By Allen B. Uyeda Throughout its 30-year history, the Hawaii Business Roundtable has worked to help improve public education in Hawaii.
By Howard Garval It is no secret that the old model of doing things will not work in Hawaii's nonprofit community. With funding cutbacks in the government sector and budget considerations in the private sector, nonprofits across our community are seeking innovative ways to continue to provide vital services to Hawaii's families.
By Stephen O'Harrow Seeing modern China as a monolith is not a useful way of looking at things. It is good to bear in mind that China is as big as Europe, far more populous, at least as old if not older, and almost as diverse.
By Jamie Emard I am a member of Leather & Lace, an international women's motorcycle club established in 1983. One of our top priorities is to support motorcycle safety in our community.
By Keith Cronin Hawaii's progress toward money-saving, job-creating, environmentally friendly solar energy will reach a crucial crossroads on Thursday when the U.S. Department of Commerce will decide whether to set steep tariffs on some solar cells and modules imported from China.
By Marco Mangelsdorf An unquestioned principle of the capitalist system in which we live, breathe and consume is that growth is not only good but a necessary imperative. Grow or die.
By Loretta Yajima Your recent article on involving parents in kids’ learning reinforces the importance of “full-time” parenting.
By Joel Fischer The recent death of former East-West Center President Everett Kleinjans, who spent his life working for peace and multicultural understanding, seems to be the appropriate time to review how his vision for the center has panned out.
By Dr. Robert R. Sloan Brain injury, or concussion, is in the news almost daily nowadays. The more severe brain injuries, such as in our local boxing champion Andy Ganigan, can occur in and out of the sports arena, and the results are easy to see. More subtle mild brain injury, like sports concussions, make the injuries harder to identify.
By Peter S. Adler Railroads, teacher contracts and undersea cables dominate the news — but something bigger is happening. Hawaii is on the brink of a fourth modern "social contract." When it arrives, it will be a game changer.
By Jennifer Diesman Despite seemingly negative news reporting to the contrary, health plans in Hawaii have proven to be the best in the nation at managing premium dollars by spending more on medical services and less on administrative expenses.
By Marilyn Seely May is Older Americans Month, the time each year that we celebrate the oldest and some say, best generation.
By Myron K. Thompson Hawaii public charter schools are positioned for change this year. New legislation is poised to overhaul the entire management structure of the charter school system, and will ultimately provide Hawaii with a structure that establishes clear lines of authority.
By Juanita C. Liu Hawaii earns $1 billion a month from tourism. Our continued success depends on educating future tourism leaders to compete globally.
By Mike McCartney Tourism in Hawaii is more than an industry. In addition to being a leading generator of jobs, it serves as a bridge for economic diversification and is responsible for our quality of life in Hawaii.
By Mark Dunkerley Look at a report on tourism and the chances are that you'll see plenty mention of airlift, hotel occupancy, visitor spending and average daily hotel rate.
By Cris Borden It's not every day I find myself in a second-grade classroom surrounded by happy and appreciative children.
By JoAnn A. Yukimura The Dalai Lama talked about "Advancing Peace through the Power of Aloha" during his recent visit. What a wonderful opportunity for all of us to look deeply at how to become more compassionate and peaceful human beings.
By Bill Meheula Some have recently questioned the legality and appropriateness of conducting subsurface burial testing after selection of the rail route.
By Barbara Kim Stanton Island seniors treasure their connection to the world around them. For many — especially Hawaii's homebound — their links with the outside world are their telephones, the U.S. Postal Service, the television set in their living rooms and the newspapers that arrive on their doorsteps each day.
By Michael Victorino The Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act is celebrating its 40th birthday today.
By John Mussack, Susan Kay Anderson and Bev Royden Three isle educators offer their own ideas about what it would take to ensure improvement in student performance.
By Chris Manfredi Coffee is one of Hawaii's signature products. The legendary Kona origin has been part of the mystique of Hawaii for nearly 200 years. High-quality Hawaiian coffee is a unique export crop. It is grown almost exclusively on small family farms, helping to support resilient rural communities.
By Connie Lau and Richard Dahl Regardless of where people stand on Honolulu's rail transit project, it is clear that the community benefits from more transparency and more discussion about how taxpayer money is being spent on a project that will have a significant impact on the future of Oahu and our state.
By Kehaunani Abad As early as 2005, the Oahu Island Burial Council (OIBC) raised red flags about the elevated heavy rail project affecting Hawaiian burials.
