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| Ka`u residents can participate in Palm Trail Hike at Kahuku tomorrow morning. The guided hike crosses the 1868 lava flow and provides one of the most panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Photo from NPS |
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| Sen. Brian Schatz |
“While we must take action to combat the threat posed by ISIL, we do not believe that you possess sufficient authority to undertake the current U.S. military campaign against ISIL,” the letter states. “In addition, we are extremely concerned that the current operation lacks measurable goals, benchmarks of success and a clear scope.
“We were encouraged by your recent statements welcoming a new AUMF for the conflict with ISIL. However, we also believe you have the responsibility to make a case to the American people for war, and a vital step in this process is the submission of a formal AUMF to Congress. This action allows Congress to properly evaluate a President’s vision and strategy for combat operations and fosters the critical debate that the American public deserves. You last submitted a draft AUMF in 2013 when you sought authority to launch airstrikes in connection with the conflict in Syria, which provoked an important debate in Congress and gave the American people the opportunity to voice their concerns.
“Additionally, taking military action without an AUMF tailored to ISIL puts the United States at risk of repeating the mistakes of the past and becoming bogged down in an open-ended conflict… .
“ISIL is a group of barbaric terrorists, and their extreme tactics, like the abhorrent and tragic beheadings of innocent Americans, display a shocking brutality that must be confronted. That is why we do support you using American leadership to help build an international coalition that both provides military assistance to confront this terrorist threat and helps build an inclusive and unified Iraqi government that has the capacity to be a strong partner in counterterrorism efforts against this terrorist group. However, U.S. military operations must be authorized by Congress. We are hopeful that we can work together to uphold our responsibility to the American people and have a more serious debate about America's military operations against ISIL.”
The full letter is available at http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/senators-baldwin-schatz-call-for-isil-aumf.
TIKI MAMA AND FRIENDS present the first annual Goddess Festival, a family fun event today until 5 p.m. The event features art, music, food, dance, vendors and craft activities for children. Entrance fee is a can of food for the food bank. Call 939-9817 for more information.
VOLCANO ART CENTER PRESENTS a visual sound movement performance and art collaboration today at 6:30 p.m. at its Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Dance performers are Shizuno Nasu, Jenn Eng and Rieko Inoue. Sound and music is by Joe Okuda. Art includes painting by Susumu Sakaguchi and sculpture by Stephen Freedman.
Tickets are $12 for VAC members and $15 for non-members. Call 967-8222.
DARREN GOODMAN GLASS EXHIBIT opens Monday and continues through Saturday, Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.
KA`U FARM BUREAU MEETS MONDAY at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
HANA HOU RESTAURANT’S KEIKI CHRISTMAS party is coming up Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. in Na`alehu. The event features gifts for keiki, food for everyone and a visit from Santa.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
“We were encouraged by your recent statements welcoming a new AUMF for the conflict with ISIL. However, we also believe you have the responsibility to make a case to the American people for war, and a vital step in this process is the submission of a formal AUMF to Congress. This action allows Congress to properly evaluate a President’s vision and strategy for combat operations and fosters the critical debate that the American public deserves. You last submitted a draft AUMF in 2013 when you sought authority to launch airstrikes in connection with the conflict in Syria, which provoked an important debate in Congress and gave the American people the opportunity to voice their concerns.
“Additionally, taking military action without an AUMF tailored to ISIL puts the United States at risk of repeating the mistakes of the past and becoming bogged down in an open-ended conflict… .
“ISIL is a group of barbaric terrorists, and their extreme tactics, like the abhorrent and tragic beheadings of innocent Americans, display a shocking brutality that must be confronted. That is why we do support you using American leadership to help build an international coalition that both provides military assistance to confront this terrorist threat and helps build an inclusive and unified Iraqi government that has the capacity to be a strong partner in counterterrorism efforts against this terrorist group. However, U.S. military operations must be authorized by Congress. We are hopeful that we can work together to uphold our responsibility to the American people and have a more serious debate about America's military operations against ISIL.”
