My final blog post for 2021

 2021, the sequel to 2020, has come to an end.

2020 was the year of the start of the coronavirus crisis.

2021 was the year the covid-19 vaccines were available, and yet, a significant portion of the population choose not to take it, even though it's been proven over and over again that the unvaccinated are more likely to need ICU hospitalization when in contact with the virus.  And because of the covidiots who think any precaution is a threat to "muh freedoms", we end the year with yet another surge of another variant.

So forget any large-scale gathering to celebrate the new year.

At the rate we're going, the 2020 New Year's might possibly be the last time I went out to party for New Year's.

And many of the cases also happen to be among informal gatherings where people let their guards down and the masks down because of the guilt trips of "don't you trust us, we're your family/friends". Nevermind that too many people got the virus from their family & friends.   Whereas for me, I kept my mask & shield on when visiting family and ate from a distance from everyone else. And even when I sometimes have breakfast with my dad at a restaurant, we sit diagonal from each other.  Some people call that "living in fear". I call it living in reality. Also, unlike some people, I'm not afraid of a vaccine. 

As for friends, it's been a while since I gathered with them in person. As far as I'm concerned, the phone, email, and social media are good enough for now. 

And socializing at work? In the worker lounge, everyone has to sit at separate tables. 

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While I've been avoiding covid as much as possible, I should also be avoiding excessive calories as much as possible. Sadly, I've been gaining too much weight for the last two years. I know it's a cliché to talk about losing weight for every New Year's resolution, but I have to figure out how to make that a reality. I've lost weight before (at least that's what people were saying to me from 2002 to 2012, as well as from 2017 to 2019) so it's not like I don't have experience losing weight, I just got to find a way that fits my schedule.

Also, there's a food addiction. While I've never taken drugs or drank alcohol, I think my addiction is to food, especially snacks and rice.  It's like I think about eating, then feel guilty for eating too much afterward. 

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As for work, I'm currently working at a fashion store and I have what is possibly the easiest job - wiping all the high-touch points (ie doors, elevators, escalators, fixtures, etc).   

What I like about it is I work at my own pace, and I don't have to do any cashier duties. I like to keep it simple.

However, I want to eventually move on to something else. I want to return to working at a library. It's what I trained for and what I live for. Either that or work in the school again.

This is the first year I didn't work in a school since I started in 2005.

Learn more at

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/05/1st-school-year-that-i-wasnt-working-in.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/03/1-year-ago-little-did-we-know-it-will.html

 I only left the school library job because the head librarian was a jerk, and even though she left a year after I left, schools are more concerned about filling classroom positions than library positions. 

 I have no interest in the stress of a full-time teacher, but a part of me wants to be a teacher aide or a substitute teacher again. I miss working with the kids (well, the well-behaved ones) and a part of me feels that's my main purpose on earth. But the last time I worked in a classroom was before the pandemic, so I haven't yet experienced having to remind defiant students to keep their masks on or to follow other protocols set by school admin that didn't exist before the pandemic. 

I am considering a return to substitute teaching for the next school year while keeping my retail job. I need something to fall back on during school vacations when subs don't have paid opportunities. 

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But the real ideal is to make enough money from my music and art. As Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior, I make instrumental tracks (sold on iTunes, streamed on Spotify, et al) and visual arts (sold on RedBubble). I made some money on my music, but not enough to pay my bills.

Earlier this year, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior released "Science Fiction Music: an instrumental album", which as you can guess is an electronic music album of instrumental tracks that sounds like what you can hear in a science fiction movie. 

I have music videos for 11 tracks from that album and will need to make 4 more.

Check out Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior music videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTp3x3norNTYDksJKCSfhXg

Then I plan to make my 2nd hip-hop instrumental album. The first one, "Urban Honolulu Jams" was released in 2016 and was mostly a mix of 90's-style G-funk and 70's style funk. It was hastily put together and I wish I came up with better titles for some of the tracks.

I already made some tracks for the upcoming "Urban Honolulu Jams 2", and I plan to make some more, this time, covering a wider spectrum of sound in the hip-hop genres.  I can't give you a timeline of when it'll be complete, as I want to make it as legendary as possible and to give the tracks some cool titles. 

After that, who knows? Maybe a vocal album (that would take years if I don't get paid time off to complete it), or an instrumental album of a genre I haven't worked on yet. So many possibilities. 

And talking about music, here's my list of the best songs of the year

My favorite song would be : Coldplay w/BTS "My Universe"

and here's some other classics from 2021

The Weeknd "Take My Breath"

BTS "Butter"

TXT "Magic"

Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U"

Olivia Rodrigo "Brutal"

Bella Poarch "Build a B____"

Willow "Transparent Soul"

Troy Sivian w/ TateMcRae "You"

Weezer "All my Favorite Songs"

Natanael Cano w/ Ovi, Snoop Dogg, Snow that Product, CNG "Feeling Good"

CRO w/Snow tha Product "Get Money"

Pop Smoke w/ Chris Brown "Woo Baby"

Lil Nas X "That's What I Want"

Girl in Red "Seratonin"

Saweetie w/ Doja Cat "Best Friend"

Latto "Big Energy"

Kid Lario w/ Justin Bieber "Stay"

Lizzo w/Cardi B "Rumors"

and to finish the year, we got..........

Tory Lanez "Pluto's Last Comet"

Madonna's not happy Tory Lanez sampled her song "Get into the Groove" without seeking permission, but his song is very good, I was so impressed that I played it over and over after my first listen . I hope they can work out a deal to keep the song in rotation

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And off course, there's this blog. I wish I had more time to blog this year, because there was so much to blog about, but so little time.  I might've blogged more this year than the last 2 years, but I still don't feel it's enough.  But I'll keep blogging until I can no longer do so. 

2021 memorials

 When a prominent person pass away, I try to find time to blog about it. Sadly, my mind was too distracted throughout the year to blog about everyone I found  interesting.

Here were some memorial blog posts from earlier this year

People from my personal life

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/11/in-memory-of-my-dentist-dr-clifford-park.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-memory-of-uncle-michael.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/04/in-memory-of-auntie-theldine.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/08/in-memory-of-lisa-lam.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-mystery-of-elia-laeli.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/04/former-students-and-tragedy-on-kalakaua.html

Public figures

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/07/2021-cruel-year-for-old-school-rappers.html 

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/05/colt-brennan-1983-2021.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/07/haunani-kay-trask.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/02/rush-limbaugh.html

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-legends-of-baseball.html

Here are some other interesting people who passed away in 2021

Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga

"Mo" was a former gang member turned social worker who encouraged troubled youth in Hawaii to turn their lives around in a positive direction. He worked for the Adult Friends for Youth (AFY), the same organization that worked with him when he was transitioning out of the gang life.

Sadly, he was murdered in front of his own home decades after leaving the gang life.  It is still a mystery of who killed him and why they did it.

Robert Kekaula

Robert Kekaula was a well-known TV journalist for decades. Most of his career focused on sports, though in his last few years, he was also focused on the non-sports news as well.

He was a cultural icon in that he was an example of how even a pidgin-speaking large-sized Native Hawaiian man can rise to the top of local news media. You didn't have to abandon your cultural roots to make it in the mainstream!  He & Paula Akana were probably the first Native Hawaiian duo to be the lead anchor for KITV News. (or any local TV news for that matter).

He not only was a journalist but also a musician who released 3 albums, 2 of which won the prestigious Na Hoku awards. 

Bob Jones

This Bob Jones is not to be confused with the controversial religious university in South Carolina named after a different person with the  same name. 

This Bob Jones was a legendary TV news reporter in Hawaii who didn't shy away from expressing strong opinions on the air or especially in the opinion articles he wrote for Midweek. Whatever backlash he got was nothing compared to the dangers he faced while reporting from Vietnam in the 1960s. 

My main memory of him was when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s when he and Jade Moon, were the lead anchors for KGMB News. 

Collin Powell

Collin Powell was a man of many "firsts" in many high positions in the US government. He was the first African-American to be the chair of the US military's joint-chief-of-staff (under George HW Bush) , as well as the first to be Secretary of State (under George W Bush). 

During his time with the joint-chief-of-staffs, he was in the media spotlight as the US military was about to save Kuwait from Saddam Hussein in the early 1990's. He impressed many Americans who thought he could eventually become the first African-American president.

 People even begged him to run in 1996. But Powell didn't really fit into the major political parties. He was a friend of the Bush family and identified as a Republican at the time, but he wasn't comfortable with the entire Republican agenda.  I felt that if the US elections didn't allow for political parties and everyone had to run as an individual, Collin Powell would've been able to be the first African-American before anyone even heard of Barack Obama. 

Powell did accept the position as a Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. It was a time of major turmoil as the 9/11 attacks happened. The US launched an attack on Al Qaida who was headquartered in Afghanistan.  Though Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, Bush wanted to "finish the job" and get rid of Saddam Hussein once and for all.  There was disagreement within the administration about those plans, with Powell saying we would need more troops than what Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense) was proposing. Sadly, Bush went along with Rumsfeld's idea which turned out to be a disaster. Overthrowing Hussein was the easy part, it was keeping the peace that turned out to be the hard part. Also, Powell was humiliated as his speech about the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq turned out to be wrong.

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Some people wondered that even though Collin Powell was able to gain prestigious positions within the US government, that he could he have done more for the African-American community. Some felt he wasn't radical enough. I mentioned this on Facebook.

 Mixed legacy? Why? He broke barriers and made achievements that were denied to his parent's generations. He did speak out against racism, but some felt he should've been more radical in his statements.

People need to understand that in order for progress to happen, there's needs to be people working within the system (like Collin Powell) and people speaking out from outside the system (like the BLM movement). People in both groups would express their thoughts differently because they have different roles to play. But all the roles are important!

In the last year of his life, Collin Powell was suffering from blood cancer which weakened his immune system, which was unable to fight off the coronavirus even though he was vaccinated.

I wrote the following on Facebook

Vaccines help most who get it, though it may not be enough to help those with weakened immune systems. Colin Powell's blood cancer left his immune system weakened beyond repair. But for the rest of us, we can helped with the vaccine.

Covidiots need to understand if they get vaccinated, they're less likely to spread covid to those with weakened immune system. THE WHOLE POINT of getting vaxed, wearing masks and not gathering in large groups is to PROTECT THOSE WITH weakened immune systems. But too many covidiots are all about the "me, myself and I" and don't understand the concept of protecting the vulnerable.

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu was a religious leader and an activist against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Like Martin Luther King, he advocated nonviolent resistance even as people were losing patience with being nonviolent against a violent oppressive regime. 

But unlike King, Tutu was able to live long after the segregation system he was fighting against ended. Tutu still had more work to do.

In the early years of the post-apartheid era, Tutu was in charge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated human rights abuses that occurred during the apartheid regime. Those who were truthful in their testimony in front of the commission were given amnesty. The goal wasn't so much to punish but to establish some sort of reconciliation and healing. 

He also didn't hesitate to criticize the post-apartheid government for its abuses and corruption. 

He spoke out for the rights of the LGBT, people living with HIV/AIDS, and the economically marginalized.

Tutu also spoke out against human rights abuses overseas, whether it was about Israeli abuse of Palestinians in the West Bank (for which he was falsely accused of anti-Semitism) or on the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. 

FW De Klerk

Also from South Africa was FW De Klerk, who was the final president of South Africa in the apartheid era. Though he was a longtime supporter of apartheid, by the late 80's he realized the system was unsustainable. Riots were occurring nationwide, and there were economic boycotts from outside.  A civil war was a real possibility. In the long run, there was no way apartheid was able to withstand such pressures. It was best to end the system right then and there and start a peaceful transition.

De Klerk approved the release of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela who eventually became the first president of the post-apartheid era. Both won the Nobel Peace Prize.

But even with him starting the transition away from apartheid, there were still some people who haven't forgiven him for being a past supporter of apartheid. His final statement before his death was an expression of regret for his past support of apartheid. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwL2NpgvKf8

Bob Dole

Bob Dole had a long career of service to the US government, starting from time as a US soldier fighting in World War 2, and later with decades in the US Senate. His political career culminated in a run for  US President in 1996 for which he lost to the incumbent Bill Clinton. It was almost like a rerun of 1992 in which fellow WW2 veteran George HW Bush lost to a guy who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.  While people respected the service of Bush and Dole, they were also seen as out-of-touch with modern America as compared to the younger Clinton.

I wrote the following on Facebook about Bob Dole after he died. 

I was in high school when Bob Dole ran for president, most of us thought him and other Republicans (like Dan Quayle and George HW Bush) are uptight morality preachers who complained too much about gangsta rap and TV sitcoms. Bill Clinton looked cool in comparison. Little did we know that the Republicans would change their image to the vulgar, deplorable bullies like Donald Trump who thinks basic decency is for chumps! As a middle-aged adult, I kinda sorta miss the uptight conservatives like Bob Dole and Dan Quayle, mostly because the Republican brand became way more toxic and repulsive under Trump!

John Madden

John Madden was one of the biggest legends in professional football even though he couldn't play at that level due to injuries in his college days.  In the 1970's, he was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, for which he won a Super Bowl in 1977.  He was able to succeed with a team of outlaws and misfits with 3 simple rules: be on time, pay attention, and play like hell. 

But it was his career after coaching in which he really gained legendary status. For nearly 3 decades, he was mostly famous as the game-time voice for NFL games. He was able to explain the complexities of the game with his verbal descriptions and his visual  illustrations on the screen. And he had a great sense of humor.

And to top all of that, his name became a brand name for a popular video game series: Madden NFL.  Those who couldn't make the team on the field could pretend to be NFL players while playing the game. And those who did succeed on the field could laugh at themselves when noting their likeness appearing in the game. 

Bobby Bowden

Bobby Bowden was the longtime head football coach at Florida State University. When he started coaching there in 1976, Florida State was a no-name school without a winning tradition. That quickly changed as he led the school to multiple national championships over the decades. He coached the greats like Deion Sanders, Chris Weinke, Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn and Peter Warrick. He became the 2nd winningest coach in college football history until he retired in 2009.

The reason he stood out to me was back when I skimming his book at a bookstore, one part really got my attention. He mentioned that when working with his assistant coaches, he preferred to correct them in private. He said that if he was to embarrass the assistant coaches in front of the players, that would disrespect the assistant coach's authority over the players. I wish more supervisors would understand that.

Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary was the author of many classic children's books, which still have a place on library shelves decades after their initial publication.  Ironically, this former librarian and author didn't like reading growing up because she thought it was boring.  Her goal was to write books that a younger version of herself could relate to, being that she grew up as a rascal kid in the middle-class suburbs. That might seem like the norm now, but at the time, it was revolutionary. 

Betty White

(note: even though this post was posted a day before she died, I'll add my thoughts on her here)

The actress who has been known as a national treasure for living what seemed like an eternity has passed away on the final day of 2021, less than a month before her 100th birthday.

She has appeared on sitcoms, game shows and variety shows over the decades, most famous one being  The Golden Girls, an 80s sitcom centered around 4 elderly women enjoying their golden years, even as they tackle social issues like age discrimination, gender relations, race relations, medical malpractice and more. The show was seen as ahead of its time as it dealt with the issue of homosexuality and AIDS. 

In her last few years, Betty White continued to make guest appearances on comedy shows, as well as prominent features in TV ads and social media memes. 

While we all joked that she will live on forever, it is her legacy and spirit that will do so! 

(note: I might add more to this post! I just want to make sure I got something published before the end of 2021. I'll add more soon)

Why I love Christmas

 Back in 2018, I wrote a blog post titled "Learn to celebrate stuff, dammit!"

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/learn-to-celebrate-stuff-dammit.html

here's a snippet from that post

It's not healthy to be cynical about celebrations all the time!

 We have plenty of time (and reasons) to be angry and cynical about the world!

 At least set aside some time to celebrate events, ceremonies or even just to enjoy the things that bring us joys!

Celebrating stuff will wonders for your mental health!

So when your next birthday happens, CELEBRATE IT!

When the next holiday happens, CELEBRATE IT!

When the next special event happens, CELEBRATE IT!

Children understand it, why can't adults do the same?

But yet, this year, there's another series of party-poopers who express their dislike of Christmas

https://www.ctinsider.com/opinion/article/Opinion-Why-I-hate-Christmas-16614264.php

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/12/why-brian-broome-hates-christmas/

But instead of going point-by-point debating with those people, let me explain why I love Christmas.

Basically, I love festivities!

I love the exchange of presents!

I love the Santa hats!

I love making Christmas cards!

I love the Christmas trees!

I love the Christmas music!

(Honolulu radio station KSSK plays only Christmas music between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even though I'm more of a KUMU fan the rest of the year, my radio is tuned to KSSK during the holiday season!)

And the thing is, being in Hawaii, I never experienced the snow mentioned in so many Christmas songs. 

But then again, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, who also doesn't experience snow as he is from Israel/Palestine. 

Yes, baby Jesus is the reason for the season. But you don't have to be a practicing Christian to love the Christmas season.  Plus, a lot of the Christmas rituals are appropriations from many other religions and cultures. :) 

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And as being the youngest of my siblings, I always had the honor of passing the presents from the Christmas tree to whomever the present is labeled for. I still do that most Christmases, though sometimes, my nieces take that honor. 

And even though I haven't been the most family-oriented person out there (long story short, a lot of life happened), I still value time with my family on Christmas day.

And it is also college bowl season, and we usually have a good talk about how the UH football team has done this season.  [average this year: lots of drama w/the coach, bowl game canceled due to the virus]

And of course, I love the food.

(note to self: find time to burn those calories)

You don't need to have a perfect life to love Christmas!

My life sure isn't perfect. I had tons of heartbreaks, traumas, depressions, alienations, financial hardships, you name it.

But life also has the simple joys that can make you smile! 

Christmas gives me those simple joys that make me smile! 

Merry Christmas :)

🎄🎅✝

Coach Rolo and vaccines

 This might be considered "old news" by now, but I didn't have much time to blog on it back when it considered breaking news.

I knew of Nick Rolovich back in the early 2000s when he was a QB for the UH football team. He later became the head coach (now known as Coach Rolo) back in 2016. He later left in early 2020 to get a bigger paycheck coaching for Washington State University.

I blogged about it at                                     https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/01/uh-football-coaching-changes.html

A few months later, the world has changed. A new virus has spread and the world has temporarily shut down.

And yet, in one of the greatest scientific innovations in our time, some vaccines have been developed to help develop some immunity to covid-19.

But some people refused to take the vaccines, even though it has been proven over and over again that the unvaccinated are more likely to be hospitalized than the vaccinated. At one point, ICUs (intensive care units) have been overwhelmed by unvaccinated patients even months after the vaccines have been made available to the general public. 

You would think that an employee at a university known for its medical research would look at all the data and conclude that getting vaccinated would be a great idea.

But who cares about the university's medical research when you're only there to coach football? Besides, Rolovich looks to so-called medical experts like Alex Jones, Dennis Prager, Candace Owens, and other quacks who get their medical "degree" from fake university PragerU!

I would've preferred the "vax or get tested" approach that Joe Biden was hoping to implement nationwide for all employers with 100+ employees. But the state of Washington was allowed to go with a stricter approach for all state employees to get vaccinated. 

 Rolovich applied for a religious exemption. Nevermind that ALL major religions encourage their followers to get vaccinated. I mean, they all want their followers to continue living.

learn more on religions and vaccinations at 

“Immunizations and Religion,” Vanderbilt University Medical Center,                             https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/news-resource-articles/immunizations-and-religion

The religious exemption that Rolovich applied for was denied. It was obviously phony. Rolovich claimed to be Roman Catholic, but the pope said that getting vaccinated is the most loving thing you can do for your fellow man.  

Since Rolovich got fired for not conforming to the state employee's vaccine mandate, he is claiming religious discrimination. Nevermind that the school's athletic director Pat Chun, is also a Catholic! It takes a lot of nerve to accuse someone of the same religion of discriminating against you for being of the same religion. 

Besides, when Rolovich was asked to talk with a medical expert at the university, he didn't mention his faith, he just asked about conspiracy theories related to Bill Gates. 

learn more at 

Nick Bromberg, “Immunologist: Now-Fired WSU Coach Nick Rolovich Asked Me If Bill Gates Was Involved in Covid-19 Vaccine,” Yahoo! Sports, October 27, 2021,       https://sports.yahoo.com/immunologist-now-fired-wsu-coach-nick-rolovich-asked-me-if-bill-gates-was-involved-in-covid-19-vaccine-125222760.html.

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Some will claim that I am "hating" on Coach Rolo! Actually, I met him before when I was working as an election day precinct official. He seemed to be a very nice guy. He was even willing to help a woman with a disability find the best way to leave the school campus (this was at the UH Lab School) but she was able to leave on her own. 

I also knew one of his assistant coaches, Craig Stutzmann who was also Rolovich's teammate and assistant at UH, as well as anti-vaxxer who was fired along with Coach Rolo.  Stutzmann was in 2 of my classes when we were students at UH. He was a nice guy. Even off campus a few years later, he even helped me find a chair when I arrived at a bar late to watch a UH football game. 

I was sad to see Rolovich and Stutzmann go when they left UH for Washington State.

But still, I wish they got vaccinated to set an example for the youth to take the coronavirus crisis seriously. Even if they did experience side effects, they were at a university known for medical research, they would've gotten the best care out there.  Most likely, they would've just gotten fatigue for a few days (like me) and be back to take on the world afterwards. 

But life goes on, and they made their choice. 

Coaches and the changing times

 In the old days, coaches are authoritarian leaders that shall never be questioned!

You could say the same about teachers, but coaches have been given wider latitude to go bezerk on students whose performance hasn't been up to par. 

But the times are changing! The drill sergeant routine no longer resonates with the new generation.

The new generation has more options. 

The youth has gravitated towards e-sports where they're not being yelled at by an authority over the most minor mistakes.

And even among those who still gravitate towards the real sports, student-athletes have more lenient transfer rules, as well as the ability to get lucrative deals while playing for a school.  Why stick with a bully coach all 4 years of college, when you can just transfer, and plus, your NIL deal can give you a little padding to fall back on.

Coaches preach "survival of the fittest". But the fittest isn't the strongest or the fastest, it's the ones who are most adaptable to change.

But as people get older, they tend to be set in their ways. They rebel against any suggestion to change.

But adapt you must.

Pete Carroll may be old, but he's been very adaptable to change. He's seen as the cool guy, the fun guy. This got him many top recruits back when he was coaching at the University of Southern California and it has worked for him as he coaches the NFL's Seattle Seahawks (though it's been a down year this year)

Meanwhile, tyrant coaches like Urban Meyer and Todd Graham are in hot water now.

Urban Meyer once could get away with his tactics as he coached at historically top destinations for talent (ie University of Florida, Ohio State University) and can take advantage of student-athletes coming straight out of the small towns and inner-cities who don't have much to fall back on. 

But in the NFL, the players have something to fall back on. They have million-dollar contracts. They can demand a trade to another team. They also have more experience in standing up for themselves than a college freshman fresh out of high school. 

NFL owners also have millions of more dollars at their disposals compared to college athletic departments. They can fire coaches at a whim, find a replacement, and still make money even if the replacement doesn't work out. Whereas in college, the departments don't have as much money.

Also, even though Meyer coached at big-name colleges, NFL teams have even more media scrutiny. There is about 100+ colleges in the Division 1 level. There are only 32 NFL teams.  So the media spotlight is greater on the 1/32 than it would be on the 1/100+. 

Urban Meyer found out the hard way that his old tactics don't work in the NFL.  Even the notoriously patient owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars Shahid Khan lost patience with him before the season was over.

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Meanwhile in Hawaii, Todd Graham has alienated many of his players. It got to the point where many players expressed their grievances on social media, KNOWING that the public would take notice. 

And to add insult to injury, Graham alienated top QB Chevan Cordiero, who grew up in Hawaii, dreamed of playing for UH, and signed with UH even with all the pressure among local athletes to play for a bigger name college on the continent.  How the hell do you alienate someone like that?  How the hell do you lose someone like that to the transfer portal, to a rival school (San Jose State) that isn't even the top school in its own metro area? It has to be a lot, lot, lot more than just someone yelling "run faster" or "what are you doing?"

It's because Todd Graham also uses vicious insults on his players.

Marc Delucchi, “University of hawaii's football team is miserable. Players say the culprit is head coach todd graham.,” SFGATE.com, December 6, 2021,                                                                 https://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/hawaii-football-troubles-under-coach-todd-graham-16670501.php.

several Hawaii players said they believe Graham’s approach has consistently crossed the line in terms of decency and respect. One player told SFGATE, “I would go as far to say it’s verbal abuse the way he talks to guys. … It’s personal. It’s not like, ‘Oh, you need to be faster.’ He’s calling guys useless, jackass and a sack of s—t.”

Another player reiterated to SFGATE that Graham insults his players constantly, reportedly calling players “dogs—t,” among other demeaning terms. Multiple players also said Graham constantly threatens to take away playing time from anyone who questions him. One player recalled Graham telling a teammate to “stop talking back or I’m going to take away your senior year.” 

 Graham’s behavior has reportedly had a negative impact on the rest of his coaching staff as well. Multiple players mentioned that they believed staff promotions were given to coaches who challenged Graham the least. One player recalled an instance in practice when an assistant coach apologized to his position group for not wanting to ask Graham a clarifying question, saying something to the effect of, “Sorry, I’m just trying not to get yelled at.” 

 

Because the University of Hawaii doesn't have the money to pay out his contract if he's fired without cause (and lord knows the legal expenses if he's fired with cause), they are giving him a second chance.  The athletic department has talked to the players and coaches separately and has given both new guidelines in dealing with problems

This is from yesterday's newspaper

Stephen Tsai, “Hawaii Football Coach Todd Graham Vows to Improve Team Communication, Sets up Players’ Council,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 19, 2021,                         https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/19/sports/hawaii-football-coach-todd-graham-vows-to-improve-team-communication-sets-up-players-council/.

If a player has a complaint but does not feel comfortable speaking directly to Graham or the coaches, he can share the matter with his council representative, who then will relay the concerns.

Who knows, maybe Todd Graham can be flexible in learning new ways.

I mean, it reminds me of when I worked as a substitute teacher and a summer program group leader. I always wanted to be the "cool teacher" but also not a "wuss teacher". That can be a recipe for disaster as students viewed "cool teachers" as wannabes to be taken advantage of, and to over-compensate, I occasionally responded to disrespect by yelling with rage.  Not a good way to start a career.

Granted, I mostly yelled if it's a safety or respect issue.  I'm usually pretty chill & patient with students struggling with the lessons.  But people overlook that stuff if they catch me yelling at the class for interrupting me when I'm talking. 

I had some guidance from summer program coordinator Vince DeBina, who I mentioned in this blog post

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/positive-work-mentors-summer-program.html

I also remembered this one conversation at a preschool where I subbed, where the teacher noted that some students were excited to see me, but also said one student said he was afraid of me because I pointed my finger at him. The teacher mentioned how to change my approach with the students. Somewhere in the conversation I mentioned to the teacher about other authority figures who I said was "worse than me", then she stated "don't compare yourself with the worst, compare yourself with the best"

I later mentioned that in a letter to my father who once said that he wasn't as bad as Bobby Knight. Sorry but that's not good enough.  He later understood that.  My father had to learn to change his approach with me, and I had to learn to change my approach with the students.

And in this era, coaches have to adjust and change their approach to the players. The pressure is enhanced since the coaches are more in the public eye than your average teacher or parent. 

After all, coaches set the example for the next generation!

Pearl Harbor and Red Hill

 One week ago was the 8 decade anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This attack by Japanese warplanes was deemed an attack on national security and there was an aggressive response.

Any external threat to our way of life is deemed a threat to national security.

But internal threats are glossed over like it's almost nothing.

Red Hill, which is basically just up the hill from Pearl Harbor is the location of fuel storage tanks built by the US military in the years after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Those fuel tanks are just about 100 feet above the aquifers that provide water to Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, and it's largest city. 

Those fuel tanks are old, outdated, and are currently leaking petroleum into our water supply. 

People living in the military bases nearby already had to evacuate due to the illnesses they received from using that water. 

 Businesses that operate in nearby areas had to shut down indefinitely, furloughing workers who already had to struggle during the pandemic. 

Yes, the Navy is currently trying to contain the leak but the damage is already done.

If a foreign power did that to our water, it would be deemed a threat to national security, and it would be considered an act of war.

But since the US military has been negligent with those fuel tanks, it's not considered a threat to national security.

But it sure is a threat to the people on the island of Oahu. 

The fuel in those tanks needs to be moved out of there ASAP! 

Yes, the logistics are easier said than done, but it must be done. 

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PS: an Independent Hawaii would have much more incentive to remove those fuel tanks than the US government would. After all, the US government is based in DC, Hawaii's concerns are too "out of sight, out of mind" for them. An independent Hawaii would have to be responsive to environmental concerns, especially with the water supply that reaches a population center. 

I mean what good is it to say "we need the US to protect us from China" if Red Hill is the perfect target for China's missiles.  Those fuel tanks are making us sitting ducks for an attack by internal and external attacks. Move those damn fuel tanks already! 

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learn more at

Timothy Hurley, “Worst-Case Scenario Puts Oahu Aquifer at Risk,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 5, 2021,                 https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/05/hawaii-news/worst-case-scenario-puts-oahu-aquifer-at-risk/.

Anita Hofschneider, “State Finds Red Hill Contamination Far above Health Thresholds for Drinking Water,” Honolulu Civil Beat, December 10, 2021,      https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/state-finds-red-hill-contamination-far-above-state-standards-for-drinking-water/.

Associated Press. “Navy Suspends Military Tank Farm After Hawaii Aquifer Contamination.” Huffington Post. December 6, 2021.    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-navy-red-hillcontaminated-water_n_61aec1ffe4b07c4c95c1f906.

Lee Cataluna, “The Red Hill Water Crisis Is A Wake-Up Call For Oahu,” Honolulu Civil Beat, December 8, 2021,                                                https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/lee-cataluna-the-red-hill-water-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-oahu/.

“Hawaii Military Officials Address Petroleum Product Detected in Water from Red Hill School,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 1, 2021,    https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/01/breaking-news/hawaii-health-officials-say-water-from-school-tests-positive-for-petroleum-product/.

Kevin Knodell, “Navy Divers Work to Remove Fuel Contaminants at Red Hill Water Facility,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 13, 2021,    https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/13/hawaii-news/navy-divers-work-to-remove-fuel-contaminants-at-red-hill-water-facility/.

Kristy Tamashiro, “Workers Left Jobless as Water Contamination Crisis Forces Businesses to Shut Down,” KHON, December 13, 2021,                            https://www.khon2.com/local-news/workers-left-jobless-as-water-contamination-crisis-forces-businesses-to-shut-down/.

Trials, technicalities, self-defense and privilege

 Many people assume trials (and court cases in general) are about the morality of the situation. Actually, it's all about the technicalities of the situation.  It's all about the technicalities of the individual case, not about sending a moral message to society. 

In criminal cases, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. The prosecution has to prove that the defendant is guilty BEYOND a reasonable doubt. The defense attorney doesn't really have to prove anything, they only need to plant a seed of reasonable doubt in the mind of the jurors. If the juror has a reasonable doubt, he/she/etc has to acquit.

People who are acquitted were not really proven innocent, it's just that the prosecutors didn't prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

I remember being a juror in a restraining order case. The defendant was accused of approaching his ex at a nightclub and moving in an intimidating manner.  The defendant's friend said that never happened and to "check the cameras". The prosecutor didn't provide us video footage from the nightclub.  That itself gave the entire jury reasonable doubt. Some of us acknowledged that the defendant could be a "douchebag" but there is still reasonable doubt because if the incident happened, the prosecutor would've shown us a video and it would've been an easy slam dunk for the prosecution. One of the jurors mentioned about the ex's safety, but still, there was reasonable doubt.  Therefore, we had to acquit the defendant. Not because he was "proven innocent" but because we had reasonable doubt. The defendant wasn't proven innocent, the prosecution just couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

This came to mind due to two legal decisions this month.

First was the Honolulu prosecutor's decision to not put Chris Deedy on trial for a 3rd time for the killing of Kollin Elderts in 2011.  The first time ended with a hung jury in a case where the jurors could only decide if it was murder, not allowed to decide if it was manslaughter.  The second time was a hung jury on a manslaughter charge.   

Learn more about the incident at 

my 2013 blog post "Chris Deedy and Kollin Elderts"     https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/chris-deedy-and-kollin-elderts.html

Nina Wu, “Honolulu Prosecutor Says Federal Agent Christopher Deedy Will Not Face Jurors a 3rd Time,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 15, 2021,    https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/11/15/breaking-news/honolulu-prosecutor-says-federal-agent-christopher-deedy-will-not-face-jurors-a-3rd-time/.

It's been 10 years already, and prosecutors can't just keep trying to convict the same person over the same incident. 

This has nothing to do with whether Chris Deedy is a "good person".  Prosecutors couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Deedy didn't kill Elderts in self-defense. 

Deedy made the wrong decision to get drunk while armed on his first night in Hawaii. Deedy should've tried de-escalation instead of just approaching Elderts with a badge. But once Elderts attacked Deedy, it was on! And going on technicalities, you can't call this incident "murder".

Activists claimed that Deedy is a white colonizer and that Elderts is on his own native ancestral land. But the technicalities of the case has NOTHING to do with whether "white is right" or "white is wrong", it's about treating them as individuals who made choices, and how those choices fit the technicalities of the law.  So even though Deedy made some bad choices, the trial isn't about those bad choices before he shot Elderts, the trial is about why he shot Elderts. Deedy claimed self-defense, the video showed self-defense, some of the jurors agreed.  Because of that, he faces no prison time. 

And also this month, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of homicide.

 Rittenhouse, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident last year, was in Kenosha, Wisconsin armed with a rifle his friend gave to him to defend a business his friend once worked for when riots broke out in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Blake was approached by Kenosha police for violating a restraining order while he walked off towards his car. The police shot him in the back paralyzing him. Because Blake was African-American, the cops were European-American, and the incident happened a few months after George Floyd's death, this set off riots in the city.

Because the riots were in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, some people had the mistaken assumption that Rittenhouse came to the scene to shoot "black protesters". But the people he shot were NEITHER African-American NOR were they peaceful protesters. 

The 3 people Rittenhouse shot were rioters (who happened to be of European-American ancestry) who attacked him when he fell down. The video proves that Rittenhouse was running away from the crowd, the video proves that Rittenhouse was being attacked after he fell down, the video proves Rittenhouse only shot the people who attacked him and DID NOT SHOOT ANYBODY ELSE. 

See the video here

Chicago Sun-Times video "GRAPHIC: Video allegedly shows 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shooting 3 people, 2 fatally in Kenosha"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iryQSpxSlrg

As you may recall, I mentioned that trials are about the technicalities of the situation.

In this case, it's whether Rittenhouse committed murder instead of self-defense.

The technicalities of the case were NOT about whether Rittenhouse made good choices before he was attacked. 

Rittenhouse was 17 years old, he should've stayed home and let the adults handle the situation dealing with the business in the riot zone. But that's not what the case was about. 

Rittenhouse should've avoided hanging out with the Proud Boys after he was released on bail. But the trial wasn't about that. 

The trial was about whether Rittenhouse committed murder or was it self-defense.

Now some activists do have legit concerns about Kyle Rittenhouse and white privilege. 

After Rittenhouse shot the 3 rioters, he ran off with his rifle still strapped around him and ran towards a police car with his hands in the air.

I doubt anybody of African-American or Latin-American ancestry with a rifle could run toward a police car without being shot by police. I would advise any civilian (especially those of non-European ancestry, but anybody really) to not run toward a police car while having a rifle strapped around you.  Rittenhouse (and anyone in that situation) should've stayed in place as soon as they see police cars coming in their direction. Stay in place, keep your hands up, wait for the police to approach you, and follow police orders when they approach you. If the police are being jerks, fight the issue in court, not in the streets. 

But even then, some people wouldn't give African-Americans the benefit of the doubt. Whereas Kyle Rittenhouse was able to run toward a police car with a real rifle strapped around, 12-year old Tamir Rice was shot for having a FAKE gun and wasn't even given a chance to put the FAKE gun down when confronted by police. 

Marissa Alexander wasn't given the benefit of acquittal for self-defense when she was arrested for firing a warning shot when confronted by an abusive ex.  She was sentenced to 20 years for "assault" (apparently, the technicalities called a warning shot against an abuser an "assault") but was paroled after 3 years. 

learn more at 

Shannon Prince, “Tamir Rice and Marissa Alexander Deserved the Rittenhouse Treatment,” MSN, November 21, 2021,                                                                     https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tamir-rice-and-marissa-alexander-deserved-the-rittenhouse-treatment/ar-AAQXVYT.

Irin Carmon, “Marissa Alexander Released from Jail,” MSNBC, January 27, 2015,     https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/marissa-alexander-may-be-released-msna515141.

On the same day that Rittenhouse was acquitted, Andrew Coffee, an African-American man, was acquitted of killing his wife and a cop after it was found that he was victimized in a no-knock raid and defended himself against what he thought was a home invasion.  However, he was convicted for being ex-felon being in possession of a gun. 

learn more at

“Andrew Coffee IV Found Not Guilty On All Counts of Murder, Attempted First Degree Murder,” MSN, November 23, 2021,                                                   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/andrew-coffee-iv-found-not-guilty-on-all-counts/ar-AAQUG4z.

Mia Cathell, “Black Man Who Fired at Deputies in Self-Defense Acquitted On Same Day as Rittenhouse,” The Post Millennial, November 23, 2021,      https://thepostmillennial.com/coffee-rittenhouse-self-defense.

The case was similar to the Breona Taylor case in which the police committed a no-knock raid in which the police shot  & killed her while her boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot back at what he thought was a home invasion by burglars.  The case against Walker was dismissed, but he is currently filing a lawsuit again the police. 

learn more at 

Ivan Pereira, “Kenneth Walker, Boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, Sues Police and City of Louisville for Immunity,” ABC News, September 1, 2020,      https://abcnews.go.com/US/kenneth-walker-boyfriend-breonna-taylor-sues-police-city/story?id=72754382.

And going back to the city of Kenosha, there is a pending case for Chrystul Kizer, an African-American female who was charged with murder when she was 17 years old (the same age as Rittenhouse in his incident. Kizer says that she was defending herself against an attempted rape. The person she killed, Randall Volar, had previous sex abuse charges for which he wasn't convicted. 

learn more at

Rachel Pilgrim, “Rittenhouse Verdict Has Turned Eyes On the Case of Chrystul Kizer,” Yahoo, November 23, 2021,                                 https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/rittenhouse-verdict-turned-eyes-case-223000878.html.

Because of these cases, many feel that Kyle Rittenhouse benefitted from white privilege, whereas those of non-European ancestries were treated with suspicion and even punished for self-defense.  They worry that white jurors would assume non-European defendants to be "thugs" and wouldn't give them the same benefit of the doubt they would give to someone like Kyle Rittenhouse.  Defense lawyers do have extra hurdles to acquit non-European defendants due to juror biases, and prosecutors also take advantage of this juror bias. Kyle Rittenhouse also had access to funds from sympathizers to pay for his attorney, whereas those without money don't have access to good lawyers.

But even with racial inequalities, this doesn't mean that Deedy or Rittenhouse are worthy to be found guilty, even if they do benefit from white privilege. 

The goal for anti-racist activists is to get more European-Americans to not just assume that non-Europeans are "thugs" and to give them a fair judgment.  In other words, give non-Europeans the same benefit that Deedy and Rittenhouse got!  

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Meanwhile, in Georgia, Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael and  William “Roddie” Bryan (all of whom are European-Americans) was convicted for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery (who is African-American). The McMicheals and Bryan were videotaped chasing Arbery as he was jogging through the neighborhood, then shot him. They claimed they were chasing a burglary suspect, even though there was no evidence of Arbery committing burglary. They also claimed "self-defense" when it was they who started the confrontation with  Arbery.

(learn more at

Associated Press, “All 3 Defendants in Ahmaud Arbery’s Fatal Shooting Found Guilty of Murder,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 24, 2021,     https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/11/24/breaking-news/all-3-defendants-in-ahmaud-arberys-fatal-shooting-found-guilty-of-murder/.

While some activists claim that the Rittenhouse case  & the Arbery case are similar, due to the fact that the suspects were European-Americans, it really isn't that similar. 

Rittenhouse was in Kenosha to protect a business his friend once worked for. He ran from a confrontation, and only fired his weapon when he was physically attacked. The video proves that.

Meanwhile, it was the McMichael's and Bryan who started their confrontation with Arbery and shot him. The video proves that. 

Things obviously get more tricky if there's no video recording, and it is harder for the prosecutor to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, which was partly why the jury I was in had to acquit the defendant suspected of a  TRO violation. (as mentioned earlier, it was in a nightclub and the defendant's friend said "check the camera" but the prosecutor didn't show video evidence). 

 And in case anyone is wondering, both the defendant and the accuser in the TRO case are of European ancestry. The defendant's friend looks as if he could be mixed-race, his background wasn't revealed in the trial. None of that is relevant, because we're supposed to judge people as individuals. 

And that's the important thing: people have to be judged as individuals who made choices. They are not symbols of anything! They are individuals. 

And laws aren't really about morality, it's whatever the lawmakers deem appropriate to satisfy whatever constituents they are appealing to.

And that that is why trials are about the technicality of the situation, not the morality of the situation.

Freddie Mercury - 3 decades later

 30 years ago today, legendary singer Freddie Mercury died from AIDS!

He was mostly known as the lead singer of Queen, though he also had some solo records as well!

He was a man ahead of his time in so many ways.

His music crossed multiple genres. He defied industry pressure to stick to a formula. While his band was mostly known as a rock band, he could also do opera, disco, synthpop and so much more. He could do the baddest rock songs ever (like "We Will Rock You") and then sing the most inspirational ballads "We are the Champions"). He could even do multiple genres in one song like "Bohemian Rhapsody".  He could do gangsta lyrics alongside a disco beat in "Another One Bites the Dust" a decade before gangsta rap became mainstream. 

Had he lived longer, I believed he would've performed with rappers too!  His music was already sampled by Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube, but it would've been epic if he shared the stage with someone like Jay-Z, Outkast, or Missy Elliott!

While he did some synthpop (like "Radio Gaga", whose title inspired the stage name for Lady Gaga), it would've been epic if he also did some other electronic music genres that appeared after he died. Imagine him doing dubstep and making appearances with Skrillex! He might've also worked well with Avicci, another legend who died young!

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Freddie Mercury shied away from speaking about his ethnic background. Mercury, born with the name Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar (an island off the coast of Tanzania) of  Parsi descent (Parsis were descendants of Persian refugees who escaped from Persia to India in the 7th century). He moved a lot during childhood, going from Zanzibar to India, back to Zanzibar. His family escaped Zanzibar when the Arab and Indian populations were being attacked by African rebels in 1964. That was when he moved to the United Kingdom. 

 However, Mercury didn't want to talk about his non-Western background.

Fast-forward a couple decades, and a man born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father, and spent part of his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii became the President of the United States. That would be Barack Obama. He was able to do so even with all these birther conspiracy theories. He wrote a book about his unique background! He used his story to connect with people of various backgrounds. 

Mercury also shied away from speaking about his bisexuality. He was in the closet for most of his life, only going public when he was dying. This even though it seemed that he was in the most transparent closet known to humanity, as he was not afraid to show his feminine side.  But then again, Prince wasn't afraid to show his feminine side, but he only had sexual relations with women.  

Fast-forward a couple decades and many musicians come out of the closet early in their careers with pride. Lil Nas X is now one of the biggest stars in rap music even while doing the most raunchy gay music videos.  Meanwhile, his rival Boosie is looking like a sore loser in launching many homophobic verbal attacks on Lil Nas X!

Mercury also only publicly announced that he got AIDS less than 24 hours before his death. Such a major contrast to the announcement from Magic Johnson a few weeks earlier that he tested positive for HIV. 

my blog post on Magic Johnson's announcement. https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/11/magic-johnsons-announcement-3-decades.html

I get that Freddie Mercury, despite his flamboyant persona on stage, was private about his personal life. But it would've been interesting if he was more open about his non-Western background and his LGBT status. He could've been more public about his HIV status.  But then again, maybe by leading by example, by making great music, that might be enough for the following generations to take the baton further along in the representation of minority populations in popular media. 

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As for the "where were you when you found out" questions, I honestly didn't know who he was when he died. It was 1991 and I was in the 5th grade. It also happened to be the first year I paid attention to MTV. By then, it's been years since Queen made a hit record. Yes, I already heard that "We Will Rock You" song as you can always hear in the background on televised sports games. But I was totally unaware of their other songs. 

But in the following months, I sure caught up in knowing who he was. I learned where Vanilla Ice got the beat from. I learned of "We are the Champions".   There was the televised tribute concert from Wembley Stadium. And of course, in early 1992, there was the movie "Wayne's World" where the characters were singing Bohemian Rhapsody while riding in a car. And because of that movie, the music video for that song got heavy MTV airplay the next few months as if it was a new track. 

And every few years, a new generation gets introduced to Freddie Mercury and Queen!  Whether it's because another of their songs get sampled, another movie used their song in the soundtrack, Adam Lambert joined the band on their tours, a singer naming herself after a Queen song (that would be Lady Gaga), and of course, the biopic featuring Rami Malek. 

And now, a generation born after Mercury's death knows his songs by heart! 

While Freddie Mercury died too soon, his legend lives on!