By Michael Hansen The prospective use of natural gas to fire power plants in Hawaii begs two unanswered issues: Where would large quantities of natural gas actually come from? And, are there any ships to transport it?
By Michael A. Town Hope meets opportunity in every one of the more than 4,000-plus Boys and Girls Clubs in the United States serving more than 4 million youth, ages 7 to 17.
By Deborah L.K. Spencer-Chun A democratic society needs and values an educated population.
By Bill and Marta Greenleaf Down on the farm we’re looking at a mixed harvest of news. There’s hope on the horizon, but the context is gloomy.
By Inga Gibson When the Hawaiian Humane Society released photos of more than 153 matted, flea-ridden dogs living in utterly filthy conditions at a Waimanalo puppy breeding facility last year, animal lovers in Hawaii were shocked to learn that puppy mills are allowed to operate here in the Aloha State.
By James H.E. Ireland Last year, the consultant group Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) presented its report on the feasibility of a merger between the Honolulu Fire Department and the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, which consists of paramedics and lifeguards.
By Bob Nakata Hedge funds — huge, nearly unregulated financial institutions that control billions of dollars in capital — are now capitalizing on the misfortunes of the estimated 11 million families nationwide who are struggling to pay for underwater loans on homes worth far less than their mortgages.
By Jeff Mikulina and Thomas Loudat Once a rare sight, solar panels have sprouted on Hawaii rooftops in the past few years, quickly becoming a familiar part of our island landscape.
By Anthony Aalto As a planning model, suburban sprawl is dead — but like Dracula, the monstrous Koa Ridge project keeps crawling back from the grave. It's time the Land Use Commission (LUC) finally drove a stake through its heart.
By David Louie One of the most noteworthy measures signed into the law this year by Gov. Neil Abercrombie transfers approximately 30 acres of prime land in Kakaako Makai to the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to resolve past claims.
By Label It Hawaii As Americans, we value the basic right to choose from a wide variety of foods in the marketplace, to make informed choices as to what we feed ourselves and our families.
By Lauren Zirbel Sometimes doing nothing can cost a lot of money. For instance, if Hawaii's lawmakers just do nothing when it comes to discouraging the use of both paper and plastic shopping bags, they will raise food costs by millions of dollars a year.
By Jenny Duhaylonsod Learning about diabetes is important, and the consequences of not doing so can be severe. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes two years ago.
By Shabbir Cheema On April 12, Pakistan's National Assembly unanimously approved a new set of guidelines on relations with the United States, an action that could pave the way for the reopening of critical U.S. and NATO supply lines into Afghanistan.
By Jonathan Durrett The right of churches and religious organizations to seek "housekeeping amendments" to the hastily enacted civil unions statute of last year (Act 1) should be given no less support than the right of advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lifestyle.
By Thomas D. Farrell Last Thursday may have been a bad day for you, but at least you're not a North Korean rocket scientist.
By Nancy Aleck It's that other giving season of the year — tax time. I keep coming across a quotation from the 20th-century French philosopher and Jesuit priest, Teilhard de Chardin: "The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope."
By Isaac Moriwake and Camille Kalama In an age when everyone's "going green" and "The Lorax" is a blockbuster movie, Hawaii's governor and legislators are leading an unprecedented attack against our aina.
By U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, U.S. Rep. Mazie K. Hirono and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa Just over a week ago, the 55th Annual Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair showcased more than 450 projects developed by nearly 600 middle and high school students representing all of the major islands.
By Ralph S. Goto Because the Star-Advertiser has portrayed the planned lifeguard facility adjacent to the Waikiki Aquarium as a battle pitting the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society against the city, ("No Walk in the Park," April 8), it is important to put the issue into proper perspective.
By Kelvin Taketa Hardly a day goes by without some headline in the news about another human-to-human atrocity. Differences in race, culture and religion seem to create opportunities for bloodshed, mayhem and oppression.
By C. Richard Fassler Hawaii's state legislators should be feeling terribly guilty. Back in 2006, they caved in to a small group of noisy protesters, who claimed to represent "the people," and banned residential development on state lands at Kakaako Makai.
The words "smoking ban in public housing" trigger strong opinions and emotions.
By Alan Isbell Just a few years ago, a sermon was delivered by a far-right religious leader in Wailuku that began with the pastor spitting out the declaration that Hawaii was now considered the most liberal state in the union, surpassing even California.
