Letters to the Editor

Water is being wasted at Waikiki Aquarium

Doesn't the government have to conserve water like the rest of us do?

Wednesday, a no-water day, I went to the Waikiki Aquarium. Just diamondhead of the aquarium, a spray of water was running. Two and a half hours later, I left the aquarium and the water was still running in the same spot.

I don't know if that is city or state property, but it clearly is a waste of our limited resources.

Ken Conklin ignores illegality of overthrow

In Ken Conklin's commentary "Sovereignty bill provokes debate: Activists must not dictate state's future," there's one huge, glaring flaw in his argument against Native Hawaiian reparations: the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian nation.

It's formally stated by two U.S. presidents and a federal apology bill now on the books. So, Mr. Conklin does not believe in the law of the United States? Or that illegal acts should be restituted?

Also, according to Mr. Conklin, he is a "proud American." I will ask him, then: Why does this country spend billions of dollars on military defense and a "war on terrorism"? To protect it, and its interests, not to mention its people, right? So why does he not see the need for Native Hawaiians to defend what is rightfully our own?

Guess Mr. Conklin doesn't remember history very well, for the United States was founded by activists. Does the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War ring a bell? It's time for Hawaiians to claim our own Declaration of Independence — in whatever form we choose it to be.

Open all the windows in heated classrooms

Last week's article on Kuhio Elementary School contains a picture of a classroom with the windows half-closed. As a former member of the school inspection program, I pointed out this bad practice to a school official who wanted our help to buy fans for his hot classrooms. Some teachers have no clue about air flow and heat build-up.

The hot classrooms we inspected had the windows opened exactly as in the picture. The heat was trapped by the closed upper windows. Fans would just blow this heated air down on the students. The upper windows obviously need to be open.

One teacher said the windows were too high for the students to open, and many windows were stuck anyway. Hello!!?? Perhaps their desire for new fans overshadowed the obvious and immediate solution.

Make logos different

Perhaps this is an opportunity to link the big bucks being spent on administration with the UH logo issue.

Regarding the quest for a single UH logo: It is shortsighted. Each distinguished unit ought to be celebrated with its own logo design. For example, the College of Tropical Agriculture could have taro or fruit on its unique emblem. Hawaiian studies could have the Hokule'a. Astronomy would have a telescope or nebula. Then these logos could change as new discoveries or departmental interests occur.

Magazine internship had huge impact on life

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of participating in Groundhog Job Shadow day, a program throughout the schools that offers kids such as myself the chance to follow around someone in the career they're interested in.

I want to become a journalist, and I went to the office of Hawai'i Woman magazine, where I shadowed former managing editor Billie Takaki for one day. This day had such a huge impact on my life, as it gave me my first opportunity to see what it would be like working as a journalist.

I enjoyed it so much that I requested an internship this summer, and Hawai'i Woman happily agreed to have me back. This has been one of the greatest things in my life. I've gotten so much knowledge and advice from the wonderful people who put this magazine together. I'd like to thank everyone for making my dreams come true.

I was able to meet one of my role models, Liz Chun, during this experience as well.

For someone only in high school, it's an honor to have been interning at a magazine like theirs, and I appreciate the opportunities they have given me. It's something I will always remember and treasure for the rest of my life.

Fish farm approval was a bad decision

The recent decision by the Board of Land and Natural Resources to grant the application of Kona Blue Water Farms for an ocean lease may ultimately be injurious to all who use Hawai'i's coastal waters.

Any diminution in the productivity or appearance of our pristine waters resulting from the pollution of unmonitored or uncontrolled fish farming would have serious long-term effects on our tourist-based economy.

The haste to fix our slumping economy with a Band-Aid is unfortunate and results from a lack of study and research on this contentious issue. It's disappointing that the administration would take such a short-term view.

Fish farms will benefit a few people in the short term, and the detriment to a much larger group may well be permanent.

Don't blame TheBus for mess at air show

Regarding poor Ann Ruby (Letters, Aug. 14) who had to wait for the No. 19 bus on her recent trip to watch the air show at Hickam: Too bad you didn't do your homework.

