Spring 2015 semester

Spring 2015 has now come to an end!

It was a crazy semester, with lots of highs and lows

1) LIS 690: Internship

This semester's internship was more trouble than it was worth!  It was at Hawaii State Library(HSL), with a emotionally unstable supervisor Tisha Aragaki!


I wrote about her and my time at HSL at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/04/problems-at-hsl.html


I also wrote about the corrupt LIS internship coordinator Noriko Asato at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/05/professional-victim-professor.html


If anyone at the LIS program has a problem with those 2 blog posts, I'll just remind them with this

This blog is my use of Intellectual Freedom to protest corruption at HSL, LIS and UH-Manoa.  Any attempts to expell me from LIS or UH-Manoa over this blog is a violation of my Intellectual Freedom and my freedom to express grievances on an academic siutation! Any attempts to expell me from LIS or UH-Manoa over this blog will be challenged in multiple ways!

OK, enough about that stuff, I want to talk about something more exciting!

2) LIS 678 :Personalized Information Delivery 

Now, THAT class gave this semester some special meaning!


I took that class just to fulfill a technology course requirement!  Also, because some of the students who had the same professor for a different course the previous semester said positive things about her style of teaching.

Whereas the other courses in the LIS focus mostly on the L (Library) side of LIS, this class focused on the IS (Information Science) side of LIS!


This class also had students from CIS (Communication and Information Science) program, who come to the Information Science field from a different perspective!

Basically, this class is about search engines!

While that class is called "Personalized Information Delivery", I think it should be called "Information Retrieval and Information Filtering"

The Information Retrieval part is about how people search for information, and how search engines retrieve information.

Now, when I mean "search engines", I'm not just talking about the famous ones like Google, Yahoo! or Bing! I'm also talking about databases and even the search tab you find in online shopping websites!

We learn about the various algorithms search engines use to rank the relevant documents (files, videos, websites, whatevers) when we type in a query.


I gave an interesting presentation about queries and how they get tracked, which you can view the power-point version at http://media.wix.com/ugd/c8d67a_573ba83a667043599e0443cb13c5d4f2.pdf


The Information Filtering part is about how search engines (ie Google, Yahoo, Bing) and social media outlets (ie facebook, LinkedIn, etc) and other online platforms (ie YouTube) tailor what they show to you to match what interests they have tracked from you in the recent past!


So, if you are  on YouTube watching a lot of videos from Taylor Swift, when you enter YouTube's homepage, you'll see Taylor Swift's videos recommended to you!


Or if your interest in other countries are travel oriented, when you type in a country's name (for example - Egypt), you'll see travel-oriented sites on Google! However, if your interest in other countries are focused on human rights, you might see more results about police brutality and prison torture when you type in "Egypt" instead of seeing travel-oriented sites.


We also had projects that we can chose of any topic as long as we can relate it to Information Retrieval or Information Filtering.


So one project I did was on "Information Literacy for Youth".  My partner for this project has work in both the university and at high schools. She actually taught sessions on how to find information on library catalogs and academic databases!  So we talked about how to get students to not just rely on Google or Wikipedia but to also navigate academic databases and library resources.


The other project I did was on "Information-Communitiy Technologies for Underserved Populations." One partner was interested in mobile devices for women in rural communities. Another partner was interested in helping older adults with fitness-oriented technologies. And I had some experience researching library services for people with visual disabilities. For my part, I focused on BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download), which provides access to online audiobooks for eligible users.

I had such good relations with my teammates during our group projects, someone should tell Tisha Aragaki (of HSL) that I'm not hard to deal with if you're not hard to deal with!


For my individual work from this class, check out http://pwegesen.wix.com/pablowegesendlis#!lis-678-projects/c22pj


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

3) Special Activities

a) Graduate Student Organization

My main form of student involvement this semester is with the Graduate Student Organization (GSO). Every academic major that has a graduate student program has one representative in the GSO! So for the LIS program, I am THE representative in GSO!


Basically, the GSO general assembly has one meeting a month! In that meeting, various UH admin. officials, faculty members and student activists come to speak to us about their initiatives for the campus. We in the GSO get to question them.


After that, we get to eat dinner (I like the yellow rice, lettuce and chicken, others like the eggplant).


And then we get into our little groups and discuss some of the grant requests.  Those grant requests  are from other graduate students who want to go on research trips or do conference presentations.  We try to accommodate as many as possible, though we do have to stick to the budget. So far, I have great relations within our group!

-----


I also did some other optional activities with GSO. For example, we had the Student Lobbying Day, which I wrote about at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-adventures-with-state-legislature.html


-----

We also had the social gathering at the campus Sustainability Courtyard. I was super-close to not going, in fact, I had to be reminded about this event on that very day! And I went!


It was great to gather with other GSO people in a less formal gathering! I get to speak with students from other academic programs and learn what other students are doing on campus! It was my way to get out of the LIS Bubble!


---
I plan to continue with GSO next semester (unless there's a coup d'état within the LIS program) and I hope to give it one last shot and making some impact on the campus!



b)  Preservation Project


The LIS Program has classes on preservations of library materials. They are elective courses, that unfortunately never fit into my schedule.

But on one Saturday in February, any LIS student (even those who didn't take the preservation course) was invited to take part in a preservation project where we took labels off books, using a special chemical  called methyl cellulose! You need to be careful and gentle so you don't cause additional damage!

It was a fun project, and now I wish I had more time in my LIS career to take preservations. Maybe if I get hired at UH in a full-time capacity, I could take the course with a tuition waiver.



c) Grad Fair

ASUH (Associated Students of UH; aka the undergrad version of GSO) sponsored a Grad Fair, which promoted graduate student programs to interested undergraduate students.  I requested a table so that the LIS program can give out brochures and flyers. 


The Grad Fair took place right in the front of the stairs at Campus Center.  It was where many students hang out for their lunch break. 


It was a very windy day, so I had to buy a padded notebook to keep the papers from flying!


