• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    November 28, 2024

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    November 29, 2024

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    November 27, 2024

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Author Archives: Megan Stephenson

Keiki Draw for Visitors

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Keiki Draw for Visitors

For visitors and curious locals alike, the Molokai Visitors Association (MVA) has new unique brochures, sure to highlight what Molokai really is.

The colorful brochures were hand-crafted by Kaunakakai Elementary third graders as a school project. When designing the pamphlets, students discussed Molokai’s past and how it has changed.

The project was brought to Molokai by Alestra Menendez of Kamehameha Schools for the second year in a row. Tiana Miguel, Kaunakakai literacy resource teacher, led the project – teaching writing with a focus on Hawaiian culture and “highlighting our students’ sense of pride.”

 

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Poepoe Honored for Pono Practices

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Poepoe Honored for Pono Practices

Mac Poepoe is humble about his work to preserve Hawaii’s ocean resources through sustainable fishing practices. But despite the low profile he likes to keep, he just received the 2010 Ho`okahiko Award from Duke’s Waikiki for his efforts.

He was given the award at a private ceremony held at Duke’s two weeks ago, where he was presented with $4,000 from the Duke’s Legacy of Aloha fund to support Poepoe’s nonprofit on Molokai, Hui Malama o Mo`omomi.

"We value [Poepoe’s] commitment to sharing his knowledge and to keeping Hawaiian culture alive through Hui Malama o Mo'omomi and want to ensure that his efforts can continue," said Duke’s senior general manager, Ross Anderson, in a news release.

“I never like receive the award, especially when I heard there was money,” says Poepoe.  “I no like money – I like people to learn. But the idea behind it was good.”

Established in 1993, Hui Malama o Mo`omomi’s mission is to restore and maintain the health of the Mo`omomi coastline for all who live on Molokai, and to educate people so the area will be preserved for generations to come. Among its long list of activities, the organization built and maintains the pavilions at Mo`omomi, hosts hands-on educational programs and cares for the coastline area. Poepoe says Hui Malama o Mo`omomi also works closely with neighboring land managers, the Molokai Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy, to promote responsibility for both land and ocean resources.

Through the organization, Poepoe has published the Pono Fishing Calendar, an acclaimed guide to responsible fishing. The calendar teaches fishermen when not to fish, based on each species’ life cycle to ensure their renewal. Begun about 10 years ago, according to Poepoe, the calendar has been made possible in the past through both federal and private grants. He says this year, he will use the money from the Ho`okahiko Award to fund its publication.

The fishing calendar is distributed all over the state, first to people who requested it and to schools, according to Poepoe. He says this will probably be the last year of its publication, however. A lot of work goes into making sure the calendar is based on fact, he explains.

“I blazed the trail,” says Poepoe. But it’s “not an easy path to follow.”

The message Poepoe would like people to remember? “Whenever you go fishing, don’t be greedy; no take ‘em all. Leave some for the next person, and stay pono.”

The Hawaiian word "ho`okahiko" means "to cling to traditions.” The Duke’s Ho`okahiko Award was established to honor those who exemplify and pass on those traditions today. Previous recipients of the award include Nalani Kanaka`ole and Sig Zane, the Kamaka Brothers, Kaua`i Brant and Aunty Nona Beamer.


Posted in , , , comments1 Comments

Why We are Protesting GMOs This Weekend

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Why We are Protesting GMOs This Weekend

By Walter Ritte

We have protested many things on Molokai over the years, and most of the protests were against things that could hurt Molokai’s environment or be bad for our people.

One thing I learned early on was to do my homework before protesting.  And on this issue of GMOs and Monsanto I have done a lot of homework.

Monsanto is not just a big company.  It is a WORLDWIDE GIANT CORPORATION being investigated by the US under anti-trust laws.  Monsanto is working to control the food seeds of the world, so it can control the food that we eat.  Already, Monsanto has a stake in 70 percent of all GMO crops grown worldwide.  And Molokai is part of their plan to take over farm crops on the entire planet. 

Monsanto didn’t start out as a traditional farming company.  It was a chemical company.  It produced chemicals like “agent orange” for the military, and when agent orange was sprayed on troops in Vietnam, it caused lifelong damage to our veterans.  And Monsanto also manufactured “PCB’s” which are among the most toxic chemicals known to man.  Then Monsanto got into the agriculture business through Roundup, the chemical pesticide that it manufactures.

Today Monsanto is the world’s biggest producer of genetically engineered seeds, which grow “genetically modified organisms” or GMO crops.  Monsanto uses the island of Molokai as a huge, unregulated open-field testing ground for its GMO seeds.  They have turned our island’s rich farmland into a big outdoor laboratory for crops that we can’t eat.

Monsanto plows up the topsoil and leaves most of it bare so it can blow away or erode into the ocean when it rains.  Erosion is killing Molokai’s reefs, and Monsanto isn’t helping.  And although Roundup is proven to be a toxic substance, Monsanto has no program to monitor whether it is causing harm to their workers or to our environment.  Studies have shown that Glyphosate, the main chemical in Roundup, can cause cancer, reproductive problems, and even nerve damage. And overuse of Roundup on “Roundup-ready” crops is beginning to create “super weeds” that resist Roundup and can’t be killed by other herbicides.

