• Speak out for animals
•Recycle plastic bags
• Nature’s fast food
•Your soul is loose
Speak out for animals
Pam Woolway’s moving story (“Mistakes were made,” Lifestyle, Aug. 14) reminds us that animal cruelty on Kaua‘i must end.
These chickens should never have suffered and starved to death. This family’s neglect and lack of respect for animal life is a tragedy and not something any of us condone here on Kaua‘i.
If you witness neglect of an animal, please call the Kaua‘i Humane Society. I can assure you we will take action to protect the animals to the fullest extent allowable by law.
I can also assure you that we will work to educate our community on how to care for animals and strengthen our laws protecting animals. If you are concerned about animal welfare on Kaua‘i, speak out and advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Dr. Becky Rhoades, Executive Director – Kaua‘i Humane Society
Recycle plastic bags
Our household recycles just about everything; we compost, re-use cans, plastic containers, wash and re-use Ziplock bags and I use grocery store plastic bags for the following: trash can liners, storage for our garden goodies, transporting items to dinner parties, wet swim wear.
The problem is not the plastic bag, but rather people’s behavior. If plastic bags are eliminated, I will likely have to buy plastic bags for trash cans — where the reduction in use? Without plastic bags I will use more zip lock bags — no savings there either.
The one item I cannot find a reuse for is Styrofoam. Every tray of meat in the grocery store, trays of mushrooms, most egg containers. How much Styrofoam is in the grocery store? To my knowledge there is no re-use of those containers.
Instead of eliminating something that can be re-used with some behavioral changes and whose elimination would only result in a substituted plastic product in our household — plastic bags — let’s concentrate on getting rid of something that has no recycle use — Styrofoam.
And instead of eliminating plastic bags, create better incentives for re-using them.
Cheryl Ann Farrell, Koloa
Nature’s fast food
Papaya is the fast food of trees. Most trees take five to seven years to produce their first harvest, but the papaya will give quick, fast and healthy results.
The first-time gardener can get the serotonin high of seed to harvest in a very short time. Plant a seed today and in less than one year have a tree that is bearing fruit.
These wonderful fruits are praised by nutritionists for the high content of Vitamins A, C and E.
The black seeds inside the papaya are edible and have a sharp taste. When ground up they can be used as a substitute for black pepper. The young leaves of the papaya can be steamed and eaten like spinach.
Green papaya is rich in an enzyme called papain which is useful in tenderizing meat and other proteins.
Frozen papaya makes for a great ingredient in any fruit smoothie, every morning a half of papaya to keep the evil spirits away.
The branches of the papaya are hollow and can be used as a straw to drink water from coconut or any other favorite drink.
For people that require the use of medical marijuana, the stem also makes for a great peace pipe.
Did I mention if you save the seeds from your favorite papaya for future trees, make sure and not refrigerate the fruit since refrigeration can retard the seeds.
Many times I just throw the seeds out my back door into some turned soil and miraculously within a month a few small trees usually arrive. Papayas can also grow out of nowhere, many times the birds eat the ripe papayas right off the trees and when they go to the bathroom, the seed is planted with natural fertilization.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Your soul is loose
Kaua‘i’s loony left seems to wallow in hubris daily. Perhaps the election of Obama, a fellow traveler if I’ve ever seen one, has broken the dam that used to hold back paroxysms of stupidity and hate, as they seem to be more numerous since his election.
The most recent example is Dennis Chaquette of Kapa‘a’s letter of Aug. 22, entitled “Behind our interpretations.” The chilling attacks against conservative Christians continues therein with Dennis accusing us of being church-loving hypocrites, sexual perverts, adulterous torturers, hate-filled gun-toting bigots who debate the birthplace of the current occupant of the White House.
Well sir, I am a conservative Christian, and while I take extreme exception to your latest hate-filled rant, I take comfort in the fact that your letters merely expose your ignorance and hate-filled prejudices to our entire island.
The people of Kaua‘i can clearly see who the purveyor of hate is, sir. It is you, not I or my fellow conservatives.
As America grows far closer to conservative positions daily under the Obamanation of our current president, I know America will soon relegate your type of Nazi-like condemnations to the ash heap of history.
I’ll continue to pray for Dennis and his ilk, but I’ll never loose sleep over their ultimate destination. Your continued misuse of the Christian bible and its teachings could very easily lead to the loosing of your soul.
That could be the saddest consequence of your hate, Mr. Chaquette.
Alfred Sarmento, Kekaha
