Ferguson, Police, and Race

Ferguson, a small town outside of St. Louis, Missouri has been placed on the map since August 9, 2014, when a police officer stopped Micheal Brown. There has been conflicting reports about what happened between the officer and Brown, and what hasn't been in dispute was that the officer shot Brown.

There was no video recording of the incident. The police car had no dash-cam.  There were no hidden camera on the police officer's uniform. In a world where nearly every cell phone has video-recording capabilities, it is unacceptable for any police department to send its officers in cars or uniforms without hidden video-recorders!

from Mona Charen's article 

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/charen081914.php3

Beyond that, a technical solution is readily available: cameras, cameras and more cameras. I wrote last year that cameras should be ubiquitous in prisons because the temptation for brutality by prison guards who are unobserved is tremendous. The same is true of police. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that in Rialto, California, the number of citizen complaints against police declined from 24 to 3 in the first year officers began wearing cameras on their chests. Use of force incidents dropped from 61 to 25.

why is that ?

Wearable cameras are being tested in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. As Rialto's police chief explained: "When you talk about putting a camera on somebody, human nature is going to dictate that you're going to mind your p's and q's and you're going to be on the best behavior. At the same time, I think it's had an impact on citizens. If they know you're wearing a camera, they too will be on their best behavior."

So why would the Ferguson Police Department not have cameras on every police car and on every officer?

Is it because they got something to hide?

Apparently they do, because they banned media companies have flying helicopters over riot scenes, because they worry that helicopter cameras would catch the militarized officers abusing their power.

http://reason.com/blog/2014/08/19/why-are-there-no-news-helicopters-over-f

Last week, when the protests began, the Federal Aviation Administration banned low-flying vehicles—vehicles like news helicopters—below 3,000 feet over Ferguson airspace, in order “to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities.” The no-fly-zone was created at the request of local law enforcement, following a police report that a police chopper had been shot at. Yesterday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixonrenewed the ban, citing the same police-safety justification.

The police safety justification is hard to buy. What possible threat could a news helicopter, circling hundreds or thousands of feet above the scene, be to the activities on the ground? If anything, helicopters, which would not block emergency vehicles, which would not get in the way of cops or crowds, which would remain at a remove from the action, would be safer than the rest of the media.

No, safety isn't the issue. That's not what this is about. It’s about local law enforcement not wanting to be watched—and not wanting media to capture a complete picture of the scene.

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Another use if the use of military equipment by the police.

While there was looting (much of it done by criminals who took advantage of a tense atmosphere..............I mean how is running with a whole bunch of shoes an act of "promoting social justice")  much of the police officers were using their big weapons against peaceful protesters.

Mark Steyn

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0814/steyn081814.php3

As for what's happened in the days since the shooting, I've written a lot in recent months about the appalling militarization of the police in America, and I don't have much to add. But I did get a mordant chuckle out of this line from Kathy Shaidle on the green-camouflaged officers pictured above: 

Shouldn't a 'Ferguson' camo pattern be, like, 7/11 & Kool-Aid logos? 

Indeed. To camouflage oneself in the jungles of suburban America, one should be clothed in Dunkin' Donuts and Taco Bell packaging. A soldier wears green camo in Vietnam to blend in. A policeman wears green camo in Ferguson to stand out - to let you guys know: We're here, we're severe, get used to it.

Back to the Mona Charen article
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/charen081914.php3

 Actors often say that they can't get into character until they don the costume — attach the fake nose or moustache. It's easy to believe that something of the same effect happens when police gear up in opaque helmets, gas masks, body armor and heavy weaponry. If you're dressed and equipped like a special ops combat soldier, you're more inclined to behave like one. But against whom?

It's like all those commemorative images you see on TV about "a devoted father, loving husband, true gentleman and ................... a war hero".

I mean, you can truly be a devoted father, loving husband, a true gentleman ...................but once the combat uniforms and equipment is on, don't tell me you're not ready to be a vicious warrior out to damage the living crap out of your enemy!

Now, that is necessary to fight insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.................but not against protesters armed only with a loud mouth!


