Feds and Birth Control

So much in life is presented as either/or, when sometimes the middle ground is just much more rational

For example, the issue of birth control!

 Right-wing conservatives like Rick Santorum believes that states can & should be able to ban not only abortion, but other contraceptives as well!

Right-wing conservatives like Rick Santorum won't be happy until the USA becomes the Christian version of Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan

Meanwhile, many left-wing liberals like Barack Obama  believe in FORCING EMPLOYERS to provide insurance coverage relating to birth control! EVEN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS that DON'T BELIEVE IN birth control are FORCED to provide insurance coverage for stuff THAT GOES AGAINST THEIR RELIGION!

Look, I am VERY PRO-CHOICE when it comes to abortion, and contraceptions. While I understand why some people dislike abortion, I HAVE NOTHING BUT CONTEMPT for religious fanatics who block entrance to abortion clinics and scream vicious insults towards women who are trying to enter those clinics!

I also have pointed out that yes, many anti-abortion protestors END UP GETTING ABORTIONS TOO!

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/11/even-anti-abortion-protesters-have.html


But the left-wing liberals are also wrong in demanding religious institutions be forced to provide coverage of things they don't believe in!

So if the Catholics don't believe in contraception, they shouldn't be forced to provide coverage for that!

In fact, the left-wing liberals are making their version of "perfect" the enemy of the good! By forcing Catholic hospitals to provide contraceptives, they might just SHUT DOWN rather to go against their religious beliefs. Then there's less people to provide any form of health care!

Just like we shouldn't force Mormon insitutions to serve alcohol, nor should we force Jewish and Muslim insitiutions to serve pork!

It's called FREEDOM OF RELIGION!

If the left-wing liberals want to provide more birth control, they already have Planned Parenthood. They could also align themselves with liberal-leaning churches (ie, Unitarians, Quakers, United Church of Christ, etc) to start their own hospitals!


Cathy Young has said it best
http://reason.com/archives/2012/02/13/obamas-misguided-birth-control-mandate

Some of the "war on religion" rhetoric emanating from the right has been over the top. When religious institutions perform extensive secular functions -- often with government subsidies -- and serve nonbelievers, they inevitably surrender part of their religious autonomy. (A Catholic hospital, for instance, cannot require that all babies born in its maternity wards be baptized into the Catholic faith.)



The issue is where the line should be drawn; and, for many Americans, that line is crossed when Catholic institutions such as hospitals, schools and charities—with a narrow exemption for churches—are forced to buy employee insurance policies that cover services prohibited by Catholic teachings. Catholics who use contraception, and Protestants who have little sympathy for the Catholic Church's anti-birth-control stance, may still be offended by the state dictating to the church in such matters.


President Obama has picked the wrong fight. Rather than expand birth control options for women, this policy may undermine already shaky support for the health reform legislation. Suddenly, predictions that ObamaCare will result in less freedom and more bureaucratic authority do not seem so outlandish.

Career Updates

Hello everyone,

there has been some changes in my career lately.

I've been working with the Department of Education  (DOE) and Macy's.

Here's my updates


1) Department of Education

In the Fall 2011 semester, I was working part-time as a para-professional tutor (PPT) at Palolo Elementary School.

I am no longer employed in that position this semester.

Time to start fresh!

Don't get me wrong, I'm still grateful to have been a part of that school.  The school's principal Ruth Silberstein is the best leader a school like that could have. She's the perfect combination of stern and compassionate! A great person to talk to whenever there's a problem.

 That school is located by a public housing project that is very notorious for decades. Many of the families are recent immigrants, mostly from the Micronesian islands, though are also some from the South Pacific and Asia as well.  Even with the challenges those students faced, the school has been gaining momentum in the test scores!  So don't give me this garbage about "poor kids can't learn, no use teaching ghetto kids, certain races can't achieve, certain races are doomed to life of inferiority"! It's all nonsense!

Even though I'm no longer a PPT at that school, I'm still in the DOE system!

This time, I'm just working as a substitute teacher.So I'm  back to what I have been doing for 6 years (it will be 7 this coming May)!

Speaking about schools, I've also been working on my master's in elementary education the last few months, from the University of Phoenix.


