We have now entered The Year of the Tiger!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Tuesday, February 01, 2022
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The Rough Transition in UH football
The last few weeks have been very messy for the University of Hawaii Football program!
There was a lot of scrutiny over coach Todd Graham's abusive tactics that the players resorted to going on social media to express their grievances. The era of "what happens in the locker room stays there" is permanently over in this day & age.
It got to the point where even the team's most high-profile player, QB Chevan Cordiero, who grew up dreaming of playing for UH, decided to transfer to another school. It's one thing for a benchwarmer who grew up thousands of miles away to transfer. It takes some serious problems for a locally raised starting QB to transfer. It goes far beyond a coach yelling "run faster" or "what are you doing?"
Because UH didn't want to go buy out the coach's contract, they decided to give Graham a 2nd chance on the conditions that he follow some guidelines. There were even guidelines for players in addressing problems.
I blogged on all those issues in this post from last month https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/12/coaches-and-changing-times.html
However, since then, more allegations about Todd Graham have been leaked to the press. And the Hawaii state legislature got involved in there were hearings on this issue. In the hearings, more players and even their parents expressed their grievances. One of the legislators even promised to figure out how to find the money to buy out Graham's contract.
With all this public scrutiny, Todd Graham decided to resign. That now means that the university isn't obligated to pay out the rest of his contract.
WinningCuresEverything.com
Some social media users claimed that the players are soft for not taking Graham's abuse. But what is really soft is Todd Graham quitting even after being given a 2nd chance because he couldn't take the media scrutiny. Nevermind that the media and the legislators were nicer to Graham than he was to the players.
Graham's previous college coaching jobs were either in places that also had NFL teams (ie Pittsburgh, Arizona State) or had higher-profile colleges in the same state (ie Univesity of Tulsa being overshadowed by University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State). He could hide under the radar there.
Hawaii has no NFL teams. UH is the only college there that has a football team. UH football is front-page news. You can't coach there if you want anonymity. Plus, the university is a state institution, so the legislature WILL get involved if there's a problem. After all, they are the guardians of taxpayer's money.
Also, Hawaii people gossip. Things don't stay secret for very long. This was true before social media, and it's now magnified by social media.
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When one problem ends, another begins.
The university needed to find a new coach before the next recruit signing day on February 2.
Back in 2007, the UH men's basketball team lost out on some potential players because they didn't announce who was going to be the new coach (Bob Nash) until after signing day started. UH didn't want to make the same mistake again.
One popular choice to replace Graham was June Jones, who was the head coach back in 1999-2007. He turned around a losing program that went 0-12 in 1998 and made them bowl game winners the following year. He recruited a mix of local stars and under-recruited talent from the continent and Samoa and made them winners. Some even went on to play in the NFL.
KITV
June Jones
His players loved him. Many even worked with him as assistant coaches when he coached other teams after he left UH.
His former UH players are old enough to write a tell-all book or blog post without worrying about serious repercussions from him. But they haven't because he had their respect.
And one player who was coached by both June Jones and Todd Graham in separate occasions noted their totally different approaches.
Dave Reardon, “June Jones brings immediate credibility; hire him ASAP,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, January 19, 2022, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/01/19/sports/dave-reardon-june-jones-brings-immediate-credibility-hire-him-asap/.
His name is Leonard Lee. If it rings a bell, it’s either because there must be at least 10 people on this island with that name, or you heard and saw this Leonard Lee testify at the state Senate information briefing on Jan. 7.
Lee was a walk-on defensive back who transferred to UH in 2019 after two years at Pima Community College in Arizona. He was on the scout team when the Warriors went 10-5 in Nick Rolovich’s last season, helping guys like Cedric Byrd and JoJo Ward prepare for each week’s game. He said he felt his efforts were appreciated.
Not so much in ’20 and ’21, though, with Graham as the coach.
“The worst guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Lee said during the Senate briefing.
What was it like being coached by Jones?
“Not a bit of arrogance,” Lee said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “Treated everyone with respect and taught us all a lot.”
Where is this coming from? How the heck was Lee mentored by Jones, who hasn’t been on a college coaching staff since 2014?
