WAT DAT?
Let's not kid ourselves. While "WatDat?" thrives on its altruistic contributions to society, and we're as journalistically objective as all get-out, and we loftily keep our okoles safely above the fray in the streets, every once in a great while, we stoop to being self-serving. We admit it. Flat out. Blue-and-white newspaper
delivery tubes hit streets
By Burl Burlingame
burlingame@starbulletin.comAnd so, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll cop to something self-serving right off the bat:
That's my mailbox.
Handsome, ain't it? Oh, your eye is drawn instead to the blue Star-Bulletin newspaper delivery tube underneath. They're making scattered, mysterious appearances here and there in Honolulu. Well, since you asked:
The tubes are available at the Star-Bulletin/MidWeek circulation offices in Kaneohe and Restaurant Row. They're only $6, which is quite a bargain considering that plain black newspaper tubes cost nearly $10 at hardware stores. For that kind of price, you can put a whole row of them on your house as planters.
They come with a metal bracket for attaching to a post. The bracket clips cleverly the bottom of the tube either from the left or right, depending on which angle you want the Star-Bulletin logo to face.
The bracket screws easily to wooden posts, but use deck screws so they won't rust. Zinc-plated U-bolts with nuts run $1.39 at Hardware Hawaii. One bolt will hold the bracket firmly, but two are even better. Mine is hurricane-proof.
The excess bolt shank can be nipped off with bolt cutters or a hacksaw. Note that when the bracket is tightened severely, it folds back around pipe; the bracket clip might need to be re-leveled by tapping with a hammer.
Say it loud. I'm a Star-Bulletin reader and I'm proud.
Curious about something you've seen or heard? Write WatDat, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail watdat@starbulletin.com
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