Summer's here and strong sun in Hawaii means higher risk for skin problems, but which sunscreens really work, especially on children and people with sensitive skin? The Environment Working Group (EWG) recently released its ratings of beach and sport sunscreens. EWG reviewed over 500 products and found only a few sunscreens worthy of top marks, including Badger Sunscreen for … [Read more...]
Blue Pajamas
I'm settling into a window seat on a near empty plane when a young woman with a cloth backpack slides into the middle seat next to me. She chooses it over the empty aisle seat. "You're the first person I've ever met that likes an aisle," I tell her glancing sideways. She nods and kind of grins. "What do you like about it?" Tears well up in her eyes. "Are you afraid … [Read more...]
Two free real estate tools dish the data
If you're looking to buy a house, rent in a new area or just want to know more about a neighborhood, I've found two online tools that provide a wealth of data for free: waslkscore.com and redfin.com At walkscore.com, you input a US address, and their alogrithm calculates how walkable it is on a scale from 1 to 100, where 1 is out in the middle of nowhere and 100 is mid-town … [Read more...]
Hawaii healthy for children
Hawaii's children are among the nation's healthiest, according to the most recent data published by the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Areas where Hawaii's children exceed the national level include having been breastfed, oral health, vigorous daily activity and positive social skills. More of Hawaii's children are insured (96.2%), compared to Mainland children … [Read more...]
Kilauea volcano, fertility and miscarriage
It's a sight in Hilo as regular as evening rain: groups of Japanese women wearing colored tour badges and clutching small bags board buses at the airport bound for Kilauea volcano. While their husbands in Honolulu play golf, these women journey to Hilo for the day. Men play for par while some women seek fertility. Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire. She rules volcanos, and … [Read more...]