Cuba Peak Oil

Iʻve seen this video before and I think its such a useful learning tool to learn how to survive an economic disaster. I like how the people of Cuba all came together to build a working agricultural-based society and how they all helped eachother out so that they could all live and eat. My favorite part about the documentary was that all of the people were forced to live a healthier lifestyle. Since there was no fuel, or expensive fuel, people couldnʻt be lazy and drive cars, they had to ride bikes and walk. Fatty foods were basically non-existent because the only things people could eat were the things that they grew or raised. No sugary candies, or processed foods. I wish Americans could be like this sometimes, we depend too much on fast and easy instead of nutritious and flavorful. We eat bad things because its convenient and we think "oh Iʻm hungry now, and I dont have time to cook" its such stupid lazy thinking that even Iʻm guilty of sometimes. But when I prepare and eat something healthy it tastes so much better. If the peak oil crisis happened here it would be survival of the fittest and a lot of people would die because they donʻt know how to grow things, all they know is how to live a consumer lifestyle. Shouldnʻt everyone learn how to survive to prepare for the future? My other favorite part was that the people of Cuba got to know their neighbors better because they had to. Face to face communication gets so lost here and people keep finding ways to make it difficult. I envy the way that the cubans had to communicate with eachother.

Cuba - Peak Oil

Aloha Nō:

E kala mai for the late post. I have literally been in The Bush from Sydney to Ballina within four days with no Internet. The aboriginal people and or the Bundjalung People have been amazing to me. The Cuban Oil crisis is a perfect film to reflect on while I am among these indigenous people, the idea of having to come together as a people and sustain life by cultivating land and using the basic tools of our/their ancestor to live is completely relevant and worth discussing.

Down here in Australia or Nūhōlani in 'olelo Hawai'i, many of the aboriginal people live like us in homes, with their families, and have many land, language, and colonizational problems, yet there are many people who live in and on their tribal land. These people are magnificent!! They live off the land and ocean like they have done for many many years. They sustain life through hunting, fishing, knowing what the different seasons may bring and may not bring; for example some animals and fishes cannot be caught during certain times of the months. It is like our ancestors and some Kanaka that followed the moon cycle and the sun cycle, in which they knew how to keep the balance of nature. After meeting these Bunjalung People I thought about how they wouldn't need to relearn how to sustain life by cultivating land and living simple because they already know how to do so, they never lost their traditions from their ancestors in surviving and providing for their families from the land and sea. I am not saying that all aboriginals are capable of doing this and I am not saying that they are the only people that can survive by the ways of their ancestors, but this is what I witnessed within this tribe. It was quite amazing and very inspiring.

I do believe that when oil and or other goods that are imported to Hawai'i peaks or stop, that we would be "ok" in surviving. In the Cuban Oil Peak film I remember the young man who commentated most of the film said that, "it's not about the crisis at hand, but it's about the human relationships that are strong enough to over come and solve the problem!!" I thought that this was an amazing quote because if and when we are in a need to sustain life as a community, we will need to come together as people/humans to solve and keep life going. The aboriginal people have opened my eyes to the great culture and traditions that indigenous people have within the Pacific. I am so lucky and privileged to be apart of the activities of these amazing people of Ballina. I will post some photos soon, but many cultural performances and traditions are not allowed to be filmed or photographed, therefore I respected their rules, but I was allowed to take photographs of members of the tribes. Sorry for such a long blog but I am very excited to share what has been going on in the last couple of days!! See you all soon! A Hui Hou

Cuba Example - Peak Oil

In viewing Cuba and the "economic" disaster, I have hope for Hawai'i.  I do not this it will be a type of hope that all people will enjoy, it is just a simple hope, that it might be possible to be independent from external imports.  I dont really want to call it a blessing, however, I think that because Cuba went through this mini-Peak Oil simulation or "special period" they have now a huge advantage in the Global Arena.  This advantage will be displayed in their economic/agriculture and social realities.  They are the new pioneers in a reality that the rest of the "World Powers" will eventually face if the high dependency on fossil fuels continue.

