California Bullet Train Groundbreaking in Fresno

At the Los Angeles Times, "Gov. Brown lauds bullet train project at groundbreaking ceremony."

It's a boondoggle.

From the Letters to the Editor, "Why high-speed rail in California will fail":

To the editor: As an old, long retired railroad executive in the U.S. and Canada, I can predict that Gov. Jerry Brown's high-speed rail line will fail and cost taxpayers plenty for years. ("After two-year delay, construction on California's bullet train is set to start," Jan. 4)

My company participated in planning several similar projects in different counties. We always concluded that rail was only ideal for passengers when there were plenty of freight trains to help pay for it.

Since there's very little freight between Los Angeles and San Francisco, you can bet your boots that taxpayers will have to cover the costs for years and years. Busses and planes are far more economical. The only self-supporting rail line in the U.S. is the busy commuter line between Boston, New York and Washington.

If Brown is looking for a legacy, the money for high-speed rail would be far more useful if spent on water for Southern California.

Dick Ettington
Palos Verdes Peninsula

And be sure to watch the video. KCBS Los Angeles sounds almost like Fox News, heh.

Highway 73 Toll Road to Be Refinanced

I hate the toll roads. I avoid them like the plague, and I'm not the only one. Screw the transportation agency. They can suck on that debt until 2200 for all I care.

At LAT, "O.C. toll road to be refinanced again; drivers may be paying until 2050."

Small Biplane Overturns at Oceanside Airport: Pilot, Passenger Walk Away

My wife saw the biplane flipped upside down as we were driving out to Harrah's Resort yesterday.

And here's a report, at KGTV-ABC10 News San Diego, "Biplane overturns at Oceanside Airport, injuries minor."

Also at LAT, "Pilot, passenger walk from wreckage after Oceanside plane crash."

Captain Lee Jun-seok Fled Ship While Passengers Died

The South Korean ferry captain rushed to safety ahead of sinking passengers.

At NYT, "In Sad Twist on Proud Tradition, Captains Let Others Go Down With Ship":

Ever since the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, carrying its captain and many of the passengers with it, the notion that the captain goes down with his ship has been ingrained in popular culture.

But now, for the second time in just over two years, a sea captain — first in Italy and now in South Korea — has been among the first to flee a sinking vessel, placing his own life ahead of those of his terrified passengers.

A much-publicized photo from the latest accident shows the Korean captain being helped off his own ship, the Sewol, stepping off the deck to safety even as scores of his ferry passengers remained below where survivors believe they became trapped by rushing water and debris.

The behavior has earned the captain, Lee Jun-seok, 69, the nickname the “evil of the Sewol” among bloggers in South Korea. It also landed him in jail.

Maritime experts called the abandonment shocking — violating a proud international (and South Korean) tradition of stewardship based at least as much on accepted codes of behavior as by law.

“That guy’s an embarrassment to anybody who’s ever had command at sea,” said John B. Padgett III, a retired United States Navy rear admiral and former submarine captain.

His sentiments were echoed by Capt. William H. Doherty, who has commanded Navy and merchant ships and managed safety operations at a major cruise line. He called Mr. Lee’s decision to leave his 447 passengers “a disgrace,” and likened it to the desertion of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Italian coast in 2012. “You can’t take responsibility, or say you do, for nearly 500 souls, and then be the first in the lifeboat,” he said.

Civil courts in the United States have long viewed captains as having an obligation to protect their passengers and ships, but the cases in South Korea and Italy seem likely to test the notion of criminal liability in disasters.

The captain of the Italian ship, Francesco Schettino, is on trial on manslaughter charges after the sinking of his ship left more than 30 people dead.

The death toll in the South Korean accident stood at 36 as of late Saturday, with 266 missing...

More.

5 Students Among 10 Dead in Northern California Crash

At the Los Angeles Times, "Bus crash: What caused FedEx driver to veer, cause fiery collision?":

WILLOWS, Calif. -- Investigators combing through the wreckage of the fiery Northern California crash that killed 10 people, including five high school students, said they do not yet know what caused the driver of a FedEx truck to veer across a freeway median and hit the students' bus head-on.

California Highway Patrol Lt. Scott Fredrick said it remained unclear whether the FedEx driver – who officials said was among those killed – had fallen asleep, if his freight truck had some type of mechanical failure or if it was involved in separate collision that preceded the fiery crash.

Fredrick said CHP investigators were being assisted by the National Transportation Safety Board, which sent a team that arrived about 10 a.m. Friday. Investigators would use “sophisticated surveying and mapping equipment,” along with 3-D diagramming, to reconstruct what led up to the crash, he said.

Fredrick said investigators would also consider roadway and weather conditions at the time. But he and others cautioned it could take up to six months for the CHP to complete its report.

More.