It wasn’t a clinic or anything like that. Jones was actually Lee’s position coach at Kapolei High School in 2016.
It was also noted by many that June Jones had an easier time adjusting to Hawaii's culture than Todd Graham. Both are European-Americans raised in the continental US. Jones first came to Hawaii on a high school field trip, played for UH, and was an assistant coach at UH back in 1983. He had a love for the Polynesian culture. Whereas Todd Graham had no Hawaii ties when he was hired here. This was a recipe for disaster just like it was for Fred von Appen back in 1996-1998.
Lee Cataluna had this to say about adjusting to Hawaii's culture
Lee Cataluna, “Todd Graham's Unforgivable Sin? He Didn't Understand Our Culture,” Honolulu Civil Bear, January 19, 2022, https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/01/lee-cataluna-todd-grahams-unforgivable-sin-he-didnt-understand-our-culture/.
This emphasis on cultural understanding actually isn’t squishy or emotional. It’s practical. It’s about fit and the ability to adapt, which are basic business, leadership and survival requirements. If what you’re doing doesn’t work in the place you’re doing it, either change tactics or move somewhere else.
To understand and respect the culture of any place (not just intense, idiosyncratic Hawaii) is to be open to learning, to be observant and respectful, to have the humility to ask questions rather than assume you know everything.
There’s something about these islands that brings out the best and the worst in people in this regard. Hawaii is not a place that can be “just like home” except with better weather. Some people make excellent world travelers, some should just stay where they’re comfortable.
Some people think "no need to worry about cultural fit, they wouldn't reject Nick Saban". But Nick Saban didn't succeed everywhere, just ask the Miami Dolphins. And talking about NFL teams in Florida, Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer who seemed to be successful everywhere he went. Yet, he didn't even last a whole season with the Jaguars.
Some people aren't meant to be successful everywhere. University of Hawaii's job is to hire somebody who would be successful in Hawaii.
We're thousands of miles away from the nearest landmass. This isn't like hiring somebody from Alabama to work in Mississippi. This isn't like hiring somebody from New Jersey to work in New York.
Hiring an outsider can work for an assistant. They are rookies. They can fly under the radar. They can be corrected with some guidance.
A leader is held to a higher standard than an assistant. Cultural fit matters a lot more for a leader than an assistant.
June Jones had experience with Hawaii's culture, Todd Graham didn't.
However, June Jones wasn't above offending some people of Hawaii when it comes to traditions.
UH teams have been known as the Rainbows since 1923. The rainbow was seen as a good luck sign since the game against Oregon State that year. The UH rainbow symbol was treasured by many of the alumni.
UH Rainbow symbol
However, June Jones saw the rainbow as a problem. The rainbow was also known as a symbol for the gay liberation movement, and Jones felt that association hurt UH when it comes to recruiting and marketing.
http://kegsneggsblog.com/2011/05/11/life-lessons-from-june-jones/
"Dont call me a Rainbow!"
After his 1st season at UH, June Jones nudged the athletic department to remove the rainbow nickname and symbol. He wanted the team to just be known as Warriors, and the university replaced the rainbow logo with a tiki-style symbol for H.
http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/sports/2012/6/18/GEN_0618120234.aspx?tab=uhtraditions
The H-tiki symbol
The H-tiki symbol
While many people loved the new symbol (I actually liked it, just like I liked the rainbow symbol) a lot of old-time UH fans have never forgiven him for removing the rainbow name and symbol. TV news anchor Joe Moore publicly criticized Jones over the issue.
Then in 2013, with June Jones long gone from the university, the university brought the Rainbow nickname back to all of the teams and sells merchandise with both the rainbow and the H-tiki symbols. The teams still mostly use the H-tiki symbol on the uniforms though they occasionally wear the rainbow jerseys for Throwback Nights.
Though it was up to me, we would combine both the rainbow symbol and the H-tiki symbol like this one that I found on social media back in 2013.
Krater 96 facebook page
Not the official UH symbol
but it should be!
(note: I blogged more about the UH symbols in the following blog posts back in 2013
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/02/uh-sports-nicknames.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-rainbows-are-back.html
Fast forward to this year. June Jones is negotiating to be the UH head football coach again. Jones wanted full control of the marketing and wanted to eliminate the rainbow name again. That doesn't fly in 2022.
Jones wanted to hire assistant coaches without required approval from the UH administration. Nevermind that NOBODY at UH (and most institutions) gets hired without the official approval of someone 2-3 levels higher on the food chain.
Jones noted that he was offered a 2-year contract (which was later upgraded to a 3-year contract) and noted that hurts recruiting. Most coaching contracts are for 5 years.
June Jones left the negotiations and went on social media to blast the offer of 2-3 year contract.
What June Jones didn't expect was the UH administration spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl would launch an aggressive response to Jones, mentioning Jones alienated people in the past and that his demands for total control over marketing and hiring were unrealistic. Meisenzahl also implied that Jones supported social media campaigns doxing the contact information of UH administration officials.
view it here
https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiNewsNow/posts/10159937748090479
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=670922867393117
same speech plus Q&A with journalists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuS59FcVO8
This was my reaction that I wrote on Facebook after I first saw the video of Meisenzahl's speech
June Jones never saw it coming, he never expected the UH admin to hit back agressively. June Jones thought the UH admin would be one of those "be the bigger person" pansies! Not this time! Listening to this video speech by UH spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl gives me the same feeling like listening to "Hit Em Up" or "No Vaseline" or "The Ripper Stikes Back" for the first time (minus the profanities and death threats, of course).
And I knew the issue of the "Rainbows" nickname would come up! If I was the UH Athletics Director, I would tell June Jones straight up, "Rainbow is part of our name, take it or leave it". As for the assisants, Dan is right, at every organization, each hire requires approval of 2-3 people higher in the food chain.Don't get me wrong, June Jones was the best person for the job back in 1999 and the early 2000s. Watching the games at the time were among the best memories of my life. But the world has moved on! Time to support Timmy Chang as the new coach.
And yes it was only a few hours between Meisenzahl's video speech and the announcement that Timmy Chang was hired to be the new head football coach for UH.
University of Hawaii Athletics
Chang was a former UH QB (2000-2004) under June Jones.
He was a high school all-star at Saint Louis School (the all-boys Catholic school in Honolulu, not to be confused with the city in Missouri with the famous arch) and there was tremendous pressure put on him when he joined the UH team. Chang had some growing pains in which he battled injuries and interceptions, but also ended his career with a bowl game victory!
Chang spent some time in the pros, mostly within the Canadian Football League. He then was an assistant under June Jones when they coached at SMU (Southern Methodist University). Chang since worked as an assistant coach at other colleges, mostly recently at the University of Nevada- Reno.
This will be Chang's first time as a head football coach, so there will be some growing pains. The good news is that Chang is known to be a humble person who avoids the drama. He understands the culture because he grew up in it. He will likely be able to gather a group of assistants that would be a great fit for the program.
I think Timmy Chang was a great hire.
Let's all pray that he will prove us right and bring us back to the big time.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
coming soon
I definitely have lots of thoughts on the UH football coaching changes.
When I have time, I'll blog about it and post it when I can
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Give Substitute Teachers Vacation Pay
School is back in session this semester when there is yet another surge of coronavirus cases.
Teachers may have to quarantine at home if they are infected or had close contact with someone who is infected.
But unfortunately, there have not been enough substitute teachers to supervise those classes. It got to the point where non-teaching staff (ie counselors, security guards, librarians, office staff, etc) have to supervise those classes. Even worse, when there aren't enough substitute teachers for MULTIPLE classes, the students from all those classes are sent to the library or cafeteria where they're basically asked to do make-work by an overwhelmed staff member who is not normally assigned to work with those students. This is a disaster in the making.
Here's some news article mentioning this situation in Hawaii
https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/01/800-hawaii-teachers-call-out-sick-in-a-single-day/
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I am a former substitute teacher. I can tell you why there aren't enough subs. In fact, I told all the readers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser today with this Letter to the Editor.
