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[{"type":"text","text":"Everyone has a different level of commitment....."}]

26 7 28

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, July 28, 2026</title>

Everyone has a different level of commitment...

Daily Smile: Tuesday, July 28, 2026

 Everyone has a different level of commitment.....

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

More than a dozen displays of architectural design have been recognized by AIA Honolulu — the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects — as the best in Hawai‘i at the 68th annual Design Awards.

Since 1958, the awards have honored excellence in architectural design. More than 220 people attended an awards gala Friday, July 24, at the Hawai‘i Theatre.

More than 1,000 votes were cast by the public over two weeks in June for the 20th annual People's Choice Award, according to an announcement from AIA Honolulu. Other awards were determined by a panel of jurors composed of AIA member-architects that included three local jurors as well as architects based out of Kansas City and Canada.

You can check out the list of winners, as well as pictures of the projects, below.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Award of Excellence"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: WRNS Studio"}]

Additional Design Firms: Engineering Partners Inc. (civil and structural engineer), Interface Engineering (mechanical, plumbing Engineer), Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates, Inc. (electrical, energy engineer), Jordan Consultants, LLC (specifications), Coffman Engineers, Inc. (code and fire protection), Sherwood Design Engineers (water recycling), Umemoto Cassandro Design Corp. (landscape architect), Salter, Inc. (AV, telecom and acoustic), Vitok Engineers (distilling), Hirata & Associates (geotechnical), Marshall Associates (food service)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: KPRS"}]

Award of Excellence and The Hawai’i Energy Award for Excellence in Energy-efficient Design

Hugh and Mary McCormick Innovation & Discovery Center, 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"FIRM: G70"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: Hawai‘i Baptist Academy"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Allied Builders Systems"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Award of Excellence"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Bowers + Kubota Consulting"}]

Additional Design Firms: NOEI (structural engineer of record for the building), Buehler Engineering (structural engineer of record for the PV array), CADE Engineers LLC (electrical engineer of record for the PV system), JPB Engineering (geotechnical engineer), S.S. Dannaway Assoc. (fire protection engineer), Dennis Poma (wastewater engineer)

Client: Aaron and Jessica Ackerman      

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Bryan Allen Construction"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Award of Merit"}]

Firms: Guerin Glass Architects PC and Geoffrey Lewis Architect, Inc.

Additional Design Firm: Wolf Landscape Architecture (landscape architect)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: The Marianist Center of Hawai‘i"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Hanson Construction, LLC"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hale Mau‘u, Hawai’i Island"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Walker Warner"}]

Additional Design Firms: Catherine Kwong Design (interior designer), David Y. Tamura Associates (landscape architect)   

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Metzler Contracting Co."}]

Honorable Mention, People's Choice Award and Mayor's Choice Award

'Iolani School Arrillaga Student Center, 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"FIRM: WCIT Architecture       "}]

Additional Design Firm: Gensler (co-design architect)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: 'Iolani School"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Albert C. Kobayashi, Inc."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Honorable Mention"}]

President Theodore Roosevelt High School Gymnasium, 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Ferraro Choi and Associates Ltd."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: State Department of Education"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Nan, Inc."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Dean Sakamoto Architects LLC"}]

Additional Design Firms: Coffman Engineers Inc. (mechanical consultant); Nakamura, Oyama & Assoc Inc. (electrical consultant); Censeo AV + Acoustics (acoustic consultant); Albizia Project and Four Square Solutions (millwork)

Client: American Savings Bank          

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Design Partners Inc."}]

Additional Design Firm: D & T Designs (interior and non-architectural)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: Ikaika ‘Ohana"}]

Contractors: Maryl Group Construction Inc.; Goodfellows Bros.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: Ke‘eaumoku Development Owner LLC"}]

Māhualauhīnano - Keaukaha Resiliency Center for Learning, 

Client: Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Public Charter School and Hui Hoʻoleimaluō

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Community Impact Award"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Firm: Flansburgh Architects"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Client: Lili‘uokalani Trust"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Contractor: Kiewit Corporation"}]

And new this year — and only for 2026 — is the Centennial Awards, which honor architectural projects of "lasting significance that have stood the test of time," the announcement noted. The award recognizes "exceptional designs" that have been completed at least 25 years ago by a current or former member of the AIA Honolulu Chpater or its predecessors.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Those honorees include:"}]

Kona Farm Distillery 2026 architecture awards

<title>Here's the 'Best in Hawai’i Architecture' in 2026</title>

AIA Honolulu's 68th annual Design Awards, which took place July 24, recognize excellence in architectural design.