As Hawaiians, we also can develop and establish the enviro-social-agriculture strong hold.  We are more than capable.  I think in a business sense the idea will be supply-in-demand, and being in the right place at the right time to catch that wave.  The wave has started coming already and we are in position, all we need to do is paddle hard enough so we can Catch It.

Cuba Video

The title in itself "the power of community" points to the key to success in any area. When looking at the changes that Cuba made, its obvious that it's not an easy task to take on. These people literally came from chaos, their whole economy gone, and now to someplace that we can truly learn from. The thing that stuck out in my mind after going over my notes was their ability to come together and work as a community. When they distributed lands solely for farming, they knew and understood the importance of setting aside land for this reason. Something we can learn from here in Hawai'i. But how many people would be willing to make this type of lifestyle change. And as long as we have big spenders, big corporations willing to buy out and "save" us, how will we ever be able to become sustainable so we don't have to rely on outside imports? It is through the joining of communities that this type of success will be possible.

Cuba Video-need for change

 I really enjoyed the Cuba video last class and I found that after I watched it more and more interactions took place at home on Kaua'i that supported the necessary change in our current food health safety, and sustainability situation.
 Currently Kaua'i is a hotspot for GMO testing. Unfortunately we are in waiting to see the consequences of these experiments although every time I return home I am informed of yet more and more cancer cases and other ailments affecting friends and family. I have been in contact with friends/farmers and have suggested starting La'au plots and eco-friendly,sustainable farming for those who have access to land on Kaua'i in order to plant seeds of change. While doing so I've referred to the Cuba video in introducing the idea of community based agricultural projects(self-sustainability) and less reliance on imported goods. I was impacted greatly by the Cuba video because it reinforces the need for ecological concern and dire need for change. It showed me that we don't need nearly as much as we use, as far as chemicals, oil, and other imports that we've deemed "necessary" and that if we can begin to change and resist the destruction of our land (GMOs/other) that we can begin to halt further devastation and encourage restoration as best we can, into a state of "sust'ĀINAbility."

Reading(s) for Thursday, March 22

We will discuss Xiaohua Lin's article "The Diaspora Solution to Innovation Capacity Development: Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Contemporary World. (This was a reading from last week that we never got to) We will also discuss R.I Tung's article "Key success Factors in Indigenous Management Practice in SME's in Emerging Economies."

Micky Huihui, formerly of Halau Ku Mana Charter School and now of Pacific Islanders in Communication will be visiting us. Dress code in effect.

Peace, K

Cuba Video & Lio

Excellent video. Amazing stuff can happen. As I watched the video, It reminded me a lot of our family discussions that take place in our home. My dad terms a system like Cubaʻs a two-tier system.

Personally, I made a lot of correlations between the video and that of our kupuna. For example:

1. Valuing the cuban elders knowledge of oxen and farming

2. Cubaʻs fostering of neighbor relationships

3. The importance dedicated to education and health

4. The creation of self-sufficient communities

5. The relationship of the governement to its people (the kaikaina-kaikuaana malama relationship).

Two-tier system are efficient, a byproduct of it is an increase of leisure time. In Cuba their foresting of diverse crops allows them an increase in leisure time. And I believe leisure time is what allowed our kupuna to become masters in their fields. Leisure time makes way for enjoyment of life. While in constrast, working an eight to five job takes away opportunities for leisure time; And then  when you attach low compensation and the need to survive you get slavery.

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As far as the Kahana Lio Project learning how to help others navigate the process of making efficient use of their land sounds a lot like the role of the konohiki. It sounds like a huge project. And I would consider that a valuable project.

I just think, especially after attending Kumu Ohaiʻs Celebration of Life, "spirituality" is the key to this project. And if we heavily on it..."akua will provide". 

Deadline for blogging about FAA Samoa was last week Tuesday.

