Respect the culture
Respect the culture
My family and friends hiked in to view the lava, and it was truly an awesome experience. They kept talking about the beauty and power of Pele.
However, what was so disturbing was when they came upon two adult individuals who had no respect for the Hawaiian culture or even common-sense safety.
They were putting wooden sticks and a golf club into the lava. The sticks ignited, which sent burnt embers into the air. My daughter told them, “You better take that golf club out because ‘she’ (Pele) is getting angry.” The other one was about to throw more sticks into the lava but stopped when she heard my daughter.
There are signs along the way prior to and along the path that clearly emphasize safety issues and also reminds people to show respect. I can only assume those individuals can’t read, didn’t read or just showed their ignorance.
Sherlette H. Shiigi
Hilo
Mahalo from surgeons
As general surgeons in Hawaii and members of the American College of Surgeons, we write to express our personal gratitude to Sen. Brian Schatz for introducing the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act (S.3166).
The effect of the legislation is to conduct a study to assess shortages of surgeons, an important initial step in addressing surgical workforce issues in Hawaii and nationwide.
Surgeons play an important role in the health care of our citizens as only surgeons are uniquely qualified to perform certain life-saving procedures. However, in many areas, access to the nearest surgeon might be hours away, through difficult terrain, or, in the case of Hawaii, on a different island altogether.
This legislation recognizes that timely access to a general surgeon can make a crucial difference in patient outcomes, and thus it is essential shortage areas be identified so they can be addressed.
Whitney Limm, M.D.
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons,
Governor for the American College of Surgeons, Hawaii Chapter
Victor Bochkarev, M.D., FACS
Dan Hudak, M.D., FACS
Joshua Pierce, M.D., FACS