I had just finished shooting a segment about the Paul Brown salon in Kailua, which ties into a story on the Paul Brown Institute at Remington College. My camerman, Stanford Chang, and I were getting sandwiches at the new Whole Foods superstore when I recognized the woman behind the counter. She used to be a waitress at the old Brent's Deli, which was beloved for their great sandwiches and deli food. She told me Brent recently died. I didn't know him personally, but I sure missed his Reuben sandwiches when he decided to close the restaurant. Truth be told, the Whole Food sandwiches were all right... just nothing special. They lacked the something extra that came with Brent's food, including the old-fashioned diner waitress attitude.

From there, Stan and I went to shoot the WorkForce job fair at the Blaisdell. There were more than 175 employers and other career-related exhibitors, with a steady stream of job seekers. But it wasn't the mob scene it had been two or three years ago when there was an air of desperation after this country teetered on the brink of Depression. If anything, there was a calmness and sense that people had more control over their destiny now.

Then I went home and it seemed every news channel was running a story about that corpse flower at the Foster Botanical Garden, which took 10 years to bloom here in Hawaii. People were lining up to get a whiff of death! Which got me to reflecting on last weekend, when my wife and I went to the "Echoes of Rainbows" flower show at the Academy of Arts -- yeah, I know it merged with the Contemporary Museum and changed its name, but it will always be the Academy of Arts to me. There were beautiful flower arrangements and lovely photos that had a rainbow theme (the UH Rainbow logo was missing in action, however) and we really enjoyed the temporary exhibit, which is only done every three years by the Garden Club of Honolulu.

There were a lot of senior citizens and elderly folks in wheelchairs. Many were apparently gardeners or flower growers themselves. You could see the appreciation in their eyes for these ethereal blooms that would eventually wither and drop to the ground. Yet they seemed happy and at peace... in my mind, I couldn't help but think about all the younger and middle-aged people I see every day rushing around, working hard, and wondered how happy they truly were with their lives. Did they take time to stop and smell the corpse flower, or gaze at rainbows when they weren't on their smart phones?

Anyhow, as we left the museum, Isabel noticed there were people entering the Art Academy building across the street. So we decided to investigate and discovered there was a free quilt show going on inside. As soon as I walked in, I was awestruck by the colors, patterns and variety of designs -- some were historical, others were whimsical like a quilt made of scarves a retired woman used to wear to work every day. In one room, I experienced a hundred stories told in visually arresting ways. Please go see it while you can, since it only runs until this Sunday, March 20. Here's a link to the Hawaii Quilt Guild site.

I don't know much about quilting. Yet I have another personal connection to it. When I got sober back in 1988, my AA sponsor -- Kevin Cronin -- and his wife had their own Hawaiian Quilting kits mail-order business, which they ran out of a small apartment on Richards Street. Eventually, Kevin moved to the Mainland and built up a successful Arizona real estate business. But in the process, he relapsed and became addicted to prescription drugs. He died from an overdose awhile back. I still think of him in that little apartment putting together his quilting kits.

The last piece of this blog entry was supplied by a Facebook post about a nurse who listed the top five regrets of the dying. I don't think you'll be too surprised by her findings, but it's a reminder that we can choose our own paths to happiness and satisfaction. Here's that link.

When I look around my home office, I notice my life is organized in little project stacks -- screenplays, books, stuff for my OC16 TV show, material for my blogs...sort of like a patchwork quilt. It is incomplete and flawed, but I am happy with my work. It is life as art.

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High school sports are winding down, which means my Career Changers TV show is returning to its regular time slots. For daily viewing times, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV or check out videos from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

National statistics show that 2.1 million people QUIT jobs in March -- which is a positive sign, because most were able to find better career opportunities or higher pay. If you're not entirely satisfied with your present job, this is a good time to check out other options. But you should have a plan and come prepared, because the people manning the job fair booths might very well have a say in hiring you or setting up an interview.

