Letters to the Editor
Now is no time to be 'snowed' into war again
I applaud your Feb. 6 editorial, "(Colin) Powell's case strong, but war is last resort." It is so easy for people to be snowed by orchestrated presentations such as his.
The administration of the first President Bush managed to snow a lot of us with his "surgical" war against Iraq in '91, and there have been other snow jobs — Vietnam, to name one.
The Gulf War devastated Iraq but left Saddam in power. Our war in Afghanistan has failed to rid the world of al-Qaida or even of Osama bin Laden. Why do we have to keep killing our fellow humans, risking the lives of our military and throwing good money after bad?
It makes so much more sense in so many ways to strengthen the inspections and oversight, keep them in place at least until Saddam no longer controls Iraq and, while we're at it, stop our obstruction of the flow of humanitarian aid Iraq so desperately needs.
Margaret Brown
What's the difference? It takes five years anyway
According to Karl Kim, vice chancellor for academic affairs at UH-Manoa, planned cuts by the state to the UH budget would translate into the loss of between 300 and 1,000 classes, and these losses would increase the time it would take students to graduate.
According to the Princeton Review, only 10 percent of the freshmen entering UH-Manoa graduate in four years now. Why do we even call it a four-year university?
Cutting the budget? We should be increasing the budget. Obviously, the state administration is not doing its homework — that class in "logic" must have been canceled.
Chuck Cohen
'Republican gospel' isn't that impressive
I was especially taken by David Shapiro's statement in the Feb. 5 "Volcanic Ash" commentary, "Enact 'death with dignity,' " to wit: " ... it's almost always better to leave the choice to the individual rather than the government." That is a sentiment I can wholly agree with.
But to call it "Republican gospel" seems to me to be either laughable or hypocritical (your choice) when that party excludes abortion rights and gay marriage from its "gospel." In an Orwellian twist, it seems that, to them, "All individuals are equal, but some are less (my emphasis) equal than others."
Paul Charles Franke
SAT scores reflect lower expectations
The Department of Education apparently believes that success is not so much a result of perseverance and hard work, but that success has more to do with setting low expectations.
According to the Feb. 6 Advertiser, 194 of Hawai'i's 283 public schools, or about 69 percent, met or exceeded the national average in the Stanford Achievement Test in 2002. They were accorded "honor roll" status. I took that to mean that schools making the "honor roll" included not just high-scoring schools, but also those that achieved scores of only a little above the average. This was bothersome.
But upon further reflection, my thinking was that having 69 percent of the schools rate above average was encouraging because it was 19 percent more than the 50 percent that would normally be expected. However, reading further, I learned that the SAT is designed so that 77 percent of all test takers nationally make at least an average score. Using this confounding definition of "average," only 23 percent of all test takers score below average.
I'm not a statistician, but using the SAT definition of "average," one might expect at least 77 percent of schools to rate "average" or better. At 69 percent, Hawai'i's public schools would appear to rate a little below average. This was worrisome.
Commenting on the scores, Pat Hamamoto, the superintendent of education, is quoted as saying, "There are bountiful examples of excellence in our public schools." I wonder just how far below average the goals of the Department of Education have been set. This was indeed a most disturbing thought.
John Kawamoto
Dispose of organic waste? No, recycle
I read in your paper problems with organic waste and garbage disposal that all of us must know is created by us resisting nature's way of naturally eliminating organic waste: Turn waste into humus.
All you need for humus is carbon, nitrogen, air and water. All are free. With the proper mix, there will be no odor. Food for the organisms to feed and reproduce is free — we obviously furnish everything just living our daily lives.
The expense and space of landfill would be lessened. The state has acres of land crying for humus — pure, clean and a rich smell.
Hawai'i's humus was washed away by open-ditch irrigation — look at the Kailua marsh and Kane'ohe Bay. The land would like to have it back. Humus reduces the size of organic waste.
Wayne Hazelbaker
Kailua
Nonprofit organizations fund library activities
I am pleased that Morton L. Brown has brought up the concept of fund-raising for the public libraries (Letters, Feb. 3). The Hawai'i Library Foundation and the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i are two private, nonprofit organizations actively raising funds to support public library activities.
Although the Hawai'i Library Foundation does not fund core functions for the Hawai'i State Public Library System, we have worked hard for 10 years to supplement its governmental funding.
The foundation buys books for the popular "Book 'Em" book talk teams of public librarians who go into schools to get kids excited about reading. We also pay for award-winning Newbery and Caldecott children's books for all 50 branches.
The Library Foundation works with local businesses to connect them with the state library system. The Building Industry Labor Association of Hawai'i and the Hawaiian Electric Co. have granted the foundation multiyear funds to purchase library materials in specialty areas. Recently, the NFL donated 1,000 children's books to the Library Foundation for the library system.
The foundation's trustees are now building an endowment to ensure future funding of library programs.
Holly Richards
Executive director, Hawai'i Library Foundation
Certification testing will thin teacher ranks
To all public school parents: This is your wake-up call.
