sam

"c. The use of excessive water continued until January 1969, but he became aware of consumption when he realized water on Okinawa is EXPENSIVE."

ironically water is valued only when it occurs to the occupier that it has "value" in terms of expense. the real cost of occupation comes to the people.

meanwhile this january 2025...the traditional 若水くみ event where people go to ukka ga to pray for safety and health and long life...it all just makes me sigh

thanks i hate it! an older article (april 2024) from @okinawatimes.co.jp on PFAS contamination in kin, five sites of 14 having exceeded the "safe levels," including ukka ga, a sacred site in namisato where my family is from and many relatives still live

Trump policies threaten University of Hawaii ethnic studies programs | Honolulu Star-Advertiser President Donald Trump’s order banning diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs has University of Hawaii students and faculty worrying about the future of academic programs that focus o...

"UH professors who teach Hawaiian culture and history said the assault on so-called DEIA programs by the Trump administration is just the latest chapter in Hawaii’s long history of colonialism that they say Hawaiians will once again endure and overcome."
www.staradvertiser.com/2025/02/23/h...

we see this with astronomy on hawaiʻi island, where many people argued for the TMT not just bc it will bring jobs but bc it will bring STEM jobs specifically. what industries can island communities invest in that will not be so extractive? OR how must we first transform our relationship to labor?

kin is not naha and does not have the same economic structures in place to employ its people and keep young people around. most of my younger cousins in kin have left for tokyo or naha. this crucial difference between urban centers vs. rural areas and the need for jobs is v resonant with HI.

沖縄県金武町の大型リゾート施設、マレーシア企業が撤退　米軍ギンバル訓練場跡地で計画【地図あり】 | 沖縄タイムス＋プラス 【金武】沖縄県金武町の米軍ギンバル訓練場跡地で大型リゾート施設建設を計画していたマレーシアの大手不動産開発会社「トロピカーナ・ランド・ディベロップメント」が、建設コストの高騰などを理由に昨年１２月末、事業撤退の意向を町に文書で通知したことが分かった。

a malaysian company planned to build a hotel on a former US military training ground in kin (which was relocated, NOT closed) but it withdrew due to cost of building. as kin looks to economically stimulate the town it raises the question of how should it do so?
www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/1...

Red Hill community group says Trump memo is impacting talks with the Navy The Red Hill Community Representation Initiative was formed in the aftermath of the 2021 Red Hill fuel spill in an attempt to give a voice to residents with a vested interest in the review of the fuel...

"Marti Townsend, chair of the Red Hill CRI, said a Trump admin memo limiting external communications has affected talks over Red Hill. 'The island of Oʻahu's water supply is at risk, and the federal government isn't a trusted ally in finding a solution.'"
www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversa...

Navy, UH signs ‘historic’ agreement to enhance climate resilience on Hawaii’s military bases This is the first agreement of its kind between a university and the Navy in Hawaii.

the article says that this is "the first agreement of its kind between a university and the Navy in Hawaii" and it sets an awful and thoughtless precedent by perpetuating the falsehood that the US military could mitigate the harm it actively creates.
www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/12/10/n...

EPA fines Navy, logistics agency for skipping fuel contamination meeting in Hawaii EPA fines Navy, logistics agency for skipping meeting in Hawaii.

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency $5,000 for failing to attend a community meeting last month regarding the Red Hill fuel spill crisis as required by a consent order."
www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...