24 | April | 2009 | Hawaii News and Island Information

April 2009
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My Wife “Bugs” Me

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

I love my wife and I couldn’t be a happier guy with anyone else. Of course just like all couples, we have our differences at times and part of that stems from being raised in two complete different cultures.

Her being raised more “Country/Hawaiian” and me being raised more “City/Mainland” style.

She is much more the scientific of the two of us and much of the last decade she has been working with “Bugs” here in Hawaii.

Tonight she brought home the following:

bugs-001

Here is a short clip of my son checking out the buggahs moving around:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsGJbjOm_2k&hl=en&fs=1]

I’ve gotten used to my wife bringing home things when I’m not looking. Heck, that’s how we got BOTH of our dogs!

When she went back to college to take some extra classes needed for her current job, she was on a mission to capture every bug that she would come across if she hadn’t already collected them.

Here is a sampling of her collection:

"Flying Bugs"

The above “Flying Bugs” are classified as Lepidoptera

The flying bugs were captured using nets and lights most of the time at night time.

More Flying Bugs

These flying bugs have three classifications; Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera

"Water Skippers and Misc" the ***TERA Collection

These are all classified in a bunch of different species. On the bottom left you will find the Hemiptera’s…. Now that I look more closely at these bugs… they all have something followed by… “TERA”

Dragonfly Collection

I asked my wife how come half the bodies were missing on many of the dragonfly’s, and she said that for they only needed half the dragonfly. (Ruthless scientist will do anything to save space these days)

The Haydentera

Of course she’s got my son into the bugs and he even helped catch a few.

Of course the “Haydentera” is the bug that I love the most!

The question most people ask, is how do you mount them?

Well the trick is to catch the bug alive in a “Breathable container” and then simply freeze the “Buggahs” alive that way you don’t damage things like the wings or the legs/arms of the critters.

Filed under: Agriculture, Big Island, Environment, Hawaii, Kids | Tagged: Bugs of Hawaii | 3 Comments »

Public Information Meetings on Highway 130 Next Week

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

Kea‘au – Pāhoa Road Improvements Project

Public Informational Meeting
April 29 and April 30, 2009

Notice is hereby given that the State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation (HDOT), in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration, has scheduled two (2) public informational meetings for the proposed Keaau-Pahoa Improvements, Keaau to Pahoa. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at 5:30 p.m., at the Pahoa High & Intermediate School, 15-3038 Puna Road, in Pahoa. The second meeting will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2009, at 5:30 p.m., at the Keaau Elementary School, 16-680 Keaau-Pahoa Road, in Keaau. The primary purpose of these meetings is to update the surrounding community on the findings that resulted from an advisory group as formed through the context sensitive solutions approach of HDOT. Comments and recommendations from the general public will be solicited at these meetings.

The meeting agenda will essentially be the same for both meetings which will include a short formal presentation at 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to arrive at the meeting prior to the formal presentation to view the project displays and to provide comments to the project team and to the members of the Keaau-Pahoa Advisory Group. Public comments will also be received at the close of each formal presentation and by mail.

HDOT is proposing to implement various improvements along approximately 9.5 miles of the Keaau-Pahoa Road (State Route 130), from the terminus of the existing Keaau Bypass to its intersection with the Pahoa-Kapoho Road. The purpose of this project is to improve highway safety, to increase roadway capacity and to modernize State Route 130, between Keaau and Pahoa. Improvements are intended to accommodate local and regional traffic, including vehicular and non-vehicular modes of travel, over the next 20 to 30 years. The design will emphasize context sensitive solutions, as earlier developed by community representatives, and consistency with the Hawaii County General Plan and the recently-approved Puna Community Development Plan (CDP).

If you have any concerns or are interested in this project, we sincerely encourage your participation. To request language interpretation, an auxiliary aid or service (e.g., sign language interpreter, accessible parking or materials in an alternative format, please contact Dina Lau at (808) 587-6307, five (5) days prior to the meeting date. TTY users may use TRS to contact our office.

