Legal eagles to ponder youth

Keeping troubled young people out of prison and getting them on paths to productive lives are the goals of many youth advocates in Hawaii.

Some of the heaviest hitters in this arena will gather at a public forum Friday evening at the University of Hawaii law school to discuss initiatives propelled forward this legislative session.

A state Supreme Court justice, Family Court judges, the law school’s dean and others are among those scheduled to attend, and interested members of the public are encouraged to join the conversation.

The free event lasts from 5 to 8 p.m. in the courtyard of the law school, at 2515 Dole St.

Seeing the world through food lens

Yes, we in Hawaii love our foods and love to eat so much so, that even politicians can’t help but inject local-kine grinds into their comments.

On Wednesday, there was Gov. Neil Abercrombie waxing food-osophical about getting some, but not all, of his requested initiatives on early childhood education.

"When you go out for pizza, you’d like to get the whole pizza," he said. "But absent that, I’ll take slices. And we’ve gotten some very significant slices so far."

That brought to mind a certain former mayor who was quite fond of dismissing a bad or vague plan as a "half-baked manapua."

And, of politicians warning about a dire situation as being in "deep kim chee."

Uh-oh all this political talk is making us hungry.