The full letter is available at http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/senators-baldwin-schatz-call-for-isil-aumf.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Rep. Tulsi Gabbard |
REP. TULSI GABBARD PRAISED unanimous passage of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4329). The bill seeks to empower Native communities by assisting low-income families with affordable housing.
“Over 1,400 low-income families in Hawai`i have benefited from these services and, in many cases, homeownership would not have been possible given the $640,000 median price of a single-family home on the island of O`ahu,” Gabbard said in a speech to the House of Representatives.
“Nationwide, passage of this legislation also would represent an important step toward removing roadblocks to economic success in Native communities, and would reaffirm the House’s long-standing commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
NAHASDA-supported activities include home construction, roads, sewers, street lighting and utilities; direct loans to income-eligible families; subsidies for home rehabilitation; home repair training; financial counseling; and support for nonprofits who provide self-help home construction.
The Department of Hawaiian Homelands uses the NAHASDA funds to manage a trust established by Congress to support Native Hawaiians through homesteading.
“Nationwide, passage of this legislation also would represent an important step toward removing roadblocks to economic success in Native communities, and would reaffirm the House’s long-standing commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
NAHASDA-supported activities include home construction, roads, sewers, street lighting and utilities; direct loans to income-eligible families; subsidies for home rehabilitation; home repair training; financial counseling; and support for nonprofits who provide self-help home construction.
The Department of Hawaiian Homelands uses the NAHASDA funds to manage a trust established by Congress to support Native Hawaiians through homesteading.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
KILAUEA IS A MOODY VOLCANO, report Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists is the current issue of Volcano Watch. The issue describes the effusive and explosive nature of Kilauea. “One mood is violent and explosive, the other relentless and effusive — almost a dual personality,” the article states. “The explosive mood caused the fatalities in 1790, and the effusive mood produced lava flows that disrupted society in the 15th, 19th, 20th and now the 21st centuries.
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| Kilauea Caldera, currently about 400 feet deep, has been at least 2,000 feet deep in the past. Photo by Peter Anderson |
“How can Kilauea experience such different moods? Its behavior has to do with the presence of a deep depression — a caldera — at the summit. Visitors today peer into the caldera, not realizing its importance in determining whether Kilauea erupts explosively or effusively. They can be excused, because the caldera today is only a shadow of its former self. At a depth of 400 feet, it is only 20 percent or less of its past depth of at least 2,000 feet.
“At its deepest, the floor of Kilauea Caldera intersects the water table, and groundwater can interact with hot magma and rocks forming the walls of the magma conduit. Water can’t get in when the conduit is filled with magma. But when the conduit has emptied for some reason, water can flow into it, flash to steam, build pressure if the conduit becomes temporarily plugged by wall collapse, and finally explode. Explosions can also occur if magma erupts through a lake on the floor of the caldera.
“At its deepest, the floor of Kilauea Caldera intersects the water table, and groundwater can interact with hot magma and rocks forming the walls of the magma conduit. Water can’t get in when the conduit is filled with magma. But when the conduit has emptied for some reason, water can flow into it, flash to steam, build pressure if the conduit becomes temporarily plugged by wall collapse, and finally explode. Explosions can also occur if magma erupts through a lake on the floor of the caldera.
“In Kilauea’s past 2,500 years, such a deep caldera has apparently existed about 60 percent of the time, leading to two long periods of sporadic violent explosions. One lasted 1,200 years, ending in about 1000 CE; the other lasted 300 years between 1500 and 1800 CE. Tragedies such as that in 1790 can occur during these periods.
“Studies show that a deep caldera forms and persists when the magma supply rate to the volcano drops to only a few percent of its value during times of effusive activity. Frequent explosions are the ultimate result. Eventually magma supply picks up, the caldera fills, and effusive eruptions dominate, as they have for 40 percent of the past 2,500 years, most recently for the past 200 years.
