Sandbar going to the dogs

With all the new laws protecting dogs from inhumane treatment, who knew that Hawaii would be lacking in rules protecting humans from nasty canines?

That appears to be the impediment in prosecuting a dog owner for his unleashed animal attacking a woman at the increasingly infamous Ahu O Laka sandbar. Honolulu’s dangerous-dogs law, it seems, does not apply on the Kaneohe Bay sandbar.

Surely civil courts can provide relief to the victim, but this kind of mayhem should be criminal on the sandbar, too.

As for the state’s failure to anticipate these issues, well, that may not be criminal, but it’s pretty darned lax.

Bye-bye to bookstores?

Dedicated bibliophiles — OK, bookworms — surely are lamenting the gradual closures of bookstores in Hawaii and across the nation.

The latest announcement here calls for the shutdown of two Borders Express stores on Oahu — this, after the recent closures of five Borders stores, in Waikele and on the neighbor islands.

The rise of e-books and other modes of reading, as well as online ordering, have made it tough on the brick-and-mortar bookstore. And just as oenophiles heartily inhale the oak and grapes upon entering a winery, so, too, do bookworms enjoy the co-mingled aroma of paper pages and warm espresso. Online has its advantages, but bookstore ambience is not one of them.