The
magic of Fibonacci numbers. Simple series. Fascinating
creations!
Biologist Mohamed Hijri brings to light a farming
crisis no one is talking about: We
are running out of phosphorus. (TED talk in French,
subtitled.)
As 2013 comes to a close it is worth remembering
that Honolulu's $5.2 Billion rail project is a testament of the power of
government and special interests to get their way. The Honolulu
Civil Beat's multiple polls over the years show that the rail project never
had a public approval of over 35%. Here’s
a link to a slideshow summary I presented at the ADC
conference in Washington, D.C. in mid-October.
My first transportation wish for 2014: Hawaii needs a motorcycle helmet law. It’s
a no brainer! Just read these few lines about the
impact of injuries of motorcyclists without helmets: “The helmet-less are
distinctive, says Dr. Lori Terryberry-Spohr: they suffer ‘diffuse’ internal
bleeding and cell death across large areas. Such patients typically run up $1.3
million in direct medical costs. Fewer than a third work again. A study of
helmet-less bikers admitted to one large hospital, cited by the Centers for
Disease Control, found that taxpayers paid for 63% of their care.”
My second transportation wish for 2014: Hawaii gets an exemption from the Jones Act
which artificially inflates the cost of living for all of us. BusinessWeek
observes that “when large container ships filled with
bicycles and sleeper sofas leave China for the U.S., they don’t stop in Hawaii
to unload cargo bound for that state before continuing to Los Angeles or
Seattle.” Unfortunately status quo politicians such as Hirono, Schatz and
Hanabusa are strong supporters of the Jones Act. And fake energy solutions.
They cost Hawaii dearly … expensive gas,
expensive power, expensive groceries, and extra taxation on everything for the
rail. Other than that, Hawaii
Democrats are all about support for the little guy ;)
Merry
Christmas and Best Wishes for 2014!
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