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Hobby Lobby Decision; Hiccup Circus; Kawainui Marsh Development; Kauai Obon Festival

Wednesday, July 2nd – from HPR2, it’s The Conversation

Hobby Lobby Supreme Court Decision: Professor Andrea Freeman

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Andrea Freeman

At the heart of the Hobby Lobby decision was the question of what counts more: a company’s religious belief or its legal responsibility to include contraception in its healthcare plan. This week, the Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 decision sided in favor of the company’s religious beliefs. The decision has spawned more questions about corporate personhood and the potential for discrimination. University of Hawaii law professor Andrea Freeman joined us in the studio to take a closer look at some of the implications.

Intro Music: Last Goodbyes by Unwed Sailor
Outro Music: The Golden Years by Moonlit Sailor

Hiccup Circus at Storybook Theater: Mark Jeffers

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Mark Jeffers

You don’t have to run away to join the circus these days, at least not if you’re on Kauai during the coming week.   That’s when Kauai’s own Storybook Theater will play host to the Big Island’s Hiccup Circus, which is coming to the Garden Isle to share its skills and to put on a show called ECO-TOPIA, an event that promotes an environmental message with juggling pins made from recycled plastic bottles while jugglers walk on stilts made from recycled wood.  There’s a lot more going on here than circus stunts, and Executive Director Mark Jeffers of the theater in Hanapepe was on the line to tell us more.

Intro Music: Circus by Melanie Laurent
Outro Music: Not a Crime by Gogol Bordello

Kawainui Marsh, Development Project: Linda Paul

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Linda Paul

It might sound like an idyllic setting for campers, cultural practitioners, and people who just want to be out in nature but with amenities. The state's plan to develop Kawainui Marsh with buildings, roads and campsites would substantively change the character of the wetland. Some organizations have called that plan a land grab. Linda Paul is president of the Audubon Society and she joined us this morning.

Intro Music: Bytemarks Café Theme
Outro Music:  Haleiwa by Ian O'Sullivan

Kauai Soto Zen Obon Festival: Gerald Hirata

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Gerald Hirata

Obon, the Japanese tradition that goes back more than 500 years in its homeland, has taken on new life in Hawaii, where it has become a celebration of family life that is shared by all generations. Summer is obon season in the islands, and you’ll see a variety of cultures represented in a dance of celebration that Hawaii has, in many ways, made its own. Most of us know about the "bon odori" or "bon dance," but that’s only part of the story. It’s a world that Gerald Hirata, president of the Kauai Soto Zen Temple in Hanapepe, knows well, and he joined us by phone from Kauai. If you're curious, click here to find an obon festival near you!

Intro Music: Obon Two-Five by Hiroshima
Outro Music:  Gokigen Song by Yutaka Oe

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