The Projector: The Week in Pictures — Aug. 16 - 22

Colorful in Puna Annetta Lucero and her family spent more than a week without power in their home in Puna following Tropical Storm Iselle. The house, built from recycled materials, escaped largely unscathed, although the area around it suffered extensive damage to infrastructure that prevented some people from voting.
Contortionist Lessons After the storm, Lucero, an athletic performance artist and trainer, got back to work with Kumsa Maphalala, 14, to sharpen the girl's contortionist routine. The girl's mother, Malakia, far left, says she sometimes has to look away when her daughter performs.
When Night Falls Lucero and her family, including her daughter Cali, left, and son Lucas, right, spent more than a week without power. When the electricity was finally restored, Lucero was jubilant, noting that such experiences can help people to respect what they have.
Sharing Notes U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and state Rep. Mark Takai, the Democratic nominee for the 1st Congressional District, go over the schedule before the start of a Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee Field Hearing on Aug. 19. The hearing was held to find out what the VA is doing to improve conditions for vets.
A Warrior From Another Era Korean War veteran Fred Ruge, from the Maui Veteran's Council, testifies at the hearing at the Oahu Veterans Center. Veterans present complained about the reams of bureaucracy that can prevent them from obtaining timely access to health care and other services.
Vietnam Vet Cummins Kameeiamoku Mahoe III spoke about the difficulties that veterans from other islands have getting to Oahu for treatment, as well as securing appointments and obtaining travel reimbursements.
The Representative in Blue Sen. Hirono, at the mic to the right, spent much of the hearing letting others talk. VA officials and others involved in providing medical services to the military explained what they’re doing to try to ease the burden on veterans, particularly those living in Hawaii.
Seeking Privacy At one point Sen. Hirono needed to talk to an aide without it being broadcast to the room. In June, the VA released an internal audit of average wait times for incoming patients showing that Hawaii had the worst VA system in the nation, with an average delay of 145 days.
The Search for Dignity Veteran Tina Quizon stands up in protest. Recent data from the VA shows that the average wait time at the Hawaii VA has been reduced down to 56 days, but it remains one of just six facilities in the report, out of 140, with longer-than-average wait times for new patients.
Talk of Improvement The director of the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Wayne Pfeffer, center, testified of recent improvements. President Barack Obama recently signed a bill that allows the VA to spend $16.3 billion to hire doctors and address the patient overload.
The Senator Sen. Hirono highlighted the importance of improved communications at the VA and suggested to Pfeffer that he continue to listen to vets when they talk about the difficulties they face going forward.
Sen. Hirono talks to VA staff following the end of the hearing after numerous veterans conveyed their strong impression that their needs are ignored by the very people whose job it is to help and care for them.
Crater History Many thousands of people, as on a recent sunny day, visit Diamond Head each year. The crater is believed to have been created in the space of a few days between 400,000 and 500,000 years ago. The area was long an off-limits military property.
The View From Up High Hikers at the top enjoy one of the best views of the city. Native Hawaiians built heiaus, monuments to the gods, on the crater's slopes. British sailors are believed to have dubbed it “Diamond Head” because they thought crystals glittering in the cone’s ashy soil looked like diamonds.
The Crowds Diamond Head's summit is 761 feet above sea level. Long ago the area included concrete emplacements for an artillery battery that could fire at foreign ships. As the military presence on Diamond Head waned, the structures were dismantled, including the guns. They were sold for scrap.

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The Projector: The Week in Pictures — Aug. 16 – 22

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