It’s been front-page news that there aren’t enough substitute teachers to fill in for teacher absences in Hawaii’s public schools.
As a former substitute teacher, I had a rewarding career in which I was able to work with students at various schools. It was an adventurous job. I could’ve done it forever. But the main reason I left was the lack of vacation pay.
Subs don’t get paid during summer vacation (or any school breaks). They weren’t even allowed to access unemployment insurance benefits when school wasn’t in session.
Of course, those who find a year-round position will transition there as soon as they can.
The state needs to provide vacation pay or unemployment benefits to substitute teachers when school isn’t in session. Otherwise, there will not be enough substitute teachers, and students will suffer from lack of adequate supervision.
One more thing: This is not about an entitlement for substitute teachers. It’s about retaining talent and, more important, ensuring the schools have enough staff to run day-to-day operations properly.
Pablo Wegesend
Between the time I sent the letter and the time the letter actually got published, I came across this opinion article in Honolulu Civil Beat written by teacher Eric Stinton titled "Hawaii Needs Substitute Teachers To Help With The Pandemic"
And that article had this good idea
A better solution would be to have full-time substitutes as part of the school system, with salaries comparable to teachers of similar qualifications and tenure. They can step in and teach when they’re needed, and if they aren’t needed, they can still assist by providing extra support in classrooms such as working on the side with struggling students or even helping with grading.
Yes to this!
There have been times when I've been called to sub at a school and by the time I arrive, I was told "oops, we no longer need your service". If they're going to call for me to take precious time to commute to the school, if they no longer need me to sub at that specific class, they could've at least had me tutor struggling students in the class. I mean why not? The students get much-needed help, and I can observe how the class operates so that in case I'm actually needed to sub for that class, I know the routine.
Plus, I think most classes need more than one adult in the classroom anyways. Especially if the class has 20+ students of various levels of ability. Teachers quit because they get burned out teaching 20+ students by themselves. You could actually retain more teachers if they have assistance in the class to help with discipline and tutoring.
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And going back to the issue of vacation pay, we could base it on something like .............
....... if sub A worked this many days a month on average, then sub A is eligible for this amount for vacation pay.
Something like that!
That way, substitute teachers who work more days can get more vacation pay. They're probably the ones who don't have much to fall back on, so they might need the vacation pay more.
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Some might still feel that offering perks like vacation pay is an "entitlement". No, it's an incentive to stick around.
Let's put it this way, colleges offers tons of incentives and perks to coaches to make it more likely they'll stick around. Companies like Google offer perks and incentives to retain talent.
The public school system should do the same thing.
Life is competitive
Retaining talent is competitive.
Public schools aren't just competing with private schools for talent, they're competing with other industries for talent.
If you don't offer perks like vacation pay to substitute teachers, you'll lose them to other industries, and therefore no longer be available to teach your classes when your teachers are sick.
I NEVER said "I'll never sub again" because a part of me wants to sub again. But I prefer to have something to fall back on if I ever sub again. We'll see how that goes!
Wednesday, January 05, 2022
1st blog post of 2022
I wasn't sure what to write about in my 1st blog post of 2022.
I didn't want to write another overly optimistic prediction about my personal life for the new year.
But I didn't want to sound like an overly pessimistic sourpuss energy vampire either.
But a theme came up to me within the last hour: NEVER ENOUGH TIME!
My main conflict is time! I got to pay the bills so I have to work, but that takes time away from exercising, home maintenance, blogging, and music production.
The last time I had plenty of time to focus on what I wanted was during the initial lockdown during the coronavirus crisis. Spring 2020! I was on what really was a paid vacation (I was a state worker at the time), and I had plenty of time to organize my stuff, throw out junk I no longer need, thoroughly clean my room, work on Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior's music, and of course write blog posts. Though the gym was closed, I could spend a lot of time walking around.
Now, it's different. I work almost full-time hours at a job that pays less than what I was doing in early 2020. I rarely have enough time to exercise or organize my stuff, and I try to fit in time for my blog and Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior's music. Even on my days off, I'm just trying to catch up with my sleep, laundry, shopping, and my personal log (I write a list of what I've done each day on my planner).
