Don’t bottle all our water
Don’t bottle all our water
I wanted to present a different point of view that maybe others have had as well. At the beginning of this water crisis, there was a lit up road sign stating reduce water by 25 percent. This was also at a very dry time, with no rain for a while, so for myself, I figured it was for drought conditions, understandably.
Then rain started coming almost daily, and the sign was no longer telling us to conserve. I figured the problem was over, as there had been nothing in the paper or from civil defense. I read the paper every day as well as listen to the radio daily, there was never any information given to the public that I know of about the wells being down, until the scolding.
I think communication is important here. So, I would expect things will be more cooperative now that people know.
Debra Crumby
Kailua-Kona
Tiny houses need support
House Bill 2, the tiny houses initiative, has had overwhelming support for being enacted on the Big Island and throughout the state of Hawaii. We ask that you support this initiative. HB 2 passed both the Hawaii House and Senate overwhelmingly.
Gov. David Ige has said he is going to veto it. We have read Ige’s rationale for vetoing it — it is not an affordable option for most farmers/farmworkers. Currently, as you know, most farmworkers are living in their cars or substandard, unpermitted housing. If we are to double food production by 2020, as the governor has stated, we need affordable farm-worker housing, ASAP. No affordable housing means no food.
We would appreciate your support of tiny houses not just for the homeless but for farms and farmworkers. Please contact the governor’s phone line or online comment at 586-0034 or https://governor.hawaii.gov/contact-us/comments-on-legislation/
Please also contact your local state representative and senator and Harry Kim, Hawaii County’s mayor, at 961-8211 in support of HB 2.
Lew Whitney and Karin Cooke
Kokolulu Farm and Cancer Retreats, Hawi
Learning to sail
I learned to sail in a restaurant. I used to teach and coach swimming at the Konawaena pool. One swimmer was Nancy Griffith’s daughter, Fiona. After several months of swimming, Nancy took me out to lunch to thank me for teaching her daughter. Nancy is famous for circumnavigating our planet three times in a sailboat. Sitting at lunch, I learned how to sail. I thought wind filled the sail but she set me straight. When the wind goes around the outside of the curved sail, wind stretches and vacuum pockets pull the boat.
It’s called the law of aerodynamics. I understood that. I asked her if I needed to aim the sail diagonally into the wind and she smiled and said yes. So I tried it. A bunch of people with boats used to camp on the Kiholo peninsula and that year they brought a row boat that had a hole to put a sail into and a rudder. When they all slept their noon naps I set up the little sailboat. I aimed it diagonally into the wind and I sailed silently up and down Kiholo Bay and then a soft rain fell and it was so beautiful. Thank you, Nancy Griffith. Mahalo nui loa Kuuipo
Debra Zager
Ocean View