2. Finding Peace Within
3. Herb of the Week is Blackberry
4. EXCESS FAT AROUND THE WAIST MAY INCREASE DEATH RISK FOR WOMEN
5. Honey oatmeal bread recipe
6. Winter Soldier II
7. Superferry sails, but Ride "really, really rough"
8. Survey: 98% Say Parents Should Have Right to Refuse Vaccination of
Children
9. Passing of Keahi Allen
10. World starvation begins. Self Sufficiency may be an Answer!
11. Free Hawai`i TV - "What Are They Trying To Hide?"
12. Ceded-Land Debate Back On The Table - comment
13. U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Exercises within the Hawai'i Range Complex,
May & June 2008
14. Feng Shui Certification Training Series in Kona - begins May 16
15. Disappeared News - 4 new articles
16. Educational Trips to Tanzania, Uganda, and India
17. Network Announcement--the Network Needs Your Help!
18. Teachers Social Justice Tour: The Dominican Republic 2008
19. Conflict-of-interest bill vetoed by Hannemann
20. Te kahukura a Tuamatauenga Tahiti
21. Ceded Land Debate Update
22. House kills taro research bill
23. Fumes shut volcanoes park
24. Army destroying old chemical munitions and comment
25. Superferry News: Thursday - KKCR - interview w/ Austal welder and
union organizer
26. Ban on Bottomfishing i Hawaiian Waters
27. arts about town
28. The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
29. Hawaiian Telcom considered a high credit risk for companies
30. Cargo may keep Superferry afloat financially
31. Discussing the so-called "akaka bill" - a good idea, a bit late - by
whom? - too little time, and cost too high
32. Rioters Return to Capital of Haiti as Food Cost Hits World Poor
33 Most Needy Hit Hardest as States Cut Services
1. WHO says climate change will spur diseases
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:18:08 +1200
From: CHOOK <tepaatu@gmail.com>
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Matt Hoover MD" <matthoovermd@cdc.com>
WHO says climate change will spur diseases (CIDRAP News) ˆ The head
of the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted today that climate change
will increase disease outbreaks by a variety of mechanisms and threaten
human health in other ways.
"The core concern is succinctly stated: climate change endangers health in
fundamental ways," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement
timed to observe World Health Day.
"The warming of the planet will be gradual, but the effects of extreme
weather events˜more storms, floods, droughts, and heat
waves˜will be abrupt and acutely felt," Chan said. "Both trends can
affect some of the most fundamental determinants of health: air, water,
food, shelter, and freedom from disease."
In outlining major health consequences of global warming, Chan said
droughts and floods will increase the burden of diarrheal disease, while
changes in the ranges of disease-carrying insects will spread illnesses
like dengue fever and malaria.
"Both scarcities of water, which is essential for hygiene, and excess
water due to more frequent and torrential rainfall will increase the
burden of diarrheal disease, which is spread through contaminated food and
water," she said. She added that diarrheal diseases cause about 1.8
million deaths each year.
Further, Chan said, "Changing temperatures and patterns of rainfall are
expected to alter the geographical distribution of insect vectors that
spread infectious diseases. Of these diseases, malaria and dengue are of
greatest public health concern."
In a news release accompanying Chan's statement, the WHO cited some
examples of diseases affected by, or likely to be affected by, global
warming:
Major outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in Africa are usually associated with
rains, which are expected to become more frequent as the climate changes.
In the east African highlands, warmer temperatures in the last 30 years
have created more favorable conditions for mosquito populations and
therefore for the spread of malaria. Cholera epidemics in Bangladesh are
closely linked to flooding and unsafe water. Chan also said global warming
threatens public health by reducing crop yields, leading to food
shortages, and directly causing deaths and injuries through storms,
floods, and heat waves.
She left no room for doubt about the role of humans in global warming:
"The scientific evidence continues to mount. The climate is changing, the
effects are already being felt, and human activities are a principal
cause."
The reality of climate change is no longer in doubt, but there's still
time to reduce the consequences for human health, Chan said.
The WHO and its partners˜the United Nations Environment Programme,
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the UN World Meteorological
Organization˜are devising a research agenda to get better estimates
of the scale and nature of the threat to health and to identify strategies
for health protection, according to the news release.
"Better systems for surveillance and forecasting, and stronger basic
health services, can offer health protection," the WHO said.
See also:
Statement by Margaret Chan
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2008/s05/en/index.html
Apr 7 WHO news release
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr11/en/index.html
More WHO information on climate change
http://www.who.int/globalchange/climate/faq/en/index.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Finding Peace Within
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:23:43 +1200
From: CHOOK <tepaatu@gmail.com>
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Artemis Goldberg" <panthertracker@myself.com>
A Full Embrace Excluding Nothing Finding Peace Within
Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation
for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to
bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in
this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don't
like ourselves, for example, we probably won't like those around us. If we
are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest
conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can
be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our
internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create
change.
When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning
of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult
to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the
many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both
personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can
call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are
human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction-the desire to
defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved
ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This
awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we
understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to
find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our
primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict
peace.
Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part
of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing
and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that
excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us,
because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity.
Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take
responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it
in the light of our love.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Herb of the Week is Blackberry
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:32:36 +1200
From: CHOOK <tepaatu@gmail.com>
------ Forwarded Message
The name Blackberry (Rubus fruiticous) includes at least 14 closely
related species.
All of the species are perennial, semi-deciduous, prickly, scrambling,
shrubs with stem tips that take root where they contact the ground. They
often form tough thickets that can be several feet high. Blackberrys have
sharp, brambles or thorns on their stems that grab and tear clothes and
skin.
The fruit
The fruit is not a berry, but instead an aggregate fruit of numerous
drupelets. The soft fruit changes colour from green to red to black as it
ripens. When they are black all over, it is time to eat them. They can be
eaten dried, fresh or right off the vine. Each fruit is a collective, of
many juicy segments each with one seed. It is a rich source of
antioxidants. It is often made into jelly or jam and occasionally wine.
The fruit contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, niacin, malic and isocitric
acids, pectin, sugars, anthocyanins, monoglycoside of cyanidin, and
flavonoids (kaempferol, quercitin). Its flavonoids are thought to be
anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal and belived to enhance the
immune system due to its high content of Vitamin C and bio-flavonoids.
The flowers
The flowers are white to pinkish, 5-petaled, blossoms provide good nectar,
which produce a medium to dark, fruity honey. Flowers and fruit are often
on the same plant at the same time. The flowers have both male and female
organs and produce seed asexually without fertilisation. The seed is a
clone of the mother plant.
The root
The root also contains tannin, is an astringent, and is a blood purifier.
It can be used to treat diarrhea and dysentery, but do not over do it.
Avoid using more than three times a day. People with sensitive stomachs
can experience upset stomach.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4. EXCESS FAT AROUND THE WAIST MAY INCREASE DEATH RISK FOR WOMEN
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:33:47 +1200
From: CHOOK <tepaatu@gmail.com>
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Doug Lancaster MD" <douglancastermd@nih.com>
EXCESS FAT AROUND THE WAIST MAY INCREASE DEATH RISK FOR WOMEN
Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of
dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller
waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from
Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.
Previous studies have shown that the tendency to deposit fat around the
waist increases the risk for health problems. The current study is the
largest, most comprehensive of its kind undertaken to show that
accumulation of abdominal fat can increase the risk of death.
To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 44,000
women in the Nurses' Health study, which followed the health history of
thousands of registered nurses in 11 states.
"As we know from the work of the NIH Obesity Research Task Force,
reversing the epidemic of obesity is challenging," said Elias A. Zerhouni,
M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health. "The current findings
highlight the role that research can play in understanding the risks of
obesity."
The research team that conducted the study was led by Cuilin Zhang, M.D.,
Ph.D., of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Zhang conducted much of her work on the
study while at the Harvard School of Public Health. She concluded her
analysis after joining the staff of the NICHD. The study was conducted in
the research group of Dr. Frank Hu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Harvard School of
Public Health, and by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and
Harvard School of Medicine.
Funding for the study was provided by the NIH's National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Cancer
Institute. The Nurse's Health Study was supported by NIH's National Heart,
Lung and Blood Institute.
The study was published online in "Circulation".
There is increasing evidence that excess abdominal fat is a risk factor
for long-term conditions like diabetes and heart disease. However, the
relationship between abdominal obesity and risk of death has not been
widely studied. The current study is one of the largest extended
investigations of abdominal obesity and women's risk of premature death.
Researchers followed more than 44,000 women over the course of 16 years to
track their medical history and lifestyle. Because the majority of the
women who took part in the study were white, the researchers do not know
if their findings pertain to other groups of women or to men.
All the women included in the study were registered nurses. At the
beginning of the study the women were asked to measure their waists and
hips. Every two years, the women completed questionnaires about their
health, providing information about their age, activity level, smoking
status, diet, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The researchers examined the cause of death for all women who died over
the course of the study. In total, 3,507 deaths occurred -- of these,
1,748 were due to cancer and 751 were due to heart disease.
The researchers discovered that women with greater waist circumferences
were more likely to die prematurely, particularly from heart disease, when
compared to women with smaller waists. For example, women with waist size
equal to or greater than 35 inches were approximately twice as likely to
die of heart disease as were women with a waist size less than 28 inches,
regardless of their body mass index. Similarly, women with a waist size
equal to or greater than 35 inches also were twice as likely to die of
cancer as were women with a waist size less than 28 inches.
Women who had a greater waist circumference and were also obese were at
the greatest risk of premature death. Researchers determined if a woman
was overweight by calculating her body mass index (BMI), a measure of a
person's weight in relation to height. BMI is used to estimate the
proportion of a person's weight that derives from body fat. A BMI between
18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy. A BMI of 30.0 - 39.9 is regarded as
overweight.
Greater waist circumference is a sign of collecting excess fat around
one's midsection, called abdominal obesity. According to the "Clinical
Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight
and Obesity in Adults" published by NHLBI in cooperation with NIDDK in
1998, a healthy waist limit for women is 35 inches and, for men, 40
inches. Waist circumference is determined by measuring around the waist at
the navel line. The NHLBI lists information on waist circumference and BMI
at <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm>
In 2004, over one-half of U.S. adults had abdominal obesity by these
standards, said Dr. Zhang.
The researchers also studied waist-to-hip ratio -- a measure of the
narrowest part of the waist compared to the circumference at the broadest
part of the hip -- as a potential determinant of mortality risk.
Waist-to-hip ratio was found to be as strongly associated with risk of
early death as the measurement of waist size alone. However, waist-to-hip
ratio requires two measurements and therefore may be less convenient to
calculate than measuring waist circumference alone, said Dr. Zhang.
The study authors wrote that results from previous studies have been
inconsistent because of the relatively small number of people who took
part and the short duration of the studies. The current study provides the
strongest evidence so far regarding the adverse effects of abdominal
obesity on the risk of death in women. The authors called for future
studies to investigate abdominal obesity and the risk of death in men and
other ethnic groups.
"Although maintaining a healthy weight should continue to be a corner
stone in the prevention of chronic diseases and premature death,
maintaining a healthy waist size should also be an important goal," the
study authors wrote.
Learn more about weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related
nutritional issues from NIDDK's Weight-control Information Network at
<http://win.niddk.nih.gov>. For "Weight and Waist Measurement: Tools for
Adults", visit <http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/tools.htm>.
Learn more about ways to maintain a healthy weight based on the Clinical
Guidelines Expert Panel Report, visit the NHLBI's Aim for a Healthy Weight
Web site <http://healthyweight.nhlbi.nih.gov>.
To calculate your BMI and assess your risk for conditions related to
overweight and obesity, visit
<http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm>.
Information about obesity, weight, physical activity, diet, and cancer is
available at. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/energybalance>.
Information about the Nurse's Health Study is available at
<http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/ResPort/NursesHealthI.html>.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the
Institute's Web site at <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a
component of the NIH, conducts and supports research in diabetes and other
endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and
obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full
spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups,
these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe, and disabling
conditions affecting Americans. For more information about NIDDK and its
programs, see <www.niddk.nih.gov>.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary
Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and
translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments,
and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about
NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Honey oatmeal bread recipe
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:19:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: ata tautahi <atautahi@yahoo.com>
Honey Oatmeal Bread recipe
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine (room temperature)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon quick rise instant yeast.
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Winter Soldier II
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:17:00 -1000
From: REDVET <redvet@lava.net>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcr7ROkK7f4&feature=related
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Superferry sails, but Ride "really, really rough"
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:30:11 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/502298.html?nav=10
Ride ^Ñreally, really rough^Ò
Superferry sails, but voyage not smooth; many suffer sickness
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
POSTED: April 8, 2008
Fisherman Sonny Kaupe baits his hook as the Superferry reposes in the
background at Pier 2 of Kahului Harbor.
