• Hawaii a leader with breadfruit • There are dangers with eating GMOs • Dale a treasure at Princeville PO
Hawaii a leader with breadfruit
Recently, in Barbados, a competition was held called National Innovation for Science and Technology. I submitted an application with a product made from breadfruit. Unfortunately, I did not win, but was encouraged to commercialize my product.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the many nutritious benefits that breadfruit has. I have a myriad ideas for breadfruit, which I plan to take seriously, as I really believe that breadfruit has been undermined here in the Caribbean. Yes, we can get breadfruit flour but most people do not like the actual breadfruit, as it has a stigma from slavery. People used to eat it often when things were not as modern as they are now.
Fast food has taken over and so has obesity. I was so excited when I saw with my own eyes that there are so many species of breadfruit. Even an orange colored one. Last but not least, the Breadfruit Institute is a place with a wealth of info. We usually regard the Caribbean as our neighbors, but to see that, in Hawaii, it is taken seriously, I must tip my hat to all who were the facilitators of this excellent idea. The fact that people have embraced it by having a festival, cookbooks, competitions, etc. is even more intriguing. We will be having an agricultural exhibition called Agrofest, but it would be nice, if you could come to Barbados next year and generate an interest among the people here about this fabulous Tree of Life.
Allison Medford, Bridgetown, Barbados
There are dangers with eating GMOs
I find it quite baffling that a Monsanto employee from Maui would write a letter to our local newspaper telling us to feed genetically modified food to our families (Sunday, Feb. 9, TGI). I doubt the competition was consulted: Kauai’s illustrious seed and chemical “farmers.”
Those guys usually have Hawaii Crop Improvement as their mouthpiece (and sometimes sadly our own farm bureau). Could this be a clever method of industrial espionage by Monsanto against their competition? That would be kind of like an endorsement from George W. back in the 2012 elections. I think not. This industry, when under attack, buries the hatchet and rallies together.
I choose to believe that the author of the letter, Carol Reimann, took it upon herself. Possibly just out of university in one of the Monsanto-endowed bioscience departments, Ms. Reimann seems to want to sleep easy at night about what her company is peddling. At least she is smart enough not to use the “feed the world” malarkey that has been shot down by the United Nations and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Her “good science” argument she chooses, however, shows naivety. Even if you give her the risky assumption that long-term effects of eating genetically altered genes in plants are benign (which we do not know), she ignores one glaring fact: Most of these corn, soy and canola products have been drenched with glyphosate, atrazine or other herbicides that the modified gene is resistant to. Science is throwing up numerous flags about exposing your kids to these chemicals, especially ingesting them. They do not get washed off the crop. The plant absorbs them systemically. Ms. Reimann also goes on about what a large industry this is for Hawaii’s economy. We must remind ourselves that sales of the proprietary seeds that are coupled with proprietary chemicals go to the multinational parent companies, not to any local entity.
Robert Brower, Anahola
Dale a treasure at Princeville PO
Residents and visitors alike who frequent the Princeville satellite post office all know and appreciate the professionalism of a long-time employee who is known as Dale. Her patience for customers is paramount as she informs everyone the cheapest way to send a package and will even suggest collectible stamps as an alternative, time permitting. This station is understaffed and occasionally a visitor may be inconvenienced with a wait, but those who know the setup chuck it off as being too much in a hurry in paradise. Dale is transferring to the Kilauea station and will be missed by all who have met her. Thanks for your service.
Sandra J. Abrajano, Chicago, Snowbird at Emmalani Court
