• Pesticides, by definition, are poison • Make it rain! Pesticides, by definition, are poison The May 26 TGI Forum had an article about the JFF Report from Allan Parachini. He mentions that though Kauai seed companies use one to three times
• Pesticides, by definition, are poison • Make it rain!
Pesticides, by definition, are poison
The May 26 TGI Forum had an article about the JFF Report from Allan Parachini. He mentions that though Kauai seed companies use one to three times more pesticides and 0.8 to 1.7 times the amount of herbicides used in mainland corn states, that it’s about the same. Up to three times more is not about the same. Nor is Kauai the size of a corn producing state.
By definition, herbicides and pesticides are toxic poisons. I’d like to think great lengths have gone into vetting these chemicals by the EPA but it turns out that many are approved without study. The EPA does not have the ability to test each and every one of the thousands of chemicals in use or sometimes will rely on studies done by the manufacturer.
In some cases after years of use, the EPA will withdraw approval of some pesticides, for example methomyl which the EPA now calls extremely toxic, though it’s been used on crops such as barley, oats and rye since 1968. The EPA determined it to be too toxic for human consumption in 2015 for those crops. It’s use was also canceled for strawberries and grapes in 2010. Just one example of a dangerous pesticide used on our food for decades.
An example of problem herbicides used on GMOs is Enlist Duo which is glyphosate (round up) and 2,4-D both probable carcinogens, now also linked to kidney abnormalities.
This why until proven safe, we might want buffer zones. We might want much less than three times the herbicides used in corn producing states.
I applaud those who have stepped up asking for tighter policy for herbicides and pesticides. I who have done nothing about this, thank those who recognize the potential problem we are living with and who have stuck with it, especially Gary Hoosier.
To label our friends and neighbors “extremists” for their concern and activism is disingenuous and wrong. I hope time does not prove herbicide and pesticide chemical exposure to be a danger to our health, aina and water. But I am not assured. If methomyl is any example it may take decades to know.
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
Make it rain!
With thunder, lightning, and finally rain, Kauai Community Players’ production of N. Richard Nash’s “The Rainmaker” strikes audiences in the heart, soul, and funny bone. The stately and gallant Bard Widmer, a self-proclaimed soul-surfer and lover of westerns complete with perfectly full and trimmed beard, makes a nearly flawless directorial debut, silently watching each performance in the stands as his impressive cast and crew led by Ian Foster (Starbuck Smith) and Rebecca Hanson (Lizzie Curry) make it rain for all in attendance.
Considered by many avid theater-goers to be the best KCP show of the year, it’s no wonder “The Rainmaker” has been extended to run through Memorial Day Weekend, a fitting finale for a solid production with thoroughly engaging set and performances.
More than just a western, “The Rainmaker” focuses on love and self-worth mixed in with some big helpings of laughs and light-hearted witty banter. Rounding out the highly experienced cast are Morgan Liddell (H.C. Curry), James Warrack (Noah Curry), Bailey Hutton (Jim Curry), Bruce Fehring (Sheriff), and Fili Leasau (Deputy File).
“If people are not only entertained but also are learning something or seeing a reflection of something they have learned in their life then we are doing our job right,” says Widmer, a San Diego native who has firmly established himself on Kauai as an actor, father, husband, and owner of Tiki Tacos in Kapaa. “I am looking forward for another round of rain making.”
Show times for the final weekend of “The Rainmaker” playing at the Puhi Theatrical Warehouse are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.
Make it rain, Kauai!
Fili Auro, Lihue