KAHULUI ^× After a two-month layoff for repairs, the Hawaii Superferry
returned to Kahului Harbor on Monday with a load of passengers facing no
protests except the one in their bellies.
^ÓIt was one of the most miserable rides I^Òve ever had,^Ô said Kim Lane
of Seattle.
She and other family members were part of the first set of passengers
disembarking from the 350-foot Alakai after it arrived at Kahului. They
said they dealt with high swells and rough seas for most of the
three-hour-plus sail between Oahu and Maui. Those conditions caused many
passengers to fall ill.
Terry O^ÒHalloran, Superferry director of business development, disputed
the report of many passengers being severely ill on the voyage, although
he admitted the Honolulu-Kahului leg was rough.
He said it had been a good voyage. The vessel was bounced by swells and
strong trade winds in the channels between islands, but it was ^Ómuch
calmer^Ô on the downwind Kahului-Honolulu return trip.
Passengers arriving in Kahului said many of them were puking during the
ride.
^ÓThe crew was really trying to keep things clean, but there were vomit
bags all over the place,^Ô said passenger Monica Bishop in describing her
ferry ride.
^ÓYou open the bathroom door and there^Òs puke on the sink,^Ô said Brian
Driscoll, a ferry rider from Fargo, N.D., who said he was among those who
avoided illness.
^ÓThere were sick people all over the place,^Ô he said.
Lane quickly added that Superferry crew members were friendly and
cheerful, despite showing signs of seasickness themselves.
^ÓIt was really, really rough. . . . It was so bad you thought you were
going to fall out of your chairs,^Ô said Bishop, who rode the ferry with
her husband, Doug, and four children. The family plans to move from Oahu
to Maui and decided to use the next week and a half looking for a place to
live on the Valley Isle.
Immediately after coming ashore, a Bishop son declared he would not return
to Oahu on the ferry. He eventually relented after his father, a former
sailor, agreed to ride it again despite Monday^Òs bumpy sail.
^ÓThey^Òre going to ride it again for redemption,^Ô Monica Bishop joked.
The Bishops noted they had paid a ^Ólittle extra^Ô to ride at the front of
the ferry, hoping for a smooth sail. ^ÓInstead you paid extra to get a
little sick,^Ô Doug Bishop said.
The Alakai went out of service Feb. 13 and into dry dock for repair of
auxiliary steering rudders that had developed cracks where the rudder
posts enter the hull.
The repairs were prolonged when a tug damaged the ferry^Òs hull while
aiding it into dry dock, and again when the ferry was damaged in the dock.
O^ÒHalloran declined to describe what happened in dry dock, but said
Monday, ^ÓIt all got repaired. It^Òs in great shape.^Ô
Late last week, the Superferry announced it would renew its voyages to
Maui, extending a special $39 one-way passenger fare and $55 one- way
vehicle fare for travel through June 5. The ferry departs Honolulu at 6:30
a.m., arriving at 10:15 a.m. in Kahului. It departs Kahului at 11:15 a.m.,
with a 2:15 p.m. scheduled arrival at Honolulu Harbor.
O^ÒHalloran said Monday^Òs load of vehicles and passengers was expected to
be light as it returned to an interisland travel market in turmoil
following the failure of Aloha Airlines a week ago.
^ÓReservations are open through the first week in January,^Ô he said.
He would not reveal passenger numbers but said he met a number of people
taking advantage of the ferry^Òs ability to carry vehicles, including a
Maui woman who was purchasing a car on Oahu and an Oahu resident who
expected to buy a used car on Maui.
The Bishops^Ò 16-year-old son, Greg, said he looked forward to a return
voyage in a week or so.
^ÓI thought it was fun, and I^Òd ride again,^Ô he said.
When the Superferry first launched last August, it was greeted at the
Kahului Harbor with protesters waving handmade signs. Demonstrators
criticized the state^Òs decision to allow the operation without an
environmental impact statement and claimed the vessel presented a threat
to whales.
Monday saw neither signs nor protesters.
Irene Bowie, executive director of the Maui Tomorrow Foundation, showed up
for the ferry arrival mostly out of curiosity.
Bowie said she was surprised to see the Coast Guard accompanying the
Superferry into the harbor given the lack of protesters.
^ÓAll of this at a cost to taxpayers,^Ô she said. ^ÓI think it^Òs either
overkill or paranoia.^Ô
A Coast Guard spokesman confirmed that the federal agency had sent out an
87-foot patrol boat and a 25-foot rigid-hull vessel to accompany the ferry
into the harbor starting from about a mile offshore.
^ÓThis is a very common occurrence for the Coast Guard,^Ô said Petty
Officer Michael De Nyse.
When Superferry resumed service in November, the Coast Guard declared a
security zone over virtually all of Kahului Harbor, but eased the
restriction to a 100-yard standoff distance after a week of operations.
De Nyse said he could not comment directly in response to Bowie^Òs
criticism that the Coast Guard presence Monday was excessive. He did say
the agency^Òs actions were a means of ensuring safety of the ferry, its
passengers and individuals who might be in the water when the Alakai
sailed into harbor.
Maui^Òs protest of the Superferry mostly has been held on Kahului streets
and in the Wailuku courts.
Hawaii Superferry still has not announced any plans to resume sailing to
Kauai, where service was suspended because of protests at Nawiliwili
Harbor.
On Monday, retirees Francine and Gaudie Bugtong came to the Kahului shore
to welcome the Superferry. Gaudie Bugtong took photos of the ferry with
his cell-phone camera.
^ÓSomeday I like to try to ride,^Ô he said.
Francine Bugtong said she was curious about the fuss over the ferry and
wanted to take a closer look.
^ÓFor me, it^Òs interesting and it^Òs nice. I^Òd like to ride it someday
too.^Ô
Sonny Kaupe of Kahului happened to be shoreline fishing with
granddaughters Shanice, Macie and Destiny when the ferry arrived. ^ÓAs
long as I can come out here and fish, I^Òm OK with it,^Ô Kaupe said.
Texas visitor Bertha White was enjoying the Kahului ocean view before
heading to Lahaina.
^ÓI think it^Òs a great idea to have this here,^Ô she said. ^ÓIt^Òs worked
in the northeast of the United States, and I don^Òt think there^Òll be a
problem here.^Ô
Bowie said her group and others will continue to fight the Superferry^Òs
presence in Hawaii. Maui Tomorrow, the Sierra Club and the Kahului Harbor
Coalition were plaintiffs in a 2004 civil suit that went to the Hawaii
Supreme Court. The high court issued an Aug. 23 decision requiring the
state Department of Transportation to prepare an environmental assessment
on $40 million worth of harbor improvements needed to accommodate the
ferry operations.
The day after the Supreme Court ruling, Hawaii Superferry announced it
would initiate service to Maui and Kauai on Aug. 26, offering a $5 fare
special. On Maui, 2nd Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza issued a restraining
order Aug. 27 and later issued an injunction blocking ferry operations
until the state Transportation Department could prepare an environmental
assessment.
On Kauai, protesters in the water prevented the Alakai from entering
Nawiliwili Harbor on Aug. 27, and Superferry ceased its operations to both
islands.
When Cardoza ruled the ferry could not operate until an environmental
assessment was completed, Gov. Linda Lingle called a special session of
the state Legislature to approve a law to allow the Superferry to operate
while the Transportation Department prepares an environmental impact
statement.
Bowie said the citizens groups are concerned about the potential for ferry
passengers and their vehicles spread to invasive alien plants and bugs;
for the high-speed ferry striking humpback whales; and for disembarking
vehicles increasing congestion. In a separate case, Maui Tomorrow and the
Kahului Harbor Coalition won a court order requiring the state to monitor
traffic flows when the ferry is in port.
The community organizations claim that the new state law allowing the
ferry to operate while an EIS is prepared is unconstitutional.
^ÓAll the issues remain,^Ô Bowie said.
^Õ Staff Writer Harry Eager contributed to this story. Claudine San
Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Survey: 98% Say Parents Should Have Right to Refuse Vaccination of
Children
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:53:40 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
A Must-Read.
========
http://www.NaturalNews.com/z022963.html
Survey: 98% Say Parents Should Have Right to Refuse Vaccination of
Children
by Mike Adams
(NaturalNews) A public survey posted on NaturalNews.com reveals that 98%
of survey participants (1919 out of 1954) believe that parents should have
the right to refuse vaccinations for their children. The online survey was
conducted from April 6 to April 8, and survey respondents were
self-selected. A total of 1,954 votes were received at the time of this
writing. The survey asked the question, "What should happen to parents who
refuse to have their children vaccinated?" The results were as follows:
They should be fined: 1% (20 votes)
They should be jailed: 0.2% (4 votes)
They should have their children taken away: 0.6% (11 votes)
Nothing: It's their right to refuse vaccinations: 98.2% (1919 votes)
The survey comes on the heels of the FDA's approval of a vaccine for
diarrhea for children and the growing concern by parents that infants are
being given far too many vaccines that may cause health problems due to
the combination of multiple chemicals being injected. (The survy is
republished at the end of this article, in case you'd like to see the
current results or take the survey yourself.)
Vaccine promotion as a marketing gimmick
Drug companies, meanwhile, are seeking out new "markets" for promoting
vaccines, including lobbying state legislators to pass mandatory
vaccination laws, spreading fear about the Human Papilloma Virus to
promote HPV vaccines, and urging parents to get their babies vaccinated
for an ever-increasing number of health concerns -- including diarrhea.
Intelligent, well-informed parents are increasingly asking, "Do our babies
really need so many injections?"
The vaccination model of medicine is based on medical mythology promoted
by Big Pharma-affiliate health authorities who do not believe the human
immune system is able to adequately protect the body without chemical
intervention. Vaccine believers -- which include most doctors and health
officials -- insist that the only way the human immune system can properly
recognize a potentially dangerous invader (such as a virus) is to
intervene by injecting the body with weakened viral elements combined with
inflammatory chemicals designed to activate an artificial immune system
response. This inflammatory response may be partially responsible for the
increase in autism and other diseases following vaccinations. (Some
children have died within hours after receiving vaccine injections.)
Author Byron Richards recently authored a detailed article explaining
this: http://www.naturalnews.com/022955.html
This medical mythology goes to great lengths to discount the naturopathic
view of human health, which says that the human immune system should be
supported rather than chemically hijacked, and that when properly
supported through healthy foods, nutrition and an absence of chemical
toxins, the human immune system is a fantastically effective technology
that accurately identifies invading viruses and protects the body with an
appropriate immune system response. Allowing the human immune system to do
its job also subjects it to stresses that allow an adaptive response to
unfold -- a response that strengthens the immune system against future
threats, significantly lowering the risk of infection in the future.
Vaccines, on the other hand, weaken the immune system, denying it the
adaptive response it needs to strengthen its defenses against future
threats. But vaccine promoting health authorities think the only way to
reduce the risk of infection is to administer a never-ending series of
vaccination injections: one for each mutation of a virus that might be
circulating in the wild. At no point does this pro-vaccine medical
mythology believe the human immune system should take over and that
vaccines are no longer needed. Rather, it is based on the idea that
infants, children, adults and seniors must be subjected to hundreds of
different vaccine injections over their lifetime. Each injection, of
course, earns revenue for the drug companies that primarily sponsor the
continuation of this outmoded medical paradigm.
Most vaccines are medically useless
Clinical studies show that vaccines don't work on most people. Even winter
flu shots are little more than a form of medical Russian roulette, since
most vaccines are built to defend against the previous year's viral
strains, not the current year. And that's if they even work at all: The
hard science says that senior citizens who receive vaccine shots have
absolutely no reduction whatsoever in their frequency of catching the flu.
Vaccines, for the most part, are little more than modern medical quackery.
It's Big Pharma's version of snake oil. Most vaccines simply don't work on
most people, and some people are harmed or killed by vaccines. And while
defenders of vaccines (most of whom are on the take from Big Pharma in one
way or another, by the way) may claim that vaccines have eradicated
infectious disease in our world over the last century or so, the simple
truth is that advances in public sanitation are responsible for virtually
all the improvements in infant mortality and the eradication of serious
infectious disease.
Far from the mission of saving lives, Big Pharma is now pushing vaccines
for conditions that pose very little threat to life in the first place.
The fact that vaccines are now being pushed to prevent infant diarrhea is
a perfect example. If infants are suffering from diarrhea, they need
proper nutrition (get off those processed infant formula products!) and
immune system support. They do not need to have their immune systems
attacked by yet another chemical cocktail injected into their bodies at
Big Pharma profit centers (also known as clinics and hospitals).
Vaccination is the great medical hoax of our time. One day it will stand
alongside mercury fillings, public water fluoridation, antibiotics abuse,
the cholesterol "disease" hoax and psychiatric drugs as one of the
grandest medical cons ever perpetrated on the American people. Modern
medicine has become a system driven almost entirely by profit, not by any
genuine desire to save lives. And the promotion of "treatments" is more
about sales and marketing than disease prevention.
