Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014

The ukulele drew Trevor Taylor and Jamal Buyan to classes with Keoki Kahumoku in Ka`u and then to the Palace Theatre last fall
to perform with `ukulele recording artist Brittany Paiva, who also started her `ukulele career as a Kahumoku student.
 Photo by Julia Neal

THE `UKULELE may have a new tag line – the official state musical instrument of Hawai`i. A bill making its way through the state legislature recognizes what people worldwide already know. The `ukulele is integral to Hawaiian multiethnic culture. Only a few other states have officially honored instruments. In Kentucky it’s the Appalachian dulcimer. In Louisiana, it’s the squeeze box – the Cajun or diatonic accordion, Texas the guitar and Wisconsin the accordion. Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota name the fiddle as their state instrument.

`Ukulele could become the official state instrument, like the dulcimer
in Kentucky and the squeeze box in Louisiana. Photo by Julia Neal

  The bill to honor the `ukulele notes cutbacks in music education funding and points to the `ukulele as an instrument to help save music in the schools. It also quotes the late Big Island famed musician Kindy Sproat who said, “One `ukulele and one soul can do a lot.”

    East Ka`u Rep. Richard Onishi is on the House Veterans, Military & International Affairs & Culture & the Arts Committee that is recommending passage of HB 27853, the `ukulele bill. During a hearing on Feb. 12, testimony came from `ukulele players and enthusiasts, including one Neighbor Island school teacher who leads an `ukulele band of middle school students who are able to travel to the mainland annually to share music and culture “as Ambassadors of Aloha.” Another testifier, Chris Kamaka, wrote his support and noted that the `Ukulele Hall of Fame, located on the East Coast, has been wanting to move the organization home to Hawai`i.

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CHALLENGER FOR THE U.S. SENATE SEAT, Colleen Hanabusa, leads in February polls released today by the Honolulu Star Advertiser and Hawai`i News Now. Hanabusa, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, has better recognition than other candidates and leads among likely-to-vote seniors, those of Japanese ancestry and union members, according to the poll conducted by Ward Research, Inc. Hanabusa faces incumbent Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary. Schatz was appointed to represent Hawai`i in the U.S. Senate by Gov. Neil Abercombie in December of 2012 after the death of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye.    

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

  According to the Honolulu Advertiser story, the poll found that “a quarter of voters interviewed did not know enough about Schatz to form an opinion about the senator.
     “Hanabusa was at 48 percent and Schatz was at 40 percent in the poll of Democratic primary voters. Eleven percent were undecided,” the Advertiser reported. The poll showed that “Hanabusa also had a 62 percent favorable rating, the second highest — behind U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — of all the politicians tested.
     “Schatz's favorable rating was 51 percent. More importantly, 13 percent of voters had never heard of the senator, while 12 percent had heard of him but did not know enough to draw a conclusion.”
     The story noted that Schatz “has a fundraising advantage over Hanabusa. Strategically, the young senator may have to use the campaign money soon to better define himself for voters before Hanabusa has the chance to write the narrative.”
    The Schatz campaign conducted its own poll showing Schatz with a small edge over Hanabusa in late January. "Elections aren't decided in February, though, and we know this is going to be a hard campaign," Schatz said.
     See more at www.staradvertiser.com and www.hawaiinewsnow.com
     The primary election is Saturday, Aug. 9 and the General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Those wanting to run for local office from County Council to state legislature and congress, can pick up papers at the County Clerk’s office through June 3. 

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HOPING TO FIND HER BELONGINGS, Trudi Grentz, victim of a robbery on South Point Road, is hoping that someone may have clues to their location. During an interview yesterday, Grentz reviewed the incident. She said she was working at Paradise Meadows farm on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. putting out the signs for the agrotourism establishment.

      A man and woman, whom she says were unknown to her, drove by in a small white car, turned their car around and drove up to her when she was placing two signs on the South Point side of Paradise Meadows driveway. Grentz said the woman emerged from the car, raised a hatchet and warned Grentz to get away from her own car. Grentz said she asked her "What's wrong with you?" and that the woman “had the hatchet raised and was waiving it around and told me to get away from my car again. She started to swing at me with the hatchet and I blocked it and took it away from her, and threw it into the bushes on the other side of the road." Grentz said the woman jumped into the drivers seat of Grentz’s convertible. Grentz reached in and shut the car off, but unable to retrieve the keys. While she was struggling, the woman’s companion “grabbed my bag with my wallet, laptop, cell pone and jewelry making supplies” and “he drove away."
     Grentz said she was assisted by a neighbor and the owners of Paradise Meadows, but the woman assailant  “took off over the top of the wall, barefoot, and disappeared into the brush." 

