Professional Victim Professor

 At UH-Manoa, students have the opportunity to anonymously evaluate their courses and their professors online!

I rarely post my evaluations publicly, but this time I will.

This is about Dr Noriko Asato, who is a professional victim who needs  to be exposed to the light!

What did you find most valuable and helpful about the course?

I have learned how corrupt the profession of public librarianship is!  I have learned how corrupt the Library and Information Science program is, in refusing to practice hooponopono with interns and internship supervisors. I have learned that this professor, as well as the LIS Chair are both people with absolutely zero moral character and needed to be over-ruled by the ICS Chair to stop their corrupt practices.

This stuff about "I have learned how corrupt the profession of public librarianship is!" Read more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/04/problems-at-hsl.html

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and here's what I wrote about "State in two or three sentences how this course could be improved. " and "Other comments"

The course professor teaches the internship class as well as the “Information Profession” class and therefore is supposedly the LIS department’s specialist in preparing students for the professional world. However, this professor is totally unsuitable in helping students prepare for the professional world.

This professor teaches about ethics, but has not only lied to internship supervisors, and but also encourages interns going along with those lies, and gets upset when those interns refuse to go along with such lies. This professors refuses to mediate conflicts between interns and internship supervisors, violating the spirit of hooponopono. That the professor violates the spirit of hooponopono shows that she is extremely ill-suited to working in Hawaii.

This professor believes that people should suffer in silence about any traumatic moments. When a student expressed negative feelings about an internship, this professor says it’s not good to have anger. Well, the professor doesn’t realize that if she was tell an unhappy customer to “not be angry”, this will cause much more problems. Employers in the education and retail industry advise their employees to NEVER tell angry people to “not be angry” YET this professor is doing EXACTLY what retail and educational employers ADVISE AGAINST!

Whenever a student expresses a disagreement or dissatisfaction, the professors says “I feel threatened” in a whiny voice, even when the students did NOT use profanity, did NOT yell, did NOT say any words that expressed violent thoughts, did NOT use physical force on person or object and did NOT threaten to use any physical force on person or object.  This professor claims to “feel threatened” has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with any threats (which are non-existent) but as a way to make the person feel unearned guilt for refusing to kiss her ass.   This professor is a PROFESSIONAL VICTIM and is an extremely bad role model for students who have to deal with real life customers who express disagreements or dissatisfaction.

This professor is exactly the type of person that would advise Martin Luther King Jr to not protests against segregation.  This professor is exactly the type of person that would advise Susan B. Anthony against to not protest for women’s rights. This professor is exactly the type of person that would advise Nelson Mandela to not fight against apartheid. This professor is exactly the type of person that would advise a rape victim to not contact police.

 In other words, this professor is extremely dangerous to her student’s psychological well-being! The university needs to question this professor about her psychological damaging practices. Any refusal by the university to question this professor is to condone such practices, which will come with negative publicity if this goes public in an online forum.

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

About the part stating  that Dr Noriko Asato "has not only lied to internship supervisors, and but also encourages interns going along with those lies, and gets upset when those interns refuse to go along with such lies." 

Dr Noriko Asato ran to the LIS Chair (Dr Rich Gazan) and claimed to feel "threatened" and "very afraid" when I sent emails expressing disagreement with her lying! 

If you are threatened by someone explaining the reasoning for their stances in the following way, then you are severely soft!

EMAIL #1

I know that you wanted to be helpful when you wrote "me, himself and I agreed to terminate this internship" but the reason it doesn't help me is because really, it doesn't fool anyone! People don't like being lied to, and when they see "me, himself and I agreed to terminate this internship", they know they're being lied to! I'd rather be unemployed for life than to have false statements about me accepting having this internship terminated! I value honesty a lot that I'm willing to lose a job and my life over it! I have a blog and a facebook page with strong opinions about personal things! I'm actually surprised I haven't lost my life over it yet! I probably lost job opportunities in the past (pre-LIS) because potential employers saw my blog posts and strong opinions! I'm totally at peace with those lost job opportunities because I rather be rejected as a truth-teller than to be hired as a liar! I'm totally at peace with not getting hired because I was honest about my limits in job interviews! I'm totally at peace with being rejected from social circles because I refuse to be a phony just to fit in! What I'm not at peace with, is people lying to "protect" me. I don't want that type of protection! I only want to be protected by the truth! But this stuff about "I agreed to terminate this internship" is an extremely serious violation in my culture! I'd rather be called a "piece of ____" than to have someone write that I agreed to this termination! That's how bad it is! I'm sorry if this sounds combative and I'm sorry if this hurts you! I value truth and honestly to the point where it's sacred to me! I'm really am hurt that a false statement about me agreeing to this termination has actually be sent to another person. I feel extremely violated!