Today was a day off. I planned to catch up on sleep and organize a pile of printed articles I accumulated. But that took a detour because I had to go to the tailor (my pants went rip and I want it repaired), then go to Walmart to get juice for a cheaper price. When I finally came home and tried to organize the piles of articles, I was like "I will never have time to organize all that". So off to the rubbish can it goes! Getting rid of excess stuff can spark a little joy in my life.
Hopefully, on my next day off, I can organize what little I kept and go exercise. Hopefully, it's not raining heavily like it's been the last few, so that I can bike safely.
Anyways, sorry if I sound like a miserable energy vampire. Hopefully, the rest of the year can give me a boost of energy!
Friday, December 31, 2021
My final blog post for 2021
2021, the sequel to 2020, has come to an end.
2020 was the year of the start of the coronavirus crisis.
2021 was the year the covid-19 vaccines were available, and yet, a significant portion of the population choose not to take it, even though it's been proven over and over again that the unvaccinated are more likely to need ICU hospitalization when in contact with the virus. And because of the covidiots who think any precaution is a threat to "muh freedoms", we end the year with yet another surge of another variant.
So forget any large-scale gathering to celebrate the new year.
At the rate we're going, the 2020 New Year's might possibly be the last time I went out to party for New Year's.
And many of the cases also happen to be among informal gatherings where people let their guards down and the masks down because of the guilt trips of "don't you trust us, we're your family/friends". Nevermind that too many people got the virus from their family & friends. Whereas for me, I kept my mask & shield on when visiting family and ate from a distance from everyone else. And even when I sometimes have breakfast with my dad at a restaurant, we sit diagonal from each other. Some people call that "living in fear". I call it living in reality. Also, unlike some people, I'm not afraid of a vaccine.
As for friends, it's been a while since I gathered with them in person. As far as I'm concerned, the phone, email, and social media are good enough for now.
And socializing at work? In the worker lounge, everyone has to sit at separate tables.
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While I've been avoiding covid as much as possible, I should also be avoiding excessive calories as much as possible. Sadly, I've been gaining too much weight for the last two years. I know it's a cliché to talk about losing weight for every New Year's resolution, but I have to figure out how to make that a reality. I've lost weight before (at least that's what people were saying to me from 2002 to 2012, as well as from 2017 to 2019) so it's not like I don't have experience losing weight, I just got to find a way that fits my schedule.
Also, there's a food addiction. While I've never taken drugs or drank alcohol, I think my addiction is to food, especially snacks and rice. It's like I think about eating, then feel guilty for eating too much afterward.
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As for work, I'm currently working at a fashion store and I have what is possibly the easiest job - wiping all the high-touch points (ie doors, elevators, escalators, fixtures, etc).
What I like about it is I work at my own pace, and I don't have to do any cashier duties. I like to keep it simple.
However, I want to eventually move on to something else. I want to return to working at a library. It's what I trained for and what I live for. Either that or work in the school again.
This is the first year I didn't work in a school since I started in 2005.
Learn more at
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/05/1st-school-year-that-i-wasnt-working-in.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/03/1-year-ago-little-did-we-know-it-will.html
I only left the school library job because the head librarian was a jerk, and even though she left a year after I left, schools are more concerned about filling classroom positions than library positions.
I have no interest in the stress of a full-time teacher, but a part of me wants to be a teacher aide or a substitute teacher again. I miss working with the kids (well, the well-behaved ones) and a part of me feels that's my main purpose on earth. But the last time I worked in a classroom was before the pandemic, so I haven't yet experienced having to remind defiant students to keep their masks on or to follow other protocols set by school admin that didn't exist before the pandemic.
I am considering a return to substitute teaching for the next school year while keeping my retail job. I need something to fall back on during school vacations when subs don't have paid opportunities.
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But the real ideal is to make enough money from my music and art. As Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior, I make instrumental tracks (sold on iTunes, streamed on Spotify, et al) and visual arts (sold on RedBubble). I made some money on my music, but not enough to pay my bills.