Do your homework. Don't just walk in and expect the jobs to come to you. Know who you want to work for and why. At the end of this post, I'm including the WorkForce employers roster so you can see who will be there. The featured employer is T.J. Maxx, which is hiring staff for three Oahu stores -- and from what I'm hearing, other retailers are ramping up too.

Coincidentally, my show just filmed a segment about a local clothing retailer that has expanded to Guam and Japan, and I asked their Ala Moana store manager how she landed her job. She had moved here from Florida about a year ago and had no job leads or referrals. Yet she impressed the general manager during her interview by doing something a lot of job candidates don't think about: she asked the GM about himself -- how he came to Hawaii and wound up in his position. She turned the tables on the interviewer, while demonstrating that she had a genuine interest in people... and retail is all about relating to customers in a friendly way. Too many job candidates just sit there during interviews and answer questions, without creating any rapport with the interviewer.

For more job interview tips and viewing times of Career Changers TV on OC16, visit our website. You can also watch video segments from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

Here's the WorkForce employers list:

• ABC Stores • Accountemps/OfficeTeam • Aerotek • Alliance Personnel • Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union • Aloha Petroleum • Altres Medical • Altres Office/Professional • Altres Staffing • Altres Technical • American Savings Bank • Arc in Hawaii • Argosy University • Attention Plus Care • Audio Visual Company • Avis Budget Group • Bank of Hawaii • Beard Papa • Behavioral Counseling & Research Center • Big City Diner • Bishop & Company • Bubba Gump Shrimp • C & S Wholesale Grocers • CareResource Hawaii • Catholic Charities • Central Pacific Bank • City & County of Honolulu • Clear Channel Radio • Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii • Coco Cove • Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf • Combined Insurance • Community Empowerment Services • Copier's Hawaii • Covance • Crazy Shirts • Desert Watch • Diagnostic Laboratory Services • Discover Hawaii Tours • Employer Support of the Guard & Reserves • Enterprise Holdings • Express Employment Professionals • Farmers Insurance Hawaii • Fernandez Events • Food Pantry • Foodland • Frito-Lay

• Goodwill Industries of Hawaii • Guardsmark • Hawaii Army National Guard • Hawaii Behavioral Health • Hawaii Department of Education • Hawaii Job Engine • Hawaii Medical Institute • Hawaii Pacific Health • Hawaii Pacific University • Heald College • HI Steaks • HMSHost • Island Movers • Island Temporary Nursing • Jack in the Box Hawaii • Jeans Warehouse • John Hancock Financial Network • Kaiser Permanente • Kohala Bay Collections • Kumabe HR • Lamont's • Malama Market • Mandara Spa • Manpower • Marine Corps Community Services • Mary Kay Cosmetics • Maui Divers Jewelry • McDonald's of Hawaii • MDX Hawaii • Med-Assist School of Hawaii • Midas Hawaii • Mobi PCS • Municipal Services Bureau • Mutual of Omaha • Navy NAF - HR Fleet & Family Readiness • New York Life Insurance Company • Oasis Lifestyle • Olsten Staffing Services • Organo Gold • Outrigger Enterprises Group • Paradise Beverages • Pepsi Beverages Company • Petco • Pharmacare Hawaii • Pizza Hut • Power Up! • Prudential Insurance Company of America • Remedy Intelligent Staffing

• Remington College • Sack 'N Save • Scentsy Independent Consultant • Sears • Securitas Security Services USA • Servco Pacific • Seven Eleven • Silpada Designs • SNR Systems • Staffing Solutions of Hawaii • Star of Honolulu/Royal Star Hawaii • Sullivan Family of Companies • Syntek Global Xtreme Fuel Treatment • Taco Bell • Tanioka's Seafood & Catering • TeamPraxis • Teksystems • Terminix • Travel Transportation Plaza • U.S. Army Recruiting Company • Universal Technical Institute • University of Phoenix • Valtech • Visalus • Wealth Strategy Partners • Whalers General Store

Shipmates to Workmates
• AMSEC • Commander Navy Installations Command • Commander Navy Region Hawaii • Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor • HII-Ingalls • Military and Family Support Center • Military Sealift Command • Naval Air Systems Command • Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific and Hawaii • Naval Sea Systems Command • Naval Supply Systems Command • Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard • Space and Naval Warfare