Here's the 'Best in Hawai’i Architecture' in 2026

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Crime & Courts

Honolulu Council Chair Tommy Waters may be ineligible to run for reelection this year, according to a court verdict Monday.

Waters, who has been on the council since 2019 and was reelected in 2022, is running for a third consecutive term this year, representing Council District 4, including Hawai‘i Kai, Kaimukī and Waikīkī. Three others pulled papers to challenge Waters’ campaign: Tara Malia Gregory, Jason Liang and Trevor Ozawa.

But Ozawa filed a lawsuit against Waters in June, arguing that the 

 limits council members to two terms, and that Waters is consequently ineligible to run again.

On Monday, First Circuit Court Judge James Ashford ruled in favor of Ozawa, preventing Waters from continuing his campaign.

The Charter states that “no person shall be elected to the office of councilmember for more than two consecutive four-year terms.” However, Waters’ first election in 2019 was a special remedial election, triggered after the Hawai‘i Supreme Court invalidated the 2018 election results; Ozawa, then the incumbent, had initially seemed to defeat Waters by only 22 votes.

According to Ozawa’s suit, acting City Clerk Chadd Kadota — named alongside Waters and state Election Officer Scott Nago as a co-defendant — declined to take any action after Ozawa objected to Waters’ 2026 run. Kadota’s preliminary determination seemed to conclude that Waters’ first term “commenced on May 6, 2019,” which Ozawa argued is not how the City Charter determines when terms begin.

Ozawa’s suit argued that the Charter clearly states that a council member’s term begins on the second day of January following the election, irrespective of when the council member is sworn in. Furthermore, it notes that then-governor David Ige’s proclamation ordering the 2019 special election makes no mention of a shortened term or anything that would place Waters’ start date anywhere other than Jan. 2, 2019.

Ozawa’s suit also quotes Waters saying in June that he will “give it a shot” and “see what happens” whether he is legally eligible to run.

“A candidate with a clear legal right to appear on the ballot does not describe his own eligibility as something to ‘give a shot’ and ‘see what happens,’” the suit reads.

Nonetheless, Waters said in a statement Monday that he will appeal the court’s verdict.

“We plan to file an appeal because, given the broader implications this case has for Honolulu’s governance, we believe review by the Court of Appeals is appropriate,” read Waters’ statement. “I believe that the voters should have the ultimate decision come Election Day. My focus, however, remains unchanged, and I remain committed to serving the people of Honolulu and fulfilling the responsibilities the voters entrusted me with for the remainder of this term.”

The primary election takes place Aug. 8. Waters’ name is already on the ballot.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

55384730060 7356afa03d k 16x9

<title>Tommy Waters ineligible for reelection, court rules</title>

Honolulu Council Chair to appeal court ruling that he has already served for two full consecutive terms.

Tommy Waters ineligible for reelection, court rules

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Oʻahu-based Hālau Hi’iakaināmakalehua, led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV

, was named the overall keiki hula winner, and swept overall kaikamāhine and overall kāne awards, along with other honors, at the 51st Annual Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival on Saturday, July 25. The same hālau also won 

This year, Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition, presented by Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts and Sheraton Waikīkī Beach Resort, brought 15 hālau from across the pae ʻāina, to participate in contests from Thursday, July 23, to Saturday, July 25, at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center. Participants of the invitation-only competition are between six and 12 years old. The structure of the competition resembles Merrie Monarch with Miss & Master Keiki Hula 2026 on Thursday, Group Hula Kahiko on Friday, and Group Hula ʻAuana on Saturday.

The three-day event is under the stewardship of Hawaiian Council, which  brought the 

 to Honolulu for the first time in five years in the days before it, from Monday, July 20, through Wednesday, July 22, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

“After a week celebrating Hawaiian culture, leadership and community through the Native Hawaiian Convention and the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival, we leave inspired by what we’ve witnessed on this stage,” said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council, in a written statement. “These performances reflect countless hours of preparation, the unwavering commitment of our kumu hula and the support of families who continue to invest in our keiki. We congratulate every hālau that participated and our award winners for carrying forward the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani through hula.”

