Hawaii Home Frank Diaz

The Well-Being Index will be a daily measure determining factors that impact well-being.

Gallup.com’s also has a “State of the States” that series reveals state-by-state differences in political party affiliation, consumer confidence, well-being, and more, based on U.S. daily tracking data collected between January and June 2009. To view those surveys, click here.

Hawaii and Utah topped the nation, with West Virginia and Kentuck maintaining their status with the lowest well-being. The Well-Being Index score for the nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities. The January through June 2009 aggregate includes more than 170,000 interviews conducted among national adults, aged 18 and older.

The midyear 2009 Well-Being Index score for the country so far in 2009 is 65.2, a moderate decline from 65.9 in 2008. Hawaii had a score of 69.4. In addition to having the best overall Well-Being Index score, Hawaii is also at the top in terms of Emotional Health.

http://www.hawaiihome.biz/2009/08/gallup-healthways-well-being-index-chooses-hawaii/

Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board Debates Golf Academy

By Nina Wu at nwu@starbulletin.com Nine months after purchasing the lands, a Utah-based investor is envisioning a golf academy above the Hawaii Kai Golf Course.

The proposal is likely to spark another debate at this evening's Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting, where the public has weighed in on previous controversial development plans for the preservation-zoned parcels.

Management Solutions of Fountain Green, Utah, which formed Kulia i ka Nu'u Estates, acquired 83 acres in Mauuwai and 98 acres at Queen's Rise from QRM LLC in July.

City property tax records show two transactions occurred in July, one at $5.6 million and another at $3.5 million.

Project manager Skip McWhorter, who was in Honolulu this week, said Kulia envisions building a complete golf academy, with classrooms and simulators for individual and group instruction for just the Mauuwai parcel, although size and details have yet to be ironed out. McWhorter said he also was in discussions with possible pro golf sponsors for the academy. "We would like to use the golf academy as a place to teach and train junior golfers," said McWhorter. "Our goal is to continue to promote the game of golf in Hawaii. We want to provide an opportunity that is fun, recreational and beneficial for locals and junior golfers all over the island."

At the same time, McWhorter said it would make sense for there to be accommodations, possibly vacation cabins, at the site for out-of-town golfers. "If we don't have that there, we're left with people commuting back and forth from Waikiki," he said.

The two parcels are Management Solutions' first investment on Oahu, according to partner Allen Jacobson, from Utah. Jacobson said the company did 14 months of due diligence and has no plans for Queen's Rise at this time. Permitted uses on P2 general preservation lands such as Mauuwai include cemeteries, outdoor recreational facilities and vacation cabins as an accessory to those outdoor facilities, according to city Planning and Permitting Director David Tanoue.

Department of Agriculture Importation and Quarantine of Plants and Animals

With all of the fuss about swine flu, I thought I would revisit the various requirements for Importing Plants, Microorganisms (huh?), and Animals to Hawaii I know you have all been waiting for it, here it is at last - The Complete Animal Product Manual All agricultural items, including plants, plant parts, non-domesticated animals, microorganism cultures, arthropods and soil require inspection upon arrival in Hawaii. These items must be checked before the shipment can be released to insure they are free of pests or will not become pests themselves. All individuals arriving in Hawaii from the Mainland must declare agricultural items brought into the State on the "Plants and Animals Declaration Form" and present these items for inspection to a Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Inspector in the baggage claim area. Travel & Shipping Information

Importing Cats and Dogs to Hawaii - Keeping Hawaii Rabies- Free

For more information on the Animal Quarantine Branch, click here. Importing Livestock, Poultry and Birds, Turtles, Rabbits and Other Species to Hawaii

For more information on the Livestock Disease Control Branch, click here.

List of approved fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables from Hawaii Just in case you need good reasons to become a vegetarian, go to Appendix C - List of Foreign Countries and Their Disease Status

Listed below are the abbreviations used to describe the disease status categories (definitely fall in the category of "things I don't want to know") :

ASF. African swine fever.

APHIS-defined EU CSF Region. The European Union Member States of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland). The APHIS-defined EU CSF region is a single region of low risk for CSF.

BSE. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

CSF. Classical swine fever (formerly HC, hog cholera).

END. Exotic Newcastle disease.

FMD. Foot-and-mouth disease.

HPAI (H5N1). Highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype

H5N1. The following countries are affected with HPAI (H5N1): Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Czech Republic2, Djibouti, Egypt, Germany2, Ghana, Hong Kong, Hungary2, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Poland2, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden2,Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom2 or Vietnam. (Country listing will be updated as country status changes.)

SVD. Swine vesicular disease. In addition to the above, the following four disease status categories are included for regulating the importation of meat: CSF/SR. Classical swine fever free with special requirements. Applies only to meat, meat products and edible meat by-products.

END/SR. Exotic Newcastle disease free with special requirements. Applies only to meat, meat products and edible meat by-products.

FMD/SR. Foot-and-mouth disease free with special requirements. Applies only to meat, meat products and edible meat by-products. SVD/SR. Swine vesicular disease free with special requirements. Applies only to meat, meat products and edible meat by-products Hmmm....organic meatless spaghetti sauce with non-GMO fresh bread is looking really good right now. Just for fun: 3-15 Reference—Miscellaneous Products Appendix F - Dictionary of Spanish Words Relating to Animal By-Product Importations (I could practice these all day, high entertainment value here)