Grentz said she was helped by Paradise Farm owners and neighbors after being
attacked when putting up signs along South Point Road. Photo by Julia Neal

     Police arrived and took statements from witnesses, including descriptions of the woman's  many tatooos, Grentz said. Within a few hours police presented Grentz with a lineup of photos, from which she was able to pick out the woman, who was arrested the next day and remains in jail. Grentz said that her assailant told police that her accomplice "made her do it." He was also arrested after the police presented Grentz with a photo lineup. He too remains in jail and is suspected of robbing a fisherman on South Point Road the same day of the Grentz incident, she said. The two in custody are from Ocean View.
    Grentz said that she hopes that anyone with any information on the possible location of her belongings that were stolen will call the Ka`u Police Department. Grents, who came from a small town in Washington state, said she has never before been a crime victim or been afraid. She is a property owner in Ka`u who hopes to someday build a house, but said, "Now I am leery and I hope that it passes." She said that until the incident she felt safe in Ka`u and had been welcomed to work and live here "by many nice people."
    She said she is particularly interested in recovering her laptop and the feathers she uses to make jewelry, the feathers collected from the farm where she works and out in the wild. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is today and during tomorrow's holiday to honor Presidents Day Weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP offers a President's Day Buffet at Crater Rim Cafe from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 967-8371.

            

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014

A snoozing sow at a Korean Natural Farming pig operation on the Big Island at Hubbles Hog Heaven.
Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

LEGISLATION FOR LABELS on GMO foods and cell phones passed out of the state Senate Health Committee this week, according to its chair, west Ka`u senator and physician Josh Green. SB 2571 SD1 would require all new and used cellular telephones sold or leased by a retailer in Hawai`i to bear this label:
     "To reduce exposure to radiation that may be hazardous to your health, please follow the enclosed product safety guidelines.....” The bill would require the warning label be "conspicuous, legible, non-removable and printed in bold lettering, and affixed to the front and back of all cellular telephone packaging."

A poster about cell phones in San Francisco,
where there is also debate about warnings.

     The senator stated: “We need to make sure cell phones are as safe as possible to use and that consumers are clearly informed that over-exposure to radiation from cell phones can be harmful to your health. Cell phones are an almost universally used tool and are here to stay, which makes it even more important that they are used safely and that consumers are aware of the potential hazards. The cell phone manufacturers themselves include legal disclaimers and health warnings buried deep in the packaging and instructional materials of their products, and in the phone software menus themselves. This measure is intended to clearly inform consumers of the health warnings that are buried in cell phone product safety guidelines.”
     The cell phone bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Consumer Protection, which has not yet scheduled it for a hearing. See http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2571&year=2014 

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LABELING FOOD FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS would be required by SB 2521. Also championed by Sen. Josh Green, it would mandate the labeling for raw agricultural commodities, processed food, and seed or seed stock, that have been genetically engineered.
     “The people of Hawai`i have a right to know what is in the food they eat,” Green said. “If the people want a label informing them that there are GMOs in foods, then the legislature should follow their will and pass a simple but effective labeling system.” The bill was passed on Feb. 13 in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health. It was referred to the Senate Committees on Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, which are yet to schedule hearings. See
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2521 

    Chris Manfredi, of Na`alehu, a coffee broker and land manager, who recently became President of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, testified that the Hawai`i Farm Bureau "strongly opposes SB 2521." He said, "We strongly believe that food labeling should be regulated at a federal level." Manfredi also stated: "There are no credible studies, much less a consensus among researchers and the medical community, that crops produced with GMO technology are unsafe. In fact the opposite is true. Independent reviews of thousands of studies have to come to the consensus conclusion that GMO crops are safe."

    Green disagrees with Manfredi's opposition to labeling and is joined by another physician, Dr. Richard Creagan, who represents west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, owns a farm in Ka`u, and is a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United. Creagan said this morning that "People will not agree on safety of GMOs because there is a range of GMOs and many studies to be done. However, the right to know is important. If you are worried about what's in your food it is going to have a negative effect on your health. The only way to allay suspicions it to label what is in the food. The Europeans have done this," noted Creagan.