With the impending DOE-required certification testing in 2004 of all teachers, with no exceptions or waivers for those with 20 to 25 years experience, there is sure to be a mass exodus of experienced teachers retiring. UH-Manoa is not able to fill the vacancies now, and just like the last time the DOE faced a shortage of teachers, guess where they will try to recruit? They will be recruiting rookies right out of college from the Mainland.
Call, write and talk to your senators, representatives and the governor and let your feelings be known. Do you want your kids to be taught by "rookies"?
Richard Mori
Pearl City
Education is what student makes of it
I am a product of public schools; so are my family and children. I am a public-school teacher — always wanted to be and always will want to be.
Our first daughter attended Manoa and Dole Middle (where I teach) and graduated from Farrington, all public schools. Currently she is a fourth-year senior at UH and will graduate in May, on time. My younger daughter is currently at McKinley, grade 10 (Manoa, Stevenson Middle). She plans to attend college and major in communications and journalism.
I always believed that education is what you make of it. Students will learn no matter what school they attend, provided they are motivated and have a solid family value system.
I do agree that private schools have more upper-level students (entrance exams) and more challenging classes because they are geared for college. Private-school parents also monitor their children better because they are paying high tuition.
Private-school students and parents also know that if they fail classes, the students would be kicked out and would have to attend a public school. At the same time, private schools are very selective on enrollment, and there exist increased pressures by the school, parents and peers to pass and not fail.
I can understand why many public-school teachers send their children to private schools. For me, I would feel hypocritical if I sent my children to private schools. I believe that all children can learn and achieve, no matter what school they attend. I have living proof.
Max Miura
Ocean thermal energy conversion is answer
The two articles on energy for O'ahu in the Feb. 2 Focus section did not address the real-world costs and the environmental impact associated with attempting to generate 20 percent of O'ahu's electric energy requirements from renewable energy production facilities.
Currently it costs about 3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh), plus the cost of fuel, to generate electric energy on O'ahu. At $30 per barrel, oil is about 5 cents per kwh; at $40 per ton, coal is about 2 cents per kwh.
Solar electric systems installed with all of the necessary structural and power conditioning equipment costs about $10,000 per kilowatt (kw), or $1,300 per year, including interest, depreciation, maintenance and reduced output due to aging. Accordingly, the 1,700 kwh per kw per year produced by these solar systems will cost about 75 cents for each kwh.
If we use wind turbines to generate 1.7 billion kwh per year, or 17 percent of O'ahu's 2020 electric energy requirements, that would require about 400 obtrusive 1,500-kw wind turbines lining our mountain ridges. Each wind turbine would be twice as tall as the numerous power line transmission towers needed to connect those 400 wind turbines to the utility grid.
Because wind turbines only average one-third their rated capacity, a huge hydroelectric pump-storage plant with an upper and lower reservoir would be needed to absorb the full 600,000 kw of wind power being generated during early morning hours on windy nights, and to stabilize system frequency during stormy weather.
The one significantly practical renewable energy source for O'ahu that would not deface our mountain vistas or wreck our economy but would be able to produce large amounts of electric energy 24 hours a day at a cost that would be hopefully only slightly higher than coal or oil is ocean thermal energy conversion.
Alan S. Lloyd
Professional engineer
Aulola Tonga will be remembered by many
We buried Aulola Tonga today. He died in a tragic accident while trimming a tree.
In the grand scheme of things, he was not an important and well-known figure. He worked for me and hundreds of other people on O'ahu. He helped to pave my driveway. He worked on remodeling my home. He trimmed my trees for many years. He helped me with many projects.
He made a big difference in the quality of my life and that of my family. I considered him my good friend. He was one of my favorite people. He was always cheerful, dependable, responsible, kind, hard-working and helpful. When we passed on the road, we always pulled over to chat. He worked for all of my neighbors and many of my friends. He improved my neighborhood and my community.
We used to talk about his children and what high hopes he had for them. They have a wonderful example to follow. His family will miss him dreadfully. We all will. He was one of the good guys in this world, and he made a huge difference in the lives of many people.
Aloha 'oe, Tonga, until we meet again.
Annetta Kinnicutt
Kailua
Education campaign needed over litter
O'ahu is becoming a litter landfill. We need to aggressively pursue a litter literacy campaign.
Litter is an environmental pollutant, and we must start with our keiki in Head Start and preschool to be litter-, seat-belt- and environment-conscious.
The bottle bill must be implemented. It can work and has worked in other states, but everyone must be made litter pitch-ins.
Donna McCabe
Mililani is happy with its portables
On Feb. 6, The Advertiser published pictures of me standing in front of one of our portables and of one of my teachers inside her portable classroom. The article and captions under the pictures lead the public to believe that we are unhappy with our portables — quite the contrary.
Our portables from Hawai'i Modular Systems are spacious, air-conditioned and have glass windows instead of wooden louvers.
We are very thankful that the DOE has given us seven trailers over the last three years to help with our increasing enrollment while we await the opening of Mililani 'Ike. The trailers are truly portable. When Mililani 'Ike moves to its campus in January 2004, the DOE will put wheels on our trailers and take them to the next school with increasing enrollment.
Carol Petersen
Principal, Mililani Mauka Elementary
