WHAT IS 15 CRAIGSIDE?

Jailed Iran women's rights activist, Narges Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.  She has been arrested 13 times, convicted 5 times and sentenced to 31 years of jail, with 154 lashes.  In addition to her other crusades, she has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty.  Iran is the nation with the highest known number of executions last year, at 576.

Noticed the high number of strikes this year?  Bet you didn't know that there have been 312 in the USA this year, with at least 453,000 workers involved.  Mostly in transportation, entertainment and hospitality.

• You would think the United Auto Workers against the car companies would have the most on strike, but there are at this point, only 25,000 walking the picket lines.  There are 400,000 UAW members.
• 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are on strike.
• The Hollywood strike is partly settled, but not entirely.
• Also in Los Angeles, in case you were planning to visit, are staggered hotel strikes.
• Note, however, that our country has not recently been bothered much by them.

Notice that Republicans are only considering white dudes for Speaker?

• The nation is 59% white.
• Congress is 74% white.
• Republicans in Congress are 89% white.

• 
  Note also that 84% of Republicans in Congress are men, with 56%  of Democrats.
• Past Democratic speaker was a female, for a long time:  Nancy Pelosi.
• Hakeem Jeffries is the first black lawmaker to lead any party in Congress.

I now and then mention 15 Craigside, a retirement residence where I live.  It is known as a "moderate" income Life Plan Community, built off Nuuanu Avenue on a site previously the home of Iolani School.  The land is owned by the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ.

• Planning began in 2006, with the opening in March of 2011.

• 
  There are 170 apartments and a 41-bed licensed nursing facility on the second floor.
• We are the younger sister of Arcadia, which was founded by the Central Union Church in 1967, and has 250 homes with 91 nursing-care beds.
• Arcadia Community Services operates both sites, plus has related programs and is now linked to One Kalakaua.
• Want more info?  Click on this.

There are three basic retirement home options in Hawaii.

• For Kahala Nui, you need to purchase an apartment for a million dollars and more, plus pay a monthly fee now approaching $6,000/month.  After you expire, the family will be reimbursed around 80% of what was invested.
• 
  Arcadia and 15 Craigside require a move-in cost of $400,000 or so, and a monthly fee of $6,000, which would include all utilities and fees, such as parking and WiFi.  They promise to take care of you for life even if you run out of money.  However, they won't admit you if you don't show good promise for avoiding that ending.

• 
  Most of the other retirement facilities, ranging from the Plaza to small homes, usually have no entrance fee, with a monthly charge of about $6,000/month.  However, if you get too unwell, you must move out into the final option, like a hospice, or advanced care site, which could cost more than $12,000/month.

I regularly report on life at 15 Craigside, which I jokingly refer to as Purgatory.  So here are the activities we had the past week or so.  Our van took us to the Halawa Station, so we could experience the thrill of Skyline:

Some artworks.

The Skyline system is less than half completed.  It goes from nowhere to nowhere, so ridership is low.

Nice gate to prevent you from falling before an incoming train.

This is a roll-on system, as opposed to in Europe, where you many times need to carry your suitcase up a couple of steps.  I got the front seat.

Looking back from where I sit.  The ride is hardly smooth.  In fact, it wobbles, so is dangerous if you're not holding on to something or sitting.

You can see Diamond Head at a distance.

I have an annual bus pass, which works on Skyline.  I can catch it a million times and still pay only $45/year.

Groups come to entertain us.  Here is The Legacy.

We have a monthly Aloha Hour, where new residents are welcomed, birthday dates for the month announced and a program with appropriate drinks.  This month it was baseball, especially the Brooklyn Dodgers, led by Gene, who once ran Columbia Inn.

Gene's father, Tosh, who opened the restaurant, which served for 60 years.

Gene got UH retired professor Joseph Stanton to give a talk.  He wore a Cardinals hat.

Of course, hot dog and beer were served.

With peanuts,Cracker Jack, etc.

We had an Octoberfest lunch.

Reggie and friend.  We had a German band to provide background.

Dining room.

Buffet.

Beer and root beer.

Craig, our new dining room staff member.

My lunch.

Apple strudel and ice cream.

The meal was okay.  The mood was grand.  The event was outstanding.

We have regular Sing Alongs, and a variety of snack offerings.  This Humble Pie was not of animal innards.  Could not determine what it really was, but it was some kind of fruit, and, actually, not bad at all.

Just another typical meal in my apartment.

Typhoon Koinu pummeled Taiwan yesterday.  Strength dropped to 80 MPH.  Then today, strengthened to 115 MPH, but is now definitely not projected to approach Hong Kong.  Instead, the typhoon will make a turn towards Hainan, and will make landfall early next week as a tropical storm.

Otherwise, there is Tropical Storm Lidia off the Mexican coast, to become a hurricane this weekend, but will weaken and make landfall between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta around midweek next week.

To close, I wish Al Martino happy birthday.  He would have turned 96 tomorrow, but passed away in 2009.  I sing his Spanish Eyes at karaoke sessions, something I've not done for quite a while because of the Pandemic, and maybe never will again.    He got wounded on Iwo Jima in World War II.  Played Johnny Fontane in The Godfather (Rotten Tomatoes 97/98).  Surely you remember his singing the movie theme song, Sweet Softly Love.  That photo of him was taken 71 years ago.

I talked about Marilyn Monroe yesterday.  Martino was somewhat linked to her.

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