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| Ralph Gaston, third from left, of Rusty's Hawaiian 100 Percent Ka`u Coffee and Hawai`i Coffee Association, manned the Hawai`i coffee booth at SCAA in Atlanta. Photo by Malian Lahey |
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| Rusty Obra, Jr. |
Last month, Obra, a culinary arts teacher, won the Eastern Region Championship in New York with the following recipe: Using 19.7 grams coffee, 260 grams water and a total brew time of 2:45, pour 60 grams of 185 degrees Fahrenheit water into an inverted AeroPress, bloom for 30 seconds. Stir three times, then pour remaining 200 grams of water and steep for 1:30. Add cap, invert, and plunge for 45 seconds. Swirl to aerate, and serve. Last year, Obra won the national championship. See more at rustyshawaiian.com.
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“Awareness of relevant earthquake history and experiences is essential, especially when earthquakes occur and are felt in relatively inactive regions like the counties of Maui and Honolulu. In general terms, areas where large earthquakes have occurred in the past are expected to continue to experience large earthquakes in the future.
“USGS Bulletin 2006, Isoseismal Maps, Macroseismic Epicenters, and Estimated Magnitudes of Historical Earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands, serves as the authoritative reference for large earthquakes in Hawai`i between 1823 and 1992. Authors Max Wyss and Bob Koyanagi, former University of Alaska at Fairbanks professor and HVO seismologist, respectively, based their assessments of past earthquakes on historical documents, along with insights derived from modern geology and seismology.
“In January 1938, a M6.9 earthquake occurred northeast of Maui. Among its extreme effects on Maui, Wyss and Koyanagi report cracked water catchment and oil tanks and broken water pipelines. Buildings were also damaged on Maui, as well as on O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawai`i. It's not possible to say if the M4.2 earthquake on March 31, 2016 ruptured the same fault as in 1938, but a M6.9 earthquake near Maui today would result in far greater losses now than then.
“Wyss and Koyanagi also list two noteworthy earthquakes west of Lana`i: a M6.9 earthquake in February 1871 and a M4.8 earthquake in September 1948. Damage from these earthquakes occurred in Honolulu, as well as in Maui County. Because of the difficulties in precisely locating these two older earthquakes, it is uncertain whether the April 5, 2016, M2.8 earthquake occurred on the same fault as the 1871 and 1948 earthquakes. But again, a M6.9 earthquake would result in substantially greater impacts in Honolulu and Maui Counties today than in 1871.
“Predicting the precise location, time and magnitude of a future earthquake is still not possible. Small earthquakes, however, remind us that damaging earthquakes are part of Hawai`i’s history, and we must understand how to prepare and respond effectively across the entire state when a large earthquake strikes. “Resources like the Great Hawai`i ShakeOut website (http://www.shakeout.org) and the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (http://earthquake.gov) offer useful information on earthquake awareness and preparedness.”
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THE SPECIALTY COFFEE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Expo “is an amazing forum where coffee industry professionals network and learn about markets, methods and equipment. Hawai`i and Ka`u were well represented,” reports Chis Manfredi, one of those representing Ka`u at the Atlanta convention that wrapped up today.
“Ka`u has duly earned its place among the finest coffee-producing origins across the globe,” said Manfredi. “The Hawai`i Coffee Association hosted an information and tasting booth that was staffed by a diverse group of members that represented coffees produced throughout Hawai`i. There is talk about expanding our presence by establishing a Hawai`i pavilion next year in Seattle,” he said.
See more on Ka`u Coffee at kaucoffeefest.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.
“Ka`u has duly earned its place among the finest coffee-producing origins across the globe,” said Manfredi. “The Hawai`i Coffee Association hosted an information and tasting booth that was staffed by a diverse group of members that represented coffees produced throughout Hawai`i. There is talk about expanding our presence by establishing a Hawai`i pavilion next year in Seattle,” he said.
See more on Ka`u Coffee at kaucoffeefest.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Clare Connors Photo from Davis Levin Livingston |
U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE voted to approve Clare Connors to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai`i. Sen. Brian Schatz recommended Connors’ nomination to President Obama in June of last year.
