Barack Obama once said that if the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was to use chemical weapons, the US would take action.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-issues-syria-red-line-warning-on-chemical-weapons/2012/08/20/ba5d26ec-eaf7-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_story.html
That was last year. That was during an election year. Obama felt that he had show his neo-conservative opponents that he's not a "soft, namby-pamby pacifist who apologizes for America."
Well, last month, Assad used chemical weapons on his opponents.
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-poison-gas-20130822,0,2731889.story
Now, Obama is in a tough position. He said the US would take action if Assad used chemical weapons! But the US population is tired of our military intervening in other countries affairs!
As Obama said last year, we got nation building to do at home!
We still don't know what Obama would actually do! He might send warplanes to Syria.
But if he ever send ground troops to Syria, that's it ---- the American public would turn against him big time!
We're getting closer to a turning point in American history.
Obama will be the last president in a long-time to even promise military intervention against a country that didn't attack us.
The American People no longer have faith in having the US troops go in and intervene in other countries affairs. The American public reaction to chaos in other countries is now "screw it, that's their problem" and "getting involved will just make it worse"
It will probably stay that way for decades.
-------
Check out a 2011 blog post on this topic titled "Defend America 1st"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/07/defend-america-1st.html
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Embrace the shy side and the hyper side
(note: the following was a section from last year's blog post. But I think this issue deserve its own blog post, so I cut, paste edit from an earlier blog post and put it here)
Last year, I came across this article, and it was about something I really wanted to address.
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/must_i_drink_to_socialize/
Basically, it was a letter to an advice column that stated "It bothers me that without a drink I'm sort of shy and awkward"
Here is my response to that
Sometimes, it's better to be introverted than extroverted.
I learned that the hard way and I wrote a blog post on it last year
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/09/myself-2-decades-ago.html
I also want to say this:
Being "shy" in certain situations is a basic survival skill!
Sometimes, it's better to keep your mouth shut, and better to just listen, learn and soak in all things you are observing!
I also want to say this to all the parents who are over-worrying about this nonsense of "omg, my child is so quiet, I want him to make friends"
It is way more important to know which peers to avoid than to try be friends with everyone!
When you enter a new school, it is more important to observe than to try to fit in!
One of the ways I avoided trouble in high school that I observed my peers before even attempting to hang out with them.
Whereas I know this one guy who wanted to fit in with a clique thought they would just embrace him if he entered in uninvited! After all, they embraced the same music and fashion. But they didn't respect him! He didn't see the warning signs before joining them. He no longer hangs out with them.
Those who are introverted are less likely to end up hanging out the wrong crowd.
The extroverted, because they always want to be social, many times end up in situations in which their friends are doing the wrong thing (ie. drugs, vandalism, bullying, etc!)
And then what? You already know!
That's right, if you got an introverted child ---- EMBRACE THAT!
Of course, I'm NOT always introverted.
In class, I was usually the one asking questions and making comments on the class topic. Still am!
And by my senior year in high school, I was the life of the party. I sang during talent shows, yelled during pep rallies, and the school events, I was hyper!
That surprised some peers who thought I was "quiet" and "non-social" in some of my classes in previous years!
But I know when to be "shy" and when to be hyper!
But more importantly, I can enjoy a party/event/game WITHOUT drinking alcoholic beverages!
It's called "party responsibly"
Another important life skill!
Last year, I came across this article, and it was about something I really wanted to address.
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/must_i_drink_to_socialize/
Basically, it was a letter to an advice column that stated "It bothers me that without a drink I'm sort of shy and awkward"
I'm sure that's what many have been thinking, and why many chose to drink alcoholic beverages.
Here is my response to that
I say EMBRACE THE SHY SIDE OF YOU!
Yeah, I know, hard to do that, if your family and peers have been stigmatizing your "shyness" for decades.
But the reason humans develop shyness is TO KEEP US OUT OF TROUBLE!
That's right, being reluctant to do something can save your life!
Just look at all the people damaged by "doing it to fit in". Many end up being substance addicts, dead early or in jail.
So EMBRACE YOUR SHY SIDE and (beep) anyone who doesn't like it!
Sometimes, it's better to be introverted than extroverted.
I learned that the hard way and I wrote a blog post on it last year
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/09/myself-2-decades-ago.html
For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE!
Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school. All it did was earn a few enemies.
I might've gotten away with my earlier silliness if I was one of the tough guys.
I wasn't!
After a while, I just learned to shut up in class, especially if you don't have any friends in that class.
Ironically, that got people who just me asking "why are you so quiet?"
But as the quote goes -- "It's better to be quiet and be thought as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
I also want to say this:
Being "shy" in certain situations is a basic survival skill!
Sometimes, it's better to keep your mouth shut, and better to just listen, learn and soak in all things you are observing!
I also want to say this to all the parents who are over-worrying about this nonsense of "omg, my child is so quiet, I want him to make friends"
It is way more important to know which peers to avoid than to try be friends with everyone!
When you enter a new school, it is more important to observe than to try to fit in!
One of the ways I avoided trouble in high school that I observed my peers before even attempting to hang out with them.
Whereas I know this one guy who wanted to fit in with a clique thought they would just embrace him if he entered in uninvited! After all, they embraced the same music and fashion. But they didn't respect him! He didn't see the warning signs before joining them. He no longer hangs out with them.
Those who are introverted are less likely to end up hanging out the wrong crowd.
The extroverted, because they always want to be social, many times end up in situations in which their friends are doing the wrong thing (ie. drugs, vandalism, bullying, etc!)
And then what? You already know!
That's right, if you got an introverted child ---- EMBRACE THAT!
Of course, I'm NOT always introverted.
In class, I was usually the one asking questions and making comments on the class topic. Still am!
And by my senior year in high school, I was the life of the party. I sang during talent shows, yelled during pep rallies, and the school events, I was hyper!
That surprised some peers who thought I was "quiet" and "non-social" in some of my classes in previous years!
But I know when to be "shy" and when to be hyper!
But more importantly, I can enjoy a party/event/game WITHOUT drinking alcoholic beverages!
It's called "party responsibly"
Another important life skill!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Over-reactions to Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke
I usually reserve my commentary on the current music scene until the end of the year, when I do my usual "year in review" blog posts.
However, there are 2 artists who have experienced over-reactions from the public lately.
They are Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke.
Miley Cyrus had transitioned from being a star of a children's TV show to a young adult sex symbol.
Robin Thicke had some minor hits in the past, but he had his first mega-hit with "Blurred Lines" this year, with Pharell and T.I.
But first, we'll talk Miley
1) Miley Cyrus
Yeah, I know, she performed at the MTV awards last night! There are complaints.
People still can't let go of the fact that she's no longer the innocent childhood star of "Hannah Montana".
Seriously, when most of were 20 years old, nobody expected us to be the same person we were when we were 12 years old! But that's what happens to stars of children's shows ALL THE TIME!
Most of us were little lovable tweens at 12 years old who grow up to become 20 year-olds who did a lot of freak-dancing at the clubs after midnight!
But most of aren't followed around by paparazzi, so our transition has been much smoother.
Miley Cyrus had her "Can't Be Tamed" song 2 years ago, but people still weren't ready to let "Hannah Montana" move on!
When this year's mega-summer hit "We Can't Stop" came out, I was thinking "FINALLY people no longer expect her to be the same person she was when 12 years old!"
But because her performance at the MTV awards last night was so explicit, the backlash came back with a vengance.
Seriously people, it was just a show! Cyrus will continue to evolve, like most musicians do!
--------
It isn't just the sexuality that got an over-reaction. The race card has been pulled out too! To some people, having a European-American singer singing African-American style music will always be "exploitation"
http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/jody-rosen-miley-cyrus-vmas-minstrel.html
Look at what was highlighted in red: Miley Cyrus being accussed of "racism" for imitating Lil Kim (as well as Nicki Minaj)! Other comments have claimed that Miley Cyrus is mocking "black culture" with her Lil Kim imitations. Those are heavy accussations and ridiculous assertions!
Look, I may have Latin American ancestry , but I don't have a problem with non-Latin artists like Rob Thomas, Diddy,Wyclef or 98 Degrees making songs with Latin themes!
I also thought it was cool when Dr Dre, Snoop Doog, Ice Cube, Nate Dogg, Masta Ace and a whole bunch other African-American rappers used lowriders (which started as a Chicano trend) in their videos back in the 1990's!
But even though people want to be silly with their race cards, most people aren't buying it!
Since Robin Thicke has been doing R&B for a little while longer, he had less race cards thrown at him then were thrown at Miley Cyrus who came from a country music father, and Disney pop career.
But Robin Thicke had experience another type of over-reaction over his hit "Blurred Lines".
Thicke, Pharell, and T.I. were wearing suit in their video, but the women were nearly naked (in one version) and fully naked (in another version). This led a big series of whining. But you know what? That video was made to entertain straight men! If the LGBT and straight women can have their entertainment, why not straight men?
There were parody videos with the reverse situation : fully clothed women and (nearly or fully) naked men! Those parody videos are a better tactic than whining on feminist blogs!
And the other over-reaction to "Blurred Lines" was over the following lines from the song
http://www.metrolyrics.com/blurred-lines-lyrics-robin-thicke.html
What it sounds like it "hey baby, don't be shy, let's just have some fun"
However, the radical feminists have a different idea.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/17/blurred-lines-robin-thicke-s-summer-anthem-is-kind-of-rapey.html
Look at the part highlighted in red: Robin Thicke is accused of promoting rape! That's a heavy accusation to be making!
Look, sometimes people let their real life trauma get in the way of making sense.
So, someone who might've heard "I know you want it" a few minutes before getting raped might have bad memories flashing back when there's a song with "I know you want it" even though that song was NEVER about forcing anyone into sexual intercourse!
It's just a party song saying "hey baby, don't be shy, let's just have some fun" It didn't specifically state that "fun" would be sex right now! It could easily just meant "let's freak dance together"
Also, T.I. was accussed of saying "let me break that ass in two". WRONG! Here's what he really said!
in another words, it's about freak dancing, not sexual assault!
And most people (male, female, straight, LGBT, whatevers) know that!
It that's why the song is a mega-hit!
However, there are 2 artists who have experienced over-reactions from the public lately.
They are Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke.
Miley Cyrus had transitioned from being a star of a children's TV show to a young adult sex symbol.
Robin Thicke had some minor hits in the past, but he had his first mega-hit with "Blurred Lines" this year, with Pharell and T.I.
But first, we'll talk Miley
1) Miley Cyrus
Yeah, I know, she performed at the MTV awards last night! There are complaints.
People still can't let go of the fact that she's no longer the innocent childhood star of "Hannah Montana".
Seriously, when most of were 20 years old, nobody expected us to be the same person we were when we were 12 years old! But that's what happens to stars of children's shows ALL THE TIME!
Most of us were little lovable tweens at 12 years old who grow up to become 20 year-olds who did a lot of freak-dancing at the clubs after midnight!
But most of aren't followed around by paparazzi, so our transition has been much smoother.
Miley Cyrus had her "Can't Be Tamed" song 2 years ago, but people still weren't ready to let "Hannah Montana" move on!
When this year's mega-summer hit "We Can't Stop" came out, I was thinking "FINALLY people no longer expect her to be the same person she was when 12 years old!"
But because her performance at the MTV awards last night was so explicit, the backlash came back with a vengance.
Seriously people, it was just a show! Cyrus will continue to evolve, like most musicians do!
--------
It isn't just the sexuality that got an over-reaction. The race card has been pulled out too! To some people, having a European-American singer singing African-American style music will always be "exploitation"
http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/jody-rosen-miley-cyrus-vmas-minstrel.html
Cyrus has spent a lot of time recently toying with racial imagery. We’ve seen Cyrus twerking her way through the video for her big hit “We Can’t Stop,” professing her love for “hood music,” and claiming spiritual affinity with Lil’ Kim. Last night, as Cyrus stalked the stage, mugging and twerking, and paused to spank and simulate analingus upon the ass of a thickly set African-American backup dancer, her act tipped over into what we may as well just call racism: a minstrel show routine whose ghoulishness was heightened by Cyrus’s madcap charisma, and by the dark beauty of “We Can’t Stop” — by a good distance, the most powerful pop hit of 2013.
A doctoral dissertation could (and will) be written on the racial, class, and gender dynamics of Cyrus’s shtick. I’ll make just one historical note. For white performers, minstrelsy has always been a means to an end: a shortcut to self-actualization. The archetypal example is in The Jazz Singer (1927), in which Al Jolson’s immigrant striver puts on the blackface mask to cast off his immigrant Jewish patrimony and remake himself as an all-American pop star.
Look at what was highlighted in red: Miley Cyrus being accussed of "racism" for imitating Lil Kim (as well as Nicki Minaj)! Other comments have claimed that Miley Cyrus is mocking "black culture" with her Lil Kim imitations. Those are heavy accussations and ridiculous assertions!
Look, I may have Latin American ancestry , but I don't have a problem with non-Latin artists like Rob Thomas, Diddy,Wyclef or 98 Degrees making songs with Latin themes!
I also thought it was cool when Dr Dre, Snoop Doog, Ice Cube, Nate Dogg, Masta Ace and a whole bunch other African-American rappers used lowriders (which started as a Chicano trend) in their videos back in the 1990's!
But even though people want to be silly with their race cards, most people aren't buying it!
White people pony up more than 50% of the revenue grossed by black entertainment - not to make fun of it or mock it - but because it's FUN and sometimes SEXY and often INCREDIBLE.
Then, when they try to take part, it's racism?
Saying a white girl shouldn't twerk because it's an act that belongs to a particular race of people (1) is more demeaning to that group of people (come on, it's shaking one's ass. Black America is better than being the owners of ass-shaking) and (2) more racist toward the person trying to have fun. It's suggesting she should stick to white people activities/dancing/music - whatever those are.
Now, twerking on TV, strictly for profit - I'll concede there may be some exploitation there. But it's not hateful, nor suggesting some type of superiority - two legitimate qualities of racism.
Ask yourself this: two girls kissing in a club, exploiting and mimicking lesbian behavior just to excite guys: immature fun or homophobia?
I doubt anyone would describe that as homophobic. And twerking isn't racism.
Twerk, Miley Miley, twerk!
Everybody's talking about Miley so mission accomplished as far as she's concerned. I don't think her performance was entertaining or tasteful, but I fail to see racism. Go to any suburban high school prom, and you'll see white kids twerking. If Miley had used all white back up dancers, she'd be accused of appropriating black culture without giving African-Amercians a chance for employment and exposure. Love it or hate it, twerking is certainly derived from black culture, but like rock and roll, jazz, blues and countless lesser examples, it's crossed to the mainstream.
False. if Miley would've used all White (or a mixed group) of twerkers, she would've received less backlash on that aspect of her performance.
Saying a white girl can't twerk is like saying a black girl can't be a ballerina.Or sing country. It's just not fair. I don't think it's "appropriation of a culture" if it's based on product that is out there being sold. Once you market it to the world, you have put it in the pop blender and it's fair game. Lots and lots of money has been made by hip-hop being sold to the masses. It is now part of the culture of all the kids who grew up listening to it. It's the soundtrack of their childhoods, and in the tradition of pop music, they will use it it and morph it into their own thing. That's just how that goes.