Parents would do well to think twice before submitting their children to
vaccines. Remember this: Autism is not reversible. The damage caused by
vaccines is permanent. Protect your healthy baby from brain damage or
death. Inform yourself about the side effects of vaccines, and find the
courage to "just say no" to vaccine quackery.
Inform yourself now
I encourage all parents considering this issue to seek out a qualified
naturopathic health practitioner and find your own answers to this
vaccination question. Some parents may decide to have one or two vaccines
and skip the rest, reducing the total chemical burden on their children.
Some may even decide to subject their children to no vaccines whatsoever.
The choice is yours.
And that's my point, actually. I believe the choice of vaccination should
be up to the parents, not the government. Medical pill-pushers, on the
other hand, strenuously disagree. They believe so strongly in their
vaccine quackery that they insist parents who refuse to subject their
children to an unlimited number of vaccines should be arrested, fined or
thrown in prison. That is the view of mainstream medicine, with all its
medical schools, "scientific" journals and FDA cheerleading. It is a
system of medical imperialism that seeks to overthrow fundamental health
freedoms and remove parents from the chain of decision making that
determines the health outcome of their own children. Vaccine-pushing
doctors and drug companies literally seek to criminalize parents who do
not agree with their own distorted opinions on vaccines, and they truly
hope to limit consumer choice, restricting parents to a single system of
chemical-based medicine that has been arbitrarily designated as the one
true system of medical belief by those who stand to gain the most from its
adoption.
Vaccines, in other words, have been chosen not because they are based on
scientific validity, but because they are consistent with the shared
illusions that now serve as the very foundation of modern pharmacological
medicine: That the human body has no ability protect or heal itself, and
that any "real medicine" must come from outside the body, to be forcefully
injected where it can override the body's innate biochemistry and
eradicate some real or imagined threat. For doctors to abandon the
mythology of vaccines, they would have to throw out their entire
(mis)understanding of the human body and start from scratch. And they're
not about to venture down that road unless someone forces them to...
because who knows where that road might lead... like, perhaps, to the most
frightening of all concepts to vaccine-pushing doctors: Homeopathy!
Vaccines are popular in the modern medical community for no reason other
than the fact that they support the arrogant notion that doctors do all
the healing, not patients. That's why the continued mythology of vaccines
and chemical intervention is so dangerous to human health -- because by
definition it excludes the acknowledgement of the only pathway to true
healing: That the patient is the healer and that achieving lasting health
can only be accomplished by supporting the patient's own internal healing
technology... the amazing human immune system!
I guarantee you this: My own immune system knows more about my health than
any doctor. In fact, my own immune system knows more about my health than
my own conscious mind! It is impossible for a human brain to comprehend
the miraculous complexity of the underlying immune system technology that
protects it.
But are vaccines ever useful?
Of course, there are certain limited situations in which vaccines can be
quite useful. If you're about to work in a class IV biohazard laboratory,
where highly aggressive viruses like Ebola or Warburg can kill you in
minutes or hours, then receiving a vaccine injection to protect you from
these various strains makes good sense because the risk of injury is so
high from your professional work that it makes the risk of harm from a
vaccine seem small by comparison. But should the public be vaccinated
against these highly virulent strains? Of course not. Such strains can
never become epidemics for the simple reason that they kill their hosts
too quickly.
I'm not kidding when I say that the best way to stop the spread of these
rare, aggressive outbreaks of viral strains from the Conga is for all the
hospital staff to flee into the hills and thereby create distance between
themselves. It is an inarguable, well-documented fact that the primary
hubs for the spread of such aggressive diseases are, in fact, the hospital
workers themselves. Think about it: Where do sick people go first? To the
hospital! And that's where the virus catches hold and starts to spread.
The most dangerous place to go during any epidemic is to the hospital.
But getting back to babies and mild viral infections, should babies be
subjected to the risks of vaccines in order to prevent mild, non-fatal
conditions like diarrhea? Of course not. That makes no scientific sense.
It does, however, make great marketing sense if you're a shareholder for
one of the companies manufacturing the infant diarrhea vaccines.
Funny thing, though: The healthiest children I see are the ones playing in
the dirt, wearing no sunscreen, breatfeeding and receiving no vaccine
shots whatsoever. It's all the kids following the modern "scientific"
lifestyle that are sick. They're the ones eating processed foods, drinking
corporate-sponsored infant formula, smearing on toxic sunscreen chemicals,
chugging artificial sports drinks and getting jabbed with needles all the
time. Those are the kids who have allergies and weakened immune systems.
Coincidence? You be the judge.
I can tell you this, though: If I have children, I would never subject
them to any vaccines. And as they grow up healthy, I'll slap a bumper
sticker on my car that reads, "My Vaccine-Free Kid is Smarter than Your
Honor Student!"
You may take the survey now, if you haven't already.
=====---------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Passing of Keahi Allen
From: Marilyn Leimomi Khan
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 6:32 PM
Hawaii has lost another cultural leader and for many of us, a personal
friend. Keahi Allen passed away yesterday at the Hawaii Medical Center.
We remember fondly Keahi's leadership with the King Kamehameha Celebration
Commission, the King Kamehameha Floral Parade, and the King Kamehameha
Hula Competition. Daughter of Napua Stevens, Keahi served as a trustee of
the King William Charles Lunalilo Trust Estate, realizing her mother's
dream of opening a "day-care" program for the elderly at Lunalilo Home in
2004. Our heartfelt condolences to BJ Allen, her daughter and three
grandchildren, her brothers, Gordon Poire and Scott Poire and two nieces.
Condolence cards can be mailed to BJ Allen, P. O. Box 25142, Honolulu,
Hawaii 96825. Services are pending.
Leimomi
HonoluluAdvertiser.com
April 8, 2008
Cultural activist Keahi Allen
1941-2008
Advertiser Staff Writer
Keahi Allen, the longtime administrator and enthusiastic proponent of the
King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, died yesterday at Hawaii Medical
Center of complications from diabetes. She was 66.
Her daughter, B.J. Allen, said Allen was driven for many years by a
commitment to celebrating the Hawaiian culture. In her latter years, when
she had to undergo dialysis, it was keeping up with the annual festival
that kept her mind off her physical ailments.
B.J. Allen, who has since succeeded her mother on the commission, said the
hallmark of her mother's life was commitment. "Whatever she said she was
going to do, she did it," B.J. Allen said. "When she got involved in
something, she took it and she made it her life's work."
That included advocating for the continuation of the celebration at a time
when funds were tight. She felt a dedication to the efforts of King
Lunalilo to benefit his people, B.J. Allen said.
Allen, whose husband William "Billy" Allen died last April, worked for 31
years with the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission. This year's
celebration runs from June 6 to June 21 and includes a parade through
Waikiki and the lei-draping of the Kamehameha I statue.
She created a King Kamehameha hula competition counterpart in Japan, her
daughter said. She had been a member of the Daughters of Hawaii and was a
trustee of Lunalilo Home, which offers assistance to older Hawaiians.
Allen helped put on an annual fundraising golf tournament for that
institution.
Born in Kahala in the days when it was a farming community, and raised in
Kane'ohe, she attended the Kamehameha Schools and graduated from Castle
High School. She is survived by her daughter and three grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
________________________________________________________________________________
10. World starvation begins. Self Sufficiency may be an Answer!
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:39:21 -0400
From: kahiwal@cs.com
> *Just days after Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank,* warned
> 33 countries are at risk of riots because of food prices ^× the risk is
already becoming a reality in several of them.
>
>*Four people have been killed in Haiti, where the prices of rice, beans
>and fruit have risen 50% in the past year.*
>
>Food riots were reported in four West African nations yesterday, and a
>nationwide strike was called for today in a fifth. Plans for a general
>strike in Egypt to protest rising food prices have been squelched, but
>only because police arrested more than 200 people.
>
>"I think what we are facing is a perfect storm," comments Bettina
>Leuscher from the World Food Program. "More and more people are going
>hungry and need food aid. At the same time, we've got the lowest food
>reserves in some 30 years on the markets. And prices have gone up
>tremendously, sometimes doubled in the last few months and you've got
>climate change with less harvest, droughts, floods."
>
>No riots in New York ^× not yet, anyway ^× but food pantries report major
>shortages because donations are way down.
>
>^Ö *"We need to be concerned," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
>commented yesterday,* "about the possibility of taking land or replacing
>arable land because of these biofuels." This, two years after the United
>Nations Food and Agriculture Organization forecast that biofuels would
>wipe out hunger and poverty for up to 2 billion people.
>
>"I've heard from at least a dozen farmers," counters Kevin Kerr, who has
>been on the biofuel beat for years, "in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa,
>Wisconsin and Indiana. They're all telling me the same stories of either
>ethanol plants under construction that have ceased operations or plants
>that are declaring Chapter 11. Looks like the 'dream' of the new gold
>rush in corn-based ethanol is starting to unravel, and fast."
>
>^× *How about the outlook for U.S. crops this spring?* Says Kevin: "Not
>great."
>
>"The wet, muddy conditions and continued rain make it next to impossible
>to get equipment in the fields," Kerr writes. "Also, farmers run the risk
>of putting seeds in too early and, basically, losing the crop. The
>situation is pretty grave this year, as demand for all the grains is very
>high, as are the costs to plant them. The hope seems to be that we will
>have another year like last year and Mother Nature will be kind. It may
>not end up that way."
>
>Kevin heads out next week for his annual trip to the upper Midwest. "I
>knew corn would be going to $6 three years ago largely because of what I
>found out by visiting farms and seeing what was going on long before the
>ethanol boom landed on the front page of Barron's." We'll keep you posted
>on Kevin's travels.
>
>Oh^Åsome angry farmers respond to our coverage of the ethanol boom, too,
>below.
>
>^× *Then there's this water issue.*
>
>"Water is absolutely not fairly priced or realistically priced," Peter
>Brabeck-Letmathe, CEO of Nestle, said yesterday, citing frequent and
>lavish subsides to farmers in both the developing and developed worlds.
>"People are using water as if it is a resource that will be free of
>charge forever. That is the reason we are running out of water."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Free Hawai`i TV - "What Are They Trying To Hide?"
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:40:46 -0700
From: `Ehu Kekahu Cardwell <ehukekahu@earthlink.net>
FREEHAWAII.INFO PRESENTS
FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK
TODAY'S VIDEO COMMENTARY -
"WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE?"
The Ceded Lands Bill Is Finally Dead!
But OHA Has A New Plan & They're Desperate To Stop An Audit.
Why? Watch & Find Out Here - http://FreeHawaiiTV.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Ceded-Land Debate Back On The Table - comment
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:18:29 -1000
From: pilipo souza <pilipohale@hawaii.rr.com>
 Aloha kakou,
The Ceded Land Settlement is the key to 50th Jubilee Statehood Celebration
on 2009. Without it the celebration can not honor the new Nation of Akaka.
All Kanaka Maoli must understand you reap what you sow. OHA is the bad
seed that must be pulled of the aina by its roots. OHA was created to
appease the Kanaka Maoli, and only the Kanaka Maoli can consent to its
effect.
Follow the enactments concerning Native Hawaiian from the U. S. Congress
in 1921, 1959 and the creation of OHA by the Hawaii Legislature in 1978
and you will learn what and who OHA is. It is not the Kanaka Maoli. OHA is
as Hawaiian as the Aloha Shirt. Kanaka Maoli must leave the Land of OZ and
get back to reality.
e ala e!
pilipo
----- Original Message ----- From: HIAHAWAII@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 7:51 AM
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Honolulu Advertiser
Ceded-Land Debate Back On The Table
OHA BRINGS REVISED PLAN, CALLING FOR NEW NEGOTIATIONS, TO SENATE
By Gordon Y.K. Pang, Advertiser Staff Writer
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and state Attorney General Mark
Bennett may soon be negotiating again on ceded land revenues. <snip>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
13. U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Exercises within the Hawai'i Range Complex,
May & June 2008
From: nunyabus [mailto:inunyabus@gmail.com]
Sent: Wed 4/9/2008 1:49 AM
*Please take a couple minutes to voice your objection to anymore
terroristic acts in the Hawaiian Islands under the guise of protecting our
freedom. Maybe they can take their subs to the bottom of Lake Erie to
practice.
