UH FOOTBALL

BOYCOTT PAY-PER-VIEW

I thought about ordering the University of Hawai'i-Boise State football game Oct. 1, but after finding out the game cost $50, I decided to wait until the next day and watch it for free.

To all you UH fans, let's boycott this unbelievable price and maybe Oceanic or UH will get the message and make the games affordable.

UH GAMES

BANNING ALCOHOL AT STADIUM A WISE MOVE

Do people like me have to spell out the obvious to the drunks fighting for that last swig before entering Aloha Stadium? I have fun at tailgate parties. It's a time to meet friends, enjoy conversations of past games, barbecue and grind on the fruits of our labor before game time.

It's not a time to get stupid drunk so you can act like a fool during the game. Remember what we are going to the games for — to support and soberly cheer our University of Hawai'i football team to victory.

Don't get me wrong; yes, I like the taste of a beer or two before game time as well, but to act like that is the only reason you go? If that's the case, then go to a bar and get stupid there because by the time you get your sorry drunk 'okole in the stadium, you're too drunk to know what's going on anyway. You're just cheering because other people are cheering and taking swings at people without really understanding what's going on around you or on the field.

The decision made by stadium officials was a wise one. It is a way for all to get what we all want — to watch a game without experiencing some drooling drunk yelling at who knows what and/or experiencing a hangover in bed if you're lucky enough to get home alive and not get pulled over or wake up in a jail cell.

Come on folks, it's a family affair to take the wives, kids and enjoy ourselves ... sober.

BEV HARBIN

LYING SEEMS TO BE PART OF JOB REQUIREMENT

I had difficulty trying to figure out why the Democrats are screaming about Rep. Bev. Harbin. OK, she lied. But have you seen the titles of some of the proposed bills compared to what they actually do? Lying would seem to be a job requirement.

Harbin was convicted of a misdemeanor almost two decades ago. How many of the sitting Legislature would fail the same test? Didn't pay taxes? At least one legislator had the same problem. But wait! She's working on paying off her taxes, instead of getting tax forgiveness from political cronies. She's making some of the sitting Democrats look bad ...

APPOINTMENT SHOWS IT'S STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE

John Pritchett's Monday letter ("Harbin record clean among Democrats") listed people that he associated as high-profile Democratic Party members with troubled pasts.

Besides the fact that several were in nonpartisan offices while others had already left public office by the time of their arrest, Pritchett failed to mention the rest of the picture — the recent arrests of Republicans Dalton Tanonaka, Brian Blundell and Jack Kulp, not to mention Sonny from Kapolei who is on the run.

Gov. Linda Lingle's promotion of style over substance allowed Harbin to receive two appointments in the governor's office despite what was known about her troubled past. Several of Lingle's appointments have included husband-and-wife couples.

In her New Beginning agenda, Lingle stated, "Ethics in government is the single most damaging factor in Hawai'i's anti-business image."

The relationship between Harbin and Lingle reminds us that the governor has more to hide than she has to offer. Sadly, that picture is worth a thousand words.

BIG MAHALO

FOUR MEN KINDLY HELPED WITH FLAT TIRE

I got my first flat tire on Saturday while putting my mail in the drop box at the downtown post office on Richards Street.

Immediately, Richard Higa came to my rescue but was unable to assist me because we were not able to find the lever for the jack. Then along came Andy and Stanton who found it and took my flat tire off but found out that my spare also had a flat. Then came Paul Masuoka, who took my flat tire to Lex Brodie's and got it filled and came back and put it on.

My biggest mahalo and aloha to these four cool guys who wouldn't take my money to buy something cold to drink on a hot afternoon. Your kindness will always be remembered.

KAMILONUI EDITORIAL

POSITION SHOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL HOUSING

I was sorely disappointed by The Advertiser's Sept. 28 editorial on Kamilonui Valley ("City must guard use of Kamilonui land"). I attended several community meetings about Kamehameha Schools' plan to sell

87 acres of agriculturally zoned farmland to a housing developer. The most recent meeting at Mariner's Cove had an overflow crowd of residents; 95 percent were staunchly opposed to having the farmland rezoned for urban development.

With overwhelming community opposition, The Advertiser should be willing to take a stand. I encourage you to attend future meetings and speak with residents. Your editorial position should be simple: No additional housing development in Kamilonui Valley.

