Make a Powerful Point Without PowerPoint.

Twitter was slightly abuzz this morning as a result of this article by the New York Times. I did some further reading and came across a related blog post by Seth Godin on the subject. Both were entertaining reads, but the sad reality is that it's all true... and I'm not just talking about the US military. I've seen it happen in conferences, lectures, and even churches. A person gets up in front of the crowd, armed with a laptop, ready to change the world. It's almost as if they believe PowerPoint has magical powers that will transform their material into something relevant and send everyone home with happy thoughts and warm fuzzies. It won't.
Personally, I think of PowerPoint as a magnifying glass. If your presentation rocks, PowerPoint will help drive the point home. The content and your delivery, however, must stand on their own. Likewise, if it sucks, well, no amount of pretty pictures, flashy animation, or fancy fonts and layouts is going to save it.

This is why I shop at the farmers' market

Several weeks ago, I wrote this post about personal responsibility. It goes along with an earlier commitment to buy locally grown and/or organic produce whenever possible. Because we had such a successful shopping trip at Saturday's KCC Farmers' Market, I was motivated to cook dinner on Sunday night.

Here's what we ate:
1) Oven-roasted Molokai Sweet Potato
2) Braised Kale with Soy-Ginger Dressing (garnished with fresh Waimea strawberry)
3) Homemade Vegan Patty


This image was not digitally altered - the colors really were that vibrant. Wifey said it was the best meal I have EVER made for her. Wow. I wish I could say it was all me, but it really comes down to using the freshest ingredients possible.

Next week, I plan to try something a little different by picking up a CSA box from Ma'o Organic Farm (@maoorganicfarms). Stay tuned for posts from that adventure!

Here's the veggie patty recipe I came up with for those who are interested:
• 1 can black bean (pureed in blender)
• 1C cooked Oatmeal
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1/2 package panko
• 1/4 cup soy-based mozzarella
• 2T egg replacement
• 2T shoyu
• 1T garlic
• 1T ginger
• 1t curry powder

Mix all the above in a bowl and form into patties. Brown in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil.