Kahului Rotary - Speakers - Speakers 2006-07

Born and raised in Honolulu. Honors graduate from Princeton University with a degree in Chemistry. Received and MD and Master Public Health Degree from Tulane University (New Orleans). Board Certification in Preventive Medicine. Worked for 20 years with the Walter Reed Overseas Research Laboratories, assigned to Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro and Geneva, developing drugs and diagnostics for tropical diseases. Consultant to the World Health Organization since 1985 for tropical diseases. Retired and moved to Maui as the District Health Officer position in 2000.. Has about 5 dozen publications in peer reviewed medical journals covering rabies, HIV, malaria, hepatitis E, and most recently dengue.

Dr. Pang's talk today will be on the subject of Depleted Uranium in Hawaii. View the embedded video on the online version of this newsletter for more information.

Water in Hawai'i is a public trust resource -- wasteful water diversions must be stopped and the streams of Maui restored.

Today's speaker is John Duey, owner of Duey Irrigation, longtime Iao Valley taro farmer, and president of Hui o Na Wai Eha.

In conjunction with Maui Tomorrow and Earthjustice, Hui o Na Wai Eha is petitioning the State Commission on Water Resource Management to stop what it considers wasteful water diversions and to restore streamflows in Waihe`e, North & South Waiehu, Iao, and Waikapu Streams, traditionally known as "Na Wai Eha" or "The Four Great Waters."

Water in Hawai`i is a public trust resource, protected under the State constitution and Water Code. Government agencies, including the Water Commission, have a duty to protect and restore ecological uses, traditional and customary Hawaiian practices, recreation, and scenic values. "Instream flow standards" are the minimum flows necessary to sustain these uses and are the primary tool to protect streams and the public uses dependent upon them.

According to Hui o Na Wai Eha, the Four Great Waters do not meet minimum instream flow standards -- and agricultural diversions are the reason why. In earlier times, these diversions were more defensible, as the extensive sugar cane fields, pineapple fields, and macadamia nut orchards required extensive irrigation. Now, there is much less of this agricultural activity -- but the diversions continue unchanged.

John Duey will discuss his experiences as a taro farmer in the Iao Valley, his leadership of Hui o Na Wai Eha, and the ongoing legal challenge to the continued diversions from the Four Great Waters.

Tony gave an overview of senior services available on Maui, and then spent the bulk of his presentation discussing the tasks we all face planning for our own old age. We have a variety of options open to us, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Traditional nursing home care, according to Tony, is probably not a sustainable model – it is simply too expensive, costing upwards of $80,000 per patient. Some models that offer more promise are at-home health care or senior group living, where several senior choose to live together and coordinate their own care.

It was an interesting talk, with several good questions regarding how we as a society take care of our elderly and whether that is how we want to be taken care of as we join the ranks of the elderly.

Tony Krieg is CEO of Hale Makua . Hale Makua, "Home of Respected Elders," is a private, non-profit Maui healthcare organization offering a continuum of services specializing in eldercare and services for the diabled. . Its mission is, Excellence in Healthcare in Our Home and Yours. It was established by the Maui community in 1946, as a 20-bed nursing home. Hale Makua now operates two nursing homes - in Wailuku and Kahului with a total of 352 beds, an outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation program, a nationally accredited, Medicare Certified Home Health Care Agency, an Adult Day Health Program, and a Foster Family program which cares for people in their own homes for nursing home eligible clients.

Tony has been with Hale Makua since 1981, and has been it's C.E.O. since 1986. He was awarded HAH's Distinguished Service Award in February 1995, the Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society 2002 "Na Lima Kokua Ma Waena O Makua "Community Service Award 2002, and was named Maui's Outstanding Non Profit Director of the Year for 2006.

Currently, he is the principle investigator for the Maui Long Term Care Partnership, which is made up of many health and human services organizations who have accepted the challenge of working with community groups to develop a long term care strategic plan for Maui. This project is one of 13 in the nation funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Community Partnerships for Older Adults.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources is a state agency charged with the stewardship for 1.3 million acres of Hawaii state lands. It is their task to manage and regulate land and ocean uses consistent with the goals of the Hawaii State Constitution. Their management philosophy is "sustainability" which is to ensure that they maintain quality resources for future generations. This philosophy is based on a hierarchy of "resources (protection and conservation) first, public (use of resources) second, commercial activity third."

The Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) is responsible for enforcement activities of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The division, with full police powers, enforces all State laws and rules involving State lands, State Parks, historical sites, forest reserves, aquatic life and wildlife areas, coastal zones, Conservation districts, State shores, as well as county ordinances involving county parks. The division also enforces laws relating to firearms, ammunition, and dangerous weapons.

The overall mission of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement is to promote the safe and responsible use of Hawaii's natural resources.

A Maui native, Clarence "Matt" Yamamoto has been in law enforcement since 1984. In 1994, after seeing a decline in our natural resources and wanting to do his part in preserving it for our future generations, Officer Yamamoto transferred from the State's Public Safety Office to DLNR's DOCARE and has been a supervisor for the past seven years.

Matt Yamamoto and Howard Rodrigues visited us on April 9, 2007, to speak about the Maui office of "DOCARE," which is the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement for the State of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DOCARE is responsible for all DLNR enforcement activities on Hawaii's public lands and waters, as well as for firearms regulations throughout the state. "From the top of Haleakala to 3 miles offshore" is how Officer Yamamoto explained their jurisdiction.

On land, DOCARE is responsible for illegal dumping and camping activities. While part of this task involves enforcement, much of the work is just cleaning up of illegal dumpsites and camps.

Forest Reserve issues include Operation Green Harvest, in cooperation with the local police department. No longer are hikers being chased out of Forest Reserve areas with rifles and dogs.

On the water, DOCARE is responsible for regulating many nearshore activities, such as Molokini dive tours and jet-ski operations. DOCARE was responsible for closing down LaParouse Bay to commercial kayak tours.

To carry out its responsibilities, DOCARE has 13 Maui officers with a variety of responsibilities: drug enforcement officers, boat handlers, hunting regulators, and others. To work in the Maui office, Officer Yamamoto stressed the need for employees to embrace the mission of DOCARE, "It's not unusual to get a call at 3:00 a.m., and we have to mobilize," he explained.

One of the challenges faced by DOCARE officers is that essentially every person they confront is armed - hunters with rifles, divers with spearguns or knives, boaters with a variety of implements, or in the case of two women hunting illegally at night, a crossbow! To meet these challenges, DOCARE Maui relies on extensive training and a variety of equipment, including watercraft and off-road vehicles.

At all times, DOCARE tries to be sensitive to Hawaiian cultural items, including sovereignty marches and protests which often occur on public lands. So far, cooperation between DOCARE and Hawaiian activists has been good, and DOCARE works to keep it this way.

Dr. James T. Hansen, a Maui gastroenterologist, and member of the American Cancer Society Colon Cancer Committee will be speaking on colon cancer and screening guidelines. Dr. Hansen who practices in Kahului, Maui at Maui Gastroenterology, Inc., also helps patients on Molokai.

March was Colon Cancer Awareness Month and the American Cancer Society encourages adults over the age of 50 years old to speak to their physicians about a colon screening. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States.

Lahaina Bypass Now (LBN) is a community-based organization dedicated to solving West Maui's traffic problems. With the ultimate goal of the construction of the Lahaina Bypass in sight, LBN continuously seeks step by step solutions that will make an immediate difference in our traffic and create a better quality of life. With an open and collaborative approach to creating solutions, LBN works cooperatively with State Department of Transportation, the Maui Mayor and County Council, and local businesses and residents. Anyone interested in joining Lahaina Bypass Now is encouraged to call Theo Morrison at (808)667-2516, email at info@lahainabypassnow.com.

The Kahului Club welcomes the Maui Celtic Pipes and Drums for an early celebration of St. Patrick's Day!

The band, a non-profit organization, currently marches with nine pipers and three drummers, and has more of each in training. The group volunteers services to play at events for the County of Maui, the Maui Fire Department, and various Veterans Associations.

Their first function was for the September 11th Memorial in 2002 which took place in Kahului. The second was leading the parade opening the Maui County Fair on October 3rd, 2002. Since then, they have played at many private and community functions celebrating the proud tradition of Celtic pipes and drums.

The Band proudly wear kilts of the new Hawaii Tartan, and are looking for sponsors to help fund the purchase of uniform items and training.

