Bike lanes aim to reduce danger
The article about the new bike lane arrangement might be misinterpreted. Although there are signs directing drivers to yield to bikes, we realized that it is unlikely they will. The important feature of this design is that it keeps the bikes out of harm’s way as much as possible and it puts the interaction with cars at a consistent location that the bike rider can be manage for his own safety.
The design also restores the necessary acceleration lanes that had been deleted.
Ken Obenski
Chairman, Hawaii County Highway Safety Council
Captain Cook
2 counties indeed!
The Big Island should have been two counties 45 years ago! It is nonsense that Hilo has consistently improved Hilo on the Kona dollar. Split this island, keep our money in Kona and elect our own!
Jan K. Achay
Kailua-Kona
It’s not a junkyard.
What an eyesore. On Sunday, I noticed that there were two junked cars that were evidently dropped near the entrance gate to Goodfellows Construction on Kealakehe near the Queen Highway. I wonder how long it will be before they are removed. We all know if they were dropped on Queen Highway or Alii Drive they would be removed right away.
The fire hydrant near the intersection of Kealakehe is right in the middle of the new walking path. I’m sure someone will think it’s a right hand turn lane, especially in the middle of the night and crash into it — just an accident waiting to happen.
Doyle Holloway
Kailua-Kona
Sea of science on octopodes
I very much enjoyed reading “Bundles and bundles of joy” in your April 22 edition but feel more input is required on the science of your article.
Jake Conroy seems to be doing what he actually enjoys but apparently he requires more tutoring than he was able to receive at HPU Oceanic.
Octopi or octopodes (the correct pluralization regardless of the media’s fondness for sibilants) are octopodiforms, which means they are cephalopods, which indicates that they’re molluscs. Mollusc species, as a general rule, do not have larval forms (except for bivalves like clams) but are born or hatched miniature versions of adults, like much of the world’s biota (e.g., placental mammals). One can see this in garden snails, which are also molluscs.
The young of octopi usually feed on plankton until mature enough to catch larger food, in which case they’re called planktonic octopi.
Some octopi lay eggs, which the female carefully protects, and some are born live, as Mr. Conroy witnessed. Often the female dies following birth of her young, depending on the species; I would be surprised if the mother of these is alive now. In many species, the male succumbs following mating, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Sometimes, with day octopi (Octopus cyanea) for example, the male is eaten by the female following mating (I was unable to identify this species by the photos in the article). Regardless, all species of octopus are born miniature adults and don’t have anything like a larval stage.
Mr. Conroy may soon discover that an octopus can be as intelligent and resourceful as a house cat! They can even unscrew jars and climb out of their tanks.
Tom Munden
Kapaau