Question: Kokua Line used to print information about computer classes for seniors, but I haven’t seen anything lately. Do you have any?
Answer: Yes. A popular summer offering of free, basic computer classes for people 55 years and older resumes May 30 and continues on various dates through Aug. 16. Reservations are required, so contact coordinator Rene Mansho by phone at 291-6151 or by email at renemansho@hawaii.rr.com to sign up.
Class times are 9 a.m. and noon, at the offices of the Carole Kai Charities, 418 Kuwili St., Suite 102, in Honolulu. Each class will be two hours and can be repeated as many times as it takes the participant to master basic skills such as email and internet use; and creating, saving and accessing documents.
The classes are sponsored by the Great Aloha Run, Tsuhu Foundation and the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Computer Center, according to a news release from Mansho. A luncheon celebrating the program is set for Aug. 17.
This is the 15th year that the classes will be offered, Mansho said, adding that “many seniors want to learn but are intimidated, and these free classes help them feel comfortable with computers and to have fun!”
Q: Is that insect-identification service only on Oahu?
A: No, the state Department of Agriculture also has offices on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai where people can bring in specimens for identification, said Janelle Saneishi, department spokeswoman. The insects should be dead and securely contained before they are dropped off, she stated.
The department’s statewide pest hotline, 643-PEST (7378), is a good place to start for information. However, most pest identifications cannot be made over the phone, Saneishi said (we said in an earlier column that many common insects could be identified that way), and even high-quality emailed photos may not be enough for entomologists to identify the pest. That leaves folks to bring in samples in person. Locations on the neighbor islands:
>> Hawaii island
Two locations:
16 E. Lanikaula St., Hilo
Phone: 974-4140
and
82-6130 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
Phone: 323-7579
>> Maui
635 Mua St., Kahului
Phone: 873-3555
>> Kauai
4395-A Pua Loke St., Lihue
Phone: 241-7138
>> Oahu
Two locations:
1428 S. King St., Honolulu
Phone: 973-9530
and
1849 Auiki St., Honolulu
Phone: 832-0566
Meanwhile, the reader who had wondered about small insects in her Oahu apartment took in a sample and got a quick answer: The pests were cigarette beetles, which commonly infest stored food products such as flour, grains and spices.
Mahalo
I want to thank Nancy and her friend, who not only found my cellphone, but personally brought it to my home before I even realized it was lost. Yesterday I gave a $10 bill to a man who was looking at and touching the hamburgers on the sign at the old Shirokiya at Ala Moana Mall. I gave him the money and said, “Please go get something real to eat.” I guess what goes around comes around in the good sense. Helping others pays. — Mahalo, Barbara
Mahalo (and Auwe)
Aloha and mahalo to all the drivers on Sierra Drive who obey the law by driving 25 to 30 mph. And bachi to those who don’t obey the law and the speed limit. Perhaps you do not realize how noisy your cars and motorcycles are when you drive down Sierra Drive in excess of the posted speed limit. — A reader
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.