Swinerton Builders
• A-1 A-Lectrician • A-1 Construction • Alaka'i Mechanical Corporation • Architectural Glass & Metal (AGA) • Carpet, Linoleum & Softile, Local 1926 • District Council 50 • Glaziers Architectural Metal & Glass Workers, Local 1889 • Honolulu Community College,Apprenticeship Program • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1186 AFL-CIO • International Union of Painters & Allied Trades, Local 1791 • Island Flooring Company • Lanakila Pacific • Plumbers & Fitters, Local 675 • Sheetmetal Workers, Local 293 • Workers United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers, Local 221

Anyhow, I checked off the "Not Guilty" box on my ticket and wrote a detailed three page account of what happened, which I mailed in. Lo and behold, last week I got my ruling: Case dismissed in my favor. I suspect the judge has been hearing an earful about these police speed traps that are set up during the day with the sole purpose of writing hundreds of tickets, while the real problem of drunk driving and speeding on highways at night doesn't seem to get that same kind of attention. And sure enough, there was another fatal accident that occurred late at night related to speeding and drinking right after I posted my mini-rant. Coincidentally (or not) after I wrote that blog, an HPD spokesman sent a letter to the Star-Advertiser in which he stated that they actually do set up similar speed traps at night to catch drunks and speeders.

Lately, I've also been reading more letters from people who are upset about cops writing tickets for jaywalking Downtown, instead of going after drug dealers and real criminals. I understand why the police want to discourage jaywalking -- and speeding -- but if the person wasn't endangering himself of anyone else, why can't the cops give them a warning instead? It would serve the same purpose, and not take up so much of the court's time dealing with extra paperwork and nuisance fines that do little to address more serious problems and crimes.

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Belated kudos to the big winners of this year's Merrie Monarch: Halau I Ka Wekiu, kumu Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang. If you watch Career Changers TV, their faces -- along with one of the male hula dancers -- may have looked familiar because we featured them on our show last year. Here's a link to that video, which was shot and edited by Rob "Aukai" Reynolds, who performs with that halau.

Aukai left CCTV to accept a full-time job as multimedia director for the HART project. Speaking of which, Howard Dicus wrote an intelligent, level-headed blog piece on why he supports it (click here for his post). I agree with him a hundred percent, and have been making the same argument for mass transit and long-range community planning for the past 20-some years, while watching in frustration as the cost has multiplied due to all the delays and naysayers -- who still don't get that it will cost even more in the future, because it is inevitable that we will need some sort of rail system sooner or later.

It's the same with arguments against legalizing marijuana or gay marriage. Like it or not, those things are inevitable simply because of common sense. The War on Drugs has failed and you cannot say that pot is more dangerous than alcohol or prescription drugs, which come with a page full of side effects in small print. And not allowing gays to marry is discrimination, which is not permitted under our Constitution. The states that have passed laws against gay marriage, ironically, are practically ensuring the matter will have to go to the Supreme Court... and no matter what their politics are, I believe they will have to rule that you can't discriminate on the basis of one's sexuality or gender. It's like the judge who read my three-page letter about why I did not deserve to be ticketed for speeding -- what is "legal" or illegal is not the same as what is right.

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More high school sports playoffs on OC16 this week, meaning the current episode of Career Changers TV is being preempted. But you can still see the new video segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel or DVR it during the weekday (click here for our normal viewing schedule and On Demand channel info).

In any event, here's the scoop on the Hina Mauka Luau on Sat., May 5 from 4 to 8 pm:

Onolicious kau kau at the Lu'au for friends, families and alumni.  Under the stars at Hina Mauka we'll have Hawaiian food, hula and live music by Mount Keala. Tickets are $25, and can be bought at Hina Mauka from Evon 384-3873, Helen L. 447-5270, Helen S.U. 447-5258, or with a mail-in form (click here). Proceeds will benefit Hina Mauka's Kokua Fund, which helps needy clients with treatment related costs.