FA'A SAMOA & LIN

The article about Indegionous Economies in Samoa, made me think about the family down the road from my house in Kahalu'u that sells Lau Lau, Pateles, Kulolo, and other goodies every weekend. For the longest time I remmber seeing their homemade signs on the side of the road advertising their grinds. I am not sure how successful their sales are but being that they have been doing it for at least 5 or 6 years (as far as i remember) they must be doing okay. I feel that this would be a successful indigenous economy, because it distributes food to the local community, made by a local family. However in this heavy colonized time, guarantee their are also choke people in the community that have never bought anything from them because they do not feel comfortable buying something from someones house as opposed to a store. Now that I think about it there are a lot of people in my hood selling food on their own. There is also the unko that cruises inside his car with the sign that says SMOKE MEAT next to the car. I have much respect for these sellers and also for the people that support them.
This also made me think of my Navajo friend from Arizona. I met her in this Indigenous Artist Conference in SF. Over here it is really hard to make it strictly as an artist because there is not a big market for Hawaiian Art and crafts. The biggest buyer in the business is Mickey Mouse. However over on the continent my Navajo freind Mellisa was ballin as a traditional Navajo weaver. She was only 28 and making like 80,000 dollars on one piece. As an artist it was real inspiring to meet her, however unfortunately I don't think we will ever have a market like that for Hawaiian art.

What are the readings for this week?

anyone know what the readings are for this week?

Faa Samoa

The article about Faʻasamoa reminded me alot of a kupuna who came to visit us last semester for Olelo Hawaii. As a child, this kupuna would weave papaleʻs to sell at market. Her father would only require them to make as a certain amount. Because it was just a way to get cash so he could buy materials to build their house.

This kupuna, Aunty Annie I believe is in her late 80ʻs.  And she still makes the most beautiful lauhala papaleʻs.  She said she could make them with her eyes closed, sheʻs that good. And the aunty who brought her said she always has orders...people willing to pay a lot of money. But Aunty rarely sells them. At the end of class that day, the kupuna, Aunty Annie gave away the papale on her head and a papale she had brought.

Idk, this really reminded me of her...still gathering the connection.

Cahn and Lin

Aloha Nō:

I found Indigenous entrepreneurship in the studies from Samoa extremely interesting. It is very relatable research because our culture is quite similar to the Samoan culture. I thought that the structure of the paper was very well put together because Cahn first explains the importance of FaʻaSamoa and how the Samoan people identify themselves within this way of living. Cahn then explains the conflicts of business concepts and FaʻaSamoa and the ways in which they can come together; I thought that the structure of the paper helped me better understand indigenous entrepreneurship, micro-enterprise, and basically just enjoy the reading. I thought about the value of the fine mats and the coconut oil that Samoan women and men make and how that is their sustainable livelihood, and it reminded me of a family in Hilo who makes canoes and canoe paddles. This ʻohana is skilled in wood making and it has been passed down in their family for many generations. Making paddles is their livelihood, they live and breathe this tradition. Paddles are sold to keep this tradition and business alive, and many paddles are donated and given to keiki in the community who wish to paddle but their parents are unable to afford it. This reading made me think of this family who sustains their livelihood in wood making, a skill that they carry from their ancestors, to sustain the tradition of hoe waʻa in their community and their way of living.

Linʻs reading was a little more dense then the Cahnʻs reading just because I could relate and make more connections with Faʻasamoa. With that being said I thought that this reading was also helpful in my understanding of entrepreneurship as an immigrant. After reading through the first couple of pages I automatically thought about the immigrants not only from China but also from Japan, Philippines and other countries who came to Hawaiʻi to work on the plantations. Willing or not to migrate many immigrants would send money back to their homeland to help their families survive and maintain well-being. The emphasis of a personʻs dual identity to return home is what got or discovered about diaspora. This reading help me to better understand well-being of different countries and their (indigenous) people in their entrepreneur ventures in a contemporary world. Many people would find this reading boring, but I found it quite helpful to better understand indigenous entrepreneurship in this western economy.