But with riot gear on, you're so ready for battle that you treat any loudmouth as if he/she is an insurgent!

With riot gear on, you're so ready for battle that you start treat anyone armed only with a video-recorder as an enemy!

With riot gear on, you're so ready for battle, that you will to crack heads and shot tear gas at anyone without riot gear!

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What is a small town like Ferguson doing with so much military equipment anyways.



In the name of "homeland security", the military has been giving out surplus equipment to police departments nationwide.


The original plan was to give such equipment to areas vulnerable to terrorist attacks (ie. Washington DC, New York, etc)!

But Congress being what it is (filled with people representing states and  specific districts), everyone wanted a piece of the action, so even remote small towns got militarized equipment.

--------

going back to the fear of looting ---- while much of that was going on ...................... there were also many who were BOTH outraged at the police AND the looters, as you could see from this video
https://vine.co/v/M3aJDOgX7xg


and the Huffington Post article

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/16/ferguson-protesters-guard-stores_n_5684042.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/16/ferguson-protesters-guard-stores_n_5684042.html

Protecting a beauty shop from looters

Twitter/HuffingtonPost

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Of course, since the Ferguson case started out with an incident of European-American cop killing an African-American suspect, this brings up the race relations issue.


And when that happens, everyone relives their bad memories of dealing with someone of a different race.

Of course, people fear being attacked (and killed) by someone different more than someone similar.

There has been talk by many right-wing conservatives about "why are African-Americans more worried about white police when they're more likely to be victimized by black-on-black crimes".

But it is many right-wing conservatives who promote the fear of the "Central American illegal" or the "Muslim terrorist" when they don't even pose the level of threat to an average European-American that another European-American does.

I mean, a daughter of a Euro-American conservative is much, much, much, much, much more likely to get drugged and raped by a European-American frat boy than she would by some Central American, African-American  or Middle Eastern person!

I wrote about the issue on my 2013 blog post "Fear of the Other"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-fear-of-other.html


As for the conservative correctness slander that Sharpton/Obama/etc don't pay attention to "black on black crime"?

http://reason.com/archives/2014/08/21/what-about-black-on-black-crime

"What about black-on-black violence?" demanded Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, who is white. "Where is Al Sharpton on that? Where is the president on that?"

Funny you should ask. Sharpton made a publicized trip to Chicago in November to focus attention on the city's chronic violence. Last year, Michelle Obama attended the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old black honor student who was shot, allegedly by a black gang member.

The first lady later returned to Chicago to converse with students at a school that is nearly 100 percent African-American. "In choosing Harper High School for the visit, the White House noted that 29 current or former students there had been shot in the last year, eight of them fatally," reported the Chicago Tribune.

The president also traveled to Chicago, meeting with kids involved in a mentoring program for at-risk adolescent boys, bemoaning gun violence and telling a crowd on the South Side, "Our streets will only be as safe as our schools are strong and our families are sound."

Doesn't sound like they've been ignoring or excusing this sort of violence. Plenty of black leaders and organizations in Chicago and elsewhere spend a lot of time and energy trying to prevent crime in their communities. There are rallies, conferences, prayer vigils and gun turn-in days. Last year, thousands of volunteers manned "Safe Passage" routes to get children to school unharmed.

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

In a blog post that  was posted on the George Zimmerman verdict (http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/after-trial-george-zimmerman-and.html), I mentioned that massive urban racial riots are a thing of the past. I spoke too soon.  

Tom Apple and Ben Jay

UH-Manoa chancellor Tom Apple was fired last month by UH President Dave Lassner.

What is a chancellor anyways, and how is that different from a university president?

I gave a little lesson in a recent letter to the Star Advertiser.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/editorialspremium/20140815_letters.html

Chancellor for Manoa campus

Do you want someone to be a principal of a high school while being the superintendent of the Department of Education at the same time? Probably not, because that is an obvious conflict of interest. 

Yet, we have recent columns by Dave Reardon and Dave Shapiro asking why the University of Hawaii system has separate positions for UH president and UH-Manoa chancellor. They asked why the responsibilities of both positions could not be done by the same person, like it used to. 