2) Robin Thicke
and of course, Robin Thicke was on stage with Miley Cyrus at last night's award shows.Since Robin Thicke has been doing R&B for a little while longer, he had less race cards thrown at him then were thrown at Miley Cyrus who came from a country music father, and Disney pop career.
But Robin Thicke had experience another type of over-reaction over his hit "Blurred Lines".
Thicke, Pharell, and T.I. were wearing suit in their video, but the women were nearly naked (in one version) and fully naked (in another version). This led a big series of whining. But you know what? That video was made to entertain straight men! If the LGBT and straight women can have their entertainment, why not straight men?
There were parody videos with the reverse situation : fully clothed women and (nearly or fully) naked men! Those parody videos are a better tactic than whining on feminist blogs!
And the other over-reaction to "Blurred Lines" was over the following lines from the song
http://www.metrolyrics.com/blurred-lines-lyrics-robin-thicke.html
And that's why I'm gon' take a good girlWhat does that sound like to you?
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get passed me
You're far from plastic
Talk about gettin blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me
What it sounds like it "hey baby, don't be shy, let's just have some fun"
However, the radical feminists have a different idea.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/17/blurred-lines-robin-thicke-s-summer-anthem-is-kind-of-rapey.html
The nudity might be fine if the song was called, “Let’s All Have Some Fun,” but it’s called “Blurred Lines,” and the subject itself is enough to make some female music fans uncomfortable. The song is about how a girl really wants crazy wild sex but doesn’t say it—positing that age-old problem where men think no means yes into a catchy, hummable song.
“Good girl, I know you want it,” sings Thicke, who has all of his clothes on, as one of the near-naked models dances and pouts next to him. “Talk about getting blasted, I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it, but you’re a good girl, the way you grab me, must want to get nasty.”
Not surprisingly the combination of the lyrics and the video’s nudity has irked some female music fans.
“Has anyone heard Robin Thicke’s new rape song?” Lisa Huyne wrote in a post on her blog, Feminist in L.A. “Basically, the majority of the song (creepily named ‘Blurred Lines’) has the R&B singer murmuring ‘I know you want it’ over and over into a girl’s ear. Call me a cynic, but that phrase does not exactly encompass the notion of consent in sexual activity … Seriously, this song is disgusting—though admittedly very catchy.”
Look at the part highlighted in red: Robin Thicke is accused of promoting rape! That's a heavy accusation to be making!
Look, sometimes people let their real life trauma get in the way of making sense.
So, someone who might've heard "I know you want it" a few minutes before getting raped might have bad memories flashing back when there's a song with "I know you want it" even though that song was NEVER about forcing anyone into sexual intercourse!
It's just a party song saying "hey baby, don't be shy, let's just have some fun" It didn't specifically state that "fun" would be sex right now! It could easily just meant "let's freak dance together"
Also, T.I. was accussed of saying "let me break that ass in two". WRONG! Here's what he really said!
One thing I ask you
Let me be the one you back that ass into
in another words, it's about freak dancing, not sexual assault!
And most people (male, female, straight, LGBT, whatevers) know that!
It that's why the song is a mega-hit!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of expression means you can express whatever thoughts you want and the government can't arrest you for it!
But some people think there should be execptions to the rule. They think the government should protect their feelings from getting hurt! Hell No!
------------
Earlier this month, a rodeo clown was wearing a Barack Obama mask!
But some people think there should be execptions to the rule. They think the government should protect their feelings from getting hurt! Hell No!
------------
Earlier this month, a rodeo clown was wearing a Barack Obama mask!
AP Photo/Jameson Hsieh
The rodeo clown
People have been wearing masks of presidents for years!
Most of us have seen clips of bank robbers wearing masks of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.
In heavy metal band Ministry's video "NWO", there was a guy with George Bush Sr's mask. Not only that, the same guy was dancing in a sexual manner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2nfB0TDGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2nfB0TDGc
But somehow, some people think Obama should be immune from the same type of mockery that other presidents have received.
The Missouri chapter of the NAACP appealed for the U.S. Department of Justice and the Secret Service to launch an investigation and open a federal case against the rodeo clown who donned a mask of President Obama’s face and mocked with the crowd: Do you want to see a bull run down Mr. Obama?
Notice what I wrote in red: someone wants a FEDERAL investigation over a rodeo clown!
I think the federal government has more important things to worry about!
-----
I know some people have mentioned that the rodeo crowd reminded them of mistrel shows that were once popular, where actors painted their face black, and act in skits that were degrading to those of African ancestry!
I understand such concerns about inappropriate racist humor!
But federal investigations are not the answer!
The answer is to use your words (and other forms of expression) against those minstrel shows!
The answer is using blogs, podcasts, skits, plays, songs, comics, documentaries, flyers, brochures and other forms of expression against those you oppose!