Use this link for how to submit testimony:
**http://www.govsupport.us/uswex Comments are due by April 22, 2008.*
Mahalo, Elaine
*SOURCE:* Page 7 of
http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/sites/EnvNotice/Shared%20Documents/current_issue.pdf
------------------------------
*(8) U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Exercises *
* within the Hawai'i Range Complex, May & June 2008*
*Federal Action*
: Federal Agency Activity Federal Agency: Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet,
Department of the Navy
Contact
: Neil Sheehan, (808) 474-7836 CZM Contact
: John Nakagawa, (808) 587-2878, jnakagaw@dbedt.hawaii.gov
*Proposed Action*: U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Exercises (USWEX) are
proposed to be conducted in waters around the State of Hawai'i within the
Hawai'i Range Complex during May and June 2008. USWEX is an anti-submarine
warfare training exercise, which involves use of midfrequency active
sonar, conducted by the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG) and
Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) while in transit from the U.S. west coast to
the western Pacific Ocean. An ESG includes surface combatant ships,
submarines, and an amphibious ready group. The CSG consists of an aircraft
carrier, Aegis-class cruisers, other surface combatants, and attack
submarines. The duration of each exercise on average is 3 to 4 days.
The May 2008 USWEX will consist of an ESG and will involve the use of
mid-frequency active sonar on the instrumented ranges of the Pacific
Missile Range Facility (PMRF) northeast of O'ahu; non-explosive exercise
weapons and inert torpedoes; amphibious landings at PMRF or Department of
Defense controlled areas on the northeast side of O'ahu; and live-fire
activities on Kaula. The June 2008 USWEX will consist of a CSG and will
occur south of O'ahu and west of Hawai'i.
*This exercise will likely involve a transit between Maui and Hawai'i*and
the use of mid-frequency active sonar. This USWEX will also involve
aircraft live-fire exercises at Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawai'i. For
more information about this proposal contact John Nakagawa as listed
above. For more information about USWEX go to:
http://www.govsupport.us/uswex *
Comments Due
*: April 22, 2008
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Feng Shui Certification Training Series in Kona - begins May 16
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:32:57 -1000
From: Global Media Productions <info@globalmediaproductions.com>
Upgrade your every area of your life and make 2008 your year of prosperity
and joy!
Feng Shui Certification Course
May 16th-20th 2008
in Kona on the Beautiful Big Island of Hawaii
Crystal Clear Feng Shui offers a powerful synergy of Black Hat Sect Feng
Shui, elegant design principles and the artful use of natural earth
crystals. This course is carefully designed to empower you on your life
and/or career path with the most effective Feng Shui approach available in
the world today.
Feng Shui has successfully created:
Increases in business/sales
Improved health, wellness, youthfulness and vitality Improved financial
situations Harmonious relationships/family situations Effective Real
estate selling and buying Improved learning and personal growth Ease and
clarity in life transitions Positive enhancement and auspiciousness in all
areas of life
Call now! 808-327-4447 Or visit our website at
http://www.crystalclearfengshui.com/practitioner.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Disappeared News - 4 new articles
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:05:32 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 4 NEW ARTICLES - www.disappearednews.com
1. Safety first, who can argue with that
2.Barf, New York Times excuse for not covering "Winter Soldier"
3.Maui News breaks press silence on seasickness during ferry ride
4.Report from Maui on Superferry
5.More Recent Articles
6.Search Disappeared News
Safety first, who can argue with that
by Larry Geller It seems that the FDA has jurisdiction over sanitary
conditions aboard ships. Barf is a bodily fluid, right? Might it
transmit hepatitis and who knows what else? Do you want to visit a
puke-covered bathroom without taking protective measures, or be the
unlucky innocent passenger next to someone who suddenly can't control
the urge? Or happen to be in the restroom when the....
Barf, New York Times excuse for not covering "Winter Soldier"
by Larry Geller So Honolulu media choose to omit mention of seasick
passengers on a ferry ride. Not a world-class concern perhaps (except
that it makes me wonder what else I'm not being told when a big business
advertiser is involved). When the New York Times, however, deliberately
chooses to skip coverage of a significant event such as the Winter
Soldier hearings held last month near Washington....
Maui News breaks press silence on seasickness during ferry ride
by Larry Geller I can understand why a TV reporter would not want to
admit on camera that she herself might have felt seasick. I can't
understand why the unsanitary and uncomfortable conditions reported today
in the Maui News article, Ride â^À^Øreally, really roughâ^À^Ù, were
omitted by other accounts of yesterday's resumption of Superferry
services to Maui. Passengers arriving in Kahului said many of....
Report from Maui on Superferry
Check out Brad Parson's brief report on today's Superferry return in his
article, HI Superferry: Back from Drydock 4/7/08. Brad comments on
passenger count, fuel cost and seasick reporters.....
More Recent Articles
* Will we just wait for the inevitable? Hawaii is so dependent on oil
it's gonna hurt one day
* Slow and maybe queasy re-start for Superferry today
* Iranians brought peace to al-Maliki's short war
* Follow the Blue Planet Summit
* The feds have intervened so badly in our economy, we need something
different
________________________________________________________________________________
16. Educational Trips to Tanzania, Uganda, and India
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:03:45 -0400
From: Jesse Gingras <Jesse.Gingras@worldlearning.org>
Educational Praxis, a non-profit organization based in Vermont, will host
WE-learn projects in Tanzania, Uganda and India this coming summer. Come
experience how community workers and activists are working for social
justice in these countries. WE-learn projects focus on building
relationships and solidarity between activists and diverse communities.
Whether you are working with teachers in India or learning from health
practitioners in Tanzania you will be helping to create positive social
change.
The projects in India, Uganda and Tanzania are designed by people from
those countries.
The money you pay directly goes towards the local programs of the host
communities, coordination of the trip and your local transportation and
accommodation costs.
We keep it real and affordable!
Please call or email and get started on an experience that will change
your life forever!
We have a modest website done beautifully by volunteers:
www.educationalpraxis.org. View the brochures on the website or just call
us at 802-258-0946 you can also email at educationalpraxisinc@yahoo.com.
We look forward to speaking with you.
___________________________________________________________________
17. Network Announcement--the Network Needs Your Help!
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:49:26 -0400
From: Tara Mack <tara@edliberation.org>
Hello Network Members,
The Education for Liberation Network is growing rapidly. We have more than
620 members of this listserv (a year ago we had about 200 members), and we
have a packed agenda for this calendar year including a meeting for social
justice schools, our ongoing online discussion series on topics in
liberatory education, a summer program for youth activists to develop
teaching materials about the history of Freedom Schools, and of course,
planning for the next Free Minds, Free People conference in 2009.
To support this expanding body of work, we are developing new fundraising
strategies. One of the things the network is doing this year is working in
partnership with the New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) to
publish a social justice teacher's plan book that we can sell to raise
money for both organizations. The plan book will feature:
...and seasons, including tips from fellow social justice educators.
* Social justice lessons and activities related to specific holidays
* A calendar of 2008-2009 social justice events for teachers
* Quotes and words of wisdom from important historical figures that you
can share with your class...
...and much more.
We need your help to make this fundraising effort a success! There are
several ways that you can contribute:
* Tell us what you like or don't like about your teacher's plan book.
What features do you like most about your current planner, both in
terms of content and design? What do you like least? What features do
you wish your planner had? In addition to the week pages, what other
types of content would you like? Conversion charts? Graph paper?
Address and phone number pages? (Deadline for emailing me your
feedback about plan books-Monday, April 21)
* Send us ideas for social justice activities or lessons that you do
with your students in connection with specific holidays or important
dates. Have a creative lesson you use to commemorate (or challenge)
Martin Luther King Day? Earth Day? Thanksgiving? Valentine's Day?
What about seasonal activities? Got ideas about alternative testing
activities in the spring? Creative tips for more just parent/teacher
conferences in the fall? Tell us about it.
* Send us a list of social justice education events that you have
scheduled for the 2008/09 school year (including summer, 2009).
* We need help preparing to distribute this planner, and we are seeking
suggestions for possible distribution points. Are there places in
your community where teachers buy their planners that you can help us
contact? Do you know school administrators who might be interested in
pre-ordering a batch of planners for their teachers? What about
schools of education or other teacher training programs? Do you know
of any that might like to bulk purchase these planners for their
students or sell them on campus?
The deadline for sending us your opinions about your plan book is Monday,
April 21. For everything else the deadline is Monday, May 19.
We are excited about this teacher plan book for a number of reasons. As
educators, we are bombarded with paperwork, testing, scripted curriculum
etc. It's all too easy for our vision of teaching for liberation to get
buried under the daily realities of teaching. With lesson ideas, words of
wisdom, images of teaching and national resources, the EdLib Net/NYCoRE
plan book will serve as a daily reminder of our collective commitment to
teaching for social justice.
Thank you for your assistance in creating this planner. I look forward to
hearing from you.
Tara
Click here (www.edliberation.org/join-us) to join the Education for
Liberation Network listserv. For more information contact Tara Mack,
Director, Education for Liberation Network on tara@edliberation.org.
Read about the Education for Liberation Network in The Nation magazine:
(http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080225/doster).
_________________________________________________________________________
18. Teachers Social Justice Tour: The Dominican Republic 2008
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 11:38:29 -0400
From: "KEVIN LAMASTRA" <KLAMASTRA@linden.k12.nj.us>
Teachers Social Justice Tour: The Dominican Republic 2008 August 11-17,
2008
Exploring Global Migration and Human Rights--The Price of Sugar:
Haitian-Dominican Migrant Workers
Dear Rethinking Schools/Critical Teaching Friends:
I am a NJ teacher with a special interest in learning about global
migration and human rights in the context of the Dominican Republic and
Haiti. I have put together a teachers' trip running from August 11-17 this
summer where a group of us will get together to learn, travel, and
collaborate on transforming our experiences into classroom activities.
This is a not-for profit project created by and for classroom teachers.
So far we have 5 teachers from several US states registered for the trip.
Ideally, we'd like to have a group of 10-12. The cost of the trip is
$1,000 from Puerto Plata if paid before May3, 2008. This refelects a
significant discount for 90 days pre-payment. The price includes all
expenses except for the inexpensive lunches that we will purchase on the
road. Please read the trip over-view below for more detailed information.
This is a not for profit project and through our collective efforts as
teachers, we will have the opportunity to meet with people and visit
places normally inaccessible to tourists.
We need just five more teachers to make this once in a life time project a
reality. Please take a moment and visit our website to learn more.
Please feel free to contact we with any questions or comments.
Thanks,
Kevin LaMastra (ESL/World Languages- Linden, NJ)
klamastra@linden.k12.nj.us
TEACHERS SOCIAL JUSTICE TOUR: Dominican Republic 2008
This August I am organizing a Social Justice Tour in the Dominica
Republic. A small group of teachers and interested members of the
community will travel together from August 7-17, to gain first hand
experiences learning about global migration and human rights issues.
The island of Hispaniola is a particularly appropriate place to study this
topic. We will begin with the arrival of Columbus and the subsequent
genocide of the indigenous Taino people. We will hear multiple
perspectives on the Columbus legacy and see the remnants of the once
flourishing Taino culture that was completely extinguished within one
hundred years of the Europe's arrival on the island.
We will also learn about Haitian migrant workers who cross the border to
escape starvation and political violence to perform grueling labor and
live in deplorable conditions on bateyes. The word BATEY signifies a
community of sugar cane cutters who live in ramshackle housing on the land
owned by the sugar companies. Many of theses workers were actually born in
the Dominican Republic, but because their parents (or grnadparents) were
irregular migrants, they are not given birth certificates. This often
prevents them from attaining an education or receiving other important
social services.
These stateless migrant workers are subject to exploitation at every turn.
When a person of Haitian descent is accused of committing a crime,
vigilantes have been known to attack entire Batey communities. Police
often threaten batey residents with deportation if they do not hand over
their meager possessions, a few pesos, or a bottle of rum. Women are
victims of sexual exploitation. At the age of ten, children begin laboring
with machetes nearly as large as themselves, and because they are paid by
the amount of cane they can cut in a day, they often lose fingers in their
haste.
We will visit a several batey communities, and deliver school supplies at
our sister school in the Batey Caraballo. We will also perform a
service-learning project together in this community.
Other highlights of the trip:
We will visit a community built by Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust.
We plan to meet with original settlers.
We will learn about the Haitian massacre at Dajabon and examine current
state of Haitian/Dominican relations.
We will visit a "free trade" zone factory and learn about globalization
from the perspectives of both workers and management.
We will meet with grass-roots women's groups to learn about the impact of
sex tourism, human trafficking and other situations that contribute to the
double marginalization of women on the island.
We will end our journey in Santo Domingo, where we plan to visit some of
the bateyes seen in the documentary "The Price of Sugar".
We will have a meting with MUDHA (El movimento de mujeres
Dominoco-Haitiana) an organization dedicated to advocating for women of
Haitian descent. We hope to once again meet with the founder of MUDHA,
Sonia Pierre. Sonia is best described as the Cesar Chavez of the Haitian
migrant workers. Her story is an inspirational one. She arrived in the DR
with her parents as a young child. She lived on a batey, and at age 13 was
arrested when she helped sugar cane cutter organize a strike where workers
demanded better tools, clean water and safer working conditions. Upon
leaving prison, Sonia was more determined than ever to help her people.
