Loss of theater
Loss of theater
I was sad to read that the Kress theater has closed. So many families have enjoyed going to the Kress for their inexpensive movies.
Years ago, there was another $1 movie theater that closed. Kress had raised the prices to $1.75 but this was affordable. Many people in our community cannot afford the prices at the Prince Regal Kuhio. Even the matinee prices are too expensive for a lot of families. It would be nice if the Prince Regal Kuhio could offer discount movies, maybe once a month, and discounts to seniors.
So many people went to the Kress; we have lost another great business in our community.
Shirley Rizzo
Hilo
GMO concerns
As a former Big Island resident, one of the things that concerned me while living in Hawaii was the potential for GMO seeds to spread and contaminate the fields of organic farmers I’d buy food from.
Here’s a perfect example of why no GMO food should be allowed to be grown anywhere on the Big Island: http://news.msn.com/us/us-reveals-second-instance-of-unapproved-gm-wheat. Note how far the seeds dispersed (from birds or wind or both)?
It’s no different from drifting cigarette smoke, which our government now (thankfully) protects us from, since business wasn’t protecting anyone from this formerly ubiquitous toxin. Until the 1980s, I literally could not go anywhere outside my own home and car without being assaulted by cigarette smoke. Now, my health is protected by law from that, and GMO foods should be no different now that there is so much scientific literature worldwide on its deleterious effects on animals, which includes us!
Renee Neumann
Green Valley, AZ 85614 (former Waikoloa resident)
It’s a bad idea
There’s been a lot of talk about using a bridge to reconnect Puna, if Highway 130 is covered. It’s not gonna happen.
How high would a bridge need to be to prevent you from being cooked while crossing it? Where would you start building, and what start and end points would you plan for while the path of the flow is uncertain?
How long would the bridge need to be to assure that it spanned the full extent of any future flow? (I think the Kalapana side flow spans about 8 miles currently, and could get wider in the coming years). How do you support such a bridge, if you expect the support piers to experience temperatures of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (enough to melt steel rebar in concrete)? How long would it take to build? How much would it cost, especially in light of the fact that it would almost certainly fail eventually if the flow continues?
You don’t want that bridge. Really, you don’t. Bad idea.
I’m speaking from my home in Hawaiian Acres, so I don’t have the immediate risk that lower Puna residents are experiencing. But all of Hawaiian Acres was covered by lava only 400 years ago, so my risk is not zero.
The truth is that Puna (all of it) is, and has always been, at risk of being cut off from the rest of the island, anytime Pele makes a move. Even Hilo or Kona could be cut off during a Mauna Loa or Hualalai eruption. If cut off, these areas could become “islands unto themselves,” with the only access being by air or by sea.
We are all island residents already. There will be a lot of immediate upset and hardship that is not to be discounted, but … ?
Joel Aycock
Hawaiian Acres
Keep it to yourself
In response to Dani Stein’s letter, (Sept. 19, Your Views, Hawaii Tribune-Herald): It is too bad that you had the audacity to write such an offensive letter toward all of us residents here in Puna. It amazes me that you live in Hawaii, yet you have no ALOHA! Your letter shows the sad attitude that many Honolulu people have toward those of us living on Neighbor Islands, and that you have no understanding on the concept of showing aloha toward others.
Many of us locals here are born and raised on the Big Island. This is where we are from! We did not choose to live here on an island that has an active volcano. We were blessed to live among Pele, on her land, and are very proud to call this place our home.
Mahalo, but we don’t need any of your sympathy. You have the right to think what you like, but next time you have rude comments please learn how to keep them to yourself!
Saisyn Weber
Pahoa