Capsun's Corner – by Capsun M. Poe

One of my friends sent this along to me since many in our circle are turning 30 this year. I thought it was pretty good advice, which he got from Dennis Prager, a conservative commentator that I normally disagree with on political issues. In this instance, I thought Prager shared some very useful advice for men out there.

Here’s what he said:

Men make themselves unhappy by bemoaning their lack of achievement. At 30, they feel that they should have had more success, at 40, at 50, at 60 and all the years in between. No matter how much success a man has, he’s usually disappointed that he didn’t go farther. But we rarely if ever achieve what we imagine. Just recognizing that this problem is universal to men can alleviate some of the pain.

So are you a man approaching one of these milepost ages? Does this sound like you? If so, you might re-read the advice shared above. I’ve read it at least once a day since it was shared with me and am passing it on to others to share with those who may benefit from it.

Now, on to planning my next great achievement!

Mahalo!

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P.S. – You can follow me on Twitter (@exbor) to get more regular updates.  Be warned, they are much more “regular” than my posts here. 

P.P.S – Did you know capsun.org has it’s own Twitter account (@capsundotorg) that Tweets whenever I blog here or on my photo blog?

Please note:  The views expressed here are mine and mine alone.  While I am employed by and affiliated with organizations and individuals, permission has neither been asked nor granted to write on the topics discussed here.

Tags: Capsun, exbor, Hawaii, poe

Several days ago, blogger Ian Lind (@ilind) put out an open call to his fellow Hawaii bloggers in “Calling Hawaii public affairs bloggers.” Now that Honolulu (and therefore 75% of our state) is officially a one-paper town, fewer voices and views will likely be heard.

Definitely don’t expect to see this kind of candor; in fact, I note that Advertiser education reporter Loren Moreno has deleted his Twitter account after that post.

There is the new Honolulu Civil Beat, who even hired real reporters (“reporter-hosts” as they call them). Like many others, I think the fact that they charge to access their content is the big limiting factor; they can only reach as many people as are willing to pay for the privilege of “membership” (Civil Beat’s term, not mine).

But what about regular folks, who may not want to pay for another subscription? Here’s what Ian asked (please click through to read the entire post):

Are you an independent blogger writing about public affairs, government news, community issues? Not necessarily exclusively, but at least in part?

If so, my question is: Instead of just complaining about and commenting on the decline of news, what can independent bloggers can do via cooperation and sharing of ideas, resources, and skills, that will increase our collective ability to produce or support original news reporting and investigations?

I’ve offered my help, in whatever way I can, and here’s what you can do if you’re interested, again from Ian’s post:

If you’re an independent blogger interested in taking part in such brainstorming, or are interested in starting this kind of blog, just send me an email with indicating your interest [ian(at)ilind.net]. Please include a phone number and Skype name, if available.

It’s definitely an ambitious undertaking! Granted, it’s unlikely that this group of bloggers will be totally independent, but even veteran journalists have their own biases, as do the news outlets they work for. Will it be successful? I don’t know. But I do know that if people don’t step up to the plate, it will fail. A similar thing happened on the Big Island when several laid-off reporters started a group blog, Hawaii247.com, which looks and feels like a regular news site. So, this endeavor can be successful.

It’s time to stop complaining about the problem of declining news coverage and be part of the solution. Will you join Ian and other civic-minded writers in our community? If you’re a blogger interested in public affairs, or you know of one, please consider Ian’s proposal.

Mahalo!

***

P.S. – You can follow me on Twitter (@exbor) to get more regular updates.  Be warned, they are much more “regular” than my posts here. 

P.P.S – Did you know capsun.org has it’s own Twitter account (@capsundotorg) that Tweets whenever I blog here or on my photo blog?

Please note:  The views expressed here are mine and mine alone.  While I am employed by and affiliated with organizations and individuals, permission has neither been asked nor granted to write on the topics discussed here.

Tags: bloggers, Capsun, civil beat, exbor, Hawaii, honolulu, ian lind, poe

Happy Earth Day! Since the first Earth Day in 1970, people have been using April 22 to celebrate our planet and hold environment-related activities. I even found video footage of news coverage on that first Earth Day (originally shared by @thereisawayjose on Twitter). According to Wikipedia, April 22 was a strategic choice:

in order to maximize participation on college campuses for…an “environmental teach-in.” …the week of April 19–25 was the best bet; it did not fall during exams or spring breaks, did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather.

So it’s quite fitting that I chose today to share a new service that I just started using called Oahu Fresh. I have received nothing from them for writing this post; I’m a brand-new regular paying customer. For a couple months, one of my coworkers has been raving about and showing us what Oahu Fresh does, so I finally signed up. Basically, they provide “farmer’s market food delivery to working professionals and residents in the Honolulu area” – one weekly reusable bag at a time.

But Oahu Fresh provides far more than just delivery on Wednesday afternoons. First, it’s a convenience; you no longer have to plan a trip to your local farmer’s market (although you still can). Second, it adds some variety; the contents of a bag change every week. Third, it provides recipes to help you cook healthy and delicious meals. Fourth, it provides you with a commitment; I find that by spending this money, I’m more likely to actually eat the vegetables that are in there. Finally, it’s a great way to support our local farmers and our own community.

How much does it cost? $20 for the bag, $2.50-$5 for delivery, plus tax. So, you get all of the above benefits for about $25 a week. Not a bad deal to eat healthy and support local.

Take a look at what was in my bag this week:

This is the bag you get when you join ($5 fee to join)

Hauula tomatoes

Nalo Farms dill

Nalo Farms red kale

zucchini

asparagus

Maunawili Greens lettuce

Delicious, nutritious, and environmentally-friendly goodness. And that’s saying a lot – I don’t usually like leafy greens.

Mahalo and Happy Earth Day!

***

P.S. – You can follow me on Twitter (@exbor) to get more regular updates.  Be warned, they are much more “regular” than my posts here. 

P.P.S – Did you know capsun.org has it’s own Twitter account (@capsundotorg) that Tweets whenever I blog here or on my photo blog?

Please note:  The views expressed here are mine and mine alone.  While I am employed by and affiliated with organizations and individuals, permission has neither been asked nor granted to write on the topics discussed here.