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EMAIL #2

this time, I want to give a cultural context behind my stance. I am not only influenced by my ethnic culture and the culture of Hawaii, but also the public housing culture of Kalihi, the hip-hop culture and the protest culture of the civil-rights movement. In such cultures, you are encouraged to take risks to your career and your life to protect your dignity and integrity. In such cultures, you are encouraged to risk economic hardship to protect your dignity and integrity. This is nothing new to me! In such cultures, you are discouraged from compromising your principles. While compromise is OK when it comes to little things (ie. flyer designs, organizing craft activities), it is strongly frowned upon to pretend that you agree to be terminated, because that is seen as "selling out" (a major sin) and allowing others to "walk all over you". In such cultures, you are encouraged to be vocal and honest, regardless of the risk to your life and economic security. While such cultures are misinterpreted as being "combative", actually, you are encouraged to respect others around you, but to also not take disrespect from others. Now, I understand that not everyone grew up under such cultural contexts. I understand that some cultures value harmony (even to the point of sugar-coating, deception and artful evasions) and "going with the flow". I understand that some cultures frown upon taking economic risks under any circumstances. I understand that some cultures don't value being vocal and standing up for oneself! Anyways, I write this not to argue, but to help you understand my background and why I feel the way I do!

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EMAIL #3

I want to take this time to go over another cultural concept that you probably didn't get in your cultural orientation! The concept I want to explain is "let the chips fall where they may"! The concept "let the chips fall where they may"" means you tell the truth (even if it means a partial-truth) and only the truth, without excessive worrying about the consequences. It doesn't mean being totally blunt, but it does mean you say it like it is, and don't worry too much about whether it will impact your job prospects, your relationship prospects, political prospects or whatever! If it means saying "my job was terminated against my will" then SAY THAT! If it means it makes it harder to get a job ....... so what? Let the chips fall where they may! Living with integrity is more important than money, so if truthfully saying "my job terminated against your will" means you lose future income opportunities, well..........let the chips fall where they may! It is what it is! "Let the chips fall where they may" also means you should be public about exposing those who did wrong to you, and if that alienates people, well....................let the chips fall where they may! Whatever happens, happens! As you may see, Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) is a risk-taking oriented society! It is not a "risk-avoidance society." We believe that a person never experiences greatness unless he/she takes some risks! We believe that while speaking honestly comes with serious risk, it also earns respect from honorable people! Also, Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) is a honesty-based society. That means our culture values "telling it like it is". People in this culture have more respect for someone who said "my job was terminated against my will" (at least it's honest) than someone who said "we agreed to terminate this internship" (a statement that is obviously deceptive and false). Deception and evasive wordings (ie. "we agreed to terminate this internship") are easily detected and never respected in this culture! Also, Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) have extremely low tolerance for those who discourage risk-taking! Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) have extremely low tolerance for those who discourage truth-telling! Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) have extremely low tolerance for those who say "we all agreed to terminate this internship" when it's not true! Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) have extremely low tolerance for those who think writing "we all agreed to terminate this internship" is a good strategy! Western cultures (and inner city cultures even more so) have extremely low tolerance for those who think it's OK to lie in emails to potential supervisors, even if the lie was supposed to "make me look good". That is considered severely dishonorable and worse than calling someone an insulting name! It's that bad! I take being honest very seriously and will never tolerate anyone lying about me (even if it's supposed to "make me look good") Anyways, I know I'm overwhelming you with cultural concepts that are totally alien to your way of thinking! I know I'm overwhelming you with thoughts that might discourage you from helping me. My goal isn't to alienate but to tell the truth! . My goal isn't to alienate to help you understand the mentality of those like me who grew up in the inner cities of the Western world, and to help you understand how sacred it it to be totally honest even under risky circumstances!

Did any of that make you readers "feel afraid"?

Notice that within those messages,

•  I did NOT use profanity,  
• I did NOT say any words that expressed violent thoughts,
• I  did NOT threaten to use any physical force on person or object.

Also, notice that I kept saying stuff like 

• My goal isn't to alienate but to tell the truth! . My goal isn't to alienate to help you understand the mentality of those like me
• I'm sorry if this sounds combative and I'm sorry if this hurts you! 
• Anyways, I write this not to argue, but to help you understand my background and why I feel the way I do!

I tried to sound conciliatory when expressing my reasoning for my disagreement!

Yet, Dr Rich Gazan claimed that I "violated the UH-Manoa Student Code of Conduct"via intimidation!


So expressing a disagreement and explaining your reasons for your disagreement is "intimidation"? 

(note: I have contact lawyers on this, they don't consider those emails "intimidation")



Just imagine if Dr Noriko Asato works as a substitute teacher (which I've done for a decade) where she has to face students who

• use profanities

• throw and slam objects 

• threaten physical violence

• are members of a gang

• who don't care if they live or die

• are very big

If you are threatened by disagreement (like Dr Noriko Asato is) , then how are you going to handle all that? 

Dr Noriko Asato wouldn't even last an hour as a substitute teacher! I've lasted a decade dealing with all that! 

