Arsenic risk misrepresented

The article on the risk posed by arsenic in rice to pregnant women was misleading and more dangerous than the topic itself ("Rice may pose arsenic risk in pregnancy," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 6).

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element and yes, it’s present in non-toxic, trace amounts in rice and every other food. This is not new news. No links between arsenic in rice and health risks have ever been demonstrated. Typical dietary exposure is well below the risk level set by the World Health Organization, specifically intended to protect children.

There is now a real risk that an understandably worried, pregnant woman will have her hair tested for arsenic (yes, it’s there too) and then request dangerous and completely unnecessary medical procedures like chelation to "save her baby."

Roger Brewer
Honolulu

Read Aloud plea confusing

Shame on me. I never knew that Read Aloud America existed, nor did I know anything about Jed Gaines until I read his commentary Sunday ("Invest unspent APEC funds into reading," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 4).

I totally support the concept of parents reading to their children, though, frankly, I think it is done best at home. However, there’s nothing wrong with doing it in the school cafeteria.

What I noticed, though, was the total absence of any mention of how well the program is or was doing. I believe that to really make an impression on the child, the reading by parents has to be a frequent and sustained activity, and that the English teachers should be able to observe marked reading improvement in the classroom.

The major message of the article for me was that it was a total indictment of our public school system in Hawaii. We have to depend on a nonprofit to get the parents to read to their kids, and it requires millions of dollars to do it?

Paul Tyksinski
Kailua

Give UH fans more game data

A disappointing season for the University of Hawaii Warriors, which ended with the game against BYU on Saturday.

I have been attending this season’s games and while not happy with the outcome, I accept what is.

However, as a college football enthusiast, I am thoroughly disgusted with the lack of information provided of games that are ongoing on the mainland.

I did not see any scores on the stadium screens until a couple flashed briefly in the fourth quarter.

I go to mainland games every year and find their information systems so much more innovative and up-to-date than ours. They actually have the stadium announcer give breaking scores. I think UH fans deserve no less.

Give the audience a little more of what college football fans want and maybe there will not be so many empty seats.

Ron McQuaid Sr.
Hawaii Kai

Nonprofits need to prove value

Here in our beloved state, we have many very important and useful nonprofit agencies that receive state taxpayer money. But, how do we know which agency or nonprofit program actually has measurable benefits?

I would propose that each program have defined goals, defined procedures to meet those goals, and report responsibly what the results are. Reporting that the program counseled 1,200 people, gave X number of scholarships, or other such facts tells us little. We want to know if the program made a difference in changing someone’s life and how. Did the persons counseled change anything in their life, did the scholarship recipients actually go to school and graduate, did the assisted homeless persons attempt to improve, and what is the measurable improvement?

This policy would separate those nonprofits that really do not change anything from those taking responsibility for the funds entrusted to them.

Gary R. Johnson
Kaneohe

Abercrombie must take blame

David Shapiro hit the nail on the head regarding our governor placing blame for the state’s fiscal problems on former Gov. Linda Lingle ("Abercrombie’s troubles are all his own, not Lingle’s," Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Dec. 7).

Abercrombie knew full well what the state’s fiscal situation was before he decided to run for governor, as did Gov. Ben Cayetano when he took over for Gov. John Waihee.

Now is not the time to blame anyone but to right the ship as we begin to recover from our economic trouble. The governor needs to mend fences with the labor unions and plan for better economic times.

Roy M. Chee
Moanalua