     However, the state Department of Health does not want to be involved in regulating GMO labeling. Gary Gill, Deputy Director of Evironmental Health for the State of Hawai`i, testified that the department "does not object in principle to a labeling policy to enhance public awareness of the absence or presence of genetiacally engineered food or food ingredients in Hawai`i markets. However, the Department is not in a position to enforce such legislation because practical and legally defensable anyalytical methods to detect any and all genetic modifications do not exist."  The testimony from the state Department of Health also states that "Currently, there is no conclusive scientific evidence of negative health effects associatied with the consumption of genetically engineered food or food products as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As such we do not believe such labeling is a health issue and thus do not support any such program being assigned to the Department to administer."

     Hawai`i Farmers Union United wrote to the legislature "in strong support of SB 2521" requiring GMO food labeling. The Farmers Union testimony noted that many of its thousands of farmers across the country grow GMO foods but the organization supports labeling. "The public has come out in record numbers for local GMO bills on both Kaua`i and Big Island. This is just another sign that the public wants the lawmakers of our state to give us, at the very least, this tool so that we can make informed decisions as consumers," states Hawai`i Farmers Union testimony.

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DR. LINDA ROSEN is the new chief of the state Department of Health, appointed yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, following the death of Director Loretta Fuddy in December. Fuddy died of a cardiac arrhythmia while awaiting an ocean rescue after an airplane accident in waters off Moloka`i. She was was well known for her advocacy for health care for the poor and her support for the Ka`u Local Consortium, which helps childbearing teens and women, under the guidance of Donna Kekoa and other volunteers. 

Dr. Linda Rosen was named Director of Health yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Photo from governor.hawaii.gov

     Fuddy’s replacement is a pediatrician and medical school professor, and serves as chief of the state Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch. Rosen is expected to be confirmed by the state Senate soon, according to Senate Health Committee chair and west Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green. Green spoke to the Honolulu Star Advertiser on Friday about  Rosen. "We have a close working relationship, and I have a lot of respect for Dr. Rosen. Linda's done an exceptional job developing our trauma system and is a strong physician leader."
   In Abercrombie’s statement, the governor noted that Rosen has more than 30 years in medicine, including administrative positions for more than a decade. “I have full confidence that Linda will continue the significant progress realized under late Director Loretta Fuddy for the remainder of her term." 

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PIGS GROWN WITH THE NATURAL KOREAN method of managing waste with IMOs – indigenous micorganisms, and a deep waste litter system, “are less susceptible to disease and personal injury” and show higher daily average weight gain, according to a University of Hawai`i report covered in a recent Megan Moseley story in Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The story says that the “Korean-based method of managing animal waste is improving hog farming conditions and garnering support on Hawaii Island.” The story quotes Hawai`i County research and development deputy director Donn Mende saying, “There seems to be a growing interest in natural farming.”
     There are more than 40 Korean Natural Farming piggeries in Hawai`i and some of them allow farm tours, such as Hubbles Hog Heaven in east Hawai`i. See http://hubbleshogheaven.blogspot.com

Lack of odor is a benefit of raising pigs with IMOs. Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

    The Tribune Herald story quotes U.H. East Hawai`i agricultural extension agent Michael Duponte. After visiting Sim Mook Kang’s farm in Mountain View, Dupont told the reporter, “When I walked in – I couldn’t believe what I saw – no smell, no flies.” The reporter notes that Kang put IMOs into use for the first time in the U.S. in 2009.
     The writer explains that the “lack of smell that’s typically associated with pig waste can be attributed to the use of the indigenous microorganisms or IMOs. Farmers who follow the Korean Natural Farming method incorporate IMOs into the soil that end up breaking down the animal waste naturally.”
     In his report, DuPonte, explains that through the Korean Natural Farming method, the deep green waste litter system also uses “strategic solar positioning and natural ventilation for drying and cooling.”
     The Moseley story also covers a U.S. Department of Agriculture document’s explanation of four types of IMOs. “IMO 1 are organisms that have been gathered by exposing sterile, fresh-cooked rice substrate to good fertile soil from the local garden, farm field and humus from under trees and bushes. Mature IMO 1 is bound together with fungal mycelia and also contains a variety of bacteria and other microorganisms. IMO 2 involves IMO 1 organisms along with the rice substrate, which has been mixed with an equal weight of brown sugar, mashed to a paste and allowed to ferment under a porous cover for at least a week. IMO 3 involves completed IMO 2 that has been diluted with water and optional nutrients and used to moisten rice or wheat bran, followed by fermentation to multiply the IMO 2 organisms. The fermentation lasts a week or more depending on conditions. IMO 4 is IMO 3 that has been mixed with an equal weight of good rock-free native topsoil and allowed to continue fermentation until activity subsides.”
     The Tribune Herald story reports DuPonte saying that the Kang farm “has had no need to add additional IMO’s since it started that practice and that there is no runoff or need to clean the piggery.”
     See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com and at hubbelshogheaven.blogspot.com. Also see https://www.facebook.com/CGNFHawaii.

