Papaya still organic with cross-pollination

In response to an Oct. 21 letter by Maris Abelson ("Genetic engineering of ill plants is wrong"), I wanted to make a few comments.

The author is worried about organic farmers losing their certification as a result of contamination by genetically modified papaya. I would like to allay these fears, as the USDA-implemented organic regulations state that papaya that has been cross-pollinated by genetically modified papaya pollen is still marketable as organic, provided the grower can show that attempts were made by the organic farmer to prevent cross-pollination.

That's why even though 25 percent of all organic fruits and vegetables have detectable residues of prohibited synthetic pesticides, these crops are still legally allowed to be sold as organic.

By regulating the growing process rather than the fruit and its seeds, USDA benefits both organic and GMO-farming. The USDA's process-based organic standard is in accordance with 45-plus years of organic farming rules.

Regulations are in place to assess the safety of genetically engineered products before they are released. The Food and Drug Administration requires the labeling of products that vary significantly in nutritional content from the conventional product. In papaya, this is not the case as the genetic modification only makes the plant resistant to the ringspot virus and has no effect on the flavor, nutritional content or shelf life of the fruit.

Simple solutions for our traffic mess

Traffic is a major issue, and a solution is difficult to find. We must work with what we have.

For example, parking is permitted on Wilder Street after 5:30 p.m., which is right in the middle of rush hour. Cars have to merge into one lane to accommodate one car parked along Punahou School.

If parking were not permitted until 6:30, the flow of traffic would increase dramatically in many places such as Kinau Street, Wilder, Beretania and many other streets. Parking is not a priority over traffic flow.

The other thing we can do is to not let bicyclists ride in the street. It doesn't make sense for the law to serve one biker and block traffic for the majority. There are many instances where people are merging and going around one biker during traffic congestion. The majority of people are not anti-bike but would rather have the lanes clear for automobiles for safety and traffic flow.

If we all put our heads together, we could think of many more simple solutions that would have a tremendous effect in the overall flow of traffic.

Bring strong defense back to UH football

"Push 'em back! Push 'em back! Way back! Way back! Push 'em back!"

To this day, that cheer led by the UH pep squads of the 1970s and 1980s represents the true foundation of University of Hawai'i football: a ferocious defense. That's something that has been missing during June Jones' tenure as head coach.

Most recently, Don Lindsey took the UH defense to No. 19 in the country. Hawai'i also had nationally ranked defenses under Bob Wagner and Rich Ellerson, and this was Dick Tomey's coaching philosophy. The Swarm Defense was very successful in Hawai'i and Arizona.

We have already had four defensive coordinators under Jones. Real, proven defensive coaching leadership is needed. My choices for D.C. would be Tomey, Ellerson, Wagner or Duane Akina. Take your pick, as the order doesn't matter. They know Hawai'i and its fans, and any of them would bring Hawai'i's defense to national prominence.

Massacre revisited

I came home Friday afternoon to watch the UH-Boise State football game but it was pre-empted. In its place was a movie titled "The Battle of Little Big Horn" with June Jones starring as Gen. Custer.

Substitute teacher pay cut is an insult

So now the Department of Education has hit on a brilliant idea: cut the salaries of substitute teachers! Seven dollars a day might not seem like much to many people, but how many full-time teachers or any state unionized workers would sit still for this, or any, reduction? This reduction in pay is an insult.

These unsung heroes of our public education system are educated, experienced and flexible while working without benefits or formal organization. Substitute teachers daily come to the rescue of full-time teachers. Wouldn't one think that these very unionized teachers would become the supportive organization to insist that "their" substitutes are treated fairly? Ironically, it seems not.

Without the subs, what would teachers and the DOE do?

Wouldn't it be interesting if substitutes called in for a sick-week or two to make the point that they are being treated shabbily? But then, unlike full-time teachers who have gone on major strikes in the past, subs probably wouldn't. They are too dedicated to making sure the teachers and the kids are covered.

Shame on the DOE, shame on those who would allow this to happen!

There's a better way to make use of Natatorium

Month by month, the case for abandoning the Natatorium restoration seems to grow stronger — much to the dismay of those of us who favor the project.

Critics cite the high cost of completing construction, insufficient parking in the area and worries about the pool's water quality.

Meanwhile, city officials are pushing for the version of the project — full pool restoration — that maximizes these concerns.

Let's ask a seemingly stupid question: What is a swimming pool? Answer: a hole in the ground lined with concrete to hold water. So how do we reconcile this definition with a coastal swimming site?

Why hem in a section of clean ocean water with solid walls?

When the Natatorium was built in the 1920s, the idea made some sense. Swimming contests drew thousands of spectators, and a pool provided the perfectly calm water required for timed competitions.

