government workers, libertarians, unions, wages

I wish I had more time to blog when the federal government shutdown was going on, but I can still say something now!

During the government shutdown, many of the employees either had to stay home or work without pay until the shutdown was over.  Most of the public sympathized with the workers who had to struggle to pay their rent and feed their families.

However,  there were some libertarians who were just happy to see government workers feel the pain, because "taxation is theft" and therefore government workers deserve to suffer.

Don't get me wrong, the libertarians made many valuable contributions to the political debate. They were for the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage way before it was cool for the Democrats to say so! They have been sounding the alarm over mass incarceration back when Democrats like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden were trying to outdo the Republicans in who can be more punitive towards drug users/dealers.  They were for open borders when Clinton & Obama was trying to have it both ways on immigration enforcement. They were the open skeptics towards America's aggressive foreign policy when the general public was ready for war after 9/11.  They also favor the legalization of sex-work when many are still reluctant to do so. They also prefer a non-punitive approach to solving the plastic waste crisis when the "woke" want a more aggressive approach.

Even on economic issues, they still make some persuasive points to the general public. For example, they are the voice for many small-time entrepreneurs who can't navigate the excessive bureaucratic red tape the way major corporations can. They are correct in pointing out that capitalism brings more innovation and life-enhancing improvements than socialism. They fight against excessive tax increases that put a strain on working families.

However, when libertarians mock the pain of government workers facing hard times during government shutdowns, they turn off potential supporters.

Yeah, I know the cliche, "taxation is theft".

But in many cases, the workers working in government are there because they needed a job, and the government happens to be the one who was hiring when they were applying.

Let's put it this way, a person working at Target isn't there because "Target is objectively better than WalMart", the person is working a Target purely because Target  was hiring when he/she was applying for jobs, because Target responded faster after filling out the application or because Target said "you're hired" before WalMart did!

Yes, I work for the state government as a librarian. Most libraries are government-run, though there have been more privately run libraries before the government took a larger share. Some private organizations still have their libraries.


I have applied for libraries run by government and non-government organizations! So why am I working at a library at a government-run school rather than a library run by a private organization? Because the library at a government-run school told me I was hired! Simple as that!  

If a library run by a private organization was the 1st library to tell me "you're hired", I would be working for that library right now!

The same is true for most government workers!  It's all about who says "you're hired" first when you need to pay your bills now! 


If you believe that libraries (or schools or nature reserves or public transportation or public parks) are better off run by private organizations, then I encourage you to make the case to the public. 

But gloating at employees at libraries (or schools or nature reserves or public transportation or public parks) when they are suffering from government shutdowns DOES NOT help the libertarian cause.  Socialist activists MEGA-LOVE it when they hear libertarians supporters gloat at the suffering government employees because such gloating makes life easier for socialist activists to advocate for more socialism. 


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Enough about government shutdowns, now let's focus on government-mandated wage rates.


Libertarians do make a good case when they note that minimum wage increases cause suffering for small-time entrepreneurs.  Unlike Amazon or WalMart, small-time entrepreneurs don't have enough profits to pay for all the wage increases.

Democratic socialists demand higher minimum wage and yet they say we need to be more like Sweden or Denmark. 

But those countries don't have a minimum wage.

What they do have is a system where unions are more widespread and unions negotiate with employers.

(learn more at
“Working in Sweden: Wages, Working Hours and Annual Leave,” Just Landed, accessed April 9, 2019, 
https://www.justlanded.com/english/Sweden/Sweden-Guide/Jobs/Working-in-Sweden

Claire Boyte-White, “5 Developed Countries Without Minimum Wages,” Investopedia, August 5, 2015,
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/080515/5-developed-countries-without-minimum-wages.asp

Instead of a mandatory minimum wage, I believe all workers should be offered union membership. 

I don't believe workers should be required to join a union to have a job (yes, I agree with the Janus decision from the Supreme Court).

However, I believe that when hired, workers should receive brochures from all available unions, just like how they're usually offered information from all available health insurance plans. 

(note: in Hawaii, employers are required to offer, but not force, employees information about available health insurance plans)

Unions do offer valuable protection to workers and can negotiate better deals for the workers.

(note: I spent 13 years as a substitute teacher, a position that doesn't come with union membership and therefore not much due process available :(  That experience made me much more appreciative of being able to join a union when I got hired as a full-time library worker).

So instead of having the government tell businesses what to pay the workers, I think all workers should be offered union membership, and that unions and the employers should negotiate all compensation packages circa every 4 years.  The workers should also be allowed to peacefully protest against unjust conditions without retaliation from the employers.  The government should step in where there are abusive conditions at the workplace. However,  I think wages should be negotiated between unions and employers, and that the government should just step in if the employer isn't paying what they promised in the negotiated agreement.

Also, we should ban those Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) that pressures employees to be silent about their experience with abusive work environments.  NDAs are meant to protect perverts and other abusers from being publicly exposed for who they are!  NDAs are the weapon of lowlife scum to further psychologically harm their victims! 

