coming soon to this blog

I was in the hospital for a few days.

When time permits, I'll be blogging about it here.

all other subjects i was planning to blog about will have to wait

The state takes too long to pay employees

 It's common in Hawaii for people to encourage others to "work for the state"

They have good benefits, they say! 

Apparently, getting paid fast isn't one of those benefits!

I worked several jobs within the Hawaii state government over the years, mostly in schools and/or libraries.  

Both schools and libraries match what I'm passionate about.

But working in state government means you get paid on the 5th and the 20th of the following month! 

So if you work within the 1st half of the month, you get paid the 5th of the following month! 

Whereas, if you work within the 2nd half of the month, you get paid the 20th of the following month! 

And if the person in charge of sending your timesheets to the state's payroll office turns it in late ..... you'll have to wait even longer for your payment.!

Meanwhile, your bill collectors have no interest in waiting for you to turn in your payments on time! 

Within the private sector, each organization has their own pay schedule. Some of the ones I worked for (Macy's, Bishop & Co., Kelly Services, HiEmployment) pay on the following week's Friday!

So if I work for the state today (09/25/2024), I'd have to wait until 10/20/2024 (at the earliest) to get paid!

But with those private employers, if I work today, I get paid next week Friday (10/04/2024). 

With bills to pay, time is of the essence.

Most private employers understand that.

The state? Not so much! 

So much for "the state providing good benefits"

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This issue came up in the news recently because many Hawaii public school teachers stated they didn't get their paychecks on time! Even AFTER the indignity of being forced to wait a month for their paychecks.

From last week's Honolulu Star Advertiser.

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/09/20/hawaii-news/paycheck-delays-prompt-audit-of-doe-procedures/

Last week the HSTA said it filed a grievance with the DOE after learning that hundreds of teachers had missed at least one paycheck at the beginning of the school year. 

my comment: this is bad for veteran teachers, but imagine starting your career like this!  Also, imagine dealing with this while having children to raise!

Well, the following teachers don't have to imagine anything, they're living this reality now

Sonya Pinsky, a fourth grade teacher at Voyager Public Charter School, submitted written testimony to the BOE stating that she did not receive her paycheck until Sept. 5, despite having started work in July.

“I was not prepared to go 6 weeks without pay, as most professionals are in Hawai‘i. I struggled to feed myself and was constantly stressed about how I was going to pay bills or rent,” Pinsky wrote.

She explained that the delayed paychecks affected her mental health.

“My first priority are my haumana. However, I cannot do my job effectively, and give the keiki of Hawai‘i all that they deserve, if my most basic needs are not being met. The DOE broke their side of the contract. Had I broken my side, I would have been fired,” she added. “There needs to be consequences and remedies for this unacceptable error."

and this 

Another teacher at Kawananakoa Middle School, Jashua Walker, shared in written testimony that he was charged an overdraft fee due to insufficient funds after a dental procedure when his paycheck did not arrive on time.

This jeopardized his ability to cover essential expenses, including credit card and loan payments. Walker wrote that his credit score dropped by nearly 80 points, “severely impacting my financial stability and future creditworthiness.”

“Moreover, the inability to receive my paycheck on time meant that I could not afford basic necessities, such as a bus pass. Consequently, I was forced to walk 77 miles over eleven days from Kaimuki to upper Nuuanu to get to work. This dangerous, physically exhausting and demoralizing experience was a direct result of the delayed paycheck.”

That article inspired to me to write this letter to the editor that got published in today's edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/09/25/editorial/letters/letter-state-must-pay-teachers-on-time-or-risk-exodus/

Letter: State must pay teachers on time or risk exodus

Recently, it has been reported that Hawaii’s public school teachers have not received their paychecks on time. Sadly, this is normal for Hawaii state employees who already have to wait a month to get paid for time worked, but also have to wait longer if their time sheets haven’t been turned in on time. This happened to me when I used to be a Department of Education substitute teacher.

I’m currently not working with the state and I’m hesitant to return mostly because of this very issue. Private employers tend to pay faster (my current employer pays me the following week’s Friday), which is great because the sooner I get paid, the sooner I can pay my bill collectors.

If the state wants to recruit and retain talent, it needs to start paying them faster. Otherwise, we will continue to take our talents to the private sector.

