TMT groundbreaking - live

[kalakoa]

I trust the terms and conditions agreed to will be followed

Funny. I figure another round of litigation, at least.

[opihikao]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

I trust the terms and conditions agreed to will be followed

Funny. I figure another round of litigation, at least.

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You might be right, kalakoa. However, DLNR & OHA made their decisions on the contested case hearings.

(*Snipped - More at link / Dated July 25, 2014)

http://bigislandnow.com/2014/07/25/dlnr-...-hearings/

The Land Board today will consider a denial of all requests for contested case hearings on TMT International Observatory’s sublease from the University of Hawaii to build the 30-meter telescope on Mauna Kea.


OHA's decision: (*Snipped - More at link - Dated July 17, 2014)

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will not pursue a contested case hearing on the Thirty Meter Telescope sublease.The OHA Board of Trustees notified the state Department of Land and Natural Resources in a letter Tuesday, saying it’s withdrawing its written petition.As of July 10, the department had received six requests for a contested case hearing, including one from OHA.The remaining five requests were made by Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Flores-Case ohana, Harry Fergerstrom, Paul K. Neves and Clarence Kukaukahi Ching.

See more at: http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/oha...JbC3A.dpuf

[Aaron S]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

I trust the terms and conditions agreed to will be followed

Funny. I figure another round of litigation, at least.

---

There is two ongoing lawsuits filed by several Native Hawaiian practitioners,etc; One involves the granting of the lease (and rejection of a contested case hearing in that matter). The latter was just recently filed. The other involves the granting of a Conservation District Use Permit for this telescope. The plaintiffs recently appealed this case to the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals.

[kalakoa]

Lawsuits do not advance science or the arts. Another example:

http://canadajournal.net/science/nasa-pu...6424-2014/

"Everyone stop work while we re-evaluate the contract bid/award process."

Sigh.

[Guest]

Once yet again, Hawaii proves itself incapable of leading and instead proves it is only happy when promoting ignorance based upon false gods, religions and beliefs.

Yet one more generation to follow made dumber instead of smarter by their parents

Truly ashamed.

Nothing to be happy about here - especially for and by Native Hawaiians.

[opihikao]

DiscussTruth, I understand your disdain and disgust. However, not all Hawaiians are against this project. There were many who fought for TMT for the reasons you state. For that, I am proud and "happy". The blessing was done, the pomp and circumstance was what was disrupted. The project moves forward. JMO.

FYI: (*Snipped - More at link incl. video)

A groundbreaking ceremony for what will be one of the word’s most advanced observatories was disrupted Tuesday by Native Hawaiian protesters and others opposed to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. More than 50 protesters blocked access near the mountain’s summit and greeted vans carrying dozens of attendees from five countries with chants and hula. After waiting more than an hour, many of the attendees walked the rest of the distance to the dedication site, located just below the summit at 13,150 feet.

Sandra Dawson, TMT spokeswoman, said a blessing was held at the site but speeches were cancelled after protesters disrupted the event in progress. “Several dozen people came and they chanted and sang and they talked and we listened and we heard them,” she said. The event was cut short after it became clear there wasn’t going to be an end to the discussion, Dawson said. Protesters said they oppose the $1.4 billion project because they see it as a desecration to a sacred mountain. The TMT, developed by researchers from the United States, Canada, India, China and Japan, will be the ninth optical/infrared telescope on the mountain, prized by astronomers for its clear views of the heavens.

It will be more than 50 meters tall and about 40 percent larger than either of Keck Observatory’s twin 10-meter optical telescopes, currently the world’s largest, though it will also be nearly 10 times more powerful.

Mayor Billy Kenoi, who was scheduled to speak at the groundbreaking, attempted to defuse the situation at the blockade, but demonstrators refused to back down. Kenoi assured there would be no arrests.“Akua gave us all this to respect and love each other,” he said. Said Kaliko Kanaele, of the Royal Order of Kamehameha: “We can’t keep on desecrating. ”Many of those protesting also brought up the issue of Hawaiian sovereignty, arguing the United States is illegally occupying the islands and that the University of Hawaii doesn’t have the right to lease the mountain to the telescope. While defiant, the protest was mostly civil, though a couple demonstrators shouted at those trying to attend the groundbreaking. Dawson said the protest was much bigger than expected though it won’t prevent the project from proceeding. Construction is expected to begin in spring. “There’s no one there that is not used to some controversy, I’m sure,” she said, adding no one felt physically threatened. The Office of Mauna Kea Management was initially considering closing Mauna Kea Access Road due to concerns over civil disobedience, said Stephanie Nagata, director. But it chose to keep it open to maintain access for those not attending the event and for emergency purposes, she said.