“Both of Kilauea’s moods have good and bad sides. In the explosive mood, the explosions take place in the caldera and can threaten life within a radius of several kilometers. The hazard is severe but local to the summit. However, falling ash can be disagreeable many kilometers away, and airborne ash from future large explosive eruptions will threaten air traffic. Such explosive periods last decades to centuries and could create economic hardship around the summit and beyond. On the other hand, ash falls contribute to soil fertility. Former settlements on Kilauea’s barren south coast were made possible by pockets of fertile ash.
“In the effusive mood, the eruptions take place in the summit region and along the two rift zones. Potentially, lava flows can destroy or damage communities anywhere on the volcano. With few exceptions (for example, methane explosions and lava-delta collapses), the flows are not life-threatening but can be life-changing. Kilauea is in an effusive mood now, and people know that it can be unpleasant.
“Active volcanoes are inherently unstable, uncertain places to live. Whether in an explosive or effusive mood, Kilauea will always present hazards to the populace. We should be realistic, but not fatalistic, about the situation. We can’t command Kilauea, but we can control our actions in the face of its hazards.”
“Studies show that a deep caldera forms and persists when the magma supply rate to the volcano drops to only a few percent of its value during times of effusive activity. Frequent explosions are the ultimate result. Eventually magma supply picks up, the caldera fills, and effusive eruptions dominate, as they have for 40 percent of the past 2,500 years, most recently for the past 200 years.
“Both of Kilauea’s moods have good and bad sides. In the explosive mood, the explosions take place in the caldera and can threaten life within a radius of several kilometers. The hazard is severe but local to the summit. However, falling ash can be disagreeable many kilometers away, and airborne ash from future large explosive eruptions will threaten air traffic. Such explosive periods last decades to centuries and could create economic hardship around the summit and beyond. On the other hand, ash falls contribute to soil fertility. Former settlements on Kilauea’s barren south coast were made possible by pockets of fertile ash.
“In the effusive mood, the eruptions take place in the summit region and along the two rift zones. Potentially, lava flows can destroy or damage communities anywhere on the volcano. With few exceptions (for example, methane explosions and lava-delta collapses), the flows are not life-threatening but can be life-changing. Kilauea is in an effusive mood now, and people know that it can be unpleasant.
“Active volcanoes are inherently unstable, uncertain places to live. Whether in an explosive or effusive mood, Kilauea will always present hazards to the populace. We should be realistic, but not fatalistic, about the situation. We can’t command Kilauea, but we can control our actions in the face of its hazards.”
The full article and daily updates on Kilauea’s activity are available at hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| The Goddess Festival at Tiki Mama continues until 5 p.m. today. Photo from hovefun.com |
THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI that celebrates Hawaiian values, culture, talent and food continues today and tomorrow at Punalu`u Beach Park with everyone invited. Local bands volunteer, and free food is served up both days, with many people camping out.
TIKI MAMA AND FRIENDS present the first annual Goddess Festival, a family fun event today until 5 p.m. The event features art, music, food, dance, vendors and craft activities for children. Entrance fee is a can of food for the food bank. Call 939-9817 for more information.
VOLCANO ART CENTER PRESENTS a visual sound movement performance and art collaboration today at 6:30 p.m. at its Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Dance performers are Shizuno Nasu, Jenn Eng and Rieko Inoue. Sound and music is by Joe Okuda. Art includes painting by Susumu Sakaguchi and sculpture by Stephen Freedman.
Tickets are $12 for VAC members and $15 for non-members. Call 967-8222.
VOLCANO FESTIVAL CHORUS OFFERS its annual gift to the community today at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KDEN presents old favorites and modern arrangements. Free; park entrance fees apply.
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| Volcano Art Center presents an exhibit of glass by Darren Goodman beginning Monday. Photo from VAC |
PALM TRAIL HIKE AT KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop trail provides one of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. 985-6011 or nps.gov/havo
DARREN GOODMAN GLASS EXHIBIT opens Monday and continues through Saturday, Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.
KA`U FARM BUREAU MEETS MONDAY at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
HANA HOU RESTAURANT’S KEIKI CHRISTMAS party is coming up Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. in Na`alehu. The event features gifts for keiki, food for everyone and a visit from Santa.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