-----------
It also remind me of whenever some comic artist, film-maker, comedian, etc make inflammatory "entertainment" mocking Islam. There are demands for the government of wherever that artist/director/etc came from to "do something about it".
Just one example, back in 2005, a Danish newspaper published a bunch of comics making fun of the Islamic faith.
Of course, Muslims have every right to be offended by such inflammatory artwork.
However, government officials from 11 Muslim-majority countries (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Libya, Morocco, and Palestine) demanded the Danish government to censor those comics.
From the letter
We deplore these statements and publications and urge Your Excellency’s government to take all those responsible to task under law of the land in the interest of inter-faith harmony, better integration and Denmark's overall relations with the Muslim world.—Letter from 11 ambassadors
Look at the words written in red: Those govenment ambassadors think the Danish government should protect their feelings from being hurt!
That was the same reaction when an American film-maker made a film mocking Mohammed.
Look, the US is mostly Christian, yet we didn't arrest the guy who put a cross in a jar of urine or the guy who made an image of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung. Nor did we arrest Marrolyn Manson or Bill Maher who made insults against Christianity. And they shouldn't be arrested!
The atheists aren't protected from getting their feelings hurt either. Remember that Jerry Falwell blamed atheists (as well as feminists and gays) for making America vulnerable to the 9/11 attacks. He didn't get arrested or investigated either! And he shouldn't!
------
Here, we dont' believe in using the government to protect our feelings!
We answer back with words, art, blogs, flyers, songs, whatevers!
In this internet age, anyone can get their own blog to respond against anyone who hurts their feelings! (and you don't even need your own computer, you can use the computers at the public library FOR FREE!)
Or do what the rappers do, make songs to answer back your critics!
So yeah, don't be a censor, use your Freedom of Expression!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Being flexible
(Long time fans of this blog already read the following from a much larger blog post from 2012. I decided to cut & paste it here since I think this topic deserves its own blog post!
Enjoy!)
You can't act the same at every situation.
You obviously aren't going to act the same at a library and a party! 2 different things!
This also remind me about Shaquille O'Neal's 2nd book "Shaq Talks Back"
Shaq mentioned that he spent his early years in a Newark ghetto, then his stepfather joined the military. So he was growing up in environments in which there is a mixture of racial groups. He mentioned that he's able to adjust to "white culture" and "black culture".
Shaq said "some people would call that selling out! I call it surviving in your environment!"
Amen to that!
In a ever-increasingly integrated world, you need to be culturally flexible.
You need to be able to adjust being around people different from you!
I was fortunate in that I went to schools with students from very different situations. My classmates were a mix of a low-income, middle class and a few rich students. My classmates came from various cultures. And each school I went to (ranging from preschool to college) had a different cultural combination.
And in my current job as a substitute teacher, I work at various school, ranging from private schools with an economically privileged population to public schools with large population of low-income immigrants. I have worked with preschoolers to high schoolers.
-------------------
Being that I was a public school student, subbing at a private school was an adjustment. For one thing, most public schools I've been to have large campuses. So it was a culture shock to enter a few private school campuses, took a tour and thinking "this is the whole campus? that's it?"
Also, public schools don't have religious services occurring during school hours. Many private schools are run by religious organizations and therefore, greatly emphasize their religion as part of their curriculum. Joining that environment was a new experience for me.
To be fair, a student from a religious private school will definitely feel the culture shock if he/she transferred to a public school. He/she will be thinking "what kind of school is this? We don't do morning prayers at the new school? We had morning prayers and chapel services at my old school."
Another adjustment in subbing at private schools is adjusting to 1st world facilities. I have been accustomed to 2nd world (and occasionally 3rd world) facilities at public schools. So in a way, the private school students are more prepared for the modern and future workplace than many public school students. Plus, at many private schools, the students are provided with their own laptops or i-pads. Makes me wish I was them :) !
---------
Yep, I got to be flexible to go to these different environments.
Being a substitute teacher also helped me with being flexible about daily plans.
Before that, I used to very rigid with my daily plans. My attitude is "I already planned to do this, screw anyone who wants me to adjust my schedule"
That attitude changed when I started to work as a substitute teacher. There IS NO SET PLAN in that job! You learn to be flexible fast!
Of course, I still have a schedule, and I still have to say "no" to others when I already had an important thing to do.
Knowing when to be flexible and when to be rigid is an important life skill!
Enjoy!)
You can't act the same at every situation.
You obviously aren't going to act the same at a library and a party! 2 different things!
This also remind me about Shaquille O'Neal's 2nd book "Shaq Talks Back"
photo from Amazon.com
Shaq mentioned that he spent his early years in a Newark ghetto, then his stepfather joined the military. So he was growing up in environments in which there is a mixture of racial groups. He mentioned that he's able to adjust to "white culture" and "black culture".
Shaq said "some people would call that selling out! I call it surviving in your environment!"
Amen to that!
In a ever-increasingly integrated world, you need to be culturally flexible.
You need to be able to adjust being around people different from you!
I was fortunate in that I went to schools with students from very different situations. My classmates were a mix of a low-income, middle class and a few rich students. My classmates came from various cultures. And each school I went to (ranging from preschool to college) had a different cultural combination.