As many of you know, I'm a grateful recovering alcoholic. Although I did my rehab at Castle Medical Center (which no longer has a recovery unit) I am proud to be considered a Hina Mauka alumni and have done PR work for them in the past. It's safe to say that had it not been for rehab, I probably would not be as happy or successful as I am today. In fact, I'd probably be in prison or dead.

Unfortunately, when the economy cratered after eight years of reckless cut-taxes-and-spend policies, social services -- including addiction treatment centers -- took a huge hit. Government support and grants were slashed across the board at a time when more people were turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with depression and job losses. Yet people in the recovery business didn't do a lot of public complaining. They just continued doing the best they could with less resources and money. And what they do is save lives... like mine.

If you can't make it to the Hina Mauka Luau this weekend, please consider visiting their website and making a donation. I can vouch for the effectiveness of their program, and tell you firsthand that most alcoholics and addicts aren't bad people at heart... they made bad choices, and many can lead productive lives if given a second chance. I'm living proof of that.

Here's the link to their site. Please give what you can -- or better yet, go to their luau!

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For details on our new May show, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV or check out video segments from that episode on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!

Some people -- like Levon -- seem completely at ease performing in front of crowds or cameras. Not me. Even when I wrote for newspapers, I'd get nervous about what readers would say the next day... or not say. The only thing worse than criticism for a writer is complete indifference. Actors, musicians, writers, for the most part, want to see their work get reactions from others. But there's a price to pay for wanting to be in the limelight. You feel like you're always walking on a high wire, and all it takes is one misstep to send you crashing to earth. There's a new book out about creativity ("Imagine: How Creativity Works") that says a high percentage of artistic types are manic depressives, which doesn't surprise me. That also ties into the correlation between addiction and people who choose the creative arts as their profession. Life on the tight rope brings high highs and low lows.

Every time I start a new screenplay, my stomach gets tied up in knots. The sensation never leaves, even after I type "Fade Out" at the end of a script. Actually, that's when my "page fright" gets more intense. Whether I'm sending it out to a fellow writer or asking my wife for feedback, there's the nagging voices in my head telling me it's good no matter what others think -- or it's crap no matter how good they say it is. Then after more rewrites, I'll send it out to agents, managers or producers, and wait nervously for their responses. I know 90 percent of the time, their response will be "not for me" or the soft pass (they simply never get back to you). Yet once in awhile I do get the positive response or news that my script has advanced in a screenwriting competition... and I'm back on top of the world with renewed visions of Hollywood success in my head again.

Last night, my wife and I were about to watch Mad Men and The Killing on AMC. However, the power in Kailua went out briefly, knocking out Oceanic's cable service. The electric service for everything else was still working though, so I fished around for a DVD to play until the cable box rebooted. I blew the dust off my copy of "The Last Waltz" in honor of Levon Helm. It's one of the great rock concert films of all time (filmed by Martin Scorsese in 1976), mainly because it features one of the best rock bands of all time. Listening to those songs reminded me how times have changed. The Band actually played their own instruments and could play just about any style, from classical to jazz, blues, rock. But they were also students of history, writing about things like the Civil War and the hardscrabble life of farmers, or humorous takes on characters who seemed like real folks. You just don't hear much music like that these days because the people who are big stars now prefer to write about how hard it is being a star or the "tragedy" of getting dumped by a boyfriend, or want to brag about their macho ways and pimped-out lifestyle.  They have the opposite of stage fright -- they can't imagine life not being in the spotlight.

When I heard the news Levon died, I didn't feel sad. I was happy he lived a relatively long life doing what he loved (not to say he didn't have struggles and problems, including throat cancer). Watching "The Last Waltz," I did get a little misty-eyed though when the Band launches into "Stage Fright." I remembered meeting Richard Manuel at the Lone Star Cafe in NYC, where he was performing way back in 1984 0r 1985. There used to be a giant iguana sculpture on the roof, and I saw some great musicians play in that club. Anyhow, while hanging out, I met a writer who was working on a piece about Richard and The Band. He told me that Richard was drinking hard again, and not doing very well. But when the writer introduced me to him, Richard was gracious and soft spoken. He was the guy in the song:

Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
Who suffered so much for what he did,
They gave this ploughboy his fortune and fame,
Since that day he ain't been the same.