Pablo Wegesend

And here's the letter as printed in the newspaper 

Currently, I'm working as a substitute teacher with 2 private agencies (Kelly Services, HiEmployment) that service private schools, charter schools and preschools. 

As mentioned earlier, both agencies pay the following week's Friday! Which is why I work with them and not the DOE. Even though I was a public school student and I miss working at the public schools.

Don't preach to me about how "private schools perpetuate the divide between the rich and poor" when the DOE (and the entire state government) doesn't even pay teachers on time!  It's the state slow payment policies that further perpetuate the divide between rich and poor.  I'm sure MANY great teachers left the DOE for private schools just to get paid as fast as possible. 

I got bills to pay and my bill collectors aren't as patient as the state government expects their employees to be! 

Meanwhile, part of me is conflicted about writing all this because I really want to work in the libraries and the bulk of them (whether it's public libraries, public school libraries, or University of Hawaii libraries)  are all part of the same state government that expects employees to wait a month for their paychecks. 

Depending on which library position is available, some pay more than I ever got paid as a substitute teacher. It can be a great career once I get settled in.   But do I really want to wait a month for my first paycheck?

That's something I'm struggling with as I plan my career path! 

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Also, in the news about our ever great state government .......

...... Department of Human Services announced that more families will be eligible for more benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).....

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/09/24/hawaii-news/rule-change-will-increase-food-aid-for-hawaii-families/

That's the good news for struggling families.

The not so good news?

The state has taken too long to update the computer system it uses for SNAP's infomation

But changing the rules will be easier than putting them into practice through DHS’ antiquated 1980s-era information system, DHS told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser later Monday.

 

[my comment: did they just say "1980s-era information system]

In a texted statement, DHS officials said they are working on a plan.

 

They first have to assess the ability of the department’s Hawaii Automated Welfare Information eligibility system to adapt to the changes.

 

The HAWI system, as it’s known at DHS, “may not be able to support this policy change without significant modifications,” DHS said. “DHS is also currently working on the development of a new eligibility system to replace HAWI; however, the new system is still in the testing and development (sic) we are working with our vendor to implement as soon as possible hopefully having it ready by early 2025.”

The 1980s ended on December 31, 1989 at 23:59.

 This is 2024!  It takes the state government 34 years to update a computer system!

People who weren't even born yet in the 1980s have access to a more updated computer system in their pockets. 

But it takes the state DECADES to feel the urgency to update it's computer system?

Any private business that shows that much negligence with their technology would've been out of business a long time ago! 

And that's the problem, the state government doesn't have to feel the urgency to update anything! 

And it's the vulnerable people that is harmed by all this! 

coming soon

 So many thoughts, not enough time to blog it all!

But what i really want to address soon is Trump/Vance slander against Haitian immigrants in Ohio! Based on rumors proven to be false, but the racist right-wing nutcases still steam full ahead with those rumors!

I'll post something as soon as I can

Music Updates

 Earlier this year, I answered a question that was on people's minds "Am I Still Doing Music?"

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2024/01/am-i-still-doing-music.html

For the next Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior album, here's what's been done so far

• all tracks completed 
• the order the tracks will appear has been finalized
• I started the album cover artwork (front cover is completed, back cover started but not completed)

Here's what still needs to be done

• complete CD design
• come up with & complete an album description
• figure out whether to order a basic post-production tune-up (cheaper) or get full mastering services (highly recommended but also highly expensive and therefore highly out of my budget range)
• disc manufacturing (plan to go with a cheaper service than the last time)
• apply for online distribution with CD Baby
• videos

So what's holding me back?

Basically time and money!

Those who want to help with the money part can help with the following options

• buy my already existing music on Bandcamp, iTunes, and eBay
• buy merch with my art on RedBubble
• donate money to me via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/pweg

Political Thoughts

 The last time I wrote a political blog (July 8), I questioned whether Biden or Trump were the best 2 people that a nation of 300 million people could come up with to be their leader.

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2024/07/in-nation-of-300-million-is-this-best.html

also check out the video I posted the same week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv5sAqseiu4

So much has happened since then!

First, there was the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at an outdoor rally.

A few days later, there was the Republican convention!  Trump was seen as a survivor, and JD Vance was seen as a hero for the working class. Plus, having Hulk Hogan at the convention brought excitement. How the hell the Democrats going to top that when all they have is past-his-prime Biden?   