She taught herself law and later in her life found herself arguing on
behalf of stateless Dominican-Haitian children (those not given birth
certificates) in the International Court of Law.
Before leaving the Dominican Republic, we will visit La Casa Rosada, an
orphanage for children with hiv/aids. We will meet with a Peace Corps
volunteer who has been corresponding with our students. We hope to invite
a group of the teens that she works with on an excursion to a museum or
other activity.
In addition to all I have described, we will experience the beauty of the
Dominican beaches, taste delicious regional cuisine and hear the Dominican
rhythms of the bachata and merengue.
This description is our best estimate of what we hope to accomplish on our
trip. Of course, we must all expect the possibility of changes based on
variables beyond our control.
The cost of this trip is $1,000 if paid before May 3, 2008. This includes
hotel accommodations, all breakfasts and dinners, some lunches, all
transportation, admissions, tour guides, translators, tour management.
This reflects a significant 90 days prepayment discount.
On August 11 we will meet in Puerto Plata; we must each purchase our own
air tickets. On August 18th we will return home from the airport in Santo
Domingo.
Please be sure to check out the project website:
web.mac.com/friendsbeyondborders and feel free to write or call me if I
can answer any questions about the trip. Your participation will make all
the difference in making this trip a success.
I am certain it will be a life changing, learning experience.
I hope you will consider joining us.
Sincerely,
_________________________________________________________________________
19. Conflict-of-interest bill vetoed by Hannemann
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:30:44 -1000
From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net>
...yeah, Hawaii desperately needs applicants highly talented in
conflicts-of-interest...
m
-------
Conflict-of-interest bill vetoed by Hannemann
Star-Bulletin staff
Mayor Mufi Hannemann vetoed a measure last week aimed at curbing conflicts
of interest among city employees, saying the City Charter amendment
proposal could scare away job applicants.
The measure, Resolution 07-391, introduced by Councilman Charles Djou,
would have banned city employees from making any decisions dealing with
former employers for at least a year after they left that job. The City
Council cannot override the veto because it is a Charter amendment. The
proposal would have gone before voters in November.
Djou introduced the measure after Hannemann appointed Wayne Yoshioka in
December 2007 as the transportation director. Yoshioka was a senior
supervising transportation engineer with PB Americas, an engineering firm
awarded $79 million for work on the city's $3.7 billion mass transit
system.
Yoshioka said he recuses himself when dealing with financial decisions
involving his longtime former employer, but Djou pointed out there is no
rule to ensure it.
"I am extremely disappointed in the mayor's veto of the ethics legislation
to close a glaring loophole in the city's conflict-of-interest rules,"
Djou said in a statement. "This veto undermines the public's trust in our
government and continues the unfortunate trend in Hawaii government of
turning back ethics reform."
The City Council passed the resolution unanimously on March 19.
City Human Resources Director Ken Nakamatsu has testified against the
measure and urged a veto, saying it would reduce the number of job
candidates.
"Narrowing the field does not make sense in this time when the labor pool
is shrinking, and will continue to diminish in the foreseeable future,"
Nakamatsu said, adding that current laws already address conflicts of
interest.
The veto is Hannemann's first this year.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~-----------------------
20. Te kahukura a Tuamatauenga Tahiti
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:53:59 +0000
From: Karaka <tepaatu@gmail.com>
Te kahukura a Tuamatauenga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ0R_KiGcsE
"O Tahiti E" 20 years of Creation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eceM3YpfciU
More here: http://www.youtube.com/user/teriimataha
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. Ceded Land Debate Update
From: Marilyn Leimomi Khan
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 7:20 AM
HonoluluAdvertiser.com
April 8, 2008
Ceded-land debate back on the table
OHA brings revised plan, calling for new negotiations, to Senate
By gordon Y.k. pang
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and state Attorney General Mark Bennett may
soon be negotiating again on ceded land revenues.
If they negotiate under a new plan being offered in the Senate, the $200
million in land and cash for OHA that both sides saw as fair and
reasonable when the settlement was announced Jan. 18 would be the minimum
starting point for new talks.
The state House approved the OHA-Bennett settlement, but three Senate
committees rejected it and told OHA to come back next year with a better
plan.
OHA officials have offered to the Senate what essentially is a new bill
calling for the agency and Bennett to renegotiate ^× this time with more
public input during the negotiations.
OHA administrator Clyde Namu'o said the new legislation is "a realization
that the Legislature is not going to pass the settlement as we presented
it because they're not satisfied with it."
House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), said the latest plan
"is a request to continue negotiations with a floor of $200 million."
It's the latest twist in the debate over how much money OHA should get as
its share of the revenues and proceeds generated by ceded lands, the lands
once owned by the Hawaiian government.
As late as Friday, OHA officials publicly were united with Gov. Linda
Lingle's administration and House leaders in urging the Senate to pass HB
266, the settlement approved by the House.
Both Bennett and Caldwell said they still want the existing settlement to
be approved by the Senate, adding that they are happy the Senate
leadership is willing to discuss ceded land revenues this session.
details of new bill
Senate President Colleen Hanabusa said the new legislation makes no
reference to waiving other claims to past revenues or to any future
revenues yet derived. The OHA-Bennett settlement waives any other claims
to past, current or future revenues and says OHA should get a minimum of
$15.1 million annually for future revenues, with the exact amount to be
determined by the Legislature.
Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), noted that a waiver and the settling
of future claims were among the major objections raised by opponents of
the OHA-Bennett settlement. Those opponents included key state senators,
who argued that OHA gave up too much for too little.
"What is not in the (new) bill are the two things that we (in the Senate)
had the most trouble with, which was the waiver language as well as the
issue of the capping of future revenues. Those are not in there," she
said.
Under the new legislation, House Bill 1201, Committee Draft 1, OHA and
Bennett are required to continue negotiations on the amount the agency
should have received from Nov. 7, 1978, to June 30, 2008.
The new proposal also calls for OHA to:
Renegotiate part of its settlement with Bennett that covers three parcels
of land: in Kaka'ako Makai and Kalaeloa on O'ahu, and Hilo's Banyan Drive
on the Big Island. Those three parcels, with a combined assessed value of
$187 million, would have been given to OHA along with $13 million cash
under the OHA-Bennett settlement.
Hold "periodic open public meetings throughout the state" during its new
negotiations with Bennett. Lack of consultation with the Hawaiian
community was one criticism of the OHA-Bennett settlement.
"Attempt to reach an agreement" with Bennett before the Legislature
reconvenes in January 2009.
waivers still possible
Both Hanabusa and Namu'o stressed that while language about a waiver of
other claims and future claims aren't in the latest plan, those subjects
could still work themselves into what finally returns to the Legislature
next year. "Arguably, they might be able to negotiate it but that's not in
this particular bill."
"The bill doesn't have any waiver because we're not settling anything,"
Namu'o said. "That's not to say that the settlement document itself, if we
arrive at a new agreement, would not have a waiver."
Exactly which side is pressing for a reopening of negotiations was
unclear.
Hanabusa said OHA officials and attorneys visited her office Thursday and
Friday and provided "their position on the settlement."
Hanabusa added: "As far as we're (in the Senate) concerned, we were
probably pau for this session. And the House, as I understand it, wasn't
going to try to revive it."
Namu'o made it clear that OHA would not have offered up a new plan if the
Senate had been more receptive to the OHA-Bennett proposal.
Bennett said any plan to keep the discussion about ceded land revenues
alive this session is positive.
However, he said, "we spent a significant amount of time negotiating with
OHA and presented for the Legislature's consideration a product which both
we and OHA believed was fair and reasonable."
Asked what the administration will do if the Legislature approves a bill
asking it to go back to the bargaining table, Bennett said: "I'm not going
to speculate about legislation ... but at this point, we have nothing more
to negotiate."
Ultimately, he said, "it's the Legislature's kuleana to decide how much
it's going to pay OHA."
community outreach
Caldwell said he has not yet discussed the new plan with fellow House
leaders, but believes "the House is pretty clear where it stands ^× it
wants a comprehensive settlement."
The House approved the OHA-Bennett settlement "to resolve this in a
comprehensive way and to not have to put off for another year defining our
constitutional obligation which we've put off for 30 years."
State Sen. Jill Tokuda, D-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe), chairwoman of the
Senate Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, said the new proposal
basically addresses the concerns senators had with the OHA-Bennett
settlement.
Tokuda said the proposed settlement should be used as a base for further
discussions that involve the Hawaiian community. "It's taking the rest of
the year to go out and have that discussion with the beneficiaries and the
community to flesh out the details, to get to a point where everyone is in
agreement, and then to come back to us," she said.
Sen. Clayton Hee, D-23rd (Kahuku, Kane'ohe), the former OHA trustee, has
been among the loudest voices opposing the OHA-Bennett proposal.
Hee said he "instinctively" believes the $200 million package is not
enough to settle past claims.
The chairman of the Water and Land Committee, Hee said he and other
senators still want to see a more detailed accounting of how the parties
calculated that the settlement should be $200 million.
________________________________________________________________________________
21. House kills taro research bill and comment
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:48:38 -1000
From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net>
April 9, 2008
House kills taro research bill
Vote among dozens as both chambers position legislation for crossover
By DERRICK DePLEDGE and TREENA SHAPIRO
Advertiser Government Writers
Less than a week after apparently agreeing to a compromise, the state
House yesterday voted to kill a bill that would have created a five-year
moratorium on experiments with genetically modified Hawaiian taro.
The bill was an attempt at compromise after the state Senate backed a
10-year moratorium last session and it would have allowed research to
continue on other varieties of taro. But several farmers said after the
state House Agriculture Committee passed the bill last Thursday that they
wanted the longer moratorium or a permanent ban.
Some farmers of Hawaiian taro fear genetically modified varieties could
cross-pollinate with Hawaiian taro and change its purity.
"I think in the best interest of all, we decided to recommit (the bill).
But that means those who really wanted a moratorium, there is no
moratorium right now," said state Rep. Clifton Tsuji, D-3rd (S. Hilo,
Puna, Kea'au), the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
The vote to send the taro bill back to committee was among dozens taken
yesterday as the House and Senate positioned legislation for second
crossover between the two chambers tomorrow. Many of the bills will then
go to House and Senate conference committees for negotiations before final
votes at the end of the session.
-----------
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:13:15 -0400
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
Scott Crawford <scott@aloha.net> wrote:
>House kills taro research bill
It seems like this is a good time to instill the wrath of the voters who
support the bill - WITHOUT the stuff about any county being unable to pass
their own ordinances against GM - to replace those responsible, such as
Rep. Tsuji.
The house, in the 11th hour - with its sneaky amendment - even after
receiving over 7,000 testimonies supporting the original bill (the most in
its history) and calling for a 10-year moratorium - is disgusting.
These "representatives" of the people/voters - forget that they hold those
positions by the vote of the people and not by a vote of the big GMO
corporations.
It may be way overdue that "politicians" such as Rep. Tsuji be replaced by
another who will be more amenable to the wishes of his constituents.
These would-be "gods" who pander to big money and influence have no place
in the system. Farmers Unite!!!!
Let's clean house.
ku
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~------------------------
23. Fumes shut volcanoes park
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:18:18 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
Just wondering whether the monthly bombing at Pohakuloa might be
unleashing this....
========
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/09/news/story02.html[IMAGE]
C. HELIKER / HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY
Halemaumau Crater belched a large sulfur dioxide plume yesterday.
Fumes shut volcanoes park
2,000 evacuated as haze coats east Hawaii
COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Geologists were treated to a display of explosive activity, including
molten spatter, Saturday at the Waikupanaha ocean entry.
By Rod Thompson and Mary Adamski
rthompson@starbulletin.com
madamski@starbulletin.com
HILO » Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed yesterday due to the threat
of sulfur dioxide fumes, triggering evacuation of the Volcano House hotel
and the Kilauea Military Camp inside the park.
About 2,000 people including military personnel were evacuated from the
park, said park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. The Army said 186 guests
from the military camp were moved into Hilo hotels. No count was available
from the Volcano House, but the facility has 42 rooms, Orlando said.
Hilo and the Hamakua Coast were blanketed in haze by midday as south winds
carried the fumes into populated areas in eastern and northern areas of
the Big Island. The volcanic smog, or vog, is a combination of fumes, dust
and moisture in the air.
Relief is on the way today in the form of returning tradewinds, said the
National Weather Service. "By midmorning we expect easterly winds to scour
out the haze from Hilo and Hamakua," said forecaster Tom Birchard.
Easterly winds bring haze from the volcano to South Point where "it eddys
to the west and brings the typical haze to Kona," where vog is a
year-round condition.
Tradewinds are expected to continue through the weekend, Birchard said.
The park obtained measurements of sulfur dioxide as high as 9.1 parts per
million, Orlando said. That's well above the 2 parts per million that
triggers a declaration of Hawaii County's highest alert level, a Code
Purple.