2) Macy's

My lst job at Macy's was a seasonal worker the previous winter at Kahala Mall.  I was a recovery associate, meaning I was folding clothes and  making sure things are organized. I did help customers but I wasn't a cashier.

In the summer of 2011, I was hired by another Macy's store, this time at Ala Moana. And this time, I had a different position - sales associate. I was working in the "textille" section,  selling towels, rugs, pillows, bed sheets,etc. 

When the winter holiday season came up, I decided to switch to the recovery associate position, just like what I was doing at Kahala Macy's the previous winter.

While I appreciate being hired for the sales position at Ala Moana this past summer (a shout out to Donnie A. for the hiring!) and really appreciated the sales manager for textilles (Gregg Kikukawa, everyone's favorite manager),  and really learning new things as a sales associate, my true passion was in recovery!

Some workers thought I was CRAZY for switching from sales to recovery! But I don't regret it at all!

 My 8 weeks working in recovery at Ala Moana had to be one of the funnest times in my life! I really felt an ohana spirit with the recovery team! I really enjoyed going to different sections of the stores and organizing stuff!  I felt the pride and turning messy piles of clothes into beautiful pieces of art! I also enjoyed interacting with the customers while I was organizing stuff!

I have gotten to know the store and the staff a lot more better than when I was just doing sales up in the 4th floor!

Don't get me wrong, I am NOT ruling out sales work forever!  In fact, I did pick up a shift being a cashier in the Women's Shoes section in the 1st Saturday of 2012!  I am happy to have that experience!

The recovery associate was just a seasonal position. And the holiday season has ended! My time as a recovery associate at Ala Moana Macy's is officially done as of today!

As of right now, I'm just on hiatus from Macy's!  I plan on coming back soon, with whatever position fits my schedule, whether its sales, recovery, support, whatever!  Macy's will probably calling some seasonal workers for long-term positions next month! If they call me, I plan on being there!


------------

The only side effect of my time working in recovery, was my conflict with Scrooge (aka Michelle Range) , which I have mentioned in these 2 blog posts
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-stood-up-to-scrooge-of-macys.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/part-2-of-me-vs-scrooge-good-news.html


I did win the battle against Scrooge (aka Michelle Range), and I don't need to brag! But I did find evidence of what a hypocrite Scrooge (aka Michelle Range) is, thanks to my facebook friends at Macy's

This was from some event nobody told me about! She's one of the green hats, 2nd from right!

I wish I knew about this photo when I wrote about the eariler blog posts!


And Scrooge (aka Michelle Range) has a problem with my Santa hat?  

TOO BAD, because #1-  I kept it on and
 #2  - everyone else in the store turned against her
 # 3  -  I'm going to go back to the store next winter and WEAR THE SANTA HAT AGAIN!   :)

------------

2011 year in review

I wanted to write this for a long time, but only now I had time!

1) Music

My favorite song from 2011 was LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av3e

The Halloween Lights version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcNoMnKjrY&feature=share


It was basically the song that took over the world this year by storm!

LMFAO already had some minor hits before that song, but THIS will likely be their #1 song in their career! The song is THAT great!

The song had a techno/rave vibe, and it had 2 guys rapping over it! A great crossover hit for both the techno fans and the hip-hop fans!

And I remember this past New Year's Eve celebrations at Aloha Tower Marketplace, this was the 1st song after the midnight's fireworks! :) :) :)


----------

Some wondered if Britney Spears could still stay relevant! She's in her early 30's, like me! She has younger competitors like Lady Gaga!

But yes, Britney Spears remains relevant! She got one of my favorite songs of the past year. That song is "Until the World Ends"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usGeunZ2iUU


------

There was a YouTube sensation Rebecca Black with her song "Friday"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0
Some criticized her for not having the perfect voice!
Some have made fun of some of the lines in the songs!
So she didn't sing the song from a mature, sophisticated perspective? SO WHAT, SHE WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL! You were in middle school at one point in your life, right?

Even worse, some have made some severe hateful criticisms and vicious videos and comments against her and the song!

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THOSE PEOPLE!

This song is about having fun on a Friday! What the hell is wrong with that!?

She didn't sing about using drugs or drinking alcohol!  There were no ethnic or sexual minorities insulted in that song!  There's no violence in that song!