Same thing with employment agreements that don't allow the use of courts to solve disputes. While unions can help resolve workplace issues, sometimes they have limits, and employees should have the right to sue in court. Many employers use mandatory arbitration for the sole purpose of avoiding embarrassing facts to be revealed in public records.  All employment disputes that aren't resolved at the workplace/union level should be allowed to go to court! 

Respecting what doesn't interest you

Today, I came across this wonderful comic on Facebook, originally posted by John Stenger (not sure if he drew it though) who called it "The Art of Gallery Diplomacy". Stenger's post was shared by Hawaii Museums Association!

In the comic, the mother is telling her son 

Instead of "It sucks" you could say "It doesn't speak to me"

That to me is very powerful!

It is something I should've learned to say earlier in life.

Too many times as a youth, I would say insulting things about art/songs/shows/etc that didn't appeal to me, without realizing how much those comments hurt those who appreciated the art/songs/shows/etc that I insulted!

The interesting thing is that as an adult, I start to appreciate the art/songs/shows/etc that I disparaged as a youth! 

Being more open-minded is a part of maturity and it helps your mental health!

Being respectful of other people's interests can go a long way in bringing good vibes in your life!

Separating the Art from the Artist, and the Preservation of History

Ever since the revitalization of the #metoo movement, many famous, talented and successful people have been exposed as sexual harassers and even sexual predators.

This has caused some mental anguish for many who want justice for sex abuse victims but still conflicted because the accused have contributed great art they have enjoyed. 

For example, there have been documentaries focusing on the alleged victims of R. Kelly and Micheal Jackson.

Both singers have contributed classic songs that we associated with special memories.  Their songs have been played at graduations, weddings, and nightclubs.

But the allegations are very serious. 

Both have been found not guilty in court, though R. Kelly faces new charges and investigations. Meanwhile, Micheal Jackson has been dead for a decade, so there's not much we can do now. 

Meanwhile, there have been demands that Spotify and other streaming outlets no longer make R. Kelly's music available. 


Louis CK's specials have been erased from some online venues since his masturbation allegations surfaced. Kevin Spacey's scenes were deleted from an upcoming film after his sexual assault allegations surfaced.

The Cosby Show reruns have stopped running on various TV stations after Bill Cosby was found guilty of rape.


Yes, any allegations of sexual abuse should be properly investigated, and the predators need to be held accountable.


But we shouldn't erase history to be politically correct.

For the interest of history preservation, I believe that the art should be publicly accessible even if it comes from really bad people.

If you want to study the evolution of the media portrayal of African-Americans, it is very essential that people be able to access The Cosby Show. That show was an important part of entertainment history.

To study the evolution of pop and R&B, you have to be able to access the music of Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. Their music defined a generation.  It is their music that paved the way for Usher,  Ne-Yo, Pharell, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and more.

If there's money involved (ie. profits from streaming), then whatever money is being made from the bad artist's art should be donated to services for sex abuse victims. 

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Let's look outside of the arts. If you want to be a good running back, it is essential to study the highlights of OJ Simpson.  He was the best to ever play the position. Admiring his ability to dodge tackles doesn't mean being OK with his domestic abuse. 

The same can be true for the arts.

Enjoying R. Kelly's music doesn't mean that you're OK with his abuse of women. 

I can't pretend I'm not going to listen to his music.

But I do advocate that he be accountable by the justice system. I do advocate that he be locked up, do some hard labor and get psychiatric help behind bars. 

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When you study history, you do notice that some great contributions come from human rights abusers.

The most beautiful documents about protecting human liberty were written by Thomas Jefferson. His words set the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy today.

However, Thomas Jefferson was also a slave-owner who raped his slave mistress! 

We can praise Jefferson's contributions to democracy and human rights, while still being appalled by his brutality towards his slaves.

Leaders who contributed greater good and the greater bad isn't just limited to America. 

The French king Charlemagne developed an education system that was the envy of the world. Literacy was encouraged and libraries were built. Much of our literary culture can be traced to his leadership. 

 However, Charlemagne was also a vicious conqueror who brutalized much of Europe. But because Charlemagne's armies killed other "white" people, the modern so-called "justice warriors" just aren't going to denounce him with as much passion as they do to Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers.

Intellectual maturity requires understanding that much of what is good can also come from people who committed a lot of bad. Very few people are one-dimensional characters.

It is up to us to praise the good and criticize the bad that comes from the same individual. 

We can note that Thomas Jefferson was a great visionary about promoting liberty while also noting he was a hypocrite who owned slaves.

We can note the Charlemagne set up a great education system that benefits us to this very day, while also noting that he was a bloodthirsty dictator.

We can note that OJ Simpson was one of the greatest athletes ever, but also someone who abused (and most likely killed) his ex-wife. 

We can note that Bill Cosby has produced classic comedy and has given many scholarships to help African-American students, while also noting that he is a rapist.

We can note that R. Kelly has made some classic songs that were part of our memorable moments, while also noting that he should face criminal prosecutions for his very disturbing allegations of rape.  



