Earlier today it was reported that the hacker Tiger-M@te temporarily disrupted service to over 700,000 websites, many of which are still experiencing problems. InMotion downplayed the size of the issue by stating that the problem affected “hundreds or possibly thousands.” While our website cover page was also affected the rest of our website remained untouched. InMotion’s security and service department are coming up with an algorithm to fix all the pages at once. In the meantime many websites are manually going into their root folder and reuploading their pages as have we. While no real harm has been done it did temporarily cause concern for many website owners that they had been hacked, when in fact InMotion (the server) was the victim.

Maui Memorial receives $50,000 grant

Article From: MauiWeekly

First Hawaiian Bank Foundation recently awarded a $50,000 grant to the Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) Foundation to support MMMC’s new Heart Brain & Vascular Center.
With the launching of MMMC’s “24/7” Heart Brain & Vascular Center, the stress, anxiety and travel costs for countless Maui patients have been eliminated, as Maui residents no longer need to travel to O‘ahu for procedures such as angioplasty or open heart surgery. In addition, patients’ families no longer have to take time off from work, find child care or make other arrangements in order to travel with and care for their sick family member. But most of all, providing these critical services here on Maui saves lives.

“First Hawaiian Bank appreciates the opportunity to partner with Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation to support this fundraising campaign to dramatically improve and expand healthcare services for Maui,” said FHB Foundation President Sharon Shiroma Brown.

The MMMC Foundation recently embarked on a $2 million “SEED” Campaign to support “space, equipment, education, and delivery” of improved healthcare services for Maui. The campaign will focus on providing additional space for the new cardiovascular team, continuing education for clinical staff to improve quality and delivery of healthcare, and new state-of-the-art equipment, which will allow Maui residents to receive the best possible treatments.

Local Economy a ‘Mixed Bag’

Economists share analyses and predictions at economic outlook forum. “…the recession served to pull the scab off the long-term wound of our economy—that wound is debt.”

Sarah Ruppenthal
Article From: Maui Weekly

Dr. Jack Suyderhoud, professor of business economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business, and Dr. Leroy Laney, First Hawaiian Bank economic advisor and professor of economics and finance at Hawai‘i Pacific University, presented their economic analyses during the 37th Annual First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook on Friday, Sept. 16.

For many, it may have been uncertain if the analysis presented at this year’s First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook Forum was good news or bad news. But after taking a look at the big financial picture, one thing seemed certain: Maui County is creeping along the road to recovery. More than 200 residents filled the Elleair Ballroom of the Maui Beach Hotel on Friday, Sept. 16, for coffee, breakfast and the 37th Annual First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook Forum featuring local economists Dr. Leroy Laney and Dr. Jack Suyderhoud.
“Overall, Maui’s economy this year is a mixed bag,” said Laney, First Hawaiian Bank economic advisor and professor of economics and finance at Hawai‘i Pacific University. “Maui’s visitor industry is doing extremely well, thanks to its resilient upscale image… with resulting higher room rates and a welcome growth in airlift, including flights from secondary Mainland cities.” Total airline seats for Maui “have increased dramatically so far in 2011,” with far stronger growth than anywhere else in Hawai‘i—an increase of more than 11 percent this year, Laney reported.

“A big reason is the fact that Maui has been picking up direct flights by Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines from secondary cities in the U.S. and Canada. That, combined with aggressive marketing in those cities, has paid off,” he said.

As a result, hotels have been able to raise their room rates, and Maui now has the highest average daily room rate in the state. “So reputation does pay off,” said Laney. With its unique juxtaposition of small town charm and big city sophistication, Maui offers “a combination that’s hard to top.”

But while tourism may be a boon for Maui County, it isn’t an economic panacea. “Tourism alone cannot be relied upon to bring Maui back to better times,” said Laney. “The job total continues to struggle to return to pre-recession levels [and] unfortunately, other sectors of Maui’s economy, especially the construction industry, continue to lag significantly. Residential construction is down practically everywhere now, but any progress to resuscitate overall construction—public or private—would result in a more balanced and sustained recovery for Maui.”

The anemic construction industry is contributing to the lag in job creation and the uptick in unemployment across Maui County, Laney said. “Maui continues to lose jobs, the only county in the state for which that’s consistently the case,” he pointed out. “Even though the official end to the recession occurred some time ago… although the visitor industry is doing quite well, weakness in other sectors of Maui’s economy simply overwhelms that strength.”

Laney predicted that gradual declines in Maui’s unemployment rate “will likely continue in the future. But there remains a stark contrast between the current jobless rate and the 2 percent number that prevailed in the peak year of 2007.”

