Editorials
Friday, September 26, 1997THE Sony Corp.'s gift of $500,000 to the Honolulu Symphony is a most welcome expression of support by a major Japanese company for the arts in Hawaii. Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the symphony board of directors, said the gift would be used to establish a fund to explore cultural collaboration with Asia and the Pacific. "My dream," she said, "is to take the Honolulu Symphony to Japan and Korea and China." Symphony gift will
boost Asian outreachAn Asia tour is more than a dream; discussions are already going on with groups in Asia. Akira Ohtomo, a symphony board member and chairman of its international development committee, says the symphony's future development will include a growing partnership with Asia.
Virtually on the point of disbanding a few years ago, the symphony has been resurrected thanks to a new spirit of cooperation between the board and the musicians and the appointment of the dynamic Samuel Wong as music director. The Sony gift will bring the symphony endowment to $6.2 million when the final installment is made in 2000.
The symphony today is again a vibrant institution at the center of Hawaii's musical life. Sony's gift, undoubtedly inspired by Akio Morita, Sony's founder and honorary chairman, who is now a Honolulu resident, implicitly recognizes that fact. It also provides a generous and timely boost for the symphony's efforts to reach out beyond Hawaii's shores.
Sony is also making its mark on Hawaii sports. It is expected to sponsor a PGA Tour tournament at the Waialae Country Club to replace the United Airlines Hawaiian Open, starting in 1999. That's another big contribution to this community.
EXOTIC dancing has taken a new turn across the country, as dancers have climbed onto fully clothed customers and engaged in gyrations known as lap dancing. The City Council is considering adoption of an ordinance that would ban the activity, but the proposal could encounter constitutional problems. Dancing on laps
Requiring liquor establishments to conform with certain standards of behavior is allowed in exchange for the privilege of serving alcohol. Extending the requirement to establishments that don't serve alcohol could invite court challenges that would be rendered unnecessary by a less drastic method of dealing with the fad.
IN 1991 a large area of Luzon Island in the Philippines was covered by ash from the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano. But that was minor compared with what is happening now in several Southeast Asian countries. A thick brown haze of smoke caused by forest fires in Indonesia is blanketing much of the region. Besides Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines have been affected. Southeast Asia's haze
The Indonesian government should have done more to prevent the situation from getting out of control. This problem has been around for years. Educational campaigns and enforcement of restrictions on burning certainly would have helped. Burning trees to clear land cannot be allowed. It's a classic example of the results of complacency about an environmental threat.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
