tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post3666839627834721689..comments2023-10-17T04:51:08.765-10:00Comments on KauaiEclectic: Musings: Bustin' Craven MovesJoan Conrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-59499553685924450142015-11-04T17:12:43.893-10:002015-11-04T17:12:43.893-10:00Neither China nor France ban the import of grain w...Neither China nor France ban the import of grain with biotech traits. In fact, Europe is dependent on imported soy and maize, almost all with biotech traits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-49784538949273495662015-11-03T17:48:40.562-10:002015-11-03T17:48:40.562-10:00POSTED IN EDUCATION
The U.S. ranks 14th in educat...POSTED IN EDUCATION<br /><br />The U.S. ranks 14th in education<br />According to Pearson, the United States has a “cognitive skills and educational attainment” score of 0.39, which makes the United States rank fourteenth out of forty countries ranked in that category. The top ten countries (and their scores) are:<br /><br />South Korea (1.30)<br />Japan (1.03)<br />Singapore (0.99)<br />Hong Kong (0.96)<br />Finland (0.92)<br />United Kingdom (0.67)<br />Canada (0.60)<br />Netherlands (0.58)<br />Ireland (0.51)<br />Poland (0.50)<br />6 January 2015<br /><br />The U.S. ranks 2nd in ignorance<br />According to the research firm IPSOS Mori, the United States ranks second out of fourteen countries in general ignorance about social statistics such as teen pregnancy, unemployment rates, and voting patterns. Italy is the most ignorant of the fourteen countries.<br /><br />The U.S. ranks 33rd in internet download speeds<br />According to the Ookla Speedtest, the average internet download speed in the U.S. is 21.72 Mbps, which makes the United States rank thirty-third out of one hundred ninety economies ranked in that category. Hong Kong ranks first, with an average internet download speed of 72.54 Mbps. The top ten internet download speeds are:<br /><br />Hong Kong (72.54 Mbps)<br />Singapore (58.73 Mbps)<br />Romania (56.69 Mbps)<br />South Korea (52.35 Mbps)<br />Japan (42.28 Mbps)<br />Andorra (42.08 Mbps)<br />Sweden (41.39 Mbps)<br />Lithuania (40.48 Mbps)<br />Switzerland (40.35 Mbps)<br />Macau (40.25 Mbps)<br /><br />The U.S. ranks 24th in literacy<br />According to the Program for International Student Assessment, the average reading literacy score for U.S. fifteen-year old students is 498 (out of 1000 possible points). That is enough to make the United States rank twenty-fourth out of sixty-five educational systems ranked in that category. Shangai, China, ranked first, with a score of 570.<br /><br />The U.S. ranks 17th in educational performance<br />According to the report, The Learning Curve, developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the United States ranks seventeenth out of forty countries ranked in overall educational performance. Finland ranks first. The top ten countries in educational performance are:<br /><br />Finland<br />South Korea<br />Hong Kong SAR<br />Japan<br />Singapore<br />United Kingdom<br />Netherlands<br />New Zealand<br />Switzerland<br />Canada.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-6664923791854042912015-11-03T16:59:05.343-10:002015-11-03T16:59:05.343-10:00Antis mistakenly call lengthy approval processes i...Antis mistakenly call lengthy approval processes in some countries an anti-gmo ban. Here's some real info on China's strongly pro-gmo stance:<br /><br />"The Chinese have long been wary of genetically modified organisms, grown from seeds designed to yield plants more resistant to drought, bugs, and other hazards. While imports of GMO-derived soybeans and corn are used as livestock feed, human consumption of GMO-based food is banned except for cooking oil and papayas.<br /><br />China’s top officials are gearing up to turn their country into a GMO power. In a speech released last fall, President Xi Jinping said China must “boldly research and innovate, [and] dominate the high points of GMO techniques.” An agricultural policy paper issued early this year calls for more GMO research. A pro-GMO ad campaign from the agriculture ministry began in September 2014. Beijing-based Origin Agritech has already developed GMO corn seeds, while other Chinese companies are working on new rice varieties. “Biotechnology is our investment for the future,” says Origin Chairman Han Gengchen. He expects the government to allow planting of GMO corn within three years.<br /><br />China needs a sharp boost in farm productivity, which has been hurt by damaged soil, contaminated water, and overuse of fertilizer and pesticides. The official Xinhua News Agency on Feb. 4, wrote, “GMO technology has long been considered an effective way to increase yields on marginal lands.”<br /><br />China is the destination of more than 60 percent of global soybean exports, almost all genetically engineered. This dependence on foreigners concerns China’s leaders, who have seen self-sufficiency in grain as a strategic imperative.<br />http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/china-does-an-about-face-on-gmos<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-44440660362458758142015-11-03T10:13:00.028-10:002015-11-03T10:13:00.028-10:00Russia just banned growing and importing GMOʻs. Th...Russia just banned growing and importing GMOʻs. They join more than 30 countries like China and France. Why are these countries so stupid? Why do they not follow the USA and be smart like us? Russia says they have enough land to grow organic and sustainable foods for everyone. What a crock! Monsanto, you only spent $67 million to defeat GMO labeling in Cali and Washington. Please consider spending more to protect us consumers from these communists who support the publicʻs right to know ingredients in their food. Only communists and those who are against the American way of life find Gmos and pesticides to be a problem. If you donʻt like GMOs, then move to Russia or France.