Albatross flight instructors? I had just flown in to Kaua’i from Alaska and was looking forward to a wonderful winter of renewing old acquaintances, partying, starting a family, and lounging in the warm sun on your North Shore’s beautiful golf
Albatross flight instructors?
I had just flown in to Kaua’i from Alaska and was looking forward to a wonderful winter of renewing old acquaintances, partying, starting a family, and lounging in the warm sun on your North Shore’s beautiful golf courses and well manicured residential lawns.
But then I came across Roger Lepley’s rooster flying Travel Tale in Sunday’s edition of TGI. I have never been so insulted in all my life.
No self-respecting albatross would ever consort with roosters! I think that maybe breaking the sound barrier once too often has affected Chuck Yeager’s eyesight in his old age.
We albatross never fly in formation. Chuck surely must have been seeing either nenes or red footed boobies teaching the roosters to fly in formation.
Personally, I don’t have anything against roosters, although I can’t relate to their constant crowing and the outrageous multicolored outfits they like to strut around in. Like, what’s wrong with basic black on white feathers?
One more thing, must Mr. Lepley and TGI continue to use the “G” bird word? I thought we had gotten over that a long time ago. Just because a few juvenile albatross have been seen making rough landings doesn’t give the media license to denigrate the greatest sea bird in the world.
Albert Albatross
As related to Peter Nilsen
Princeville
Expect relative performance to improve
As it approaches its 10th year, Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative has made significant strides in controlling power costs.
Perhaps a key indicator is that 10 years ago, when KIUC was being formed, Kaua‘i residents paid one and a half times the Honolulu rate for electricity. Today, the difference has been cut in half.
Our rates are indeed very high when compared to big Mainland utilities powered by legacy coal plants, nuclear reactors and huge hydroelectric dams. But our power costs are consistent with other isolated systems largely fueled by petroleum.
Guam, Puerto Rico and many Alaskan villages also have high power costs, and some are much higher than ours. Residents of many other Pacific islands and nations pay significantly more than Kaua‘i.
Within the state, October 2011 rates for an average residence show KIUC to have the third-lowest cost among the six islands with power grids. Hawai‘i, Moloka‘i and Lana‘i residents pay more.
As our utility moves aggressively into renewables, I fully expect our relative performance to improve further.
Jan TenBruggencate, KIUC board member
Trust your members
with the truth
Reading the recent statement from FERC rejecting KIUC and their partner Free Flow Power’s “claim jumping” applications makes me wonder whether to laugh or just shake my head.
I wonder if our Board will continue to try to convince us of the cost effectiveness of attacking 6 projects at once when the bungling approach to step in front of 2 existing projects where developers were working with those with the water rights now leaves them with 4.
How many of you think we’ll actually make any progress on damming the Wailua or Hanalei Rivers? That leaves 2. G&R’s water over their objections? Now one. Tops.
But Free Flow will get their fat fees and wander back home in a couple of years with us holding the bill. Well done KIUC. Well done.
By the way, will you ever tell us how much you are committing to pay for the electricity from the biomass burner that always seems to be yet another year from breaking ground?
It sure would be nice to have transparency in our dealings.
We know we’re paying a large premium for the photovoltaic projects even with large government tax credits in hand.
Trust your members with the truth.
David Camp, Anahola
Pull over for
first-responders
I wonder if the people of Kaua‘i know what an awesome medical first-response team we have in place on this island?
On Oct. 12, while shopping at K-Mart, my husband Tony suffered a heart attack. The staff at K-Mart were professional and helpful and I thank them for their fast action.
Fire/Rescue were there in under 2 minutes and the EMT folks right behind them. They, along with the caring staff at Wilcox ER treated him like he was their own ‘ohana. The Life Flight team that cared for him on the trip to O‘ahu were kind and gentle and helped alleviate our fears.
Thanks to the wonderful care he received at Straub Hospital I was able to bring Tony home to Kaua‘i where we look forward to many more years together.
The thing is, without these various teams working together, the outcome might have been very different. To every single one of all those teams, I extend a heart-felt mahalo nui loa for saving my husband’s life!
So Kaua‘i, the next time you see an emergency vehicle with lights and siren behind you, pull over … they may have someone’s precious life in their hands.
Kay Obloy, Wailua Homesteads
Go Kapa‘a High football
Great going Kapa‘a High for a well done game.
Daniel Reis did wonders, playing for only a short time and throwing 118 yards, 6 out of 9 completed passes. Great going Daniel. I love to watch you play.
Anela Vares, Anahola