If you want to talk about intimidation, then look at this 

There was a whole bunch of options (ie. try get another internship, take a No-Credit, etc), then this

Dr Noriko Asato, do you realize that letter is an example of "threatening" and "intimidation" tactics? (Irony anyone?)


Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe you that my simple request to discuss the issue with HSL director was going to "threaten the existence" the LIS internship program? 

Do you know who you are dealing with?

Do you know you are dealing with someone who blogs like I have nothing to lose?


Do you know you are dealing with someone with connections with the Graduate Student Organization? 

Do you know you are dealing with someone who has written blog posts where I post pictures and real names of bullies I met in real life?

(I actually said to Dr Noriko Asato that "I have written blog posts where I post pictures and real names of workplace bullies I met in real life?". I then emphasized at that time I haven't written a blog post about Tisha Aragaki yet because I wanted that meeting with the HSL director. Then  Dr Noriko Asato she starts whining "I feel threatened, I feel threatened". 
  You expect me to believe that?  GIVE ME A BREAK! At that point, I KNEW she was pretending to feel threatened in an attempt to make me feel unearned guilt for expressing disagreement! 

I even told her straight up "I can't even express a disagreement with you without you claiming to feel threatened" AND  "nothing I said can even be classified as a threat"  )


Notice in that screenshot that she stated ""If you have any problems with this agreement, please feel free to bring this to LIS Program Chair Gazan or ICS Department Chair Chin."


Well, I brought it up with ICS Department Chair David Chin (note: LIS falls under ICS in the campus hierarchy) .

I wrote the following to Dr Chin!

To: my academic advisor Dr. Andrew Wertheimer

Spring 2015 LIS internship coordinator Dr. Noriko Asato

Fall 2015 LIS internship coordinator Dr. Violet Harada

LIS Program Chair  Dr. Rich Gazan

ICS Department Chair Dr. David Chin

This email is in regards to the "LIS Internship Spring 2015 Agreement for Pablo Wegesend" that was dated on March 4, 2015.

One of the conditions stated tells me "you must agree to cease any private or public complaints with the HSPLS."

I, Pablo Wegesend, have and will refuse to sign any agreement designed to intimidate me into suffering in silence. 

I, Pablo Wegesend, have and will refuse to sign any agreement designed to intimidate me into surrendering my intellectual freedom. 

My soul, my honor and my dignity is not for sale. 

Sincerely,

Pablo Wegesend

==

PS #1 : I also note that ICS Department Chair Dr. David Chin is receiving this email, due to a sentence in the unsigned agreement sating "If you have any problems with this agreement, please feel free to bring this to LIS Program Chair Gazan or ICS Department Chair Chin."

PS #2 : This email was not written with the intent to disrespect, just to state my reasons for not signing the agreement

Then I wrote the following to just Dr David Chin

A week ago, I have sent an email to you titled "LIS internship agreement form". Within that email, I have stated that I will refuse to sign a statement designed to intimidate me into suffering silence or surrender my intellectual freedom. 

This is in response to LIS internship coordinator Dr. Noriko Asato, who has written that Agreement Form (with the alleged blessing of Dr. Rich Gazan and Dr. Violet Harada) which states that I cannot be enrolled in an internship course in this coming Fall semester unless I "agree to cease any private or public complaints with the HSPLS."  That statement violates the spirit of Intellectual Freedom as well as a student's right to express grievances related to an academic situation.

A national organization that deals with Intellectual Freedom has been contacted about this situation.

Also, I have notified the LIS Students (via the LIS student listserv) that this issue will be brought in future Graduate Student Organization meetings (note: I'm the LIS representative there) as well as other available forums. If a proposed bill in the legislature related to the formation of the Ombuds Office at UH gets a hearing, I will bring this issue up in my testimony. 

I have also notified the LIS Students (via the LIS student listserv) that this issue will be a topic of my future blog post and I will post campus flyers promoting that blog post.

I am not requesting that you state an agreement or disagreement of my thoughts of my situation dealing with HSPLS.

However, I am requesting that you tell the LIS Program to stop pressuring me to sign a statement of silence and that the LIS Program allow me to take an internship course this coming Fall semester without requiring me to sign a statement of silence. 

I understand that I am putting you in an awkward position of over-ruling faculty members that you may have close working relationships with. However, I am just requesting justice. 

If you want to meet with me individually about this issue, I am willing to do so. 

Mahalo,

Pablo Wegesend

Well, guess what --- Dr David Chin DID over-rule faculty members that he  has close working relationships with!


I think the fact that I notified the intellectual freedom organizations, and said I have connections with Graduate Student Organization, and that I was willing to write blog posts and post up flyers just put them on notice!