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-9323436446643342922015-11-03T08:02:42.181-10:002015-11-03T08:02:42.181-10:00Lihue looks like Lihue. People go nuts over the si...Lihue looks like Lihue. People go nuts over the silliest things. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-52994043174765864562015-11-02T22:12:24.095-10:002015-11-02T22:12:24.095-10:00Everytime I drive by a bus stop that doesn't h...Everytime I drive by a bus stop that doesn't have shelter and see people waiting in the hot sun, I just say hey the county just saved 80K from a rip off Union overbid contract and that's for every shelter that is being proposed like the 2 million dollar bid to fix the Kilauea gym's roof. <br /><br />A local contractor actually told the county that it would cost less than 50K to fix. <br /><br />2 million dollars and 50K is the same as Kauai saying it would cost a few billion dollars to build another Wailua bridge or over 150 million that the county spent building a bike path that they fed the federal government as a multimodal use path.<br /><br />How do you win the lottery everytime?<br /><br />Just be a construction Union member or better yet be one of the reps so you can buy million dollar houses, boats, take trips to vegas and other countries, as well as pay for your mistresses, massage parlors, and bastard kids education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-88337635309690961402015-11-02T19:11:51.503-10:002015-11-02T19:11:51.503-10:00revitalization, ? tell us dummies how this is rea...revitalization, ? tell us dummies how this is really going to help Lihue, besides making it look like Carmel? The town/populatiopn is moving west, anybody can see that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-49722023186187264382015-11-02T08:37:34.175-10:002015-11-02T08:37:34.175-10:00It's called job security as in securing Union ...It's called job security as in securing Union votes.<br /><br />The labor unions such as in the construction ones have too much power on Kauai and a lot of the nonsense double and triple lazy jobs are done just to get those millyuns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-23493500509709907392015-11-02T08:35:32.693-10:002015-11-02T08:35:32.693-10:00A complete waste of federal funding when there'...A complete waste of federal funding when there's other areas in island in dire need of basic road servicing.<br /><br />What is a luxury and what is essential are two questions that the county has to ask the people because our leaders don't seem to know what the hell they are doing.<br /><br />Heck they have to have some guy called the shadow write articles in TGI to identify problem areas and still years later nothing is done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-8611936659341349472015-11-02T08:31:52.243-10:002015-11-02T08:31:52.243-10:00No the problem is that Kauai is paying way too muc...No the problem is that Kauai is paying way too much for people who aren't qualified to do the jobs.<br /><br />The last outside agency audit of the county of Kauai proves that the county's government is abusing hiring policies and also pay and leave policies.<br /><br />Plain and simple lots of shibai going on.<br /><br />One thing that private businesses and also other states, counties and federal government dept's are doing is contracting out non essential employees.<br /><br />How many grass cutters do we have on Kauai county budget and how many do we need?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-89667217728202541722015-11-02T05:58:48.913-10:002015-11-02T05:58:48.913-10:00Hiring the best and brightest costs real money. W...Hiring the best and brightest costs real money. When civil service employees make more than their bosses and have job security, it'll be hard to get a retired general to work for less than he/she would make in the private sector. Even attracting top quality mid-management personnel is challenging. Take the recent departure of a Parks & Rec project manager. He was doing so well at addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance and managing contracts that one of his vendors simply hired him away at near double his salary. Citizens demand a high caliber of county personnel but doesn't want to give pay raises or pay higher taxes to attract those experienced individuals. We are getting exactly what we pay for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-64096319493715007802015-11-02T05:53:58.836-10:002015-11-02T05:53:58.836-10:00It's called revitalization, happens all over t...It's called revitalization, happens all over the world and is much needed in Lihue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-3979748989813513862015-11-01T21:06:13.137-10:002015-11-01T21:06:13.137-10:00if you think Haleko is bad, wait til they begin th...if you think Haleko is bad, wait til they begin the do-over of Rice st. How much did the county spend to widen Rice St just a few years ago? Millions? Plus the huge disruption created by the construction. Now they're going to spend $13 + million to make Rice Street narrow again, plus add a lot of fancy stuff like medians, landscaping, sidewwalks, bike lanes, walking paths, etc. etc, Like by the State building. looks nice, but don't do anything but make traffic more jam up. During the day., maybe 20 or less business doorways open on Rice st. from Haleko down to the Convention hall. After pau hana the number drops to less than 10. So where all the people going, walking on the paths and riding bikes? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-10222191960904237582015-11-01T18:18:22.064-10:002015-11-01T18:18:22.064-10:00Concentrating the economic power of marijuana in t...Concentrating the economic power of marijuana in the hands of a few is wrong on so many levels. So much for free enterprise. Watch out if it happens here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-75264344044238303862015-11-01T17:16:19.600-10:002015-11-01T17:16:19.600-10:00Who said the general is a he, could be a she or ev...Who said the general is a he, could be a she or even a Caitlynn.<br /><br />But all humor put aside, we have all seen and experienced the BAD Mayor, crony administration, and do nothing county council so we need a general to LEAD Kauai and not these high school flunkies in office reliving their days of glory.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-8789385395241163602015-11-01T14:33:35.110-10:002015-11-01T14:33:35.110-10:00@11:35 AM - the retired General has to be bald oth...@11:35 AM - the retired General has to be bald otherwise he'd hurt himself pulling all his hair out dealing with the Kauai bureaucracy. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-38096204813895709062015-11-01T11:37:27.958-10:002015-11-01T11:37:27.958-10:00Yeah and the Princeville shuttle was a legal way t...Yeah and the Princeville shuttle was a legal way that the Mayor, county council and Nadine funded a personal business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-22073001025167719332015-11-01T11:35:06.675-10:002015-11-01T11:35:06.675-10:00A county manager like a retired General would solv...A county manager like a retired General would solve a lot of Kauai's government corruption.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-1725714970199943612015-11-01T10:20:09.423-10:002015-11-01T10:20:09.423-10:00Now this is interesting:
http://www.msn.com/en-us...Now this is interesting:<br /><br />http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/on-ballot-ohio-grapples-with-specter-of-marijuana-monopoly/ar-BBmH4ub?ocid=spartanntp<br /><br />Big biz in Ohio wants a marijuana monopoly. Not exactly what Bob Marley had in mind when he sang "Legalize It".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-49807446395491282882015-11-01T09:20:59.843-10:002015-11-01T09:20:59.843-10:00@7:32 - So just because one County auditor didn...@7:32 - So just because one County auditor didn't work our, no auditor will ever? That's kinds slim thinking. We need an experienced CPA auditor badly!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-19555209977251719652015-11-01T07:23:40.957-10:002015-11-01T07:23:40.957-10:00We had a county auditor that answered to the counc...We had a county auditor that answered to the council and see how well that worked out. Repackaged audits prepared by outside consultants, politically motivated and targeted audits, free passes to political friends (like Shay) for inappropriate vehicle use, a new department created with a $1 million budget, former employee allowed to work from Oahu and charge travel cost to taxpayers, several employee related lawsuits and claims (Ernie, Stephanie, Ron) within this department, and no substantial savings to taxpayers as a result of the audits. What a waste of money! Now you'd like to have a manager selected by council too. Why not just get rid of the mayor and let council run the county, because that's what this proposal does. Council hasn't made a good decision in years. Get rid of the auditor's office and use the $1 million savings to repave our roads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-44172424846846443852015-11-01T05:49:08.819-10:002015-11-01T05:49:08.819-10:00If you think we don't need checks and balances...If you think we don't need checks and balances in government and if you think the council is doing a superb job, then county manager may be for you, but if you are smart enough to know that we have an excellent county manager in Nadine and the checks and balances of both a strong mayor and a strong council better serve the people, then no to a county manager that answers to the council.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-29707496137499593272015-10-31T19:51:07.842-10:002015-10-31T19:51:07.842-10:00Would a county manager system of government serve ...Would a county manager system of government serve the county of Kauai better than the current mayor/council system?<br /><br />questions Yes. It would be more efficient and professional. No. Nothing wrong with the way things are now. Maybe. What’s the difference?<br /><br />Yes. It would be more efficient and professional. 53.1%<br /><br />No. Nothing wrong with the way things are now. 29.2%<br /><br />Maybe. What’s the difference? 17.7%<br /><br /> <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-15604697758399445272015-10-31T11:32:06.019-10:002015-10-31T11:32:06.019-10:00Thank you Joan for your insightfulness, courage, a...Thank you Joan for your insightfulness, courage, and wit, and thank you 7 AM for your well-said and unfortunately true comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-50364119790133304422015-10-31T09:28:38.009-10:002015-10-31T09:28:38.009-10:00Joan, maybe you can tackle the Haleko Road disaste...Joan, maybe you can tackle the Haleko Road disaster. This extraordinarily ill-timed project was supposed to take three weeks. It is now six. And hardly anyone is working. They are building a sidewalk to nowhere. Who ever gave this the go ahead needs to be fired. They have crippled traffic in the entire area and seem to have zero concern. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com