And in my current job as a substitute teacher, I work at various school, ranging from private schools with an economically privileged population to public schools with large population of low-income immigrants. I have worked with preschoolers to high schoolers.
-------------------
Being that I was a public school student, subbing at a private school was an adjustment. For one thing, most public schools I've been to have large campuses. So it was a culture shock to enter a few private school campuses, took a tour and thinking "this is the whole campus? that's it?"
Also, public schools don't have religious services occurring during school hours. Many private schools are run by religious organizations and therefore, greatly emphasize their religion as part of their curriculum. Joining that environment was a new experience for me.
To be fair, a student from a religious private school will definitely feel the culture shock if he/she transferred to a public school. He/she will be thinking "what kind of school is this? We don't do morning prayers at the new school? We had morning prayers and chapel services at my old school."
Another adjustment in subbing at private schools is adjusting to 1st world facilities. I have been accustomed to 2nd world (and occasionally 3rd world) facilities at public schools. So in a way, the private school students are more prepared for the modern and future workplace than many public school students. Plus, at many private schools, the students are provided with their own laptops or i-pads. Makes me wish I was them :) !
---------
Yep, I got to be flexible to go to these different environments.
Being a substitute teacher also helped me with being flexible about daily plans.
Before that, I used to very rigid with my daily plans. My attitude is "I already planned to do this, screw anyone who wants me to adjust my schedule"
That attitude changed when I started to work as a substitute teacher. There IS NO SET PLAN in that job! You learn to be flexible fast!
Of course, I still have a schedule, and I still have to say "no" to others when I already had an important thing to do.
Knowing when to be flexible and when to be rigid is an important life skill!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
UHM Summer Session
I have just completed summer school (2013 edition) at UH-Manoa.
There were two summer sessions. Session 1 was from May 28 to July 5. Session 2 was from July 8 to August 15.
For session 1, I took LIS 681: Books & Media for Children
This class focused on library materials for ages birth to upper elementary school.
This class focused on books as well as digital media (ie. websites, databases, book trailers, e-books, etc)
We went over the different genres for this age group, including picture books, poetry, folklore, biographies, fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, multi-cultural literature and science fiction. Sometimes those genres overlap in one book.
We also went over Hawaiian books for children. Obviously that's important for Hawaii, but it has a special place in the professor's heart, since her regular job is the librarian at Kamehameha Schools.
We also get to do book reports for children's book. Much easier than doing it when we were children. Though instead of posters or dioramas, we just used power-points. We also made amateur-level video book reports using a program called Little Bird Tales.
We had guest speakers from Kamehameha Schools (our part-time prof's full-time workplace), Hawaii State Library, Bricks4Kids (a Lego group for kids), and Follet (a digital media company specializing in e-books). We also had a prominent children's fiction author Cornelia Funke speak to us via Skype.
We also had volunteer activities at the Hawaii State Library. We get to choose different weekends to do the volunteering activity. The weekend I went, there was a storytelling session and a veggie stamp activity, where the kids get to dip a vegetable in paint and stamp it on paper. It was good to see kids enjoy creativity in a setting where they dont have to worry about being graded.
This activity told me I was taking the right path in working towards becoming a librarian and maybe work with children's activities.
It was a fun class and I suggest that class to anyone interested in working with children.
For session 2, I took LIS 663: Basic Database Searching
This class is focused on online searching.
Sure, most of us take the Internet (and using Google and Wikipedia) for granted.
But do you know how to maximize your results from online searches?
And more importantly, did you know there's tons of information online that aren't even easily accessible?
Many of us are familiar with having to pay an online subscription to a local or national newspaper.
The same is true about accessing academic journal articles. And in graduate level academics, you will be asked to rely more on academic journal articles instead of just relying on Google or Wikipedia.
If you're at UH, your tuition/taxes/financial-aid is paying for your access to academic journal articles via online academic databases
The databases include, but not limited to
Academic Search Premier
Medline
Sociological Abstracts
Biological Abstracts
ERIC
PsycINFO
and much much more
And the LIS 663 class is mostly about how to maximize your search results on those academic databases.
We learned how to best navigate the systems and use the best term combinations to get the articles you want.
Our searching skills were tested by homework in which you have to search for obscure information and you have to document your search with screenshots! Tons of fun if you had tons of hours to search the info!
And our searching skills are also tested by doing an online search in front of the whole class. Yep, you might get asked "find me which college sports have the most corruption" and you will show the whole class how you might find that information.
That might sound intimidating, but the good news was the professor, Rich Gazan, is one of the coolest guys around. He is an easy person to get along with and he is very helpful.
Professor Gazan also has tons of knowledge from his previous work experience in online indexing as well as his academic research.
We also had guest speakers who talked about using medical databases, citation-based searching, as well as flaws with Google Scholar and Google Books. [Google owns Blogger too, so I hope they don't censor this post either] We also had a guest speaker who got his PhD from UH-Manoa, who is now in charge of an European commission on climate change. Our assignment? Find articles that prove and disprove his claims on climate change.