With the UH system consisting of three university campuses and all the community colleges, it would be an obvious conflict of interest for one person to be the chancellor (equivalent to a principal) of the Manoa campus and yet be the president of the entire UH system at the same time. 

Pablo Wegesend

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



Lassner said he had no confidence in Apple's ability to stabilize finances for the Manoa campus. Apple's supporters said that he has responsive to student concerns and think that Apple's attempt to fire the university's Cancer Center  director angered some powerful people.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20140801_UH_leader_defends_Apples_firing.html





I wonder if the true reason for Apple's firing has nothing to do with the stated reasons, but everything to do with Apple's statement in May 2013 about UH-Manoa's sports team going to Division II.

http://www.kaleo.org/sports/could-uh-athletics-leave-division-i/article_930fd484-b5f6-11e2-9ff7-001a4bcf6878.html

“If we’re not breaking even in three years, I really have to look at whether we will continue Division 1A athletics,” Chancellor Thomas Apple said.

I responded by saying...................................... Tom Apple should be fired

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/jason-collins-and-tom-apple.html

Excuse me?

Your telling us that the flagship university of our state shall be demoted to Division 2?
That's like asking Hawaii's people to accept 2nd class citizenship!We refuse to be treated like 2nd class citizens dammit! 
By telling us (and the world) that it's possible that UH athletics could drop out of Division 1 is an early Christmas present to all rival college recruiters!

That's right, all the folks at Fresno State, Stanford, Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA, Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, BYU, Utah ....................... and on and on  ..................... now have a new weapon to use against us when they go out for recruiting! 

In other words, Tom Apple's words can have serious ramifications for the UH sports programs. Therefore, Tom Apple shall be fired!

At the time, Dave Lassner was not yet the UH President.  Lassner was new to his current position when he fired Tom Apple, but I'm not surprised Apple's May 2013 statement was a major part of the reason Lassner fired Apple.

It's just that Lassner smart enough not to publicly mention it, otherwise, there will be screams that "sports take too much priority at UH"


------

And now UH-Manoa's Athletic Director Ben Jay just said mentioned a possibility that UH football might become non-existent if the financial problems continue.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140818_Jay_issues_statement_to_clarify_earlier_comments.html?id=271782181

After earlier in the day telling a Board of Regents committee, "there is a very real possibility of football going away," under questioning by the board, Jay said issued the following statement:

"My comments at the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics' meeting were made in order to convey a sense of urgency regarding the need to address our current funding model. In no way was I indicating that a decision on program reduction of any sport was under consideration. Rather, I was suggesting that the department's financial situation required that all possible scenarios be reviewed.

But just like Tom Apple's statements in May 2013, Ben Jay's comments will motivate rival college football  coaches to tell  recruits "don't go to Hawaii, their A.D. gave hints there'll be no football team before you graduate".



So Ben Jay might not be around much longer. And when  he's fired, the officially stated reasons may not match reality ................... that Ben Jay would be fired for even implying UH football might not be around much longer.

Robin Williams and depression

Earlier this month, actor and comedian Robin Williams passed away.

CNN.com

Robin Williams

He was known for playing silly characters as well as profound men of wisdom.

He was skilled in imitating various accents in a funny but not demeaning way.

He was just as skilled acting in front of a live audience as he was acting in front of a screen

In a profession where the stereotype is "the arrogant, over-demanding diva", Robin Williams was known for his generous spirit.

All of those things mentioned made it surprising when news came out about the circumstances of his death. He hung himself after bouts of depression.

It is also believed that Robin Williams was facing the early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which also caused the physical decline of Micheal J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.

------

Now the major issue in the news is of depression and mental illness, and how they can affect the very people you least expect it.

It doesn't just affect people you always see brooding and complaining about life.

IT also affects the class clowns, the life of the party,  the guy who always seem happy.

It also affects the person who seems so full of wisdom about life, the person who always gives you profound quotes about life.

--

A few days after Robin Williams died, I saw the following video, from a person who suffers from depression.

http://www.upworthy.com/in-response-to-robin-williams-death-the-most-powerful-description-of-depression-ive-ever-heard


From the video transcript.