However, he said, “Help may be on the way,” citing several projects slated for construction, such as Alexander & Baldwin’s Maui Business Park Phase II in Kahului and the 138-room Courtyard by Marriott around the corner from the Kahului Airport.

In addition, economic growth is evident on the campus of University of Hawai‘i Maui College, which has seen a significant increase in enrollment—nearly 33 percent in two years. “One growth area in the Maui economy, which also helps to diversify it, is the recently renamed UH Maui College,” said Laney. “The name change reflects the addition of four-year degrees to its curriculum, the first UH community college to grant such degrees.”

Taking a look at the bigger picture—the U.S. and global economies—Dr. Jack Suyderhoud, professor of business economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business, described an invaluable opportunity to mold the future by looking at the past—and the present. “A few years down the road, when historians and economists look back on the Great Recession of 2007-09, it will not be regarded so much as a painful transitory period, but rather as the moment when the long-term weaknesses of the U.S. economy became glaringly exposed,” he said. “In that sense, the recession served to pull the scab off the long-term wound of our economy—that wound is debt.”

Debt is the most formidable obstacle to financial recovery, he said, and the longer we take to deal with it, the longer it will take to see adequate economic growth.

“I’m hoping that the limited progress made on debt reduction will help stabilize short-term expectations,” said Suyderhoud. However, he said, if capital markets believe that the U.S. is not serious about reducing its structural deficits, “this may spook consumers and business investments.” The result? “That could indeed push us into the second dip,” Suyderhoud said. “But I’m deeply hopeful that will not be the case… how we handle debt reduction and rebalancing the economy in the next few months will tell us a lot about our long-term prospects.”

For more information about the 2011-12 Economic Forecast for Maui County, visit the First Hawaiian Bank Website at http://www.fhb.com.

Smart Grid Project Recruiting 200 Maui Meadows Volunteers

By Wendy Osher
Article From: http://www.Mauinow.com

The Maui Smart Grid Project will demonstrate and evaluate new technologies that will help residents better manage and reduce energy consumption during periods of high demand. It will also assist Maui Electric Company (MECO) operate the electricity grid more efficiently.
Volunteers are being sought from the Maui Meadows neighborhood in South Kihei to participate in a pilot project to help Hawaii reduce its dependence on imported oil.

The Maui Smart Grid Project is recruiting up to 200 volunteers for the program with all project technologies to be provided and installed at no cost to participants.

The technologies that will be evaluated by the Maui Smart Grid Project are designed to give customers more control over their energy use, increase energy efficiency and allow for greater integration of clean energy resources.

The project is also designed to reduce Hawai’i’s dependence on imported oil, which the state relies upon for about 90% of its energy needs.

“Maui is the perfect location for this kind of smart grid research. Approximately 26% of the energy on its relatively small electrical grid comes from renewable resources,” said Dr. James Griffin, project director for the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawai’i, one of the project’s lead organizations.

Under the program, participants will have a smart meter installed in their home as well as access to a personalized, secure website displaying information on energy use measured by the new meter.

Participants will also have the opportunity to try additional smart grid technologies in their home, such as an in-home energy use display and a smart thermostat. The technologies will provide project participants with more information on, and control over, how and when they use energy.

In addition to the home-based equipment, Maui Electric Company (MECO) will assist in the monitoring and management of the delivery of electricity to customers.

“Improving each island’s electricity grid through new smart grid technologies is a key element of Hawaii’s landmark clean energy goals,” Griffin said. “Through the experiences of Maui residents in this project, we will learn valuable lessons about the best ways to modernize Hawaii’s electricity system.”

MECO President Ed Reinhardt said initiatives like the Maui Smart Grid Project are vital to successfully balancing service reliability and as-available sources of power like solar and wind.

“The success of the Maui Smart Grid Project will give our customers greater control of energy use in the home and help MECO manage demand during peak usage times, reduce outages, and enable quicker restoration of power,” said Reinhardt.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa said the first step in reducing energy use is to understand how our choices affect energy use. “Volunteers in this project will see how much electricity is used when they turn on their computer, television, or lights. The Smart Grid project has great potential,” said Arakawa.

The project team will host a community meeting in the next couple of months to provide further details on the project and answer questions from community members.

To learn more about the Maui Smart Grid Project and to sign up, visit: http://www.mauismartgrid.com or call 808-270-6803.

The US Department of Energy is funding the Smart Grid initiative as part of a nationwide set of demonstration projects. In addition to HNEI and MECO, other project partners include the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), Silver Spring Networks, GE Energy, County of Maui, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), Sustainable Living Institute of Maui at the University of Hawaii-Maui College, HNU Energy, and SRA International.

*** Supporting information courtesy, Maui Electric Company.

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