My computer screen has a minty scent. With a white tissue dampened with Spring Mint private-label mouthwash from Walgreens, I’ve removed smudges and dust from the screen of my laptop.

A new ki ho’alu (slack-key guitar) category will be launched when the 2009 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards are held next spring. The board of governors of the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts voted earlier this year to establish a Best Slack Key Album for the 2009 ballot.

Imagine a party where only your very best friends gather in pristine natural conditions beyond the chaos of the city.

In 1892, a man diagnosed with Hansen’s disease – called leprosy at the time – fled to the remote mountains of Kaua’i rather than be forcibly exiled to the disease colony in Kalaupapa.