So yes, no, I didn't get the meeting I wanted with the head of Hawaii State Library (does she even know I blog?) which was why I posted the following blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/04/problems-at-hsl.html


And if anyone at HSL or LIS doesn't like that blog post or this blog post, then they should've gone along with my idea to have me meet with the HSL director and negotiate a solution! If they did all that ...then that blog post and this blog post wouldn't have existed! 


And Tisha Aragaki, look your name up on Google, Bing or Yahoo, my blog post will appear in the first 2 pages! Have you just had a simple conversation about our conflict (instead of crying to Dr Asato, and starting a smear campaign against me) that blog post wouldn't have existed!


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Anyways, I already had an internship set up for Fall 2015 semester! I already told that next internship supervisor about my problems at HSL, even offered to let her look at my documentation. She just giggled  at  the  ridiculous way the HSL people handled the whole issue!


So yeah, if anyone at LIS wants to stop me from doing my next internship because of this blog post.............. I WILL start posting flyers around campus, I WILL contact my connections in the Graduate Student Organization (by the way, their new President is someone I have GREAT working relationship with), I WILL blog more about this, I WILL make YouTube speeches about this,  I WILL go through the chains of command!

To anyone at LIS or HSL who want to talk to me about this blog post, be warned that I WILL note EVERYTHING YOU SAY TO ME on future blog posts! Just like the Miranda warning "anything you say can be used against you on my blog post"

I will even record our conversations, in case Dr Noriko Asato claims to "feel threatened" or if the LIS Chair says  that I "violated the UH-Manoa Student Code of Conduct"

So to the people at LIS and HSL, instead of convincing to take down this blog post, the best thing to do is just write a simple no-caveat apology letter to me about the way you treated me!

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

 




PS#1 : There is absolutely NOTHING on here that threatens any physical harm to anyone or anything!

Any claims that this blog post is "threatening" or "intimidating" will be challenged!

This blog is my use of Intellectual Freedom to protest corruption at HSL, LIS and UH-Manoa.  Any attempts to expell me from LIS or UH-Manoa over this blog is a violation of my Intellectual Freedom and my freedom to express grievances on an academic siutation! Any attempts to expell me from LIS or UH-Manoa over this blog will be challenged in multiple ways!




NOTE #2: If anyone ask "why blog about this, why not tell Dr Noriko Asato in person?" I wish I could, but she'll pretend to be "threatened" if I email or talk to her directly. Well, she legally can't claim to be harrassed if I posted on my blog since it's not sent directly to her!

Plus, a few years back,  I did send an angry letter to a previous co-worker at Palolo Elementary School  filled with profanities (which I didn't write in anything towards Dr Noriko Asato).  All the police did was interview me  and ............................................that's it! No arrests, no beatdowns, no aggressive interrogations, nothing! He wasn't even wearing his uniform when I was interviewed on campus!

 So I know the police can't do anything about this blog post!

Pacquiao vs Mayweather

Last Saturday was supposed to have The Fight of The Century : Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather!


After the rise of MMA in the last 2 decades, boxing has been on the decline! I mean why watch people who can only punch when you can watch people punch, kick, block, throw and wrestle each other?

However, if 2 larger-than-life personalities are boxing, then we watch!




Both Pacquiao and Mayweather were the last 2 boxers to beat up the previous mega-star Oscar de la Hoya before he retired!  You got to beat the star to be the star! The whole world got put on notice!


What also brought the hype was Floyd Mayweather's trash talking! There was no limits to his trash talking, and he never hesitated to use racist remarks about Pacquiao




"Floyd Mayweather's Racist Rant Caught On Tape "
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/floyd-mayweather-racist-rant_n_703731.html

“As soon as we come off vacation, we’re going to cook that little yellow chump … Once I kick the midget ass, I don’t want you all to jump on my d---. So you all better get on the bandwagon now ... Once I stomp the midget, I’ll make that mother f----- make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice … we’re going to cook him with some cats and dogs.”

Now, everyone wants to see Pacquiao knock out that racist Floyd Mayweather!



Dana White (UFC director) said it best: " The other thing you said was that Manny Pacquiao should make some sushi somewhere! Sushi is from Japan, he's from the Philippines dummy"

Dana White also responds to Mayweather hating on another athlete of Asian ancestry  - Jeremy Lin 

Hear Dana White say it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TwYEnMFniA

Mayweather also got in trouble with the law, beating up his wife and spending a few months in jail.


Even more reason why people wanted to see Pacquiao beat up Mayweather!


Then there was the controversy over drug testing! Mayweather demanded Pacquiao take a blood test! Pacquiao believed that taking out some blood will weaken him!


This back & forth went on for years.


Both are now toward the end of their careers so .................it was time!


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The fight itself!

People expected an even fight! People expected Pacquiao to throw a whole bunch of punches at a fast pace like he usually does. Meanwhile, Mayweather is undefeated in his professional career!


But once the fight started, it was obvious that Mayweather had the longer arms!  So Pacquaio had to keep dodging Mayweather's longer arms. He couldn't go on the attack because that would put himself in the range of Mayweather's longer arms!


