Be like a Boy Scout: Be prepared

It’s never too late to be prepared — until it really is too late, and that’s a position you don’t want to be in. As the Star-Advertiser’s special supplement on disaster preparedness in Wednesday’s edition pointed out, disaster can strike when you least expect it, and being unprepared could put you and your family at great risk.

Sure, it’s hard enough to meet your regular daily living expenses, but if you haven’t already, start now to put aside a few essentials in case Hawaii is slammed by a hurricane, a tidal wave, an earthquake or other disaster. Keep your vehicle gas tanks full and make sure you have at least a few days’ worth of water and canned and dried foods. Other desirable items include batteries, flashlights, radios and even medical supplies. The list could go on. And don’t forget to assess the needs of your home, in terms of difficult weather conditions.

This ‘New Day’ stuff is sounding a bit old

Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced Tuesday his plans to provide ultra-high-speed broadband services "at affordable prices" by 2018.

The Hawaii Broadband Initiative would reform the permitting and regulatory processes to allow more robust Internet access to blossom and grow, serving the public and private sectors, and rich and poor alike.

Great news — but if this sounds like old news, it is. Those are pretty much the same goals outlined by former Gov. Linda Lingle in 2009, who wanted to create a Hawaii Communications Commission that would facilitate a major expansion of high-speed broadband communications "at affordable costs."

A New Day in Hawaii? When these longstanding goals finally are realized, yes.