Hawaii Books

Published by NUS Press Pte Ltd,"International Real Estate: Asia's Potential from a Research Perspective" considers real estate market analysis in the context of economic theory pertaining to market disequilibria, utilizing data from major cities in Asia as case studies. This framework makes it possible to determine what defines an Asian real estate sector: What is being measured? How does it behave (in terms of price and non-price factors)? How it is structured? How effectively does it achieve sustainable total returns? And how does it manage real estate market uncertainty?

Real estate market uncertainty originates from both the demand- and supply-side of the market. The market responds to structural macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that in turn are affected by related public policies. These elements interact to affect Asian real estate in unique ways since the Asian currency crisis of 1997. David HO Kim Hin 's analysis shows that while the details of real estate market analysis are different for the various Asian cities (and their real estate sectors) owing to their different stages of maturity, underlying principles nevertheless apply. He also looks at managing real estate market uncertainty at the portfolio level through the analytical techniques of real estate asset allocation, real estate value-at-risk (VaR), real option analysis and pricing.

I loved this book. It was written with sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and openness.
I learned so much about the poverty in the Philippines, about this nutty religious revolution [el shaddai] that gets poor people to give their money to a modern day Elmer Gantry who is laughing all the way to the bank. I also learned a lot about beliefs in demons, devils, angels, etc.. What a bunch of nonsense. Of course the author tries her best to be nonjudgemental, to paint a fair portrait of this religious culture with respect and interest. She shows that this religious movement isn't all bad; it does seem to give people hope. But is is false hope, of course. The book ends with a dramatic climax as the author witnesses an El Shaddai leader abuse and berate a woman -- blaming her for all the troubles in her life.
This book was top-notch cultural anthropology. It was very well written, very intellectually-satisfying, and really painted a moving portrait of these poor people who are so desparate that they will give their last pesos to "God" in hopes of a few breaks in life.

This is one of the most recent books published about the history/fate of West Papua under Indonesia rule.
It covers events mostly from the Indonesian takeover till late 1999, with a short preface summarizing events and trends up to 2001. After a short overview of the history of Papua, particular attention is paid to the early history of the OPM guerilla movement, to the economic importance of the province to Indonesia (based on local government statistics), the Freeport mine, and events between 1995-1999.
While individual cases of human rights abuses are mentioned, the major focus of the book is the impact of Indonesian economic development and the accompanying demographic changes and environmental damage on the life and future of the Papuans.
Its conclusion, that independence is the only way the native Papuan people can survive, is hopefully incorrect as in view of recent political developments in Papua independence seems an even less likely outcome today than it did when much of this book was written.

This book is detailed, but not hard to read. I enjoyed it.

As a "kamaaina"(person born and raised in Hawaii), I have read most of the literature about the State. Author Tom Coffman, has written several books about Hawaii, including his first, "Catch A Wave", which was about the 1970 gubernatorial campaign. He has written what I believe, is the best political history of the State in this current book. The previous "best" was one written in the late 1950's, entitled "Hawaii Pono" by Lawrence Fuchs. Coffman's book, in a highly readable and well-researched, up-dates that history and adds other facts. Coffman seems to have researched oral history accounts and other sources and adds much to knowledge about a state that is like no other...at the island edge of America.

Many people dream of moving to Paradise and living a laid back life. Many people have done it, with varying degrees of success. Most learn the hard way that Hawaii is not the Mainland, and that the culture, the history, and the ethnic considerations require a great deal of sensitivity if one's assimilation is to be positive.

"Island Life 101" is chock full of background information that gives a newcomer a leg up on the process. The author, Jill Engledow, was an award-winning journalist on Maui for many years. Having arrived in Hawaii as a teenager, she saw and experienced every aspect of Island life: the good, the bad and the exotic. This book is a distillation of her many years of exploring the Islands scene, personally and professionally.

It includes a history of the Islands, critical for understanding life there today; a discussion of key current issues; profiles of each island; and many tips and resources that will make life much easier after you arrive. Also included is a list of books for those who want to deepen their knowledge.

Moving to a group of isolated islands in the center of the Pacific Ocean, even in the 21st century, is a decision that requires great thought and planning. "Island Life 101" is not a must-read. It is a must-buy. You'll refer to it gratefully many times as your adventure unfolds.

Our first introduction to the Hawaiian Islands was in the early 1980's; since then we have been conducting research on the islands of Hawai`i and Kauai. Our long association with Hawai`i prompted us to develop a course: The Natural History of Hawai`i; taught by Jamie Deneris, Ph.D., College of Marin, Kentfield, California, and myself, Neil Marshall, Ph.D. College of Notre Dame, Belmont, California. This is a course that includes island biogeography, evolutionary biology, and the geology of oceanic islands. Our text is John Culliney's book, Islands in a Far Sea. This is a wonderfully, scholarly, but eminently readable book. It captures the essence of the geologic and biologic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands, presents the key points of island biogeography, and finally the impact of human activity. A fine book; this needs to be reprinted in a new edition.

Overall I found Islands of the Dawn to be a good introduction to some of the mainstream (and lesser known) Alternative Spiritualities in New Zealand.

There is a great deal of information on Spiritualism, Theosophy and a whole chapter dedicated to The Golden Dawn. If you are interested in any of these three 'paths' - especially with respect to New Zealand - then as far as overviews go, you will not be disappointed. There is plenty more in this book though for people interested in reading about alternative spiritualities in New Zealand. Other groups and paths mentioned include Order of the Table Round, Builders of the Adytum, Anthroposophy, the Culdean Trust, Beeville, the OTO, and various Eastern Spiritualities.

