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on logo design

Seeing red about UH's new color scheme

Regarding the change in the University of Hawaii logo: It's the dumbest idea in recent years. The UH alma mater begins, "In green Manoa...," Not black, orange, etc. And just "H"? Not even "UH"? Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Try again, please. This time, keep a sense of place. Return the color green (OK, so I'm Irish) and the distinctive rainbow, despite that fact I've chided the university in the past for getting the colors in the wrong order.

Peggy Kehoe Buchwach
UH Alumna

Who says Rainbows is a sissy name?

Changing a team's logo is one thing, changing its name is quite another. Winning Coach June Jones can do no wrong except calling his team the Warriors instead of the Rainbows. The rainbow is a perfect symbol for UH teams and the state of Hawaii. It stands for Hawaii's hopes, dreams, Hawaii's diverse peoples and cultures forming a harmonious whole.

The Rainbows of Manoa Valley have played under the rays and spells of rainbows throughout their history. The University of Hawaii is the rainbow that bridges East and West and its students' past and future. Rainbows, Hawaii and the UH are inseparable.

UH doesn't need a name or color change to strike fear in the hearts of its rivals. Forget all the hype, testosterone and machismo. UH opponents are scared as hell already. They are afraid that they may lose to a team call the Rainbows, coached by a guy name June. Shame, yeh?

Richard Y. Will

Change is good -- or maybe it's not

Adjusting to change is an evolutionary trait of survival. We adjust to the change in weather, whether we like it or not. In our minds we may be creatures of habit, but we are constantly changing our minds.

As for the identity change for the University of Hawaii, it will, no doubt, change the persona of its programs. We no longer will be thought of as nature's elusive phenomena of color that dreams are cast upon. We will not be thought of as mystical and soft in the mist of Manoa. More important, we symbolically will not represent the melting pot that is Hawaii. Adjust and survive.

Existence is about survival and UH needs to keep up with the Joneses. The university is already reaping big rewards from its marketing investments.

In reality, though, while you can take the rainbow out of the logo, you cannot take the rainbow out of Manoa. The University of Hawaii is changing its symbolism to not only survive, but to prosper.

Change is good and we will adjust. If not, we can always change our minds.

Brad Lee
Kailua

Logo severely lacking in Hawaiian spirit

The new UH logo is ghastly, bizarre and totally foreign to the spirit and tradition of the university and state. Where is the connection to the school's roots in Manoa Valley, namely the rainbow?

Nothing signifies the uniqueness of an "H" as Hawaii's own -- it could belong to Hofstra, Houston or Hampton College. What about a white "H" with maile leaves intertwined around it?

I'll always be a UH fan. Rest assured, though, that I will continue to wear my old green UH polo shirt with the warrior and rainbow logo on it. I'll probably never purchase any item with the new logo.

I'll take the lesser of two evils: Bring back the mascot with the marshmallow head.

Miles Yamabe
Kailua

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More reaction to the new logo:
Day 1 | Day 2

Quotables "My issue is...not so much the marketing, but the misappropriation of the Hawaiian image. They're using what will sell, but it doesn't belong to them. This university stands on stolen land." Piilani Smith FORMER UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT Protesting the new UH logo and moniker change of the football team from Rainbows to Warriors "What will our nickname be (now)? The H's?" Aaron Lau NUUANU RESIDENT AND UH FAN Unhappy with the change of the university's logo from a rainbow to the letter"H"

Primer on how to vote on Election Day

Elections are nothing more than egotists running in a popularity contest. The outcome will be determined by who had the better ad agency and largest bank account.

I propose we have some fun with our candidates. Let's play games with them as they continue to play games with us. If you do vote on Election Day, support:

Those candidates you've never heard of. Chances are they haven't sold out to any special-interest groups.
The candidate who doesn't negatively campaign against an opponent.
The underdog.

Hawaii should be an example to the rest of the country that elections cannot be bought.

Don't get mad, get even, and re-elect nobody.

Jim Rosen

End the turmoil among brothers

It seems to be tradition for Palestinians and Israelis to hate each other. Yet it was reported not long ago that DNA tests revealed that they are blood brothers.

Somehow, all of this reminds me of an old "Star Trek" episode, in which the Starship Enterprise came upon a world engaged in civil war. Half the populace had black skin on the right side of their faces and white on the other; the other half of the population had white skin on the right side and black on the other.

Why does Jerusalem have to belong to one or the other? Why can't it be a Holy City in itself, something like the Vatican?

Ted Chernin
Pearl City

Wall Street Journal was being racist

I guess Thomas Webb (Letters, July 17) doesn't remember when the term "bamboo curtain" was used to describe the communist takeover of China. Bamboo, despite the many regions where it grows, is usually identified with China, Japan or Southeast Asia.