Cahn fa'asamoa

 Indigenous entrepreneurs are usually more oriented toward the well being of their community as a whole rather than their own personal benefit. This article made me think of Aulani when I read "the world businesses and economic activities are embedded in the cultural and social aspects, creating unique styles of enterepreneurship." World businesses seek out cultural knowledge and social aspects in order to exploit the culture for commercial gain. We have many Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian studies students and alumni that work for these large corporations in order to survive.These corporations are marketing the culture for their own gain not for the betterment of the community. By participating in this cycle we give control and power of our culture over to these external entities.
Instead of having these world businesses control, manipulate, and exploit our culture we should look to what we can do to become entrepreneurs in order to give our people job oppurtunities where they can impart authentic cultural knowledge/awareness and make a living as well.

Faʻa Samoa

Aloha nō

Iʻm not sure if most of you know this but I am a member of an aiga from the fono of Faleniu on the island of Tutuila. My mother married a Samoan man who was of the Tiliʻaia family.  They are a very traditional family from American Samoa. His father was from the Villiage of Vaitogi. I was adopted by their family when I was a child. I can remember my grandmother on their side explaining the meaning of Faʻa Samoa to us. Faʻa Samoa from what I was told is very basic, its eloquence is based in its simplicity.  Go to church, go to work, fulfill your duties, and take care of your aiga, and they will take care of you in return. It is exactly like the traditional views of reciprocation held by our kupuna. 

Money is important but I would much rather work work the land and feed my family in that way. Everyone has a well defined role in the family. It was really funny in my house. The boys never really mixed with the girls, they slept in the house and we slept in the garage, we had our own bathroom and refrigerator. When we werent working we spent our time drinking ʻawa with the other men in our family. Strengthening our bonds by cracking jokes and listening to the adults talk out there problems, doing this helped guide us in the best ways to handle our future issues.

While I was in the army I lived with my families matai, he is my uncle Utisoni. He is a very quiet man, who displays unmatched generosity. I remember going with his to family reunions and his wearing his lawa lawa displaying his peʻa , he only did this during these events. He would stand proudly and accept finely woven mats, boxes of kalo, bundles of ʻawa and other things. He would then either call for my or my cousin Soni, to tell us what to give the gift giver in return, then he would speak in Samoan openly displaying his affection and respect for the person. 

If I had a dream job it would be to simply live off of our land and try to up hold the values that our kupuna held. Social capital to me is much more important than money. Social capital in forms of relationships are far more fulfilling to me then a pocket full of money. I love serving my kupuna, ʻaumakua and my akua. Humbling myself for the greater good of the ohana is so important to me. I really dont know if the society that is currently occupying us will allow us to live in the ways of our ancestors, because there is to much power in that. 

Chan and Lin

My dream job would have to be helping people because for me it is more about helping someone than it is about the money. In this society today you need money to survive so I understand that money is important. I am weary of making money a priority, because capitalism makes money a priority "the bottom line" and I don't believe in capitalism at all. It is a thin line to walk in capitalism to make money, but only enough for you to survive. People who want money have no limits that is why we see corporations that get bailed out by the government believe it is okay for them to take million dollar bonuses. The one major problem that I see with capitalism is that when companies are going under they decide to lay off thousands of employees at the lowest level when that number could be drastically smaller if they just decided to lay or take pay cuts in the upper divisions of employees. I need to find another model that works for me. The most important thing in life I feel is finding out what priorities we really need and finding ways of achieving them.
   
In Chan's article she states that "cultural  and social aspects are interwoven in economic transactions through entrepreneurship." I totally agree working for my father in Law installing solar I learned that it wasn't just about the service that we gave the customer, but it was also about the relationship that we had with them. My father in law is all about speaking proper English, however; when a customer starts to speak pidgin he will answer them the same way. This I believe is a cultural aspect that is interwoven in his business.
In both articles it discusses the benefits that we should have in business because we are "indigenous."
How do we keep entrepreneurs in Hawaii when jobs are so scarce, the pay is terrible and cost of living is so high? My brother for instance has a B.A. in Biochemistry and cannot find work, so he is moving to the continent because he feels that he can find better work. I know of many people who move away from islands just to survive. They have hopes of returning but don't. In Lin's article it said that some laws were passed that helped to fix this problem so maybe we can pass laws here to encourage our people to return.

