perform. He has spent countless hours practicing his act, invested in resources and props, and achieved a certain level of competence that earned him his own show. When the audience leaves the performance, they are often left wondering how the tricks were accomplished. They are not, however, embarrassed that they could not figure out how a particular illusion was accomplished. The same should be said about victims of today’s scams.
portive services to the elderly, disabled persons and family caregivers to ensure their well-being, independence and dignity in an environment of their choice. Support comes through a corps of trained volunteers from a coalition of churches/temples and community organizations that demonstrate the universal principle of DANA, a Sanskrit word that means “selfless giving without the desire for recognition or reward.”
Volunteer project coordinator Cyndi Osajima is one of the staff members who works out of the “office.” She has been with Project Dana since 1993 and considers this her dream job. “I am honored and consider it a privilege to be with Project Dana, working with the devoted staff, site leaders and volunteers. I learn so much from the elderly as they share their life experiences” she says.
ear ago that Marion Iwane, 88, read a story in Generations Magazine about a senior in her 90s who started exercising at age 77. Inspired by the story, Marion decided to come in for help with balance, weakness and pain in her hips and shoulders. One month into the program, Marion suffered a mild stroke. After a brief stay in the hospital, she was sent to a nursing rehabilitation facility. Two months later, Marion’s daughter brought her back in to see me. Seeing her with a walker and weak on the left side of her body due to the stroke, I knew we had some work to do. I had successfully worked with another client who suffered a much stronger stroke, so I had high hopes for Marion’s recovery.
Marion has come in twice a week for the last 10 months. We started with moving the joints and light stretching, working our way up to strength and flexibility exercises. While training the right and then the left side of the body, it was important that she not lead with her dominant side. When she accomplishes one task we move on to a new one, continually stimulating her brain and connecting the mind to the movement. In the beginning there were times when she wanted to stop coming. Thanks to her daughter who encouraged her to continue, her attitude toward exercise has changed. One day she said to me, “I want to be strong like you.” Wow, that made my day!
In addition to exercise, Marion and I have worked on infusing her diet with healthy nutrients through green smoothies. Getting enough fruits and vegetables into our diets is important for good health and longevity. We also need healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from avocados, raw nuts, fatty fish, etc.) to maintain brain function and help with cellular communication. We add flaxseed and coconut oil into our smoothies as an easy way to ensure we get our good fats.
2014 Walk to Cure Arthritis — Hawaii
More than ever, we have to take charge of our own health, including doing what we can to avoid health problems, such as preventing falls. According to the Centers for Disease Control, falls are the leading cause of accidental fatal and non-fatal injuries among Hawai‘i’s older adults. Every five hours a kupuna is injured so severely in a fall that he/she must be treated in a hospital.
A growing portion of my practice involves fixing estate plans prepared over the Internet. The problem with computer-driven estate plans is that in the real world, more often than not, they don’t work. An effective estate plan involves far more than a set of documents, even very well drawn documents that would stand up in any court in the land. For one thing, wouldn’t it be better to have an estate plan that will help you and your family stay out of court altogether? Going to court is not the end of the world, but it can be a royal pain. Most lawyers and judges are good, decent people. But does that mean that your estate plan should provide them with profitable employment? A much better approach is getting your plan right the first time, and then making sure that it continues to work according to your wishes in light of changes in your health, your stuff, the law, and the list of people you trust. If you can accomplish these things without court supervision, you will have reached estate planning nirvana.