Today, interest in the sport has waned, and O'ahu's freshwater pools provide ample contest sites. A restored Natatorium would exist primarily for recreation.

So why not use an open configuration similar to those employed by Waikiki's two swimming basins or the lagoons at Ko Olina and Magic Island? Intermittent gaps in these structures assure a fresh flow of seawater, and even with mild currents inside these sites, people swim there safely.

Why are officials so fixated on a conventional pool design — a decision that mandates a complicated saltwater filtration system? Supporters of the Natatorium have not made a compelling case that the restored structure must precisely match the original.

Let's redesign the Natatorium walls so they contain numerous gaps for water flow. No filtration system, no pumps. Just plain fresh ocean water.

Surely such a minor modification would still allow the Natatorium to commemorate the sacrifices of World War I soldiers. Meanwhile, this toned-down swimming structure — it would be just one more swimming kipuka — would be far less likely to attract hordes of users who will overwhelm this tranquil corner of Kapi'olani Park.

Please do your part to support bottle bill

I was riding my bicycle to the beach recently and got a flat — broken glass on the road.

I then went for a walk along the beach. On the way I picked up about five plastic soda bottles, then I cut my foot on a broken beer bottle.

I stacked the trash I collected next to the trash can. It was already overflowing.

Gov. Lingle and others in our state government want the bottle bill to fail and are doing whatever they can to sabotage its implementation.

Do not let this happen! Hawai'i needs the bottle bill. We need our beaches to be cleaner. We need our roadways free of broken glass and rubbish. The bottle bill helps a lot.

Do whatever you can to support the bottle bill in Hawai'i.

State setting itself up for a big windfall

It is clearly evident that the state has not done its part in gearing up for the bottle bill program. At the same time, the state has held the public to the schedule laid out in the law.

There could be any number of reasons why the state isn't ready. The two that come immediately to mind is just plain ineptness, the other being a desire to gain a windfall profit.

The first reason needs no explanation. We're used to it. With respect to the second reason, not requiring the bottlers to be ready at the start date will easily result in a windfall for the state. When one uses the figure of 67 million containers per month (the figure reported in your article), some simple math shows a deposit rate of $3.3 million per month for the remaining two months of the year.

Let's assume that 50 percent of the containers reaching the consumer are marked appropriately for return. This means that when the state finally gets the redemption centers open, they will refund a total of $3.3 million for containers sold during the last 2 months of 2004. The other $3.3 million goes into state coffers. The 50 percent figure is arbitrary — it could be higher or lower. I fear it will be lower.

We can also assume that we will not see a 100 percent return of those containers marked for refund, further enriching the state. Is it any wonder it doesn't want to delay implementation?

One other thing: If the state plays its cards right, this could become another one of our infamous slush funds that we seem to have stashed everywhere.

The governor has the power to delay this, and she needs to do the right thing. Failure to act would be an indication to the public that she really doesn't care about the consumer and that pursuit of the contents of our wallets is more important.

Overcoming hurdles will be well worth it

As a frequent visitor to O'ahu over the past eight years, I have always been surprised, and disappointed, by the amount of litter strewn around your otherwise beautiful island. I was thus pleased when the Legislature enacted a bottle bill a couple of years ago. We have had similar legislation in Oregon for a number of years, and it is rare indeed to see any returnable bottles littering our streets, sidewalks and parks.

Hawai'i residents and businesses will, no doubt, face some transitional hurdles (Oct. 28 Advertiser articles), but the long-term benefit will be well worth the effort. I encourage both residents and businesses to work diligently to make this worthwhile legislation a success.

Why penalize public?

Hello, anybody home in the Capitol? Seems to me delaying deposit refunds for 60 days is the same as giving the state a short-term, interest-free loan. Since this bill was passed in 2002, why is it that we, the public, must be penalized because manufacturers need a buffer of 60 days to label their bottles? Couldn't they have relabeled before the Nov. 1 start date? Simply labeling "Hawai'i 5 cents — effective 11/2004" would suffice.

Most will accept program as new tax

I have issues with the new bottle bill (tax):

• Where do apartment/condo dwellers store uncrushed containers for two months?

• These stored containers are going to attract insects, i.e. ants and cockroaches.

• Many stores will charge the 5-cent deposit whether or not they have the Hawai'i redemption logo on them.

What bothers me the most is the fact that we have to take the containers to designated recycling centers instead of returning them to the place of purchase. This will put more cars on the road and more carbon monoxide into the atmosphere and further add to the consumer cost as well as be detrimental to the environment, which the new law claims to help. Maui and the Big Island will only have five centers each; that's a lot of drive time.

I believe most people will call it a wash and accept this deposit as the tax it actually is and continue to throw the containers in the rubbish.