In a late afternoon radio message, Mayor Harry Kim said, "Some residential
areas in the Volcano area did have spikes of very high levels of sulfur
dioxide during the day. Fortunately, due to wind conditions, high levels
were very brief."
The Hawaii Civil Defense Agency advised residents downwind of the volcano
to close windows as a precaution against the noxious gas, which can affect
breathing and irritate eyes, nose and throat. In a late afternoon
advisory, the agency said the weather forecast indicated it was not
necessary to evacuate. Kim predicted there would be no evacuations during
the night in residential areas. The sulfur fumes come from Puu Oo on the
east rift zone and Halemaumau Crater at the summit, where emissions
increased dramatically in March after a gas vent explosion. Until
yesterday, tradewinds carried the fumes over mostly unpopulated areas.
Emissions are recorded daily at state Department of Health monitors
installed last year in Hilo, Mountain View, Pahala, Pahoa and Kona. Health
Department officials were at the county Emergency Operations Center
yesterday. Oahu and Kauai will continue to experience hazy weather today
and tomorrow, said Birchard. For most people outside the park, yesterday
was a day of pretty good weather. "It was bright and sunny and beautiful,"
said Barry Stokes at the Volcano Golf Course subdivision. By noon,
however, the gas plume was overhead, blocking out the sun. "It was pretty
grim," he said. But the gas didn't reach the ground at his house. Another
Golf Course resident, Christina Heliker, said there was "just an hour or
two when it touched down." It was a bit worse than the normal vog, she
said. In Volcano village, resident Eva Lee said the sky was partially
blue, and fumes had passed along the slope of Mauna Loa toward Mauna Kea.
Kulani Prison Warden Beryl Iramina said the plume passed uphill from the
prison, causing no problems, but a plan was in place to evacuate the 143
inmates if necessary. Beyond that, the plumes drifted toward the Army's
Pohakuloa Training Area between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, but no evacuation
was necessary, an Army spokesman said. In Hilo during early morning rush
hour, a dirty gray blanket of vog covered the city. In his radio message
yesterday, Kim suggested Hilo could see a repeat of that this morning. As
the day progressed, it became clear that worries about Halemaumau
triggered Monday night's Civil Defense warning of a possible Code Purple,
but the biggest culprit was another vent, Puu Oo crater. And Code Purple
conditions never developed in most places. "Although uncomfortable for
many, sulfur dioxide levels did not exceed the yellow range," Kim said.
Yellow is considered to be a "light concentration."
=====----------------------------------------------------------------------
24. Army destroying old chemical munitions and comment
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:49:48 -1000
From: Kyle Kajihiro <keboi@aol.com>
HonoluluAdvertiser.com
April 9, 2008
Army destroying old chemical munitions
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
The Army is spending $7 million at Schofield Barracks to destroy 1940s-era
chemical weapons that were discovered beginning in 2005 during unexploded
ordnance cleanup for a new Stryker brigade "battle area complex."
At least seven rounds with chloropicrin, a choking agent, previously were
detonated in place because they were determined to be unsafe to be moved,
the Army said.
Approximately 250 munitions filled with liquid were recovered and brought
to a holding facility, officials said.
Starting Tuesday, the Army plans to destroy 71 rounds that contain
chloropicrin and phosgene, also a choking agent.
The Army said the remainder of the 250 liquid-filled rounds were not
chemical weapons and were detonated on the training range ^× standard
practice with old munitions.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, phosgene was first
used in 1915 and accounted for 80 percent of all chemical fatalities
during World War I.
During and immediately after exposure, there is likely to be coughing,
choking, a feeling of tightness in the chest, nausea, and occasionally
vomiting and headache, according to the organization's Web site. With
exposure to very high concentrations, death may occur within several
hours.
According to an environmental assessment conducted by the Army, the rounds
to be destroyed include:
# Ten 4-inch Stokes mortars filled with phosgene
# One 4-inch Stokes mortar suspected to contain chloropicrin
# Thirty-eight 155 mm projectiles with phosgene
# Twenty-two 75 mm projectiles with phosgene.
Chemical weapons were stockpiled by the U.S. well after World War II. In
1997, the U.S. became a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention,
which prohibits their use and mandates elimination of existing stockpiles.
The unexploded chemical weapons were found buried at the Schofield range.
"The Army has been in Hawai'i and has trained on some of those ranges
longer than I, or most other people, have been alive," said Col. Matthew
Margotta, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Hawai'i.
Over about two weeks, the Army will use a Transportable Detonation Chamber
with an expansion tank and gas treatment system with air monitoring to
destroy the chemical rounds.
Denver-based CH2M Hill previously said it had been awarded a contract to
use its portable detonation chamber technology to dispose of the Schofield
chemical weapons.
A charge is used to detonate the munitions and create a fireball. Water
bags help absorb the blast.
According to the environmental assessment, a 5,600-square-foot
ventilation-controlled enclosure will be placed over the detonation
chamber. Sixteen tractor trailers are needed to transport the equipment.
"The Army's procedures for handling, storing and disposing of recovered
chemical munitions begin and end with safety," Margotta said.
------
CHEMWEAPONS: Schofield Barracks (HI) to destroy found items
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:02:08 -0700
From: "Steven B. Pollack" <Steve@EcoEsq.com>
"The Army said the remainder of the 250 liquid-filled rounds were not
chemical weapons and were detonated on the training range - standard
practice with old munitions."
But this releases munitions chemicals into the environment which, while
not as toxic as chemical munitions, are still toxic. There exists zero
emissions disposal technology yet no reason is given why it is not used.
Standard practice is an excuse, not a reason.
I would imagine this violates several environmental laws including the
Clean Air Act. If history is any guide, this is probably being done in a
minority area so it may also violate environmental justice principles.
Steven B. Pollack, Attorney
Executive Director, Blue Eco Legal Council
3390 Commercial Ave.
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-436-9566
www.ecoesq.com
www.landfill7.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
25. Superferry News: Thursday - KKCR - interview w/ Austal welder and
union organizer
From: Katy Rose <klrose@earthlink.net>
Date: April 9, 2008 10:44:10 AM HST
Aloha kakou
As you may be aware, Hawai^Òi Superferry shipbuilder Austal is embroiled
in two ugly labor disputes at their Mobile, Alabama shipyard.
The workers at Austal are engaged in a bitter fight to gain union
recognition and collective bargaining rights. At the same time, 22 former
and current Austal employees have filed a racial discrimination suit
against Austal for deplorable treatment of African American workers.
Tomorrow, April 10, 2008, at 4 PM HST on KKCR, Jimmy Trujillo and I will
be joined by phone from Mobile, Alabama by Swan Cleveland, union organizer
for the Sheetmetal workers^Ò union engaged in the union drive at Austal,
and Wayne Jenkins, a welder employed by Austal who knows EXACTLY what when
wrong with the Superferry and WHY it was in drydock!
Please tune in to get the scoop on Hawai^Òi Superferry and Austal, and to
get ideas about how we can forge a strong solidarity campaign to support
workers in Alabama who are facing discrimination and put pressure on
Hawai^Òi Superferry to stand up for workers^Ò rights!
KKCR can be heard at 90.9, 91.9, 92.7, or on the web at kkcr.org. (If you
have a question you would like to submit for our interview, please email
me at klrose@earthlink.net, or in the studio at dj@kkcr.org.)
For more information, call Katy @ 808-346-7011
Mahalo!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. Ban on Bottomfishing i Hawaiian Waters and comment
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:33:17 -0400
From: kahiwal@cs.com
Updated at 10:19 a.m., Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Bottomfishing ban to begin Monday in Hawaii waters
> Advertiser Staff
>
>HONOLULU â^À^Ó The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced
>today that it will temporarily ban the taking of seven species of
>bottomfish in state waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands
>beginning Monday.
>
>Fishing for ehu, gindai, kalekale, lehi, onaga, 'opakapaka and hapu'upu'u
>will be prohibited during the closed season, according to a news release
>from the department.
>
>DLNR officials said the closure declaration was made following a
>determination from commercial landings data that the current fishing
>season's total allowable catch of 178,000 pounds had been reached in
>mid-March. The total allowable catch represents the scientific measure
>intended to stop excess fishing effort of bottomfish species,
>specifically seven snapper and grouper species referred to as the "Deep
>7."
>
>The closure will be in effect through at least Aug. 31 and will
>complement a federal bottomfishing closure that will take effect April 16
>in all federal marine waters â^À^Ô from 3 nautical miles and seaward
>â^À^Ô in the main Hawaiian islands.
>
>"Since 2005, bottomfish in the main Hawaiian islands have been declared
>to be in a state of overfishing. If the federal total allowable catch
>were to be exceeded, this could have adverse consequences on Hawai'i's
>fishery in the future," said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman.
>
>In the interest of protecting the sustainability of this important
>fishery, the Board of Land and Natural Resources recently approved the
>closure of state waters to bottomfishing. All commercial and
>noncommercial (recreational and subsistence) fishers shall cease fishing
>for the "Deep 7" bottomfish species in the main Hawaiian islands until
>the fishery is reopened, the news release said.
>
>Jurisdiction over the bottomfish fishery is jointly held by the federal
>and state government. Both state and federal fisheries agencies have been
>working cooperatively on regulations to implement and monitor the total
>allowable catch during the current fishing season. The current fishing
>season began on Oct. 1 and was scheduled to continue until May 1, 2008,
>had the total allowable catch not been reached sooner.
>
>Maps of closed State marine waters to bottomfishing (seasonal closure and
>bottomfish restricted fishing areas) will be available on the DLNR Web
>site from the effective date, on Monday. Visit
>http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/ or call the Division of Aquatic Resources
>office nearest you.
------
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:44:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Laweleka <laweleka@yahoo.com>
Don't you love the way they phrase their sentences?
"it will temporarily ban the taking of seven species of bottomfish in
state waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands beginning"
Last I knew or last I looked this was still the Kingdom........ When the
hell did the surrounding waters become STATE PROPERTY? These are the type
of implications they create so people like OHA and the rest of the wanna
be's believe it and start to say things they hear. Remember now these are
peole who don't know the facts other then what they are being told to
believe and the STATE knows it. Bunch of idiots I tell you its disgusting
and thats to say the least. Whats even more obvious is that the
Advertiser staff wrote it and they as well are even worse then the idiots
that believe them. They are working mainly to sell off anything Kanaka. We
need to counter anything like this being said even if we need to play with
the words ourselves and be exacting or I should say specific. Not only
that but perhaps we need to get to the root of it and make them publicly
ashamed of what they are attempting to do here. Lawe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. arts about town
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:20:47 -1000
From: Tim Bostock Productions <tbp@artsatmarks.com>
Dear Friends
TONIGHT
Tonight get your jazz groove on in Waikiki - start with Groove Improv
Artists at the Hanohano Room Sheraton Waikiki at 6pm - heavenly trumpet
from Deshannon Higa, vocals from Paisley, sax Reggie Padilla, and drums
Rod Esteran - and moove over to Jazz Crimes at Diamond Head Grill, The "W"
Hotel from 8pm - Cheryl Bartlett sings with Dave Yamasaki on guitar, Ernie
Provencher bass, and Justin James drums. Relax elegantly in a gold velvet
couch with friends, excellent beverages, and an award-winning menu (served
'til 9ish). No covers.
Kumu Kahua Theatre Dark Night Series presents we take - a dance piece
choreographed by Abel Coelho that treats the dancers bodies as puzzle
pieces and animalesque figures - highly emotional weirdness. Last show
tonight at 8pm, $5 at the door.
TOMORROW
It's the first Pecha Kucha Night tomorrow Thursday April 10 at The ARTS at
Marks Garage. Free entry to enjoy creative types show and tell: 20 slides
for 20 seconds each. It's an informal social networking event for
designers talking about anything... Meet. Drink (BYO). Share. Visit
www.pecha-kucha.org to learn more.
FRIDAY
Commedia del'Arte is on offer in The Servant of Many Masters at Kennedy
Theatre April 11-20. Tickets online at www.etickethawaii.com or call
483-7123. More information at www.outreach.hawaii.edu
SATURDAY
HTY's Ferdinand the Bull plays at Tenney Theatre every Saturday for a few
weeks - 1.30pm and 4.30pm shows. Flowers, flamenco and Spanish flair
stomp and swirl onstage - this one's a real winner. Grab the kids and
call the HTY box office at 839-9885.
SUNDAY
The Hawaii Youth Symphony Spring Concert is this Sunday April 13, at 4:00
pm, at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Featuring the 88-member Youth Symphony
I under the baton of Maestro Henry Miyamura and 91-member Youth Symphony
II under the direction of Conductor Michael Nakasone. Each orchestra is
comprised of students ages 14 - 18 from over 20 schools and includes some
of the state's finest young musicians. Tickets from Blaisdell Box Office
591-2211 or through www.ticketmaster.com
Diamond Head Theatre's FLOWER DRUM SONG is extended through this weekend.