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More interesting articles  on this topic


1)  From Salon

Amanda Marcotte, “Can we still listen to Michael Jackson? We wouldn't need 'cancel culture' if we had justice culture,” Salon, March 1, 2019, https://www.salon.com/2019/03/01/can-we-still-listen-to-michael-jackson-we-wouldnt-need-cancel-culture-if-we-had-justice-culture/

The article that expresses that "Separating the art from the artist would be a lot easier if celebrities faced major consequences for their crimes."

The article also mentions how the public reaction to Tupac Shakur's conviction for sexual assault is different from the reaction to R.Kelly's allegations. 

Last year, Ayanna Jackson spoke out, as part of the #MeToo movement, about being gang-raped in 1993 by a group of men that included rapper Tupac Shakur. Her story is incredibly violent and distressing and, unfortunately, was met with scorn by those who prefer to believe the denials Shakur kept issuing until his death in 1996.

Ultimately, there was nowhere near the same level public reckoning over Shakur's legacy as there has been over some other artists believed to have committed sexual violence. I suspect the difference comes down to this: Shakur was convicted and sentenced for his crime.

His prison time was relatively short, just nine months. But what matters more is that there was a trial and the victim received public vindication. We do not have to say the crime was "alleged." We can call [Ayanna] Jackson the victim, not the "accuser." She received at least some measure of justice in a real court of law, so there is less need to grasp for some kind of cosmic justice by refusing to listen to Shakur's records.

2) basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflects on his friendship with Bill Cosby, and how he now feels conflicted about his friendship and his appreciation for Cosby's legacy knowing that Bill Cosby violated many women. 


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “My Bill Cosby Friendship and When Bad People Make Good Art,” kareemabduljabbar.com
https://kareemabduljabbar.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar-my-bill-cosby-friendship-and-when-bad-people-make-good-art/

Yesterday's Victims can be Tomorrow's Oppressors

Being victimized  DOES NOT make you immune from victimizing others!

However, saying such comments can cause hysterical reactions such as .......

• Really?!? "Intolerant social justice warriors"? Are they too intolerant of neo-Nazis? "Which is better or worse" how can you even group them together..? !? !

That comment was made in response to a facebook post related to how extreme left-wing so-called "justice" warriors bullied a liberal-leaning professor who questioned their tactics.

And that facebook post itself was posted by a Asian-American Bernie Sanders supporter "woke" in all the "right" (or in this case "left") causes.  She was concerned about how the So-called Justice Warriors  hurts the dialogue necessary to advance justice.

When a person of non-European ancestry makes a bigoted comment (or even commits a hate crime), the So-called Justice Warriors will scream "how dare you practice false equivalency, don't you know your history. A few non-white bigots don't compare to 400 years of slavery and segregation"

You want to talk about history?

Let's talk about history!

History is FILLED with former victims becoming victimizers.

One example is Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe. He fought against European domination of what was then called Rhodesia! He took over as a brutal dictator who caused massive human misery in his homeland. 

But had you criticize him back when Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia, you'll get hysterical reactions from people yelling "how dare you make him sound equivalent to the British imperialists who oppress us" . 

This isn't limited to Zimbabwe as Uganda's Idi Amin and Cambodia's Pol Pot were all born as subjects to European empires, but became mass-murdering dictators.

 The book "Animal Farm" illustrates that example so well!

This isn't an "Alt-Right" rant as I respect REAL justice warriors like Nelson Mandela who who said when he was on trial that he is just against black supremacy as he was against white supremacy. If someone says that now, they'll be accused of "false equivalency".

Nelson Mandela is definitely a role model for real social justice. He was very assertive in the face of the brutal apartheid regime. For his actions, he was forced into 27 years of imprisonment. When he was released, he did everything he could to calm tensions when many feared civil war. He spoke in favor of racial reconciliation.  He became the nation's first post-apartheid president back in 1994, and refused to run for re-election because he believed that the nation shouldn't under the rule of one person for too long. 

That is someone in favor of real justice.

The So-called Justice Warriors could learn a lot from him.

Toxic Masculinity isn't the Same Thing as "All Masculinity is Toxic"

If I say the words "red birds", does that mean I'm saying that "all birds are red"?

If I say "saltwater", does that mean I'm saying that "all water is saltwater"?


It's obvious that the answer to both questions is NO! 

But once you say the words "toxic masculinity", the so-called "real men" (and their female defenders) start screeching "how dare you say masculinity is toxic!"

It's like saying "how dare you say all trees are oak trees" when all you said was that oak trees exist!

The reason there is talk about "toxic masculinity" is because too males grow up with the attitude that I should do whatever I want (bully weaker boys, harass women, disrespect teachers, vandalize property) because "that's how I prove that I'm a man and not a sissy boy"  and "f--- you, because I can".

Yes, there are some extreme feminists who think that all boys are rapists/sexists/abusers/mansplainers by default and that they should all be treated guilty until proven innocent.  

However, the Gillette advertisement that is getting so much controversy isn't saying that at all! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0

Gillette advertisement:  

We Believe: The Best Men Can Be

It was encouraging males to use their masculinity to help others. In other words, it was promoting divine masculinity, the type of masculinity that encourages males to use their strength to help others!