I had 3 other students to help me on the tables.  1 was there for an hour, 2 was there for the last half-hour! It's great to have others help explain our program to other students, as well as to talk story with during the down-times.


After it was other, I took the extra flyers and posted them around campus! It was a great way to get the other students to know that the LIS program exists!



d) Community Library Day

This event was sponsored by the Hawaii chapter of the Special Library Association(SLA).


It took place on a Sunday in April, right outside Hamilton Library!


I helped with set-up in the morning! After so much sitting down in libraries and standing around in schools, it was great to do some physical work. I'm just glad I don't have to do it everyday though!

Some of the library organizations (ie. HSPLS, UH Law Library, UH West Oahu Library, HPU Library) as well as some archives (ie Ulu'ulu - a film archive) had their tables under a tent. Scholastic also sold some children's books as well.


As for the SLA, they had their own table selling used books. I helped out with their table, encouraging the customers to buy some of the books.


I only helped in the first few hours, then I went inside Hamilton for the kahili exhibit in the preservation room.


Then I had to go study.


But I had fun with the Community Library Day and wish I could stay longer.

see a picture of me, under a tent
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_wertheimer/16944650529/in/album-72157650190223555/




e ) Guest Speakers


-- Adam Jansen

He is a digital archivist at the Hawaii State Archives and taught a course on Digital Archives in the LIS  program. I didn't take that class, but I heard it was a lot of work.


Adam Jansen did come as a guest speaker and talked about the importance of keeping recorded information and the struggles of storing information formats, ranging from the paper to the digital.  Paper take a lot of space, but digital formats go obsolete quickly as the public just jumps on the latest trends.

It was obvious that Mr Jansen had a lot of passion for his field of work and it was great to hear from him!

see a picture with me and Adam Jansen standing up, and the 4 ladies sitting down
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_wertheimer/17070311476/in/album-72157650190223555/


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


I also heard a speech from Dainan Skeem, another archivist, this from Hamilton Library.

He also a taught another class I didn't take (Archival Management) and is a popular instructor.

He talked about the archival profession and talked about the WW2-era photos and information materials collected for a special project.


f) UH Law Library Tour

This took place on Saint Patrick's Day, so I had my green UH Rainbow shirt on!

It was me and 2 other LIS students on the tour. The tour guide was a recent LIS graduate who is now working with the library's  circulation and archives!

The Law Library has a public area in the front, and a large area reserved for law students. In the back, we have the archives, with posters and historical artifacts related to the UH Law School!  There was also the Sam King collection, in honor of a former judge and politician.

One of the donors must be a major Bruddah Iz fan because there were extra books about him in the archives, so I got to take one home.  Ironic, since Bruddah Iz was on the wrong side of the law a few times before he settled down before his tragic death.



g) karaoke party


Last Friday, the students from ALA, SLA and SAA (archivist group) sponsored a karaoke party at Lil Seoul at Puck's Alley!

I llllloooooovvvvvve  (love) karaoke! We get to see the less serious sides of our classmates, and we sang some funny songs!

We sang songs from Justin Bieber, Weezer, Green Day, Queen, Britney Spears and NSYNC!

We did sing a few serious songs from Coolio, Eminem and Selena as well!



h) LIS Banquet


Last night, the LIS Program had it's end-of-the-semester banquet honoring the latest group of graduates.

This year, this banquet took place at Eat Honolulu, an obscure restaurant in Iwilei.

It was the first time I ate quinoa, the South American grain that has lately been called "the hippie rice". It lived up to the hype!

Anyways, we had our awards for the student leaders, and an award for one of the adjunct professors who work at the Hamilton Library's Hawaii-Pacific section -- Eleanor Kleiber.  The award was for promoting intellectual freedom as well as promoting information resources about the Pacific region. I took her class in the previous semester and she's teaching again next semester. I encourage everyone to take that class if you haven't done so previously!

And of course, the most important part (beside the awards and grad photos) was the time to talk story! It might be the last time I will be able to talk to the latest group of graduates and I wished them good luck in the next part of their life!

I also talked with the continuing students about the future plans within LIS! Also, I have told about some special activities (which is secret for now) that I can be involved in the next few months  :)


At the end of the banquet, I got a ride with one of the graduates. I usually avoid asking people for favors, but this time I was glad I did! Great conversations on the ride

i) The near future

This summer I'm taking 2 summer classes. One will be online, another will be in class. I will talk more when the time comes.

This Fall I will do an internship at .......................................well, I'll write about it after I'm done with it :)

And that should be it for the LIS Program. That's right, I should be graduating in December. I think there will be at least twice as many graduates for Fall semester than for this Spring!  A big graduating class!

thoughts on the Baltimore crisis

1) My Prediction proven otherwise

When you analyze events and make predictions, some will be proven wrong. For me, none tops the prediction that "racial riots are a thing of the past" after the calm response to the George Zimmerman verdict.


http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/after-trial-george-zimmerman-and.html

Massive Urban Racial  Riots is a Thing of the Past 

This  was a racially-divisive trial and our default reaction to these types of trials is to expect a riot if there's a certain verdict.

That's because many of us had memories of the April 29, 1992. On that date, the verdict for the 4 European-American police officers who brutally beat Rodney King was announced. Three had Not Guilty, one had a hung jury verdict.  Chaos reigned the streets of Los Angeles the next few days.

Learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/04/2-decades-since-la-riots.html


But this time , no massive urban riots. Just a few reports a few knuckleheads vandalizing police cars in Oakland. But nothing even coming close to the scale of the 1992 LA Riots.

This is a major sign that American society has matured a great deal in the last 2 decades. 

This is also a major sign that racial riots might just be a thing of the past.  And that anyone who expects future racial riots in response to trials could be seen as "someone whose mindset is stuck in the past."

Probably the reason that after that blog post, that Ferguson and Baltimore had riots was because officials weren't prepared for them.


You can be dammed sure that police officials were ready for something to happen after the Zimmerman trial in relation to the Trayvon Martin's death!


