Prevent bullying
I want to get the message out about bullying and cyber-bullying. Bullying can hurt and also kill people. Bullying can also hurt friends or families. By creating a message to stop bullying, we can help people get better self-esteem. There are different types of bullying, like face to face, cyber, blackmailing, etc. These are the types of bullying that would cause people to feel depressed and stressed out.
Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of 14. Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnessed a bullying crime take place while at school and don’t do anything about it. A reported 15 percent of all students who don’t show up for school do so out of fear of being bullied at school.
Nowadays, when people go to school, it’s all about status. People got to have name-brands clothes. If not, you get judged in school, and you start to get teased. In school, there is always that one kid who gets picked on. In some cases, it leads to suicide.
It’s the same way with cyber-bullying, except it’s through technology such as cellphones, messaging or Facebook. They can also get picked on while on the computer. They do this by sending messages like they don’t like you, or they want to fight, or even say you’re a loser. Stuff like that could hurt another person, even if they don’t show it.
School is a place to learn, not to tease people or make fun of them. … By stopping bullying, we could prevent suicide, depression and stress.
My solution to this issue is to care for each other. Even if they don’t show that it hurts, on the inside it hurts a lot. If you see someone being bullied, stand up for that person. See someone all by themselves? Go over there, make new friends, pull them into your friend group. And if you get bullied a lot, prove everyone wrong that you’re not a loser. Just shut them down with respect. Just humble yourself, because you know you’re better than them. If you know you’re not a loser, then you should not care about what people say about you.
Hailey Paglinawan
Student, Honokaa High & Intermediate
Meters inaccurate?
The cost of electricity is a never-ending complaint. However, I have not heard anyone questioning the accuracy and honesty of the HELCO meters. If my experience is typical, HELCO has had their hand in my pocket, unknown to me, for years.
My supposed kilowatt-hours per day has been creeping up, slowly at first, for quite awhile. I assumed it was because my appliances were older. I was careless; maybe I cooked more, or wasted hot water, etc. But, over the past year, the daily average has gone from about 16 kilowatt-hours to over 18 — even after I replaced my aging refrigerator/freezer.
I requested a check on my meter accuracy, and a nice technician installed a new “smart-meter” that is digital and easy for anyone to read. It’s been over two weeks, and the average is now 11.85 kilowatt-hours per day, and that includes the extreme use of my stove top and oven for Thanksgiving.
The tech from HELCO called about five days after he took the old meter for testing. He reported that it was working fine, and the problem must be something else. I assume the testing equipment is programmed to reflect the same error that the mechanical meters have built into them. Why else would there be a discrepancy of over 33 percent?
I believe there is a surcharge for higher usage also, which makes it even more attractive for HELCO to jack-up the readings on the meters. The meters are provided by the power companies, and just like computerized voting machines with no paper trail, how can the public know they are accurate? We cannot!
According to my December 2011 bill, I used 12.77 kilowatt hours per day, even though I was in the hospital, for three of those weeks. The Nov. 7, 2012, bill says I used 18.82 kilowatt-hours per day. Now, with a new meter, it is 11.85 kilowatt-hours per day. That is a 7,000 kilowatt-hours difference every day
I will continue daily readings of my new meter. If it suddenly changes, I will call a lawyer, not HELCO. I am also curious if others have had similar experiences, and have kept records. If your kilowatt-hours per day has been creeping up, insist on a meter check-up — and track the kilowatt-hours. If this is a regular practice, it would help all HELCO customers to know it.
A class-action suit would not be out of the question.
Carol R. Campbell
Keaau