Pipe Major John Grant
Pipe Sergeant James Brent

Piper Hamish (Jim) Douglas Burgess
Piper John Impey
Piper Mike MacDougall
Piper Trinette U'ilani Furtado

Piper Jason Addison

Piper Troy Anderson
Piper Alan Davidson
Piper David Asher

Drum Sergeant Peter Della Croce
Drummer Colin Hanlon
Drummer Jennifer Hanlon
Drummer Kris

To learn more about the band and on how to support them, log on to www.mauiceltic.com

Kahului Rotary's very own Lynn Rasmussen to speak about her new book devoted to creating the relationship that you have always dreamed of -- titled "Men Are Easy."

"Love is simpler and relationships are more fun than you've been led to believe," explains author Lynn Rasmussen, "Too many beautiful, smart, and funny women have been taught: relationships take hard work, communication is the key, and change is difficult. It just isn't true is today's world." Men are Easy was written to tell women to leave all that psycho-babble in the past and learn how to make their relationship effortless and their life more fun. Men Are Easy is finally going to make your relationship work. This handbook will keep your man happier and your life more fulfilled.

Author Lynn Rasmussen, whose advice will be featured in April's Cosmopolitan Magazine, applies simple solutions to complex problems to make life with a man easy. Experts tell women that we have to work at a relationship. Lynn explains that love is not work, and that love is not a thing to be earned. Most advice from relationship experts is based on psychology, not the practicalities of everyday life, Rasmussen says. "Psychology fails to look at our lives as wholes," she says. "It focuses on a piece of life, not our whole self and how it all relates together."

"We are emotionally upset because traditional roles and rules have evaporated and there's nothing to take their place," says Rasmussen, "Now we have to figure out everything from who's going to do the dishes to who's going to make the money."

Rasmussen says our parents can't show us how. We're learning it the hard, painful way--by feel and by trial and error. Even the most loving couples fall apart in the mess.

Men Are Easy offers a new framework for love and life based on simple ideas from new science. The book says that when you get the basics of everyday life straight, then you can think straight, you feel better, and love flows.

Whether a woman's thinking about committing to that special guy or she's been married for decades, this book shows how love with a man can be spontaneous, strong, sexy, -- and easy.

Lynn Rasmussen is a life design coach. Her work is based on the simple processes found in all complex systems. She applies these processes to self, relationship, and society. More can be found at www.menareeasy.com.

For our final meeting during World Awareness Month, Rotary Club of Kahului will welcome Susan Lussier of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team and Rachel Heckscher of the State of Hawaii Department of Health.

Ms. Lussier will speak first, reminding us of the dangers Hawaii faces from tsunami. She will share a dvd on the tsunami which devastated Hilo and discuss how the lessons learned from that disaster can be used to prevent a similar disaster in the future. Ms. Lussier is a volunteer with several agencies: American Red Cross Disaster Action Team member, Global Hope Network International, a Swiss based humanitarian relief agency, Life-Water International, a faith-based water development agency, and is helping to start the Aloha Disaster Relief Corps, a faith-based network of disaster coordinators from Christian churches on Maui. She is training as a member of a CERT team, Community Emergency Response Team, for her neighborhood, The Legends.

Next up will be Rachel Heckscher, health educator with the Hawaii Department of

Health, Emergency Preparedness Branch. Ms. Heckscher will discuss how the Katrina hurricane disaster highlighted the importance of having family and individual emergency plans and kits at the ready. She will then discuss some of the threats to Maui, including pandemic flu or other disasters. To accompany her talk, Ms. Heckscher will distribute The Plan to be Ready booklet, prepared specifically for Maui families.

Lee Jakeway, the Director of Energy Development and Planning at the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, will provide an overview of current energy production activities along with possible future energy production activities. Future energy options may include converting the biomass energy potential in sugarcane plant to either electricity or ethanol. Mr. Jakeway will discuss the pros and cons of ethanol production for Maui, based on what is currently known about the technology.

Mr. Jakeway has been with HC&S for 8 years. Before joining HC&S, he was associated with the former Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association on Oahu for 15 years. Mr. Jakeway obtained degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Michigan State University in 1975 and the University of Hawaii in 1977. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Hawaii. His specialty areas are biomass recovery and conversion to energy products.

Marcy Brown, the Maui County Family Court Drug Court Administrator, will speak at the Kahului Rotary's January 22, 2007, meeting about Maui County's innovative Family Court Drug Court program.

The Family Court Drug Court program provides youth and families with the opportunity to participate in innovative family-based drug addiction intervention. The program provides drug treatment services for persons accused of drug-related crimes and violations, parents involved in child protective proceedings, adults involved in domestic abuse, and persons involved in various other Family Court proceedings.

