MY LIFE: Part 3d

But first, a Supreme Court decision today that will give Republicans a big advantage in the upcoming midterm elections and into the future.  

• Essentially the justices struck down campaign spending limits, allowing corporations to donate as any citizen can.  Further:

The three major Republican committees — the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee — ended May with $256 million in cash and no debt. That was more than double the roughly $126 million held by their Democratic counterparts, who also carried more than $18 million in debt.

• The White House also, can more easily be corrupt, legally.
• One plus for Democracy is that, now, President Donald Trump will more comfortably allow the midterm elections to proceed on November 3, which is a little more than four months away.

Who is the most popular politician in the USA?  From Time magazine.

Nostalgia Tuesday is today, so back to my life, now into Part 3d.  If you will recall:

• Unlike most, I have had three 27-year periods of my life:  education, work and retirement.
• My wife passed away in 2009, almost a decade into my retirement.
• I had already just published two books, was reporting for The Huffington Post, and decided to embark on two efforts as tributes to her life.
• One was to plant tree that she admired.
• Another:  drop her ashes off at places she wanted to visit, but did not, mostly because I was reluctant.

About the tree, I thought it would be the Golden Shower, the national tree of Thailand.  So I took a trip to Bangkok to learn more about it, but learned that this tree did not grow there.  While still on my Orient trip, Gwen Nakamichi, Pearl's sister in law, who worked at a biological park, identified the tree.

Family: Bignoniaceae (big-no-nih-AY-see-ee) (Info)

Genus: Roseodendron (ro-see-oh-DEN-dron) (Info)

Species: donnell-smithii

Amazingly enough, it turned out that The Gold Tree pretty much surrounded the Pacific Ocean Science and Technology Building, where I had my office...and still do, on the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus.  

Also, a very large one is next to where I now live at 15 Craigside.

I found a nursery in Kona that sold them, so I bought a hundred saplings and had them sent to Hilo to be given to those who came to Pearl's Celebration of Life.  Her cousin, Dennis Onishi, happened to be a councilman on the Big Island, so he passed the appropriate legislation to have them planted in Hilo and Honolulu government sites.  Here he is (third from the right) with other dignitaries at a nursery to grow them out.

It took a couple of years to get the appropriate approvals, but all went well, and our first planting was at the Hilo Municipal Golf Course.

And,  by the way, this tree is located next to a Jacaranda, the tree that was also being considered, as this one was equally admired by Pearl.  The added factor is that the blossoms imparted a fragrant aroma.  Also coincidentally, there is a very large Jacaranda tree next to where I live on Nuuanu Avenue.

The second ceremony was held at the Ala Wai Golf Course, and was covered by one of the local TV news stations.

My second tribute involved Pearl's ashes.  On 8August2009, a few weeks after she had passed away, I was in her home town of Hilo with her family, and posted:

Today in Hilo her family celebrates Pearl's life and tomorrow we will drive to Mauna Kea to scatter her ashes. I Googled "scattering of ashes," and it appears that the entire remains do not (morally) need to be spread at one site.

I thus woke up this morning with a plan for my next year. I will keep half of Pearls' ashes in the bronze urn and have already apportioned the remainder into small packets covered with Ziploc bags. I have a choice of 25 locations and, when each is accomplished, I will write the place and date, taking a photo of each scene.

I will carefully lay each at one of three settings:

1. Pearl’s favorite spots (Mauna Kea, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, her fireball flower pot, the first yellow tree that is planted for the Pearl Foundation, into Waikiki waters at House Without a Key while Honolulu City Lights is being played just after sunset, etc.)

2. Attractions she wanted to visit but never did (Machu Picchu, African safari, Taj Mahal, etc.)

3. A few future settings she would have loved.

I will then write a book on this effort. 

It turned out that I dropped off Pearl's Ashes at 50 sites, and the next few episodes of this adventure will be report on them.  Above, the Taj Mahal (and I'm not in this photo dropping any ashes, just pointing to the top of the attraction).  The Machu Picchu ceremonies were especially worthy of a movie.  To come later in the MY Life series, for these were numbers 26, 27 and 28.

About the FIFA World Cup.

• European teams yesterday were shut out:  Netherlands lost to Morocco and Germany to Paraguay, both into the penalty shootout.
• So far, better today, as Norway edged the Ivory Coast.  France is now playing Sweden and the late game will be Mexico vs. Ecuador.
• Tomorrow:

Match 1: England vs. DR Congo | 12:00 p.m. ET | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) 

Match 2: Belgium vs. Senegal | 4:00 p.m. ET | Lumen Field (Seattle) 

Match 3: United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8:00 p.m. ET | Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara) [1]

-