See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might.
And he got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again.

I've got fire water right on my breath
And the doctor warned me I might catch a death.
Said, "You can make it in your disguise,
Just never show the fear that's in your eyes."

See the man with the stage fright,
Just standin' up there to give it all his might.
He got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again...

And that's how I feel every time I sit down to write. But I no longer do it for the accolades, or because I need affirmation from others. Sometimes I just want to share what's on my mind. Thanks Levon... and Richard, for the songs and the music. (For those who didn't closely follow The Band after they broke up, Richard committed suicide in 1986.)

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BTW, my Career Changers TV show has been getting preempted by lots of high school sports on OC16 the past month. However, you can see past and current episodes by using Oceanic's interactive on-demand channel. Go to either Channel 951 or 15 and use the scroll bar at the bottom. Then select the episode you want. This month's episode is 12-04 (for April 2012) which is our chocolate-themed show. To see it on regular high def, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV or check out video segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

What connects them is the failed War on Drugs. What's the number one reason for robberies and burglaries? Addicts -- and unemployed/low-income people who turn to drugs for escape -- need money to pay whatever dealers can charge, based on supply and demand. It's why we feel the need to have Neighborhood Watches, and carry guns or install security cameras. Which are just bandages that do nothing to address the underlying problem: taking care of the addiction first. In other countries where drugs are treated as a health problem, the government takes steps to supply drugs or treatment to addicts -- so it's less necessary for those addicts to commit crimes to feed their habits. Doesn't that make more fiscal sense?

Some of you will say: but that will lead to MORE addiction! Not true. Studies show that while making drugs legal may lead to a short term increase in usage or experimentation, the addiction rate stays pretty much the same. Legal or illegal, there will always be roughly 10 percent of the population that gets addicted to alcohol, drugs or something. Tougher laws -- even death sentences -- do not change that statistic. It's a genetic thing.

The urge to defend our property is instinctual. But carrying a loaded gun on a Neighborhood Watch? That's asking for trouble. Yet for people in crime-infested areas, what are the options? That's why I sympathize with Otto (real name Scott Michael McDonough) who has been harassed and assaulted by drug dealers in Chinatown. He took pictures and video of the alleged criminals. Then last night on TV news I saw a Honolulu police officer say you should NOT take photos or video of drug dealing or other illegal activity because the bad guys might seek retribution. Instead, the officer said you should call 911. Right. This coming from the same police department that says it's too busy to respond to every complaint, while they're out writing tickets for jaywalking or setting up speed traps in the middle of the day.

I've been in Otto's shoes. My wife and I live next to a park, where kids will congregate and break out joints or pipes to smoke one thing or the other. When they do it right behind our house, they've crossed the line. I have called 911 before, but the kids are usually gone by the time the cops arrive... and when the men in blue do respond quickly, they can easily spot the police cars entering the parking lot, and just walk away. So I started taking photos and video of the kids first. Then I tell them they better leave before I call the cops. One or two will always mouth off. That's when I hold up the camera and ask them to continue talking so I have more evidence to present to the police. That usually shuts them up, and they split. For good.

It got me to thinking that Trayvon would still be alive if George Zimmerman was carrying a camera instead of a gun. Yeah, I can hear the NRA saying that's ridiculous because the bad guys are all carrying lethal weapons. Unfortunately, the gun doesn't make any judgement on who is good or bad once it is fired. Dead is dead. So should Otto arm himself and presume he must be willing to shoot someone just to protect his business? Or would it be more sensible for him and other shop owners to install security cameras -- maybe hook them up to a monitoring room in the Chinatown police station. If HPD doesn't have enough manpower to walk the beats, perhaps a pair of eyes can watch a bunch of streets at one time on video monitors. And that is where my views on personal liberty become conflicted...

