Stories by none

Pope Francis, in resource-rich PNG, urges fair treatment for workers

PORT MORESBY — Pope Francis on Saturday called for better treatment of workers in Papua New Guinea, a nation of some 600 islands in the Southwestern Pacific that has become a major target of international companies for its gas, gold and other reserves. In a speech to political authorities in the country, which is home to hundreds of tribal groups and more than 800 spoken languages, the 87-year-old Catholic pontiff also made a heartfelt appeal for an end to a spate of ethnic violence that has killed dozens in recent months. The pope, visiting as part of an ambitious 12-day trip to four countries, said PNG’s natural resources were “destined by God” for the whole community.

Wahine have work cut out for them this weekend

After watching her team play a bad first set in both of Hawaii’s season-opening wins last weekend, Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Robyn Ah Mow took her team into the tunnel for what is now being called a “tunnel talk.”

Plant of the Month for September 2024: Delicious, cruciferous Kale

For quite a while, I have been encouraging people to grow more edible plants. We import nearly ninety percent of our food and we could be growing lots of it in our backyards or on our lanais. So, this month I’m going to talk about one of my favorite edibles that can also serve as an attractive ornamental plant. That would be kale. Kale is easy to grow and can be consumed in many ways, making it a plant I always have in my garden.

Tropical Gardening: Fences are used for many purposes

This will be my last column until sometime in November. We will be traveling in Europe and maybe North Africa for a change of scenery and to see how folks are getting along there. Meanwhile, let’s take a moment to reflect on how we are getting along here.

As I See It: Supreme Court conduct

There has been a lot of talk about an out-of-control Supreme Court. The court has embarrassed itself, historically (as in Dred Scott) and recently.Two justices have embarrassed the court by accepting outrageous gifts, i.e., millions of dollars. Clarence Thomas, from Harlan Crow, and Samuel Alito from Paul Singer. There is no convincing evidence that these gifts were simple hospitality like an invitation to dinner or a wedding, for which there would normally be some sort of informal reciprocity. These two consistently opined in ways that favored the donor, in some way politically and possibly financially. Persons of great wealth have affairs so intertangled that their interests can be hard to track.

Volcano Watch: Webcam upgrades keep a sharp eye on Hawaiian volcanoes

Photography has been a crucial part of volcano monitoring in Hawaii going back to the start of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. In 1911, Frank Perret spent a summer capturing stunning black and white photos of Kilauea’s summit lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. Fast forward a century, and webcams are scattered across the island, snapping images of the volcanoes 24/7 in 4K resolution.