Question: Does my boss have to give me time off to vote?
Answer: It depends on your work schedule. Per Section 11-95 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (bit.ly/2QkBvMP), employees are entitled to two consecutive hours off, excluding lunch or rest periods, to go cast their ballots. However, the law doesn’t apply to employees who have that much free time away from work while polling places are open.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. So, for example, if you work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., you are entitled to time off. But if your shift is from noon to 8 p.m., you aren’t.
Employers that violate the law face fines. Employees who fail to vote during allotted time off can have their pay docked. Retain your ballot stub as proof of voting.
Q: I don’t think I am overweight, yet my doctor said I should get the diabetes test because of my ancestry (mostly Chinese). I had never heard this.
A: Your doctor is aware that Asian-Americans are at risk for Type 2 diabetes at a lower body mass index than the general population.
Body mass index, or BMI, is a rough measurement of a person’s body fat based on their weight and height. For years a BMI of 25 or higher was considered a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. However, more recent research cites the risk factor for Asian-Americans at a BMI of 23, according to the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians.
Since about 2010 NCAPIP has led the campaign for Asian-American patients to calculate their BMI and “screen at 23,” to ensure timely health interventions to combat diabetes.
“This requires educating providers who previously might rule out diabetes as a risk factor for an Asian who is ‘skinny’ or ‘average’ in build. It requires educating the public that having a BMI of 23 is not a new definition of ‘overweight’ or ‘obesity’ for Asian-Americans, but rather a number to look out for, one that should have individuals thinking about making healthy changes to their diet and incorporating healthy changes to their lifestyle, such as exercising. Above all, the campaign seeks to unmask diabetes and prediabetes in Asian-Americans,” the council states on its website.
Many Asian-Americans with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes are undiagnosed, according to NCAPIP. You can calculate your BMI using a chart on the council’s website, 808ne.ws/bmi.
Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, is a disease in which the body doesn’t make enough or properly use insulin, a hormone that turns food into energy.
Auwe
Auwe to the pickup truck driver who honked his horn while we were out for a Saturday morning bike ride. At the light where we caught up with you, you were on your phone. Even worse: When we turned right, you followed us and tried to run us off the road while screaming that we were a nuisance. I get that you are angry, but that gives you no right to run us off the road and endanger our lives. I hope you don’t really hurt someone someday, because that will never make you feel better or solve the problem. — Cyclist concerned for my safety
Mahalo
Thank you very much to Rosen Noy. She called and then returned my lost iPad, which I had misplaced on my recent trip to Oahu. Truly a Hawaiian angel! — M. Herrera
Mahalo
Already stressed getting ready for our trip the next day (Oct. 18), I realized while at the bank that my wallet was missing. As fast as my 76-year-old body would move, I made it back to Ross on Keeaumoku. An angel had turned it in. To the honest person, you made my day. By the way, we had a memorable trip to Japan with my family. — Grateful grandma
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
