Will TSA lighten up?

I doubt it. It's really hard to get powerless dweebs who've been given power to lighten up.

But after a recent law suit about them carrying harassment of airline passengers too far they did promise to back down and lighten up at least somewhat. Personally, I don't trust them to even pretend to do what they promise, but I guess it's better than nothing.

An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash have forced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue two new rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searches related to airplane safety.

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its lawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in March and who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and local police officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he was carrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

Simple Justice comments on it.

A few little details appear to distinguish what the TSA has in mind from what the ACLU thinks it got. While the amount of currency, alone, may no longer suffice to hold a traveler, what about the multitude of other things that might give rise to screeners deciding to play cop? It's rather outrageous, and ridiculous, that a government agency has issued directives to its personnel but refuses to release them to the Washington Times without a FOIA request. Why are they keeping the rules a secret?

Nothing that spokeswoman Gaches said suggests that the TSA is going along with the ACLU's vision of limiting screening to weapons and explosives. At best, they are agreeing that cash alone isn't a sufficient reason to detain and question a traveler. But what of cash and furtive movements, excessive nervousness, unacceptable responses to commonlaw inquiries?

Budget Car Rental

I used to have a Budget Car Rental advertising banner.

No more.

I no longer want anything to do with those scammers.

Pioneer Woman Museum

Ponca City Oklahoma

It's hard to recommend a museum located in Kay County, OK. It's the speed trap capitol and primary home of cops with an attitude in the State of Oklahoma.

But it has cheap admission ($3) and an unusual theme. You might like it if you can avoid the over zealous cops.

Paisa Mexican Grill -- Wichita

Paisa is in Wichita, that hotbed of Mexican culinary excellence.

The sign outside says it's a taquiria, which to me just means Mexican fast food. But inside it's an actual restaurant, with tables and waitresses and all the trappings of an eating establishment that's not a taqueria. Oh, well.

We went for lunch and didn't notice until after we'd ordered off the menus the hostess handed us that the little card stuck behind the napkin holder wasn't a drink menu, it was a lunch special menu. That kind of irritated me.

The lunch menu was mostly taco plates at about $6. What we ordered was Chile Verde Con Carne (a pork dish) at $8.⁷⁹ and Cinco de Mayo (what seems to pass for their combination plate) at $7.⁴⁹

The food was pretty good. I'll probably go back, although $1⁸⁵ for a diet pepsi seems a little steep to me and although I'm still irritated that we weren't shown the lunch menu when we satdown.

Better than Epcot

Disney's Epcot simulates countries around the world, but you must pay admission.*

I like the real fake much better, as one can normally find in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has a Chinatown

From the New York Times, June 2008

Chinatown Plaza, an open-air mall founded in 1994 by James Chen, a developer who envisioned a Chinatown that was different from the one he first saw when he arrived in Los Angeles as an immigrant in 1971.

“Since the whole town of Las Vegas is man-made anyway, I thought, ‘Why not build a Chinatown to serve the needs of the growing Chinese population?’” Mr. Chen said.

And, apparently, a new attraction is planned

... a recent tour through the neighborhood saw evidence of more coming soon, in a large empty lot several miles west of the plaza. A prominent sign staking out the space read, “KOREATOWN!”

*I tried to find the cost of admission to Epcot, but finally gave up. I'm sure it's over $20.00 per person.

Lee's Chinese Restaurant in Wichita

6215 W Kellogg Dr
Wichita, KS 67209-2331
(316) 942-8822

This is the Chinese restaurant I went to after I gave up on Texas Roadhouse. It was one of the best second choices I've ever made.

Unbelievably it wasn't packed, but the food and service were both top-notch. Excellent.

I had a garlic shrimp in a black bean sauce, under $10. Loved it.

I'll be back.

Connie's Mexico Cafe in Wichita

Broadway, near 21st N.
316.832.9636
http://conniesmexicocafe.com/

They lay claim to being the oldest Mexican restaurant in Wichita. It's certainly the most popular.

If you go at lunchtime go late. The wait at noon is way too long and involves standing in line rather than sitting in a waiting room.