But now, the rioters no longer wait for the trial. Why wait for the police to be prepared when you can riot when the news break (with faster speed these days) of a police brutality incident.


==========

2) Now to Baltimore

The riots that occurred in Baltimore last month was in response to the brutal beating of Freddie Grey.  He wasn't doing anything except "looking suspicious" which in itself means nothing! However, he protested against the police stopping him and he got a beatdown so bad that his spine was broken and he later died.

The Conservative Correctness Crowd noted his past arrest records, mostly for non-violent drug offenses! While it's better to stay drug-free, the militaristic drug enforcement causes more problems than it solves. It indirectly encourages people to aggressively deal with people whose only sin is giving in to peer pressure and unhealthy habits! It indirectly encourages people to stop and bully people for "suspicion" of drug dealing or even drug possession.  These things cause people to distrust police and view them as just another gang (though with direct taxpayer subsidies).


The Radical Left however, expected this to be some white-on-black incident. Turns out things are much more complicated than that! Some of the officers involved were African-American.  Unlike Ferguson, Baltimore has a mostly African-American city council, a police force with major African-American presence and an African-American mayor!


Joan Walsh (so filled with white guilt) claims that African-American police brutality is due to self-hatred and due to being indoctrinated by European-American society to think less of their fellow African-Americans.

http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/02/joan-walsh-says-dangerous-things-about-r

But it means a lot when some have vigorously pushed the narrative of "black men killed by white cops" as if it were only those instances of state-sponsored violence that were problematic.  That narrative helps dangerous myths flourish—like the myth that black cops might be less brutal than white cops. Here's Joan Walsh arguing that there was "no debate" black cops "absorb" the attitudes of their colleagues

 I think it has more to do with this attitude of "hey I got a badge, gun, taser, baton, and the authority -- nobody disrespects me and get away with" which has more to do with HUMAN NATURE than this self-hatred nonsense!


I mean watch any protest/riot videos coming from China, Iran, Nigeria, Egypt or Russia! The police brutality occurs from the police officers who are the same race as the people they are beating up!  What makes anyone think African-American (or Latino or Polynesian or Native American or whatevers) police won't have the temptation to over-react and brutalize people they come in contact with?

It's just that when the cop interact with a person of another race, racism could get added to already toxic mix of impatience, aggressiveness, rudeness, arrogance that gets enhanced with the legal authority to enforce excessively strict laws.

And when it's European-American cop dealing  aggressively with a non-white person, it comes with a mental image of a painful history of conquest, slavery and segregation!


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


With the riots come news coverage emphasizing the rioters/looters/vandals over the peaceful protesters. There were many cases of protesters protecting stores from getting looted, even protesters forming a line to stop people from confronting police officers.


You can see the various photo examples at
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/28/baltimore-protests-peaceful/26510645/


But yet, we get the excuse makers who claim it is "racist" and "white privilege" to even make mild criticisms of rioters, looters and vandals!


The most stupidest example from another fool who over-compensates for his white privilege, Cody Dubose
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/28/1380944/-The-Dominant-White-Response-to-Baltimore-Shows-Why-Black-Residents-are-Justified-in-their-Anger

As a white male, I don't particularly care for looting and rioting. I wouldn't like to be one of the store or property owners who will have to replace or rebuild. But I'm forced to recognize this destruction as the final option for a group of people so systematically disenfranchised that their voices have not been heard. And I have to ask myself a difficult question - who is the worse moral monster: The young man whose hopelessness leads him to jump on the hood of a cop car, or me, a person who has acquiesced to a system that creates justified hopelessness among young people in places like Baltimore?

This is just plain foolishness!  Instead of this  "As a white male, I don't particularly care for looting and rioting" nonsense Why Not  "As a human being I understand people's anger towards the system, but this rioting and looting usually makes bad situations worse!"


And it usually does make it worse! I mean, who is going to open stores where looting takes place. Businesses are in it to make money and if people are encouraged to riot, businesses lose money and locate elsewhere!


Which is why I think it's ridiculous to excuse riots and looting as "reaction to poverty" because they only perpetuate poverty!  It's like breaking things in your home when you are angry! Yeah, you may have a legit reason to be angry, but breaking your own things just creates more problems.


And for all this talk from left-wing websites (ie Salon, The Nation, Daily Kos, etc) about hearing minority voices, you hear NOTHING about the various non-white store owners and store employees who will now be unemployed due to the looting and vandalism!


For example, this pizza shop owned by an Egyptian immigrant
https://www.facebook.com/IjReview/videos/925652184124933/?fref=nf



It's like a  lot of people on the Radical Left who only care about non-white minorities when they act in ways that promote their Marxist, anti-capitalist revolution!  They have no use for non-white minorities worried about paying the rent now that their place of employment got looted by fools who just took advantage of a chaotic situation to cause ruckus!


And this stuff that we shouldn't call "looters" thugs because it's racist?


I mean, I know that sometimes the word "thug" gets over-used especially in discussions about non-white minorities who don't conform. I mean, I thought it was stupid for people to call NFL player Richard Sherman a "thug" just because he yelled at the camera about his trash-talking opponent.  I think it's stupid for people to assume that someone wearing sagging jeans is a "thug", since usually, they're just kids following a trend, kids going through a phase!  I also think it's stupid for Bill O'Reilly to call Kanye West a "gangsta rapper" when he doesn't perform gangsta rap! Kanye West isn't even from the ghetto, he's from the suburbs!


But individuals who cause chaos in the streets by looting and vandalizing? Yes, they are thugs!

Of course people will say "what about all those crazy European-Americans who break and destroy things after a sports game, surf festival or a pumpkin festival? Why don't they get called thugs?"
They should be called thugs too!


In cases where too much leniency is placed on European-American rioters, the solution isn't to make excuses for African-American (or other non-white) rioters, the solution is to be more aggressive in criticizing and prosecuting European-American thugs!


I mean, the soft bigotry of low expectations, whether it's making excuses for European-American frat boys or non-white looters, is counter-productive and wrong!