And it's more than just not being happy. It's like you can't bring yourself to be happy. You look at the things that you once really loved and enjoyed, and you just can't find enjoyment in them anymore. Sometimes you can't eat, sometimes you can't sleep, and sometimes you can't even move. And then your friends get mad at you because you don't go out as often or you don't want to respond to text messages. You just can't hold a conversation and suddenly, you're the problem, you're the downer, and you really want to. You really want to. You really want to go out to the bar. And you really want to go out and have fun, but your body just doesn't allow you to as if something inside you is just forcing you to be down like that's the normal thing to do, and everybody else just doesn't get it. And it's not that you ignore people because you don't like them. It's just that you don't want to go through the same conversation over and over again.

(skipped paragraphs)

 You try to ask yourself what happened between now and then, but sometimes there is no explanation.

Hearing that (especially the parts the I highlighted in bold print) totally reminds me of one person I knew in high school.  When it was time for pep rallies or other fun activities, he was the fun guy. We used to talk about music, girls, and the latest campus gossip.  He was an alternative trend-setter, but he also enjoyed hip-hop music. He was on the skateboards back when Rollerblades was overshadowing skateboards. He could make people laugh and smile.

However, when things start to turn bad ................oh shizzzzzzzzz.................he could really feel down. He would feel very depressed and it wouldn't stop.  When someone said something mean to him that day, that's it. He would internalize it for a long time. I still remember when he had a bad day and he wasn't able to put it on the side during another school event going on in the lawn during lunch recess. He was hurting, and I was like "enough already, just enjoy the event already".

I could see the change in that person, he started to feel alienated from the school. I tried to snap him out of it, reminding him that this is senior year, let's enjoy it!

But like the guy said in the video, once depression hits you, it is hard to enjoy the things you used to.

Fast-forward to a few years after high school.  I was still new to block parties and clubs. That classmate started going to block parties, clubs and concerts before I started. So when I was finally ready to start going to those places..........................well..........................the guy was so hit with depression that when I went with him, he didn't seem to enjoy it like he used to.

 We started to grow apart and didn't talk for a while. Then we met up again a few years later. I still saw some of that casual fun person in him. But again, depression entered the picture.

 I sent emails to my friends about upcoming block parties, karaoke parties, New Year's parties and more. No response from that guy!

I know that guy read my blog before, and I hope he's not feeling that I'm humiliating him with this post.

But it does go to show that depression can hit the "life of the parties", the trendsetters, the casual guy...........and it can hit hard. It can make them a different person.


It is hard for me to accept those changes in that person. It is hard for me to accept that the guy is no longer interested in going to block parties or karaoke parties. It is hard for me to accept that maybe, he just can't himself outside to do those things anymore.

Also, I tried teaching him coping skills. I still remember the one New Year's night a decade ago, when he was upset that a bouncer didn't let him into a VIP room (he probably didn't know that a VIP room was for those who paid extra for the privileges)  and a bartender talked to him in a non-friendly tone (it's a club, it's hard to talk without yelling there). I just told him, let's just go to the club nearby.  Well, we were outside and he was hurting. It was almost midnight, so I said, let's just go inside that other club already. He didn't want to!

I told him "look, 2pac and Biggie both knew they weren't going to live long, both couldn't go out without 24-7 security, but they still went out and have a good time."  I told him that I never allowed bullies to break my spirit.  I also reminded him that some people on Times Square probably had friends who died in the 9/11 attacks but still willing to celebrate the New Year.

We went into the club. After we left, he was still down about what happened in the 1st nightclub. About a month later, he called me and talked about that New Year's night and  told me that "I got the feeling you don't care about me."  WTF?

OK, at that point, I couldn't do anything to help him.

But that guy obviously got depression!  The situation totally reminds me about the video I mentioned earlier.

At this point, nothing I could say could help him.  It's not just a case of feeling upset, it's a serious case of depression that goes far above and beyond what some guy said to him at the club. It goes far above and beyond what I tried to tell him. It goes far above and beyond what happened that night. It goes much deeper than that! It is a serious case of depression that apparently can't be cured by pep talks or good times.


