Just Another Day
Community Contributed by Christy LenWai – Kaiama
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Honoring a Fallen Comrade
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Hundreds flooded Kalaliana`ole Hall Saturday to pay their final respects to fallen Honolulu police officer and Molokai boy Eric Fontes.
“Molokai is Eric’s hometown and ohana,” said Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha. “The community instilled the integrity and values he carried with him.”
He said Fontes was “admired by many for his strong conviction and belief,” and voted most inspirational in his recruit class.
Gov. Abercrombie sent his condolences, saying in a letter, Fontes “demonstrated the best principals of the beloved people of Molokai.”
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A Successful Summer
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Community contributed by Keni Reyes, Biological Technician
The summer of 2011 was a very successful one for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Material Center (PMC) on Molokai because of three Earth-Team/Americorps members who volunteered from June to July 31. They were Jon Brito,
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PMC staff would like to send out a big mahalo to Jon, Puna and Misty. Thank you and good luck in your future endeavors.
The USDA NRCS Plant Material Center in Ho`olehua is a plant testing facility for the development and proper use of plants in controlling soil erosion and related conservation practices.
What’s Up Maunaloa
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Column by Aunty Kehau
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Did you hear that there is a Choking Game on Molokai? Well your roving reporter got an email that was circulated to various churches regarding this horrible game among our keiki. I went to the website and saw a few videos on it and it is terrible. This is a website you can go and do more research on at chokinggame.net/chokinggameeducationalmaterial.html. Please take heed to this information and if you have keiki, please take the time to sit down and discuss this with them. Let us come together to save our keikis on Molokai from this deadly game before it's too late. Mahalo for caring.
I thank the good Lord for sending my grandson Joshua back home safely after he fractured his right knee. With a cast on his leg, he needed to come home on the air ambulance from Oahu to Molokai. I can't seem to understand why. Island Air cannot have at least one seat that has accessibility for those passengers wearing a leg cast? I understand that there are federal regulations that need to be followed but can you imagine if my grandson didn't have medical coverage for this? Wow, a big bill, hotel expenses if there is no ohana on Oahu, expense, expense and more expense! So this roving reporter is doing a big shout out to all my representatives from the state and federal level. You gotta do something about this, this is not fair. This is the second time my grandson needed to be medi-vaced back home and I don't want to see anyone else go through what my grandson had to go through. So who is going to step up to the plate and do something about it? Hey, you'll get my vote.
A belated happy 15th birthday to Isaiah Espaniola and happy 49th anniversary to Ron and Mary Neale. This is your roving reporter Aunty Kehau closing with this thought of the day. Friends are of utmost importance. We love, trust, get hurt, sometimes get mad, but we love and trust anyhow because that's the best way to let our friendship grow. Until my next article, take care, love one another and appreciate each day to the fullest with life and joy. A hui hou and malama pono.
Cooking Catches On
It looks like the Molokai Culinary Center (MCC) has hit a nerve. Whether it's the high cost of dining out, sentimental memories of family recipes, or simply an inspiration ready to be acted upon, the idea of cooking lessons is taking off. Don Hill, the chef and principal instructor at MCC reports that during July, August and September, nearly 20 people attended six lessons/workshops and practiced a total of 21 different recipes. A few brave souls have attended as many as three sessions each. The most productive session was on Friday, Sept. 16, when four participants created 224 servings of pastry for the St. Damien Country Fair in only three hours!
Reclaiming Hawaiian Lands
Submitted by Duke Kalipi on behalf of the Lawful Hawaiian Government
In July, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Senate Bill 1520 into law, becoming Act 195. This act is the prelude to the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka Bill. We believe its true intent is to have the Hawaiian people agree to give up their rightful claim to their national lands, identified by the U.S. government as ceded lands. These are the lands of the former Hawaiian Kingdom – government, crown and public acreage.
“Although the Statehood Act retroceded these lands to the State of Hawaii, nearly 400,000 acres of what was originally Hawaiian government lands are still owned by the U.S. government,” according to a report from Sen. Dan Inouye in Dateline Washington from 1972.
The Truth about Canine Parvovirus
What is Canine Parvovirus?
Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is a highly contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the gastrointestinal tract of puppies and dogs. It was first identified in 1978 and is seen worldwide.
What are some signs of parvovirus infection?
Dogs infected with CPV-2 that are ill are often said to have “parvo.” CPV-2 infection causes lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting and severe, often bloody diarrhea. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause rapid dehydration, and most deaths from parvovirus occur within 48 to 72 hours following the onset of clinical signs. If your puppy or dog shows any of these signs, you should contact the Molokai Humane Society (MoHS) immediately.
Robotics Talks Health
Community contributed by Molokai Oompa Loompas
Berries are Blue
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Community Contributed by Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent
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There are many species of Vaccinium or blueberry, with two cousins native to Hawaii called Ohelo, Vaccinium reticulatum from Hawaii and Vaccinium calycinum from Maui. The focus in Hawaii has been to field test crosses of southern hibush types which are a cross between northern highbush from temperate climates and warm species such as Vaccinium darrowii. These types are more tolerant to warm weather and have low chill requirements that allow them to flower in parts of Hawaii.
At least six varieties have been tested on the Big Island since 2004 in three locations. Early results from Waimea indicate that Sharpblue, Misty, Emerald and Jewel performed well, with Sharpblue having the sweetest fruit and Misty having the largest fruits. Fruit size can be manipulated by having good vegetative growth and a robust plant prior flowering. The bigger the flower set, the smaller the fruits. Diseases such as rust and phytophthora can be a challenge. Good drainage can help avoid some root diseases, and dry conditions can help to avoid leaf diseases. Misty and Sharpblue even grew well in Hilo at 250 feet elevation.
The American Society of Horticulture Science Annual Convention held in Kona last week brought key researchers from around the world to present their research, and some of the giants of blueberry research were there. Among them was Dr. Paul Lyrene of University of Florida, a leader in the development of low chill blueberries. He developed four of the six varieties tested in Hawaii, including Misty, Sapphire, Emerald, and Jewel.
Aside from receiving a national award at the meeting for his work, he also presented his latest research on low chill blueberries. His challenge when developing crosses between northern and southern varieties is that you don’t know what parent it will take after. He showed a slide with many confused plants, not knowing if they should grow or flower. Having a lot of vegetation before flowering will allow the plant to carry a larger fruit load.
I was able to talk story with Dr. Lyrene, and he felt that blueberries could be grown successfully in Hawaii. The key was to have a strong harvesting season when the other parts of the world are not in peak production, and in this way you could get top dollar for your product. He also cautioned about a disease called rust that was prevalent in rainy areas that could be a problem in Hawaii.
Blueberry prefers very acid soil in the pH range of 4.0 to 5.2. Sprays of iron help to correct foliar deficiencies, and ground applications of sulfur help to acidify the soil. At the Volcano Research Station blueberries are growing well as a potted plant and will produce handfuls of fruit. One source of disease-free plants is North American Plants.
