Thursday, July 3, 2008
And now a Kauai humor post for today

So I posted a couple of serious entries just before this one. Now something I noticed in today's Chicago Tribune. Something a little bit funny, the article mentions roosters crowing at 2 or 3 in the morning. A few months ago, my first night sleeping here, I heard such a rooster and assumed it was 5 or 6 in the morning. I went back to sleep without looking at the clock. About 2 hours later the roosters started crowing again. I thought to myself, what the hell, they already crowed at sunrise, and then looked at the clock...it was 5:30 in the morning...and then I thought to myself...oh, shit, you mean they start crowing at 3 in the morning. Anyway, I've gotten use to them, it's almost like I don't hear them anymore. Here's the article:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-chicken_letter_glanto...
LETTER FROM LIHUE
"Chicks dig this place, but so do their parents, alas
Feral fowl rule Hawaiian island"
By Dahleen Glanton Tribune correspondent
1:52 AM CDT, July 3, 2008

LIHUE, Hawaii — "Their high-pitched voices sound off in the distance as the cruise ship makes its way to port in the early morning.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The sound of crowing roosters and cackling hens seems to come from all around—the mountains that rise above the clouds, the cliffs overlooking the Na Pali Coast and the backyards of houses on the hillsides.

In fact, chickens are everywhere on the island of Kauai.

This is some interesting work by the state DOA:

Monday, May 12, 2008
Regarding Invasive Species...Fireweed and DOA

I wanted to post here over the past few weeks on the price of oil, Aloha Air Cargo, tourism and the Hawaii economy, but I have not had the time to do so. Today, though, something very interesting was reported that attracted my attention.

First, from a prior blog post on January 26, 2008:

"Saw on Akaku recently an interview of a Maui Upcountry rancher by the name of Chuck DeCoite talking about the problem of the invasive species called Fireweed. It turns out Chuck is related to somebody I know. This guy Chuck comes across in the interview as being very sharp. He has tried everything but cannot erradicate the fireweed on his property and it is becoming a problem, esp. for his livestock. Chuck wants somebody to study it and find a way to effectively deal with fireweed. Wonder if somebody at the State Department of Agriculture or at U.H. would be interested in this. Will follow-up more on this. Aloha, Brad"

Apparently there are those who have been working on it. There was a great article today in the Honolulu Advertiser by Lynda Arakawa regarding this "Bugs readied for eco-battle; Hawaii may set loose 4 kinds of insects to control invasive species," May 11, 2008:

"The state is moving closer to releasing insects from Asia and Africa to help combat three harmful invasive species that have taken hold in the Islands. State officials have completed a final environmental assessment...

The local issues are more applicable here, but this was news earlier this month that should be very interesting:

Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand reviews an honor guard with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China, during a welcome ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Monday. (Greg Baker/The Associated Press)

China and New Zealand sign free trade deal

Published: April 7, 2008

BEIJING: China and New Zealand signed a sweeping free trade agreement Monday, China's first such pact with a developed country.

The deal, signed by Commerce Minister Chen Deming and his New Zealand counterpart Phil Goff at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, will give New Zealand improved access to one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

It was signed in front of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Prime Minister Helen Clark, one of the first Western leaders to visit Beijing since anti-government rioting broke out last month in Tibet.

"This is an historic day for China-New Zealand relations," said Wen in remarks ahead of the signing. "The agreement not only means we met goals we set two years ago for our negotiations, but it also makes New Zealand the first developed country to reach a free trade agreement with China.

Wen said he believes the deal will bring "our friendly relationship even closer and deliver tangible benefits to both our countries."

(The following information has been shared by Krista, Styrophia.com)

"Progress is being made however now we are waiting for a hearing in the House bill HB2495 proposing to ban the use of polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) food service-ware products in Hawaii. It has been referred to joint committees Economic Development & Business Concerns (EDB) and Agriculture (AGR). We must get a hearing by this Thursday, Feb 14 or the bill is dead on the House side. We will be spending a lot of time early this week urging for a hearing. Once we get the hearing we anticipate a very challenging hearing as was last weeks in the Senate against the plastic and industry lobbies.


Your testimony is of great importance as we continue with this bill as the state needs to hear from business owners and organizations that they can succeed without polluting our environment and our bodies. On average, biodegradable alternatives increase the cost of a take-out meal less than 2%. If this bill passes, the volume, and cost of these healthy alternatives will continue to drop. In San Francisco, over 80% of the businesses have gone biodegradable in only 7 months since the ban was in place. They have not issued a single fine.

Saturday, December 8, 9:30 - 12:30 am -

SPECIAL PRESENTATION AT KAHUNA VALLEY RETREAT.

Daisy will be back from China and Japan to teach her final
Qigong class of the year, followed by a Free Seminar by
Immunologist and Microbiologist, Dr. Rick Bennett, from the
Big Island, who will be speaking on The Care and Feeding of
your Immune System. Fascinating, breakthrough information
will be shared. Attend one or both events. Drinks and snacks
will be provided. Best to make reservations as space may be
limited. Email Naoka at naoka222hotmail.com">naoka222hotmail.com
naoka222hotmail.com or call 651-4373 to reserve
your spot.