The author has done a great job of presenting background information on various groups and philosophies to give context to the New Zealand branches. This makes the book a good starting point for New Zealander's who want to learn more about alternative religious and esoteric groups without any prior background knowledge.

Those interested in paganism, wicca or satanism are the only paths likely to be disappointed with this book as there is little written on them. Perhaps neo-pagan groups had hardly surfaced at this stage in time, and were harder to find. However, around the time of the authors travels in New Zealand and prior to the published date of the book there was the magazine "Magic Pentacle" being published listing various pagan groups, and at least 2 groups identifying themselves as Satanists were around (Order of the Left Hand Path, and Order of the Sword of Damocles). However some information on these groups may be available in a thesis written by a student at Victoria University who interviewed former members of the OLHP. I don't know if the thesis is publicly available however.

cheap and portable and very full of information---this paperback is the best buy I know of for a quick trip to Hawaii

Greg Austin and Stuart Harris's _Japan and Greater China: Political Economy and Military Power in the Asian Century_ serves a useful purpose in reminding the book reading public that there are many other threats and problems in international affairs outside of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Austin and Harris have a wealth of experience in international affairs as both scholars and practitioners. Austin was an analyst with the Australian Defence Intelligence Organisation, defense and foreign affairs correspondent for _The Sydney Morning Herald_ and Secretary of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee of the Australian Senate. Harris was Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Trade and then Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (subsequently Foreign Affairs and Trade)--a position roughly equal to being the chief of staff to the Foreign Minister. Austin and Harris currently hold positions at The Australian National University in Canberra. Both have written previous books on China and world affairs.

The authors contend that China and Japan are status quo powers unwilling and/or unable to provide much regional leadership in Asia and the Pacific. "Overall, what has been important is that despite ...substantial differences, both governments have sustained a business-like approach to the other. It is likely that this will become more difficult, given the greater concern of public opinion in both countries about the relationship, but both governments will not abandon this approach except under extreme duress. We have noted that whatever the public feelings towards each other, there is no domestic constituency in either country for a belligerent military posture" (p. 336).

As the title of this study indicates, the two authors focus on areas of traditional interest to people interested in international affairs, but there is a bit more to this study. Austin and Harris examine social and economic factors and this is a strength of the book and it is well made. Military actions, after all, are the efforts of a society to project and protect its political values, and it is worthwhile to get an idea of the forces at work in these two societies.

In their first two chapters, the authors examine some unconventional topics for their field. The two explore the place of cultural diplomacy and exchanges in the bilateral relationship of these Asian powers. An important component in perceptions of the other are the historiographical disputes about World War II. An issue that continues to roil the waters between the two nations is the issue of Japan issuing an apology for starting the conflict. That Japan should express its regrets in some way for initiating this war might seem obvious to most citizens of its former foes. It is a testimony to their fairness as scholars that Austin and Harris provide a good and reasonable explanation of why Japanese officials have been less than eager to express regret to the Chinese. While many Japanese nationalists continue to deny that events like the "Rape of Nanking" ever took place, influential officials and bureaucrats believe that Japan has already expressed its remorse officially. Others worry that the type of statement China desires would open up Japan to financial liability. Some see the issue as part of the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to use history as domestic propaganda and are reluctant to give this authoritarian institution tools to maintain its hold on power.

The next two chapters then move into more conventional territory with looks at security and territorial issues. The leadership in both capitals sees the other nation as a security threat, but, according to Austin and Harris, the major characteristic defining this element of their relationship is non-aggression. Each nation is confident that there is no interest in the other of using military force to resolve their differences. Trust, however, is largely absent from their relationship. The foreign policy objective of China over the past half-century has been the unification of the nation. Japan understands this objective, and has been quite consistent in maintaining a one-China policy.

The book then moves into the economic aspects of the Japanese-Chinese relationship with an examination of foreign aid and direct investment. In both cases, the capital travels west across the Sea of Japan. Aid has had little political or economic impact on China, but many Chinese see it as their due or as reparations. Japanese investment in China, on the other hand, has had more influence, at least in certain sectors and regions. Foreign investment from Japan has contributed to the growth of Chinese exports and most Japanese capital has found its way into the Dalian region in the northeast corner of the country. Japanese investment in China is a sign of a healthy relationship.

The transfer of technology and bilateral trade is the subject of the next chapter. The leadership in Beijing sees Japan as both a role model and as a ready source of advanced technology. The authors point out that in many cases China with few trained managers, technicians, and repair facilities has a limited ability to absorb the most modern technologies. When it comes to exports and imports, Austin and Harris argue that the amount of trade is large enough that both nations have elements in their society with an interest in keeping political relations between their governments from deteriorating.

As with most books, there are some blemishes. Like many works in international relations and political science, the text is littered with acronyms. While the authors are quite good about putting the abbreviations in parentheses immediately after the first use of the term it represents, a glossary would have proven quite useful for someone not wanting to hunt through two chapters of text to try and figure out what ODA, FIE, or SEZ represent.

In balance, the strengths of this study vastly outweigh its shortcomings. Austin and Harris have produced a useful, innovative study that many, including policymakers can profit from reading if they wish to understand the recent past in East Asia.