Earlier this year, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior released "Science Fiction Music: an instrumental album", which as you can guess is an electronic music album of instrumental tracks that sounds like what you can hear in a science fiction movie.
I have music videos for 11 tracks from that album and will need to make 4 more.
Check out Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior music videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTp3x3norNTYDksJKCSfhXg
Then I plan to make my 2nd hip-hop instrumental album. The first one, "Urban Honolulu Jams" was released in 2016 and was mostly a mix of 90's-style G-funk and 70's style funk. It was hastily put together and I wish I came up with better titles for some of the tracks.
I already made some tracks for the upcoming "Urban Honolulu Jams 2", and I plan to make some more, this time, covering a wider spectrum of sound in the hip-hop genres. I can't give you a timeline of when it'll be complete, as I want to make it as legendary as possible and to give the tracks some cool titles.
After that, who knows? Maybe a vocal album (that would take years if I don't get paid time off to complete it), or an instrumental album of a genre I haven't worked on yet. So many possibilities.
And talking about music, here's my list of the best songs of the year
My favorite song would be : Coldplay w/BTS "My Universe"
and here's some other classics from 2021
The Weeknd "Take My Breath"
BTS "Butter"
TXT "Magic"
Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U"
Olivia Rodrigo "Brutal"
Bella Poarch "Build a B____"
Willow "Transparent Soul"
Troy Sivian w/ TateMcRae "You"
Weezer "All my Favorite Songs"
Natanael Cano w/ Ovi, Snoop Dogg, Snow that Product, CNG "Feeling Good"
CRO w/Snow tha Product "Get Money"
Pop Smoke w/ Chris Brown "Woo Baby"
Lil Nas X "That's What I Want"
Girl in Red "Seratonin"
Saweetie w/ Doja Cat "Best Friend"
Latto "Big Energy"
Kid Lario w/ Justin Bieber "Stay"
Lizzo w/Cardi B "Rumors"
and to finish the year, we got..........
Tory Lanez "Pluto's Last Comet"
Madonna's not happy Tory Lanez sampled her song "Get into the Groove" without seeking permission, but his song is very good, I was so impressed that I played it over and over after my first listen . I hope they can work out a deal to keep the song in rotation
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And off course, there's this blog. I wish I had more time to blog this year, because there was so much to blog about, but so little time. I might've blogged more this year than the last 2 years, but I still don't feel it's enough. But I'll keep blogging until I can no longer do so.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
2021 memorials
When a prominent person pass away, I try to find time to blog about it. Sadly, my mind was too distracted throughout the year to blog about everyone I found interesting.
Here were some memorial blog posts from earlier this year
People from my personal life
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/11/in-memory-of-my-dentist-dr-clifford-park.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-memory-of-uncle-michael.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/04/in-memory-of-auntie-theldine.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/08/in-memory-of-lisa-lam.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-mystery-of-elia-laeli.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/04/former-students-and-tragedy-on-kalakaua.html
Public figures
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/07/2021-cruel-year-for-old-school-rappers.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/05/colt-brennan-1983-2021.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/07/haunani-kay-trask.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/02/rush-limbaugh.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-legends-of-baseball.html
Here are some other interesting people who passed away in 2021
Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga
"Mo" was a former gang member turned social worker who encouraged troubled youth in Hawaii to turn their lives around in a positive direction. He worked for the Adult Friends for Youth (AFY), the same organization that worked with him when he was transitioning out of the gang life.
Sadly, he was murdered in front of his own home decades after leaving the gang life. It is still a mystery of who killed him and why they did it.
Robert Kekaula
Robert Kekaula was a well-known TV journalist for decades. Most of his career focused on sports, though in his last few years, he was also focused on the non-sports news as well.
He was a cultural icon in that he was an example of how even a pidgin-speaking large-sized Native Hawaiian man can rise to the top of local news media. You didn't have to abandon your cultural roots to make it in the mainstream! He & Paula Akana were probably the first Native Hawaiian duo to be the lead anchor for KITV News. (or any local TV news for that matter).
He not only was a journalist but also a musician who released 3 albums, 2 of which won the prestigious Na Hoku awards.