If you are offended by that, then you are a scumbag who gets offended when someone stands up against your scumbag behavior.  #TimesUp


To make matters even more bizarre, many of the FoxNews "conservatives" who acted so offended by a Gillette ad encouraging men to stand up to harassment were the same exact people who were cheering Bill Cosby when he demanded that his fellow African-Americans take education and parenting seriously! Those FoxNews conservatives were happy when Bill Cosby told African-Americans to stop blaming all your problems on racism.  Yet, those FoxNews conservatives got all offended when Gillette told their male customers SIMILAR HARD TRUTHS that Bill Cosby told the African-American community. 

(yeah, I know Bill Cosby is a hypocrite that told young African-American males to "pull your pants up" when he was forcing women's pants down when they were too intoxicated to fight back. I only mentioned his name to show how hypocritical the FoxNews conservatives are on these issues).


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Toxic and Divine versions of masculinity and femininity

So just there are freshwater and saltwater, there are toxic masculinity and divine masculinity.

And yes, there is such a thing as toxic femininity and divine femininity.


There is this chart on Facebook that describes Divine Feminine/Masculine Balance.

credit:  Jeff Miller HP (facebook)

According to the chart

Divine Feminine is about Goodness,
and includes selflessness, energy for doing good, humility, contentment, perseverance, affection, compassion, patience, empathy, love.

 Divine Masculine is about Strength
and includes strength, confidence, assertiveness, energy for achievement, endurance, dignity, curiosity, decisiveness, focus and reason. 

Toxic Feminine is about Selfishness
and includes selfish, sabotaging, jealous, isolated, withholding, impatient, blame, despair. 

Toxic Masculine is about Weakness
and includes weak, self-loathing, angry, intimidated, boastful, reckless, indecisive, cowardice.


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There's another chart about the positive and negative versions of masculinity and femininity

According to the chart............

Positive Femininity is Patient, Sensitive, Devoted, Responsible and Appreciative.

 Negative Femininity is Timid, Weak, Needs Approval, Dependent and Nervous. 

Positive Masculinity is Strong, Confident, Firm, Forceful, and Carefree. 

Negative Masculinity is Aggressive, Bossy, Sarcastic, Rude and Feels Superior.

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I've already had a few blog posts relating to toxic masculinity, and the psychological harm it causes to males who don't fit the traditional masculine mold. You can read from the following links

Pablo Wegesend, “What is 'Be a Man' supposed to mean,” November 2, 2013
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-is-be-man-supposed-to-mean.html


Pablo Wegesend, “Locker room, manhood, and bullying,” January 3, 2014
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/01/locker-room-manhood-and-bullying.html


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On Toxic Femininity and how it causes psychological harm to females who don't fit the traditional feminine mode, I found this article from Medium


Devon Price, “Toxic Femininity Holds All of Us Back,” Medium, December 31, 2018, 
https://medium.com/s/story/toxic-femininity-is-a-thing-too-513088c6fcb3

Toxic femininity is not the same thing as simple “sexism,” but sexism and toxic femininity are certainly partners in crime. Sexism says that a woman is too frail or docile to play a contact sport; toxic femininity says that you don’t want to play football anyway, sweetie, you would look horrible and sweaty in the helmet and pads. Sexism is focused on robbing women of status and rights; toxic femininity is about defining womanhood so shallowly that a woman feels de-gendered by basic human acts or neutral preferences. Both factors lead to women being compressed into impossibly tight, uncomfortable shapes. One is the carrot and the other is the stick.

and more

I received a lot of toxic-femininity-based advice as a child and teen. I was told that not wanting to have children made me unacceptably unfeminine. Classmates said that my voice was unsuitably low and, worse, that I used it in a masculine way: I sang like a boy, and I declared things with flat confidence. I didn’t care about makeup throughout my middle school and high school years until some particularly vicious acne started to rear its head and I embraced powders and creams as a way to cover it up. I didn’t carry a purse. 

People worked very hard to remedy these things for me. Friends gave me late-night makeovers that made me cry, parents and grandparents gifted me with handbags and bottles of beige stuff, peers looked deep into my purple under-eye circles and asked me why I had them. They were all trying to help, dispensing practical advice for how to win in a system that ought to have been dismantled rather than gamed.
It was all toxic femininity. It was a cultural disease. It was nobody’s fault. And everyone around me suffered from it too.

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on Divine Masculinity and Divine Femininity

“Divine Balance, When Masculine Aligns with Feminine,” Beyond the Ordinary Show
https://www.beyondtheordinaryshow.com/spiritual-dictionary/divine-balance-masculine-feminine/

DIVINE MASCULINE

The Divine Masculine represents a spiritual, psychological and archetypal ideal of masculine energy. It is the highest, most inspiring and truest expression of masculinity that is manifested through thoughts, actions and beliefs.