“This is an important step forward, and I congratulate the Senate Judiciary Committee for recognizing Clare Connors as a strong candidate for the U.S. District Court for Hawai`i,” Schatz said. “Clare’s knowledge, fair-mindedness and dedication to justice will make her an exemplary district court judge. I look forward to voting for her when her nomination reaches the Senate floor.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono called the committee’s action “a testament to Clare’s integrity and respected standing. I was proud to speak to the committee in support of Clare in January and look forward to supporting her nomination before the full Senate,” she said.
Connors’ nomination will now head to the Senate floor for a final vote. In January, Schatz delivered testimony in support of Connors at her nomination hearing before the Judiciary Committee.
Connors is a trial attorney who began her legal career in 2001 with the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2002, she served as a clerk for the Honorable Judge David Ezra, in his capacity as a federal district court judge. She returned to Hawai`i to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney. She continues to practice law as an associate at Davis Levin Livingston in Hawai`i.
A graduate of Punahou School, Connors has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. She has served on the faculty of the William S. Richardson School of Law as a Lecturer in Law for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Clinic. In 2014, she was appointed to be a Lawyer Representative for the District of Hawai`i to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and previously served as a Lawyer Delegate to the Hawaii District Conference.
The U.S. District Court judge position became available following Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway’s retirement from active service.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono called the committee’s action “a testament to Clare’s integrity and respected standing. I was proud to speak to the committee in support of Clare in January and look forward to supporting her nomination before the full Senate,” she said.
Connors’ nomination will now head to the Senate floor for a final vote. In January, Schatz delivered testimony in support of Connors at her nomination hearing before the Judiciary Committee.
Connors is a trial attorney who began her legal career in 2001 with the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2002, she served as a clerk for the Honorable Judge David Ezra, in his capacity as a federal district court judge. She returned to Hawai`i to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney. She continues to practice law as an associate at Davis Levin Livingston in Hawai`i.
A graduate of Punahou School, Connors has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. She has served on the faculty of the William S. Richardson School of Law as a Lecturer in Law for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Clinic. In 2014, she was appointed to be a Lawyer Representative for the District of Hawai`i to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and previously served as a Lawyer Delegate to the Hawaii District Conference.
The U.S. District Court judge position became available following Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway’s retirement from active service.
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| Recent earthquakes reminded all Hawai`i residents that they should prepare for damaging temblors. Map from USGS/HVO |
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss gentle reminders for all Hawai`i residents to prepare for damaging earthquakes in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
“Each year, Hawai`i County residents likely feel dozens of earthquakes,” the article states. “They might readily agree that earthquakes are indeed part of living on the Island of Hawai`i. But residents across the state of Hawai`i, recently nudged by three small earthquakes, were gently reminded that they, too, live with earthquakes.
“Early morning on March 28, 2016, a magnitude-3.6 (M3.6) earthquake struck beneath the isthmus connecting West and East Maui. Four days later, late on the night of March 31, a M4.2 earthquake, centered roughly 55 miles east of Hana, Maui, was felt across the state. Three days later, on the morning of April 5, a M2.8 earthquake, centered about three miles off Diamond Head, shook parts of Honolulu. While all three were considered small earthquakes, they were large enough that people felt them and submitted reports at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It?” webpage (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/).
“Typically, an earthquake’s location provides the first clues as to its cause. The recent Maui and O`ahu earthquakes – recorded statewide by seismographic networks of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center – were all located at depths between about 11 and 22 miles.
“At such depths, and away from centers of volcanic activity, such as Kilauea or Mauna Loa on Hawai`i Island, the flexing, or bending, of the Earth's lithosphere (the crust and uppermost rigid layer of the mantle) due to the weight of the islands produces forces that result in occasional earthquakes. Lithospheric flexure occurs over geologic time, with associated earthquakes occurring much less frequently, compared to earthquakes more directly linked to active Hawaiian volcanism. Volcanic processes, which can rapidly change conditions within active volcanoes, generate many thousands of earthquakes recorded by HVO each year.