If that song (or any song) is not your style, just ignore it, say nothing and move on!
I also like the song "Prom Night" from Rebecca Black http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI3OOrxantg

 --------

Other favorite songs from the past year!

I also like AfroJack's song featuring Eva Simons "Take Over Control"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUoOcDGMgT4

Usher's "Without You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBZ84Za_5s

Hot Chelle Rae "tonight"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzlNFcT2aOE

----
I haven't paid as much attention to the hardcore rap or heavy metal like I used to! I still listen to some of the old classics from those genres! But they don't get the attention like they used to!  Society we live in just isn't hardcore as it used to be!

And I don't have as much time to keep researching those genres like I used to!

But here's one song from last year that that I  like, that combines heavy metal and rap!
Jensen Reed "After the War"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zieK4lM0go&ob=av2e

2) Sports


I already mentioned my thoughts on the UH football changes going on! Check it out at

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/uh-football-coaching-changes.html

-------
As for UH volleyball,  the Wahine did very good! They only lost 2 games. Those 2 games just happen to be against teams based in Los Angeles  - UCLA and USC!

UCLA was the only team UH lost to in the regular season! They also won the national championship!

USC beat UH in the playoffs!

Some complained about coach Dave Shoji not winning championships anymore! While I would love to see a championship from the Wahine, let's not forget that the Wahine volleyball ONLY LOST 2 GAMES this season!

We got a great group of volleyball players coming out of Hawaii high schools every year! We just need to take away 1 or 2 recruits from UCLA/USC territory, then we can be champs!

-----------

UH basketball men's  -- started off slow, but with Miah Ostrowski done with his football duties, the Rainbow Warriors are on a roll!

As for the UH women's basketball  -- yes we added Kalei Adolpho (also plays volleyball) and Vicky Taglicod (transfer) this past month, and things are improving slowly!

But being this is the 3rd year under Dana Takahara-Dias,  things really need to improve quick!  3 losing seasons got Bob Nash, Fred von Appen and Bob Wagner fired! Hopefully, it doesn't need to happen to Takahara-Dias!

-----
For the pro's, I just want to talk about NFL's latest icon Tim Tebow!

Tim Tebow is similar to Micheal Vick in a few ways

Both Vick and Tebow are quarterbacks who are better at running the ball than throwing the ball! 

Both Vick and Tebow are cultural icons, in ways that aren't always about their playing abilities.

Before the dogfighting controversy, Vick was a cultural icon for the hip-hop generation! He once represented the Atlanta Falcons,  playing in a once-segregated city that is now the center of African-American culture! He was the hero for many young African-Americans in the South who were happy to see one of their own playing quarterback, which was traditionally seen as a "white position".

However, the dogfighting controvery alienated many people! I admit that when the dogfighting investigation came up, I was worried that this could have become a racially divisive issue!  I still remember the OJ Simpson case, in which many European-Americans thought OJ was guilty, but many African-Americans felt OJ was being picked on for his race!

However, once Vick admitted to the charges and took responsibility for what happened, that in itself saved the country from another needlessly race controversy!

Now Vick is the symbol of Rehabilitation, a symbol of millions who were once incarcerated but now getting a 2nd chance in life!

-- ----

Tebow is also a cultural icon for another group that feels misunderstood by the larger society -- evangelical Christians.

Tebow was from a Christian missionary family, known to assist faith-based charities, praise Jesus Christ in every interview, and is known to kneel down in prayer on the football field!

Some people have complained about Tebow's public display of his Christian faith!

But even though I'm not an evangelical Christian, I don't have any problem with Tebow expressing his faith!

I am very critical of religious fanatics, ranging from Islamic Fascists to bigoted Christian pastors like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell! I also put presidential candidate Rick Santorum in that category!

But I don't think Tebow is a religious fanatic!  He is WAY MORE FOCUSED on charitable missions than in condeming non-believers! Even though I'm pro-choice on abortion, I don't think Tebow's pro-life ad was that offensive, all it did was mentioned his mother saying she had a troubled pregnancy but decided to take the risk, then give birth to Tim!

---

I hope to see Vick and Tebow great success this coming year! I love to see quarterbacks making opponents think "is he going to run or is he going to throw"! I also hope to see Vick continue being the symbol of "2nd chances" and Tebow as the symbol of "charity missions"!