I hate the idea we have to surrender our rights to privacy just because of a few bad people. But until we decide to get real about the underlying causes of crime -- addiction being high on the list -- I don't know if we have any alternative, other than packing heat or carrying a camera. At least in the latter option, if you shoot first and ask questions later, no one gets killed.

ADDENDUM (4/18/12): To commenters who claim there hasn't been a significant increase in the number of guns owned in Hawaii, check out these statistics from the State Attorney General's office:

REPORT FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE – The Department of the Attorney General has released its annual report detailing state firearm registration statistics for calendar year 2011.

A record high total of 15,375 personal/private firearm permit applications were processed statewide during 2011, marking a substantial 20.1% increase from the previous record high of 12,801 applications processed in 2010... Firearm registration activity increased dramatically over the course of the twelve years for which these data have been systematically compiled and reported.  From 2000 through 2011, the number of permit applications processed annually climbed 136.9%, the number of firearms registered soared 170.3%, and the number of firearms imported surged 148.3%.

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The current episode of Career Changers TV is being preempted by high school sports this weekend, but you can still DVR it on other days or watch video segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Lots of chocolate-related stories in this month's show! Check it out on OC16.

The new April episode of Career Changers TV begins airing Thurs. night, 8:30 PM on OC16 -- and if you like chocolate, you won't want to miss this show! We've got segments on the 2nd Annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival that drew hundreds of people to Dole Cannery, a close-up look at the Waialua Estates cacao orchard on the North Shore, a feature on Madre Chocolate in Kailua, plus a piece on how they used Kickstarter to help launch their biz. Hint: their campaign took off in part because of a video created by Chop Chop Media.

We had so much chocolate-related stuff, I had to hold back one segment about Chocolate On A Mission for next month's episode. There's a brief bit about them in the Chocolate Festival overview, but I was so moved by what they're doing that I felt it warranted a separate, more in-depth story. When I saw their banner and display of delicious candy samples, I asked Wendy Loh what exactly their "mission" was. It turns out she's working with the River of Life Mission in Chinatown, to help teach job skills to needy folks. That includes former prison inmates and homeless people, who are now producing high quality chocolate products. They do fundraising gift packages, chocolate-covered fortune cookies with customized messages, and offer popular items such as chocolate-covered mini Oreos.

This is River of Life's first business venture, and they've already landed big orders from Bank of Hawaii and other local companies for their Great Hawaiian Fortune Cookies. They also have plans to launch two other businesses while training clients skills to get jobs in those fields. Without these types of programs, there's not much hope for released prison inmates or the people you see living on the streets, to get a second chance at finding work. So if you're Downtown or in Chinatown, please stop in to buy some chocolate for a worthy cause. They might even take you up to the second floor in what they claim is the second oldest working elevator in Honolulu. (It did make me a little nervous though when the elevator seemed to get stuck for a moment.) For more info, click here.

Coincidentally, the Taste of Waialua event is happening this Saturday at the Old Sugar Mill -- which is where we shot this month's show and segment intros with our host, Theresa Tilley. The guys at Island-X Hawaii, who run the funky store pictured above, were great to us. They even offered free samples of Waialua Estates coffee and chocolate, which can also be purchased there. Next time you're on the North shore, check them out! Here's a link to the Taste of Waialua page.

For daily viewing times of the new Career Changers TV show, visit our website. You can also watch video segments from past and current episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!

Well, if you believe the people I spoke to, they think it's because the police have a "quota" to make and it's really about generating easy revenue since most people won't challenge the tickets. All I know is the place where the police chose to set up their radar gun was nowhere near any pedestrian crossing, and was on a section of Hamakua Drive that has a slight incline. Even if you were going 25 mph (which no one does on that stretch) you would naturally press down on the gas pedal just to maintain your speed, and as you reach the top of that incline, it's easy to be doing 35 mph before you saw the cop up ahead, holding the radar gun. I was clocked at 37 mph, which is possible for that brief instant when I was going uphill.