The common misconception is that divine masculine is inherent to the male population. However, all of mankind has intrinsic Divine Masculine characteristics, such as logic, rationality, strength and leadership. These aspects of human personality or behaviors are deemed masculine, and depending on their expression through an individual, they can be balanced or imbalanced. Is one rational at the expense of a lack of emotional maturity? Is one’s strength overpowering, overbearing, or ego-driven? These are signs that the masculine energy is imbalanced.

A healthy representation of the Divine Masculine is witnessed through a person who is strong, but gentle. He has an appropriate action of guidance and leadership without the need of praise or ego-stroking. He turns away from greed and conflict, and instead stays in a space of honor, honesty and diplomacy. He is confident but not arrogant, and adventurous but not reckless. He is someone you want to follow and makes you feel safe, supported and protected either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

DIVINE FEMININE

The Divine Feminine is the manifestation of the purest form of feminine expression. Because of the patriarchal system that has developed throughout time, the Divine Feminine has been degraded, looked down upon and oppressed. But as time passes and human evolution marches forward, there has been a rekindling in the need for devotion and commitment to the Divine Feminine. A balance of both inherent energies will be necessary to continue progress. And now, all men and women alike are called to empower the Divine Feminine.

A healthy representation of the Divine Feminine is kind, generous, wise and supportive. With the continued growth of mankind dependent on the health of its women, the Divine Feminine represents the ultimate mother–fertile, intuitive, patient, nurturing and healing. She is the representation of growth, not just in a physical way, but also emotionally and spiritually. We all birth something – an idea, a friendship, a business plan, a family – and it is the Divine Feminine within us all that brings it into full fruition.

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And for more links to articles related to the Gillette controversy


Christopher Muther, “The Backlash to the Gillette Ad Is Exactly Why It’s Needed,” Boston Globe, January 16, 2019, 
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2019/01/15/the-backlash-gillette-exactly-why-needed/PnO4dpkyoTFYgh1LcIe5HO/story.html

Do you know who isn’t taking to Twitter to complain about the Gillette ad? Those of us who have been bullied, beat up, and sexually victimized. When I watched the ad, I didn’t see tanks gathering at the border of masculinity. I saw myself, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

When a distraught young boy is shown being held protectively by his mother with text bubbles that read “Sissy” and “Everyone hates you” surrounding them, I was transported back to my high school track team, which I eventually abandoned because I was tired of being called “faggot” and “queer.” 

When a teenager is shown running from a pack of boys who eventually catch him and begin beating him, I flashed back to a pack of junior high bullies who slowly started tormenting me with spitballs and eventually worked their way up to punching me in the back of the head whenever they walked past me. 

In the eighth grade, I skipped school for three weeks, not because I didn’t like my classes, but because I was scared of the bullies and too ashamed to talk to anyone about it. I have wonderful parents, but I didn’t want to feel as if I was letting them down. I kept quiet. 

 and more

Many of the hundreds of thousands of complaints against “The Best a Man Can Be” come from men who feel that the ad, which was directed by a woman, paints all men as bullies, sexist, or predators. I’m not an advertising expert, but it’s clear to me this ad isn’t calling you names. It’s asking you to be an example to your children by not calling other people names. This ad is not trying to emasculate you; it’s asking you to treat people with respect.

I do have one gripe with the ad. I wish it had debuted during the 1989 Super Bowl rather than the original “The Best a Man Can Get” ad, which was a halcyon vision of sweaty feats of athleticism, featuring Wall Street bros with women as arm candy and father-son bonding. If the younger, more timid 1989 version of me had seen the new ad, perhaps I would have spoken up. Maybe I would have fought back or been able to help a close friend who was bullied to the point of suicide. 

I can’t turn back time, so instead I’ll defend Gillette against the naysayers who are somehow offended by its positive message. This soy boy is no longer afraid. 

And if so-called "real men" don't like it when so-called "soy boys" answer back to them, my attitudes towards those so-called "real men"  is 

with all due respect, eff  your feelings! 

Nightclub Parties Vastly Superior to Popping Fireworks

Fireworks are technically banned in Hawaii, but laws do get defied. Police can't be everywhere to enforce, and not everyone wants to be known as a "snitch".

On social media, some people are angry at the ban, claiming that "fireworks are a local tradition" even though it didn't exist in Hawaii before Captain Cook!

Fireworks are just as "local tradition" as typing comments on social media. In other words, it's not really a "local tradition", it's an imported activity that people do because their attitude is "f--- you, because I can". The same reason people in other places fire gunshots in the air to celebrate the New Year.

As for me, I prefer going to nightclubs to celebrate the New Year.

Sure, the music at the nightclubs can be loud (don't get too close to the loudspeaker). But at least you can dance to the music! And if someone attractive is dancing near you, you might share a magical moment together.

But more importantly, partying at the nightclub is vastly superior to popping fireworks because fireworks  are ......

