Hawaiian Airlines removes an exit row on Mainland flight

January 3, 2010 Genevive Bjorn 3 Comments

Hawaiian Airlines removed one of the two exit rows on its Boeing 767-300 flight 16 bound today from Honolulu San Diego and replace it with at least two more standard coach rows.

Hawaiian Airlines seats aboard its Boeing 767-300 — Hawaiian Airlines removes one of two exit rows on its Boeing 767-300 bound for the Mainland

Flight details:

Flight: HA 16, Hawaiian Airlines

From: HNL, Honolulu, HI to SAN, San Diego, CA

Duration: 5h 20 m

Equipment: Boeing 767-300

A quick search of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules reveals that the Boeing 767-300 aircraft is required to only have one pair of Type III exits, the kind found on either end of exit row seats. Hawaiian’s removal of an exit row practice appears to be within the FAA’s rules.

However, removing a safety feature in order to pack the plane tighter with passengers calls into questions the airlines motives.

food, Health

How I lost 30 pounds in 12 weeks

January 1, 2010 Genevive Bjorn

I lost twelve pounds in six weeks. I didn’t mean to, but it happened when I radically changed my diet. You probably don’t want the illness that initiated this change, but you may find interesting the weight loss results I have achieved.

My liver swelled up with a rare kind of hepatitis in early November, about 2 months after I returned from the Amazon, and I could no longer digest just about everything normal in the American diet. No alcohol, no wheat, no corn, no sugar, no fruit, no raw food, no cold food, no fried food.

It takes a lot of will power and a very upset stomach to say “no” to so many foods. So it may be tempting to refer to this as the “No diet” diet. Or, worse, the hepatitis diet.But perhaps reverting to a simple diet is a better description.

Japanese breakfast of rice, miso, seaweed, daikon and vegetables improved my health and helped me lose weight

What I have been able to eat and enjoy resembles a diet eaten by Japanese farmers: rice, cooked vegetables, miso, broths, small amounts of fish and dark meat and tea. The healing power of this simple Japanese-style way of eating is reknown.

Japanese people suffer less heart disease and obesity than Americans, and even those that move to Hawaii — halfway between Japan and the Mainland US — live longer if they maintain a Japanese lifestyle, according to the landmark Honolulu Heart Program, a long-term study of Japanese men in Hawaii. Acculturation was a primary study parameter, and researchers found that Japanese men who adopted the Western diet and sedentary lifestyle most fully were more likely to develop coronary heart disease, as well as 11 other risk factors (Am J Epidemiol, 1982). Conversely, eating a more Japanese diet and maintaining physical activity lowered men’s risk for heart disease, overweight and other risk factors.

In my time of illness, a simple Japanese diet was all my liver could tolerate. Following it helped to restore my health and, in the process, I have lost weight. After years of indulging in rich western foods, I definitely carried some extra pounds and was in no danger of becoming too skinny. The hardest part of the diet was battling intense cravings for all the foods I was withdrawing from within the first two weeks, foods such as greasy meat, spices, bread, and sugar.

This simple diet has also eliminated nearly all of symptoms from seasonal allergies to pollen, dust and molds. For years I have taken over-the counter and prescription medications for runny, drippy nose that comes with seasonal allergies. It’s the classic western answer to any health problem: take a pill.

But recovering from hepatitis or any other liver problem is all about not taking and eliminating the unhealthful. With an injured liver, you can’t take anything. So removing all I could not tolerate was my only choice. This includes wheat and corn, and doing so has worked wonders for my immune system.

Two weeks ago I took a small taste of a corn tortilla and within about 30 minutes, my nose started to run. Same when I tried to reintroduce wheat. Wheat also slows my digestion, causing almost instant feelings of nausea. So both corn and wheat are out for good, but removing them also means removing everything that eats them, including all factory farmed chicken, pork and beef.

I already don’t like ranch dressing, Coke or catchup. Now I’m eliminating wheat, corn and factory-farmed animal flesh from my diet all because I don’t want to take pills and I want to feel healthy. I also exercise every day and enjoy taking my dogs on long walks. Depending on your politics, I am suspiciously unAmerican or all about freedom. Either way, I am 12 pounds lighter and allergy free.