Cahn

I first tried to read about the contemporary world's entrepreneurship, but didn't seem to find that interesting at all. However, I was really drawn to Miranda Cahn's writing. Its interesting to read the various examples of "indigenous economies" including Fa'a Samoa. The thing that I kept thinking about was her reference to indigenous economies and it's being intertwined within the culture and being community oriented. How much of our economy here in Hawai'i is embedded in social and cultural aspects of society? At first thought, I thought that this was a false statement in regards to Hawai'i, but it is very true that our culture is embedded within the tourism industry...but then again, how much of that culture is made up or true? We recently discussed the new Aulani hotel in 'olelo hawai'i and how Disney decided to make up a "Hawaiian Ceremony" for the setting of the sun. Although it was never a tradition of our people, Disney market's the Hawaiian culture for their resort. Cahn goes on to talk about indigenous economies being focused and oriented on the community.......also doesn't seem to be true either within Hawai'i. Anyway, just my thoughts, I thought this was a really interesting article!

Fa'aSamoa

In this article I was able to find many aspects of what I feel are holes in my "Dream Job" objective.  I realize with my new idea of what "schooling" and the arena of "indigenous economies"that I am planning to pursue; I need to further carve out what my "system/business" will be.  For example, How will I incorporate my Administration? How will I work on ensuring the proper delivery of my service to the appropriate clients (the students/families)? How will I effectively answer the issue of "economies/money" to ensure sustainability my project on all levels? etc.

I have found that having a administrative system based in the values of "embedded" indigenous economies is close to what I envision.  Like Fa'aSamoa and the Matai - I think this is a valuable idea that I need to define as a Hawaiian. Another aspect is that the Matai Level, are those who will go on to function as Government.  I like that point.  I think that is something I need to explore to greater understand the purpose of my "Dream Job" and all the many tangents that it can travel into.

Lin & Cahn, Globalization

I like how in the reading by Cahn, Samoans refer to themselves culturally as ʻfaʻaSamoaʻ: a way of life, a way of knowing. I can relate to the fact that not all Samoans agree with that definition, because I feel like the word ʻHawaiianʻ is used the same way here. Not all Hawaiians agree with the definition of what a Hawaiian is or should be. The key things that I noticed in both readings were change and adaptability. If there are changes it forces people to adapt to them or die. In Linʻs reading I was disappointed to read that diaspora groups of people who invest in their homelands, historically the investments dont enhance the existing industrial structure of the indigenous economy. So it made me think that as educated Hawaiians are we doomed to fail no matter if we strive to give back to our culture? Does that make us Hawaiians a bad investment? Should we invest in the ruling economy instead of locally? I want to say no, that we should invest locally whenever possible, but its hard to avoid supporting the ruling tourist economy when its so expensive to live, period, in Hawaii. Its expensive to live! And even if we support Hawaiians/locals, they will spend the money on foreign economies. I agree with Lin in her saying that we need to do comparative studies on indigenous economies of different cultures so that we can learn to adapt in order to better preserve and improve our cultures for the future.

Kanoe Naone

When Kanoe came it was very enjoyable! I loved her "soap box" speeches. She seems really passionate about what she does and I really admire that in a person. I have to agree with her in what she said about common sense being a Hawaiian trait. I know plenty of people who seems to be missing that trait! And its really hard to try to explain basic things to people when they donʻt have the capacity to understand it. I gained a sense of identity and what it means to be a Hawaiian woman. Rather than to be weak and confused about what to do I felt empowered that I could do anything (as corny as it sounds).

Missed Kanoe Naone

Wow. Iʻm totally bummed I missed out on this speaker. My sister and brother told me I missed out. And now as I read everyoneʻs blogs Iʻm so bummed. Iʻm totally interested in how she approaches her work environment. And Iʻm really excited to think we will continue to explore economic arenas that include people like her :) Awesome.

