02-20-2009, 02:28 PM
Thank you, your comments are very kind. I am glad the many years I spent mashing smelly sh*t of all sorts and looking at it through the microscope to see what clues might be revealed are proving useful in interpreting rat lungworm in my family's new home in beautiful Puna. We hope to move over in August.
As for Councilwoman Emily Naeole directing attention and resources to this issue, the more support she can receive in this regard from Puna and the Big Island as a whole (...anyone who thinks this issue is just a problem in Puna, epidemiologically and economically, is not thinking very far ahead), the better.
While in Puna last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Councilwoman Naeole about the rat lungworm issue twice, once on the telephone and and once in person, and I believe she is on track to do her best with regard to both this specific issue and the larger umbrella of significant epidemiological issues in Puna generally. Councilwoman Naeole's staffer Roxanne and I spoke for over an hour on the telephone about all this, so they clearly have this issue on their radar and are doing their best to become well-informed, crafting useful legislation to present in Council for action in proactive response to the challenge.
I will be back in Puna again this June and would be glad to meet the local workers (who I am sure know far more about all this than I do) if there happens to be another meeting at SPACE or elsewhere on the issue while I am on-island. Dr. Prociv and Dr. Carlisle also indicated to me on the telephone they would be willing to come out of retirement and travel to Hawaii from Australia for sharing their expertise and perspective regarding rat lungworm if the need and resources for doing so were to present themselves.
For whatever it may be worth, I'd offer the observation that while emotions naturally run high around such issues when loved ones and neighbors are at threat, injured, and dying it remains that rallying together and supporting the local medical staff and researchers does far more good than being angry at shortcomings and fumbles. Ultimately, we are all on the same team, in the same larger extended ohana, when it comes to fighting a threat like rat lungworm. From the politicians to the public health officials to the local hospital there is a learning curve and everyone is usually doing the very best they can- folks are just human. A pat on the back and some encouragement goes a whole further toward pulling people together on an issue like this than blame-casting and thumping on folks. The Hawaiian elders know what they are talking about with embracing that spirit of aloha for reals, deep down, not just as a slogan to print on napkins for marketing an image to tourists.
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
A pleasant slideshow: http://www.thejoymovie.com
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
(Edited to correct typos)
As for Councilwoman Emily Naeole directing attention and resources to this issue, the more support she can receive in this regard from Puna and the Big Island as a whole (...anyone who thinks this issue is just a problem in Puna, epidemiologically and economically, is not thinking very far ahead), the better.
While in Puna last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Councilwoman Naeole about the rat lungworm issue twice, once on the telephone and and once in person, and I believe she is on track to do her best with regard to both this specific issue and the larger umbrella of significant epidemiological issues in Puna generally. Councilwoman Naeole's staffer Roxanne and I spoke for over an hour on the telephone about all this, so they clearly have this issue on their radar and are doing their best to become well-informed, crafting useful legislation to present in Council for action in proactive response to the challenge.
I will be back in Puna again this June and would be glad to meet the local workers (who I am sure know far more about all this than I do) if there happens to be another meeting at SPACE or elsewhere on the issue while I am on-island. Dr. Prociv and Dr. Carlisle also indicated to me on the telephone they would be willing to come out of retirement and travel to Hawaii from Australia for sharing their expertise and perspective regarding rat lungworm if the need and resources for doing so were to present themselves.
For whatever it may be worth, I'd offer the observation that while emotions naturally run high around such issues when loved ones and neighbors are at threat, injured, and dying it remains that rallying together and supporting the local medical staff and researchers does far more good than being angry at shortcomings and fumbles. Ultimately, we are all on the same team, in the same larger extended ohana, when it comes to fighting a threat like rat lungworm. From the politicians to the public health officials to the local hospital there is a learning curve and everyone is usually doing the very best they can- folks are just human. A pat on the back and some encouragement goes a whole further toward pulling people together on an issue like this than blame-casting and thumping on folks. The Hawaiian elders know what they are talking about with embracing that spirit of aloha for reals, deep down, not just as a slogan to print on napkins for marketing an image to tourists.
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
A pleasant slideshow: http://www.thejoymovie.com
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
(Edited to correct typos)
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(
Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
)'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(