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Learning to say goodbye

Living on Maui means learning to say goodbye to friends. Some may have been transplants you knew would never last, while others were lifelong residents no one ever expected to leave. Local folks have long pulled up stakes to seek better job opportunities on the Mainland or to relocate where they can afford a house and property. Others seek higher education or want to be near grandkids. Mainlanders often stay here for a period of time, whether it be two or 20 years, and then decide it’s time to move on. We ran a photo this week of a farewell in Wailuku. Maui girl Ellie Shellooe was ...

Shot can bring us normalcy

With vaccine enthusiasm increasing across the country, it would be interesting to see updated numbers for a recently released survey that said Maui County residents were the most hesitant in the state to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The survey provided by the state Department of Health was taken in the first half of December, before vaccinations became available. Has seeing friends, family and neighbors vaccinated changed minds? Are positive messaging campaigns working? Having received both doses of the Moderna vaccine with no negative effects, we find it hard to understand why others ...

Don’t twist what unity means

Given the state of America’s union — less than three weeks removed from a violent insurrection pushed by the former president of the United States during his final days in office with help from many of his party’s congressional members — calls for national unity are wholly appropriate. Our leaders must demonstrate that they share common ideals, and they must denounce common foes. We, the people, must also resolve to see the humanity in each other and restore our ability to engage in civil discourse. That’s why the concept of unity was the dominant theme of President Joe ...

What about getting along?

“If everyone is guilty of something, is no one guilty of anything?” That’s a headline from the folks at Merriam-Webster.com and their “Words We’re Watching” feature on “whataboutism.” Although it does not yet list whataboutism as a bona fide word, Merriam-Webster says it is keeping watch to see if it takes deeper root in the American vernacular. Whataboutism is essentially a reversal of accusation, a way to derail a discussion or personal liability by arguing that an opponent is guilty of an offense just as bad or worse. Forget about me, what about what he or she ...

The legacy of Hank Aaron

Back before it was possible to access any bit of baseball trivia on one’s iPhone, the Baseball Encyclopedia was an essential part of a stats geek’s library. Turn to the player register, and it was possible to see the complete big-league statistics of anyone who ever played. How fitting that the very first name in the register was Henry Louis Aaron. Talk about leading with your best stuff. Hank Aaron, who passed away last week at the age of 86, is no longer the all-time major-league home run leader on paper, having lost that distinction to Barry Bonds, who hit many of his homers ...

Patience key in pandemic

COVID-19 deaths and cases have been surging throughout the nation this month. Officials said these cases are tied to gatherings without masks, a lack of distancing, and some who have broken isolation or quarantine guidelines. We are well aware of the “quarantine fatigue” many people are experiencing at this point. It’s been challenging to comply with all the changes and guidelines that came so quickly and have lasted so long. However, with vaccines being administered and a more infectious variant circulating in Michigan, this is hardly the time to stop these measures, as ...