Meanwhile, GMO genes are crossing with native seeds.  And when Monsanto discovers GMO plants growing in a traditional farmer’s field, they sue the farmer for “stealing.”  Monsanto has sued hundreds of farmers in the US and Canada, and put some out of business. Also, the first genetically engineered crop case ever heard by the U.S. Supreme Court will be argued on April 27. The case, Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms, pits the giant agribusiness company against family and organic farmers.

Politically, Monsanto has connections all the way to the White House.  The Speaker of the Hawaii House, Calvin Say, gets money from Monsanto, and he has introduced legislation to protect GMO companies from government regulation.  And the top two candidates for Governor are also working with Monsanto.  There are no laws in the US which regulate GMOs.  The government says that GMOs are just plain ordinary plants, so there is no need to regulate them.  But then it issues patents for these plants because they are really man-made.  And Monsanto sues farmers when their patented plants show up as volunteers in non-GMO farm fields.

I could go on and on about the homework that I have already done, but we all need to do our homework!  I believe that this GIANT CORPORATION threatens our health and safety and the health and safety of our children and our land.  Monsanto is not going to protect Molokai.  The government is not going to protect Molokai.  We are going to have to protect ourselves!

Join us this weekend to PROTEST GMOs at Lanikeha Center, and support pono farming!

Posted in , , comments12 Comments

Habitat for Humanity, Lowe’s Challenge Women

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Habitat for Humanity – Molokai News Release

In the days leading up to Mother’s Day, construction crews of women volunteers will be pounding nails and raising walls at Habitat for Humanity construction sites across the country in recognition of National Women Build Week, May 1 – 9. Lowe’s and Molokai Habitat for Humanity are looking for local women volunteers to work one day on a Molokai Habitat construction site during the nine-day event. Construction or home improvement experience is not necessary.

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Wellness Circle

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Wellness Circle

Community Contributed

Column by Dr. John Havey

Question: Positive emotions are nice, but what good are they?

Response: With each emotion comes a desired action. Consider joy, interest, and contentment. When experiencing the feeling of joy, we are more likely to play and try to something new. When experiencing a feeling of interest, we are more likely to explore and find the interconnectedness of life. When experiencing contentment, we are more likely to savor the moment and integrate experiences.

All of these positive emotions can help us enhance our life learning or problem solving.

If you have a question about promoting wellness, please email Dr. Havey, PhD at jhavey@molokaichc.org

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Howzit on Molokai

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Howzit on Molokai

Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona, Jr. has been an advocate for the Read Aloud America Program (RAP) since its inception five years ago. Last week, he stopped by Kualapu`u School’s final RAP of the school – and made a few other stops around Molokai as he prepares for his gubernatorial campaign. The Molokai Dispatch was able to catch up with the busy politician at Kualapu`u School.

Molokai Dispatch (MD): Why come here to Read Aloud America today?
Lt. Gov. Aiona: It’s a couple of things. Of course literacy. The joy of reading. And to me, this a great tool to unify the family. You have the drinks, you have the snacks, it’s fun times with the family. But it’s about bringing the family together.

MD: Why are these programs so important?
Aiona: When you read the critique, the evaluation, it’s always about “thank you for bringing RAP to our community, you taught us to do things as a family, you’ve really excited or brought interest to our children about reading.”

.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Molokai Is… Round 5

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Molokai Is… Round 5

For some Molokai is literally a home; a place we invest every waking moment toward living in. For others, Molokai is home to the heart; a place so dear, it is held in the same regard as family. Leilani and Hanohano are our final contestants this year and they do well to explain the literal and symbolic home that Molokai is. Would you like to see one of them win $50 to the Kualapu`u Cookhouse? Great – just go online to www.TheMolokaiDispatch.com and vote for either of them in the comments.

I hope everyone had fun with the Molokai Is contests of 2010. Still want your own $50 gift certificate to the Cookhouse? Check out submission guidelines for the new photo contest (on this page).  Mahalo Molokai for your contributions.

Moloka`i is… Home Sweet Home
Farmers and fisherman
Hunters and hula dancers
Paniolos and baseball players
Fishponds and fresh water springs
Makahiki games and the Hula piko
Throwing net and throwing pole
Shining light for deer and for a`ama crabs
Lanikaula, the kukui forest and the most powerful kahuna in all of Hawai`i nei
Where white doesn’t mean your haole but if that word makes you feel uncomfortable, then you probably are one
Where natives and kama’aina love and would never change
Where outsiders think they can make better
The best place in the world to make and raise keiki
Moloka`i Nui a Hina, Moloka`i `Aina Momona,
Moloka`i Pule O`o, Moloka`i No Ka Heke
Summertime behind the island in Wailau valley
Sunrises and Maurice Point and sunsets and La`au Point
Hui Ala Loa and the fight to save Kaho`olawe
Kalama`ula and the first Hawaiian homesteaders
Mana`e, my birthsands, a place I call home
And
The eventual resting place of my bones
Moloka`i Sweet Home

Hanohano Naehu, Ho`olehua

 

Molokai Photo Contest
It’s time again to share your vision of Molokai – and by vision, we mean exactly that. Send us a visual representation of Molokai. A photo that captures Molokai’s unique essence – it could be a stunning landscape, a self portrait, even something comical.

