We have our troubles here with airport screeners but nothing like this.

Anyone could see that Bernice “Bea” Bogart, 83, was a fragile woman, Moon (her daughter) said. Bogart had breast cancer surgery in 1997, a total hip replacement after a fall in 1999, a major stroke in 2004 that caused dementia, and is hard of hearing.

So when Bogart, who was in a wheelchair, was required by airport security on Saturday to stand against doctor’s orders and undergo a rigorous screening by a testy female screener, Moon got furious.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this in Hawaii or tourism will plummet.

Whole maddening story here.

We have our troubles here with airport screeners but nothing like this.

Anyone could see that Bernice “Bea” Bogart, 83, was a fragile woman, Moon (her daughter) said. Bogart had breast cancer surgery in 1997, a total hip replacement after a fall in 1999, a major stroke in 2004 that caused dementia, and is hard of hearing.

So when Bogart, who was in a wheelchair, was required by airport security on Saturday to stand against doctor’s orders and undergo a rigorous screening by a testy female screener, Moon got furious.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this in Hawaii or tourism will plummet.

Whole maddening story here.

Is this the legislature in session or humpback whales?

http://www.hhmi.org/news/media/suzuki1.wav

Is this the legislature in session or humpback whales?

http://www.hhmi.org/news/media/suzuki1.wav

The proposed rail extension to Dulles airport is running up against its budget limit, a $2 billion limit imposed by the federal government. To cut costs the project builders are now trimming the number of stations and number of cars that will run. This prompted Randal O’Toole at the American Dream Coalition blog to comment:

That would make the perfect rail project. It costs a lot of money, no one can get to it, and there aren’t any trains to ride even if you could. Why don’t they just skip the train cars and stations altogether — think how many miles of rail you could build if you didn’t have to pay those extra costs!

Costs for rail are never what they are projected to be when the projects are first conceived. The Dulles airport line is a case in point, going from $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion and then reality:

After estimates for the project surged to $2.4 billion last summer, the project’s managers settled on several steep cuts . . .

Longtime critics of the Dulles extension said the latest spike in cost estimates confirmed their position that the line is an inefficient way to expand transit in the Dulles corridor, which they say could be done more easily with bus rapid transit.

“They never factored in all the costs, even though they knew full well they’d have to” eventually, said Bruce Bennett, a retired high-tech salesman in the Reston area. “I think they’ve fudged on the cost of the whole deal.”

Whole article here.

The proposed rail extension to Dulles airport is running up against its budget limit, a $2 billion limit imposed by the federal government. To cut costs the project builders are now trimming the number of stations and number of cars that will run. This prompted Randal O’Toole at the American Dream Coalition blog to comment:

That would make the perfect rail project. It costs a lot of money, no one can get to it, and there aren’t any trains to ride even if you could. Why don’t they just skip the train cars and stations altogether — think how many miles of rail you could build if you didn’t have to pay those extra costs!

Costs for rail are never what they are projected to be when the projects are first conceived. The Dulles airport line is a case in point, going from $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion and then reality:

After estimates for the project surged to $2.4 billion last summer, the project’s managers settled on several steep cuts . . .

Longtime critics of the Dulles extension said the latest spike in cost estimates confirmed their position that the line is an inefficient way to expand transit in the Dulles corridor, which they say could be done more easily with bus rapid transit.

“They never factored in all the costs, even though they knew full well they’d have to” eventually, said Bruce Bennett, a retired high-tech salesman in the Reston area. “I think they’ve fudged on the cost of the whole deal.”

Whole article here.

This video presentation by Paul Smith needs to be revisted since the GET increase will go into effect next year. To see what this really means to your pocketbook watch this presentation. Just click on the “Watch this video recording of a live presentation” link.

http://www.votehawaii.com/2005/06/14/get

(Thanks to Peter Kay for hosting this on his website even though the blog is no longer running.)

This video presentation by Paul Smith needs to be revisted since the GET increase will go into effect next year. To see what this really means to your pocketbook watch this presentation. Just click on the “Watch this video recording of a live presentation” link.

http://www.votehawaii.com/2005/06/14/get

(Thanks to Peter Kay for hosting this on his website even though the blog is no longer running.)

This from Reason’s blog Out of Control:

Planners are obviously slow to get the message that they’re putting a great deal of energy into social engineering schemes that run completely counter to mainstream consumer preferences and lifestyle choices. It would be “smarter” for them to embrace a market-oriented planning system designed to address the tangible impacts of growth while allowing the market to dynamically respond to changing consumer preferences, not the utopian, dehumanized visions of social engineers.

Whole blog here.

In a wonderful letter in the 3/4/06 Honolulu Star-Bulletin, “Protect environment by eating minerals”, Fred Barnett of Kailua describes the solution to our environment problems. Fred’s stroke of genius has inspired us at Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to consider carefully the establishment of a permanent new think tank “Gravel Eaters of America.” Our guiding slogan will be “Eat my dust.”

The first objective will be to put a few of our members on the moon. With any luck at all, as that population expands, we should be able to eat the moon in its entirety before the year 5000 and go on to another station in the solar system. The possibilities are endless.

Thank you, Mr. Barnett, you are a pathfinder.