It doesn't matter how much you suffered in life, it doesn't immunize you from being judged on the content of character.  Martin Luther King  didn't say "don't judge my children" just that he wanted his children to live in a world where they're judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin.


And now the riot excuse makers have been quoting MLK's "riot is the language of the unheard" as if he was condoning riots. He was just making a sociological observation about social conditions that encourage riots to happen!

3) the Angry Mom

The film of the mom who caught her son throwing rocks at cops, and then pulled him by his ears and smacked him, has gone viral.

Most of the reactions was like "Yes, a mother who takes control of her misbehaving son!" or "A mom who takes no crap from her teenaged son!"

Now, I don't condone child abuse and I know that when working a substitute teacher, I could get arrested for hitting a misbehaving juvenile like that, even if my ego wants to "smack them".


But again, we get trolls commenting on that topic! Joan Walsh, who as mentioned earlier,  thinks the solution to racism is over-compensating for her "white privilege" has this to say


http://www.salon.com/2015/04/29/the_hideous_white_hypocrisy_behind_the_baltimore_%E2%80%9Chero_mom%E2%80%9D_hype_how_clueless_media_applause_excuses_police_brutality/

Her moment of losing it made her a hero to much of white America – and not just to the right. Coast to coast, the media is hyping Graham as “Hero Mom” and her on-camera beating as “Tough Love.” It’s not just Fox News or the “New York Post,” whose tabloid “Send in the Moms” front page this time reflects rather than rebukes the mainstream media. And that’s heartbreaking.

The debate over the moment Graham says she “lost it” is complex. There’s a parallel black debate going on that, as always when it comes to racial issues, is richer and more nuanced. But anyone white who’s applauding Graham’s moment of desperation, along with the white media figures who are hyping her “heroism,” is essentially justifying police brutality, and saying the only way to control black kids is to beat the shit out of them. 

David Limbaugh (brother to Rush, but with much more serious personality) had the best response to Joan Walsh's over-compensation


"Joan Walsh Does Not Think for Me"
http://townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/2015/05/01/joan-walsh-does-not-think-for-me-n1992785/page/full

Walsh acknowledges that she's aware many African-Americans are praising Graham, as well, but says her criticism isn't aimed at them. Their situation "is richer and more nuanced." Why is that, you ask? Because, she explains, "most black people debating the issue acknowledge that the desperate public beating came from centuries of black parents knowing they have to discipline their children harshly, or else white society will do it for them -- and they may not survive it." 

That's mighty self-congratulatory of Walsh, but it really is bizarre thinking. Maybe she presumes that because she's an all-empathizing and superior liberal, she can presume what motivates all black people to engage in certain behaviors. Perhaps she also presumes she knows what every white person is thinking because she is white and intelligent.

I can't speak for blacks, but I can conjecture that they aren't thinking about slavery or Jim Crow when they administer corporal punishment to their children. Do you really think black parents who discipline their children are motivated by a desire to prevent future white racists from unfairly incarcerating their children? How about because they don't want them to join gangs or to be a perpetrator or victim of black-on-black violence, which is far more prevalent than white-on-black violence? 

I can't speak for all whites, either, but I can speak for myself 

.
Let's examine Walsh's claim that by hyping Graham's heroism, we are justifying police brutality and saying the only way to control black kids is to beat the blank out of them, acknowledging upfront, of course, that we'll never be able to apply the nuanced thinking that she employs to get to the heart of the matter. 

When I saw Graham slapping her son, I thought she was responding appropriately to the horror of her son's participating in a very dangerous and potentially criminal activity. These riotous mobs in Baltimore feloniously assaulted police officers and caused millions of dollars' worth of damage. Let's not downplay the stunning gravity of the situation. 

(skipped paragraphs)

What a condescending inference Walsh is drawing in suggesting whites are applauding Graham for "beating up" her son "as though that's the only way to discipline a black child." What in the world? Neither the mother's nor the child's skin color is relevant. I would applaud any mother for disciplining her child in that situation. She did not beat him up. Give me a break. 

(skipped paragraphs)

I don't think Graham is a hero, but when so many other parents obviously had no control over their kids wreaking havoc and violence in those mean streets, I think she should be applauded for trying to bring her own son under control. He will be much the better for it. And I will not apologize for applauding her, nor will I accept Walsh's supercilious attempt to cast those who disagree with her in this situation as racists or whatever in the world it is that she's trying to say. 

4) Whose the Villain : Republicans or Democrats


Usually, the liberals respond to news about urban riots with condemnation of Republican budget cuts and for their pro-police stance.


But as it turns out, Baltimore hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1967.


Maryland usually has Democrat governors but now has a Republican governor.


And the US has switched from Republican to Democrat  presidents usually about every 8-12 years.


So both political parties have to take responsibility for the problems of many impoverished communities.




Here's a response to the blame game


Liz Mair's "Just Admit it, Liberals and Conservatives: Neither of You Can Easily Explain the Riots in Baltimore"
http://journal.ijreview.com/2015/04/244000-baltimore-reasons-liberals-conservatives/

Salon, for its part, ran a piece calling “smashing police cars… a legitimate political strategy,” in which blame for Baltimore’s woes is pinned on, among other things, “the free market” and “real estate,” core attributes of a capitalist system.
Meanwhile, conservative website Twitchy ran a story about looting at a family-owned store being the handiwork of “the social justice mob” as opposed to just, say, apolitical criminals.

The truth is, in a political landscape where people seem to be being exposed to fewer and fewer ideas that conflict with their own, and self-selecting away from hearing dissenting viewpoints, it is not surprising that what has happened in Baltimore should primarily serve to vaidate our own, already entrenched perspectives.

Yet situations like this are complex, even if we can clearly say that violence and looting are wrong, and peaceful protest is right (well, unless you’re the author of that Salon piece).

The truth is, in a city that has long been run by liberals, in a state that skews blue, it is harder to argue that Baltimore is the fault of conservative policies than progressive ones.