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

But you know what? I'm not immune to feelings of depression either.

Now, my personal problems has never stopped me from enjoying block parties and nightclubs. My personal problems has never stopped me from achieving academically.

I guess you could  say that my personal problems never stopped me from getting stuff done.

However, there has been a long time in which I hated people in my family. I hated my parents the same way 2pac hated Biggie. Hate wasn't even a strong enough word to describe how I felt!

And nobody knew the pain behind my happy exterior! Nobody knew the pain behind my parent's happy image!

At age 14, my parents had to move out of Lanakila Housing due to income eligibility requirements. They were making too much to live in public housing complex for low-income people.

Without warning me, they bought a house in the other side of the island.

While my grandma was still living in Lanakila Housing, I could only stay there for a few days a week.

I hated that suburban house my parents bought. I hated that side of the island. (another east vs west rivalry).

I hated that my parents didn't find a place to rent within urban  Honolulu.

I hated my relatives for congratulating my parents for buying that suburban house. I hated my relatives for trying to make me feel happy about that suburban house. I hated my brother (who was lucky to stay in the same neighborhood from birth to high school graduation) sided with my parents.

I hated that I had to cover-up the out-of-district address just to attend a high school where I at least knew somebody. You try living a life where it's hard to be totally honest! 

I hated when  my parents told me my complaints are just a "teenage phase", from "just a lack of life experience".

I hated my father whose only driving lesson with me ended with him yelling profanities. When Latrell Spreewell choked his coach, I wanted to do the same to my father.

I hated my mother for making excuses for my dad's behavior and his drunkenness.

Yeah, I bet my relatives reading this are in shock right now!

Yeah, I bet the people who know me from work & school reading this are in shock right now!

My parents put up a good front in family gatherings. They put up a good front in public places. You would never know from observing them that one time, my father was arrested for hitting my mom.  (My father never hit me though...........so at least I'm lucky in one way).

I wrote songs expressing anger at my parents, that had more intensity than what Eminem wrote!

At one point in my senior year, I was talking to my mom about the toll covering up the out-of-district address was taking on me, that I wanted to leave their suburban house! I was so full of rage that I punched a bunch of pillows right in front of my mom!  She's lucky there was no glass or ceramics in front of me, otherwise, they would've been broken too. But still, my mom was terrified!  Dad was out of island! Mom was in full blown tears when she called my relatives.

I finally moved into my grandma's apartment full-time. Dad came back to the island and he wasn't happy I left his suburban home. Eff him! I left his cage and I'm not returning!

So yeah, I finally moved in with my grandma's home, finally moved back to my former community, finally be able to live within school district 24-7!

But the damage was done. The feelings of sadness, rage, depression, and anger ebbs and flows.

I went to a psychiatrist a few times with my parents.

The issue faded for a while. Then it come back to mind, eating me inside.

As I got older, I became better able to express how I feel, better able to express what went wrong!

So I started writing letters to my parents explaining why I was feeling sadness and rage.

Well, I wrote one last month, and my mom called me and said "if you make an appointment with a professional, we'll be there!"

Reservations were made about a week before Robin Williams died.

The appointment itself was yesterday.  At the counseling office, I told my parents why I am so angry at them. My parents told their side of the story. The psychologist listened  to all sides.  My parents knew I was hurting. My mom felt she did so much for me but was hurt that I didn't seem to appreciate it!

At the end of the session, everyone felt relieved that they finally told their side of the story in a neutral site.

The psychologist said the word "Ho'oponopono" a Hawaiian word for a healing session.

We have another session next week. Much of my worst feelings were said. I still have a few questions. It's a long process to recovery.

------

Most people who just read it could never guess all that was going on in my life. I do have a happy exterior, but the insides were hurting.

So it doesn't totally surprise me that the same was going on for Robin Williams.  We would never know how much Robin Williams was hurting inside!

My 15-year high school reunion

Last Saturday (August 16)  was the 15th year reunion for the  McKinley Tigers c/o 99ers!

It was held at Jade Dynasty Restaurant at Ala Moana Shopping Center!

There was about 20 people in attendance, much smaller than the 10th year reunion 5 years ago.

We had a dinner and then a slide show.

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

For the 10 year reunion I only found out about it after the reservations were made. I was new to facebook that year so I missed out on the planning stages.

So for the 15th year reunion, I decided to at least give ideas on organizing.


Well, everyone was too busy and distracted to even think of organizing the 15th year reunion, until I decided take the lead and do the reservations  myself.

Using the McKinley High School class of 1999 facebook page, I started to ask for ideas. This was in January.

Some people mentioned Las Vegas. I couldn't leave Oahu this year, so I was like "if anyone wanted in L.V., they can go ahead and organize it, but I'll just organize one in Hawaii for those who can't leave Hawaii this year. Plus our high school is in Honolulu anyways."

Some people favored having the reunion in a Waikiki hotel ballroom. Sounded like a good idea. However, when I emailed various hotels about having the reunion, I got attached PDFs mentioning  how much it cost to make a deposit, pay for food service, rent audio-visual equipment......................... whoah..............................expensive! It would've made this reunion much more expensive than the previous one!

I knew Rumours Nightclub can be rented for private parties and reunions. However, just like the hotel ballrooms, their rates are also expensive.


Then I remember hearing a radio ad for Jade Dynasty! That place has been hosting KSSK's Perry & Price Saturday morning show and can also host private parties.

I went to their website (http://jadedynastyhawaii.com/) and called them.  Their rates are so much cheaper, plus there's no extra charge for audio-visual equipment.  So I made the reservation :)

I announced the reservation in May!

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

To fundraise for the reunion, I was thinking of starting a bank account in case people wanted to pay early. I went to Bank of Hawaii ("that's my bank") and found out the tedious regulations involved. They need to see a list of "officers" and "minutes".  There is no "officers" nor "minutes", all communications were informal and done over facebook.

I was like "forget it, I'll just collect the money at the reunion".

---

I was doing most of the work (while juggling school and work) until July when 2 other classmates decided to jump in and come up with ideas.

At the same time too, I noticed that not everyone in our graduation class was on the McKinley High School class of 1999 facebook group and therefore may not be aware about the reunion.

I also told one of the 2 classmates I met with in July to let everyone on their friend's list know about the reunion, especially with the facts that

• not everyone in our graduation class is on our class's facebook page
• not everyone in our graduation class is on my friend's list.

Lo and behold, that classmate made the announcement to her facebook list, and a few were complaining about "last minute notice".  To protect that classmate from additional backlash, I told everyone that I started asking for feedback in January, made the reservation in May AND that they should join the  McKinley High School class of 1999 facebook group so that they won't feel left out of any pre-reunion discussions again.

Of course, not everyone is on facebook, and not everyone who has a facebook account is a regular user. So that brings up a challenge of publicizing events. Maybe next time, one of us will also try the other social media outlets (ie Instagram, Twitter or whatever will be popular 5 years from now) to get the message. 

Also, next time, I should take the initiative to contact the school's office to post a banner in front of the campus.

-----

Another challenge is that not everyone who is a regular facebook user was going to come to the reunion.

Many have moved away from Hawaii, so obviously many won't be able to make it. Some have said they could only come with 6 months to a 1 year advance notice. They made a good point, so therefore, I'll start asking for ideas and feedback the year before the reunion!

Also, work schedules will obviously conflict. Saturday's is the most convenient time for most people! Unfortunately, some people have to work Saturday nights.

Also, because many our age have young children, that also makes it harder for some to come. When you're a parent, your child has #1 priority. Just a basic fact of biology. 

---------


But you know what?

Even if this year's reunion has a smaller crowd, the effort was still worth it!

There were a few that couldn't make it to the 10th but showed up for the 15th reunion.  

I also had a few conversations with some classmates I didn't interact with much during our high school years. 

We talked about our past accomplishments as well as our future dreams.

One classmate is in process of publishing a book. 
A few are working as nurses, one of whom just got a new position at a major hospital here. 
One classmate is in the same position as me ...... graduate student.
Others  work at a shipyard, courtroom, retail, food service, and a church.

