Props and Slops: December 15-21

December 21, 2008 · 6 comments

Here are the top and bottom performers as I saw them this week:

HAWAII

  • Props:  KITV for promoting Amber-Lynn Hyden to do weather.  I know many people liked Ben Gutierrez, but with this new blood, I might actually watch their weather coverage now.
  • Slops:  Nothing!  It may just be that I began my Christmas vacation on Friday and won’t return to the office until December 29, but I think things were beautiful in Hawaii nei.

GEEK/TECH/BLOG

  • Props:  The Hawaii State Legislature (yes, it’s in the correct category).  First, the House included bloggers in their media workshop for new Representatives.  Then, the Senate for creating a Majority Tech Leader (sort of their CTO).  It was so impressive that even the National Conference of State Legislatures wrote about it.  Impressive on both counts!
  • Honorable Mention:  Pastebud for bringing cut and paste to the iPhone using a workaround that doesn’t require third part software (basically it uses bookmarklets).  It only works with Mail and Safari, but I am still loving the functionality!
  • Slops:  Us as a society for being willing to choose internet over intimacy in a recent poll.  What’s wrong with us?  Well, I guess you know where I stand on this issue.
  • DIShonorable Mention:  Apple, Inc. for pulling out of MacWorld which will ultimately lead to the event’s demise.  Apple Expo Paris has already been cancelled.  Looks like they’ve gotten too big and popular for their core fan base.  Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse than this.

POLITICS/GOVERNMENT

  • Props:  John Pritchett for this hilarious local take on the President Bush shoes incident in Iraq.  Entitled “Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle ducks OHA flying rubber slipper” it’s worth a click!
  • Slops:  Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (again!) for wanting to fight and not going quietly when he should have.  He is accused of trying to auction off President-Elect Barack Obama’s now-vacant U. S. Senate seat.  By fighting, he is only dragging out what will surely be a black eye in an otherwise great year for the Democratic Party and President-Elect Barack Obama.
  • DIShonorable Mention:  The economy for forcing the Department of Education to seriously consider closing small schools.  I went to a school from K-8 that had fewer 400 students.  I think we actually get better education out of such schools and many teachers have agreed with my view over the years.

That’s it for this week.  Be sure to visit next week for another edition of Props and Slops, my favorite feature on Capsun’s Corner.

Mahalo!

Tagged as: apple, blagojevich, blogger, gutierrez, pastebud, pritchett

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exbor

Like I said, teachers agree with me on this point. Of course, if things were bad before the economy went sour, they will only get worse now. More of us who believe this should be a priority need to band together to encourage policymakers to make better decisions - and long-term, not just short-term, which we so often do.

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Quilly

Smaller schools provide a better education because they provide more familiarity with each individual and his/her needs. Large schools warehouse children and only teach the cream of the crop. I an say this because I am a teacher.

I find the Hawaii school system appalling. Children are the future. Hawaii will get nowhere without them, yet the schools are run down, over staffed and under supplied. Teachers are amazing people who traditionally do a great job with little, but Hawaii must think teachers are miracle workers.

Do you know that when the cost of living is factored in, Hawaii has the lowest paid teachers in the nation? Yet when it came time to cut costs, the schools, and teachers, were among the first things hit. That tells me that education is not highly valued -- at least by the politicians -- and quite possible the people who vote for those politicians, since they are in office.

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exbor

Actually, I did know about that detail, but thanks for also pointing it out. It's how I got tipped off. But I wanted to have one week where I didn't rant on go!/Mesa. It does get tiring after a while (for my readers, not me).

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Sid Savara

Some nice trivia for you, that may perhaps have subconsciously affected your props:

"Prior to KITV, [Amber-Lynn's background] was an Aloha Airlines flight attendant as well as a Weekend Assistant Producer for another local news channel."

http://www.kitv.com/newsteam/17020233/detail.html

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  1. Props and Slops: December 15-21 « Capsun’s Corner ***is now at CAPSUN.ORG*** says:
    January 18, 2009 at 5:42 PM

    [...] http://capsun.org/2008/12/21/props-and-slops-december-15-21/ Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Get involved: Stop government from jacking up your cell phone bill!Exporting inmates?Oh Shi’iteHawaii breaks out Obama-era stimulus projects [...]

  2. Capsun’s Corner - by Capsun M. Poe » Blog Archive » Props and Slops: March 2-8 says:
    March 9, 2009 at 8:33 AM

    [...] next Governor of Hawaii. Then, Ben Gutierrez (@bengutierrez) for saying he got a chuckle out of my Prop to KITV for replacing him. At least Ben waited until we were talking for an hour before he mentioned it.  [...]

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