The program is designed to divert occasional and experimental adolescent users before their drug use escalates. Any juvenile up to age 18 who is willing and accompanied by his/her parent(s) can obtain a free, confidential drug test along with information on substance abuse and community resources at any Drug Testing Center (DTC). A positive drug test result will trigger a referral to an early intervention program, but may not be used as evidence in any future Family Court proceeding.

The program is designed to provide parents quick and easy access to services if they suspect their child may be using drugs.

Planning for Maui's Family Court Drug Court started in December 2002 in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Human Concerns. Ms. Brown and her team began final preparations in August 2004, and the first clients were accepted in December 2004.

Prior to joining the Maui program, Ms. Brown worked as a facilitator for the National Drug Court Institute, helping design and implement dependency drug courts for various jurisdictions. Ms. Brown also worked for 18 years as a certified addiction counselor in Washington State and Hawaii. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Adolescent Psychology and Counseling Theory from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and her Master's Degree in Non-Profit Administration and Leadership from Seattle University. Ms. Brown also has taught courses through the University of Washington's Center for the Study and Teaching of At-risk, the University of Puget Sound, and the American Community Schools in London and The Hague. She currently is a lecturer at Maui Community College.

"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over." Samuel Longhorn Clemens (a/k/a Mark Twain).

This quote, from more than 100 years ago, referred to the arid Western plains - but it could easily apply to Maui today. As Maui continues to grow, all resources are becoming increasingly strained, perhaps none more so than water. One of the biggest battles currently under way is over the surface water collected from the rainforests of East Maui between Haiku and Hana.

For more than 130 years, this surface water has been collected and transported by Alexander & Baldwin and its subsidiary East Maui Irrigation Company through a series of irrigation ditches to the sugar cane fields in arid Central Maui. The long-term leases from the State of Hawaii that authorized A&B/EMI to collect water from East Maui ran out approximately 20 years ago. Since that time, the companies have been operating under a series of one-year temporary State permits.

A few years ago, an organization of Native Hawaiian taro growers known as Na Moku Apuni O Koolau Hui ("Na Moku"), represented by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, along with several environmental groups challenged the State's practice of granting successive temporary permits.

The legal argument is that the state cannot grant successive temporary permits, but the challengers are also raising two underlying policy arguments. The first argument is that the EMI diversions have prevented taro growers from successfully cultivating taro. The second argument is that the diversions are harming the aquatic life of the streams. Both issues are winding their way through the administrative agencies. Final decisions are years away, but the issues are starting to come into focus.

Dave Merchant, a Rotarian who represents a company with a minor involvement in the EMI case, will provide an overview of the arguments being made by the various interest groups. He can't provide any editorial comments, but he can provide some insight into this important Maui issue.

Workforce Crisis on Maui: Inter-Generational Approaches through Use of Volunteers Are Helping Maui's Elders and Youth

Rotarian Rita Barreras will share information about the existing crisis in the long-term care facilities and home and community based programs and intergenerational solutions that the Maui Long Term Care Partnership has implemented to help alleviate the problem. The Partnership is a coalition established in 2002 to address the long term care service and infrastructure needs on Maui, which has one of the fastest growing elder populations in the nation.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health care philanthropical foundation in the country, contributed planning funds to allow the Partnership to create community partnerships toward the development of a strategic plan for long term care and supportive services. The Partnership achieved this goal and successfully competed for a four-year continuation grant from the foundation to implement its strategic plan.

As one of the initial eight communities funded by the foundation, the Partnership is in the third year of its funding cycle and has identified numerous community solutions to address the long term care issues on Maui. Rita will share examples of how youth, elders, and volunteers are working together across the island - Lahaina, Kula, Kihei, Hana, North Shore, Kahului - to help address Maui's workforce crisis and the health and social needs of elders.

Projects underway are allowing youth to gain skills that will allow them to pursue education and careers in the health and long term care field. Volunteers are providing assistance to elders. Efforts are leading to positive outcomes for Maui's elders who wish to "age in place" in their own homes and communities as well as stay socially connected to their communities. The Partnership is seeking additional volunteers and partners that can offer scholarships for youth in order to continue this positive intergenerational program. The program offers community service in support of Maui's elders and educates and exposes our future generations to an important social issue.

