Off the News: Plenty of illegal bombs bursting

Since Jan. 1, 2011, with the exception of firecrackers purchased with a permit, fireworks have been banned on Oahu. No more sparklers, fountains or spinners. But loud and clear in recent weeks — and months — was an ample lineup of illicit aerials and homemade bombs.

There was some relief while greeting 2020 that there were relatively few fireworks-related emergencies. A teen boy sustained serious injury when fireworks exploded in his hand, and 11 others were transported to hospitals for respiratory problems. Also, firefighters responded to six fires, with the worst one causing $5,000 in damage to a house in Maili.

You can call it HoMA

The Honolulu Museum of Art already found its place in the constellation of art-world acronyms when it adopted HoMA as its nickname some time ago. Its just-released logo seeks to make that name more prominent.

It echoes New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), one in New Orleans (NOMA) and no end of four- or five-letter variations. There’s something familiar about the way it sounds like “home,” too.

Here’s hoping for a successful branding effort in the challenging, competitive realm of art.