Sequestration manifests tangibly

The sequester comes home to roost for Kaneohe residents, with cancellation of Bayfest, and for lots of people townside July 4 fireworks at Pearl Harbor.

Bayfest in particular stands out as a marquee event for Windward Oahu, where residents are always delighted to have a festival-style outing without having to venture through any tunnels to Honolulu.

It has its own Facebook page, where the last post, made in December, reads: "BayFest Hawaii has announced the dates for 2013! Aug. 2-4. Really hope we can get on board and have a sanctioned BBQ Contest along with the great activities. Let’s bring the big guns in and show them some Aloha!"

Guess not this year. On the other hand, canceling a contract for a tank or two would probably fund the whole thing.

It’s a hackable world out there

"Hello world. We are unstoppable," boasts X-Blackerz Inc. on Twitter, who apparently hacked the Honolulu Police Department’s system for about 3,500 people who signed up for email or text message alerts.

The hacker’s #OpUSA effort, reportedly done as a protest against U.S. military actions in the Middle East, claimed that Tuesday would be "a day to remember," prompting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue an alert last week.

Meanwhile, HPD urged recipients of the "HPD Alerts" to monitor their online activity and Internet accounts and consider changing their passwords.

"At no time did the breach affect police services," said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

Stay tuned, carefully.