BOOK 'EM

Manoa Library, don't lose your charm

Manoa Library is getting a much-needed renovation, after almost three decades of planning and delays.

The 6,500 square foot library, built in 1966, will be super-sized to 13,000 square feet, with the number of parking stalls to double to 42. No doubt the new $10.3 million “;green”; library, to use recycled and sustainable concepts, will be a hit.

The library will close July 2 and reopen in 2012. Meanwhile, a small interim library will be set up starting Aug. 3 in two portable buildings across the street at Noelani Elementary School.

Granted, Manoa Library needs updating to meet ever-growing demand from users in the thriving community.

But there's much to like, and loss-lament, about the current library: A rock-wall exterior that's oh-so distinctive, a compact size that's cozy and easy to navigate, and a familiarity that exudes “;neighborhood.”; Hopefully, upsizing won't mean too much loss of charm.

EYE-ROLLING

Suspicion about Obama's birth certifiably unjustified

The wackiness doesn't quit easily. WorldNetDaily, an online right-wing news site that insists President Barack Obama was born in a foreign country, has raised $75,000 to buy space on billboards to ask, “;Where's the birth certificate?”;

To their credit, Lamar Advertising, CBS Outdoor and Clear Channel Outdoor have all refused to sell space to perpetuate such lunacy. (For the record: Obama's Hawaii Department of Health birth certificate shows he was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu.) Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh asks, “;What do Obama and God have in common? Neither has a birth certificate.”;

What do WorldNetDaily and Limbaugh have in common? That's too easy.