ANSWER: Somehow a scenic - and sometimes, not so scenic - spot just doesn't seem important without one of those red-and-yellow warrior signs flagging it out.
The markers are under the jurisdiction of the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, and Jack Carreira takes his job as sign overseer very seriously. Besides making sure they meet historical and cultural criteria, he said he personally checks each sign site with state or county road officials "to make sure it's safe and doesn't create a problem. Then we come up with a final determination."
The HVB has a $15,000 yearly budget for its signs, which "doesn't cover much," he acknowledged. There are about 500 markers statewide and the colorful signs often are targets of vandals or thieves who want them for souvenirs. The HVCB is in charge of their maintenance and replacement, as well as for new signs, which cost about $135 each.
Carreira, whose main job is head of HVCB's private sector membership, was put in charge of the signs about five years ago, after it became obvious that there was "a great discrepancy on how the signs were put up. There was a committee, but apparently rules weren't totally followed."
Since then, strict guidelines have been set, requiring sites marked by signs to have some kind of historical or cultural significance. The signs, which originated back in the 1930s, were never meant to be directional, he said.
Existing signs that do not meet current guidelines will not be replaced when they fade or otherwise deteriorate.
Those in that category include ones posted outside all state libraries, Carreira said.
He also acknowledged a problem with copycat signs that "illegally" look like the HVCB warrior. "We make every effort to pursue that because I feel it brings negativism against" what the signs are supposed to stand for, he said.
There's no move to change the look of the signs, he said, although future signs may reflect the new bureau name, instead of the old Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
ANSWER: First of all, "There's nothing sinister going on," says Jack Wiers, a sports marketing consultant who's worked on the Pro Bowl for the past five years. The problem is that "the Pro Bowl is in great demand, selling out year after year."
The NFL, which sponsors the game, reserves a number of tickets for its marketing partners around the country, including such biggies as Miller Beer and McDonalds. Beyond Hawaii, "There is a greater demand for these Pro Bowl tickets from outside sources," such as travel agencies, Wiers said.
Sometimes, after a game is announced as a sell-out, some "good" tickets are put back into circulation for sale.
But Wiers cautioned against waiting in hopes of getting a shot at sideline seats. "It's chancy. There's no guarantee at all of getting that kind of seat," he said.