MAD AS EVER

MADD marks a milestone

After 25 years, this entity is still fighting MADD — and that's a good thing. MADD Hawaii, which just marked its silver anniversary with a proclamation by the governor and lieutenant governor, has raised public awareness about drunken and impaired driving, which causes more fatalities than any other crime in America. In Hawaii, of the 107 fatalities from vehicle crashes in 2008, 42 were alcohol related. So far this year, there have been 44 alcohol-related fatalities. Be careful out there.

NEVER FORGET

Dark days of WWII internment camps

One reason for the annual Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor commemoration is to honor those who died and sacrificed at the start of World War II. Another is to remind this and subsequent generations to never forget.

The same might also be said of the myriad fallouts of WWII, such as the U.S. internment camps that ended up imprisoning more than 120,000 Americans, most of them of Japanese ancestry. “;Dark Clouds Over Paradise”; is a free exhibit now up at Kapolei Public Library that gives viewers a glimpse into that period in Hawaii. It runs through Dec. 19.

GLASS HALF-FULL

Seeing the silver lining in the Warriors' dark cloud

It was deeply disappointing that the UH Warriors lost their last game of the season to the Wisconsin Badgers, 51-10 — and their chance to play against the SMU Mustangs in the Christmas Eve Sheraton Aloha Bowl. The bowl game would have been exciting entertainment for local fans, especially since the Warriors would have faced the team now being coached by former UH Coach June Jones.

The bright side? (Let's look for one.) Now there will be two bowl teams with their fans from the mainland visiting Hawaii, instead of just one, and that surely is a good thing for isle hotels and other tourism-related businesses.

At the same time, Hawaii still will gain invaluable coverage from the bowl game, since it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, enticing residents across the frigid mainland with occasional scenic shots of beautiful, warm Hawaiii in between the football action.