Mayweather was also able to jump around, dodge punches, and lock his opponent's arms (some people call it "hugging").


No knock outs, just guys dodging punches throughout the match!


It was too obvious that Mayweather was the better boxer!


Now we're hearing that Pacquiao had a sore shoulder and he didn't inform the boxing commission ahead of time! I guess he didn't want to be seen as a "wimp backing down". He rather box with a sore shoulder.  Hard to do that against someone with longer arms.




------


Now people are saying that the "good guys don't always win".


Will there be a rematch?


Will Pacquiao get shoulder surgery and take one more shot at Mayweather?


Or will both boxers fade into the sunset!


And will boxing, which doesn't have any other superstars right now, fade into oblivion?


Only time will tell!

Importance of Social Media

Let my facebook post say it

 

Some wonder why I bother with social media and blogging! My answer is that if you ain't telling your story, someone else will tell your story! You want that?

Here's someone who learned it the hard way, the TMT spokesperson

“I’ve known for a while that our Facebook page needed updating and it seemed like at the time, there were so many other more important things to do than update a Facebook page,” she said.

In the past few weeks, she has realized how many people social media can pull in, dwarfing the reach of local public hearings. Dawson now plans to hiring a college intern to handle the social media for the telescope.

“We will not drop that ball again,” she said.

The article being shown in that post can be accessed at

 http://www.civilbeat.com/2015/04/hashtag-heard-round-the-world-social-media-fuels-tmt-protests/

Here's more quotes from that article

Sandra Dawson has handled community outreach for the TMT in Hawaii for seven years. At age 66, she’s not very familiar with sites like Twitter and Instagram and hasn’t relied on social media for community outreach in the past.

Instead, she has focused on getting to know people on the Big Island personally by serving on the local Chamber of Commerce, joining the Merrie Monarch parade and attending local events such as the school robotics tournament.

“I’ve known for a while that our Facebook page needed updating and it seemed like at the time, there were so many other more important things to do than update a Facebook page,” she said.

In the past few weeks, she has realized how many people social media can pull in, dwarfing the reach of local public hearings. Dawson now plans to hiring a college intern to handle the social media for the telescope.

“We will not drop that ball again,” she said.

Gwen Woltz, co-founder of the local social media firm Wahine Media, doesn’t have an opinion on the Mauna Kea controversy. But she said it’s a clear indication of the power of social media.

While hashtags like #TMTshutdown helped unify the opposition to the telescope, the delayed response shows a lack of planning on the part of the telescope proponents, she said.

“They certainly didn’t plan for the worst and now they’re kind of seeing the results of that,” she said. “That’s unfortunate because maybe they do have some awesome things to say and maybe it could have been different if they had a more proactive approach.”

This is the age of social media! This is the age where people can just post a picture to their smartphone and make it go worldwide in an instant! 

If you're doing any project that could be controversial, ALWAYS be prepared for battle! Your opponents will show no mercy!  Their followers will tweet to their friends and then what? What are you going to do? When are you going to strike back? The longer you wait, the more it seems like you got something to hide! 
 
Always be ready to tell your story!

Write a blog, and write as much as you can!

Use your blog posts to back you up just in case someone says something inaccurate about you or something you are passionate about!

If you have video capabilities, use that too! That way, those who can't (or don't want to) read and can hear from you!

After all, it is you who has to tell your story! Nobody else!

Mauna Kea

Whether the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) goes up or not, it doesn't really affect me much! Life will go on either way!

Yeah, it might see millions of light years away, but most of us are just concerned about what's going on here on Earth!

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

Whatever side you on, you need to deal with the facts instead of just mindlessly repeating cliches!

It is NOT being built on burial sites or on any former temples!

It is in a barren part of the mountain,  and environmental studies showed little risk to acquifiers!

The approval process has been going on for 7 years and was open to public input this whole time!
----------------------------


Much of the opposition has to do with a mostly non-Hawaiian entity making decisions on what to do with Hawaiian land!   The issue is magnified  because Mauna Kea has spiritual meaning to the Native Hawaiians.
However, not all Native Hawaiians oppose the telescope! Within every ethnic group, people will interpret their traditional beliefs differently!

I don't think a telescope would be placed on Mt Fuji or Mt Sinai due to the sacredness of those mountains! So the opponents do have a point with this one! 

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

However, I think with all the opposition (plus viral tweets from Jason Momoa and Nicole Scherzinger), I really do think it's either TMT will be the last telescope built OR the last telescope has already been built and the TMT will be just a pipe dream!



Learn more by checking out Chloe Fox's  "Everything You Need To Know About The Viral Protests Against A Hawaii Telescope" on Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/hawaii-telescope-protests-tmt-mauna-kea_n_7044164.html


That article shows multiple sides of the issue, with respect towards the  grievances of the  telescope opponents, but also stating that some of the common cliches are just false!