Kiliʻohu Kahualauleʻa Celebrado, who is part of Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes, was named 2026 Miss Keiki Hula, while Jahnathan Lāhiki Bareng, who is part of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, was named 2026 Master Keiki Hula.

The Hawaiian Language Award was captured by the Maui-based Hālau Kekuaokalā’au’ala’iliahi, led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Here is the full list of winners:"}]

Hālau Kekuaokalā’au’ala’iliahi (Maui), led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes

First: Hālau Hi’iakaināmakalehua (O‘ahu), led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV

Second: Keolalaulani Hālau ʻŌlapa O Laka (O‘ahu), led by Kumu Hula Keolalaulani Dalire

Third: Hālau Hula o Kamuela (O‘ahu), led by Kumu Hula Kauʻionālani Kamanaʻo and Kunewa Mook

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hula Kahiko — Kāne"}]

First: Hālau Hi’iakaināmakalehua (O‘ahu)

, led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV

Second: Hālau Kekuaokalā’au’ala’iliahi (Maui)

, led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes

Third: Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e (O‘ahu)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hula ʻAuana — Kāne"}]

Third: Hālau Hula ‘o Nāpunaheleonāpua (O‘ahu)

, led by Kumu Hula Rich Pedrina and Blaine Nohara

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"2026 Miss Keiki Hula"}]

First: Kiliʻohu Kahualauleʻa Celebrado (Maui), Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes

Second:  Aliyah Keaohiwahiwaokalewalani Raymond (Oʻahu) of Keolalaulani Hālau ʻŌlapa O Laka, led by Kumu Hula Keolalaulani Dalire

Third: Leianaikamalukoa Hiʻipoiikapoliokilohana Kuaulu Cuban (Oʻahu) of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"2026 Master Keiki Hula"}]

First: Jahnathan Lāhiki Bareng (Oʻahu) of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV

Second: Logan Stephen Taulaʻi Crowell (Maui) of Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, led by Kumu Hula Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes

Third: Kawelokūleʻa Nuikamahaʻo Kekipi-Aurio (Oʻahu) of Hālau Hula ʻO Nāpunaheleonāpua, led by Kumu Hula Rich Pedrina and Blaine Nohara

Hālau Hi’iakaināmakalehua

<title>Oʻahu hālau wins top awards at Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition</title>

An Oʻahu-based hālau took top honors at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition, while one from Maui captured the Hawaiian Language Award. Check out the full list of winners.

Oʻahu hālau wins top awards at Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 — specializing in New York-style pizza slices in Waikīkī — opened quietly last month, business owner Kip 

Praissman is no stranger to making pizza. Praissman also owns Floralia, which offers wood-fired Neapolitan-style plant-based pizzas, located on Kona Street.

“I’ve been making pizza professionally for more than 10 years now; I think it’s a great concept to have here in Waikīkī,” Praissman says. “This is real New York-style pizza by the slice.”

Praissman’s grandfather. While he doesn’t visit New York as often anymore, Praissman says this business is his way of “bringing a piece of New York to Hawaiʻi.”

“It’s speaking to my roots; my grandfather was Italian-born and immigrated to Brooklyn in the 1900s,” Praissman says. “Of course, New York pizza came from those Italian immigrants. I thought the name would be fitting.”

Pizzas are available by the slice — choose from cheese ($6), pepperoni ($7), sausage and onion ($8) or white pizza ($8) — but customers can order whole pizzas as well. Eight slices come in a full pizza, which is 20 inches, according to 

“It’s all about balance,” says Praissman, when asked about creating the perfect slice of pizza. “It’s the right amount of crispiness, the right amount of chew, the dough, and the right fermentation. The amounts are important to me; the balance of cheese to sauce.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He says making the dough is a two-to-three-day process."}]

“New York style pizza is a large pizza, usually served by the slice,” Praissman explains. “You pick it up and you eat it with your hands. It should be kind of crispy, but still have a little bit of a chew to it. You’re in and out of shops in five minutes; it’s designed to be street food.”

Pepperoni has been the most popular flavor, but 

Praissman encourages customers to check out the business’s weekly specials. The business recently features a pineapple, jalapeno and sausage pizza as a special.