On November 16, 2006 (American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout), Hawaii became the 14th, state to implement a comprehensive statewide law prohibiting smoking in all enclosed or partially enclosed places of employment as well as places open to the public. Smoking will be prohibited in all enclosed or partially enclosed buildings and vehicles owned, leased, or operated by the State or any County, including all airports from the curb to the cabin.

The passage of this law supports the overwhelming majority of Hawai’i voters’ desire for protection from secondhand smoke. More than 85% of Hawaii voters are in favor of this law (including smokers). Our lawmakers listened: The Senate voted 22-3 in favor and the House of Representatives voted 47-4 in favor. And the governor signed the bill into law.

The topic of today's talk, to be given by Janet Betsill and Kathy Pang, is "Smoke-Free Hawaii.” Janet and Kathy are volunteers with the American Cancer Society, and will be providing information about the new Hawaii smoke-free workplace law that went into effect on November 16. Their talk will highlight the benefits of smoke-free workplaces, basic elements of the law, compliance, complaints, infractions, and smoking cessation. Brochures, posters and other resources will be available. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the new law, and to air questions and concerns.

KAHULUI ROTARY WAS HONORED TO HAVE MR. STANLEY IZUMIGAWA and MR. FLOYD NAGOSHI AS THEIR VETERANS' DAY CELEBRATION SPEAKERS

Kahului Rotary's Veteran's Day program honored the World War II Nisei veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The program began with a film clip from "Only the Brave," by Hawaii-born film-maker Lane Nishikawa. Released this past year, the film explores the conflicting influences on the Nisei who volunteered to fight for America in World War II - with the racism and hardship these soldiers faced being more than balanced by courage, patriotism and family.

After the short film, Floyd Nagoshi, who was a founding member of the Maui Sons & Daughters of Nisei Veterans and whose father fought with the 442nd and, provided a detailed history of the 100th and the 442nd. When Japan launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, all Hawaiian Territorial Guardsmen of Japanese descent were stripped of their duties. Determined to prove their loyalty, the soldiers petitioned for the right to fight. The petition was granted, and the Guardsmen were organized into the 100th Infantry Battalion and sent to North Africa and then Italy. Fiercely courageous, they suffered so many casualties the 100th was soon dubbed the "Purple Heart Battalion," or the "One-Puka-Puka" (One-hole-hole).

The 442nd Infantry Regiment - comprised of Nisei volunteers from Hawaii and from the mainland

internment camps - was formed in 1944 and trained in Mississippi. Many of the soldiers noted the racism faced by African-Americans there. In June 1944, the 442nd joined the 100th in Northern Italy and the two units were combined into the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team. After participating in the brutal fighting around Monte Cassino, they were shipped to Southern France. There they were recruited for what would be called one of the top ten most important battles of World War II - the dangerous rescue of the Texas "Lost Battalion."

Stanley Izumagawa, who served with both the 100th and 442nd, then shared personal memories of his service. He downplayed his reasons for joining the Army, saying that he was just looking for career opportunity and advancement. He then discussed the actual fighting, from the boredom of marching, to the sheer terror of facing a sustained artillery barrage, to the disturbing memory of seeing his first dead soldier, to the experience of being wounded in the leg.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the entire event was when Mr. Izumagawa told us that the Kahului Rotary is the first Maui organization to invite a member of the 100th or 442nd to speak. While it is sad that it took more than 50 years for someone to ask Mr. Izumagawa to share his story, we are proud that it was us. It was a moving Veteran's Day celebration, and many thanks go to Mr. Izumagawa and Mr. Nagoshi for their service and for keeping the memory of that service alive.

(Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) will speak at the Kahului Rotary Club meeting on October 16. The Lairds are retired school educators and administ rators from California. After moving to Maui in 2003 they have conducted student leadership workshops for over 1500 student leaders on the Hawai’ian islands.

They have offered their services at no cost to the schools other than covering their travel expenses. Camp RYLA is sponsored by the eight Maui Rotary Clubs and it will be held January 19-21, 2007 at Camp Maluhia. This camp experience is offered at no cost to 60 sophomores and juniors in Maui county. The camp gives the students an opportunity to participate in quality leadership training experiences and activities.

These activities will be led by dedicated Rotarians who will guide the campers in understanding the principles of effective leadership. The Lairds will explain the program in depth and will offer the Rotarians an opportunity to become one of the 100 Rotary volunteers who will be required to
provide this quality experience for our youth.