I honestly did not realize the speed limit was 25 mph. There are two-lanes traveling in each direction. Between the Safeway intersection and Keolu Drive, there isn't any cross street. So after I was ticketed, about two hours later I returned with my Flip video camera to observe how many other cars were traveling over 25 mph, and how many the police were pulling over. What bothered me most was the police didn't even see how dangerous it was for me to cross the street from the corner of the Safeway parking lot to the side where Firestone, Down to Earth and some restaurants are located. If anything, THAT is where they should have set up their radar guns because speeding in that area is really a threat to pedestrians -- not to mention cars pulling out of Safeway that must cross two lanes if you're going toward Enchanted Lake... which was my case earlier.

But it doesn't seem that was the police's intent. They weren't doing it to make a safety statement about the dangers to pedestrians if you speed in certain areas or at certain times, when drivers should be alert to more foot traffic on busy roads. The Kailua speed trap took a tag team approach. While one cop wrote up the ticket, the other held the radar gun and waved alleged speed violators over to the side. However, since virtually every car I saw was going over 25 mph, there were times when both cops were busy writing tickets while some speeders got a free pass.

As I continued recording their actions on video, it also became apparent that police do NOT ticket every car that is going over the speed limit. I'm not sure if it was because they got hand cramps from writing so many citations, or if they were being more lenient because they saw that I was recording them on video. Even though I didn't have a radar gun, it's fairly obvious when someone is going over the limit -- they immediately hit the brakes and slowed down substantially as soon as they saw the police up ahead or the cars that were pulled over by them. So how much leeway do individual police have, or is it arbitrary who they let slide and who they wave over?

What irks me is if you do drive the posted 25 mph limit on a major thoroughfare like Hamakua Drive, you will have people either tailgating you or passing you left and right, which is even more dangerous if those drivers are weaving in and out of traffic. Going 5 to 10 mph over the limit to maintain a steady traffic flow doesn't seem like it should warrant a traffic ticket, unless it is an area where there are pedestrians or cross streets. Can you imagine what would happen if police decided to strictly enforce the exact speed limit on the Pali Highway, Likelike, H-1, H-2 or H-3? Sheesh.

But the real issue is what good are these daytime speed traps on residential streets, when the most serious traffic accidents almost always happen late at night or in the wee hours of the morning when drunks and younger drivers are most likely to be doing 70 to 80 mph on major highways.

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Speaking of highways, I'm surprised that the media hasn't followed up on the StreetVac road pollution filter story we're currently airing on this month's Career Changers TV show. Jeff Krantz, who owns SeaBreeze Watersports in Hawaii Kai (his wife, Courtney, runs the day-to-day operations) invented a low cost filter that is easily installed in car wheel wells. The filters trap metal particles and other pollutants created by cars that normally wind up in the air or run off into the water system when it rains. He offered to do a test pilot program using State vehicles at NO COST... and the DOT turned him down without showing much interest.

Meanwhile, he and Mark Bell -- an inventor who is helping market StreetVac -- have been able to get support from government leaders in other countries to implement test programs because the patented filters could greatly reduce air and water pollution. You can see the video by clicking here. For daily viewing times of the current Career Changers TV episode, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV.

Comments posted on the site where I first saw the article link suggested that Ron might be a liability in an emergency due to his physical condition. An anonymous commenter said he was on a flight that Ron was working, and claims the UAL flight attendant is hard of hearing. I don't know if airlines do regular sight and hearing check-ups, but it would seem reasonable for that type of job.

The other issue raised by the article is money. After he turned 70, Ron was earning over $100K per year through a combination of wages, pension and Social Security -- they call him a "triple dipper." He says it's "vacation money," implying he doesn't really need the job to get by. Which I think is great, since I personally don't like the idea of mandatory or early retirement. For most people, being put out to pasture when you still have skills or experience that can be put to good use, is not a good thing.

However, at a time when so many people are out of work  -- "young" whippersnappers in their 40s and 50s, compared to guys like Ron -- is it really fair that he keeps holding on to a job that does have physical requirements? Have you seen how much stuff people are cramming into "carry on" luggage they try to jam into overhead compartments? I've been on a few planes where the flight attendant had to risk hernias while helping passengers with their heavy bags. On a more serious note, unruly passengers can be a real threat in the air, and you have to wonder whether an 83-year-old person can handle such altercations without suffering a stroke or heart attack.