Bob Jones
This Bob Jones is not to be confused with the controversial religious university in South Carolina named after a different person with the same name.
This Bob Jones was a legendary TV news reporter in Hawaii who didn't shy away from expressing strong opinions on the air or especially in the opinion articles he wrote for Midweek. Whatever backlash he got was nothing compared to the dangers he faced while reporting from Vietnam in the 1960s.
My main memory of him was when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s when he and Jade Moon, were the lead anchors for KGMB News.
Collin Powell
Collin Powell was a man of many "firsts" in many high positions in the US government. He was the first African-American to be the chair of the US military's joint-chief-of-staff (under George HW Bush) , as well as the first to be Secretary of State (under George W Bush).
During his time with the joint-chief-of-staffs, he was in the media spotlight as the US military was about to save Kuwait from Saddam Hussein in the early 1990's. He impressed many Americans who thought he could eventually become the first African-American president.
People even begged him to run in 1996. But Powell didn't really fit into the major political parties. He was a friend of the Bush family and identified as a Republican at the time, but he wasn't comfortable with the entire Republican agenda. I felt that if the US elections didn't allow for political parties and everyone had to run as an individual, Collin Powell would've been able to be the first African-American before anyone even heard of Barack Obama.
Powell did accept the position as a Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. It was a time of major turmoil as the 9/11 attacks happened. The US launched an attack on Al Qaida who was headquartered in Afghanistan. Though Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, Bush wanted to "finish the job" and get rid of Saddam Hussein once and for all. There was disagreement within the administration about those plans, with Powell saying we would need more troops than what Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense) was proposing. Sadly, Bush went along with Rumsfeld's idea which turned out to be a disaster. Overthrowing Hussein was the easy part, it was keeping the peace that turned out to be the hard part. Also, Powell was humiliated as his speech about the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq turned out to be wrong.
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Some people wondered that even though Collin Powell was able to gain prestigious positions within the US government, that he could he have done more for the African-American community. Some felt he wasn't radical enough. I mentioned this on Facebook.
Mixed legacy? Why? He broke barriers and made achievements that were denied to his parent's generations. He did speak out against racism, but some felt he should've been more radical in his statements.
People need to understand that in order for progress to happen, there's needs to be people working within the system (like Collin Powell) and people speaking out from outside the system (like the BLM movement). People in both groups would express their thoughts differently because they have different roles to play. But all the roles are important!
In the last year of his life, Collin Powell was suffering from blood cancer which weakened his immune system, which was unable to fight off the coronavirus even though he was vaccinated.
I wrote the following on Facebook
Vaccines help most who get it, though it may not be enough to help those with weakened immune systems. Colin Powell's blood cancer left his immune system weakened beyond repair. But for the rest of us, we can helped with the vaccine.Covidiots need to understand if they get vaccinated, they're less likely to spread covid to those with weakened immune system. THE WHOLE POINT of getting vaxed, wearing masks and not gathering in large groups is to PROTECT THOSE WITH weakened immune systems. But too many covidiots are all about the "me, myself and I" and don't understand the concept of protecting the vulnerable.
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu was a religious leader and an activist against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Like Martin Luther King, he advocated nonviolent resistance even as people were losing patience with being nonviolent against a violent oppressive regime.
But unlike King, Tutu was able to live long after the segregation system he was fighting against ended. Tutu still had more work to do.
In the early years of the post-apartheid era, Tutu was in charge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated human rights abuses that occurred during the apartheid regime. Those who were truthful in their testimony in front of the commission were given amnesty. The goal wasn't so much to punish but to establish some sort of reconciliation and healing.
He also didn't hesitate to criticize the post-apartheid government for its abuses and corruption.
He spoke out for the rights of the LGBT, people living with HIV/AIDS, and the economically marginalized.
Tutu also spoke out against human rights abuses overseas, whether it was about Israeli abuse of Palestinians in the West Bank (for which he was falsely accused of anti-Semitism) or on the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
FW De Klerk
Also from South Africa was FW De Klerk, who was the final president of South Africa in the apartheid era. Though he was a longtime supporter of apartheid, by the late 80's he realized the system was unsustainable. Riots were occurring nationwide, and there were economic boycotts from outside. A civil war was a real possibility. In the long run, there was no way apartheid was able to withstand such pressures. It was best to end the system right then and there and start a peaceful transition.