And I hope everyone is having a great start on 2012!

UH football coaching changes

This month, the head coach position for the University of Hawaii football team switched from Gregg McMackin (aka Coach Mack) to Norm Chow!


1) Coach Mack

Coach Mack was hired as the head coach back in January 2008.

Previous coach June Jones left UH for Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Jones was the coach from 1999-2007. Back in 1999, Jones took an almost dying program to greatness! It was followed by many great teams, ending with the 2007 team which was undefeated during the regular season, but lost the Sugar Bowl!

For more on June Jones, check out
 http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2008/01/end-of-june-jones-era-uh.html

When Jones left, the people wanted some continuity! They wanted someone who already know Jones' system, knew the players, and just continue the success the team was having!

Coach Mack just happened to be 2nd in command, being the team's defensive coordinator!

He had previous success in other places including college (Miami, Texas Tech) and NFL (San Francisco, Seattle)

He also seemed more media-friendly than June Jones who usually sounded grumpy in interviews. (though people who do know Jones say he's a nice guy)

What was not to like about Coach Mack?

Being that Jones (who was paid $800,000 at UH) left for SMU's $2million position, we better pay Coach Mack some big money too!

Coach Mack got a contract for $1.1 million annually for the following 5 years.

2008 was a rebuilding season for UH, being that Jones as well as many 2007 offense stars were no longer there! But the team had a winning season (7-6) but lost the bowl game to Notre Dame!

The following summer, at a press conference, Coach Mack taunted Notre Dame's chant as a "faggot dance" then ask the reporters to not report what he just said! It all went downhill from there!

(for more on that issue, check out:
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/08/coach-mack-controversy.html

While no wanted to admit it, the issue was a distraction for the 2009 season.  Also, the QB Gregg Alexander had a season-ending injury, forcing Bryant Moniz to be the starter! The season ended with a 6-7 reason. An average record, with no bowl game!

2010 was much, much better! Bryant Moniz showed some serious improvement! The receivers Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares were on a roll! So was running back Alex Green!  The team shared the WAC title with Boise State and Nevada!  The  team was 10-4, and played the Hawaii Bowl against Tulsa. Unfortunately, Tulsa was the most under-rated team of the year, and we lost!

2011 expected great things. Sure, offense lost Salas, Pilares and Green! But this was to be Moniz's senior season! Plus, the defense had some great returning starters like Corey Paredes, Aaron Brown, Richard Toress, Vaugh Meatoga and Kaniela Tuipolotu!

However, the 2011 started with some serious distractions with Aaron Brown and Darius Bright getting arrested and suspended over a bar fight!

That didn't stop the team from winning the opening game against Colorado! Little did we know, that Colorado would go on to have an extremely junk season!

We lost to Washington ( a very good team). That was expected!

But we also lost to junk teams like UNLV and San Jose State! We also lost to Utah State! Sure, Utah State was better than usual this year!  But those 3 loses really PISSED OFF many UH fans!

We got lucky against Idaho, which missed their last minute field goal!

Those things added up! People were ANGRY!

Apathy set in!

It got to the point when I was at Varsity Bar to watch Hawaii play Fresno State ( a usually heated rivalry that nobody wanted to miss), there were more patrons watching the mainland games on TV instead!

That in itself is an insult to the UH program! Especially in years past, when bars were filled with UH fans when they were playing LESSER KNOWN OPPONENTS!

(and we lost that game to a junker-than-usual Fresno! How in the hell????? We could've tied that game with a field goal and go into over-time! But noooooo, they tried to make a touchdown from 40 yards with seconds left!)

THe following week, UH beat a junk Tulane team. 1 more win and we could've at least barely make it a winning season.

But the next opponent was BYU! That used to be the hated rivals back in 1980s-90s!  We haven't played them since 2002, so that was supposed to be exciting!

UH did fine in the 1st half of the game! In the 2nd half of the game, UH fell apart! Dropped balls and our QBs taking too many sacks! Season over, no bowl game!

To add insult to injury, the stadium was only about 60% full!  Only 60% ? In the past, games against BYU used to FILL THE ALOHA STADIUM!

Apathy had gone too far!

