Beta-carotene, while just one of many bioactive molecules that are grouped into "vitamin A" and usable by the body, is particularly important due to its ease of use by the body. In contrast, lycopene, lutein, and astaxanthin have no pathway to be converted into either alpha/beta-carotene by the human body, and exhibit no vitamin A behavior (both positive and negative, like toxicity). Although both lycopene and astaxanthin exhibit promising behavior as "internal sunscreens" and mops for UV-induced radicalization of DNA components, they can't replace carotene-derived vitamin A sources and might have other toxic effects for certain people who can't break down the carbon chains particularly well. They may play an important role in the body, but as of yet don't look to be as critical as beta-carotene (note: I am a chemist, but vitamins and enzyme cofactors aren't my thing, so someone else may have more experience with that.).

I hope the "you" wasn't specific - hell, if I had known about the election and my voter eligibility, I would've voted. :) However, the fact that there was almost no public broadcast about the election's existence or its voting method via television, radio, or word of mouth, I personally only heard mention of it once, and it promptly slipped my mind until this article. In addition, the way the island is divided into districts for elections is always troubling for voters - for instance, the entire island is the county of Honolulu, but if you live elsewhere on Oahu as I do, you aren't a resident of the city of Honolulu. The amount of unnecessary steps for voters tacked onto local politics drives many away from voting. Coupled with the odd-duck timing of the election, I assume many others simply had no idea about it, amongst other reasons.

While things do change more on a local scale, the attitude here is especially apathetic. The amount of red tape and "old boy" politics in Hawaii make a lot of people think that either they can't change anything at all, or that the only chance is through large scale elections (presidential, congressional, etc). The state is bloated by bureaucracy and is slow, and after many politicians promising to help ease this to no avail, people simply stop caring for their own reasons.

As a resident of Oahu (and by that a citizen of the city and county of Honolulu,) I only vaguely remember hearing that there was an election at all, and everything I heard about it would be that applicable voters would receive vote-by-mail cards. Upon asking four coworkers around me, none of them had known that there even was an election. It might be that we're just cooped up in a lab, but I think the problem was the failure to get the word out this year, not the method of voting. Also, the election was for the city's "Neighborhood Board" election. I have a hard time believing that the people that DID know could give a rat's ass, considering Hawaii's voter turnout percentiles for major elections.

While I agree with your general statement, the most common Hawaiian creation myths involves the four principal Hawaiian deities - Kane, Kanaloa, Lono, and Ku. Specifically the god Kane and/or Kanaloa, in a creator-deity fashion.
While I am not a Hawaiian studies major, I've taken my fair share of Hawaiiana classes, and I've never heard of the octopus being anything other than a family spirit or representative of a minor god - maybe Kanaloa, god of the sea.
I'm interested as to where you garnered this information. Perhaps it is another polynesian culture's creation belief?