At our October 9, 2006 meeting, Jackie Pias-Carlin, author of “Spirit of the Village: A Maui Memoir,” spoke movingly about growing up in one of the last plantation camps on Maui. Alternating among reading excerpts from the book, telling new stories, and answering questions from the audience, Jackie brought to life a community that formed part of Maui’s rich history but has now largely disappeared.

Jackie described a life that was seemingly caught between worlds. On the one hand, she grew up without full indoor plumbing; showering and using the bathroom in an outdoor “banyo.” On the other hand, pretty much every family in her neighborhood had a car, and her hanai mother insisted on buying the “latest and greatest” kitchen electronics.

Jackie read her favorite excerpts, which included a description of the illegal cockfights that took place in a vacant lot in the neighborhood going into detail of the way they dressed to the “police look outs” and the story of her father teaching her how to cook rice.

Jackie was a wonderful, warm speaker, and we were delighted she could share some of her stories with us. Rotarians born and raised on Maui got a particular kick out of the local phrases and language Jackie brought back to life.

Kevin Keller, an experienced builder who moved to Maui a little over a year ago to be the project manager on new complexes in Wailea and Kihei, explained some of the challenges and opportunities in the construction business. Kevin described how construction projects involve inputs from many different professions and businesses, and each of these inputs has an impact on what the project ultimately looks like.

To illustrate his point, Kevin handed out an illustration of the design process for a backyard swing. The developer began the process by proposing a wooden swing hanging from a tree branch. Next, the architect added to the "vision" by drawing in ornamentation and new design elements, as did the engineer. The County then added numerous safety features. The workers, looking at all of the competing visions, weren't sure what to build, and were about to make something that just wouldn't work, until all of the competing visions were cancelled out by the homebuyer, who could only afford a tire swing tied to the tree branch.

Kevin explained that his job as a project manager is to coordinate all the competing visions for a project, all the while making sure the buyer can afford the final product.
Moving on from his example, Kevin described the difficulties in building on Maui. Some of the factors that lead to the high costs include: rising prices for materials caused, in part, by competition for those materials from China and other emerging markets; a chronic labor shortage; high transportation costs; and increased transportation regulations related to security concerns. All of these factors have led to construction costs doubling in recent years.

In response to a question on the number of affordable housing units in his projects, Kevin described the SMA permitting process, and said that the high-end Wailea development was required to contribute money for parks, schools, public restrooms and other facilities, while the Kihei development was required to make one-half of its units "affordable," which Kevin described as about $350,000 per unit.

Rick Carroll, an award-winning author and journalist who has covered stories from the Haight Ashbury hippy movement to the rise and fall of the Silicon Valley dot-com wizards, entertained the Kahului Rotary during our September 25 meeting with several stories from his book, "The Best of Hawai'i's Best Spooky Tales."

In one story, Rick told us about Nanette, a writer who was collecting information on Hawaiian burial sites. Nanette made arrangements to meet Wayne Davis, an old-timer who wanted to show her hidden burial sites on windward Oahu. Nanette drove to the restaurant where they had agreed to meet. There she was greeted by an older gentleman who drove her into the backcountry and showed her scores of hidden burial sites. The next day, Wayne Davis called Nanette to ask where she had been – he had waited at the restaurant, but never saw her. Nanette explained that she had been met at the restaurant by an older gentleman who showed her many hidden gravesites. Wayne said it wasn't him – locals said it was the dead Hawaiians themselves, who wanted to be known. Spooky!

Rick also told us the story of "Limu Make o Hana," which translates to "the deadly seaweed of Hana." Legend of the Limu Make had been around for years, but the Limu Make only grew in a few tidepools, which were kept secret. In 1961, a University of Hawaii biologist convinced a local resident to draw him a map. As the biologist walked down an overgrown trail to the tidepool, a man sitting by the trail said the tidepool was "kapu" and bad things would happen if he kept going. Not believing in superstition, the biologist kept going and took his sample. That same day, a fire destroyed the main laboratory building of the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology and wiped out the biologist's work. The samples showed that Limu Make O Hana was indeed a new species, and the poison ingredient (named "palytoxin") is one of the deadliest, quickest-acting poisons known. Note: if you want to see a picture of the Limu Make O Hana, here's a website: www.nps.gov/archive/kaho/kahockls/palythoa.htm.

Rick also donated a copy of his latest book, "Iz: Voice of the People" for the door prize, which was won by Ron Vaught.