UH fans could no longer take it!


Fans not showing up to the stadium, fans angry at the losing team, fans angry that the top local players choosing other college teams  ............

........ and fans angry that Coach Mack was making about a $1 million but not only losing, but losing to crappy teams like UNLV and San Jose State!

[add to this: the hard economic times, when universities are cutting budgets. There is a lower tolerance for paying big money to football coaches in general, but more so when they're not living up to expectations]

Jim Donovan , the UH Athletic Director, had to do something!

But he also didn't want to look like some kind of bad guy that enjoys firing people!

So, there was the press conference announcing the retirement of Coach Mack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x_Oxf67xTE


2) Transition


But then what?

The UH football coaching job isn't like all other college coaching jobs!

Sure, you still got to coach the players into becoming winners! You also got to make sure the players are taking care of academics AND not acting irresponsibly out in the community!

But in Hawaii, you're 2,500 miles away from everyone else!   You can't just drive to the next state! You can't even drive to the next island!

Also, Hawaii is culturally different from the other states!  Not anyone can fit in easily! You don't have to be from Hawaii to fit in, but you have to be culturally flexible if you're not!  June Jones and Coach Mack were good at that! But other mainlanders have a more difficult time with adjusting to Hawaii!

Hawaii does have a great population for finding college football players! That's the good news for UH!

Bad news for UH? Many other college football teams want those players too!

And just like anywhere else, not every high school athlete want to play for their local college!  Some want to play somewhere else!

UH also tries to recruit players from other places! Problem is ...... those other places are 2,500+ miles away!  Hawaii might sound like fun, but not every player from the continental US wants to go so far away from their families while playing college football!

So UH had to find someone who can coach football, recruit local players AND recruit mainland players!

Not so many people can do that!

Rich Miano, a former assistant with June Jones and Coach Mack, was one candidate for the head coaching position! He was a very charismatic guy who was popular in the community! He had NFL playing experience!  Problem was  ......... he was coaching under Coach Mack and many fans wanted someone different!

The other names being spread around were Duane Akina and Norm Chow! Both grew up in Hawaii, went to Punahou, then played & coached at mainland colleges!

Akina played college football at Washington and was a defensive coach at the very successful University of Texas program!

But Chow got the job

3) Norm Chow

Norm Chow is now the new head UH football coach!

Here's the press conference!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee1xoie-f4c&feature=share

I was surprised to see Chow having such a relaxed, funny personality! The reason why I said that, because before, when I saw him on TV, he seemed so serious!

Anyways, it's great to see Norm Chow is now the head coach, after so many years on the continental US!

Chow grow up in Palolo, and went to Punahou!

But he left the islands to play college football at Utah! He did return to the islands to teach & coach at Waialua High School back in the early 1970's.

But afterwards, Chow spent the next few years on the continental US! He spend 27 years as an assistant coach at BYU, which was once UH's most hated rival!

Afterwards, he spent a few years as an offensive coordinator at North Carolina State, Southern California, UCLA, and Utah! He even spent a few years coaching in the NFL, with the Tennessee Titans.

During those years, he was responsible for the success of many great players like Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Phillip Rivers, Reggie Bush, Vince Young and many others!

His offense style will different from the ones used by June Jones and Coach Mack! Jones & Mack used the "run &shoot" with emphasize lots of passing, using 4 recievers and 1 running back!   Chow's pro-style still emphasizes the passing game, but uses 2 running backs, 1 tight end and 3 receivers!

I did enjoy certain parts of the "run & shoot" especially since it highlighted some smaller players that can dodge tackles like Chad Owens and Davone Bess! But too much emphasis on "run & shoot" meant not having a Tight-End (TE) or a Full-Back (FB) on the field! Those tend to be big guys that can move around! They can run or catch the ball! But when they don't have the ball, they can provide extra protection for their quarterback!   UH  lost too many games without having such guys on the field!

Also, because UH's version of  "run & shoot" offense didn't have TEs or FBs, that hurt our defense too!  It left the defense UNPREPARED against opponents that used TEs and FBs!

I know Norm Chow is going to fix that!  He should able to implement such systems, since he's done it so many times before!