Then THE BIG NEWS! Joe Biden ended his presidential campaign.

 Despite pessimistic predictions, it didn't take long for the Democratic Party to unite around current vice-president Kamala Harris.  After all, she's the only person that could inherit the money raised for the Biden-Harris campaign.

Back in 2019/2020, Kamala Harris tried running for president. She didn't inspire confidence.  It was obvious that she was pandering to the far-left who already thought she was a corporate Democrat!   She wasn't ready for prime time.

But now she is!  She reintroduced herself to the country as a center-left candidate who is ready to take command. She reminded us that she was a prosecutor who stood up to con artists, sex offenders, and whatever other categories Donald Trump belonged to. 

As for who would be Kamala Harris's vice-president, there were some strong names in the running. Like Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear and Pete Buttigieg.  

However, the relatively unknown Tim Walz came out of the shadows with his soundbites taunting Donald Trump.   The Democrats needed excitement, and Tim Walz brought it. 

Part of politics is balance. Kamala Harris is a woman from the West Coast, part of the coastal liberal elites. Tim Walz is a man from the rural Midwest and has won elections in rural counties that normally vote Republican.  Tim Walz has masculine credentials as a former member of the National Guard and a former football coach. However, his masculinity is the one that isn't afraid to stand up for the vulnerable of our society.  He was the advisor to his school's Gay-Straight Alliance long before any state embraced same-sex marriage.  For many, Tim Walz is the dad they wish they had

And the recently completed Democrat convention brought more excitement than the Republican convention! All the stars were there. The speakers taunted Donald Trump with a mix of aggression and humor. And to top it all off, Lil Jon performed snippets of his biggest hits during roll call.

Meanwhile, RFK Jr was supposed to be the most prominent of third-party candidates.  He was once known as an environmental lawyer associated with the far-left. But his anti-vax views became popular with the far-right during the covid lockdowns.  

Whatever RFK Jr's support from the environmentalists he had left was pretty much gone when he told of his bizarre story of dumping a dead bear cub in NYC's Central Park. 

RFK Jr pretty much surrendered and endorsed Donald Trump! 

However, third-party supporters aren't totally out of hope. 

The Libertarians have Chase Oliver, who is the mold of past candidate Gary Johnson.  Jill Stein is back for the Green Party. 

Activist/professor Cornel West is also running for president, though he won't be on the ballot for most states. 

====

As for Hawaii, it was one of the most boring primary season ever! 

The only excitement was for state House races in Kakaako (where Kim Coco Iwamoto beat incumbent Scott Saiki) and Mililani (where Trish La Chica beat Ken Inouye).

Honolulu mayor's race was just the incumbent (Rick Blangiardi) versus a few candidates with minimal name recognition. 

Several offices had only one candidate running. Snooze! 

Very low voter turnout!

The general election would have more turnout because that's when people can vote for president. 

Hawaii is most definitely going blue as usual! Even though Trump has some passionate supporters here, the general population here thinks of him as a pathetic joke.  Kamala Harris will win Hawaii easily! 

Summer Olympic Thoughts

 Here are a few thoughts on the recently concluded Summer Olympic Games. There's so much going on within the 2 weeks that I'm not even going to bother commenting on even half of what happened. But I just want to share a few thoughts.

1. ) the sad end to health precautions

Back in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, there were strict protocols regarding the players' health. There was constant testing, and those who tested positive for covid had to withdraw and quarantine.

This time, it was anything goes! 

USA track athlete Noah Lyles knew he was infected but competed anyways, putting his competitors, coaches, trainers, etc. at risk.

Lyles may be one of the fittest people on Earth but that didn't mean he was invincible. He collapsed towards the end of one of his races. Also, the people he came into contact with (i.e.. coaches, trainers) aren't required to be the fittest and could have had possible vulnerabilities to infections. 

And I liked Noah Lyles from the time he mocked the idea that the NBA champions are "world champions".

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2023/09/world-champions-of-what.html

 But I blame the organizers more than Lyles himself for putting others at risk. Athletes are mentally trained to get out there even when they're not at their prime. To them, the Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, never to be missed.  It isn't surprising many would go on the fields/courts/etc. even when they're not feeling well. 