Wrong-Way Drunk Driver Kills Six on 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar

My wife and I keep telling our son we don't like him out driving late at night, especially on the weekend. There are lots of crazy drivers, drunk drivers, and criminals. My son always shrugs off the warnings, saying he's careful, etc. The problem is the drunks can kill you no matter how careful you are.

At LAT, "Wrong-way driver was going more than 100 mph, witnesses say":

A suspected drunk driver going in the wrong direction on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar was traveling faster than 100 mph when she caused an accident early Sunday that killed six people, witnesses told the California Highway Patrol.

Olivia Carolee Culbreath, 21, of Fontana, has been arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony manslaughter, said Rodrigo Jimenez, a CHP spokesman.

Culbreath is in serious but stable condition at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center with a broken femur and a ruptured bladder, Jimenez said. She was conscious and was questioned by authorities, Jimenez added.

She was heading east on the westbound 60 Freeway about 4:40 a.m. when her red Chevrolet Camaro collided head-on with a red Ford Explorer, authorities said. Another vehicle was also involved in the accident, Jimenez said. At least two people were ejected from their vehicles, he said.

6 ppl killed in wrong way DUI driver wreck,CHP looking for witness who saw red Camaro on 60 in Diamond Bar this AM pic.twitter.com/BVpZeJ5Knr

— Kate Larsen (@KateNBCLA) February 10, 2014

Rough Patch for Uber Service’s Challenge to Taxis

I blogged on this earlier, "Uber Ride Service Sabotages the Competition."

And now at NYT:

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s Travis Kalanick versus the world, and recently the world seems to be winning.

Mr. Kalanick, who is brash and aggressive even by the standards of Silicon Valley, created Uber four years ago to blow up the traditional taxi business. In more than 60 cities, from San Francisco to Berlin, it is doing just that.

Anyone with a smartphone can use Uber’s software to get a ride. No more standing on the corner in the rain, trying desperately to conjure up something that is not there. For that achievement, Uber is valued at $4 billion.

Suddenly, however, Mr. Kalanick is a bit besieged. Uber is being sued by its drivers, who say it is stealing their tips. Competitors are pressing it from all sides. Celebrity riders like Salman Rushdie and Jessica Seinfeld have had gripes too, usually about pricing.

Much worse, there have been questions about the quality of the drivers, made more urgent after one here in San Francisco hit an immigrant family in a crosswalk on New Year’s Eve, killing a 6-year-old. Her death has provoked the first wrongful-death lawsuit against Uber, which is expected to be filed on Monday...

More at that top link.

Uber Ride Service Sabotages the Competition

Wow. This is pretty hardcore.

At Tech Crunch, "Black Car Competitor Accuses Uber of DDoS-Style Attack; Uber Admits Tactics Are 'Too Aggressive'." (At Memeorandum.)

And Valley Wag, "Uber's Dirty Trick Campaign Against NYC Competition Came From the Top":

You probably haven't heard of Gett, and Uber would love to keep it that way. Gett provides an almost identical service—order a black car pickup from your phone, no cash needed—but lacks Uber's high profile or mammoth war chest. It also, crucially, uses a flat pricing system, without "surge" multipliers. During a recent snowstorm in New York, Uber's prices were an unpredictable "3x" of normal, while Gett just tacked on a $15 charge. It's an underdog in every way.

But Uber considers Gett a threat: over the past few weeks, Uber employees have been posing as pedestrians, creating Gett accounts for the sole purpose of scheduling and then canceling Gett rides. The result is clear: wasted time for Gett drivers, fewer available rides for Gett users, and general disarray for the whole service.

And it's coming from the top brass at Uber NYC.

Screenshots provided to Valleywag show multiple instances of Uber staffers using dummy Gett accounts for the sole purpose of canceling rides as a diversion. This includes Uber's New York General Manager, Josh Mohrer, who ordered and canceled at least twenty Gett rides from December 30th, 2013 to January 14th of this year. Uber's Operations and Logistics Manager, Jeanine Mendez, faked three ride requests in two days—Uber's Community Manager Kimiko Ninomaya faked seven in a single day. After these rides had been canceled, Uber texted the affected drivers in an attempt to recruit them—and after all the frustration they'd had with Gett, it'd seem like a sweet offer.

Altogether, at least 13 Uber employees of varying seniority took part in the scheme to derail Gett: Community Manager Amy Perlman, Operations Manager Andrew Salzberg, Operations and Logistics Manager Benjamin Stein, Operations and Logistics Manager Chad Dobbs, Community Manager Elliot Beltzer, Social Media Strategist Jake Langbecker, Community Manager Jake Naughtrip, Operations and Logistics Manager Kyle Thomas, Community Manager Michael Fine, Operations Manager Shalini Challa, Community Manager Randy Berridge. Uber sure has an interesting notion of community.

Bronx Train Derailment Leaves at Least 4 Dead, More Than 60 Injured

Man, a harsh way to wind down the long holiday weekend.

