Question: I ride TheBus to work (in town) and then back home (to Kaneohe). I appreciate the convenience and the air conditioning, but I’m annoyed by passengers who insist on talking on their cellphones at full blast the entire trip.
It isn’t that easy to get up and switch seats if the bus is crowded. Plus, the noise resonates, and no matter where I sit, I never know when the person right next to me is going to pull out a phone and start yakking. Maybe the bus driver up front can’t hear it or tunes it out. Other than asking the individuals involved to speak more quietly (which I do sometimes), what can I do to achieve a peaceful commute?
Answer: You might start by asking the bus driver to remind passengers to be respectful of fellow riders by keeping the volume down, in keeping with TheBus’ rules and regulations, which you can find at 808ne.ws/busregs.
The use of any audio device is prohibited on the bus unless the passenger uses “an earphone system for silent operation.” That’s fine when the device is a radio or MP3 player, but doesn’t solve your problem — since earphones would muffle only one half of a phone conversation.
The rules also say that cellphones should be placed on vibrate or have the ringer turned off. The idea clearly is to allow passengers to travel in peace and quiet as much as possible.
If talking to the bus driver doesn’t help, you can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation Services’ Public Transit Division. The online form is at 808ne.ws/buscomment, or you can call 768-8396. Be sure to mention the specific route and how often this problem occurs.
Q: Is it true that the state is telling people not to wear sunscreen?! In Hawaii?! …
A: No, that’s not quite accurate. It is true, however, that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is urging anyone who goes into the ocean not to use sunscreen that contains the active ingredient oxybenzone, because the chemical compound harms coral reefs.
“Scientific studies suggest that this chemical causes deformities in coral larvae, making them unable to swim, settle out and to form new coral colonies. This also increases the rate at which bleaching occurs and reduces coral resiliency to climate change,” according to a DLNR news release issued last week.
Although oxybenzone is a common sunscreen ingredient, consumers have many other safer, effective and affordable options, according to the Environmental Working Group, a national organization that advises avoiding sunscreens containing oxybenzone because of potential risks to human health.
The EWG, whose stated mission is to help people live healthier lives in a healthier environment, rates sunscreens in an annual guide, which you can find at www.ewg.org/sunscreen. You can search for the sunscreen you use, to see how the EWG grades it, and check out recommended products.
Sunscreens and sunblocks based on zinc oxide and titanium dioxide tend to fare well because they are stable in sunlight, generally protect against both types of ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB) and usually don’t contain potentially harmful additives, the guide states.
To your original point, the American Cancer Society describes skin cancer as the most common cancer and one of the most preventable. Its “Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap” campaign reminds people of four important ways to lower their risk: Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap on sunglasses.
The DLNR would add: For the good of our coral reefs, choose a sunscreen without oxybenzone.
Q: Thank you for writing about how adoptees can access their birth records (808ne.ws/adopt808). Do you know how long it takes to retrieve the records?
A: On Oahu it is taking about two or three months to process requests for adoption records in the 1st Circuit Family Court, according to the Legal Research and Adoptions Unit.
Such requests have increased with the June enactment of Act 80, which made previously sealed records available to parties involved in Hawaii adoptions, as long as the adoptee is now an adult and the records are held in Family Court.
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
