A million bucks? Big deal

Once upon a time, it would have been big headlines that Hawaii’s governor had raised $1.1 million toward his next campaign so far out from his next election, which for Gov. Neil Abercrombie will be 2014. U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Gov. Linda Lingle have surpassed that with $1.5 million and $1.7 million, respectively, for their U.S. Senate race.

However, nothing is shocking in an era where super political action committees for national races are bringing in tens of millions. Even comedian Stephen Colbert is invoking the "m" word to describe his fundraising haul, and the final tabulation for Vote 2012 will be in the billions.

Heading east without the layover

The East Coast is getting closer than ever. Now three cities — Newark, New York City and Washington, D.C. — can be reached by a nonstop flight from Honolulu. With its newly announced D.C. service, United Airlines joined Hawaiian Airlines (New York) and Continental (Newark) in taking Hawaii travelers to most of the biggest cities (sorry, Boston).

Of course, 10-plus hours on a plane is still a long time. So pack a lunch and Google "exercise on an airplane" for tips on keeping limber. There’s no in-flight yoga. At least, not yet.