Money speaks Hawaiian, too

Purchasing a house can take several months to complete, but buying a whole island can be done in less than a week. At least in Hawaii.

That rapidity was demonstrated Monday, when the state Public Utilities Commission approved the transfer of Lanai utilities from David Murdock’s Castle & Cooke to fellow billionaire Larry Ellison "so as not to jeopardize" the $500 million-plus deal.

The quick process has caused concern among some advocacy groups, though the ILWU supported the fast action.

State Sen. J. Kalani English, who represents Lanai, remarked: "(The PUC) cannot make commentary on the social value regarding the sale. … All they can say is there’s enough there to assure the service will continue and that the public interest is served."

Fancy-pants floor not quite done yet

That $2 million glossy terrazzo floor, installed to wow the passengers arriving at Honolulu Airport, is pretty slick — literally.

Hawaii Transportation Department officials said no complaints of slipping and falling had come in yet. But anyone who has been through that open-air breezeway, where the international and interisland terminals intersect, would guess it’s only a matter of time.

Googling for "terrazzo" and "slippery" will reveal why a slip-resistant surface was a needed finishing touch.

"When proper floor maintenance procedures are followed, non-slip terrazzo floors are generally safe under both dry and wet conditions," reads one of the websites that popped up.

Let’s hope so. A pretty tile floor can be pretty darn hard.