Nick Gillepsie "Is Liberalism on Trial in Baltimore? Sure, And so is police violence"
http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/05/is-liberalism-on-trial-in-baltimore-sure#.xjbl4n:bCmn

A popular line of conservative argument in the wake of Baltimore's riots says that "liberalism" itself—big government everything, Democratically controlled city halls and councils, easy-to-qualify-for welfare systems—is the cause of the violent protests in the wake of Freddie Gray's death in policy custody. After decades of complete control by liberal Democrats that poured massive amounts of tax dollars into social programs, economic development plans, shitty public schools, and more, the results are so dismal that Baltimore residents explode in a combustible mix of anger, rage, and violence when an accidental spark sets them off. 

This line of thinking is interesting for at least two reasons. First, it shows that on some level conservatives have internalized the old "root cause" argument about urban dysfunction happens. It's not simply individual moral decline but a system of social and economic deprivation that gives rise to riots. Second (and somewhat in contradiction to the first point), it also shows that conservatives are trying to dis-remember the lesson of Ferguson, which was that police misconduct predictably generates outrage and anger from those who deal with it most frequently.

(skipped paragraphs)

Yes, by all means, we need to be discussing how liberal policies have manifestly failed urban residents, especially the racial and ethnic minorities who live in inner cities. But we lose the thread of police misconduct spurred on by militarization and drug-war insanity—something to which conservatives have long turned a blind eye—at the cost of being able to address one of the major root causes of all sorts of problems.

5) Police Reform

From  a former federal prosecutor Paul Butler


http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/29/baltimore-and-bolstering-a-police-officers-right-to-remain-silent/the-police-officers-bill-of-rights-creates-a-double-standard

Say that the police suspect a civilian of a horrible crime, like killing a man by breaking his spine. Within the crucial first 24 hours after the crime, the cops would put the man in a room, read him his Miranda warnings and then go to work. They would try to get him to talk, perhaps by lying to him, or threatening him, or by wearing him down. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. But any cop worth her salt would try because, hell, it’s homicide investigation.  

Unless, thanks to the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, it’s a homicide investigation of a police officer. Lucky for them, those cops don’t get treated like some suspect. Among other things, they get 10 days before they have to say a mumbling word.

From the Fraternal Order of Police (police union) president Chuck Canterbury


http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/29/baltimore-and-bolstering-a-police-officers-right-to-remain-silent/greater-scrutiny-makes-officer-vulnerable-to-false-charges

The workplace protections provided by a “bill of rights” for police officers range from the very basic right of due process to more specific protections including the right to be notified that they are being subject to an administrative investigation, reasonable accommodation for any interview and a cooling off period prior to any questioning, which is especially important after a critical incident like an officer involved shooting.

Look what I highlighted in blue!   10 days before they have to talk? A cooling off period prior to questioning?  Who else has such luxuries?   Why the hell does anyone need a 10-day cooling off period?  It probably takes less than 2 hours to write down what happened without any assistance!   What's the point of a 10-day cooling off period other than give you time to come up with creative excuses?


For most other people, if they commit a wrong, they get suspended or fired in a lot less than 10 days! And it's usually for wrongs that don't even injure or kill someone!


-----


With smartphones people can now film police interactions. Of course, those who don't want to get caught will destroy evidence.


Now, the ACLU in California has an app that not only films police interactions but automatically saves it in a cloud in case an officer  confronts the filmer and try to delete the video!


Learn more at
https://news.yahoo.com/california-aclu-group-launches-app-record-possible-police-222740828.html


If you don't want to be caught doing bad things, then don't do bad things. If you are doing something that can be misinterpreted, then be ready to interpret it!


------


On police training


Matt Apuzzo "Police Rethink Long Tradition on Using Force"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/us/police-start-to-reconsider-longstanding-rules-on-using-force.html?_r=0

Mr. Wexler’s group will meet with hundreds of police leaders in Washington this week to call for a new era of training, one that replaces truisms such as the 21-foot rule with lessons on defusing tense situations and avoiding violent confrontations. While the Justice Department and chiefs of some major police departments are supportive, the effort has not been widely embraced, at least so far. Some police unions and others have expressed skepticism, saying officers are being unfairly criticized.

“All this chatter just increases the idea that these encounters are avoidable and law enforcement is at fault,” said Jeff Roorda of the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association, who said officers already thought about ways to avoid confrontations.

The typical police cadet receives about 58 hours of training on how to use a gun and 49 hours on defensive tactics, according to a recent survey by Mr. Wexler’s group. By comparison, cadets spend just eight hours learning to calm situations before force is needed, a technique called de-escalation.

De-escalation : a skilled required to succeed in working retail, education and libraries! In those environments, you deal with angry people who have little incentive to behave properly! Sometimes, they might be on drugs, sometimes they're bigger than you! And you almost NEVER  given by your employers a gun, taser, mace, baton or even basic self-defense training!


You're damn right that you better have great de-escalation skills when working in retail, education or libraries!

But police officers, who have to take control of chaotic situations, are only given 8 hours of training in de-escalation?

8 hours?  That's it?

If teachers have been able to take control of  class full of big teenagers without a gun or a taser, why can't the police be trained in de-escalating situations so that they can keep the peace and prevent people from getting hurt!


I'm not naïve to think de-escalation is going to stop someone on a shooting spree! That type of stuff, police need shooting skills!


But for working with festival attendees, the homeless, teenagers ready to fight, or  at a car stop, de-escalation skills can calm people down, sometimes to the point where they realize how silly their irrational emotions sound to everyone else. Or they can just make an angry person say "alright then, I'll comply". De-escalation skills also let people know that the police isn't an occupation force, it's a a peace-keeping force.


With great de-escalaters in a police force, even a person caught speeding or caught drinking or caught arguing at a parking lot won't hesitate to call police if they are being victimized by a criminal!


I mean, if all you encounter are rude cops, you might hesitate to call police if you got raped or your house got burglarized! But with de-escalation professionals on the police force, you won't hesitate to call police in an emergency even if were caught by the police in the past for speeding, drunkenness or other crazy stuff!


For some good examples of community-oriented policing




In Fresno, California
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-fresno-police-focus-on-building-relationships-not-making-arrests/2015/05/06/3c396f04-eab9-11e4-9a6a-c1ab95a0600b_story.html

Not long ago, the Hispanic residents of this gang-ridden neighborhood in Southwest Fresno would not have voluntarily spoken to a police officer, much less attended a police-sponsored block party and taken photos with the chief. But over the past decade, a sustained policing initiative marked by community meetings, Christmas gifts and dozens of neighborhood events has fundamentally altered police-resident relations. 

At a time when other cities were aggressively arresting people for minor crimes, a strategy known as “zero tolerance,” officials in Fresno chose a different path. They embraced the softer community-policing ethos popularized under President Bill Clinton, which emphasizes partnerships and problem-solving instead of mass arrests. 

Fresno officials say the result has been a significant drop in gang-related violence — and inoculation against the kind of angry protests over police brutality that have rocked Baltimore, New York, Ferguson, Mo., and other American cities over the past year.

In North Little Rock, Arkansas
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/may/07/nlr-officer-gets-national-exposure-community-polic/

In one of his hundreds of Instagram posts, North Little Rock police officer Tommy Norman is seen — in uniform — jumping through a moon bounce alongside a group of enthusiastic children.

In others, he's playing a pickup game of basketball, surprising youths at the Boys and Girls Club or wearing face paint to match the tiger colorings of children at this year's Rose City Day festivities.

The common theme in the vast majority of Norman's more than 4,200 posts is him interacting positively with the community, particularly young people. It's an effort that has earned Norman some 8,200 followers on the popular photo and video-sharing network and — as of this week — some national exposure.

Norman on Wednesday appeared on CNN to discuss his and the North Little Rock agency's focus on community policing. His Instagram feed served as a backdrop showcasing firsthand some of the work.

"We know we can't win everybody over," Norman said Thursday. "We want the community to know that they can trust us. When you're involved in the community, you have to become embedded in that community. As a police officer, to me there's no other choice. You open your arms to love people and care for people and show compassion."

(skipped paragraphs)

On CNN, he recalled once being called to Little Rock because a murder suspect there wanted to turn himself in and had asked specifically for Norman, whom he recognized as someone he could surrender to "peacefully and with dignity."

Norman said he received a message after the CNN interview from a woman whose 4-year-old daughter "screams" when she sees officers because her father was fatally shot by one. The woman said she was looking forward to sharing the piece about Norman because it showed another side to law enforcement, he said.

And, Norman said, he's even heard from people who have reached out to him to let him know they've turned around their lives after earlier run-ins with law enforcement. He said he received a note from one man he'd arrested eight years earlier for dealing drugs who wanted Norman to know he was now making good money driving a truck.

"He said the way I treated him with respect meant a lot to him and he really remembers it," Norman said.

And this is a European-American police officer working in mostly African-American communities. His popularity is because of his great de-escalation skills and for just treating civilians as valued community members instead of burdens to deal with!  A great police officer can have a positive impact!

One decade of being a substitute teacher

I wasn't sure if I was going to last this long, but I did!



May 10, 2005 was officially the 1st day I worked as a substitute teacher. It was at Washington Middle School.



I will talk more about that 1st day a little later. First, some background!

1)  Before the 1st day

In high school, I was thinking about becoming a teacher. I was also thinking about becoming a judge, prosecutor, bus driver, a rap star, record label executive, and some other stuff! But I was NOT thinking about being a substitute teacher.


At UH-Manoa, I started off thinking "hmm, maybe I don't want to be a teacher, I'll just either be the next Master P (who wouldn't want to own a record label with the tank?)  or the next Bill O'Reilly (no, I'm NOT that conservative, I just wanted to yell at people  with the "wrong" opinions, LOL!) or the next Chuck D (no, I'm NOT that left-wing, I just liked the idea of using music to promote a cause) or the next Jesse Ventura (not the wrestling part, the "3rd party guy becomes governor" part)!



I just majored in sociology, thinking it was the most interesting topic, and hopefully some knowledge to back me up in case I become the next celebrity pundit!


Lot of grand plans, not much connections nor work ethic to back it up!




Then, one classmate who graduated a year ahead of me said right after graduation that he's become a substitute teacher. All you need is a bachelor's degree in ANY topic!




Substitute teacher?  You can do it with any degree? You can take a day off whenever I feel like it?



Sounds like a good idea!  I can test the waters to see if I want to be a full-time teacher, influence the next generation, and I can do this until I become the next whatevers!!!!



Right after I earned my bachelor's degree in December 2004, I applied to become a substitute teacher through the DOE!


Such a long bureaucratic process. You interview with a principal, then you sign up for the substitute teacher training course (6 week course at one of those adult community schools on one of those DOE campuses), then you fill out more paper work, and wait..........................and wait........................and wait.....................and wait for the background checks to be done.


So yeah, I graduated in December 2004, but had to wait until May 2005 to start working. The school year was almost over when I started!

2) The 1st day and then some

I was called last minute to work at Washington Middle School on May 10, 2005. The moment I walked into the class, my mind was thinking "what did I just get myself into" and "don't answer if anyone asked if today's my 1st day working".


The 1st day wasn't that bad!


It was the few extra days when things got bad!


I wanted to be known as the cool teacher, but also not the "soft teacher"


That got tested real fast!  Because I didn't want to be seen as "soft", I over-reacted (no I didn't hit anyone, I just yelled profanities and slammed a table .... another wrong move!)


Now I was THE Bad Guy!  Kids exaggerate on what happened!  The good intentions go down the drain!


The school was over in a month, so over summer vacation I worked as a group leader at Palama Settlement! I'll write more about that experience in a future blog post, most likely to be posted in the summer.


Then came the new school year 2005-2006 school year in which I worked at more schools, checked out different environments and figured that I worked even though I can work with many age groups, I liked one the best.

3) More adventures

During the DOE substitute teacher training course, I heard one classmate mentioned about working in the private schools. One of them mentioned Kelly Services, which provides substitute teachers for private schools. I was thinking "shall I apply with them?" until  I saw a newspaper ad with a competing sub service called Hawaii Education Resource Services (HERS). Don't let the acronym fool you, it is open to both genders! 


I started with HERS in November 2006 while still working with the DOE! It was mostly 1st-come, 1st-served, 1st one to call for a certain day, I take.


HERS worked mostly with preschools, though once in a while I did upper-levels too!


Things were going very smoothly around 2008, early 2009! I was getting a lot of sub teaching work to the point where I didn't really need another source of income.


Then the economy took a dive! While the national meltdown occurred in 2008, it didn't really hit Hawaii much until late 2009! Public schools took a hit, with the infamous Furlough Fridays, meaning no school on most Fridays, which meant less work opportunities for me :(  


Private schools also took a hit! Families couldn't afford! A few even shut down (ie Holy Trinity, Word of Life)!  Others laid off staff!


So I had less work opportunities as a sub teacher


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


I noticed that schools had EAs (Educational Assistants), skill trainers, and a whole bunch of other acronym positions (ie PPT, PTT, etc) to work with struggling students. I applied for a few positions over the years.


Early 2010, when I was really feeling the effects of the economic slowdown, I saw an ad on Craig's List for PPTs (Para-Professional Tutors). I took a training course, then I was contacted by a VP from Niu Valley Middle School (NVMS). So from April 2010 to May 2011, I was working part-time  at NVMS. Learn more at  http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-time-at-nvms.html


At the end of the school year, the students who need PPT services graduated and there wasn't enough new students to replace them. So I was laid off. Then my worst summer ever ...2011...........no work.......desperation, until I got hired as a PPT at Palolo Elementary School and Ala Moana Macy's at the same time. Both ended a few months later, which you can learn about  at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/01/career-updates.html
and http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-battles-at-pes.html




Also towards the end of 2011, I was at the University of Phoenix master's program in education. That didn't last long, as I noted in  http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/change-in-direction.html




In 2012,  the economic meltdown faded and I was able to work a lot of days as a substitute teacher in the DOE.


HERS didn't recover much from the economic meltdown. So yeah, I finally contacted their competitor Kelly Services and got hired to work with their private schools from Fall 2012.  Whereas HERS mostly worked with preschools, Kelly Services worked with elementary/middle/high schools. They mostly worked with the smaller private schools (ie MidPac, Maryknoll, Damien, St Francis, Star of the Sea, Saint Patrick's................and more) and charter schools (ie. Waialae Elementary).


For the private agencies (ie. HERS, Kelly Services), their training and background checks happen much faster than the DOE's.  You get to start work faster :)

Working with private schools was an adjustment mostly because as a public school grad, I never experienced religious ceremonies at a school campus before.  Those religious ceremonies included like morning prayer assemblies, Mass, speeches from preachers, etc.   I remember one private school teacher who went to the same public high school I graduated from, mentioned that yes, she did experience some culture shock in working in schools with religious ceremonies. However, we respect that those ceremonies have special meanings to the students & staff there and we go along with it the best we can!

I can also imagine the culture shock a private school student would feel if he/she would transfer to a public school.  He/she must feel alienated by the lack of morning prayer assemblies, Mass and other ceremonies that might've given his/her school life meaning at the private school.


But those who think sending your kids to private schools mean they won't get bullied? Sorry to burst your bubble, but private school students can be just as shallow and rude as the public school students! They may be more rich and more academically inclined, but they are NOT immune to the sins of the public school students. And they listen to the same raunchy music as the public school students! It's kinda funny hearing rich private school students pretending to be from Compton, East Oakland or  the 9th Ward (New Orleans)!

---

2013, I started my time as a graduate student at UH-Manoa's Library and Information Science (LIS) program. I still work as a sub teacher, mostly with DOE and sometimes with Kelly Services.

4) Life lessons learned

Being that I started being a substitute teacher a decade ago, that means I was 24 years old back then!


I was only a few years removed from being a high school student. In your early 20's, you haven't fully recovered from adolescence!


But as I have mentioned in previous blogs (ie "What is an Adult?"), when I entered the substitute teaching profession, I had to mature very fast. For example



from  "What is an Adult"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-adult.html

What is an adult?  

That was the first question that was asked in my substitute teacher training course.

Now that might sound like a stupid question.

But the whole point was that we were NOT to act like the students under our command.

We are no longer one of the kids. We shouldn't even think of trying to "fit in" with the kids.

After all, we are the adults!

from "What is an Adult? Part 2"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-adult-part-2.html

For me, when I became a substitute teacher, I had to unlearn some bad habits. I had to distance myself from inappropriate jokes that once entertained me. I had to learn other ways to deal with stressful situations other than the "flight or fight" impulses that most of us relied on as teenagers.  I had to reduce my use of profanities. I had to be super-careful in dealing with the opposite gender.

from "10 years since getting my Bachelor's Degree"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/12/10-years-since-getting-my-bachelors.html

Whereas I could get away with some edgy humor as an undergraduate, a lot of that went out the window as I became a substitute teacher. I was now supposed to be a role model! To add to the pressure, there isn't much job security as a substitute teacher, so you need to really work on being a great Role Model if you're a substitute teacher. 

Yes, starting a job with SERIOUS role model responsibilities in my 20's is a HUGE adjustment! 

Those who remembered me a substitute teacher 10 years ago could visit my class now and notice a major change in my maturity! 

No longer do I think much of "fitting in" with my students, especially since the age difference between me and the students have grown!  I'm not in class to be their "friend", I am in the class to be The Adult, The Leader, The Role Model! I am in class to keep order!

While some people say I smile a lot, I come to the class with a serious purpose, and I Demand the students respect that serious purpose!

I do NOT have side conversations in class, unless it's the last few minutes of class and only if the class is well behaved!
 I do NOT answer personal questions in class!
I do NOT discuss things that have NOTHING to do with the lesson plan!


 Students who ask "where you from" or "do you like this song" or "do you like this movie" are told to "Focus on today's lesson!"  I'm not there to be their buddy!

Because I didn't want to be seen as "soft", I did over-reacted (ie slam tables, told a student to STFU) 10 years ago! I haven't done it since then! 


Sometimes, I will raise my voice, especially if the students are talking when I'm talking to the whole class, interrupting me or if the class is getting too rowdy!

However, just like the aikido sensei told us "I will only yell for two reasons: safety and respect"

Meaning he would only yell if the students are being unsafe and disrespectful!

I don't yell if the student is not understanding the lesson! I try to show maximum compassion in those situations! My job is to help, not bully!

My job is to give constructive criticisms, NOT destructive criticisms!

My job is to uplift people, NOT demean people!

Of course, in the "heat of the battle", it is easy to take non-compliance personally! Sometimes non-compliance is just straight-up defiance! However, sometimes the student just doesn't understand!  There's a few times where the non-compliance had nothing to do with defiance and everything to do with not understanding! A few of those times I over-reacted! That is one of my main regrets!

Only a few times did I say "you got ears?" or "can you read" as sarcastic questions? While I asked those less than 10 times over the 10 years, that is still way too much! That is one of my main regrets!

--------

Also, being a sub teacher gives a perspective of how difficult it is to stop bullying! For one, students of a certain age still haven't learned to censor themselves. Kids don't have a filter. Kids are NOT politically correct people! Whatever they think, they say! It takes a lot of self-discipline for them to move away from that!

Also, a lot of times, a student blurt out something or make a stupid joke and the other students over-react with hurtful things. Guess what, I was one of those students who made stupid inappropriate jokes and it took me a while to understand why my classmates over-reacted to those jokes.  I wrote on the issue  at the blog post "Myself 2 decades ago"

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/09/myself-2-decades-ago.html

My brother warned me straight up, that this would also get me in trouble as I get older.

He told me that the way I acted was "more likely to get people laughing AT me, INSTEAD of laughing with me."

(skipped paragraphs)

For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE!

Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school.  All it did was earn a few enemies.

  Also, sometimes, a student does or says something when the teacher isn't looking or listening! The other student responds when the teacher is looking and listening! Who gets the blame? The student who responds!  It's like sports where a player foul an opponents when the referees aren't looking, so that when the victimized opponent retaliates, the victimized opponent gets punished not the athlete who committed the first foul!

Noticing this pattern made more understanding of why I got into trouble when I was a kid!  It takes somebody acting like you to get you to figure out what is wrong with you! 

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

Also, being a teacher, you impulsively take the side of another teacher if he/she has a conflict with a student. Just like the police officer automatically assume another police officer has done no wrong when a civilian complains.  For example, there is this video where a student rants in front of the whole class about how the teacher is not doing a good job teaching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GGFqnW7vx4

My first reactions to this video was 1) I want to knock this student out and 2) wow, that teacher reacted so calmly to all this!

Because as a teacher, as soon as one student rebel, your mindest "you better squash this rebellion NOW before you lose control of the class, otherwise, there will be chaos in this class"

Now, as that student has been interviewed by reporters, I start to understand his side of the story instead of just automatically defend that teacher.

However, I will say to that student that if he had concerns about how that teacher is teaching that class, he will get a better response if he talks (not rant) to the teacher AFTERSCHOOL when the other students aren't around! That way, the teacher is now focused on the student's concerns rather than worrying about a student rebellion causing classroom chaos!

Going back to the topic of  police, cops are trained more on using force rather than verbally  defusing a tense situation! Teachers don't have a choice, they have to focus on verbally  defusing a tense situation, especially since teachers aren't given pistols, mace, tasers, batons or even physical self-defense training to back them up! All the teacher can rely on is his/her mind, wits, and communication skills. Yes, they can call for help, but help isn't always immediately available! Now imagine that in a high school setting when you're dealing with students bigger than you!


And the administration may not always feel sorry for you, instead they will ask  "what did you do about it?"

In other words, doing this job requires mental toughness. It doesn't build overnight, it takes time,

The job also requires maturity and confidence. It doesn't build overnight, it takes time.

This was why I was so impatient when a former classmate expected me to have the same opinions and attitude that I did in high school, as well as express the same insecurities as we did in high school. It's time to move on already!

But then again, I do need to be more understanding of adults who don't work at a job like mines.  They never have to face the daily pressures of being The Role Model!

This pressure isn't just on school grounds!

It is EVERYWHERE the students see you! In Public!  On the bus! Crossing a street! In a Store! At a Park! EVERYWHERE!  Yes, the pressure to present yourself as a role model is 24-7!

That even extends online! While I don't contact my students online, they can (and do) look my name online! Yes, the pressure to present yourself as a role model is 24-7!

 Students don't respect hypocrites. Why should they?

5) The future

While I enjoy substitute teachers, it doesn't come with sick leave or vacation pay! That makes summer very unenjoyable!  Which is why I'm an LIS student now. I will soon finish my time as an LIS student at the end of this year, and I plan to work in the library system afterwards.


When that happens, I will NOT miss the payless summers NOR having to supervise obnoxious students all day!.


However, I will always miss the great memories of the great students I have worked with all those years.


I will miss working with the smart students who make me optimistic about our future!.


I will miss working with the struggling students who really try their hardest to learn!.


I will miss the children who make surprise artwork for me during free time!.


I will miss supervising the younger children during recess!.


I will miss the naptimes for the younger children!.


I will miss the older students too! I will miss working with the student who are one year (or a few months) away from graduating high school and are about to enter adulthood.

I will miss having access to the very people who can keep me updated on the latest trends.


I will miss being a part of the special memories, special ceremonies and other special things about their school days they will cherish for a lifetime.

I will miss a lot of things!

I may not be a substitute teacher a decade from now, but I will always appreciate the adventure it has given me!