My adventures with the state legislature

Anything you do or say on April Fool's Day will not be believed, so I haven't really got around to mentioning this on social media or my blog until now.

But on April 1st, I was a visitor at the State Capitol.

While I have spent some time just chilling by the artificial pond surrounding the State Capitol, I haven't visited the chambers or the office until that day.

That day was the Student Lobbying Day which was sponsored by UH-Manoa's Graduate Student Organization (GSO).


Here's a picture from the  GSO's newsletter (http://gso.hawaii.edu/gso2/files/newsletter/2015/Mar_2015_GSO_Newsletter.pdf)

screenshot from the GSO newsletter

Senator Brian Taniguchi and Representative Isaac Choy both represent the area UH-Manoa is located so they were obvious "targets" of our Lobbying.

We visited Taniguchi's office first, then we visited both chambers of the State Capitol.

my photo

State Senate chamer

my photo

State House of Representatives

Afterwards, we had lunch courtesy of HGEA (Hawaii Government Employees Association), then we visited the office of State Senator Ron Kouichi (nice guy with a nice couch in the office) and then, we visited Isaac Choy. 

Choy had some controversy earlier this year over his proposed bill to eliminate several departments within UH-Manoa. The reaction was swift and Choy backed down from that idea. He then  proposed a bill giving a lump sum to the UH system, no-strings attached, saying that this way, UH can't complain about "the legislature didn't give us money to fix facilities, etc" and "it's on UH to spend it wisely" The House approved the bill. However, the Senate wants a bill stating the ways the UH system will use that money. Choy said if the Senate gets their way, he will become a "micro-manager" (he actually said that) and will cut funding for the Cancer Center, suggest academic departments to shut down, cut executive salaries and use the savings to cut the Athletics deficit. 

----

Anyways, the main purpose of the Lobbying Day was to advocate for the unionization of the Graduate Assistants(GA). Also discussed to a lesser extent was the re-establishment of the Ombuds Office (which was used to handle student grievances). Both are still being considered by the legislature.

For the GA unionization bill, it will discussed within both the labor and higher education committees. Some legislators wanted a "study" on the GA proposals, the GSO members responded by saying "we don't need another study on this issue" and "why should we wait, this problem has been going on for 35 years."

As for the Ombuds Office, it was proposed into HB96, but now has been put in a "Christmas Tree bill" (meaning a bill combining many proposals, some of them unrelated to each other).  Choy also said that if his earlier lump sum bill passes, he will still mandate an Ombuds Office without dictating how much will be spent on it.

---


I'm usually not a big fan of most politicians, but I still thought visiting the State Capitol's chambers and offices was an interesting experience. You get to to the system at work. Isaac Choy was upfront about how messy this process is, and how slow it can be.

Whether I would run for office in the future......................................... only if I had money so I could run without joining a major political party.

The Mental Decline of a Family Friend

This past Easter, I found out a friend of a relative has gotten dementia.

Even though she wasn't related by DNA, she was a part of many family gatherings. So much so that I had a lot of conversations with her.

She was a sports fan (and a major UH fan), so we had plenty of conversations about UH football. She even gave me free tickets to a few games.  It was even funny when she trash-talked about scandals involving UH opponents. We also talked about the news too!

I also met her family (even visited her daughter's house when she was living on the Big Island) and her one-time "boyfriend" (she claimed he was "just a friend".... but you know it goes).


However, I haven't seen her in years.

Now I know why.

She can't even be by herself. Not only does she forgets things, her ability to control herself has declined! She now has temper tantrums, called the cops over a car that wasn't even stolen, has escaped from a hospital, and is disoriented. Her daughter is taking care of her while still working 2 jobs with no day off!  The family has yet to find a day-care home for her!


While she is still alive (in a physical sense), the person I once knew is gone! How do you mourn someone who is gone mentally but still alive physically? How do you deal with missing someone you once had interesting conversations with, but still glad that you're not the one taking care of her now that she's in such bad mental shape?

There's no easy answers to any of this, but I hope she gets into a 24-hour care facility soon!







(note: I didn't mention names nor did I mention which relative she was close friends with. Some reading this might possibly know who I'm talking about, but please note that blog post wasn't written to invade privacy but to educate people about how a person's mental decline can affect his/her family/friends.

Problems at HSL

This was the semester I  was supposed to make big strides in my career track. This was the semester I take an internship within a library to get practical experience.

Being that I want to work in a public library and have experience with children in a school setting, I decided to do my internship at the Hawaii State Library's children section (aka Edna Allyn Room for children aka EAR).  I was already familiar with the librarian Vicky Dworkin from previous class visits and volunteer activities, and have met Tisha Aragaki a few times too.

Behind the scenes,Vicky  Dworkin was a great mentor. As for  Tisha Aragaki, who was my internship supervisor, well..............her public persona is very different from her behind-the-scenes persona!