Revived and rewritten for Broadway in 2002, the David Henry Hwang version
of FLOWER DRUM SONG keeps the great Rodgers and Hammerstein songs and
updates the storyline. Call 733-0274 or use www.diamondheadtheatre.com
NEXT WEEK
Next Monday April 14 Chamber Music Hawaii's Spring Wind Quartet presents a
special concert at Doris Duke Theatre, featuring Poulenc, Debussy and
Saint-Saens. Call 489-5038 or visit www.chambermusichawaii.com
Third Thursday is April 17. Downtown Galleries will offer live music and
meet-the-artists programs. Dana Forsberg signs her new book DRAWN TO
REMEMBER at Louis Pohl Gallery
Look out for HIFF Spring Showcase April 18-24.
Samadhi Hawaii Aerial Jam plays on Sunday, April 20th, 6pm - only way to
get tickets is to email Andrea at info@samadhihawaii.com
FURTHER AHEAD
Friday May 2 is not only First Friday with music and art events throughout
downtown galleries but also Live from the Lawn at HiSAM featuring
Maunalua, PLUS the opening of the Hawaii Romance Festival at Iolani Place
with the Matt Catingub Orchestra - all free and open to the public. Mark
it down!
With Aloha
Tim
Tim Bostock Productions LLC
The Best Performing Arts from around the World
The ARTS at Marks Garage
1159 Nuuanu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96817
telephone: (808) 521 9699 Fax: (808) 521 2923
TBP@artsatmarks.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
28. The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:48:58 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
http://www.slate.com/id/2188409/The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
WHY AMERICAN CONSUMERS ARE ABOUT TO START PAYING MORE FOR CLOTHES,
ELECTRONICS, TOYS, AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.
By Alexandra Harney
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at 7:33 AM ET
Workers assembling toys on a production line in Shantou, China
For years, American importers and Chinese factory managers have been
having the same conversation. The importers would demand lower prices for
products destined for American shelves. Factory managers would counter
with a long list of reasons why they needed to charge more. Most of the
time, the American importers would prevail, and Wal-Mart shoppers would
rejoice.
Not anymore. The era of cheap Chinese consumer goods may finally be
ending, thanks to irrepressible inflation. Now when the Chinese present
their lists, some American importers are conceding higher prices, meaning
that American shoppers, for the first time in years, are starting to pick
up the tab for rising costs in China. Some Chinese factories are now
asking their American customers for price increases of as much as 20
percent to 30 percent.
A store manager at a young women's clothing store in Boston tells me the
prices of some camisoles are rising. An executive in the athletic shoe
industry says that Chinese factories and buyers are now negotiating about
spring 2009 shoe lines, and that is where consumers will really start to
see the impact of Chinese inflation. A manager of several discount stores
confides his company has started raising prices of certain goods while
putting others on sale. This is only the beginning: We'll be paying higher
prices for Chinese goods for years to come.
=====---------------------------------------------------------------
29. Hawaiian Telcom considered a high credit risk for companies
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:57:41 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
>>Hawaiian Telcom was spun off from Verizon Communications Inc. and
acquired by the Carlyle Group in a $1.6 billion leveraged buy-out in
May 2005.<<
======
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/09/business/story02.html
Moody^Òs cuts rating on Hawaiian Telcom
The phone company is considered a high credit risk for companies
By Nina Wu
nwu@starbulletin.com
Moody's Investor Service downgraded its assessment of Hawaiian Telcom
Communications Inc. yesterday and changed its outlook on the company from
stable to negative.
The bond-rating agency lowered the isle phone company's rating from B2 to
B3 and cut its probability-of-default rating to Caa1, for companies it
considers in poor standing and a high credit risk.
Approximately $1.1 billion of debt is affected.
Hawaiian Telcom officials were not available to comment on Moody's
downgrade yesterday.
Moody's said system problems that began in 2006 "may have caused
significant long-term damage to the company's competitive position."
The Moody's report follows a downgrade by another rating agency, Standard
& Poor's Rating Services, in August.
S&P revised its outlook for Hawaiian Telcom from stable to negative due to
the company's continuing operational difficulties and increased
competition from Oceanic Time Warner Cable. S&P assigned Hawaiian Telcom a
'B-' corporate credit rating.
Reasons that Moody's cited for its downgrade included: An 11 percent
decline in residential access lines in 2007, along with a 7 percent drop
in total lines, while high-speed data lines grew by just 1.3 percent.
Overall revenues last year, meanwhile, fell by almost 4 percent.
Moody's said its negative outlook "reflects the challenges" faced by
Hawaiian Telcom's new management team -- led by high-profile restructuring
guru Stephen Cooper of Kroll Zolfo Cooper, hired in February.
"We also note that (Hawaiian Telcom) currently has limited resources to
withstand additional earnings and cash flow weakness," the Moody's report
said.
Hawaiian Telcom was spun off from Verizon Communications Inc. and acquired
by the Carlyle Group in a $1.6 billion leveraged buy-out in May 2005.
=====------------------------------------------------------------------
30. Cargo may keep Superferry afloat financially
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:37:11 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
Military "cargo", too? Does it include Strykers?
=========
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/09/business/story01.html[IMAGE]
STAR-BULLETIN
The Superferry's commercial transportation segment has grown since
starting daily service to Maui in late August.
Cargo may keep Superferry afloat financially
The ferry's commercial transportation capability is creating a new niche
for cargo, somewhere between the uses of airplanes and barges
By Jennifer Sudick
jsudick@starbulletin.com
Tom Hoeffken had what could have been a $50,000 problem.
In December, as he and his crew prepared to recoat 2 miles of winding
Haleakala road for a large state project, they discovered problems with
the coating material. And the only replacement material -- some 10,000
gallons of it -- sat on Oahu.
"Without the Superferry we had no option," said Hoeffken, the owner of
Tom's Backhoe & Excavation Inc. in Maui. "My company would have looked
like a fool."
With interisland shipper Young Brothers Ltd. booked for the holidays and
the prospect of losing thousands of dollars a day paying an idle 15
workers, Hoeffken sent two tankers to Oahu on the Superferry. Although the
decision cost him more than triple the Young Brothers rate, he said it
saved his 30-year business.
"Our business would have been shut down for two weeks had it not been for
the Hawaii Superferry," said Hoeffken, who has used the ferry to transport
equipment a half-dozen times. "They made last year good instead of bad."
Hoeffken isn't alone. While passenger vehicles make up the majority of
Superferry freight, the Alakai's commercial transportation segment has
grown each of the three months it has sailed since starting daily service
to Maui in late August.
The Superferry, which started service again on Monday after six weeks of
drydock for maintenance and auxiliary rudder repairs, carried 99
commercial vehicles in February, making up 19.2 percent of total vehicle
traffic; up from 244 in January, or 13.5 percent; and 112 in December, or
7 percent, according to state Department of Transportation data.
The ferry has carved an isle transportation niche between the high-value
and lower-weight traffic shipped by air and the lower-value, higher-weight
products typically transported by barge, Bank of Hawaii chief economist
Paul Brewbaker said in an e-mail interview.
"It creates a pathway that doesn't exist otherwise," he said. "So the
ferry is not as much about 'trade substitution' as much as it is about
'trade creation.' "
For that trade to exist, he said, the ferry must be allowed to dock and
serve with regularity.
"While there is a passenger niche, I still think the cargo niche is the
most important one for the ferry," he said. "The reliability of service
will be a critical determinant of their success."
STAR-BULLETIN
With passenger counts well below a 400 break-even point per trip, the
Superferry's capability as a fast freighter could help keep it afloat
financially.
Terry O'Halloran, the Superferry's director of business development, said
many local businesses are looking at ways to take advantage of a daily
service. The ship has 36 plugs for refrigerator units, with space for
containers larger than 40 feet.
"We take that part of our market segment very seriously," he said.
Roy Catalani, vice president of strategic planning and government affairs
for Young Brothers, said many local farmers are well served by Young
Brothers, which offers an agricultural product discount of 30 percent for
local farmers.
Up to 150 customers, primarily from the Big Island, are currently
eligible for the discount, said company spokesman Keith Kiyotoki.
Agricultural cargo ranges from bags of luau leaves, to pallets of
papayas, to full 40-foot containers of fruits, vegetables, or plants, he
said. Service takes one to two days, depending on location, according to
the company's shipping schedule. The Superferry plans to add a second
boat for Big Island service early next year.
"A lot of these farmers are very familiar with our shipping schedule and
they have really tailored their need or their customer's needs based on
our schedule so it's pretty much like clockwork for them," Catalani said.
"A lot of them are very comfortable with that relationship."
Hawaii Farm Bureau Executive Director Alan Takemoto said he is working
with the Superferry on a discounted shipping rate for local farmers. A
40-foot truck currently costs $866 full on the Superferry, in addition to
a $39 passenger cost, while it costs $57.38, or $0.0383 per pound, for a
local farmer to ship 1,500 pounds of cabbage on a pallet from Kahului to
Honolulu via a refrigerated container on Young Brothers.
"The Superferry offers another alternative transportation mode that's
always a positive in the event that they cannot ship on that particular
sailing of Young Brothers," he said.
Faster service is useful for perishable products such as baby lettuces,
he said, while larger and less-delicate produce like cabbage is more
feasible to ship by barge.
"The Superferry could divert cargo from other modes, particularly air,
for perishable goods including flowers, poi and baked products," said
Henry Marcus, a professor of marine systems in the Center for Ocean
Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who also has
taught at the University of Hawaii. "There are a lot of those things that
Young Brothers is not going to be responsive enough in terms of time if
you are going by barge."
David Amble, owner of Seattle-based Amble Consulting, who last year
completed an audit of the Washington state ferry system, said the
Superferry is a key component of economic development, something not
always met with open arms. Service to Kauai was discontinued in August
after protesters blocked the ship from docking at Nawiliwili harbor.
"People who are living on the islands in the Puget Sound, they like the
convenience of the ferry but they like the convenience of pulling up the
gate on the end of the day," he said. "If you live on an island you don't
have to worry about everybody else coming into your world."
ROUGH SEAS
Before its Monday restart, the Superferry operated for a total of 62 days
since its initial sailing in August.
» August: Two days of operation; 2,460 passengers; and 488 vehicles
carried
» September through November: Court order, no operation
» December: Resumed operation Dec. 13, canceled service Dec. 26-29 due to
weather; 4,944 passengers; and 1598 total vehicles carried
» January: Did not operate for seven days, Jan. 16-17 and Jan. 27-31 due
to weather; 6,895 passengers; and 2056 total vehicles carried
» February: Ended operation Feb. 13 for auxiliary rudder repairs; 1,717
passengers; and 614 total vehicles carried
» March: In drydock, no operation
Source: State Department of Transportation
=====-------------------------------------------------------------------
31. Discussing the so-called "akaka bill" - a good idea, a bit late - by
whom? - too little time, and cost too high
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:54:36 -0400
From: kahiwal@cs.com
It seems pathetic that the "Japanese Chamber of Commerce" is sponsoring a
seminar on the so-called "akaka bill." What is the Japanese community's
interest in this bill that will directly affect so many so-called
"Hawaiians?"
After spurning so many calls by "Hawaiians" (such as me) - the feds (both
Dans), the state (OHA and others), other than participating in a few
debates (in which, in my experience and understanding, OHA got creamed),
have not done a thing. Even requests - to at least one trustee (trustee
Mossman by David Ingham) to engage in debate - were ignored by complete
silence.
It seems that these agencies - if they are going to advocate for and
support (with so much money and time) legislation that could/would
detrimentally affect the culture and histories of Hawaiians for multi
generations (if passed) - would have "sponsored" many activities of this
type in the past and present - and for free.
Other than collecting a lot of airline miles and hotel bills in travel to
DC on behalf of its beneficiaries - OHA, through its trustees - has done
nothing.
Even a handful, actually 3 kanaka maoli (including myself), who went to DC
to lobby against cloture (of the bill) in June 2006, was able to help
thwart the trustees' heavy efforts and the waste of hundreds, if not
millions, of thousands of beneficiary moneys, to get the bill passed.
By the way, one of the interesting facts we garnered in DC in 2006 was
that "the Dans" had been telling the senators that a majority of the
people in Hawai'i were extremely supportive of the bill. Those senators
were so surprised that individual Hawaiians showed up in DC, at their own
expense, who were actually in opposition. Well, it does take a bit more
effort to do these kinds of essential things when we (Hawaiian National
activists) are pitted up against big money - the ill-spent money of OHA -
moneys supposed to be "for the betterment" of native Hawaiians.
The "overwhelming" benefits of the "akaka bill" have never been taught to
Hawaiians so that they (Hawaiians) can decide for themselves that the
"benefits" are really beneficial and not a bunch of political shibai.