That’s right. The Molokai contest is now a photo contest! Share what Molokai means to you in a creative, intuitive, or striking way with your camera. One winner will be picked monthly to have their photo featured on the front page of The Molokai Dispatch and win a $50 Kualapu`u Cookhouse gift certificate – onolicious!

Each photo submission must include a caption, as well as the contestant’s full name, phone number and a headshot. Kids, ask your parents or teachers for permission. Submit entries of all file formats via email (Editor@TheMolokaiDispatch.com), in person at our Kaunakakai office (Moore building suite 5), or by snail mail (PO Box 482219, Kaunakakai, HI 96748). 

Posted in , , comments5 Comments

Middle School Community Needs Reps

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

We are looking for parent and community representatives to sit on the Molokai Middle School Community Council (SCC) for 2010-2011 school year. SCC focuses on the goals of the school, and provides direction, coordination, and communication to improve teaching and learning, resulting in greater student achievement.

Our meetings are set for the 2nd Mondays of every month at 2:30 p.m. in the Molokai High School Library.  Our next schedule meeting is set for Monday, May 10.  If you are interested, please call 567-6940 and submit a letter of interest to Molokai Middle School, as well as to attend our next meeting.  All meetings are open to the public and our agenda along with the minutes are all documented on the school website.

Thank you,

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Carving Out Capital

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Carving Out Capital

Clustered around a small easel with red-stained fingertips, several Molokai artists studied the profile of a man in clay. Their instructor was demonstrating the delicate way to skim away just enough clay to shape a cheek.

These students attended a sculpture workshop last week – not only to expand the skills of already talented people, but also as an innovative boost the island’s lagging economy. The workshop is intended to give artists another outlet to earn money off their art.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development provided a $50,000 Business Enterprise Grant, which provides training and technical assistance to small businesses – in this case, the Molokai Heritage Company through Lokahi Pacific.
 
“Because Molokai so economically depressed, we’re trying new avenues to earn money,” said a workshop student and local artist, Joan Pawlak reed.

,” he said.

Cooperative
Another goal of the workshops is to bring some of Molokai’s many artists together and form a cooperative of commercial artists, Lynch said.

“My hope is, out of this a nucleus of these 14 people, they can form a cooperative or group for bulk purchase supplies,” he added. With a casting shop on Molokai – located by Hayaku gas station – and a group of artists who know how to use it, those involved in the project said this could create a new niche Molokai artists can fill.

Other artists could come to learn – and spend money on hotels, rental cars, and restaurants – boosting the economy even more, Lynch said.

“This could create a magnet to bring other artist from other islands,” Pawlak reed said.

“It would be great to create some sort of art Mecca,” Geng said.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Keep ‘Face-to-Face’

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Keep ‘Face-to-Face’

The past three months have been a whirlwind of rumors, letters to government agencies and both joy and anger over the Department of Human Resources (DHS) reorganization plan.

Senate Bill 2650, CD 1, which halts the closure of 31 DHS eligibility offices statewide, passed in state congress on April 15. It awaits approval or veto by Governor Lingle by April 29th.

Before SB 2650 passed, hundreds rallied around the state to protest the closure. Molokai held their own rally last Friday evening, with about 30 people attending with protest signs.

DHS Director Lillian Koller has said the reorganization will help recipients get their benefits faster, without having to wait for months just to get an appointment. DHS said the plan would save taxpayers around $8 million, but Koller said efficiency is the purpose of the plan.
(For more on Koller’s views, see her editorial below.)

“This is a year we have to tighten the belts – but how tight are you going to go?” asked Vespoli.

Nearing the End
Senate Bill 2650 does not eliminate DHS’ reorganization plan completely – it sets up a pilot program, where only offices on Oahu will be shut down in lieu of its already-running call center. The bill “sunsets,” or expires, in June 2011, giving all parties time to evaluate how well the pilot program worked.

If the bill is vetoed, the state closures would eliminate 228 positions, including four on Molokai, but those employees with more than two years experience could be “bumped” to different offices within DHS.

Molokai has several offices that offer similar services that would not close, such as First to Work and Childcare Connections.

But many DHS recipients say it’s not over till it’s over, and are rallying until the bill is passed.

Nora Nomura, Deputy Director of Hawaii Government Employees Association – the DHS union – said Lingle could veto the bill, but many expect a Congressional override. If the bill is vetoed, Congress needs a two-thirds majority to override the veto by the end of this Legislative session, Thursday, April 29.

Posted in , comments1 Comments