Opinions, guest essays and editorials from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Featuring Kokua Line, Rearview Mirror, David Shapiro, Richard Borreca and others.
Much like resort fees at hotels, secure sockets layer certificates (referred to as SSL certificates) for websites are basically a requirement that cannot be avoided without a huge headache. What exactly is an SSL certificate, and why do you need it? Read more
Question: What if we already threw fireworks away? I thought it was OK to put them in the trash after soaking in water overnight, so that’s what we did, same as in 2024. It was only a few, all legal (permitted firecrackers). I don’t see anything contrary on the Hazardous Household Waste website. Read more
Question: Why are there so many mango trees with lots of flowers now? It seems very early in the year. Is this normal? Read more
One-sided playoff games involving teams that were questionable participants? Players leaving programs even before the first attendance was taken? Read more
In these days of limitless demand for content, with broadcast hours and YouTube channels overstuffed with “analysis” (read: arguing) of various levels of quality, overreaction has become the norm in both the NFL and college football. Read more
When Brian Schatz joined the U.S. Senate in 2012, he was the youngest of Turks at 40 and determined to build a long and influential career like his legendary predecessor, Daniel Inouye. Read more
Schatz is helping to steer an estimated $1.6 billion in new federal funding for Maui’s continued recovery, saying the money goes for building permanent housing for survivors of the Lahaina fires. Read more
Question: Is the state doing a health survey? I don’t usually answer calls from noncontacts but I made a mistake and picked up and it was something about health and I hung up thinking it was a scam. They called again but I didn’t answer. Can you check if this is legit? Read more
College bowl games and the last week of the NFL regular season are almost as much about who isn’t playing as who is. Read more
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Life as we know it wouldn’t exist without enzymes. These tiny proteins, found in every living organism, are the catalysts that make nearly all the chemical reactions in our bodies possible. Read more
Question: I heard on the news that pedestrian fatalities rose in 2024. Do you know how many of those involved homeless people who were lying in the road? Read more
If you watch the local television news today, you’ll see as many female reporters as male. But that wasn’t always the case. TV news reporters were all men until one woman broke through the glass ceiling in 1969. Her name is Linda Coble. Read more
Question: I’m a renter with a pretty good landlord so when my year’s lease expired I continued on a month-to-month basis because I wasn’t sure how much longer I would stay. Now I am ready to move out and I gave two month’s notice but my landlord says he needs three months. Is this required? Read more
As we welcome 2025, many of us may be thinking about making New Year’s resolutions to live life more fully and joyfully. Read more
Question: How will I know if I am getting the extra stimulus payment? When would I get it? Do I have to submit a form? Read more
Question: Regarding new rules at community gardens (808ne.ws/3BSivCy), I have some questions as I am one who could be considered in violation although I do have good reasons for neglecting my plot (ill health). Will there be a grace period in terms of cutting back overgrowth and removing trees that are no longer allowed? Also, why are they saying no trees? Last, will they enforce against the feeding of feral cats? Read more
Twenty-five years ago, we thought the world was going to heck because computers would be confused by the last two numbers of the year changing from “99” to “00.” Read more
All is right in my world when I get to wake up on New Year’s Day and watch Oregon and Ohio State go head-to-head in the Rose Bowl as if the Pac-12 still exists. Read more
When you walk on those mountains, especially as they come to life, you feel immersed in a spiritual power you never forget. Read more
The Spiderweb protocluster, observed as it was over 10 billion years ago, offers insights into the early stages of galaxy evolution. Read more
Andorra is just a couple hours’ drive out of your way between the walled medieval time-capsule town of Carcassonne (in the south of France), and Barcelona (in Spain’s far northeast). Read more