I explain it all in this following letter to the  Hawaii State Library  director Diane Eddy

(note: the colors were only added for this blog, not in the copy sent to Ms Eddy)

From: Pablo Wegesend

To: Diane Eddy

Dear Diane Eddy,

            I was an intern in the Edna Allyn Room for Children from January 8 to February 10 of this year.   I am not sure if you had any input in the decision to end the internship, but I would like to tell you what happened.

            During the beginning of this internship, I felt like I was in heaven. I felt like I wasn’t just entering a workplace, but a family.  

            However, things started to unravel on Saturday, January 31. On that day, I was doing a reference observation with Tisha Aragaki, who was the internship supervisor. During the reference observation, Tisha claimed that Donna T. (sorry, I forgot her last name) went over the Order-List with me. I told Tisha I don’t remember anything about Donna teaching me about the Order List.  Then Tisha lectured me that I was supposed to be taking notes in the internship and I was supposed to have a notebook. (I already told Tisha on the first day of the internship that I prefer to keep my paperwork in a folder. I’ll go over the notebook vs folder issue later).   Then Tisha went over the Order-List, and yes, it was something unfamiliar to me because Donna didn’t go over that.  So I was being lectured that I didn’t take notes from a lesson that didn’t happen.

            The next day, I checked my internship journal that I stored on Google Drive. It did mention that on January 10, Donna did discuss with me about book review websites as well as print reviews. It mentioned nothing about Donna going over the Order-List.  

            So on February 1 (the day after Tisha lectured me over taking notes from a lesson that didn’t happen), I decided to notified Tisha via e-mail that I rechecked my internship journal and it said nothing about Donna going over the Order-List, and I also told Tisha how I felt about being lectured about “taking notes” from a lesson that never happened.  I felt insulted and falsely accused.

            Now, some might question why I expressed those thoughts on e-mail instead of in person. For one thing, I would have to wait 5 days before I could talk with Tisha in person. Also, I felt that it was better to put it in writing rather than “cause a scene” over this issue.

            Tisha responded in an email sent on February 2, in which she apologized and then stated that

 part of the reason I probably reacted the way I did on Saturday was that I had been troubled by the fact that I recalled making the suggestion to pick up a notebook to keep more thorough notes, and that this hadn't happened.

            On the following day, I did send an email stating that I accepted Tisha’s apology. Then I sent another email stating why I didn’t have a notebook and preferred to keep my papers/notes in a folder. That email only had the following two sentences.

Also, I havent used a notebook since middle school! They usually have too much or not enough paper, and therefore less efficient than just keeping papers in a folder!

            Tisha then sent an email stating that she’s fine with my system of keeping my papers/notes and also stated this.

Let's drop this and continue on, please. 

            I did drop the issue. I did come to work the following day (February 5) and never discussed the issue.

            However, Tisha (who asked me to drop the issue) didn’t drop the issue. She contacted the LIS internship coordinator Dr. Noriko Asato to tell her that she wanted this internship terminated.  I was never given a chance to discuss the issue in person with Tisha or any library administration official.  I believed that had we had a 15-30 minute in-person conversation, this issue would’ve been resolved with no further incidents.

            I had to wait until I could talk to Dr. Asato in person before I was told that this internship will be terminated. I wasn’t able to meet Dr. Asato in person until February 11. So that meant that I was still at the internship 3 times after my notebook/folder email. Those dates were February 5, 7, and 10.  I had no conflicts on those days nor do I know of any complaints about me related to those dates.  So Tisha had 3 chances (after contacting Dr. Asato) to see me in action and to notice that I am deserving of a second chance.  I was observed doing storytimes and I had my first solo reference shift within those 3 dates and I know of no complaints during those activities.

            Dr. Asato mentioned that Tisha said the other staff members are uncomfortable with me, but she didn’t give me any specifics. I was surprised to hear about it because I never had any conflicts with any library staff member (except Tisha) and I have never acted inappropriately with any staff member. All my conversations with the other staff members were civil and I always kept my hands to myself.  I felt that Tisha was acting like the equivalent of a kid who tells another kid  “nobody else likes you”, not as a factual statement, but as a way to make the other kid look bad.  Also, if there were any complaints about me from other staff members, why wasn’t I given an opportunity to talk about it, either with them or with a library administrator?

            Dr. Asato has been trying to get other libraries to allow to finish my remaining internship hours at their location. One librarian she contacted was Ms. LePage at Kaimuki Public Library. According to an email sent to Dr. Asato, Ms. LePage said that Tisha told her she doesn’t believe I should work with children.

            Again, I know of no complaints about my interactions with children during my internship. If there was, why wasn’t I given an opportunity to talk about it, either with them [blog note: I should've taken out "either with them" in the letter] or with a library administrator?  Also, Tisha telling people she “doesn’t believe I should work with children” gives off this mental image that I’m some type of child abuser or pedophile.  That is not who I am. 

