When will Sia get his just deserts?

What is Sukamto Sia doing in California? I thought he was under court-ordered house arrest in Hawaii? It is totally unbelievable that he is able to live in such comfort.

Why is he getting these privileges? Why is he being allowed to live in a house that should already be seized? The man obviously has hidden assets and we are told he is not in violation of a court order. I don't get it. What a shame that can harm people in the way he did and then continue to live in the lap of luxury.

Laura Warren
Wahiawa

'Sick' buildings need to be cured

I have been reading a growing number of articles about employee health concerns and possible "sick building syndrome" issues. KGMB-9 News obtained a state Health Department report of a February inspection of the fourth floor courtrooms in Honolulu's Circuit Court. It found water damage, dirt and mold, and concluded that the indoor air problems may be occurring due to excessive dust and temperature fluctuations.

I read about the years of leaking at the state Capitol building. The mold formula is source moisture, damp conditions, mold growth, fungi, resulting in a high risk of contaminated indoor air leading to a health risk. Symptoms of such illness are persistent coughing, nose bleeds, dizziness, attention deficiency, allergic reactions and many more. Antibiotics don't address the cause -- the environment where you breathe.

When are responsible agencies, property owners and people going to realize that indoor air quality is serious business and make sure their living environments are clean air and not damaging to their health? This isn't a scare tactic but truth.

David Miho

[Quotables] "I see the smoke -- I cry already." Primitivo Yadao, Waipahu resident, who was at a bank two miles from his home when a neighbor called via cellular phone to tell him his house was on fire. "Sometimes you get mad and cannot think at all. It's just a reaction." Jennifer Tran, Owner of JT Jewelry & Watch Store, who with her daughter and a male relative fought back and chased two armed robbers from her store. The theft was caught on tape by the store's video surveillance camera. "The store owners could have been killed. There could have been some carnage here." Letha DeCaires, Honolulu police CrimeStoppers detective, warning business owners and their employees that resisting robbery attempts can be dangerous, especially if the thieves have weapons.

There are options other than oil

At first glance, Leonard K. Chun's Aug. 9 letter makes sense. We are dependent on oil for electricity; the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has plenty of oil; ergo, let's pump it out and send it over here.

Unfortunately, the situation is not that cut and dried.

The letter states that Hawaii is totally dependent on oil for electric energy. Not true. The Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Web site says that for the year 2000 a total of 19.2 percent of the fuel consumed in its generators was from coal. America is self-sufficient in coal.

We won't necessarily have a long wait for renewable sources of energy either.

In the business section of that same issue of the Star-Bulletin there was an article on the development of fuel cell generators by General Motors and other major manufacturers for use by homeowners and businesses, expected in the next few years.

Wind turbines right now produce electricity for less per kilowatt than fossil fuel generation.

What many people don't realize is the use of electricity increases only slowly over time, and can well be met in Hawaii by reducing demand with the promotion of standard conservation measures and increasing the supply by adoption of such proven techniques as photovoltaics and wind and fuel cells in the near future.

You don't need to build a $50-million, oil-fired generating plant to provide for an additional 2 percent of energy usage.

If they decided to drill in the Alaska refuge today, it would be at least 10 years before the first drop of oil reached the market (says the U.S. Geological Survey), and then it would represent only an additional few percent of America's oil supplies.

So let's leave the Alaska refuge alone.

Jim Harwood

---

Letter guidelines The Star-Bulletin welcomes letters that are crisp and to the point on issues of public interest. The Star-Bulletin reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Letters must be signed, must include a mailing address and daytime telephone number. Letter form: Online form, click here E-mail: letters@starbulletin.com Fax: (808) 529-4750 Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813