At NYT, "4 Dead in Metro-North Train Derailment in the Bronx":

At least four people were killed after a Metro-North Railroad train derailed Sunday morning in the Bronx along the Hudson River, officials said.

A total of 67 people were injured — 11 critically — a New York Fire Department spokesman, Jim Long, said.

The derailment occurred when several cars of a train headed south from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., left the tracks about 7:20 a.m. near the Spuyten Duyvil station under the Henry Hudson Bridge on the Hudson Line, according to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman, Aaron Donovan.

Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who represents the area and was at the scene, said the accident was “certainly the worst one on this line.”

Rescue workers from the Police and Fire Departments converged on the scene and lowered stretchers into the train cars, which were lying nearly on their sides; one car was just above the water.

The train was the 5:54 a.m. out of Poughkeepsie, and was due at Grand Central Terminal at 7:43 a.m., Mr. Donovan said.

“We are just not sure” what caused the derailment, he said. “That will be the subject of a detailed investigation.”

More at Memeorandum.

O.C. Gets its 'Carmageddon'

Well, they're calling it "Bridge Bash" actually, but this is my route for work, from Irvine to Long Beach. Interstate 405 is closing tonight for a major project.

At LAT, "Orange County 'Carmageddon': Full 405 Freeway closure coming."

And, "O.C. braces for 20-hour closure of 405 Freeway near L.A. County."

Honda Civic Tops in Small Car Crash Tests

Hondas are great cars. Not so sure about the Kias, however.

At LAT, "Honda Civic tops small-car crash test, Kia Forte scores worst."

And at the clip, interesting information about a spike in traffic fatalities in 2012, most likely from the increase of distracted drivers using mobile phone technologies.

Video Shows Passengers Escaping Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at #SFO

Wild.

But for the grace of God go I.



More at the San Francisco Chronicle, "Investigators probe SFO death."

And at the Los Angeles Times, "Probe asks why pilots were slow to speak, act."

Snakes on a Plane!

Really.

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Did Someone Say Snakes?"

Also at Sydney's Herald Sun, "Seriously, snakes on a plane."

I imagine they'd say, "Crikey!"

Dana Loesch Documents TSA Harassment

She tweeted the whole encounter.

Dana recited TSA rules, posted at the website, which indicate the right to a public screening. But she was still denied.

The full report is at Twitchy, "TSA nightmares: Dana Loesch tweets another outrageous account of harassment."

JetBlue Will Fly Upset Voters Out of the Country

Great, if Romney wins we can ship loads of depraved progressives overseas.

But I'll tell you, JetBlue's going to have to expand operations if President Clusterf-k wins a second term.

At Politico:

JetBlue Airlines is offering Americans upset about their candidate's defeat in the upcoming November election a chance to leave the country for free — if only temporarily.

"If your candidate doesn't win, don't worry. Election protection could be your ticket out of the country," the company writes on a new website.

The site allows voters to declare their support for a candidate — and if that candidate loses, they'll be entered into a contest to win one of 1,000 trips to a tropical destination.

More.

Packed Double-Decker Megabus Slams Into Illinois Interstate Bridge

At Instapundit, "THE HORROR OF MASS TRANSIT."

Raw video is here.

#RomneyShambles

I wasn't even on Twitter yesterday, but I'll venture a guess "#RomneyShambles" was the leading hashtag.

The Independent UK has it, "#Romneyshambles: 'Some Americans just shouldn't leave the country', says Carl Lewis." (At Memeorandum.)

Also, at Althouse, "'Romney book: Britain is a tiny island that makes stuff nobody wants'." (At Memeorandum.) Ann posts crucial excerpts from Romney's book, No Apology, something that Foreign Policy didn't do, because Romney's conservative, no doubt:

Now Foreign Policy — a respected journal? — ends its out of context squib with snark: "Its roads and houses are small? The trees probably aren't the right height either." I'm giving you the whole context that Foreign Policy didn't want to deal with. It's about the British decline into socialism. What do you say we take that seriously?

Socialism/capitalism — that's how campaign 2012 has been framed. Let's stare that issue in the face. Sorry if the Brits' feelings are hurt, but this is about us.

She's right, but no one can help Romney on the gaffes, except Romney. Get it together man, sheesh.

More from Robert Stacy McCain, "Ungrateful Limeys!"

American Airlines Bankruptcy

At Chicago Tribune, "American Airlines files for bankruptcy":

And at Washington Post, "American Airlines travelers: Some see great service, some see cattle cars."

I almost always fly American. I haven't had a problem.

Toronto Airport Security Employee of the Month!

Via Kathy Shaidle, "Toronto airport security employee hopes plane blows up! (video)"

Los Angeles 405 Freeway Reopens Earlier Than Expected

At KABC-TV Los Angeles, "Carmageddon ends, 405 Freeway back open early."

Also at LAT, "Carmageddon ends: 405 Freeway reopens to traffic."