• severe fire hazards
• flying fire hazards that can land on someone's house
• fire hazards that can blow off your hands and can burn yourself
• cause tons of smoke that can really hurt those with respiratory problems
• cause land pollution by materials left on the ground after they explode (so much for caring for the ʻaina)

Also, while the nightclub music may be loud, it doesn't do the following

• make loud booming noises that scares pet, children, people with heart conditions, people with sensitive hearing, people with PTSD
• make sounds that sounds like bombs and gunshots that reminds people of wartime traumas

However, people who pop fireworks think they're "badass"  for causing trouble for other people. They think that "real men" (and "tough chicks") don't care about people with respiratory problems, heart conditions, sensitive hearing or PTSD. They think that showing concern for the vulnerable means that you're a "overly sensitive snowflake". 

And even more stupidly, they get defensive and claim it's "the haoles" (people of European ancestry) that want to ban fireworks just to oppress "the locals", nevermind that firework bans have been passed by locally-raised legislators who are of non-European ancestries. There are local people of non-European ancestries who have expressed concerns about fireworks causing problems for pets and humans with vulnerabilities. 

Also, being that I am from the housing projects in Kalihi, I've noticed the allegedly low-income people blowing up fireworks. Think about this, people who are allegedly so low-income that they need government assistance to pay their rent and buy food for their families spend big money just to pop fireworks!  I know what it's like to struggle and whatever little disposable income I had to was used to buy a stereo and play music when I want to celebrate stuff!  At least a stereo can last years, whereas fireworks are useless after you  pop them. In other words, I rather spend money on something that can last long and not cause problems for other people.  It's called spend your money wisely!

So no, I'm not impressed by how "badass" you think you are by popping fireworks.  A real "badass" would boycott the fireworks and instead come to the nightclub and impress people on the dancefloor! 

my life in 2018

The year is about to end and things are about to change (I got a new job at a school library).

But being that this is a year-end blog post, I'll just focus on what happened this year rather than what will happen soon


1) Work

This has been my 13th year as a substitute teacher.

In a way, it's been a miracle that I lasted that long!

When I started in 2005, I wasn't sure if I was going to have any success. That job was just "something to do" before I move on to the next thing.

It took nearly forever to find that "next thing" that would at least pay a little more than what I'm making.

I did spend most of my time as a sub working within the public school system, though I did sub at the private schools too.
For the private school, I worked under Kelly Services (for 6 years).

Then in early August, I went to a job fair, just to interact with employers to figure what could be my "next thing".  There I interacted with the people at HiEmployment. They also provide subs for private schools. On the spot, I was invited and scheduled for an interview.  Some of the staff actually met me when they used to work at the schools I have subbed at for Kelly Services. So I was in!

I spent some time working with HiEmployment in the last few months. Some were schools I once subbed at under Hawaii Educational Resources (HERS - who I was working with 2006-2010) while others I've never been to before.

Though on the last week of the Fall semester, I was working at what I consider my favorite public school to sub at. The last day was an easy day:)

Then on the first day of winter vacation, I got a call stating that I will start a new position soon at a school library. I finally found my "next thing"  :)

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Summertime is usually a fun time for most people, but it's a money-free time for substitute teachers. Not much fun for that.

But I did get lucky.

Back in the summer of 2016, I was working with a temp agency that sent me to the facility that printed the ballots that would be used for the elections. I was the one who inspected the ballots to make sure there were no errors. It was time-consuming and repetitive, but I liked it :)

This was in June & July, to prepare for the Primary Election in August!

I was invited to help out in September/October to prepare for the General Election, but I declined. This wasn't an easy decision to make. I loved the ballot inspection process. However, I decided to focus on working as a substitute teacher, especially being that I just joined HiEmployment and wanted to give them a chance. Also, substitute teacher gave me more flexibility to take time off in case a job interview came up! Because after all, I'm ready to go on to "the next thing".

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Talking about elections, I did work on Election Day as a precinct official. For both the Primary & General Elections.

I did comment on my blog why I think the format for the Primary Election should change. This was posted a few hours after the polls closed.
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/08/hawaii-primary-elections-need-to-change.html


Voter turnout was lower this year compared to 2016.

However, the one positive this year was the same-day registration. My polling place was for the district that includes the University of Hawaii at Mānoa (UHM) and therefore includes the dorms. So we had a population of people who are at the age when they become eligible to vote. Many people only become interested in the election when the Election Day is getting closer (just like how some people only start shopping when it's almost Christmas). In the past, they only gained their interest when the voter registration deadline passed. But now with same-day registration, we had many UHM students registering on Election Day. Good to see the next generation getting involved.

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And of course, I continued to volunteer with the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH).


FLH has their annual summer booksales at McKinley High School (Go Tigers) as well as their smaller booksales on Veteran's Day and Martin Luther King weekends at Washington Middle School.

It was on the Saturday of the Martin Luther King weekend when we had the false missile alert.

I was on my bike towards Washington Middle School when the alert came. When I arrived near the school, I took my BlackBerry Q10 just to take the picture of the sign advertising the booksale, so I can post it on facebook to remind people. Then I looked at the phone and it said there was a missile headed to Hawaii. My mind was thinking

• we in Hawaii had so many warnings for hurricanes and tsunamis that never land on our islands, we become numb to warnings and alerts
• if there's a  missile, the missile would most likely land in the ocean
• the alert system might've been hacked.
• if the missile hits while I'm at the booksale, at least I'm around the people I love when it strikes.

