TB-infected fliers pose little risk
If Andrew Speaker, the Georgia lawyer with XDR TB, came to Hawaii, he would be only one of the many patients with active TB who show up regularly in Hawaii, after long flights. Immigrants and students from Asia constitute the bulk of these patients and their flights take 10-12 hours. And yet there is no evidence of large-scale infections of passengers, largely because of the low rate of transmission of TB and the fact that airlines have installed high-efficiency air filters and high air exchange rates.
Therefore there is no cause for alarm but, like physician Jesse Wing said, we need to be vigilant. TB is after all a communicable disease, and multiple drug resistance is hard to treat and can be deadly.
Thanh Nguyen, M.D.
Honolulu
Isle philanthropist helped public TV
The late
Barbara Cox Anthony of Diamond Head liked to keep her generosity quiet, and so we at PBS Hawaii quietly marveled at the aloha she showed for public television in her island home.
This co-owner of one of the largest media conglomerates in the world contributed regularly to our locally owned, nonprofit alternative to commercial TV.
Her low-profile support resulted in high-quality programs sharing Hawaii history and culture, and discussing and debating public concerns.
Mrs. Anthony's gifts to PBS Hawaii and other nonprofit organizations illuminated issues and deepened understanding in our community.
We'll never forget her strong, silent support, and we pay tribute to this great lady who enriched Hawaii with lasting value that goes far beyond dollar signs.
Mahalo nui loa, Mrs. Anthony.
Leslie Wilcox
President and CEO
PBS Hawaii
Crowing is preferable to leaf blowers
Forgive the pun, but City Councilman Charles Djou's pledge to ban roosters in town to prevent crowing disturbances is a misplaced outcry (
Star-Bulletin, June 4).
Roosters are indeed notorious sleep-breakers -- but so are leaf blowers, back-up beepers, car alarms, peeling tires and gunning engines. These very uncharming, unnatural and unnecessary sounds not only cause day-and-night irritation for thousands living in our urban areas, but are also a growing source of noise pollution in our rural communities.
The fact that overdeveloped Honolulu still appeals to a few ruffled "country" birds should be cause for celebration, not a lynch mob.
Stacy Pope
Honolulu
Government should be powered by the sun
Sunday's editorial praising the use of solar power is an important step in the right direction. However, you left out one important change.
Every government building in the state should either be built with or retrofitted with solar panels. Not only would this save government (and of course taxpayers') money, it would send a message that we really are serious about renewable energy.
Eventually, we should require that every commercial (and maybe even residential) building incorporate solar power.
It is absurd for Hawaii not to rely on this free, ever-available resource.
Mark A. Koppel
Umauma, Hawaii
Rescuers did their best to find lost fisherman
The family of
Stanley Chen would like to express our sincere appreciation for the tireless and exemplary efforts by more than a dozen rescue personnel from the Honolulu Fire Department Search and Rescue, city Ocean Safety Division and the U.S. Coast Guard to find our brother, missing while fishing in waters off Bamboo Ridge. Three days of searching -- by boat and helicopter in daylight, continued by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island throughout the night -- reportedly covered 47 square miles, including the shoreline from Makapuu to Diamond Head.
Although we are saddened by the apparent loss of our beloved brother, we are comforted by the fact that these rescue personnel did all they could to try to find him. The parent organizations who support and manage these individuals should be extremely proud of the dedication and professionalism they showed during the past week.
Justin Chen, Rosa Chen Iao and Maria Chen Au Hoy
Honolulu
Not as many students get counseling
There is an inaccurate statistic in
C. Richard Fassler's column published on Sunday titled "Suicide, sex part of college experience." The story states, "At Middlebury College -- an institution that is, perhaps, not unlike many small schools -- staff estimated that from 33 percent to 40 percent of students received counseling during the last academic year; nationwide, 9 percent of college students sought counseling in 2006."
About 33-40 percent of a Middlebury College senior class during their time in college have sought counseling -- not in an individual year. The accurate number for an individual year at Middlebury is 17 percent.
Sarah Ray
Director of Public Affairs
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vt.