I like the burritos. Until you actually see one you might think the menu price of about $9 is just a little bit high for a burrito. But these things are huge. Expect to take leftovers home to save for lunch tomorrow. And, in addition to plenty of food, it's pretty good.

I'm going back.

The Anchor in Wichita

1109 E Douglas Ave
Wichita, KS

All I can really say about this is that have a non-smoking section someplace in the back. But you have to wade your way through thick smoke to get to it and I'm not up for that.

Jeannes in Wichita

4733 E Douglas Ave
Wichita, KS

It's open from 6am to 2pm, every day but Monday's (I think it opens a little later (7am) on weekends). It has good internet reviews for it's breakfast fare.

I went for lunch.

The lunch menu is mostly $7 sandwiches. They have plate specials on the blackboard though -- the day I went they had fish and another dish to choose from. I don't remember what the other dish was. They also had a Cream of Cabbage Soup on the board and that's what I had.

The soup was pretty good. Very creamy. The cabbage was just a subtle afterthought. I'm guessing it was high calorie and high fat. But I don't expect diet fare when I go to a diner in Wichita.

My lunch companion had the fish, and she thought it was too salty, and commented that pretty much everything on her plate was too salty.

Service was pretty good although if you aren't finished by 2 they'll start vacuuming up around you.

All in all I liked it but it didn't rate much higher than an OK. I probably won't be back although I might if it was otherwise convenient that day.

Museum of the Coastal Bend

The Coastal Bend is what Texans called that middle part of the coastline roughly between Corpus Christi and Texas. The geography kind of cuts in, the coastline shaped like a C along that stretch. Hence the name Coastal Bend.

Victoria is located about 90 miles or so North of Corpus on Highway 77, which runs just a little bit inland from the coastline highway of highway 35.

Victoria College is a junior college in Victoria that houses the Museum of the Coastal Bend.

The Museum of the Coastal Bend showcases the rich multi-cultural heritage of the mid-coastal region of Texas. The Museum’s mission is to enhance the appreciation and enjoyment of the region's heritage. The Museum's purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, interpret, and educate using the history and heritage of the region.

Museum of the Coastal Bend buildingFor many years The Victoria College worked with board advisors and volunteers from Victoria and nearby communities to develop the Museum of the Coastal Bend. The Victoria College is an established higher educational institution that has served the Coastal Bend community since 1925. They began with a concept of creating a cultural institution for educational enrichment to enhance the public’s appreciation and enjoyment of the region’s heritage and the preservation of natural resources.

Hiring a full time museum director and contracting with Steve Harding Designs a professional Ribbon Cuttingmuseum exhibit consulting firm from Houston, launched this important community project. Along with the goal of creating a museum that fulfilled the College’s educational mission, they also wanted a museum that would complement existing local and regional museums and educational facilities. The proposed museum’s offerings would include a comprehensive overview of the rich Coastal Bend heritage (i.e. prehistory, colonialism, maritime industry, steamboat commerce, ranching industry, etc.) and place it into a regional perspective.

Highway 35

Highway 35 is a two lane highway that hugs the Texas coastline between Corpus Christi and Houston. It always makes for a nice drive with plenty of sightseeing stops you can make along the way, to look at the shrimp boats in Aransas Pass or the Art Galleries in Rockport.

About 82 miles North of Corpus Christi on Highway 35 brings you to Port Lavaca and the Calhoun County Historical Museum. The history of Calhoun County ranges from the French explorer LaSalle, to the Karankawa Indians to the abandoned coastal town of Indianola.

Musuems in Rockport

Rockport, Texas is about 30 miles from Corpus Christi, just a short drive up the Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi Bay.

It's a touristy little place, a favorite vacation spot for Winter Texans and bay fisherman (it's on Aransas Bay). It has interesting little restaurants, and it's well known for an active local artist community and art galleries.

It's a good place to spend the day. In addition to other attractions, Rockport has two museums.