De Klerk approved the release of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela who eventually became the first president of the post-apartheid era. Both won the Nobel Peace Prize.
But even with him starting the transition away from apartheid, there were still some people who haven't forgiven him for being a past supporter of apartheid. His final statement before his death was an expression of regret for his past support of apartheid.
Bob Dole
Bob Dole had a long career of service to the US government, starting from time as a US soldier fighting in World War 2, and later with decades in the US Senate. His political career culminated in a run for US President in 1996 for which he lost to the incumbent Bill Clinton. It was almost like a rerun of 1992 in which fellow WW2 veteran George HW Bush lost to a guy who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War. While people respected the service of Bush and Dole, they were also seen as out-of-touch with modern America as compared to the younger Clinton.
I wrote the following on Facebook about Bob Dole after he died.
I was in high school when Bob Dole ran for president, most of us thought him and other Republicans (like Dan Quayle and George HW Bush) are uptight morality preachers who complained too much about gangsta rap and TV sitcoms. Bill Clinton looked cool in comparison. Little did we know that the Republicans would change their image to the vulgar, deplorable bullies like Donald Trump who thinks basic decency is for chumps! As a middle-aged adult, I kinda sorta miss the uptight conservatives like Bob Dole and Dan Quayle, mostly because the Republican brand became way more toxic and repulsive under Trump!
John Madden
John Madden was one of the biggest legends in professional football even though he couldn't play at that level due to injuries in his college days. In the 1970's, he was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, for which he won a Super Bowl in 1977. He was able to succeed with a team of outlaws and misfits with 3 simple rules: be on time, pay attention, and play like hell.
But it was his career after coaching in which he really gained legendary status. For nearly 3 decades, he was mostly famous as the game-time voice for NFL games. He was able to explain the complexities of the game with his verbal descriptions and his visual illustrations on the screen. And he had a great sense of humor.
And to top all of that, his name became a brand name for a popular video game series: Madden NFL. Those who couldn't make the team on the field could pretend to be NFL players while playing the game. And those who did succeed on the field could laugh at themselves when noting their likeness appearing in the game.
Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden was the longtime head football coach at Florida State University. When he started coaching there in 1976, Florida State was a no-name school without a winning tradition. That quickly changed as he led the school to multiple national championships over the decades. He coached the greats like Deion Sanders, Chris Weinke, Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn and Peter Warrick. He became the 2nd winningest coach in college football history until he retired in 2009.
The reason he stood out to me was back when I skimming his book at a bookstore, one part really got my attention. He mentioned that when working with his assistant coaches, he preferred to correct them in private. He said that if he was to embarrass the assistant coaches in front of the players, that would disrespect the assistant coach's authority over the players. I wish more supervisors would understand that.
Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary was the author of many classic children's books, which still have a place on library shelves decades after their initial publication. Ironically, this former librarian and author didn't like reading growing up because she thought it was boring. Her goal was to write books that a younger version of herself could relate to, being that she grew up as a rascal kid in the middle-class suburbs. That might seem like the norm now, but at the time, it was revolutionary.
Betty White
(note: even though this post was posted a day before she died, I'll add my thoughts on her here)
The actress who has been known as a national treasure for living what seemed like an eternity has passed away on the final day of 2021, less than a month before her 100th birthday.
She has appeared on sitcoms, game shows and variety shows over the decades, most famous one being The Golden Girls, an 80s sitcom centered around 4 elderly women enjoying their golden years, even as they tackle social issues like age discrimination, gender relations, race relations, medical malpractice and more. The show was seen as ahead of its time as it dealt with the issue of homosexuality and AIDS.
In her last few years, Betty White continued to make guest appearances on comedy shows, as well as prominent features in TV ads and social media memes.
While we all joked that she will live on forever, it is her legacy and spirit that will do so!
(note: I might add more to this post! I just want to make sure I got something published before the end of 2021. I'll add more soon)
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