Environment, hawaii, Health

Hawaii health hazard: Volcanic air pollution

December 30, 2009 Genevive Bjorn 4 Comments

Hawaii conjures the postcard perfect image of health in most people’s minds: sunshine, warmth, gentle breezes, inviting water, lush green plants and tropical flowers. All true. So newcomers and visitors to the islands may be surprised to learn Hawaii harbors a serious health hazard in the form of air pollution from the actively erupting volcano on the Big Island.

Volcanic haze — Volcanic air pollution erupting from Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island

Health Hazard

All that gas and smoke emitted by Kilauea volcano make for intensely red sunsets and great photos, but it also endangers health. Volcanic smog, or Vog, poses danger to humans, other animals and plants, according to the US Geological Survey‘s fact sheet on Vog:

Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai`i react with oxygen and atmospheric moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain. Vog poses a health hazard by aggravating preexisting respiratory ailments, and acid rain damages crops and can leach lead into household water supplies. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is closely monitoring gas emissions from Kilauea and working with health professionals and local officials to better understand volcanic air pollution and to enhance public awareness of this hazard.

How it Works

Simply put, vog is a mixture of chemicals suspended in the air. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano interact chemically with atmospheric moisture, oxygen, dust, and sunlight to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain. Vog appears as a visible haze consisting of gas plus a suspended mixture of tiny liquid and solid particles, called aerosol. It is this haze that makes the Kona sunsets famously red. According to the USGS fact sheet on vog:

SO₂ is a poisonous gas that irritates skin and the tissues and mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat. During even moderate physical activity, SO₂ penetrates deeply into the airway and can produce respiratory distress in some individuals. In the absence of strong winds, SO₂ emitted by Kilauea can accumulate in the air and reach levels that exceed Federal health standards. Since 1986, this has occurred more than 85 times within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, which includes much of Kilauea.

Ill Effects

Because vog particles are small, they easily lodges deep in human lung cells where they are readily retained, aggravating preexisting respiratory ailments and may induce asthma attacks. About 106,000 people in Hawaii are affected by asthma, and approximately one third are children, according the Hawaii State Department of Health. Vog is an important trigger of asthma attacks, along with cane burning, secondhand smoke and pet dander.

Vog exposure also causes more generalized symptoms, including: headaches, breathing difficulties, increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments, watery eyes, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, and a general lack of energy.

Vog also interferes with plants ability to breathe, causing crop failures in everything from flowers to coffee. Since 1983, Pu’u O’o vent of Kilauea Volcano has spewed roughly 2,000 tons of sulfur dioxide per day, according to USGS. In March 2008 when Halema’uma’u vent opened, the amount of sulfur dioxide doubled. On November 24, 2009, the US Department of Agriculture declared there were major crop failures on Kona and the US Government declared the BIg Island “a primary natural disaster area” because of losses caused by volcanic emissions since the start of the year. It continues an expired disaster designation for the island that was originally issued in July 2008. The disaster designation was made Nov. 24, making all qualified farm operators on the island eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, according to a Hawaii Tribune-Herald report.

The related acid rain can leach lead from rainwater catchment systems into household water supplies, leading to lead poisoning and mental health problems. When it’s really thick, volcanic haze reduces driving visibility, causing motor vehicle accidents. The irony is that Vog is all natural.

How to Spot Vog

On neighboring islands, such as Maui and Molokai, residents and visitors don’t typically notice vog unless the prevailing northeast Trade Winds slow, stop or reverse pattern. When the winds blow from the southwest, locals call these “Kona winds”, because the winds blow vog from the Big Island over the state, creating those famously red Kona sunsets on other islands. Thus, an unusually deep red sunset is almost a sure sign that volcanic air pollution is present. Sudden and unexplained headaches, scratchy throat and lethargy are common symptoms of vog exposure. Health officials usually recommend staying indoors on voggy days and avoiding any strenuous activity outside.

Common Signs of Vog