“I really like the sausage and onion, and I happen to like the pineapple; it’s great,” he says. “We use Ezzo Company pepperoni, which I think is the best in the business. The pepperoni all cup, but some char a little more aggressively on the rim, and the other ones just crisp up. I mix the cupped and crisped together, so you get a combination.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We never go light on the pepperoni,” he adds."}]

The white pie includes garlic and ricotta. Vegan-friendly pizza slices are also available.

Praissman usually sprinkles Piave Oro del Tempo, or an Italian mountain cheese, on top.

“Most people haven’t heard of piave; it’s really delicious,” he days. “Piave’s got a little nuttiness and a little sweetness to it.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The business is currently open until 10 or 11 p.m., depending on the day."}]

“We’ve been getting busier later in the day,” Praissman says. “There’s certainly a lot of people drinking late (around here); pizza goes well after drinking.”

Open 3 to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, 3 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Canios Pizza owner 072426

<title>Canio’s Pizza is serving New York-style slices</title>

Business owner Kip Praissman has been making pizza professionally for more than 10 years. Canio’s Pizza — named after his grandfather — specializes in New York-style pizzas, which are known for their slightly crispy crust that still boasts a nice chew.

Canio’s Pizza is serving New York-style slices

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke has been indicted for bribery by a O‘ahu grand jury.

Luke’s bail was set at $80,000 Friday after being charged with bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery and falsifying her campaign spending report.

Four others were also indicted Friday in connection with the State Attorney General’s investigation into a purported paper bag full of $35,000 paid to an unknown, but “influential,” lawmaker referenced during a 2022 federal bribery investigation.

Those others included former State Rep. Ryan Yamane, lobbyist Tobi Solidum, former chair of the state Public Utilities Commission Leodoloff Asuncion Jr., and Ford Fuchigami, airports administrator for the state Department of Transportation.

According to the indictment, during Luke’s 2022 campaign for lieutenant governor, Solidum was seeking additional state money for Covid community testing centers. The indictment cites a conversation between Solidum and Ty Cullen — the former Hawai‘i Rep. who, at the time, had turned informant for the FBI — where Solidum was worried that the state DOH would cut funding for Covid testing centers soon.

During the conversation, Solidum reportedly told Cullen Luke was running for the lieutenant governor position, adding: “All I gotta do is give her more money.”

Solidum, Cullen and Luke all reportedly met on Jan. 20, 2022 at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Ala Moana, where Solidum’s stepdaughter Kristen Pae placed an envelope on the table containing two $5,000 checks, one from Solidum and one from Pae. Luke reportedly took the envelope.

Solidum then told Luke, “By next week we’ll have 35, so it will be halfway to our 70.”

Later during that meeting, Solidum asked Luke about the possibility of drawing upon federal funds to continue Covid testing, to which Luke agreed to follow up.

The two $5,000 checks were subsequently deposited into the Friends of Sylvia Luke bank account, the same day Luke arranged for a meeting to discuss emergency appropriations for additional Covid community testing. In February, Luke’s Finance Committee, which she chaired, passed 

, a bill approving more than $170 million in state funds for Covid mitigation measures for the next two fiscal years.

The indictment does not specifically mention an exact $35,000 transaction, let alone a paper bag, although the the transaction in Morton’s strongly resembles an event Luke described in February: she admitted accepting two $5,000 checks in a dinner involving Cullen, although she also claimed she never cashed the checks.

Asuncion’s presence in the indictment entirely stems from his role as Luke’s campaign treasurer, wherein he allegedly knowingly failed to disclose the donations by Solidum and Pae, and also his subsequent claims in March that the checks had been returned to those donors unspent. Asuncion reportedly claimed that those checks had never been deposited into the Friends of Sylvia Luke bank account, and therefore believed he didn’t need to report them.

Despite this, Deputy Attorney General David Van Acker said Friday that he believes Yamane to be the “most culpable” of the five named in the indictment.

According to the indictment, Solidum had sent money to Yamane in 2020 and 2021, and later asked about the status of health care measure 

, which failed to move forward through conference committees that year. Yamane texted Solidum “Sorry couldn’t deliver it.”