After I parked the bike and entered the school's cafeteria, the FLH volunteers were still setting up and customers were waiting outside.  People who got the alert were just laughing because they think it was a hoax.  (I found out later that the customers waiting outside were thinking the same thing). We were still getting ready to open when we got another text saying it was just a false alarm.

What did the media do? Act as if everyone in Hawaii was terrified for their lives. BALONEY!  Most of us have become so numb to the warnings & alerts that we were joking about it BEFORE the official text said it was a false alarm.

Yes, I feel bad for the parents who had to comfort their children (who obviously have a hard time calming their expressions of vulnerabilities).  And yes, there were cameras showing UHM students running for shelter.

But the media exaggerate the level of panic coming from Hawaii residents. Yes, I know, stories of panic are way more interesting (and get more ratings and clicks) than stories of calm. There was a lot more calm than panic where I was that day!

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Enough about the alert, back to the FLH.

Every month, on First Friday, I am the cashier at Books@Mark's, FLH's mini-bookstore that shares space with the art gallery Arts@Mark's.  The Mark's being Mark's Garage near the border between Downtown and Chinatown.

First Friday's tend to have an opening party for a new exhibit at Arts@Mark's, so there are many people who come in to check out the opening party, the arts, and of course, the books (plus music, postcards, etc) being sold at Books@Mark's.

Being a cashier at Books@Mark's is so much more simpler than being a cashier at Macy's or Nordstrom Rack. National fashion retail chains want cashiers to encourage reluctant customers to join their reward's programs. To add the frustration, dealing with customers in the reward's programs require some complex transactions. At Books@Mark's, we keep it simple. The customers get the items they want, I add it up, charge the tax (sorry, the government wants your money), and I invite them to come to other FLH booksales.   That's it! None of this nagging customers reluctant to join rewards programs, none of this complex transactions! Much more relaxing, much less stress :)  



2) Hawaii Library Association (HLA)

Earlier this year, the HLA offered a mentorship program for those interested in the library profession.

I did get my master's degree in Library & Information Science (LIS) and have worked in libraries before but was still trying to get a full-time library position.

So I applied for the HLA mentorship program.

They did hook me up with a mentor, a librarian who works at Leeward Community College (LCC). I met the librarian before at previous conferences.  However, LCC is out of my usual range of places I go (I usually stick with Urban Honolulu, whereas LCC is on the border between Pearl City and Waipahu). 

But hey, I wanted a mentor and a mentor is available.

We did meet at UHM and talked about my career path. I did mention the previous library jobs, my current sub teaching job, and struggles landing a full-time library job. We did talk about what kind of interview questions I had difficulty with and how to best deal with the next time. The mentor also emphasized understanding the application and interview process from the employer's point of view.

Then in September, I visited the LCC campus. I have only been there once, one of my brothers was graduating from there.

 I took the A-bus then transferred to the #78 bus (I could've walked from the transfer point to the campus, but it was a mega-rainy day). 

Then I explored the campus before the meeting with the mentor.
We took a tour of the LCC library, talk about how the LCC library has been evolving and meet with the staff members (some of whom I met when they were working at their previous libraries). 

Then I was invited to observe a library instruction session. A professor brought her class to the library so that the library instructor can teach the students how to use the library databases to find resources they need for their research project. The librarian went over online search strategies and how different search terms can come up with different results. Then the students practiced using the databases to find resources relevant to their research topic.  The library instructor went over to observe and assist the students. After the session was over, I talked with the library instructor. I was fascinated by the session. Facilitating those library instruction sessions on information literacy is something I would love to do.

After the session, I went back to meet with the mentor.  He mentions that these library instruction sessions are the "one time shot" for the librarians to teach students who they might never before or again have the chance to teach. I said that reminds me of being a substitute teacher. We laughed.

Then one more thing that day.  The library was hosting a wellness workshop in which a librarian and some guests talked about aroma therapy, meditation, and music therapy.


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On November, we had the HLA conference at the East-West Center, which happens to be the place that hosted HLA in 2015 (the last time I went before this year). Walking distance for me!

Being that I haven't attended HLA conferences since 2015, it was a reunion with LIS classmates that I haven't seen in years. I attended a few sessions, enjoyed the buffet during lunchtime 😃, and talk to some exhibitors (mostly publishers, database vendors, and a scanning machine vendor).

The sessions I attended  included

• Nainoa Thompson (the legendary navigator) talking about his experience as a child viewing libraries a place for independent learning
• protecting library & archive materials in a tropical environment
• DNA databases
• databases providing access to indigenous cultural information
• hotel archives
• multimedia instruction
• school library collaboration
• libraries in Palau

and the most important one (for me) was the session about the HLA mentorship. My mentor couldn't make it, but I still went basically to compare notes with other mentors and mentees. Also, there were current LIS students interested in the HLA mentorships.  Besides our mentorships, much of our discussions revolved around the difficulties of the job search process. It wasn't so much about "playing victim" but about what to be alert for when doing the job search.