Kanoe Nāone

This was by far the best class/discussion/guest speaker of the semester. Kanoe is a great example of a strong, educated, smart, and confident Kanaka ʻŌiwi Wahine that is helping the kanaka community is a very positive manner. I find her extremely inspiring because she has this stupendous ability to strongly articulate her manaʻo, experiences, facts, and her ideas of how our Lāhui can become stronger. This is one skill that I need to improve upon, the ability to articulate my manaʻo and or research that I find to my peers in a manner that will inspire and uplift other kanakas.

Kanoeʻs belief of Kanaka ʻŌiwi using basic common sense; in which every person has a role in society is very true because as she reminded us, in ka wā kahiko every kanaka had a role in society to keep the well-being and balance of the Lāhui. When I thought of these roles in society I automatically thought of Kamakakūokalani and how each Kumu here has a different area of expertise: they are skilled in Genealogy, Oli, Mele, Hawaiian and Western History, Art, Indigenous and Western Politics, Language, Agriculture, Ancient Ecosystems, Laʻau Lapaʻau, Heʻenalu, Makawalu, and list goes on and on. These Kumu teach and inspire us to learn/find a role in society to build and sustain our Lāhui. I know Kamakakū isnʻt perfect but it is a small community where no one is a "throw away," and yet everyone can have a purpose if they chose to.

Kanoe made me think about our Lāhui more critically when she advised us to always question the power structure at be. How can our people benefit from the current power structure at be? We always need to ask the question Why and figure out the root of the problem, a prime example that Kanoe used to explain this was to not keeping placing band-aids on open cuts/wounds, but to stop getting cuts and try to solve the problem. My favorite quote from her was, "Kanakas need to be on it because we are responsible for our Lāhui." I want to help and be apart of Kanoeʻs idea to change the course of history in a single generation by navigating the policy system of the state. This plans sounds amazing.

Kanoe Naone

Kanoe Naone was an awesome speaker! I personally feel that she has been by far the most inspirational speaker yet. The work that she does just clearly shows us that our culture is not dying, but growing. Her presentation opened my eyes to the contemporary things our own people are doing to make a difference in our communities. It was a relief to know that the future is not lying only on my generation's shoulders alone. All throughout high school, it seemed like the fate of our culture rested in my and my fellow classmates' hands because "our lāhui is suffering and we are the minority, the victims." Naone's presentation wasn't anything sad like that; rather, it was a sign of hope and sense of true identity. In this ever-changing society, it is our job to imua and adapt.

Kanoe Naone

I feel like this past class was the best yet. Its clear that Kanoe has the same values as most of the students in the class. I  really enjoyied hearing her speak, you could tell she is passionate about her people. Really loving what you do, in my opinion, thats worth more then a high paying job. It was apparent thats the position Kanoe is in today because of her hard work.
I got in a lot of trouble when I was younger. If there were progams like hers when I was growing up I probably wouldnʻt have gotten into the situations I had. Seeing someone coming from a similar back ground as I do succeeding is inspiring, especially when sheʻs able to up hold native values doing it. I really feel itʻs a beautiful thing that her company hires from the community they opperate in. No one knows the needs of a specific community better then a person who resides there. I hope one day I am able to find a career as fullfilling as I know hers is.

Kanoe Nāone

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation that Kanoe gave, I think by far of all the people that has come to class, she has impacted me the most. The idea of being able to work in an environment that promotes the families well being, learning together, and overall having an environment to which this is encouraged, is awesome. Listening to her, it made me want to work for her and one day when my children come, to be able to bring them up in that way. The whole concept was for the most part not looked at in a western way which I love, bringing your keiki with you to work, catering to the keiki but more importantly having the parents there to help and they themselves will learn and the family will grow. Learning essential tools and values makes a big difference in the upbringing of children. As I watched the short film, I wished that there was something like this when I was growing up. I would have loved to have been able to learn about the land and do activities like that. For sure, when the time comes for when I have my own children, I definitely want to be involved in this sort of program.