By Larry Meacham National surveys show Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama in a tight race.
By Carol H. McNamee “Drunk Driving: Everyone’s Problem” was the subject of a conference held 28 years ago in Honolulu.
By Joseph Zuiker I have just returned from a 50th-year reunion of the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Based upon my findings, the Peace Corps may be one of the best investments that you ever made, either as a taxpayer or as an actual volunteer.
By Frida Ghitis The most telegenic part of the Egyptian revolution — the exciting, heart-pumping days, when the masses took to the streets, fists in the air, calling for change — came early.
By Jim Shon This year there is a major reform bill for Hawaii's charter school system. Some of these "reforms" are based on misinformation or myths. Here are five examples:
By Gerald Kato Just over two years ago, President Barack Obama invoked the word "reform" no fewer than a dozen times when he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — a historic shifting from a system inordinately shaped by profit-driven insurance companies, to one in which the consumer is paramount.
By Bryan Garcia In June 2011, the state of Connecticut enacted legislation creating the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, the first full-scale clean energy finance institution — or "green bank" — in the nation.
By Beth Giesting Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA" or "ACA"). The justices' focus was on the act's most controversial aspect: the individual mandate.
By Billie Takaki Lueder Every minute, a child is physically, sexually and emotionally abused. Every day, four children die as a result of child abuse and neglect, and more than three-quarters of these children are under the age of 4.
By Adriana Ramelli Located within the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children is an examination room dedicated for the Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC) to provide medical services to victims of sexual assault.
By Beppie Shapiro This week the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments about the constitutionality of the Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), a major federal health care reform.
By Coral Andrews The Hawaii Health Connector (the Connector), Hawaii's health insurance exchange, will provide a unique opportunity for the people of Hawaii to link to health insurance coverage options through a "one-stop" shopping experience.
By Russ Robison I was impressed to see the Hawaii Senate taking such bold, decisive action to combat student absenteeism. Charging School Community Councils (SCCs) with reviewing their schools' attendance policy, developing a plan on how to improve absenteeism and reporting to lawmakers in 2013 is just the type of leadership we have grown to love and expect from our lawmakers: Never tackle the hard issues, and pass the buck to someone else.
By U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka President Barack Obama heads to the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul today as the international community continues to grapple with nuclear security issues in Iran and North Korea.
By Ralph Cossa Now what? Just when we thought things were getting better, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea pulled the rug out from under everyone by announcing a planned satellite launch to commemorate Great Leader Kim Il-Sung’s 100th birthday celebrations.
By Ron Iwami I have been surfing the Kewalo area for more than 40 years. This is a magical place for me, my family and many other local people who share the same ocean lifestyle.
By Ben Cayetano Since when is telling the public the truth a disservice? The Star-Advertiser's complaint that I "cherry-picked" five emails from roughly 500,000 documents to "turn public opinion against the (rail) project — and simply to boost my candidacy for mayor" — is absurd.
By Dan Nishikawa and Brad Nicolai With increasing congestion on Oahu resulting from our growing communities, most planners agree Kakaako is the most desirable urban place in Hawaii where people can work, live and play.
By Beverly Ann Deepe Keever Thanks to the Star-Advertiser for publishing Rep. Cynthia Thielen's insightful commentary on Sunday ("Short-sighted bills endanger our government," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 18).
By Bill Meheula The Office of Hawaiian Affairs believes that there is widespread support within the community and among legislators for a proposed $200 million land settlement with the state.
By Edward Gutteling "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
By Kat Brady, Meda Chesney-Lind, Marilyn Brown, Janet Davidson and Carrie Ann Shirota The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) provides Hawaii with the first independent look at our criminal justice system by professional analysts from the Council of State Government's Justice Center.
By Rep. Cynthia Thielen The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has drawn much attention in its editorial pages to key issues affecting our state, such as open government, education, reapportionment, homeless- ness, clean energy, and the cost and reliability of electricity.
By Rep. Marcus Oshiro At the midway point of the 2012 legislative session, the House passed a budget that reflects a new normal after the Great Recession of 2008.
By Richard Borreca Remember former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann's colossal political blunder during his race against Gov.
By Robert Bourke Today's social and environmental challenges are complex, and responding to them effectively requires a broad perspective to help define wise solutions.
By Katie Polidoro and Laurie A. Temple It's time to rally behind the Compassionate Care Act (Senate Bill 218), for all Hawaii's women.