Webb may not feel the term is racist, but its use in the Wall Street Journal editorial was not lost on most of us.

Pete Chisteckoff
Mililani

Flawed ruling stymies attorney general's probe

As noted in your July 13 editorial, the attorney general is not getting the cooperation that he needs in his attempt to seek accountability from the former Bishop Estate trustees.

At the core of the problem is a flawed probate court ruling that lets the actions of the interim trustees be determined by private agreements between insurance companies and the former trustees.

The insurance contracts in question attempt to protect the interests of the former trustees and the insurance companies by providing that coverage will be lost if the interim trustees cooperate with the attorney general.

Lawyers for the trust, with their own reasons for wanting to put the past to rest, have stonewalled the attorney general at every opportunity. This has made the attorney general's job infinitely more difficult.

Under these circumstances, the amount of damages that he will be able to prove at trial is likely to be relatively small.

This outcome serves the interests of former trustees and their advisers, and the insurance companies. The big losers are the beneficiaries of the trust and taxpayers of Hawaii.

Randall W. Roth
Professor, University of Hawaii School of Law

Late senator didn't deserve to be called 'pol'

By any journalistic standards, your July 19 headline, "Georgia pol's death opens slot for Dems," reflects bad taste. The term "pol" as an abbreviation for "politician" has a negative connotation that the individual referred to, U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdale, did not earn.

Your headline writer has put himself/herself and the Star-Bulletin into the same league as Georgia Democrats, who were gloating over the opportunity to appoint a Democrat to Coverdale's vacant seat while his body was still warm. No wonder it's hard to convince good people to run for public office.

Fred Rohlfing
Kula, Maui

Kahle should apologize to rockslide victims

As Mark Johnson's former fiancee, I loved Mark and Jennifer Johnson more than any words could express. Therefore, I will do whatever it takes to make sure that they, along with the other Sacred Falls landslide victims, are never forgotten.

It was through the Internet that I first came across the memorial site dedicated to Sacred Falls. When I saw the picture of the crosses at the park, I didn't think they symbolized Christianity. Instead, I was happy because here was a place to lay a rose, a note or a piece of memorabilia for those who died.

So when word reached me that the crosses had been removed because of a complaint by Mitchell Kahle (Letters, July 25), it felt like someone had just ripped out a tombstone and -- whether you are a Christian, atheist, Jew or Muslim -- that just isn't right.

It is offensive and contemptuous that Kahle made a decision for dozens of people without consulting them first. I demand an apology of behalf of the victims and their families.

Cathryn M. Hayes
San Antonio, Texas

Medical privacy law should be repealed

I disagree with the Star-Bulletin's July 19 editorial on the Medical Privacy Law. Act 87 deserves to be repealed immediately by special legislative session, or struck down by the courts.

The law ostensibly serves to protect an individual's medical privacy. But the provisions actually force people to relinquish the right to safeguard their medical privacy against practices they were previously able to decline, such as research.

This law is a prime example of legislative good intentions prevailing over reason. I suspect it arose not out of political benevolence, but as a reaction from a feisty physician who vehemently opposed, in defense of her patients' right to medical confidentiality, releasing medical records to an HMO a few years ago.

She was understandably concerned that every employee in that organization --claims adjuster, clerk, messenger, even janitor -- had access to her patients' records.

A year later, with uncharacteristic legislative speed, the Privacy of Health Care Information Act was passed and signed.

It was given a year to take effect. This period was supposed to have been used by government agencies named in Act 87 "to determine the most appropriate method by which the law could be implemented."

Yet none of those agencies today will venture to give any practical advice about the law other than "wait for the lawsuits to force the courts to set the rules, or consult your company lawyers."

A task force mentioned by the Star-Bulletin that was supposed to have worked on this law was as incognito, amorphous and unreachable as the proverbial shadowy militant terrorist organization.

This law must be taken off the books immediately. Is anybody listening?

Florian Flores

Hawaii chefs should issue iron-clad challenge

In the past year, the TV Food Network has taped shows in Hawaii featuring well-known local chefs. These programs provide valuable national exposure for our islands.

The state's visitor industry could do more to capitalize on our connections. For example, anyone who watches "Iron Chef" knows what a big ratings hit this Japanese cooking show was when it did a special "New York Battle" episode recently.

Why not issue a "Hawaii Battle" challenge, pitting our own great Pacific Rim chefs against the Iron Chefs? Bring on Morimoto and his cohorts! The TV Food Network could even make it a best two-out-of-three series as part of a week of programming from Hawaii.

Rich Figel
Kailua

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