Dr. Bennett is an Infectious Disease Microbiologist and
Immunologist as well as being an organic farmer on the Big
Island. The topic he will be addressing on Dec. 8: can we
improve our defenses against the super bugs emerging
nowadays? Yes we can! Dr. Rick Bennett is one of the lead
researchers showing the tremendous benefits of natural immune
factors as part of a complete Immune Wellness lifestyle.
His free informational seminar for Kauai will be on December
8th from 11 am to 12:30 pm at Kahuna Valley Retreat following
Daisy's Qigong class. Dr. Bennett will be available after
the seminar for personal immune wellness consultations.

THE AURORA PROJECT presents
A MEDITERRANEAN NIGHT
A Fundraiser for Burmese Refugees

Saturday - November 24, 2007
Church of the Pacific - Princeville
5-6PM free documentary viewing
6-11PM Mediterranean dinner silent auction music - dancing
$40.00
Tickets available
Cyndee Fehring 652-5874, cyndeefehringgmail.com">cyndeefehringgmail.com
Lee Roversi 828-1513 ncfarmsaloha.net">ncfarmsaloha.net
Catherine Downey 482-0415 catherinelaolahealth.com">catherinelaolahealth.com
Peggy Figueroa 645-6039 peggypurehearts.com">peggypurehearts.com
K Town Market in Kilauea 828-1512

Donations of quality, clean children's clothing and small
musical instruments will be gratefully accepted at the event.
Those interested in donating items or services for the silent
auction or wishing more information should call or email
Lee Roversi at 828-1513 ncfarmsaloha.net">ncfarmsaloha.net

Posted on: Monday, November 19, 2007
Hawaii surf legend John Kelly laid to rest

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser Staff Writer

"John Kelly worked harder than anyone I've ever knew, not for money, but to just do what was right."

A flotilla of surfers — spread out in the ocean from Diamond Head to Black Point — met a catamaran full of John Kelly's friends and family who put the veteran surfer, activist and mentor to rest yesterday during a daylong service in his honor.

Surfers, all 75 strong, dived under the water as Kelly's ashes were released. He died at the age of 88 in his Black Point home on Oct. 3.

While his two-decade battle with Alzheimer's left him with little memory of the battles he waged to protect Hawai'i's shorelines from development, Kelly never forgot his passion for the ocean and never lost his spirit, said Bill Saunders, a longtime friend of Kelly's who helped catalog surf spots by name from Makapu'u to Honolulu.

"John Kelly worked harder than anyone I've ever knew, not for money, but to just do what was right," Saunders said. "Alzheimer's took his mind away from his body, but his heart was still there."

More than 300 people turned out for a memorial service at Kapi'olani Community College yesterday and shared their favorite memories of the man who ignited the passion in Hawai'i to save surf and fishing spots from development and in 1971 organized 2,000 people at the state Capitol to protest against development.

Posted: Friday, Nov 16, 2007 - 11:18:18 pm HST
Public flags Wainiha bridge concerns

by Nathan Eagle - THE GARDEN ISLAND
HANALEI — In response to North Shore residents’ concerns regarding the implementation of two temporary Wainiha bridge replacements, state officials said they will make the timing convenient for locals, establish an 8-ton load limit, improve the line of sight and start educating the public on etiquette issues.

State Transportation Department engineers and representatives from Hawaiian Dredging and M&E Pacific, the chosen construction and design companies, answered questions from community members Thursday evening at Hanalei Community Center.

“We’ll work with you,” state DOT Assistant District Engineer Ray McCormick said. “Keep the information flowing.”

Although already in a state of severe deterioration, Wainiha Bridges 1 and 3 sustained substantial new damage between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26 after a suspected vehicle crossed weighing at least triple the posted load limit.

“Both bridges are pretty bad,” Hawaiian Dredging’s Gary Iwamoto said. “There are big chunks falling off and it’s pretty rusted.”

The damage prompted authorities to immediately lower the limit from 6 tons to 3 tons and establish a 24/7 checkpoint for trucks trying to cross.

The existing bridges should be shored up by Thanksgiving and the temporary replacements installed by Christmas, Iwamoto said.

This Friday, Nov. 16th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
KCC tech lecture room 114

Get an update with members of the ACLU staff and board on
the abuse of presidential power, "Don't Wait for '08 - Restoring
Checks and Balances on Presidential Power." A sneak preview of the
ACLU's "The Freedom Files" episode on torture and unlawful
imprisonment will also be shown and followed by discussion. Apologies
for canceling our original event, "Guantanamo and the Law." Stay
tuned for re-scheduling of this event.

Industry - Analysis

BMD Watch: THAAD exo-atmosphere success
Published: Oct. 31, 2007 at 2:46 PM

By MARTIN SIEFF
UPI Senior News Analyst
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. Missile Defense Agency carried out a successful test of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor system Saturday.

MDA Director Lt. Gen. Henry “Trey” Obering said in a statement that the THAAD interceptor had successfully destroyed a ballistic missile target at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the island of Kauai in Hawaii.

"Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved. The intercept involved the 'exo-atmospheric' -- outside Earth’s atmosphere -- 'hit to kill' destruction of a unitary -- non-separating -- target representing a 'SCUD'-type ballistic missile launched from a mobile platform positioned off Kauai in the Pacific Ocean," the MDA said.

"This was the 31st successful 'hit to kill' intercept in 39 tests since 2001 by ground and sea-based interceptors against short, medium and long-range ballistic missile targets," the MDA said.