Naone

This past weekend I participated in a conference and I presented on "Empowering the Na'au: Awaken the Native Mind".  At the end of our presentation we were asked by our moderator specific questions pertaining to our presentation.  My question was in regards to what I see as proactive, up and coming programs or movements in relation to the current colonized situation of Hawai'i. And I was happy to remark, that Inpeace, was one of the programs I see as a world changer.   I also thought that as a student of the 490 class; Hawaiinuiakea, is also a big part of this process. Classes like ours that takes the chance to examine what Indigenous Economies are and how to participate in the various financial climates is another example.

Overall, us participating in the molding and creating of our future, adds larger bubbles to the water that is beginning to boil. I am excited to be here and be Hawaiian.

Kanoe Naone

I saw we had a reading on the syllabus, but it wasn't up on laulima....so I'll just blog about last week's class for now..

When Kumu mentioned the idea of creating more "Kanoe Naone"s, it really hit me. I think she is such a great role model to look up to. Kanoe is a perfect example of having a strong opinion, having a strong belief and then enacting it. The products of her work are all simply products of her opinions - everything she strongly believed in. Her presentation really had an impact on me just because she was so passionate about what she was doing. It was so easy to relate to her as a person maybe just because of the way she thought, spoke, and acted. Furthermore, it was also really interesting to see where she journeyed in her careers. Even though she got her degree in Political Science, she's now the CEO of an organization that perhaps doesn't really have much to do with political science. I'm sure many of the things she learned in getting her degree helped her in her position today, but it's inspiring to see where she has ended up. I truly hope to one day be able to articulate and carry out things that I believe in as Kanoe did. It is inspiring to see such strong Hawaiian women in today's community. Although I might not know what I want to do as a career, Kanoe shed light on the kind of person we can all aspire to be.

Kanoe Naone

I just wanted to write down some thoughts about the guest speaker yesterday, Kanoe Naone. After listening to her spill I was extremely impressed with her views. Some key things stuck out to me which are the Hypocrisy in  business. The Idea that business give a service and yet with in their own business they do not offer that service. Like a child care business that doesn't allow their children in the child care. Another thing that really struck me was her belief of "Common Sense." She said that she believed that "Common Sense" is a Hawaiian value and she was shocked that others don't have that same value. I personally think that the reason other people don't have that value is because "Common Sense" in business doesn't mix. I believe it falls under the category of "Bad Business." Because a lot of things that are to her "Common Sense" cost money, which means the dig into profit and would be seen as a negative thing. One week paid vacation on Christmas for family enrichment. The last thing that I want to discuss is the Idea of knowing a problem that you can not fix in the near future like "Sovereignty" but taking steps to get their now. A mountain is climbed in steps. big problems take steps. Bigger problems take more steps. That gives me hope.

Whole foods sells out to monsanto

Article:

http://rickthehealthsleuth.blogspot.com/2011/01/whole-foods-sells-out-to-monsanto.html

Deadline for the Blog

has passed.

Pacific Island Economies & Rebuilding the Auwai

The reading about Pacific island economies was an easy read to me due in part that it was straight to the point and explanatory. I found myself learning a lot of things that I didnʻt really know for sure about before reading the article. I liked getting a straight explanation of what exactly an economy is first of all, and I also learned a few things about the Marshall islands and the Solomon islands. The read was a good report in the sense that its educational and informative to those who donʻt understand pacific island economies, and also to those who are part of a pacific island economy but donʻt really understand what what that means.

The reading about Auwai was very familiar to me. I think Iʻve read it before. I liked the quote: "When knowledge is seen as something to be filled or drilled into the heads of young people then regurgitated for standardized tests, and school success is defined solely by those quantitative measures, young peopleʻs desire to learn can wither and evaporate." I COMPLETELY agree with this! I canʻt even recall how many standardized tests I had to take when I was in school because there were so many! I see where kumu Kimo is coming from when he says that he doesnʻt want us regurgitating information back to him, there is absolutely no learning in that.

Both of these readings overall, stressed the importance of being sustainable/having sustainable resources. I think that being sustainable is very important, especially since we live on an island in the middle of the ocean.

Now we have the information, what can we do with it?