Even worse than the incompetent, careless or insensible doctor, is the ungrateful and personally irresponsible patient.

When did doctors become responsible for our health and happiness? When did we forget that their medicine, which sometimes treats symptoms, remains poisonous to our livers, kidneys and blood? When did we begin to substitute synthetic concoctions for wise counsel? When did we forget that we reap what we sow? Why is the doctor responsible for curing conditions which have taken lifetimes of consent to manifest?

When did we begin to believe that a narrowly specialized doctor was preferable to a widely wise physician? When did we begin to prefer numbers and measurement, rather than the keen senses, experiences and intuition of a physician?

When did we begin to shrink the causes of illness to the invisible realms, instead of expand our connections to greater magnitudes of life and consciousness?

When did  we begin to believe that naming an illness or disease signified that someone actually understood the nature, origin and operations of the thing named?

When did we begin to accept long waits in order to see a doctor for seven minutes? When did  our medicine become disaster, catastrophe and calamity oriented? When did we first imagine that medicine was about illness, instead of health and vitality? When did we decide to spend billions and our time studying diseases, instead of  those who are healthy? When did medicine become more about money than compassion? When did it first go unnoticed that rich doctors were constantly whining about “shrinking” wealth, while living in ever larger houses?

When was the last time a doctor sighed in your presence?

– Raphael O’Suna,   Haiku

Recycle: to use again – a simple definition for a process that has grown in importance as we continue to overflow landfills and deplete natural resources, especially on an island like Maui.

Finally, more people are turning to recycling and making it a part of their everyday lives and there are more programs to help with the effort. Expanding from the modest aluminum can, glass and newspaper collections of past years, there are now programs for appliances, electronics, ink cartridges and scrap metal. Plastic shopping bags are now accepted–just put them all in one bag and deposit in the proper bin. Even the family Christmas tree is now turned into garden mulch.

It only takes a few minutes a day to keep your recyclables separate from the garbage, pack them up and drop them off at the nearest collection center. Contribute to keeping Maui clean, reduce landfill trash and save precious natural resources from overuse and depletion. Every ounce counts. Every person counts–we can all make a difference.

Recently, a weekly radio program, “Talking Trash” with Hannah Steele, has debuted on Wednesday mornings at 11:00 on 1110 AM radio devoted entirely to recycling issues. Check it out, call in with questions and keep interest about recycling growing.

Many municipalities provide for home pickup of many items–something for our county to aspire to. Maui has many collection centers stationed across the island. For a complete listing of Maui recycling locations, hours for accepting recyclables, what is accepted and how to prepare it and other sources for specialty items, go to the Maui County Web site at www.mauicounty.gov/recycle.

Contribute to keeping Maui clean, reduce landfill trash and save precious natural resources from overuse and depletion. Every ounce counts. Every person counts–we can all make a difference.

Keep it clean. Keep it green. Keep it Maui.

– Haole Anna, Paia

Maui Food Bank - 243-9500
The Thanksgiving feast is just a pleasant memory for most of us, and the busy holiday entertaining season is upon us. For many, munching our way through December and into the new year is a normal state of being. Unfortunately, there are many having a very difficult time just putting the basics on the table–having to depend on the generosity of others to stock free food programs and ease the hunger pangs. Take the time and effort to make your donation now, as it’s the time of year most organizations are able to lay in supplies for several months to come.

Whether it’s the community church, food bank, homeless shelter, facilities for abused women and children, Salvation Army or other charitable organization, your help is welcomed and needed. In fact, it might be a good New Year’s resolution to donate monthly to one or more of these worthwhile groups. A feast is a matter of perspective and may well be a simple supply of staples to a needy person temporarily down in the luck department. Cash and/or non-perishables will always be welcome–think about donating the equivalent of one branded coffee drink a month–not so much and sure to be as big a pick-me-up to some hungry person as the cuppa would ever be.

Step up. Chip in. Show your Maui aloha spirit.

– Haole Anna, Paia

www.freerice.com
At a time of year when we often eat, drink and be merry to excess, it’s sometimes hard to fathom that there are others in the world with little or nothing to eat.

And it’s far too easy to say there is nothing we can do as individuals about that sad fact of life beyond donating a dollar or two to one fund or another. There are, however, more imaginative examples of what one person can do to to contribute, and at the same time, involve others in the process.

Dismayed by the fact that there are many going without and even starving in our bountiful world, John Breen  of Bloomington, Indiana, created the  freerice.com Internet game online that promises to contribute ten grains of rice with each correct answer to a multiple-choice vocabulary question. After three correct answers, the player graduates to a higher difficulty vocabulary level — equaling 30 grains of rice per level. While 10 grains of rice is a tiny amount, the numbers add up quickly as more people hear about the game and participate.

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It’s official–the Northern Pacific Humpback Whales have begun arriving in Maui waters for their annual breeding and calving season, taking shelter in the warm and protected waters between the islands. While the peak whale sighting season is in January, they begin arriving in November and settle in through the winter months and beyond–some remaining through April and into May to enjoy a tropical respite from their wanderings throughout the Pacific.

The Humpback’s scientific name, Megaptera novaengliae (Great wings of New England), refers to its its 15-foot pectoral fins, while the name Humpback was coined by whalers, possibly because of its appearance while diving–and diving would have been the natural and necessary response to whaling ships shooting harpoons. First recorded by whalers in the 1840s in the Maui area, no one knows just how long they have been coming here, but their arrival is celebrated throughout the islands.

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The trade winds,  nature’s wonderful marine zephyrs, keep Maui and the Hawaiian Islands cool. There are scientific reasons  why the “trades” are the prevailing winds of the tropics. They blow from the high-pressure of the horse latitudes near 30 degrees, toward the low-pressure area around the equator, at a velocity 10-30 mph. Because of the Corilios Effect, south of the equator the trade winds  blow from the southeast, but here in Hawaii at about 20 degrees north latitude, they blow from the northeast.

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The MACC. What a wonderful showcase for the arts and a great asset for the county. My first experience at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center was a terrific outdoor concert featuring Bonnie Raitt. Good music under the stars in the midst of happy fans–great fun by anyone’s standards. The MACC brings theatrical productions and internationally known performers live in concert to the island and also supports and features local talent. Music, dance, comedy and drama all find a home here.

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If you live on the northshore of Maui and like to walk your dog, ride a bike, or perambulate or jog for exercise, it can be a challenge to find a good safe place. The intrepid (and perhaps foolish) souls go right along busy Hana Highway (too many walking dangerously WITH traffic, instead of the safer AGAINST traffic).

Others find Holomua Road the perfect solution. Just around the corner and east about a quarter of a mile past Mama’s Fish House, Holomua is the first right turn heading mauka. Tucked between the cane fields off Hana Highway, you quickly leave the hustle and bustle and noises of traffic behind. Trees reach in and over from each side of the road forming a long green archway, providing a serene invitation to follow the gentle but steady incline.

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The rainbow. To Hawaiians, the rainbow — Anuenue — signified the presence of the gods. According to Judeo-Christian tradition, the rainbow was Yaweh’s promise to Noah that the great flood was abating and the earth would never again be so inundated.

Maui enjoys an abundance of this spectacular natural wonder because rain showers occur with such frequency here, at various locations and elevations throughout the island.

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A charming and colorful aspect of Maui island life is the presence of locally owned grocery and food specialty stores. Without a doubt, Mana Food Market in Paia is one of the most remarkable and colorful examples. From the landmark green & psychedelic storefront facing Baldwin Avenue, to the eclectic and varied products found inside, it’s easy to see why Mana’s has become a must-do experience, whether you’re just passing through or a full-time resident of Maui.

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