The Bishop Museum for many years has had the reputation as a dusty, fusty institution overseen by a too-large, unwieldy board constantly involving themselves in micromanaging the executive staff. After a series of unfortunate picks, they seem to have gotten it right with the highly qualified Melanie Ide as executive director.
Ide has reached out into the community, worked hard at securing desperately needed funding and brought a sense of hope to the community at large. The ham-handed way the board handled the removal of the executives without giving any reason either to them or the public was both alarming and amateurish (“3 top officials at Bishop Museum placed on leave amid internal probe,” Star-Advertiser, July 9).
I hope the Legislature and public withhold any more funds to this organization until the board cleans up its act. What was it doing inserting itself in an employee dispute in the first place?
Kaui Philpotts
Makiki
Hawaii must continue to market to tourists
Like many readers, I read David Shapiro’s column nearly every week as his perspective on matters of the day are typically right on, as I see them.
Recently Shapiro covered both our new police chief and Mike McCartney of state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, about the tourism issue of the day: the Hawaii Tourism Authority reneging on its contract with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau at McCartney’s direction (“Police and tourism communicators trip over their tongues,” Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, June 19). In closing remarks, Shapiro mentioned an idea some uninformed have said: “We don’t need to spend millions on tourism marketing” when we already have more visitors than we can handle.
I would simply pose this question: Toyota is the No. 1 automobile manufacturer, selling nearly 10 million vehicles globally. Does anyone see Toyota ceasing its marketing because it is already so popular?
Those who profess we don’t need to market our destination to sustain the visitor industry and the jobs and tax revenues it generates, quite simply have their heads buried in the sand.
John Votsis
Kaimuki
PSAs can teach drivers, smooth out traffic flow
Recently I have seen public service announcements from the Hawaii County Police Department on driving. I think this is a good idea for Honolulu and the state to also contribute. They should concentrate on behaviors that would lead to smoother traffic flow.
I have witnessed many drivers who do not use or know how to use turn signals; who cross solid lines and don’t know how to merge; who don’t drive in the correct lane for their speed on the freeway.
I hope that this could serve as a reminder to all drivers.
Egan Kawamoto
Ewa Beach
Multiple energy sources needed for public safety
Since we are transitioning to “green” sources of power, it would be smart not to rely much on a single source. Currently planned renewable energy sources will be more vulnerable in a hurricane disaster.
Today, we can live weeks with a degraded electrical grid. However, as we move to clean-energy sources, our sustainability risks will change. Just imagine solar panels blown all over Oahu and the Pacific.
What if clean-energy sources cannot pump water from our wells and maintain water system pressure? Our population needs assurance that this can’t happen. Each of us requires about a gallon of water a day to stay alive.
Toby Rushforth
Kaneohe
Require gun owners to carry insurance
Hawaii should require gun owners to have insurance (“Make strict rules for carrying guns,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, July 8). We require insurance to get a car. Why not a gun?
Peter Burns
Kaneohe
A magical day’s walk through UH, Waikiki
I would like to share my magical walk to Waikiki:
At 1:15 Sunday afternoon, I set off on a walk from my home in lower Manoa to see Rocky and her new pup at Kaimana Beach (“Monk seal mom returns to Waikiki for 14th birth,” Star-Advertiser, July 10). As I walked across the University of Hawaii campus, I heard the strumming of ukulele: a kanikapila at Hemenway.
At Bachman, I peeked into the fenced-in area to check on the koa tree — it’s still there and properly protected. At the corner of Date and Laau, I admired the endemic poppy, pua kala.
At Kapiolani Park I witnessed bocce and a cricket game.
Finally, I reached the Hawaiian monk seals resting on the sand without a care, “sans souci.” Yes, they are wonderful.
On my return trip via lower campus, at the Hawaiian Center, I heard a Hawaiian song wafting: a hula class practicing to Robert Cazimero’s unmistakably melodious voice.
What a magical day walking to Waikiki.
Veneeta Acson
Manoa
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