Comments on this project may also be submitted by email, regular mail, or fax to:

Mailing Address: State of Hawaii
Department of Transportation
Highways Division, Planning Branch
869 Punchbowl Street, Room 301
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Attn: Dina Lau
Email Address: dina.lau@hawaii.gov
Fax Number: (808) 587-1787
Website Address: www.keaau-pahoa.com

Filed under: Announcements, Community, Highway 130, Pahoa, Puna, State Affairs | Tagged: Highway 130 | Leave a comment »

Lost: White Dog With Pink Mohawk at Hot Ponds

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

Owner Alia Rose lost “Lilly,” a white female Pomeranian with a pink mohawk, on Thursday at Ahalanui Park, or “Hot Ponds,” in Puna. Alia Rose notes that Lilly looks like a puppy but is an old dog with special dietary needs and an ear infection that needs medicine. Alia Rose is offering a $500 reward for Lilly’s safe return — no questions asked. Contact Alia Rose at (808) 937-3277.

I just love this comment:

Doug Says:
April 24th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

I strongly suspect that poor dog was exposed to a mirror and ran away in shame!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Double Decker Bus Being Piloted Now for Hawaii County

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

Hawaii County has invited the “Media” to take part in a 30 minute bus ride this afternoon on a new “Double Decker” bus that the County is looking at.

I erased the email I got about the event and I’m at work and won’t be able to attend the function.

From what I remember, it’s like one of the British Buses except for more modern:

bus

Filed under: Big Island, Community, County Council, Hawaii, Highway 130, Something New?, Transportation | Tagged: Hawaii County Buses | 2 Comments »

Tomorrow: Ocean Day Hawaii

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

Location: Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center, 1079 Kalanianaole Avenue, Hilo, HI (Keaukaha)

Description: The University of Hawaii at Hilo Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center and the Marine Science Department, in partnership with the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant, co-host “Ocean Day Hawai‘i,” a community outreach event to raise awareness of current issues concerning ocean resources, safety, and conservation in community members and school-age children. The family-friendly event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Admission is free with ample parking onsite. Children ages 15-and-under must be accompanied by an adult. “This is among the first public events in Hilo that solely focus on ocean conservation in particular,” said Sharon Ziegler-Chong, associate director of PACRC and Ocean Day co-coordinator. “It follows the tradition of Earth Day for which UH Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College already have a great public event. It should be a really fun day.” There will be tours of the aquaculture research facility and educational presentations by Sea Grant, the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources and other public and community groups, as well as fun and educational hands-on activities for people of all ages. For more information, contact Michele Kubojiri at (808) 933-3289 or via e-mail: mkubojir@hawaii.edu.

Start Time: 10:00AM
Date: 04-25-2009
End Time: 3:00PM

Special Mahalos to the following sponsors:

Filed under: Announcements, Community, Environment, UH Hilo | Tagged: Ocean Day Hawaii | Leave a comment »

Remind Me to Never Testify at a Council Meeting… Mahalo Tiffany… County Council Fears the Internet

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

After reading Tiffany Edwards latest experience of attempting to put in her 3 minutes worth of testimony…

I reiterate what I said back in November about why I don’t attend or testify in person at County Council meetings.

One of the primary reasons that I would submit written testimony when I want to provide testimony is because I’m often afraid that I will get cut off before I get through saying what I want to say.…

I’d like to say thank you to Ms. Edwards Hunt for attending and testifying at this meeting that many of us would have wanted to attend if we weren’t working. (And thank you to the two people that took time out of their day to watch Tiff’s Daughter!)

It’s so bogus that the county won’t stream their council meetings online.

Guarantee even if we got enough signatures to get the council to think about it… they would shoot it down even if it was free.

The County Council fears the internet.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Today: Earth Day Fair at UH Hilo

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Damon

royalhouse-003

Links to:

Click on buttons or highlighted names to see more information:

—- Earth Day Fair 2009 Overview

–— Sponsors

—- Earth Day ‘Special Interest’ Web Sit

—- Environmental Organizations

—- Environmental Edu. Resources for Schools

—- Entertainment

—- Exhibitors

—- Guest Speakers &Presenters

—- Native Plant Garden Guided Tours

—- Photographic Tour of the 2005 Earth Fair

—- Schools Invited

—- School Reservation Form

—- Earth Day Flyer

—- Student Volunteers & Other Contributors

—- Video Schedule

Free

Pink Lemonade – Popcorn & Cookies – Entertainment – Videos – Face Painting Massages – Native plants & trees – Give-aways – Gifts & More! Hybrid Cars – Bike Exhibits – Ag Tours – Native Plant and Tree give-aways – Trash Fashion Show – Circus Acts – Hula Halau Dancers Belly Dancers – Clowns – Drummers – Story Tellers – Jugglers – More than 80 exhibit booths – Guest Speakers: Mayor Harry Kim – Billy Kenoi – Peter Young – A special 15 minute video for the kids: Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truths”