We also had a slide show that one classmate put together.  People were surprised to see "embarrassing photos" of themselves. We also got to see photos of classmates that couldn't make it, as a way of remembering them. 


We then had another half-hour of conversations before the reunion was over.


----

The good news was I collected more than enough money to pay all expenses.  It was a major relief on my part!


But yeah, I definitely want to take part in planning the 20th reunion.

Of course, I will compromise with others who want to take part in planning the next one.  It's called teamwork.

So to the McKinley Tigers c/o 99ers  -- I hope to see you at the next reunion! 

  

Coming Soon

I had a busy weekend plus a busy day today.

There are few blog posts I hope to start soon


1). The 15th year reunion last Saturday


2) death of Robin Williams and the issue of mental health


3) Riots and police reaction in Ferguson, Missouri

UHM Summer Session 2014

I have just completed summer school (2014 edition) at UH-Manoa.

There were two summer sessions. Session 1 was from May 27 to July 3. Session 2 was from July 7 to August 14. 

Session 1

For session 1, I was originally planning to take a Moving Image Archive class, basically to fulfill a technology class requirement in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program. That class got cancelled due to low enrollment.

But when one door closes, another one opens.

The new door was  the LIS 699 Directed Reading/ Research class which is an  independent research class, on any library-related topic that isn't covered extensively in an LIS class. 

Since I was once a student helper at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), I decided to do the research on Library Resources and Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. 

 I was originally going to  focus on disabilities in general, but it eventually got narrowed down to the blind and visually impaired.

Independent research projects take a lot of work. You have to find your resources, set up interviews with experts, do observations and look up books and databases. That is much more work than your average class where the books/articles/assignments are provided for you. 

For this independent research project, I went to the LBPH to interview staff members about their operations, resources and services. LBPH provides braille and audio materials, as well as large-print books for the visually impaired. 

I also interviewed staff members of organizations that serviced people with disabilities including the Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC), Kokua Program, and Center for Disability Studies (CDS). 

From the articles, I learned about the term print-disabled.  Before starting this project, I don’t even remember if I came in contact with the term “print disabled.” However, it is now a term commonly used in articles referring to not just the blind and visually impaired, but also to people who are not able to use print materials for other reasons. This includes those without hands, whose hands can’t hold a book due to disabilities (ie paralysis, cerebral palsy, stroke, etc.) or other disabilities that prevent the use of a print book.  Those people are also eligible to services covered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (known as NLS).

Also from the articles, I learned about the following issues related to the print-disabled

• ethics in helping the print-disabled
• services for print-disabled youth
• information literacy
• use of screen readers and other assistive technology
• copyright and production of materials for print-disabled patrons

You can learn more about such issues by checking the LIS 699 projects page at

http://pwegesen.wix.com/pablowegesendlis#!lis-699-projects/cdgt

http://pwegesen.wix.com/pablowegesendlis#!lis-699-projects/cdgt

partial screenshot of the LIS 699 projects page

Session 2

For Session 2, I took LIS 683: Services in Libraries

The class was taught by Jan Kamiya, who is a librarian at McCully-Mo'ili'ili Public Library.

Whereas other LIS classes tend to taught by former librarians, this one is being taught by someone is currently working as a librarian. So you actually get to hear about the profession from someone who is working in it now! 

As the title of the class implies, we learn about the various services provided by libraries. Those services include youth programs, storytime, computer training, guest lectures, and reader's advisory.

We also learned about real life situation librarians have to deal with, including hostile patrons, sexual predators, medical emergencies, and damaged items.

The class also integrated topics we learned about in other LIS classes, including collection management (ie. making sure the library collection is updated), intellectual freedom (ie. defending your library's collection of controversial books),  preparing for the job market and basic work ethics. 

We had guest speakers which included the

• public library branch manager
• children's librarian from a public library
• staff member from Hawaii Literacy
• executive director of Friends of the Library of Hawaii (a fundraising organization)
• librarian from the Hawaii-Pacific section of Hawaii State Library (HSL) 

And for those who think "books and libraries are passe", libraries are more than just about books. Libraries also provide technological services including internet computers (where do you think I'm typing this blog post from?), as well as databases, e-books, e-magazines, and audiobooks.

