dealing with attempted break-in and attempted robbery

 For a long time, I was fortunate.  I was living in my current apartment for 19 years without a break-in attempt. Also, nobody attempted to rob me within that time frame.

But luck doesn't last forever. My good streak ended this month.

In the past, there was a woman who lived a floor above me who came home drunk and tried to use her key to open my apartment. I yelled out "WRONG ROOM" and she was very apologetic.  Also, in the past, the police rammed into a nearby apartment for a resident accused of domestic abuse. He resisted letting them in and he resisted arrest.

Well, on the first of this month, as I was taking a morning shower, I could hear a loud pounding on my door. The first time I was wondering "an explosion outside?", "the police trying to go after that neighbor again?", etc. Then I could hear another loud kick on my door, and another one. I yelled out "WRONG ROOM!". Then I could hear that man ask "is this _______ room?" I answered "no", then he said "sorry boss" and he took the elevator down.  I've never seen that person before.

My door had no visible damage. I did call the police who took my information over the phone.  They did call me back again for more questions.  We still don't know who that guy was or what his real intentions were.

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Then last week, I was walking to the bank and then to the shoe repair shop (there was a rip in one of my shoes, and I also had new shoes in which I wanted velcro extensions and heel guards installed). I carried my shoes in a green shopping bag from Longs.

On my way to the bank, I heard a homeless guy saying "that's my bag". I ignored him and kept walking. Then I noticed him following me and he kept saying "that's my bag". I just kept walking and held on to my pepper spray just in case. 

Then I stopped at the corner waiting for the light to change. The guy said, "that's my bag, let me see what's inside". Why should I let him see what's in MY bag? I know his goal was to take my bag. I then yelled "STEP BACK!" and pointed my pepper spray at him. He refused to step back so I pepper-sprayed him. I didn't see anything come out of my pepper spray so I just continued walking away from that guy and walked across the street. He kept following me. 

I went to the bank and asked them to call the police. He was walking around the parking lot. After the bank employee used her phone while looking out the window, then I saw that guy rubbing his eyes.

The police arrived. They saw him first before they saw me.  As a police officer asked me to come out of the bank, I could hear the guy saying to a cop  "that guy took my bag and he pepper-sprayed me". So I was made to look like the bad guy.  The cop asked me "did you pepper spray him" and I confirmed it. The cop said, "you're not supposed to pepper spray people" as if I  was a kid doing it for fun.

An ambulance came to help the real bad guy, the guy who confronted me over a bag that was mine. They poured water and whatever other chemicals they used against the effects of pepper spray. 

The cop that was talking to that guy came over to look at my green bag and concluded that I didn't take his bag. My guess was that he asked that guy what was in that bag, and his description didn't match what's really in my bag.

The cops said to me that I should call the police instead of spraying him. What? The police get away with much worse (including shooting people with bullets) but they lecture me over pepper spray?

If I didn't spray him, he could've punched me, stabbed me, and taken my bag. Even if I did get away and tried to call the police, he could've run up to me and knocked the phone out of my hands (that's why I waited until I got to the bank before asking them to call the police.) And the phone I had is expensive to repair or replace. 

Also, had that guy walked away after I yelled "STEP BACK", I wouldn't have pepper-sprayed.  I don't live for confrontations, I avoid confrontations, but when it's unavoidable, I have to protect myself. 

So no, I don't regret pepper-spraying that guy. He started it! He wanted to create a dangerous situation with me. He started trouble with the wrong person. 

He starts trouble but likes to play the victim when his victim fights back.

The last cop to talk to me said the case wouldn't be likely to result in a criminal trial against me (cross my fingers) but that guy could file a civil suit against me.  That guy should sue himself for his own stupidity. 

The police then let me walk away to go on with my day. As they should. 

They didn't ask if I wanted to file a case against that guy. They should've! I guess they thought that guy being pepper-sprayed was enough punishment for him.  I hope they told him, the next person he starts trouble with might carry a gun. 

As for me, there comes a point in life where I have to live up to the phrase "rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6."

As for that guy, he needs to grow up and leave people alone. It's what I do. 

Notes on recent deaths

In this blog post, I will write about 3 people that I've met in my life that have died earlier this year.  