Fulton Mansion State Historical Site


The Fulton Mansion is an 1870s French Second Empire Historic House museum constructed by George and Harriet Fulton. It is a wonderful and unique site for its unusual construction method, modern mechanical systems, and architecture. The site is owned and operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This has both its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that we have the strength of a large parent organization with tremendous resources behind us and we know that we will at least have enough money in our budget to open the doors. The disadvantages are that because we are primarily state-supported, people assume that we do not need additional financial support, and we are part of an organization dominated by sporting, outdoor recreation, and natural resource interests. Sometimes our needs get lost in the shuffle, although the agency has undertaken several steps to insure that this not continue to be the case.


Texas Maritime Museum


Our purpose is to offer a variety of experiences to adults and children by collecting, preserving, and interpreting items of historical interest and to recount Texas maritime history through artifacts, documents, and other materials of historical value; and to exhibit them to further the public interest, knowledge, and appreciation of such materials and their historical significance.

An Offbeat Musuem

I'm going to spend the month of January in Corpus Christi, TX. My g/f and I are renting a condo for a month long vacation. So I'm looking for a few ways to spend the afternoon.

The Taft Blackland Museum looks like it might be a nice offbeat local history musuem. I like those sorts of small museums.

Antique Farm and ranch equipment to personal and household items of early settlers. Memorabilia from the Taft Ranch

I went to high school for a year and a half in Sinton, Texas, just a few miles to the West of Taft (I think 16 miles, but I don't recall exactly). I remember Taft as being on the road to get to the Port Aransas beach and the location of some great gas wars (how's 14.9 per gallon sound?).

The area around Taft is a very rich black dirt praire. Originally ranching country it's become pretty much all cotton and milo grain farming. It's great weather for farming. They don't lose their topsoil to the windstorms other prairie locations see and during the summer months they get frequent soft afternoon showers to help keep the dust down. Of course the weather is great, not to hot, not to cold. The sun can be brutal though, even though it's not really that hot. It just never gives up.

Grocery store as a tourist destination

We don't usually think of a grocery store as a tourist destination but if you're visiting Texas, in the Dallas/FW area, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio you should consider a visit to Central Market, an HEB gourmet food supermarket. It's really an impressive grocery store. Visit on weekends and have lunch by hitting all the free food sample stands.

Travel plans

If you had a trip to India planned for the holidays you've probably changed your travel plans.

Let's hope those new plans didn't mean re-routing through Thailand.

Free wi/fi at airports

Most US airports these days have wi/fi internet connections. But it’s not free. It’s not even cheap, some of them are pricey enough to require a payday loan just to pay for a couple of hours of internet connection while waiting for a flight.

But after reading about free wi/fi at the San Jose airport I checked on a couple of others. Wichita airport has free wi/fi.

Update: I got distracted and this post got published before I was finished. But I got a comment with a link to a list of free wi/fi airports before I got back to it.

TSA and checked bags

If you lose some items out of your checked luggage you can count on TSA to make replacements available on ebay.

Passport outsourcing

The US State Department outsources the manufacture of US passports -- to a company in Thailand.

Homeland Security is taking care of us.

Winter Texan

I've been living in Northern Oklahoma for the past couple of years.

Most Americans wouldn't think of Oklahoma as being all that far North. But most Americans didn't grow up in places like Austin, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I did grow up in those places, so I tend to think of anyplace close to the Oklahoma/Kansas state line as a place where it gets pretty cold in the wintertime.

That's why I'm going to be spending this January in Corpus Christi, Texas.

My girlfriend and I (she lives in Wichita, Kansas) have rented a condo apartment on Corpus Christi Beach (what they used to call North Beach). The weather is a little messy down there in January. Not so much as it is in Oklahoma and Kansas, but messy enough so that rentals are very cheap on Corpus Christi Beach in January. We have rented a place for less than $900 for the entire month.

But, Lynda (the girlfriend) is worried that we'll get bored there for a whole month. So I've been assigned the duty of finding us some activities nearby. I'll be posting about that here.

Wi/Fi in the air

The airlines are scrambling to find fee based services, and it looks like that might include in-flight pay wi/fi soon.

Oklahoma Pioneer Exposition

Live entertainment and tractor pulls. Oklahoma Pioneer Exposition is an annual event held by Cleveland County in Norman, South of OKC. June 6-7 this year. Free admission and free parking.