And towards the end of the summer class, we learned about altmetrics, which I went over on the following blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/mister-worldwide.html
It was a long 6 weeks with tons of work, but we have survived and had some fun along the way. I totally suggest that class, especially if Rich Gazan is the teacher!
------------
It was a good summer. I got 2 classes over with, learned some things, enjoyed the computer labs and the outside scenery at UH!
I also got loan money, which help since my regular job (sub teacher) was on vacation.
Lots of work accomplished!
Now, it's time for party. Until the Fall Semester that is!
There were two summer sessions. Session 1 was from May 28 to July 5. Session 2 was from July 8 to August 15.
For session 1, I took LIS 681: Books & Media for Children
This class focused on library materials for ages birth to upper elementary school.
This class focused on books as well as digital media (ie. websites, databases, book trailers, e-books, etc)
We went over the different genres for this age group, including picture books, poetry, folklore, biographies, fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, multi-cultural literature and science fiction. Sometimes those genres overlap in one book.
We also went over Hawaiian books for children. Obviously that's important for Hawaii, but it has a special place in the professor's heart, since her regular job is the librarian at Kamehameha Schools.
We also get to do book reports for children's book. Much easier than doing it when we were children. Though instead of posters or dioramas, we just used power-points. We also made amateur-level video book reports using a program called Little Bird Tales.
We had guest speakers from Kamehameha Schools (our part-time prof's full-time workplace), Hawaii State Library, Bricks4Kids (a Lego group for kids), and Follet (a digital media company specializing in e-books). We also had a prominent children's fiction author Cornelia Funke speak to us via Skype.
We also had volunteer activities at the Hawaii State Library. We get to choose different weekends to do the volunteering activity. The weekend I went, there was a storytelling session and a veggie stamp activity, where the kids get to dip a vegetable in paint and stamp it on paper. It was good to see kids enjoy creativity in a setting where they dont have to worry about being graded.
This activity told me I was taking the right path in working towards becoming a librarian and maybe work with children's activities.
It was a fun class and I suggest that class to anyone interested in working with children.
For session 2, I took LIS 663: Basic Database Searching
This class is focused on online searching.
Sure, most of us take the Internet (and using Google and Wikipedia) for granted.
But do you know how to maximize your results from online searches?
And more importantly, did you know there's tons of information online that aren't even easily accessible?
Many of us are familiar with having to pay an online subscription to a local or national newspaper.
The same is true about accessing academic journal articles. And in graduate level academics, you will be asked to rely more on academic journal articles instead of just relying on Google or Wikipedia.
If you're at UH, your tuition/taxes/financial-aid is paying for your access to academic journal articles via online academic databases
The databases include, but not limited to
Academic Search Premier
Medline
Sociological Abstracts
Biological Abstracts
ERIC
PsycINFO
and much much more
And the LIS 663 class is mostly about how to maximize your search results on those academic databases.
We learned how to best navigate the systems and use the best term combinations to get the articles you want.
Our searching skills were tested by homework in which you have to search for obscure information and you have to document your search with screenshots! Tons of fun if you had tons of hours to search the info!
And our searching skills are also tested by doing an online search in front of the whole class. Yep, you might get asked "find me which college sports have the most corruption" and you will show the whole class how you might find that information.
That might sound intimidating, but the good news was the professor, Rich Gazan, is one of the coolest guys around. He is an easy person to get along with and he is very helpful.
Professor Gazan also has tons of knowledge from his previous work experience in online indexing as well as his academic research.
We also had guest speakers who talked about using medical databases, citation-based searching, as well as flaws with Google Scholar and Google Books. [Google owns Blogger too, so I hope they don't censor this post either] We also had a guest speaker who got his PhD from UH-Manoa, who is now in charge of an European commission on climate change. Our assignment? Find articles that prove and disprove his claims on climate change.
And towards the end of the summer class, we learned about altmetrics, which I went over on the following blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/mister-worldwide.html
It was a long 6 weeks with tons of work, but we have survived and had some fun along the way. I totally suggest that class, especially if Rich Gazan is the teacher!
------------
It was a good summer. I got 2 classes over with, learned some things, enjoyed the computer labs and the outside scenery at UH!
I also got loan money, which help since my regular job (sub teacher) was on vacation.
Lots of work accomplished!
Now, it's time for party. Until the Fall Semester that is!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
actions and consequences
Most of us know someone who went down the wrong path.
And in some cases, we actually have good memories being around that same person who went down the wrong path.
But at the same time, having good memories of someone DOES NOT mean that person shouldn't have face consequences of that negative behavior
However, some people think that the people they like shouldn't face the inevitable consequences of their stupid decisions.
For example, this teacher named Kate Selker was upset that one of her students was shot in the head, nevermind that her student was intruding on someone else's home!
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/09/young_black_and_shot_in_the_head/
And as the title showed, the teacher played the race card, acting as its racist to shoot an intruder who just happens to be a different race from you!
And that teacher recited all the good memories of her former student, as if that erase the fact that her student was just asking for trouble when he intruded on someon's property!
Look I don't care how many good memories you have of the student, if he was intruding on someone's property, he is asking to be shot at!