By Robert Bunda I've always known former Gov. Ben Cayetano to be at the forefront of controversial issues. I've never totally agreed with him on many issues, but I have always tried to respect his positions.
By Rep. Gene Ward Arguably, one of the worst bills to be introduced and passed through the 2012 legislative process so far is a proposal to create a State of Hawaii Bank.
By R. Elton Johnson III Sunshine please! We may take sunshine for granted here in Hawaii most of the time, but when the sun finally reemerges after weeks behind the clouds, one might pause, just for a moment, to appreciate just how wonderful it is and how lost we'd be without it.
By Sens. Brickwood Galuteria, David Y. Ige and Michelle N. Kidani The time to invest in Hawaii's future is now. The Hawaii Senate firmly believes this as evidenced by its recent unanimous and bipartisan passage of The Invest in Hawaii Act of 2012, Senate Bill 2012.
By Yoshihiko Kamo On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. It left nearly 20,000 people killed or missing, and many more lost their homes and livelihoods. The ensuing nuclear disaster in Fukushima compounded the tragedy.
By Lynn A.S. Araki-Regan It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since the horrific disaster that occurred in the Tohoku region of Japan.
By BJ Sabate March 11, 2011, was yet another meaningful event in my lifetime. It will constantly remind me of how precious life really is, and how Mother Nature can change your world overnight.
By Lance Wilhelm The Honolulu rail transit project reached a significant milestone in early February when it received federal approval to move into the next phase of construction.
By Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz On Feb. 24, on Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii's largest wind energy farm broke ground. When completed by year's end, it will be able to meet up to 5 percent of Oahu's energy needs at a lower price than oil, and much of the remaining land on the parcel will be leased to local farmers.
By Keith M. Kaneshiro When Gov. Neil Abercrombie took office in 2010, he announced that he would bring back to Hawaii the 1,750 inmates incarcerated in Arizona.
By Marsha Rose Joyner After leaving an air-conditioned building along South King Street recently, I walked slowly toward my parked car with an hour left on the parking meter — drinking in the warmth of the sun and feeling grand.
By Kathleen C. Bailey The Obama Administration's proposal to reduce U.S. nuclear weapons by 80 percent — even if never effected — is both reckless and dangerous for at least two key reasons.
By Ed Teixeira The state Legislature recently missed an opportunity to bring Hawaii's antiquated civil defense system into the 21st century.
By Alan Gottlieb, Ken Kamiya, Derek Kurisu, Alicia Maluafiti, Dean Okimoto and Fred Perlak For years, consumers have made food-purchasing decisions based on their personal health and lifestyle choices as well as philosophical and religious beliefs. The market has responded by providing voluntary labels for foods that are kosher, halal, organic or "all natural."
By Kehaulani Filimoeatu and Jeff Gilbreath The smile on toddler Sophia Isabella's face was worth a thousand words.
By Jim Harstad Much has been written recently about Hawaii's quest to give its children the best possible early learning experience.
By Robbie Cabral, Patricia Brandt and Mililani Trask This session the Legislature is considering a number of energy-related bills. It is clear that something has to be done to make power more affordable for the people of Hawaii.
By Matthew Tuthill The recently introduced Senate Bill 2279 mandating genetically modified foods (GMO) labeling for fruits and vegetables grown or sold in Hawaii serves as an introductory dialog on a relevant, yet complicated, matter.
By Virginia Hench The lineup — long a mainstay of police departments and courtroom dramas — is in serious need of an upgrade.
By William J. Aila Jr. Over a century ago, Hawaii's leaders made a wise choice. In those days, drying streams and declining water sources were threatening the islands' prosperity and sustainability. To solve the grave water problem, leaders turned their gaze upwards — to the mauka forests that clothe our mountains.
By David Chang Recently, there has been a number of articles on the Occupy Movement and the greater issue of income inequality in our country.
The popularity of locally grown food in Hawaii is booming. Foodland, Whole Foods Market, Kyo-ya Hotels, Subway restaurants all complain that they can't get hold of enough of the stuff our farmers grow.
By Gary Okino As a planner, former City Council member and Council chairman, I have followed the development of Oahu's transportation system with keen interest throughout my career. As our transportation system goes, so goes the growth of Oahu and the kind of development that takes place.
By Tom Berg No matter who the mayor of Honolulu is or will be, the mayor alone cannot unilaterally stop the rail project unless at least four City Council members of like mind join the mayor in that effort.