JAPANESE

HAPA WOMAN'S PLIGHT RATHER EASY TO RELATE TO

I can relate to Natalie Obiko Pearson's reflections ("Two halves not a whole Japanese," Oct. 2).

My mother was also named "Setsuko," and my father, like Natalie's father, Robert, died of cancer. I attended an international school in Yokohama for eight years.

I am glad that she was able to resolve her divided self to become naturalized, which should have been her birthright.

Unlike her mother, my mother was fluent in English because she graduated from Roosevelt High School and University of Hawai'i-Manoa long before she married my dad in Tokyo.

I hope what she feels about the graying of the Japanese demographics leads to a more open society and an accepting one for those like Natalie.

However, I have some concerns about the new generation's neoconservatism. Natalie hits the nail right on the head when she hints that Japan has not kept pace with social and racial progress as it has with technological and economic progress..

For those who don't or won't fit in, there is always a way to make lemonade out of lemons. A hapa-haole is in many a way a unique individual. He or she should not be confused with the bat, neither bird nor mammal. Being bilingual or multicultural is an advantage.

AS WIE GOES PRO, WE SEE MONEY CAN CHANGE A DREAM

Thanks to Michelle Wie's pro golf contract, I now stand at an intersection of conflict. So far, what have I learned from Wie? Clearly, not much, except the disappointing reality that when money becomes a factor, any dream can be changed.

Through my eyes, what made Michelle Wie so great was not that she is more than 6 feet tall and can power the golf ball distances that compete with that of men, but that she had a dream. Much like me, Wie is around the age of 16, attending a private school here in Hawai'i, has a sport she is passionate about and has an elaborate dream.

Therefore, when I heard of her ambitions to graduate from Punahou, attend Stanford and then turn pro, emulating her idol, Tiger Woods, I felt much empathy for her because I, too, dare to dream big.

However, most recently, she is the "$10 Million Girl" in Golf World magazine. My first reaction: Can someone so young even fathom the value of this much money?

But more importantly, I wanted to know what happened to her dream. She is a role model to many young people, especially of the female gender; therefore, this career move, which may seem wise, influences an assorted audience.

Since Wie has signed the contract, how can I believe my father when he says happiness cannot be bought? After all, sponsors are basically investing in Wie's potential. Wie's transition from an amateur to a professional woman golfer simply emphasizes the current rarity of integrity and the low price of ambition.

Hopefully, Wie understands the impact this contract will have on her life. Not only will she be ineligible to play golf in high school, but she will also be looked at as a stronger role model and maybe, to some like me, a quitter.

BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY

PSAS PICKED UP IN CLASSROOM

I read with great pleasure the article by Michael Tsai on Wai'anae High School's Searider Productions ("Searider surfs media wave," Sept. 27). As indicated in the article, SP did a series of public service announcements for the Hawai'i Bone Marrow Donor Registry and the Hawai'i Cord Blood Bank, both of which are part of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). One of the former spots ("Flatline") is currently being aired on KHON, and will soon be appearing on OC16.

To its many previous accolades, I would like to now add that SP has recently won the NMDP 2005 Excellence in Local Media Award, which is presented to a journalist, producer or media organization that has developed and/or published a local story or series that increased the awareness and understanding of marrow and blood cell transplantation and the NMDP.

The PSAs produced by students from Wai'anae High School were selected as the best media entry from among amateur and professional entries solicited from the NMDP's entire national network of donor centers, transplant centers, apheresis centers, recruitment groups, cord blood banks, collection centers, repositories and laboratories. This award will be presented to Candy Suiso and her students at the November NMDP Council Meeting in Minneapolis in front of a national and international audience.

These PSAs have been incorporated into the curriculum of a course being piloted this semester at Wai'anae High's Health and Science Academy, under the direction of teacher Phillip Deporto. Units designed and taught by the donor registry staff are aimed at having the students know the various diseases treatable by stem cell transplant and the rationale for this therapy; understand the mission of the Hawai'i Bone Marrow Donor Registry and the National Marrow Donor Program; understand what is involved in being a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donor; plan, organize and assist in an actual Hawai'i Bone Marrow Donor Registry drive for their community; and gain an appreciation for healthcare-related community service.

The bone marrow drive will be held on Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wai'anae High School. This is an ambitious curriculum, but thus far, Deporto's students have been up to the task.

If this course is successful it could be taught on a recurring basis, and perhaps serve as a template for use in other schools. It may even bring Wai'anae back into the NMDP spotlight, this time for their Network Innovation Award.