Posts Tagged ‘Hawaii’

The State of Hawaii Turns 50

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Hula Pie - BeforeIt was 50 years ago today, on August 21st, 1959, that the Hawaiian islands officially became the 50th state in the union. In honor of reaching the big 5-0, how about a little slice of celebratory Hula Pie?

Some Suggested Reading
In case you weren’t aware, statehood in Hawaii to some Native Hawaiians and their supporters is a very controversial subject. It was certainly not something I was aware of when we started visiting the islands with frequency, and a subject I have been following for about a year now.

This statehood milestone has given rise to more media coverage of these issues of Hawaiian sovereignty and, combined with the power of the Internet, information and history surrounding this movement has never been more accessible. I wanted to share a few news articles and links for those who are interested in learning more.

My Opinion
One of my primary rules here for this blog is not to engage in politics or enter into these types of debates. There are many other forums and places that are better suited for such. I realize that is a cop out for not sharing my own views here, and I apologize.

I will say that ever since I fell in love with the Hawaiian islands (particularly Maui) as a visitor a few years ago, I have done everything I can to support the land, her people, and their culture. I do my best to live Aloha and share that spirit with as many people as I can, and through as many channels as I have access to here on the mainland. I have connected with, and met in person, some of the greatest people I know through talking story and sharing experiences with Hawaii, more so than any other place I’ve visited. That is one of the many things that continues to draw us back to the islands year after year.

I have done my best to understand the debate over statehood and the views on both sides. Of course, in the end I am truly just an outsider looking in on the entire matter, and therefore I only play the role of an observer with goals to stay as informed and educated on the subject as possible. I’m not one to try an influence others one way or another on most topics, and this is one of them. At best, my hope is to share the information that I come across that I feel is helpful to others.

Talk Story
Again, my intent here is not to start a debate or argue for or against statehood. I would still love to hear your thoughts, though, and if you have a link or two that you’d like to share, please feel free to do so.

Also, if you are planning to celebrate this anniversary, I’d love to hear about those stories, too.

Mahalo,
– Kris

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Weekly Website: Hawaii Photography

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Welcome to another installment of our Weekly Website series.

This week’s website gives us many great views of the Hawaiian islands, through the eyes of both professional and amateur photographers alike.

Hawaii Photography – Share in the Hawaii Photography Community
http://www.hawaiiphotography.com

I really enjoy looking at photos from Hawaii, and on any given day, it can be a toss up whether I enjoy taking photos of Maui more or viewing those taken by others. In any case, Hawaii Photography offers a lovely collection of top rate photographs from local Hawaii photographers and from visitors (like myself) that have really taken a liking to snapping photos on vacation. There is also a sense of community at the Hawaii Photography website, offering features to post and discuss topics with other photographers on the islands with similar passions for shooting in paradise.

Features
When you visit the home page of Hawaii Photography, right away you’re greeted with a slideshow of some 75 photos or so from members on the site. These aren’t tiny little thumbnails, either. They’re 800px by 590px full of Aloha goodness that showcase everything from flora to sunsets, and portraits to whale encounters. Kind of seems like a no brainer to have on the front page of a photography site, but I was (and still am) very impressed when I first saw it.

The next thing to notice is the Members list on the left-hand side. The site currently has about 60 members, which in today’s web terms is relatively small. Yet for a site with a narrow focus (and I use the term narrow lightly) on just the Hawaiian islands, it’s a pretty strong community. Viewing the Members page on the site lists a few Featured Members at the top, showcasing some of the professional photographers capturing the Aloha spirit on the islands.

There are a few other features worth noting that add to the community feel of Hawaii Photography:

  • Customizable home page for members
  • Comment and sharing features for photos
  • A blog to post updates and photos to
  • Individual discussion groups per island
  • An overall discussion forum to Talk Story, share ideas or arrange meet-ups
  • Slideshow badges like the one I posted below


Find more photos like this on Hawaii Photography

There are a few other features, too, that I haven’t discovered yet, so be sure to check it out for yourself. While my profile page hasn’t really been customized at all, I wanted to share the one from Natalie Brown. She is the photographer we booked for our vacation portraits next month when we’re on Maui, and seeing some of her worked online at Hawaii Photography certainly helped make our decision to choose her that much easier.

About Hawaii Photography
Hawaii Photography was created and managed by Hawaii Web Design, and looking at the dozens of websites they’ve put together for businesses and groups on Maui and across the islands, they sure know a thing or two about portraying the beauty of Hawaii online. Be sure to check out their portfolio to see if any of your favorite sites are done by Hawaii Web Design. Looking at my list of future sites to feature in our Weekly Website series, there are one or two coming up shortly.

Talk Story
Head on over to Hawaii Photography and let us know what you think. If you’re like me, you’ll probably be drawn into all the amazing photos, so be sure to share your favorites. And for any other vacation photographers or Hawaii enthusiasts with a hard-drive full of photos, why don’t you sign up while you’re there?

As always, if you know of a website or blog you think we should feature in our Weekly Websites series, check out the contact details below.

Mahalo.
– Kris

The Weekly Website Series here at our blog showcases various websites and blogs that we like to frequent, as well as recommend to others. There are so many Maui and Hawaii focused sites out there, it might seem a little intimidating at first. By featuring sites that we us ourselves and have found very helpful and engaging, we hope to introduce others to the very best out there.

To follow along with future editions of our Weekly Website Series, be sure to subscribe to our blog feed to get the latest posts and updates. We already have a bit of a queue, but if you haven’t seen one of your favorites yet, you can contact us or send me a note on Twitter.

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Answers to your Hawaii Questions

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

Aloha,

I wanted to pass on a great opprotunity for those of you out there who have a trip scheduled to Hawaii, or are thinking of planning one, to get your questions answered by a Hawaii travel expert.
Fellow Hawaii blogger and friend of the site, Sheila Beal, will be answering your questions as part of Budget Travel’s Trip Coach column on November 25th.  Sheila is the driving force behind the popular, independant Hawaii Travel blog, GoVisitHawaii.com, and has been helping her readers (myself included) with all kinds of great advice, from where to go, what to eat, what to pack, and much, much more.
Questions needs to be submitted in advance, so be sure read here for all the details and get yours in the queue.  Can’t wait until the 25th?  Be sure to check out Sheila’s blog or one of our other favorites for tons of helpful information as well.
Mahalo.

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