Astronomers say the telescope, with a resolution 10 times better than the Hubble Telescope, will allow them to see deeper into the universe, capture images of distant galaxies with greater clarity, and solve more of the universe’s great mysteries. And, just maybe, evidence of habitable planets and signs of life, the holy grail of astronomy, will be discovered. “It’s mind blowing,” Luc Simard, a Canadian astronomer who oversees instrument development for the telescope, told the Tribune-Herald. “I meet high school kids and I tell them, ‘You are the first generation of people that has a chance to answer this question — Is there life elsewhere in the universe? — and this is going to be the tool you are going to use to do it.’”

But the project has faced opposition from Native Hawaiians and environmentalists who use the acronym TMT for their own slogan — Too Many Telescopes. Several attempts at legal challenges have delayed the project, which began as a concept about 10 years ago, but have yet to keep construction from moving forward. A hearings officer ruled in favor of the project receiving a conservation district use permit in 2012 after a lengthy contested case hearing process. Petitioners, who lost an appeal of the decision, are attempting to take the issue to state Supreme Court. Appeals have also been filed in Third Circuit Court regarding the project’s sublease with UH.

Kalani Flores, one of the petitioners, spoke during a Native Hawaiian prayer ceremony Tuesday morning at Pu‘u Huluhulu, across from the start of the Mauna Kea Access Road. More than 200 attended.Flores said those gathered were standing for what’s “true and rightful.” “Today is about having aloha for our aina and each other,” he said. The protest was the first act of civil disobedience against the project. Members of the astronomy community also said it was the first they had seen on the mountain. Several protesters said they didn’t think the telescope needed to be built in Hawaii. “I understand how beneficial it could be,” said Kekai Naone of Hilo, who was holding a sign that said “Sacred Piko.” “But why here?” The telescope, which will be operational in 2022 and capture its first image about two years later, is one of three next generation, large telescopes under development.

Two others will be located in Chile, and astronomers say they need a location in the northern hemisphere to capture the rest of the night sky. For them, Mauna Kea is the obvious choice. Its completion will also keep Hawaii at the forefront of astronomy, supporters say.

Bob McClaren, associate director for UH’s Institute for Astronomy, said the telescope will improve astronomy to a greater degree than any other observatory has on the mountain. “It’s a new generation of telescopes and a much bigger step than previously seen,” he said. It will also will be the first to provide more than the $1 nominal annual rent.

The project will pay $300,000 annually for its first three years. That amount will increase gradually until it reaches $1.08 million after 11 years. Eighty percent of that amount will go to the Office of Mauna Kea Management. The rest will go to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. TMT has also pledged $1 million a year to benefit science and technology education on Hawaii Island.

See more at: http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...UpV5x.dpuf

[TomK]

I can't verify this right now as I saw it during the live broadcast and I was busy with other things, so I may well be incorrect, my apologies if so, but one of the protesters at the summit ceremony made it clear they weren't native Hawaiians. Maybe it's in the link Opihikao provided, but can't check at the moment. That particular protester actually said that the native Hawaiian priest (I think that was the word she used) conducting the ceremony was upset because of the position the protesters had put him in.

I just wanted to add this because my impression over the years has been that the majority of true native Hawaiians have never been against the TMT project.

[TomK]

Oh, just as an aside, a bit of fun about the Brits (since this was brought up earlier). Sorry, Rob, completely off topic and it is an advert, but a fun one!

http://youtu.be/xO5sEMNwuEk

[Tink]

I bet you want one to commute up the hill to work, don't you?
I am confused a bit by the protests though, as my belief is that the Hawaiians were excellent astronomers for their time in the ability to navigate, and work the aina according to the heavens. What better way to integrate modern technology with an ancient Hawaiian practice? I think that there is at least a good handful of native blood that are growing up to be great astronomers through their genealogy if given the chance, and what better a place to further their education in building the tools for their success than in their homeland? If I were native Hawaiian, I would be boasting we were the best astronomers of ancient times, and now have the best equipment for modern astronomy times. JMO

Community begins with Aloha

[MattKarma]

...awesome program based on real data from such projects .... those who haven't had a spin in Celestia should. Makes Star-trek, Star-wars, etc. look like ancient tribal history. ...On the other hand, I'm not sure how much I actually want to *pay* for it...