After all, anyone mean-spirited enough to intrude on your property can be mean-spirited enough to attack you, stab you , put you in a choke-hold, rape you, knock the phone out of your hand as you call 911!
You cant blame the property owner for shooting the intruder.
Look, I used to hang out with this guy named Justin Gonda. This was mostly during my junior year in high school. We used to chill by the school's shop building during lunch recess. There were about 3-4 other people with us, along with a few guests who occasionally came by. Those were the funnest times I had during my high school years.
However, a few years after high school, Justin Gonda was arrested for sexual assault! He's in jail now!
You know what? It doesn't matter how much good times me and Gonda had in the past, Gonda committed a serious crime and has to take the consequences.
If this leads him to a direction where he gets assaulted or killed (maybe by his victim's relatives? maybe by other inmates? etc?), he has to accept some of the blame himself!
----
And this race card that Kate Selker is using is STUPID!
She said she used to trespass on properties when she was a teen and felt she got away with it because she's white, and her student didn't because he was black.
Selker might think trespassing was no big deal for her. But if she had gotten shot while trespassing, I won't feel much pity for her! She's just lucky she didn't got caught!
Also, Selker thinks it's racist for an property owner to shoot an intruder who happens to be a different race. That is so stupid. Selker's problem is her idiotic "white guilt", her "need" to over-compensate for "white privilege".
This over-compensating for white privillege is stupid and unnecessary! It's not racist to expect non-whites to behave properly! After all, Martin Luther King wanted people to be judged by the content of their character. Any fool who intrudes on another person's home shall be judged as a bad character, regardless of skin color!
Everyone needs to accept responsibility for their actions. Sure, some of us have work much harder to gain the respect of others. Sure, some of us face more obstacles than others. Sure, some of us have heard ugly racial insults said to our faces. Sure, some of us didn't have the economic resources that others have! Sure, some of us have physical or mental limitations that others don't have!
But it doesn't erase the fact that everyone still need to do the responsible thing and accept the fact that there are negative consequences for doing negative things!
Now here's a great comment to that same article!
And in some cases, we actually have good memories being around that same person who went down the wrong path.
But at the same time, having good memories of someone DOES NOT mean that person shouldn't have face consequences of that negative behavior
However, some people think that the people they like shouldn't face the inevitable consequences of their stupid decisions.
For example, this teacher named Kate Selker was upset that one of her students was shot in the head, nevermind that her student was intruding on someone else's home!
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/09/young_black_and_shot_in_the_head/
And as the title showed, the teacher played the race card, acting as its racist to shoot an intruder who just happens to be a different race from you!
And that teacher recited all the good memories of her former student, as if that erase the fact that her student was just asking for trouble when he intruded on someon's property!
Look I don't care how many good memories you have of the student, if he was intruding on someone's property, he is asking to be shot at!
After all, anyone mean-spirited enough to intrude on your property can be mean-spirited enough to attack you, stab you , put you in a choke-hold, rape you, knock the phone out of your hand as you call 911!
You cant blame the property owner for shooting the intruder.
Look, I used to hang out with this guy named Justin Gonda. This was mostly during my junior year in high school. We used to chill by the school's shop building during lunch recess. There were about 3-4 other people with us, along with a few guests who occasionally came by. Those were the funnest times I had during my high school years.
However, a few years after high school, Justin Gonda was arrested for sexual assault! He's in jail now!
You know what? It doesn't matter how much good times me and Gonda had in the past, Gonda committed a serious crime and has to take the consequences.
If this leads him to a direction where he gets assaulted or killed (maybe by his victim's relatives? maybe by other inmates? etc?), he has to accept some of the blame himself!
----
And this race card that Kate Selker is using is STUPID!
She said she used to trespass on properties when she was a teen and felt she got away with it because she's white, and her student didn't because he was black.
Selker might think trespassing was no big deal for her. But if she had gotten shot while trespassing, I won't feel much pity for her! She's just lucky she didn't got caught!
Also, Selker thinks it's racist for an property owner to shoot an intruder who happens to be a different race. That is so stupid. Selker's problem is her idiotic "white guilt", her "need" to over-compensate for "white privilege".
This over-compensating for white privillege is stupid and unnecessary! It's not racist to expect non-whites to behave properly! After all, Martin Luther King wanted people to be judged by the content of their character. Any fool who intrudes on another person's home shall be judged as a bad character, regardless of skin color!
Everyone needs to accept responsibility for their actions. Sure, some of us have work much harder to gain the respect of others. Sure, some of us face more obstacles than others. Sure, some of us have heard ugly racial insults said to our faces. Sure, some of us didn't have the economic resources that others have! Sure, some of us have physical or mental limitations that others don't have!
But it doesn't erase the fact that everyone still need to do the responsible thing and accept the fact that there are negative consequences for doing negative things!
Now here's a great comment to that same article!
myqjones
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Now, this is just me, but if the intruder so much as twitched, they would be shot - center mass, with intent to kill (there is no such thing as shooting to wound, if you think you need to pull the trigger, then shoot to kill). If they aren't completely disabled, then shoot again.
I would take my chances with the law after that. My wife, child, and unborn child safety takes precedence over any vagaries of the law.