Sure, Norm Chow might not have the easy access to California players like he did at USC and UCLA! But his system is designed to suceed with the many players we can get from Kahuku, Kamehameha and similar schools, as well as from American Samoa! He could still get some players from California, Utah, Texas and other places, though it will be more challenging to do so than from his previous colleges!

But I think Norm Chow can do it! Times will be challenging, but I see great things ahead for UH! I think UH can finally the gain the kind of success Boise State, Texas Christian, and yes ...... Utah and BYU!

Norm Chow .... WELCOME HOME

4) Our other rival - Fresno State

I usually view Fresno State as the enemy!

I viewed their previous coach Pat Hill as the Leader Of The Enemy for the last 15 years!

Sure, he might've beaten us this year (and got Coach Mack into retirement) but his teams were also declining the past few years.

And like Coach Mack,  Pat Hill was let go from the university that he loved!

Like Coach Mack's press conference,  Pat Hill had a press conference after he got fired! Even though what he experienced could make any person angry  & bitter, Pat Hill handled the situation with honor and class!

That is why I just want to end this blog post with a link to the article & video on his press conference!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee1xoie-f4c&feature=share

While I never wanted Pat Hill to feel happy after a game against UH, I do have to honor everything he said in that press conference! I will miss seeing him in the opponent's sidelines next year!

deaths in 2011

It's almost the end of 2011, and the start of 2012!

And so much unfisnished business on my blog!

Now that I got time, I can finally blog on the stuff I wish I had time to write about earlier

1) Those who have Passed Away

I already wrote about the passing of Steve Jobs, possibly the most popular guy to pass away this year

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/steve-jobs-occuppy-wall-street-and.html




And I wrote about the death of one of my favorite singers from my teenage years - Nate Dogg
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-memory-of-nate-dogg.html


But there's more that I want to cover

----

Andy Rooney  - this was the guy who had his few minutes of commentary at the end of "60 Minutes".

"60 Minutes"  usually 3 stories on serious topics (ie. war, disease, politics, racism, etc) for the first 50 minutes.

Then, at the end of the show, we had Andy Rooney!

Rooney usually made some humorous observations about things like shoes, cars, time, bag of potato chips, or whatever else he felt like complaining about that day!

Ocassionally, Rooney got serious at times, especially when recounting his memories working for the Army's newspaper during World War 2!

I didn't always agree with Rooney, but either way, he was funny as hell!

Though at times, Rooney did go too far! The worst was after rock singer Kurt Cobain killed himself! Rooney didn't think it was right that Cobain being honored after his death, and he insulted Cobain's fashion sense! Very bad timing!

The very next week, Rooney apologized.

Some people did react the same after Rooney died, if you read some internet commentary.

But I won't go there!

But I will end the topic with this -- Rooney's last commentary on "60 Minutes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKvRPh5QXUg

---------------


Heavy D -- he was a popular rapper back in the 1990's. His songs had an R&B flavor and focused on the funner side of life.

His most popular song was "Now that We Found Love" from 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNEgUPKxk7A&feature=relmfu


But my favorite was from 1995 "Nuttin but Love" with a very funny video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJEbfeG2oAE&ob=av2e
yes that was Chris Tucker and Busta Rhymes in the video, but they weren't that famous back then! It was about 1 or 2 years before they became famous pop icons! And "Nozcema girl" in the video? Totally forgot about her, until I saw the video again this year. She was always in the ads for a famous skin care lotion!


Heavy D also appeared on Micheal Jackson's "Jam"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbHI1yI1Ndk&ob=av2e
ype, MJ the singer, with MJ the basketballer in the video!


and on Soul for Real's "Candy Rain"!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAyCyETLT1o&feature=related

----------

Christopher Hitchens -- an author, a frequent talk show guest famous for his controversial, provocative comments.

As with many other pundits, sometimes I agreed with him, sometimes I didn't.

Though he was mostly a far-left liberal,Hitchens didn't hestitate to protest the  hypocrisy of  many  Radical left-wingers. Many Radical Left-wingers were QUICK to call Republican presidents "fascists", but too many of  those same people were either SILENT or  TOO MIDLY CRITICAL about serious human right abuses committed by communist governmnents and Islamic Fascists!