The air show was held on the weekend, and the bus operates on its regular, limited Saturday/Sunday schedule anyway. If you have to blame somebody for the mess, blame the Hickam organizers who failed to plan and provide adequate service to all the people they invited to their event on the base.

Too bad the organizers didn't plan on shuttle service from the base to Nimitz Highway, as you suggested. I'm sure that if they had made the appropriate arrangements with the bus company or any other transportation provider, a feasible schedule could have been implemented — after all, it is private government property out there and they do have their own military shuttle bus service. You can't just tell TheBus to run more buses without first properly requesting and paying for the added service. You have to schedule extra drivers and buses on the weekend when personnel is limited already.

I have been a driver with TheBus, and I have seen on too many different occasions when sponsors or organizers fail to warn the invited attendees of the consequences of extremely heavy ridership if they are going to catch TheBus to attend their event. Just like the football shuttle service that is provided for the UH games at the stadium, special arrangement is made to accommodate the increased ridership before and after the game.

Suspending senior bus pass sales won't work

• With a two-year validity, the typical pass now held by a senior citizen still has a year to run. Akamai seniors with almost-expired passes are lining up now for renewals while the two-year $25 passes are still available.
• Many seniors qualify for two-year disability passes, which will remain available for the same $25 fee. They haven't bothered with the required doctor's slips and photos since the senior and disability passes cost the same. Now they will bother.
• A key benefit of transit passes is to speed the loading of vehicles, and thus all the traffic waiting behind on densely traveled thoroughfares. Now the council wants seniors to juggle not one item but two (special ID card plus 25 cents in change) every time they board a bus, thus negating this widely recognized transit pass benefit. Who wants to watch coins slip from arthritic hands and bounce down entry steps into the gutter as traffic backs up? Will every senior remember to have sufficient coinage for each ride segment, or will they be soaked a dollar bill each time they forget because drivers make no change?

So where is the revenue quick fix? Have probable delays in running times been factored in to new bus utilization plans? If the operating cost impact exceeds the meager number of senior quarters in prospect, where lies the justification for change?

A straightforward increase in the base fare and a proportional increase to all the other fares and passes would better respond to the short-term revenue need and cause less disruption to urban traffic flows and to the lives of our respected seniors.

You can make travel stress-free

I gawked at The Honolulu Advertiser article entitled "Grumbling grows at interisland terminal." Long lines and enhanced security at airports have made an unpleasant trip for many, myself not included.

Sept. 11 changed the face of airline travel forever. Airlines are using technology as a way to return to profitability by reducing costs and promote all-around efficiency. I am deeply disturbed, however, that Islanders fail to use the technology to their advantage.

Hawaiian Airlines introduced "Hele On" check-in as a way for passengers to bypass the long lines at the check-in counters. Just press a few buttons, indicate the number of bags you need to check, and your boarding pass prints out. The agent at the Hele On check-in counter tags your bags, and all that's left is for you to send it through the TSA checkpoint. It's that simple.

Airlines like Hawaiian, Continental, Delta and Northwest have also implemented online check-in systems that now allow passengers to check-in from their home or office computer up to 24 hours before departure. You can print boarding passes and change seat assignments online. A skycap or porter simply needs to tag your bag and send it through the TSA checkpoint.

I traveled to Kona recently. I was the only person out of 500-plus passengers in line using Hele On. The entire check-in and screening process for a person standing in line would take 45 minutes. I got through that same process in less than 10 minutes.

I travel stress-free because I know the system. Others need pampering by the ticket agent for their boarding pass and to check in bags. Here are some of my tips that you can use for stress-free travel. Before you go:

• Check in online, or use automated travel kiosks at the airport.
• Have your photo ID ready at all times.
• Travel light. At most, plan one suitcase, one carry-on.

At the security checkpoint:

• Go barefoot. Put on your shoes or slippers at the gate.
• Remove all metal objects from your person.
• Have electronic devices ready for inspection.
• Carrying contraband delays everyone, including yourself.

Just keep in mind that if you're standing in line saying "This has to be the worst airport in the world," you're part of the problem. I've proven to you that there are ways to avoid delay, you just have to get out of your shell and do it.