So we had Ann Fujioka as a guest speaker too. She is in charge of the Technical Services Section for Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS).  She may be near retirement age, but she is very current on modern information technology. 

We were also supposed to have another guest speaker come to talk about the job market and getting employed within the Hawaii State Public Library System. However, she had to cancel due to last week's storm :(

Anyways,  this was a very fun and educational class. We had presentations and class discussions that got very interesting at times.  We all wish it go on forever, but all good things have come to the end.

However, you can still check out my LIS 683 projects page at http://pwegesen.wix.com/pablowegesendlis#!lis-683-projects/c1cu

http://pwegesen.wix.com/pablowegesendlis#!lis-683-projects/c1cu

screenshot from the LIS 683 projects page

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Now that Summer Sessions are over, it's time to chill....................well, at least for a week.

Then it's time for Fall 2014 semester. 

I got a scholarship and a grant to cover the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters.

I should be done by the end of the Spring semester ...................depending on what classes are offered that semester, otherwise, I might be in summer school again. 

Advice for High School Seniors

Last Saturday, I filmed another of my YouTube speeches, this one at the campus of McKinley High School.


Being that this week is start of the school year for Hawaii public schools, I wanted to make an "Advice for High School Seniors!"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrPC4jOP05U

Basically my advice for high school seniors is to cherish the moment, participate in some of the events, AND to recognize that you don't have to like everyone on campus to enjoy campus events and activities!


The reason I wanted to emphasize the "you don't have to like everyone on campus to enjoy campus events and activities" message is because

1) you can't let others stop you from having an enjoyable senior year, or an enjoyable life in general

2) if you think high school is rough, wait until you get into the real world. You can't expect to like everyone in your college or in your future jobs. While you will be annoyed (and more), you can't let that stop you from enjoying things

3) I actually knew classmates who didn't want to attend school events because they said "I don't like everyone on campus" SO WHAT?   If you have at least 1 friend, enjoy the times hanging with that 1 friend and talk about some fun stuff!

4) I also knew classmates who spent the whole time at one campus event complaining about the people he don't like. Look, if you're someone that you do get along with, then spent that time talking about something enjoyable! 
(too much time talking about problems erases the time you could spend enjoying the moment)


 In case you think I'm some kind of "positivity polyanna", let it be known that during my high school years, there was drama at home, annoying classmates, grew body hairs early in life, was racially different from overwhelming majority of my classmates, had speech impediments, was nonathletic, didn't have a large clique,  and much, much more! But SO WHAT?

I enjoyed spending time in classes that I liked, learned many cool things, had great lunch recesses (especially Junior year @ Shop Building), made interesting comments in class, yelled at pep rallies, enjoyed school events, and I did the unexpected!

The biggest unexpected of my senior year?  Singing at the talent show!

Nobody saw that coming, not even my closest friends.

I sang Usher's song "Nice & Slow" a capella at the Senior Luau, and Nate Dogg's "Never Leave Me Alone" at the schoolwide talent show!

I became a school celebrity!   :) 

I did not let all the negatives in my life stop me from taking initiative and doing the unexpected!

I did not let all the negatives in my life stop me from taking initiative and sing at the talent show!

I did not let all the negatives in my life stop me from making noises at pep rallies! 

I did not let all the negatives in my life stop me from enjoying times in my fun classes!

and most importantly


I did not let all the negatives in my life stop me from enjoying Project Graduation (the after-graduation party)  and ending my high school career with a bang! 



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For me, it's 15 years later and I am setting up the reunion. Even then, I'm not letting the negatives in my life stop me!

I could be an "emo" and be like "I'm too busy balancing work and school", "not everyone likes me", "I'm not wealthy" or all this other nonsense!

Screw that, I'm taking initiative and setting up the reunion (August 16, 2014 @ Jade Dynasty --- arrive at 5:30 with $30 in cash) and whether 10 or 100 show up, I'm going to live it up and enjoy!


Enjoy high school while you still can! Once it's gone, it's gone forever!

Enjoy your senior year!