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PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU is a a guided, 2.5 -mile hike at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's Kahuku Unit tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.. Call 985-6011. 

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK continues today through Monday in celebration of President's Day weekend.

PRESIDENTS DAY BUFFET will be offered Monday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe. 967-8371.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.           

      

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Feb. 14, 2014

Ka`u High School students ready for science fair competitions on O`ahu. Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

KA`U HIGH SCIENCE STUDENTS are headed to O`ahu for statewide competition following success at the East Hawai`i District Science & Engineering Fair held at Imiloa last weekend. Ka`u High School science teacher Marcus Douglas said he is very proud of the Ka`u team members who won awards at the event in Hilo and have put on a science fair at their Pahala campus. Jennifer Tabios, a senior who lives in Na`alehu, took first place in Chemistry while Deisha Gascon, a sophmore at Ka`u High School took the top prize for Environmental Management.
     The statewide Hawai`i State Science & Engineering Fair will be held at the Hawai`i Convention Center, March 31- April 2 in Waikiki and Ka`u High is planning to enter.

Young Ka`u students interact with the older students at a
recent science fair on the Pahala campus.
Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

     The competition is sponsored by the Hawai`i Academy of Science, a private, non-profit organization founded in 1925. The Academy promotes scientific research and education in Hawai`i and the Pacific Rim and executes programs and experiences for the science and learning communities. In addition to the Hawai`i Science & Engineering Fair, it hosts The Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability, a program called Science Date, as well as STEM Week in Hawai`i. See www.hawaiiacademyofscience.org.

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA has announced two sessions based in Pahala this summer. The first will be Land & Sea Camp, from June 29 – July 8. According to founder Michael Richards, the focus will be on volcanoes – geology – and the ocean – oceanography. Students will visit Kilauea, the world’s most active and easily studied volcano. Students will visit the footprints trail and see one of the world’s greatest mineral collections, as well as visit beaches made entirely of minerals. Students will learn “not just about the events that take place in the natural world but experience first hand how they affect plants, animals and humans. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the world’s greatest laboratory for Earth Science,” says Richards.
     Through the outdoors, students learn about such topics as plate tectonics, volcanics, erosion, ocean structure, marine life and Hawaiian history and culture. 

Science Camps of America rolls out programs for this summer, based in Ka`u, with scholarship opportunities.
Photo from Science Camps of America

    The second session is Air & Space Camp, July 8 – 17. It teaches students about Earth’s atmosphere, climate and space. Students visit observatories and centers where astronomers work. They learn how scientists study concentrations of substances in the atmosphere. They see alternate energy development in action. Richards says that students “will gain a better understanding of climate change and be better prepared to participate in the solutions to the challenges you will face. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the ideal location for experiencing the air and space sciences.” Students learn about solar system formation, the moon, planets and  space exploration.
    Students come from around the state and mainland and stay at Pahala Plantation House & Cottages with instructors, counselors and program specialists. Some scholarships are available to Ka`u students. To sign up for a scholarship or contribute to a scholarship fund, see http:/sciencecampsamerica.com. Call 678-619-0974.

STAKEHOLDERS IN COFFEE plan to “design the future of Hawai`i’s coffee industry,” during a two-day, $100 a person, planning event at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa, according to a statement from Hawai`i Coffee Association president Greg Stille.  Processors, roasters, wholesalers, retailers and other stakeholders are invited to the meetings Feb. 28 - March 1.
     Stille said the sessions “will explore the industry’s potentials and address its challenges.”
    Dr. Donna R. Ching, of University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, will facilitate the planning sessions. Times are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. The $100 fee includes daily continental breakfast, lunch and all supplies.
    Event sponsors include Hawaii Coffee Association, Kona Coffee Council, Maui Coffee Association and Hawai`i Coffee Growers Association. Register at www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.  

     According to the press release, the Hawai`i Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawai‘i coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. “HCA’s primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA’s work is the continuing education of members and consumers.” For more info, visit www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com. 

FREE ADMISSION TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is tomorrow, Sunday and Monday to celebrate Presidents Day weekend,

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available at Hana Hou and South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu and at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.