Uncle Victor

Victor Cardona was the brother of my late grandma Ramona Wegesend (previously named Ramona Caban). 

I've only met him a few times when I was a kid, then I haven't seen him for years, basically because he lived on another island (Maui). The only time I saw him during my adulthood was my grandma's funeral in 2019. At the funeral, he made an impromptu speech towards the end of the service about his relations with my grandma.

An interesting thing about meeting him at the funeral was that he was friends with the family of one of my former students from my substitute teaching days, so I was able to meet that former student again at the funeral. By then, that student already graduated from high school, and we compared notes about our lives after I was subbing at the school.

My grandma's funeral was the last time I saw Uncle Victor. He passed away earlier this month. 

It's times like these I wish I met with my extended family more.

Jeffrey Apaka

Jeffrey Apaka was known in Hawaii as a Hawaiian musician who entertained audiences at various hotels in Waikiki, as well as the son of another legendary Hawaiian musician Alfred Apaka.

He also had a day job at Waikiki Community Center (WCC) as the director of community relations. That was where I met him.  WCC has a preschool where I spent some time as a substitute teacher (mostly from 2007-2010), and I used to always see him walking around.  He was definitely filled with Aloha Spirit and good cheer.  He made everyone at WCC feel like a part of the family.

Learn more about this legendary man at 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/02/01/features/longtime-entertainer-and-hawaiian-recording-artist-jeff-apaka-dies-at-75/

Mark Anthony Garcia

I actually know multiple people with the name "Mark Garcia", so let me be specific,  this Mark Garcia was a former high school classmate. from my time at McKinley High School (should be renamed Honolulu High School) in the late 90's. 

I remember he was in my Marine Science class.  He was a funny guy and likes to joke around with people. During free time, he saw me reading the Source Magazine and we would talk about hip-hop music. 

My favorite memory was in a pep rally, I would cheer on the seniors and he told me "calm down" and I'm like "aren't you a junior?" Fun times! 

I found him on Facebook and we were on each other's friend's list, but he hasn't posted much in recent years so I was out of the loop on what's going on in his life. I found out about his death from one of our mutual friends (another former classmate), and I later learned from one of his relatives (who happened to be a former co-worker) that he had heart problems. 

Sad to see someone around my age die so young.

Awkwafina and the Wu Tang Clan

 Nora Lum, a Chinese-American entertainer who goes by the stage name Awkwafina, has been getting a lot of flack for using slang that originated in the African-American community. Some people call it "cultural appropriation". She's been pressured to apologize by "woke" cultural segregationists on Twitter who think she should only do things from her ancestral culture. She shouldn't apologize at all! 

But she's just doing what the Wu Tang Clan has been doing for decades, incorporating Chinese influences in their music, even though none of them are of Chinese or any Asian ancestries. They are deemed creative geniuses by many in the hip-hop community. 

If  Wu Tang Clan member Ol Dirty Bastard (ODB) was still alive, I think he would be making songs and videos with Awkwafina.  It would be classic.

I think it would be cool if Wu Tang Clan would invite her on stage and have her recite ODB's rhymes with them. That would also be classic!

It's time to praise cultural integration.

It's time to defend cultural integration. 

People of different backgrounds should be able to come together to share common interests and share each other's slang.  We will never have peace in this world until this happens on a widescale basis.

As the late great Rodney King once said in the midst of chaos, "Can't we all just get along?"

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PS: check out this classic blog post from last year, in response to "woke" pansies mad at Billie Eillish and Olivia Rodrigo for using slang they learned from hip-hop.

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/08/use-whatever-slang-you-want.html

2022: The Year of the Tiger

We have now entered The Year of the Tiger!

Happy Chinese New Year!

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. 

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

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.

http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/sports/2012/6/18/GEN_0618120234.aspx?tab=uhtraditions

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

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. 

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

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/

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/01/06/hawaii-news/staff-shortages-hit-hawaii-public-schools-with-800-teachers-out-sick/

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/11/01/hawaii-news/teacher-vacancies-ease-in-hawaii-but-substitutes-are-hard-to-find/

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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. 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/01/12/editorial/letters/letters-keep-substitute-teachers-with-additional-benefits/

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"

https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/01/eric-stinton-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. 

========

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!