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Alo-Ha! Friday Charles Memminger |
Aussie mac nut shells
are a burning issueA recent item here reporting that Australia has the world's first power station fueled by macadamia nut shells rankled Big Island resident Andrea Gill.
"The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory in Keaau has been burning shells and husks for at least a couple of decades. They generate both heat and electricity for in-house use," she asserts. "I know it's amusing to quote inaccurate statements, but I didn't want you to think the Aussies actually had one over us."
It's always great to hear from readers, especially those who understand this column's commitment to publishing the most up-to-date inaccuracies we can un-verify. After setting us straight on the mac nut issue, Gill went on to suggest our idea to burn coconut shells for electric power was misguided.
"We don't have much in the way of coconut shells to burn since the coconut is not a commercial crop here," she wrote. "Besides, I think they need most of the shells for Tahitian dancers' costumes. And to serve awa."
Gotta go with the expert on this nut shell question. Now the news:
Big lottery winner loses
HOUSTON (Reuters) >> A court has ordered a Texas man who won $5.5 million in the state lottery to forfeit the money because he bought the winning ticket with money made from selling cocaine.(Instead of enjoying a well-financed retirement, the man now will have to support himself by going to work as, say, a drug dealer.)
I spy a ... rubber spider!
BERLIN (Reuters) >> Trembling teachers at a German preschool called in police to confront a giant spider crawling in a sandbox.Officers surrounded the sandbox before discovering the spider was just a toy.
(Police were called back to the school after teachers said a family of bears had taken over the classroom and were demanding porridge.)
Docs want a fat tax
LONDON (Reuters) >> Hamburgers, cakes and soft drinks could be hit with a "fat tax" in a bid to combat Britain's growing levels of obesity. The British Medical Association is proposing the tax to save lives.(Soft drinks? You mean like "Suet-Up!," "Coca Cholesterol" and "Dr. Pork"?)
'Honolulu Lite' on Sunday:
Hawaii has hit an iceberg when it comes to dealing with the insidious drug crystal methamphetamine. Long mandatory prison sentences for ice abusers aren't solving the problem.
What we need is a really clever slogan.
Quote Me on This:
"Sleep is an excellent way of listening to an opera." -- James Stephens
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Charles Memminger, winner of National Society of Newspaper Columnists awards, appears Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. E-mail cmemminger@starbulletin.com