Solidum and Yamane continued to meet throughout 2021 and 2022, with Solidum repeatedly giving Yamane money. Solidum reportedly “texted Yamane in an effort to get a rival Covid testing company fined,” which Yamane assisted by forwarding Solidum’s claims about said company to the state Department of Health.

In early 2022, Yamane, Solidum and Fuchigami met frequently to discuss HB 2392. At one point, the text conversation between Yamane and Solidum turned to the federal charges against Cullen, leading Yamane to text Solidum “Might not be good to been [sic] seen with me.”

At the end of the 2022 legislative session, Yamane spoke effusively in support of HB 2392, and specifically named Luke in his thanks for getting the measure passed.

Fuchigami, for his part, received a $7,000 check from Solidum in Jan. 2022. Fuchigami, who worked for the Senate Ways and Means Committee at the time, was party to subsequent conversations with Solidum and Yamane regarding HB 2392.

Yamane was indicted for bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery; Solidum for three counts of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery; Fuchigami with use of false statements, conspiracy to commit bribery and obstruction of justice; and Asuncion with falsifying candidate committee reports, use of false statements and obstruction of justice.

“For years, people in Hawai‘i have wondered: ‘why can’t we investigate and prosecute our own public officials for corruption?’” Attorney General Anne Lopez said at a briefing Friday. “This is the reason why the Legislature created the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division [within the AG’s office] … We have a commitment to following the facts to where they lead, no matter how long it takes to get there.”

Nonetheless, Van Acker emphasized that Luke and the others in the indictment are still presumed innocent, and that the statements in the indictment remain only allegations. Van Acker and Lopez did not take questions Friday.

Luke took an indefinite leave of absence from the lieutenant governor position in April, which has continued to this day.

PXL 20260725 020059478 TS 000 16x9

<title>Luke indicted for bribery</title>

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and four others have been charged in Attorney General corruption investigation

Luke indicted for bribery

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

Hawaiʻi now has more residents 65 and older than children under 18.

At statehood, the Islands were young. They are not anymore.

This did not simply happen. Some of it was planned. The man who led the planning died in April at the age of 100, after a long life of honorable service. He counted the slowing of Hawaiʻi’s growth among his proudest achievements.

Gov. George Ariyoshi led the state of Hawaiʻi for 13 years, from 1973 to 1986 — longer than anyone before or since. He belonged to the last generation that believed, without irony, that government could improve the condition of man. He dressed for the office he held: pressed suits, perfect hair, a bearing that reminded people of Kennedy. He and his wife Jean matched the dignity of the role. Today’s politicians often carry the detachment of people who half-suspect the whole thing is theater. Ariyoshi never did.

Ariyoshi was not a cynic or a schemer. He was a capable, earnest man who believed the most respected experts of his age. And the experts were wrong.

In 1968, a Stanford biologist named Paul Ehrlich published 

. It opened by declaring the battle to feed humanity already lost. Hundreds of millions would starve in the coming decade, he warned, no matter what anyone did. Four years later, the Club of Rome released a report built on a computer model. Factor in population growth, food, resource depletion, industry, and pollution, and the machine predicted total collapse. The model was treated less like a guess and more like an oracle.

The books sold millions. But beneath the charts sat one assumption: that a human being is a mouth and nothing more. The models saw people as problems, never as problem solvers. Every child arrived on the ledger with a minus sign.

Scripture starts from the opposite premise. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him,” says Psalm 127. A blessing, not a burden.

The blessings came. The same humans the models had written off went on to breed drought-resistant crops and feed them manmade fertilizer. Famine retreated to the margins of the earth. A trucker named Malcom McLean packed cargo into standard steel boxes, and over the next 50 years the shipping container rewired world trade. Moving goods became so cheap that distance nearly stopped mattering. A farmer in Iowa could feed a family in Osaka, and a factory anywhere could serve customers everywhere.

None of this was in the model. A computer could extend a curve. But it could not foresee the impact of a steel box.

Where the prophets were believed most completely, the results were darkest. China’s One Child Policy enforced the arithmetic with forced abortions and sterilizations.

George Ariyoshi dressed for the office he held and trusted the most respected experts of his age — and the experts were wrong. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on the population prophecy that failed twice.

Daily Smile: Tuesday, July 28, 2026

ASD Staff

Reporter

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

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