However, Hitchens did go way too far at times! His book title "God is Not Great" was totally unneccessary! I mean, if you're an atheist, fine!  But insulting many good people of faith, and comparing them to violent religious fanatics is ridiculous!

I also remember writing a blog post criticizing Hitchen's hatred of sports. Hitchens basically blamed sports for all the ills of society, and stereotyped all athletes as being like Micheal Vick or Mike Tyson!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2010/02/attack-of-sports-haters.html
--

Vaclav Havel  -- started out as a playwrighter, but became a pro-democracy activist in the communist dictatorship of Czechoslovakia from the 1950s to 1980s!

After the communists gave up control in 1989, Czechoslovakia split into 2 countries - Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Havel became the president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003!

Havel passed away earlier this month from lung cancer.

To learn Havel's insipiring story , check out http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/vaclav-havel-dissident-playwright-and-former-czech-president-dies/2010/09/21/gIQATAeD2O_print.html

--

Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il  ---- Terrorist leader and a dictator  dead this year! Good riddance!



-------------

Obviously, there's more who passed away this past year! However, these are the ones I have commentary for!

No offense towards those I didn't comment on!


However,  feel free to share your list with everyone!

crime and poverty

The same group of women have been arrested for 2 separate thefts, one from a Toys R Us, another from WalMart!

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/136396208.html?id=136396208

Members of a group suspected of hauling items out of a Kaneohe toy store who claim they stole the toys as gifts for their children are also suspects in a theft two days prior of two flat-screen televisions, Honolulu police said Thursday.
Five women and a man were seen on surveillance footage carrying out boxes of merchandise on Dec. 1 at a Toys R Us at Windward Mall in Kaneohe. Several of the women contacted an attorney after police released the footage, claiming they're unemployed, single moms who stole for their kids. Four of them surrendered Tuesday and the man is expected to turn himself in on Thursday. A fifth woman is expected to surrender in the coming days.


(skipped paragraphs)


Myles Breiner, the attorney who is representing one of the women and arranged for the five others to get representation, could not immediately be reached Thursday. He has said all the women are down-on-their luck single moms desperate to "meet their kids' expectations." They're remorseful and took the toys to his office, Breiner said, and that he has since turned over to police.



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OK, good news is they turned themselves in!

But this stuff about being "down-on-their luck single moms desperate to meet their kids' expectations." ?


My grandma raised 8 kids in a public housing project in Kalihi (Lanakila Housing aka Puahala Homes)!

Some of those years, she was a divorced mother!

How would she react if any of her kids bought home a toy they have found at a park?

She would YELL at them to "PUT THAT TOY BACK, IT ISN'T YOURS!"If that kid refused, she would've given them a couple slaps!

(note:I'm NOT trying to glorify using corporal punishment, I'm just telling you what actually happened)

The whole point, is that even though my grandma was raising multiple kids in a ghetto neighborhood, she NEVER thought it was OK to take stuff that isn't yours!

True words of wisdom!

Part 2 of me vs Scrooge : GOOD NEWS

Earlier today, I posted the blog post concerning the rude, arrogant, Scrooge-like mid-level manager at Ala Moana Macy's who goes by the name of Michelle Range (aka Scrooge).

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-stood-up-to-scrooge-of-macys.html


Well, I did email a few media outlets.  What they did with the info is up to them!

But I did get a call from Malia Zimmerman, the head of Hawaii Reporter, a news-oriented website! She posted an edited version of my blog on Hawaii Reporter!

Check it out at

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/i-stood-up-to-the-scrooge-of-macys/123

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I also left a voice message to the REAL store manager of Ala Moana Macy's. That would be Mimi!

I finally was able to talk to her about this issue!

She agreed that Scrooge (aka Michelle Range) was out of line! While Macy's usually prefer their workers not wear hats on the job, THE POLICY IS FLEXIBLE ON CHRISTMAS RELATED HATS!

Yep, the Santa hat is back on tonight :)

As for Scrooge (aka Michelle Range), she is going to have a meeting with her direct supervisor (Lavina Wong) on her diva-like attitude! 

Justice is about to happen :)

If Scrooge (aka Michelle Range) still want to start static with me, I'll let you guys know!  But if she's smart, she'll just leave the issue alone already! She lost, she might as well as accept defeat with dignity!