Here's the link to the NYT piece, which may or may not work for you, since they have a paywall. (If you're registered with them, you can access up to 20 articles per month for free.)

What it does remind me though is flying is not nearly as fun or glamorous as it used to be.

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High school sports have been preempting some of our regular Career Changer TV weekend time slots, but you can DVR or watch the current episode during the day. Visit www.CareerChangers.TV for the schedule (Mondays through Thursdays rarely get preempted). You can also watch video segments from past and current shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!

It can be amusing listening to some of the more fanciful ideas that get rejected. It can also be heartbreaking to hear someone tell how they've invested their live savings in something they believe in, only to have the Sharks rip it apart. Their caustic remarks serve as a nasty reminder that there's a fine line between passion and delusion.

As producer of the Career Changers TV show on OC16, I have met local inventors and entrepreneurs who have been candidates for appearing on Shark Tank, but didn't make the cut. One of them is Daniel Ward, creator of Hawaiian Chariot wheelchair motorbikes. We featured him in last month's episode, and recounted how an accident put him in a wheelchair several years ago. Yet his passion for motorcycles, and ability to think outside the box kept him moving forward in pursuit of a dream: making an affordable vehicle for wheelchair users that was practical and could be mass produced. The only real vehicle option for people like him has been adapted vans, which cost around $40,000 each.

Daniel received grant money that enabled him to design a prototype and meet with manufacturers in China. In fact, while he was having dinner with Chinese engineers there, Daniel got the idea from the Lazy Susan on the table for his turntable design so the wheelchair user could enter the vehicle, then easily rotate inside the cab area to face the steering handle. There were a number of things he had to figure out before he could market the Hawaiian Chariot motorbikes... getting financing was part of that.

He would up going in front of the Sharks, and says they were brutal. Despite the research he presented showing there were millions of wheelchair users that could be potential buyers, the Sharks didn't feel it would be a profitable business. According to Daniel, one of the producers called him afterwards and said they would not be airing the segment because they felt the Sharks were too hard on him. Translation: beating up on a guy in a wheelchair made the Sharks look like insensitive you-know-whats. Their rejection did not deter him, however.

When we filmed the segment towards the end of last year, he had just gotten necessary federal approvals that made his vehicle street legal -- one of the last obstacles to selling his product. Then just before we were about to start running the finished piece on Career Changers, Daniel contacted me and said we might have to pull it. Over the holidays, his health took a turn for the worse. People in wheelchairs are susceptible to infections, and his infection was bad enough to require surgery. On top of that, while driving in his adapted van, he was in a car accident that led to other physical problems. He was concerned that he couldn't continue running the Hawaiian Chariots company, and was looking to sell it.

We talked it over and decided to run the segment as is, but added an introduction saying he's looking for a partner or investor to keep his dream alive. The thing is, it's not just about making money for him. He's committed to helping wounded war veterans and is donating vehicles to that cause. And at an estimated retail cost of $16,000 per unit, Daniel believes many wheelchair users' lives would be greatly improved by having more mobility at a price they can afford. I've searched online to see if there are any similar vehicles to his on the marketplace, and could only find high end custom made models or home-made models that haven't met federal or state standards for road safety.

Daniel's health has improved, and he maintains his optimistic outlook. But if anyone can offer suggestions or is interested in partnering with him, please drop me an email < richfigel@gmail.com > or call Daniel at (808) 636-2014. You can watch the video segment we produced by clicking here.

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On a related note, I'm in the process of trying to do a smaller scale local version of the Shark Tank idea as an on-going Career Changers TV segment. I have a couple of local "angel" investors/business consultants who are interested in participating. Now I just need to find some worthy pitch candidates! If you have a new product or service and are looking for investors, send your elevator pitch to me via email. At the very least, you may get some local exposure... as many Shark Tank "rejects" have found, just being on the show has increased sales for many of them.

For daily viewing times, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV. You can also watch segments from past and current shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel.