Monday, October 15, 2018

Officially an Adult for 2 decades: I'm 38 today

Yes, it's true!

As of today, I've been an adult for 2 decades! 

[note: Hawaii officially recognize a person as an adult at age 18! You're eligible to vote, join the military or get sent to adult prison. But have to wait until 21 to be eligible to get a handgun or drink alcoholic beverages.]


Besides the legal stuff,  there's the physical changes.

I already developed a bald spot (got to be the European side of the family, my Native Mexican dad start losing later in life as compared to the men on my mom's side of the family), so I constantly shave my head so that my lack of head hair is evenly distributed! 





Some of my facial hairs turned white, though it doesn't seem visible on this photo. But when I look at a mirror, I see a few! 

Metabolism must've slowed down too! I exercise as much as possible, though self-discipline when it comes to eating has been a struggle.  Plus, getting the flu earlier this year and not being able to exercise heavily during that time sure didn't help with my weight either! 
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Am I where I'm expected to be right now? Have I accomplished all that I expected by this age? No!

Yes, I've been able to last 13 years as a substitute teacher (note to self: that's as long as I've been a student through the K-12 system) so there's some pride in that!

But I still haven't landed a full-time library job that I was hoping to land by now, but I'm pretty much established as a reliable volunteer with the Friends of the Library of Hawaii! I'm basically present at many of their events, especially the First Friday at Books@Mark's, as well as the annual booksales that take place at McKinley High School and Washington Middle School.

I'm also working as a digital musician under my alias Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior!  In case you didn't know, I specialize in making instrumental tracks of various genres.  As noted in my previous blog post, earlier this month, I have released a heavy metal instrumental album Urban Honolulu Metal Industries! 

Also this month, I'll be releasing a single that isn't associated with the album!  This single will be a dark ambient instrumental with a Halloween vibe!


cover art by me
Slow Walking Through a Haunted Castle


check the video for "Slow Walking Through a Haunted Castle"


You can help me with my music career by going to iTunes, Google Play or CD Baby,  look under Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior find some tracks you like and download them! Or you can buy the physical CD at CD Baby! 

(note to Honolulu residents: I have a very limited supply CD copies of Urban Honolulu Metal Industries, contact me, we can meet in public and I'll sell it to you! )

And for DJs out there, I encourage you to play my tracks at your events. I also encourage film-makers to use my instrumental tracks as part of your film score.  Don't forget to pay my music publisher (that would be CD Baby Publishing and ASCAP) 

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As for plans?  Continue to work on my music, continue to search for library-related opportunities in Honolulu, be more disciplined with eating & exercise, and continue my path to greater maturity! 

And of course, continue to share ideas on my blog!  


Monday, October 01, 2018

Urban Honolulu Metal Industries

It is finally here!

Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior has a new album out today! 


Back in July, I had a blog post about producing an instrumental album of experimental metal tracks!

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/07/coming-soon-to-stereo-near-you.html


That album is titled ...........

"Urban Honolulu Metal Industries: an instrumental album"



The official album description


Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior grew up in urban Honolulu in the 80’s and 90’s  fascinated by the aggressive, energetic sounds of heavy metal. He even thought of starting a rap-metal band but recruiting difficulties and other responsibilities got in the way.

With digital technology, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior has become a one-man band making instrumental tracks of various genres.  He has created the Urban Honolulu Metal Industries, where he mixes heavy metal with  classical music, dubstep, industrial, Caribbean, polka, brass, hip-hop and more to manufacture some amazing instrumental metal tracks. 

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 The tracks were made using the Magix Music Maker softwares (Music Maker Jam  and Music Maker Live 2016). The artist has bought the Audio Pro Unlimited license to professionally sell tracks made with Music Maker softwares!


The album is being distributed and published by CD Baby.

CD Baby is also selling physical CDs and mp3 downloads for Urban Honolulu Metal Industries! 

check it out at
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/pablothemadtigerwarrior8
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The album is also now available for digital downloads on iTunes and Google Play

iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/urban-honolulu-metal-industries-an-instrumental-album/1436253773

Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Pablo_the_Mad_Tiger_Warrior_Urban_Honolulu_Metal_I?id=Beowhhhjxf4i3ysr6lkdr4glwh4

For streaming users, the tracks are also available on Spotify, Apple Music and  Soundcloud.


===========================

You can learn about the production of the album from my July blog post titled "Coming Soon to a Stereo Near You"
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/07/coming-soon-to-stereo-near-you.html


Since that blog post, I have made it my mission to give great titles to my instrumental tracks, to make sure the titles are attention grabbing titles that match what the listeners envision while listening to the track

Here are the track listings


1. Factory Machines in Motion  
2.Wobbly Metal and the Flame Thrower
3.Heavy O Railroad         
4.Midnight Ride Through the Tunnel       
5. Music for Motorbike Speed Chase      
6. Music for Motorbike Stunts   
7.Motorbike Racing Down Mountain Road           
8. Metal & Orchestra for Skydiving Film Scene    
9. Ride Through the Rough Terrain           
10. Brassy Bassy Instrumental Metal       
11.  Tropical Frog     
12. Reggaeton Metal for the Tropical Moped Ride            
13. Heavy Metal Carnival Accordion
14. Metal with Strange Sound           
15. Metal with Bear Yawn   


I think I did a much better job with track titles than I did with my previous 2 instrumental albums. 

Most (but not all) of the songs are industrial sounding tracks that might remind listeners of Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein. (just don't expect me to dress in the gothic style 😃😃)

Track #1&2 takes you to the factory, putting the industrial settings on the track

Track #3 takes you on the railroad

Track #4 kinda gives the vibe of a Batmobile driving through the night

Track #5-7 are all about the motorbikes. You don't actually hear the motorbikes roaring, but you can definitely envision those tracks being used as film/game scores for scenes with motorbikes. Track #6 just sounded something like you would hear at a motorbike stunt show

Track #8 is a metal orchestra track that just sounds for perfect as a score for skydiving scenes

Track #9 kinda gives a Wild Western vibe where you can ride on a rough terrain, either on a horse, pickup truck or ATV

Track #10 (Brassy Bassy Instrumental Metal) has some brass instrument sounds that might remind listeners of Fishbone, the legends of mixing metal, ska, jazz, funk, punk and more!

Track #11 & 12 mixes heavy metal riffs with some Carribean dancehall & reggaeton flavor! 

Track #13 brings some accordions to heavy metal!

Track #14 and Track #15 are reminiscent of songs from my hip-hop instrumental album (Urban Honolulu Jams),  I just mixed some heavy metal riffs with soundpools I sampled for my hip-hop songs!

=====================


For the future


I have already made a video for the 1st track "Factory Machines in Motion". I do plan to make videos for all the tracks. I can't afford big budget videos, so it's mostly going to be still images that I add via Movie Maker app! 

However, I do have other responsibilities so I can't guarantee that I will make x-amount of videos within a certain time frame. Though I plan to do them in a shorter amount of time than I did for the videos from the previous album "Sounds Like a Video Game"

As for the future of my music, I was seriously considering doing a vocal album. But I think that will wait! I'm not ready!

To contrast my current album of instrumental metal tracks, I plan my next album to have quieter, softer sounds! Relaxing music!

I already made a few slow jams. I will definitely experiment with multiple genres to make a classic album of relaxing instrumental music.

==
Then maybe another album of hip-hop and electronic music? I made a few tracks already! But that will wait!

Until then, I hope you enjoy all the metal tracks produced by the Urban Honolulu Metal Industries!




Sunday, September 30, 2018

Adventures with my new KeyOne

Back in October 2013, I finally joined in the smartphone revolution.

That was when I got my BlackBerry Q10!

I blogged about it at 
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html


Even then, the techie trolls were claiming that "BlackBerry is going out of business", blah, blah, blah!

But BlackBerry made the only smartphones that had a physical keyboard and I hate typing on touchscreens! 

If I'm going to spend hard-earned money on gadgets, I have to choose one that is right for me, not mindlessly follow trends!

BlackBerry is still in business and has made new phones since the Q10 I got in 2013.  They had the Passport (a square looking smartphone looking like a ........passport), the Classic, Motion (touchscreen only) the Priv (w/ a sliding keyboard), the KeyOne and the Key2!

My Q10 had been wonderful for me all these years. I can still text and call people on it!

However, the browser has become too outdated to access certain websites. It was OK for a while since I can always wait to go home to use my desktop!

But once I was unable to view my bank's website .......... that's it, I'm replacing my Q10! 

I'm still keeping my Q10 as a backup!

=====

But I still wanted a BlackBerry! I still wanted physical keyboards.

Back when the Q10 was released, the BlackBerry phone just used the BlackBerry 10 operating system. Some apps were compatible. However, since then, many app makers only made apps that were compatible with iOs (for Apple's iPhones) or Android!

So BlackBerry joined forces with Android so that their new phones can access Android apps! 

The Priv, KeyOne, and Key2 are all BlackBerry phones with Android operating systems.

KeyOne came out last year, Key2 was the latest!

Being that I don't have a big budget, I just decided to get the slightly older KeyOne instead of the more expensive Key2.

As long as it has a physical keyboard, phone, text, email, and access to Android apps, the KeyOne is fine with me!


photo copyright to BlackBerry

The KeyOne

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I bought my Q10 via the T-Mobile website. 

However, T-Mobile wasn't selling any more BlackBerry phones via its website lately, though I was able to buy some unlocked BlackBerry phones via the BestBuy website.

I was able to pick it up at the local Best Buy and took it to the local T-Mobile store (downtown Honolulu).

For some of the staff there, they said they have seen that phone in ads or in media reviews but it was the first KeyOne they saw in person!

It took a while to transfer some data (especially my contacts) from my Q10 to the KeyOne. The person servicing my phones Sean was very patient, knowledgeable and friendly! He definitely deserves an award for customer service.

==========

Anytime you're transitioning to a new device, there's always a learning curve. Even though the Q10 and KeyOne are both BlackBerry phones (and did I say both have physical keyboards 😉) being that I got them 5 years apart and that KeyOne is an Android phone means that certain things have changed!

Besides being able to access Android apps, just learning to use the Android system was an adjustment.

The KeyOne has a bigger screen (one female friend giggled about my Q10 screen being small), but it does have a smaller keyboard! The smaller keyboard could be a problem for those with big fingers!

The Q10 had a replaceable battery (and I replaced the battery a few times over the years) but the KeyOne doesn't. 

Good news ..... yes it is true, the KeyOne battery doesn't drain so easily! We can go longer between charging times!

Bad news ...........but if something goes wrong with the battery, I just can't take it out like I did with the Q10! 


--

The power button for the Q10 was on the top. The power button for the KeyOne is on the side.  I think they had it right for the Q10!

I bought the Incipio phone cover for both the Q10 and KeyOne. The Incipio cover was just right for the Q10! The Incipio for the KeyOne was a disaster. It is too tight around the KeyOne, being that the power is on the side, the Incipio cover kept pressing the power button over and over again!

I just went to WalMart to look for phone covers made for phones the same size as the KeyOne. The phone covers made for SamSung Galaxy 9 can also fit the KeyOne just fine. I bought an Otterbox cover made for the Galaxy 9 and use that as the cover for my KeyOne. It was perfect for my Keyone! 😃 It was cheaper too!😃
Needless to say, I returned the Incipio cover back to BestBuy and got my money back!


===

Whereas the Q10 had an opening from the back where you can insert the SIM and the micro-SD, the KeyOne requires you insert it from the side and you have to use the pointy metal thing that can fit into the hole to pop out the SIM/micro-SD jack!  I liked the Q10 way of inserting the SIM/SD better!

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The USB charger for the Q10 connects to the side.  The USB charger for the KeyOne connects to the bottom. The jury is still out for that one!

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Even with all those comparisons and adjustments, I'm loving my KeyOne. While I  do have a preference for and will miss some of the exterior designs of the Q10, I have to say the larger screen and the software for the KeyOne is a massive improvement from the Q10! 

I'm definitely going to keep the KeyOne as long as I can, and I will continue to encourage people to use BlackBerry phones!

Not only does it have a physical keyboard😃, it is also highly rated for cyber-security 😃

I am still #TeamBlackBerry  😃

Friday, September 28, 2018

coming soon

Coming soon to this blog post


1) Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior's latest instrumental album is coming out next week on October 1st.

I kinda sorta described it in a July blog post titled "Coming soon to a stereo near you"

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/07/coming-soon-to-stereo-near-you.html


However, I will have much more to say in my upcoming blog post about the album release! Stay tuned!

2) I recently replaced my BlackBerry Q10 with a BlackBerry KeyOne. 

As my fans would know, I'm a big fan of BlackBerry's physical keyboards.

I got my BlackBerry q10 back in 2013. 

Here's my blog post about it!


https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html


I will explain why I got a new BlackBerry as well as compare the 2 versions in a future blog post.

Monday, September 24, 2018

Public shaming of bigots in Hawaii (part 4)

The previous "Public Shaming of Bigots in Hawaii" can be found here 

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/09/public-shaming-of-bigots-in-hawaii-part.html


In my previous edition of "Public Shaming of Bigots in Hawaii, I mentioned about Honolulu Civil Beat article that posted racist screenshots about Micronesians

https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/09/beingmicronesian-in-hawaii-means-lots-of-online-hate/


The article writer now mentioned that some of the racist commenters backed down really fast begging for mercy. 

https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/09/why-talking-about-anti-micronesian-hate-is-important/ 


Great work Civil Beat.


However, one of the bigots Kawohi Kekumu refused to back down and claimed that the Micronesian community isn't doing anything to keep their youth out of trouble. Yet, when the Civil Beat journalist mentioned about "We are Oceania", which Micronesian community leaders are working to keep Micronesian youth out of trouble, well Kawohi Kekumu didn't know about it!

Just like Donald Trump, Kawohi Kekumu DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE FACTS, they just FEEL that other groups are lesser than them! Well, eff their racist feelings! 


On the facebook post about the Civil Beat article, I found a few more racist screenshots to expose to the public.


https://www.facebook.com/civilbeat/posts/2139759742723409
The racist oinks that I expose here include Vince Hogan, Kat Cos and Lorain Rumfield, all racists against Micronesians.








If that's how these people want to be known, let them have their 15 minutes of fame, and it could be Googled by potential employers and clients who will say "eww, I don't want to work around those racist oinks!"


===

Not sure if Kat Cos is a real name, if it ain't, I'll just say posting inflammatory comments behind a fake name is cowardly! 

I put my real name behind my comments! 


==========================


September 25th updates 

I found even more disturbing comments in response to the facebook post regarding the Civil Beat article, this time from Kawika Lautej.   Kawika Lautej claims our government spends money to help Micronesian immigrants instead of Native Hawaiians, nevermind that OHA (Office of Hawaiian Affairs) and DHHL (Department of Hawaiian HomeLands) spends millions of taxpayers money to benefit Native Hawaiians. Also, we have a wealthy private organization Kamehameha Schools that spends MILLIONS on education and charities to benefit Native Hawaiians



(note: COFA refers to Compact of Free Association which allows for immigration from Micronesian islands that were former US territories.)

But Kawkika Lateuj gets even worse. He claims that Micronesians cause crime, NEVERMIND that other ethnicities that been in Hawaii longer also have their own gangs.





Here is my response to Kawika Lautej's racist garbage



(note: the gangs I've mentioned have operated in the 80s/90s and have memberships that are majority Filipino or Polynesian or Vietnamese.)

As someone who lived in Kalihi in the 80s and 90s, I know for a damn fact that those were the high-crime era with stabbings, head-stompings and even drive-bys. Most of the gang rivalries there involved Filipinos or Polynesians. At McKinley High School (go Tigers), Vietnamese gangs were also in the mix.

All this before the Micronesians came in greater numbers since the late 90s.

So don't give me this crap about Hawaii being a crime-free, gang-free utopia before Micronesians came here because that's NOT true!

Back in the late 20th century, it was the Filipinos and the Polynesians that were looked down as "ghetto, thuggish people". But as many from those groups eventually rise into the middle class, people started to look down on more recent arrivals and therefore the Micronesians have suffered from the stigma once aimed at the Filipinos and Polynesians.


Saturday, September 22, 2018

your past can come back to haunt you

The past will often attack the present with the pain of your memories
- Seiichi Kirima



Sure, most of us wouldn't want to be judged now based on what we were like in high school. I cringe when people expect me to have the same opinions and attitudes that I had in high school! People do evolve!

But your wrongful actions do cause psychological harm to others that don't always go away.

This is why some politicians (usually Republicans with the assistance of some Democrats) have supported life or death sentences for teenage criminals who committed heinous crimes.

You don't become less dead just because the person who killed you was a teenager.

But the Republican supporters are now saying that Brett Kavanaugh  (currently a Supreme Court nominee) shouldn't be disqualified for the Supreme Court over a youthful indiscretion.

But what youthful indiscretion are they talking about?

Cutting class? No!
Smoking a joint? No!
Being rude to a teacher? No!
Shoplifting?No!

Attempted rape? YES!

The trauma and stigma of rape (or even attempted rape) doesn't go away just because the attacker was a teenager.

The same so-called conservatives who are quick to demand life-with-no-parole sentences for black/brown teenage rapists are now pleading for forgiveness towards an Anglo alumnus of a private school who attempted to rape a female peer because "you can't punish an adult for what they did in high school".

Yet, there are middle-aged adults who are still serving time for crimes committed when they are in high school.

Even worse, those who are defending Kavanaugh by saying "you can't punish an adult for what they did in high school" are nearly silent about a 12-year old (in other words, TOO YOUNG FOR HIGH SCHOOL) Tamir Rice being killed by the police for holding a FAKE gun!

But those same so-called conservatives are claiming liberal mothers and teachers are "feminizing our boys" by not allowing them to play with FAKE guns, yet those same so-called conservatives make excuses for police officers who killed a 12-year old African-American boy playing with a FAKE gun!

Learn more about the Republican hypocrisy about age and youthful indiscretions at

Michelle Goldberg, “Boys Will Be Supreme Court Justices,” New York Times, September 17, 2018,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/opinion/columnists/christine-blasey-ford-brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-republicans.html

Chauncey DeVega, “Brett Kavanaugh Is a Blend of Toxic Male Privilege and Affluenza: a Perfect Fit for Donald Trump,” Salon, September 19, 2018, 
https://www.salon.com/2018/09/19/brett-kavanaugh-is-a-blend-of-toxic-male-privilege-and-affluenza-a-perfect-fit-for-donald-trump/ 


Also, isn't it a great idea to tell our teenagers their actions can have lifelong consequences? Wouldn't it be great to tell them that if they commit rape, that would severely affect their ability to access opportunities to achieve their dreams?

Yes, some teenagers might think twice if they know that if they force themselves sexually on others, their opportunities will drastically decline!

What's wrong with telling them that?

Punishing a 53-year old man for committing an attempted rape when he was 17 gives a VERY POWERFUL MESSAGE TO OUR YOUTH!  It tells them


  • your actions will come back to haunt you
  • just because you're not being punished right away, that doesn't mean you won't get punished later
  • just because your victim is too scared to be called a "snitch" now, that doesn't mean he/she will forever be afraid to be called a "snitch"
  • Your punishment might come when you have a lot more to lose.



By sending those message, you will save people from being victimized! You might even save a life!






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And now these so-called conservatives are calling Democrat senator Cory Booker a hypocrite for demanding an investigation of Kavanaugh's attempted rape allegations.

Those so-called conservatives are pointing an article that Cory Booker wrote for his college newspaper in 1992, talking about how he has evolved since high school when it comes to treatment of women. His article mentioned that he groped a female classmate and that he later apologized to her!

learn more about Cory Booker's forthcoming on youthful sins at
Isaac Stanley-Becker, “In 1992, Cory Booker Wrote of ‘groping’ a High School Friend as They ‘fumbled Upon a Bed’ and Issued a Call for Sexual Respect,” Washington Post, September 21, 2018, 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/09/21/in-1992-cory-booker-admitted-to-groping-a-high-school-classmate-and-issued-a-call-for-sexual-respect/1

As far as I'm concerned, Cory Booker did the honorable thing by admitting his actions and expressing remorse! And he did that when he was in his early 20's, he didn't wait until he was already a rising political star when bad news about his youthful sins could eventually become public. He admitted it early and expressed remorse early!


As for me, I did some things in high school that I regret, though nothing like what Brett Kavanaugh is being accused of. 

However, I already did write multiple blogs about my past regrets and about how I evolved in my actions and attitudes over time.


Check out the following blog posts written by me about past regrets


"Outgrowing Inappropriate Humor"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/10/outgrowing-inappropriate-humor.html


"comments on #metoo (social awkwardness edition)"
(note: this one involved sexual harassment and inappropriate humor)
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/02/comments-on-metoo-social-awkwardness.html

"private locker room stalls"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/05/private-locker-room-stalls.html

"stop taunting your enemies based on physical features"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/stop-taunting-your-enemies-based-on.html
You may not be able to change the past, but you can definitely be honest about it, express remorse, and discourage the younger generation from making the same mistakes you made.

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And for those who claim Cory Booker or me are hypocrites for discouraging the younger generations from making the same mistakes we did, check out this post by  Gabby Padilla



"Just because you did something wrong in the past doesn't mean you can't advocate against it now. It doesn't make you a hypocrite. You grew. Don't let people use your past to invalidate your current mindset."     GROWTH     A concept. Embrace it.




"Just because you did something wrong in the past doesn't mean you can't advocate against it now. It doesn't make you a hypocrite. You grew. Don't let people use your past to invalidate your current mindset."    

GROWTH   

  A concept. Embrace it.

(note: post from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2164678653804987&set=a.1378680662404794&type=3&theater)

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Public shaming of bigots in Hawaii (part 3)

The previous "Public Shaming of Bigots in Hawaii" can be found here



Recently in Honolulu Civil Beat,  there was an article about online expressions of hatred towards Micronesians. One woman of Palauan ancestry has posted screenshots of racist comments about Micronesians in the article.



Those who made such comments probably was just posting them only thinking it would be read within the next 48 hours and only to be forgotten. But now that their comments have been screenshot for an online news article  that could be cited for future research and news articles, their names will long be connected to those expressions of racial hatred!

That means potential employers might find them!  Oops, that means less likely to be hired!

Within the facebook post promoting that same exact Civil Beat article featuring screenshots of racist comments against Micronesians, the comment threads include even more racist comments about Micronesians. 

(here's the facebook post link)
https://www.facebook.com/civilbeat/posts/2133540413345342

It's as if those people don't get that article is warning them to stop making those racist comments or you'll be the next one to be publicly exposed.

Well, I'm going to post screenshots of those comments.

Let's start with Thomas Hwang, who relies on code words like "betel nut" to promote his dislike of Micronesians!



As if you're supposed to feel better if someone of your race stole your stuff? You only feel bad about your stuff stolen if the thief is of a different race?


then comes Nicholete Robino Ito with this, claiming that negative experience with members of a racial group justifies racial hatred.




None of that justifies racial hatred!

You find jerky neighbors of every racial group!

You also would know some good neighbors of every racial group too!

In my 37 years (about to be 38), I think I've lived with nearly every racial group. Even the ethnic groups that are rare in Hawaii had a few members who lived in my apartment building for at least a  brief time. So I've been able to have positive interactions with every racial group. Sure, a few individuals may be wacky, but I've always separated the individual from the group! 

If you want to look for negative, you'll find it where negative doesn't exist!

But if you insist on being negative and racist, I might as well make you well-known for it!

That way people can avoid you before they meet you!

"good luck" with your 15 minutes of fame!


====

PS: I warned those people making those comments that I will take screenshots of those racist comments. Nicholete Robino Ito dared me. So now  she can't complain if  this appears on  Google searches for her name!


again, refer to the earlier screenshot I posted.  Ito's comments are very racist!