That the "bill" would give "plenary" authority to the u.s. congress -
while a possible "government-to-government" relationship is suggested - is
a cruel trick of "bait and switch." That a future settlement of Hawaiian
claims (actually claims of the Hawaiian Kingdom - the real owner of the
lands) to the so-called "ceded" lands is sure to come - is another myth.
Actually, the "negotiations" that the bill provides is discretionary to
the u.s. and there may never be a negotiated settlement - at least not a
settlement that will favor Hawaiians, or the "real" settlers who are the
Hawaiian Nationals.
In fact, the "bill" actually usurps the Kingdom and its subjects
(descendants of subjects of the Kingdom - both those with koko AND those
without) by destroying it - by "re-organizing" it to a u.s. "Native
Hawaiian Governing Entity," then, as a result of other historical
negotiations entered into by the indians, converting those stolen Kingdom
lands to u.s. "trust" lands.
Do OHA trustees actually intend to become holders of the stolen lands -
after being transferred from Hawai'i's infamous enemies - the Provincial
Government, the Republic of Hawaii, the u.s. and the so-called "state" of
hawai'i? Well, I suppose, that being an agency of the "state of hawaii"
makes OHA and its willingness to receive "stolen" property no better than
its cohorts.
It is really the Hawaiian Nationals who have the best and ONLY claim to
the "ceded" lands. OHA, through its beneficiaries - of the present
"racial" Hawaiian definition initiated by the u.s. in its Hawaiian
Homestead Act - is not the "proper" party. It is the Hawaiian Nationals
who have the valid claim - and not the "racial" Hawaiian beneficiaries of
OHA - even though both classes may be made up of many of the same persons.
Additionally, Hawaiians will be converted from a present "first class
citizenship" status to that of "second class citizen-wards" of the u.s.
government. While some may aspire to be "wards" of the u.s., I don't.
For clarity - go check a dictionary for the meaning of the word "ward."
To be a "person under protection for an incapacity" such as minors,
imbeciles, incapacitants, etc. is not what I am.
On the other hand, that the u.s. is able to correct and sanitize all its
deficiencies in Hawaiian history such as the "illegal" overthrow of 1893
and the so-called "annexation" that never took place (as "annexation
CANNOT take place by resolution) is its hope. That OHA is willing to give
up all of this on behalf of its beneficiaries - excluding me of course -
is ludicrous.
OHA's behavior and intent are directly opposite to Liliu's efforts and
motto of "Onipa'a" that she held 'til the day she died or our ancestors'
wholesale signing (more than 90%) of the Ku'e Petitions opposing
annexation.
Only fools believe in the myth that took place at the time of the
so-called "annexation", when "they" pointed to the "treaty of annexation"
(when we know it wasn't a treaty) on the table, while the american flag
was being raised - and the world being duped into believing it all to be
factual and genuine.
Well, it is pathetic that the Japanese Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring
this seminar that OHA and/or the Dans should have been putting on all over
the islands for free for so many years.
Additionally, the charge of $25 to hear an hour and a half of shibai - is
absolutely ridiculous. Well, one does get a "free" lunch.
ku
_____________
Updated at 3:02 a.m., Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Seminar to discuss 'Akaka
Bill' set for April 24
Advertiser Staff
The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce will host a seminar on the Akaka
Bill, also known as the Native Hawaiian Recognition Billl, from noon to
1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Chamber's Manoa Grand Ballroom Lounge
at 2454 S. Beretania St.
Registration fee is $25 and includes lunch. For more information or to
register call 949-5531 or visit the Chambers website at
www.honolulujapanesechamber.org.
___________
Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill (aka Akaka Bill) Seminar Presented by Jon
M. Van Dyke, University of Hawaii at Manoa Professor of Law.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (11:45 a.m. registration)
Manoa Grand Ballroom Lounge
$25.00 (includes program and lunch)
Deadline to register is Thursday, April 17, 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
32. Rioters Return to Capital of Haiti as Food Cost Hits World Poor
From: <moderator@PORTSIDE.ORG>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 3:05 PM
> Rioters Return to Capital of Haiti as Food Cost Hits World Poor
> James Bone
> Times Online (UK)
> April 10, 2008
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3716557.ece
>
> The Haitian capital was paralysed by food riots yesterday as the United
> Nations gave warning that soaring food prices were spurring unrest
> around the world.
>
> Rioters returned to the streets in Port-au-Prince a day after UN
> peacekeepers had to fire rubber bullets to prevent hungry Haitians from
> storming the presidential palace. Columns of smoke rose over the city as
> demonstrators, demanding that the Government take action over the rising
> price of foodstuffs such as rice, beans and oil, set fire to barricades
> made from tyres.
>
> At least five people have been killed and more than 20 injured.
> Protesters compared the burning hunger in their stomachs to bleach or
> battery acid.
>
> President Preval made a televised address last night appealing for calm,
> and said he would meet food importers to try to lower prices. 'The
> solution to the high cost of living is global and we are paying the
> price for all the bad policies applied for 20 years in Haiti,' he said.
> 'The demonstrations and destruction won't make the prices go down or
> resolve the country's problems,' Mr Preval said. 'On the contrary, this
> can make the misery grow and prevent investment in the country."
>
> The unrest provided dramatic evidence of the destabilising effect of
> accelerating food inflation around the globe. Food prices are surging
> because of increased demand from emerging markets such as China and
> India, a drought in grain-producing Australia and competition with
> plant-based biofuels.
>
> The UN says that global food prices have risen 65 per cent since 2002,
> with grain rising 42 per cent and dairy products 80 per cent in 2007
> alone. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a recent
> report that Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast,
> Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal have all seen unrest in recent weeks
> linked to food and fuel prices. 'There is a risk that this unrest will
> spread in countries where 50 to 60 per cent of income goes to food,'
> Jacques Diouf, the FAO director-general, said yesterday in Delhi.
>
> John Holmes, the top UN humanitarian official, gave warning this week of
> a 'perfect storm' of rising food and fuel prices and the negative
> effects of climate change. 'Current food price trends are likely to
> increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity.
>
> Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times
> Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Search globrix.com to buy or
> rent UK property.
>
> (c) Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
> __________________________________________________________________
33 Most Needy Hit Hardest as States Cut Services
From: <moderator@PORTSIDE.ORG>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 3:07 PM
> States Are Hit Hard by Economic Downturn
> Many Cutbacks Felt by Most Needy
> By Keith B. Richburg and Ashley Surdin
> Staff Writers
> Washington Post
> March 31, 2008
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/30/AR2008033002138.html?nav=rss_nation
> NEW YORK
>
> In Illinois' Cook County, women in poor neighborhoods no longer have
> access to free mammograms from two mobile vans testing for breast
> cancer.
>
> In Michigan, hikers will find about 20 campgrounds closed, and
> scientists are ending their studies of fish populations in the Great
> Lakes.
>
> In New Jersey, state workers are being laid off, and at least one town
> is canceling its traditional Fourth of July fireworks.
>
> And in California's San Fernando Valley, Everardo Orozco, 53, who has
> AIDS, exhausted his medical benefits and can no longer afford the drugs
> that are keeping him alive.
>
> "I don't know which ones I can afford every month," Orozco said,
> explaining how his supply is dwindling and his share of the payments has
> skyrocketed from $400 to $3,200 per month. He now injects himself with
> some medications once a day instead of twice -- not enough to keep his
> T-cell count from dropping or to prevent his body from becoming
> resistant to treatment. And he fears that there will be more cuts.
>
> State budgets have been hit hard by a worsening national economy,
> including rising costs for energy and health care. In addition, fallout
> from the subprime mortgage crisis -- declining home sales, deflated
> property values and mounting foreclosures -- has caused a slide in
> states' anticipated tax receipts. Revenue from property taxes, sales
> taxes and real estate transfer taxes is affected.
>
> At least half of the nation's states are facing budget shortfalls, some
> of them severe, and policymakers in most of the states affected are
> proposing and passing often-painful measures to trim costs and close the
> gaps. Spending on schools is being slashed, after- school programs are
> being curtailed and teachers are being notified of potential layoffs.
> Health-care assistance is being cut for the elderly, the disabled and
> the poor. Some government offices, such as motor vehicle department
> locations, will start closing on weekends, and some state workers are
> receiving pink slips.
>
> Some analysts worry that the impact is being felt disproportionately by
> the most needy.
>
> "It's disappointing, the extent they tend to focus their cuts on the
> most vulnerable," said Iris J. Lav, deputy director of the
> Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think
> tank that monitors state budget issues. "It does appear to
> disproportionately affect low-income people."
>
> Unlike the federal government, which can run deficits, almost all states
> are required by their own laws and constitutions to balance their
> budgets. Many states are just now hammering out their budgets, so some
> targeted programs could still be saved in last-minute negotiations.
>
> In most states, talk of raising taxes has become politically perilous,
> particularly with residents already hurting from falling housing values
> and a worsening economy.
>
> Only half a dozen states have approved, or are considering, tax
> increases, including Maryland and Michigan, both of which raised taxes
> in 2007. In New Jersey, which has a $3 billion deficit, Gov. Jon S.
> Corzine (D) has proposed eliminating or reducing most property tax
> rebates. In New York, facing a $5 billion shortfall, an idea in the
> General Assembly for a new income tax for people making more than $1
> million per year died last week after the Republican-controlled Senate,
> and Gov. David A. Paterson (D), strongly opposed it.
>
> Instead of raising taxes, most states with shortfalls are curtailing
> services, and the effects are already being felt nationwide. Some of the
> most dramatic cuts are being made in California, Maine and Rhode Island,
> according to budget experts, with New Jersey not far behind.
>
> California is facing the worst budget crisis, with a $16 billion
> shortfall, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has proposed a $4.8
> billion cut in education services. About 20,000 teachers, counselors,
> librarians, nurses and other support staff members have received notice
> of potential layoffs, according to the state's Education Department.
>
> Los Angeles, which has the state's largest school district and a $6
> billion budget, faces a $460 million cut for the next school year -- the
> dollar equivalent of shutting down the entire district for two weeks.
>
> In Thousand Oaks, Calif., the Conejo Valley Unified School District,
> home to 30 schools and 22,000 students, has already closed two
> elementary schools for next year. Superintendent Mario Contini said
> layoffs could be next. "School districts have been making cuts every
> year, and there isn't much left to cut," he said. "We've already cut the
> flesh to the bone, and now we're removing the skeletal parts. It's that
> severe."
>
> Schwarzenegger has also proposed $650 million in cuts to the Healthy
> Families Program and Medi-Cal, which together provide health-care
> services to more than 7 million senior citizens, disabled people and
> children in the state. Adults under the Medi-Cal program would lose
> their dental benefits, as well as optometry and psychology services.
>
> The California Department of Public Health is also facing an $11 million
> cut to AIDS services, with the bulk of that -- $7 million -- coming from
> a program that helps low-income Californians, such as Orozco, obtain
> lifesaving antiretroviral medicine.
>
> Orozco had been paying $400 per month for the 15 daily medications he
> needs. But when his allotment under the program ran out, his share
> jumped to $3,200, and he could no longer afford five of the drugs.
>
> "We want to continue to live, you know," he said. "We need to continue
> fighting what this is. I've been dealing with this since 1983. Every
> day, it's a fight. It's not easy. Either they help us do something to
> fight this, or we're going to die."
>
> A recent 50-state survey by the Associated Press showed that hundreds of
> thousands of poor children, the disabled and the elderly stand to have
> their health coverage eliminated as a result of budget cuts, and more
> than 10 million people would lose access to dental care, specialists and
> name-brand prescription drugs.
>
> Budget experts said they see a repeat of the pattern that happened
> during the recession of 2001: States generally cut health services and
> medical benefits first, because these costs are often rising more
> rapidly than others, and the savings tend to be immediate.
>
> Subsidies to higher education are also a favored target for budget cuts
> -- mainly because policymakers often believe that universities can find
> money from other sources, such as private donations or higher tuition.
>
> Budgets for parks and recreation, and for natural resources and science,
> also stand to take a hit.
>
> In cash-strapped Michigan, dealing with the struggles of the automobile
> industry, the Department of Natural Resources is closing 20 campgrounds,
> including the highly popular and rustic Pinney Bridge State Forest
> Campground, considered one of the most beautiful in the Lower Peninsula.
> The department also plans to end its studies of fish populations in the
> Great Lakes, and 14 conservation officials are being laid off.
>
> Hunters in Michigan will also find their license fees increased.
>
> In Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has proposed ending a popular
> controlled pheasant-hunting program at state sites. Outraged hunters
> have said that among those affected will be the young and the
> handicapped, who have access to special hunts under the state program.
> _______
>
> Surdin reported from Los Angeles. Staff writer Kari Lydersen in Chicago
> contributed to this report.
_____________________________________________----------------------------
Gabrielle Welford, Ph.D.
freelance writer, editor, teacher
welford@hawaii.edu
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