At the session, I found out that one of the teachers at a private school I subbed at is now an LIS student. Small world.

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Fast-forward a few weeks to Black Friday.

I meet with my mentor again at LCC.  The library was closed to the public, but some employees were there basically for housekeeping purposes. I told the mentor about the job search since the last meeting, that I was recommended for a library position but still waiting for the paperwork to be processed before I could start working.  When talked about how libraries have evolved since he started working in a library (circa the early 90s) and how it is evolving towards to now.

I then told the mentor that after the meeting, I will ride my bike in the area and he told me about the bike path, which I will discuss in the next part of this post

3) Bike Adventures


As I just mentioned, I was at LCC for a mentorship meeting on Black Friday.  Afterward, I decided to take a bike ride going through Pearl City and Aiea. From LCC, I rode towards Kamehameha Highway towards Blaisdell Park. From there, I had my first ride through the Pearl Harbor Bike Path. This path is hidden from most commuters because you can't see much of it from Kamehameha Highway or the H-1 freeway. So much of what I saw on the bike path is new to me. 

While people usually stereotype Pearl City as a middle-class suburbs, you can see some old shacks along the bike path.  It is way more low-level poverty than public housing complexes I grew up in Kalihi. There are also homeless settlements hidden by tall grasses of sugar cane. I did see one luxury car when one guy who looked like the rapper Machine Gun Kelly threw gang signs in my direction. I just kept riding. 

I also rode past the Pearl City power plant and stared at the machines for a while. I also rode towards the west end of the path (near the place where the firefighter trucks get repaired) then back to the east end (near Aloha Stadium). From there I continued a few blocks on Kamehameha Highway and I went back on the bus.

In the future, I plan on biking in other areas I never biked before. Maybe Waipahu, Ewa or Kapolei. 


4) Housekeeping


As mentioned earlier this year, this year is the 15th anniversary at my current apartment
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/07/15-years-at-my-apartment.html


During work breaks (at end of summer, and now in winter break), I spent some time reorganizing stuff at home.

I live in a small studio, and I like to collect stuff.  Mostly books and printed articles. So that means I have to constantly reorganize.

For the books, I got a new plastic storage container. I also reorganized the books by categories.

For magazines, I looked through them and threw some out.

But it's the printed articles that give me the most headaches. Sometimes I see articles on the computer and I print out a copy. Sometimes because I'm impressed, other times I'll print it so that I could read it on paper when I have time. But the problem is that they pile up.

So in the summer, I did another purge. I looked at the folders where I kept the articles and threw many of them out. Trash bags filled with folders of articles placed in a rolling trash can to dispose all that stuff in the big garbage can outside.

Just like the summer of 2012 (just not as extreme)
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-war-against-clutter.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-apartment-gets-make-over.html

This week, I reorganize the folders again and threw out more printed articles that I already read.  I have some more reorganizing to do before the winter break ends.

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Early this year, in the springtime, I did upgrade my TV and stereo. 

My TV was so old that it stopped working a long time ago. It was a tube TV that was outdated in the era of the flatscreen. I replaced it with a small flatscreen TV that I got for cheap from Best Buy. Takes up less space. 

The stereo I had was donated by my brother 12 years ago. It had a multi-disc player that stopped working. The sound system once had great bass, but it was messing up. So I ordered a TechPlay stereo online that had radio, CD, cassette, USB and vinyl playing capabilities. It was relatively cheap so I bought it, though I did use PayPal to buy it. Works good so far! 

I also bought a small battery powered radio mostly in case of another storm warning. 

I also had to replace an old mattress (from 2003) with a new hybrid spring/foam mattress that I bought online for relatively cheap from WalMart. Also used PayPal. 

And as mentioned in a blog post earlier this year, I replaced my BlackBerry Q10 with a BlackBerry KeyOne.
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/09/adventures-with-my-new-keyone.html

Yes, I made sure that whatever replacements I buy are affordable. I don't believe you should have to pay big money when you can get something effective for a relatively low price.  I also used PayPal for most purchases I mentioned, so that I can pay installments. I love it! 

5) My Music


Last but not least is my music.

In case you didn't know, I am a digital musician who releases instrumental tracks under the name Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior.

This year, I finished making my "no budget music videos" (just a collage of still images) for tracks for my electronic music album I released early 2017, "Sounds Like A Video Game".

I think there was too much time gap between the making and posting of these videos.

Anyways, as I noted earlier, on October I released an album of metal instrumentals titled Urban Honolulu Metal Industries
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/10/urban-honolulu-metal-industries.html

Also in October, I released as a dark ambient instrumental single "Slow Walking Through a Haunted Castle".


I have made "no budget music videos" for  10 out of 15 tracks from Urban Honolulu Metal Industries


When I'm done for all those tracks, I plan to complete work on my next instrumental albums.

This time, it will be an album of slower, softer, more relaxing music. Total opposite of heavy metal.

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

I have not decided on a release date, but it will most likely happen within 2019. 

Stay tuned.