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No Proof GM Crops are Safe

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Community Contributed

Opinion by Kevin Brown

In 1992, President George W.H. Bush made an executive order stating that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are “substantially equivalent” to ordinary seeds and crops. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) then adopted a policy permitting the production of GM organisms without independent testing.

In the late 1990s, Arpad Pusztai, a molecular biologist and GMO supporter, found that rats fed GM potatoes had “…smaller livers, hearts, testicles and brains, damaged immune systems, and showed structural changes in their white blood cells….”  Pusztai expressed his concerns on a British television program and was promptly suspended and forced to retire from his position.…

Fertilizing Your Garden

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Joe Kennedy

How do you grow a large veggie garden, like a community garden, and get enough fertilizer to make everything thrive? Going to the store and paying higher and high prices for packaged, synthetic, petroleum-based fertilizers that’s been shipped from the mainland is not the answer. So where do we get it? Look around and try to remember the things that have high amounts of nitrogen in them.

Some easy-to-find, high-nitrogen materials include grass clippings from lawns and roadsides, the leaves, seeds, pods and twigs from the monkey pod and koa, and the dirt from under these trees.…

Rising from the Rocks

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Rising from the Rocks

Native plants making a comeback

Editorial by Catherine Cluett

We’re bumping along a rocky track, ascending steeply through a landscape some would call lunar. Ahead of us is mostly gray—Kawela’s barren, stony slopes and gulches, topped by a thin line of green where the mountaintops meet the sky. But I can’t help turning in my seat of our all-terrain vehicle toward the view behind us—each bump expands a breathtaking panorama of Maui to the east, Lanai’s slender back, the turquoise fingers of Molokai’s south shore reef, and the slopes of Pu`u Nana to Molokai’s west.

In the years before European contact in the 19th century, these mountainsides were covered in lowland forests, according to historic records.…

Fall Sports Gear Up Continued

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Fall Sports Gear Up Continued

Steep hills and stiff competition is the theme for Molokai High School’s (MHS) cross country and air riflery teams, yet as another fall season arrives, they are keeping their eyes are on the prize.

Boys Cross Country

The boys cross country team was in the middle of the pack last year. According to 15-year head coach Gandharva “Mahina Hou” Ross, the farmers placed third in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championships and 44th out of 160 schools in the state championships.

This fall, the eight-man team is coming back with six returning runners and welcoming two freshmen.

“The returning group is all pretty much at the same level [as each other],” said Ross.…

MHS Recognizes Student Success

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Celebrating success is now a trend at Molokai High School (MHS). The students and staff filled the gym Thursday morning for the first recognition assembly of the 2013-14 school year. Recognition ceremonies were previously held occasionally throughout the year. Now, a monthly assembly will highlight student and faculty accomplishments to provide encouragement for academic and athletic excellence.

“It’s all about the support,” said MHS student activities coordinator Lisa Taka. “Each student should be recognized because it helps with their self-esteem and confidence and [the assemblies] show the school that’s it’s possible to attain and achieve goals.”

Maui County council member and MHS alumni Stacy Crivello presented awards to more than 40 students for excelling in statewide science and engineering competitions as well as last year’s Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) champions and all-star athletes.…

Youth Water Activities

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Youth in Motion News Release

Youth In Motion will be starting up on Monday, Sept. 9 with a 10-week program of activities. They include American Red Cross swimming and Stand Up Paddling.  The primary age group is 11 to 15 years old but 10 year olds may join if they can show commitment and are willing to listen and learn. Younger children and older youth/adults who choose to come or help for the Stand Up Paddling will be part of the Steward and Shepherd program and can still sign up. An adult must be present for anyone under 10 years old.…

New Tour and Rental Business

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

New Tour and Rental Business

Molokai Ocean Tours and Outdoor Rentals News Release

A new store has made its debut at the Molokai Center in Kaunakakai named Molokai Ocean Tours and Outdoor Rentals.  Family- and locally-owned, it is primarily the storefront for the custom-designed tour boat, the Manu Ele`ele, and also cater to visitors’ common outdoor rental needs.

The Manu Ele`ele was designed and built on Molokai by the renowned catamaran designer Kirk Clark at Hawaiian Catamaran.  The vessel is uniquely designed for Hawaiian waters and is Coast Guard documented and approved, overseen by the Maritime Consortium with a certificate of compliance ensuring a drug-free captain and crew and each are certified in Heartsaver® First Aid and Adult/Child CPR. …

Healthy Eating for Keiki

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Community Contributed

By Jon Mikami, RPh, and Kelly Go, RPh, Molokai Drugs, Inc.

Every week, you see another headline in the local and national news about the obesity epidemic in our keiki. One of the latest studies shows that obese children face not only long-term risks, but also more immediate ones. They’re more likely to have problems such as asthma, learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and eating disorders, which might need an effective Eating Disorder Treatment Therapy to cure.

Yet keiki — and adults – are surrounded by advertising messages telling them to eat sugary, high-fat, often empty-calorie foods. It can feel like a chore to get kids to make healthier choices.…

Molokai Girl Earns Doctorate

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Molokai Girl Earns Doctorate

Community Contributed

By Gladys Brown

Katina Soares, Kualapu`u School vice principal, received her Doctorate in Education from Walden University in Minnesota on Aug. 11. She accumulated all of her credits towards this prestigious award without leaving Molokai by carefully selecting an accredited university that she could attend remotely. Katina was able to accomplish her educational goals without having to commute to another island or relocate her family.

Katina’s educational path should be an inspiration to young people of Molokai that aspire to higher education. She earned her GED in 1994, finishing high school a year early. She then received her Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Pre-Education from Maui Community College, Molokai in 1998, and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2000, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Judson College in Alabama.…

Backyard Gardens, New Thinking

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Community Contributed

By Joe Kennedy

We have so many problems. Write down a list of the world’s most pressing problems and it will become clear that things are dangerously close to more widespread pain and suffering. Global warming, drought, flooding, starvation and warfare are increasing. Agriculture is the world’s biggest polluter in the form of soil erosion and pesticide and herbicide use.  But on the other hand, there’s a new kind of thinking out there that latches on to a certain kind of change and it’s called quantum physics. This new way of thinking is even favorably affecting farming methods and what to do with profits. …