            I have worked as a substitute teacher for the last 10 years. At least 3 elementary schools have staff members who contact me personally on a normal basis to work at their schools. I even have text messages on my phone from teachers asking me to work for their class when they need to take a day off.  Some of those teachers have aides who tell them that I work well with the students.  Also, I have passed every background check. 

            I know this letter is putting you in an awkward position where you feel pressured to over-rule a section manager. I understand some managers don’t want to second-guess the decisions of lower-level managers.  However, I don’t think I was treated fairly by Tisha. While that notebook/folder email came at what might seem like bad timing, and that the email sounds a bit defensive. It was an informative email that was never meant to offend but I understand why it sounded defensive and I understand the timing of the timing wasn’t the best timing. However, I don’t think it should’ve been a “firing” offense.

            I am requesting to have an in-person meeting with you or any other library administrator about this issue. If you need to have the LIS internship coordinator at the meeting, I will notify her.  I am also requesting that my internship be re-instated, preferably within EAR,  though I am also willing to work in any other section of the Hawai‘i State Library.  Again, I understand these requests are placing you in an awkward position. I believe I deserve a second chance.

            If you are willing to meet with me, you may contact me at [contact info deleted]

Ms Eddy didn't meet with me (yet).


And to Tisha Aragaki, you say I shouldn't working with children? What is your evidence? Nothing?


As I mentioned in the letter, I have been working as a substitute teacher for 10 years. Some of the school staff seen me in action much over a much longer time than Tisha ever did! 

In other words, people with much more credibility than Tisha Aragaki have a different opinion when it comes to suitability to work with children! 



And if other co-workers are really uncomfortable with me, then why was it, that after I was released from my internship, that Vicky Dworkin surprised me with a greeting while I was looking at the computer at Hamilton Library? If she was really uncomfortable with me, she would've rushed past me hoping I wouldn't notice!




Tisha Aragaki, you want to say damaging stuff behind my back, you might as well explain yourself in person, where I can respond and question you!  Don't worry, I won't bite!


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Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking  -- "why are you putting this on your blog? Don't you realize it will hurt your career?"

I heard those questions already!

I refuse to be a coward in this situation!

I stand up for what's right!

I refuse to be silent when others are trying to damage my reputation!  Especially when they say stuff to potential employers who aren't aware that they're being trolled to! 


(note: those who say "who cares what they say about you" are just repeating BS cliches! ) 
(note #2 : what Tisha is doing is FAR FAR FAR BEYOND this usual middle school rumor mongering that most of us has outgrown! What she is doing is unprofessional, and this blog post doesn't even come close to going down to her level of immaturity!) 

I am willing to put my career at risk to stand up to people like Tisha Aragaki and other bully employers who will continue to do what they do unless they are   exposed to the light!

This isn't the first time I put my career at risk with my blog posts. I exposed bully managers, bully co-workers and bully classmates on my blog! Bullies usually do so expecting their victims to be silent! I refuse to give bullies the satisfaction of having me being silent!


Before people get the idea that I'm some kind of combative guy, let it be known that I have been getting along with most of my work colleagues and for those who I had minor conflicts with .... I have settled most of those conflicts in private without further incident!


I have great working relationships in the schools I've subbed at! (I got text messages from teachers begging me to sub in their class, as proof! ) 

I have great working relationships at the libraries I worked at in the past!  (Just ask anyone at LBPH!)

I have great working relationships with many professors in the Library and Information Science program! (Just ask my academic advisors! As well as professors who have already written Letters of Recommendations! ) 

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I have another semester to do another internship!  Whether those internship supervisors might see this, I don't know! But if you are one, I can promise you that I have a great work ethic, always give my best effort in serving my customers, and I am willing to listen to input! I can also promise you that if you are a great supervisor, you will be publicly praised on my blog!

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 And one more thing: this blog post wasn't endorsed by the LIS program. In fact, a few LIS staff members advised against it! I reminded them that I have allies in the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) who won't take kindly to students being silenced by university staff members! I also reminded them that I could easily post flyers on campus, and speak at forums about any attempts to silence student! I also reminded them that the Legislature are considering bills related to university student rights and that I can submit testimony! The LIS Program backed down since they now KNOW that they can't stop me from posting this blog post!  They just have to live with the sadness that I go public with things!




BONUS PICS:

Here's a picture of Tisha Aragaki for which that I own all copyrights! 

Here are some funny annotations of that photo!

 Hey Tisha Aragaki, now you know it feels to have that said about you!

Hey Tisha Aragaki, now you know it feels to have that said about you!

Yeah, Tisha Aragaki you dummy, had you tried Hoʻoponopono with me (and trusted elders to help). this blog post and my memes wouldn't have existed! 

So, Tisha Aragaki, is this how you want to be known?



This is what happens to corrupt officials who say stupid things to me and about me! You should have seen this coming!