“Early morning on March 28, 2016, a magnitude-3.6 (M3.6) earthquake struck beneath the isthmus connecting West and East Maui. Four days later, late on the night of March 31, a M4.2 earthquake, centered roughly 55 miles east of Hana, Maui, was felt across the state. Three days later, on the morning of April 5, a M2.8 earthquake, centered about three miles off Diamond Head, shook parts of Honolulu. While all three were considered small earthquakes, they were large enough that people felt them and submitted reports at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It?” webpage (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/).
“Typically, an earthquake’s location provides the first clues as to its cause. The recent Maui and O`ahu earthquakes – recorded statewide by seismographic networks of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center – were all located at depths between about 11 and 22 miles.
“At such depths, and away from centers of volcanic activity, such as Kilauea or Mauna Loa on Hawai`i Island, the flexing, or bending, of the Earth's lithosphere (the crust and uppermost rigid layer of the mantle) due to the weight of the islands produces forces that result in occasional earthquakes. Lithospheric flexure occurs over geologic time, with associated earthquakes occurring much less frequently, compared to earthquakes more directly linked to active Hawaiian volcanism. Volcanic processes, which can rapidly change conditions within active volcanoes, generate many thousands of earthquakes recorded by HVO each year.
“When relatively infrequent earthquakes occur within a week of one another, it’s reasonable to wonder whether they might be closely linked. Their connections are possibly more difficult to prove than to disprove. We lack sufficiently detailed information and understanding of conditions at these depths beneath Hawai`i to explain why one small earthquake would lead to another, islands apart.
“Awareness of relevant earthquake history and experiences is essential, especially when earthquakes occur and are felt in relatively inactive regions like the counties of Maui and Honolulu. In general terms, areas where large earthquakes have occurred in the past are expected to continue to experience large earthquakes in the future. “USGS Bulletin 2006, Isoseismal Maps, Macroseismic Epicenters, and Estimated Magnitudes of Historical Earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands, serves as the authoritative reference for large earthquakes in Hawai`i between 1823 and 1992. Authors Max Wyss and Bob Koyanagi, former University of Alaska at Fairbanks professor and HVO seismologist, respectively, based their assessments of past earthquakes on historical documents, along with insights derived from modern geology and seismology.
“In January 1938, a M6.9 earthquake occurred northeast of Maui. Among its extreme effects on Maui, Wyss and Koyanagi report cracked water catchment and oil tanks and broken water pipelines. Buildings were also damaged on Maui, as well as on O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawai`i. It's not possible to say if the M4.2 earthquake on March 31, 2016 ruptured the same fault as in 1938, but a M6.9 earthquake near Maui today would result in far greater losses now than then.
“Wyss and Koyanagi also list two noteworthy earthquakes west of Lana`i: a M6.9 earthquake in February 1871 and a M4.8 earthquake in September 1948. Damage from these earthquakes occurred in Honolulu, as well as in Maui County. Because of the difficulties in precisely locating these two older earthquakes, it is uncertain whether the April 5, 2016, M2.8 earthquake occurred on the same fault as the 1871 and 1948 earthquakes. But again, a M6.9 earthquake would result in substantially greater impacts in Honolulu and Maui Counties today than in 1871.
“Predicting the precise location, time and magnitude of a future earthquake is still not possible. Small earthquakes, however, remind us that damaging earthquakes are part of Hawai`i’s history, and we must understand how to prepare and respond effectively across the entire state when a large earthquake strikes. “Resources like the Great Hawai`i ShakeOut website (http://www.shakeout.org) and the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (http://earthquake.gov) offer useful information on earthquake awareness and preparedness.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.
CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE’S 100th anniversary and the centennial of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park during National Park Week with entry fees waived through next Sunday, April 24.
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| Hike `Iliahi Trail on National Park Rx Day. Photo from NPS |
NATIONAL PARK Rx DAY is a week from today on Sunday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., a community health initiative to prescribe time in parks to promote wellness. Join park rangers and Dr. Craig Kadooka on an easy one-mile roundtrip hike of upper `Iliahi Trail. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai at 10 a.m.
The first 200 walkers will receive a reusable water bottle and fresh fruit. Hawaiian practitioners Edna and Sam Baldado will demonstrate the heath benefits of kalo, and Ka`ohu Monfort will share how Hawaiians use plants to heal and cure. HMSA will also provide a table with health information.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_April_2016.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |