King Kamehameha statue lights are ‘working just fine’

Question: On the evening of Kamehameha Day, June 11, I walked over to the King Kamehameha statue on King Street, expecting to get some great night photos of the king draped in lei. I was so disappointed to see the statue in darkness as only a few spotlights shone at his feet. They were not even bright enough to light the lei surrounding the base of the statue. I attempted to move one spotlight so the beam would shine higher on the statue, but the light fell off its base like it was broken. I would think the state would try to get all lighting up and running for Kamehameha Day. With or without lei, this statue should be seen as regal at night as it does in the light of day. Why is this statue not lighted properly in the evening for all Hawaii to see? 

Answer: The Hawaii State Judiciary normally has two lights shining on the King Kamehameha statue at night and, prior to the King Kamehameha Day holiday, they were "working just fine," according to spokeswoman Marsha Kitagawa.

She did note that the original halogen lights were replaced with CFLs — compact fluorescent lights — several years ago as a means of saving energy and taxpayers’ money.

"Although CFL bulbs save energy, they are not as illuminating as halogen bulbs," Kitagawa acknowledged.

She did not comment on your statement that "the light fell off its base" when you attempted to adjust it, but said that the day after Kamehameha Day, "one of the light fixtures was found to be broken at the pedestal."

The broken light fixture has since "been replaced by our hardworking employees and is again working properly," she said.

Asked to clarify what "just fine" means in terms of the statue being illuminated, Kitagawa said, "’Just fine’ means the bulbs were illuminating and the fixtures were not broken."

However, she said depending on cost, the Judiciary would like to replace the existing fixtures with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs.

"LED has many advantages over fluorescent lights and is also energy-efficient," she said.

Question: In April, Microsoft announced it was no longer going to support Windows XP. One of the problems was that ATM machines used XP software, and without the appropriate patches all kinds of problems might occur, including hot targets for hackers. Can you find out whether the banks in Hawaii have upgraded their ATMs to a newer version of Windows? We have not used ATM machines since the scare and won’t until we’re assured they are secure. I’m sure there are others who are fearful of using a compromised machine.

Answer: You can rest assured that security will not be compromised when you use an ATM, said Edward Pei, executive director of the Hawaii Bankers Association.

Most banks either have converted off Windows XP to the next-generation operating system or intend to do so, he said.

Many banks could convert immediately to an upgraded system, and those that could not do so expeditiously found "work-arounds" and additional security measures to protect the data, he said.

Those measures "mitigate any concerns regarding the security and sanctity of their customers’ data," Pei said. "I think everyone can safety continue to use their ATMs without having to worry about their personal information and account data being compromised in any fashion."

In all cases, he said, "all the banks realized that there was nothing more sacred than the sanctity of their customers’ data."

Mahalo

To whoever finally disallowed parking on Liliha Street northbound by Mayor Wright housing between Vineyard Boulevard and King Street. This area was a chronic bottleneck for thousands of cars each day just to allow some 10 cars to park each night. Honolulu has too much traffic to allow such a situation to occur. This fix was a long time in coming, but kudos to whoever is responsible for finally acting on this matter. — Anonymous

Credit should go to the state Department of Transportation.

The project included a new traffic signal at Liliha and Kukui streets and erosion control measures, along with removing the on-street parking to help with traffic flow, said DOT spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter.

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