Brainstorm! Challenge

---

Beer company hits sure-fire ad tactic

I want to thank the good folks at Budweiser for livening up the Rice-University of Hawaii football game at Aloha Stadium last Saturday night.

Not only did the 20-something wahine at the nose-bleed booth on the top level smile when she asked for the $4.75 per cup (ka-ching!) -- thank goodness I had taken out a second mortgage on my condo -- but she carded me as well!

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll need to see some ID."

That just made my day. Or halftime. Especially when the young women who had preceded me -- complete with tattoos, body piercings and orange hair -- started to giggle.

I am no longer invisible to everybody under the age of 35!

I went back to the steerage section (it's at the top of the stadium rather than the bottom, as on the Titanic) a changed man, marveling at Budweiser's new marketing gimmicks.

Chip Davey
Honolulu

What do bus workers say about the strike?

I'd like to read the bus employees' points of view on the strike and hope that some of them will write letters to the editor. On Sept. 28, I saw one of my bus-driver friends in the grocery store. He told me that the employees were as surprised as the public was that the strike wasn't settled during the first week. He said that when the letter from Oahu Transit Services management came in guaranteeing no layoffs or benefit take-aways during the three years of the contract, the employees were expecting this to settle the disagreement.

He said they were as surprised as the public was that union president Mel Kahele then changed his story and the strike became about wages.

There were many letters to the editor from the public; we heard from OTS, the mayor and Kahele on the news. I'd like to find out what the employees think.

Jeanne Moore
Honolulu

No thong, no 9/11? Gimme a break

The "blame America first" propaganda hasn't stopped. In fact, Thomas Stuart's Sept. 23 letter blames modern American women's fashions for 9/11 and other Islamic terrorist acts! As if the Islamic fanatics suddenly would be nice to us if American women dressed more conservatively.

Is he saying that we can stop terrorism if our society becomes more like the Taliban's? If that happens, the terrorists will win, and Americans will have lost their liberty.

Pablo Wegesend
Honolulu

Are businesses taking care of our soldiers?

I am curious to see if any businesses (airlines, hotels, amusement theme parks) are stepping up to help take care of our soldiers now that they are entitled to 15 days (chargeable) leave from Iraq. The flight to either Germany or Baltimore (soon to be more) is being picked up by the U.S. government, but is anyone else offering discounts to help them on the rest of their trip?

If I recall correctly, the POWs were offered a nice vacation package to Hawaii, paid for by the state. I believe we owe it to our brave men and women; after all, they have to return to Iraq for another six months of hell.

Danny Barlow
Waipahu

Humans not treated as humanely as whales

Two whales were euthanized recently because they were in much pain with little or no chance of recovery (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 17). It was called an act of being kind and compassionate, as we are taught to believe.

Why, then, can we not or should we not be kinder and more humane to our fellow humans?

Tetsuji Ono
Hilo, Hawaii

Cheap, wimpy politicos won't cure ice problem

As someone who has had his house broken into and a car stolen by ice addicts (who were apprehended) it was heartening to watch the Edgy Lee documentary that depicted the interest the community has taken recently in the ice epidemic. However, the sad truth is that nothing will change unless and until there is the political will to pay for and carry through with the following:

>> effective prevention programs
>> treatment for first-time users
>> serious (six months minimum) jail time and treatment for second-time users
>> high velocity, transcranial lead "therapy" for dealers.

However, with Republicans too cheap to pay for the above and Democrats too wimpy and politically correct to do what needs to be done to both users and dealers, nothing is likely to change until the problem burns itself out, with thousands of lives damaged or ruined in the meantime.

Paul Matthews
Kailua

Tests measure only part of student's ability

Why must students be evaluated from a standardized test that measures only the way one is mentally and physically feeling on that particular day? We sacrifice enormous amounts of time trying to hold our educational status up to par, which in some cases becomes negligible in place of a one-day standardized test.

Is this preference fair? Notice the difference between a lifelong status and a three-hour test, yet colleges still have the audacity to compare one over the other. Being a senior in high school, grades and tests such as the SAT and ACTs are vital. I may not be top-tier quality, but I do know where I'm going after high school: college.

I have the dedication to go to and perform well in college, but my SAT scores are nothing to brag about. People must realize that there's a barrier between intelligence and dedication. College admittance should be evaluated on dedication or intelligence. Choose the answer that best fits the question.

Rod Baybayan
Kapolei

---

BACK TO TOP
|

[ BRAINSTORM! ] What can be done to disguise or beautify those hulking steel utility boxes found in parks and other locations around town? Send your ideas, drawings and solutions by Wednesday, Oct. 15 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Burl Burlingame Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Fax: Brainstorm! c/o Burl Burlingame 529-4750