This is why the leaders must step up and say "No, you're not going out there, you need to quarantine"

The Olympics should return to the public health protocols, testing athletes for infections and telling them to quarantine if tested positive. 

2.) Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif is a female boxer from Algeria.

In the early rounds, she fought Italian boxer Angela Carini.  Carini basically surrendered easily and the fight was over.

But the internet rumor-mongering was beginning.

There were rumors that Khelif was "a man" and "transgender". There were screams  of "how dare they let a man fight a woman in the boxing ring!"

But it's all based on lies.

Imane Khelif was born a woman, and her childhood pictures confirm that she looked like an average girl.

But because her body produces more testosterone than the average female, people just assumed "she's a man", when she's not!

Algeria isn't known for being progressive on gender issues and they wouldn't allow a "man" or a "transgender" person to compete in women's sports.

Also, if you watch the actual boxing match between Imane Khelif vs Angela Carini, it would be mega-obvious that it was nowhere near a brutal beatdown. I've seen preschool girls fight more aggressively than that!  Carini just surrendered easily after a few punches from someone a few inches taller. That's all it was.

And while Khelif continued on to win gold this time around, she didn't always have success against other female boxers.  This isn't a "man" who dominates women in the ring. This is a woman who had a mixed record of success & failure and stepped her game up to gain more consistent success.  

So this idea that a so-called "man" fights women in the boxing ring is NONSENSE! 

When a man dominates in sports, people admirably say "he's a beast" and give him superhero status. 

But when a woman dominates in sports, too many people dismiss the results by calling her a "man". Sad that people have to be negative about someone being successful! 

3. ) Simone Biles is back to dominate

Back in 2021, USA gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from competition due to mental health reasons.

On social media, we had non-athletes like Charlie Kirk and Matt Walsh questioning her toughness. Nevermind that Kirk is only tough when debating college freshmen, and Walsh is only tough behind the mic on his podcast. I've seen zero evidence of athletic prowess from either of them.

my blog post on this issue from 2021:    https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/07/knowing-when-to-stop.html

This time, Biles came back stronger than ever, winning more gold medals.

Meanwhile, still no apology from Kirk or Walsh. 

4. ) Break dancing at the Olympics

While many sports appear at every Olympics (like track, swimming, gymnastics, and much more), others just make a one-time appearance based on what the people at the hosting site are interested in.

For example, while the Japanese martial arts judo appears in every Olympics, karate made a one-time special appearance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

And for the 2028 LA Olympics, flag football will make a one-time appearance.

This time, it is break dancing (or breaking) that makes a one-time appearance.

And there were the sourpusses who complained about "cultural appropriation" because many of the participants were of non-African-American ancestry. 

(Jeffrey Louis aka Jeffro shined in the early rounds but didn't win a medal)

I mean, surfing started in Hawaii, but you can't expect every nation to send a Native Hawaiian participant.

(USA did have Carissa Moore who won gold in 2021 but didn't medal this time around. A Tahitian man Kauli Vaast won the men's gold for France this year) 

You don't get to the Olympics by looking like the originators of the sport.

You get to the Olympics by excelling in the sport.

Breaking may have started in the African-American communities in New York in the 1970s, but it has since gone worldwide.  It has become popular in Europe and Asia.  Which was why Paris organizers decided to host breaking, and also why many participants are of Asian ancestry (including those who represent non-Asian countries).

After all, basketball was started by a Canadian man of European ancestry who immigrated to the United States. That would be James Naismith.  But even Team USA is filled with people who look NOTHING like Mr. Naismith. Even European teams (like France) had many players who are of non-European ancestry.

This whining about cultural appropriation is pure garbage.

And those who whine "we African-Americans started breaking, why so many participants not like us?" ............ do what Jeffro did and put yourself in competitions and shine!

After all, if Naismith's descendants want to shine in basketball, they have to put in the work instead of whining about cultural appropriation. 

---

 as for Australian breaker Raygun, I'm not even going to join the cyberbullying brigade. At this point, I think she suffered enough.  She may not have fascinated the crowd, but it's not like she put anyone in danger! 

Longer summer hours STILL needed at UH libraries

 The University of Hawaii at Mānoa doesn't provide the same library hours during summer compared to the Spring & Fall semesters.

Back in 2015, I was a student at the university. The shorter library hours during the summer sessions were a major challenge. I still didn't have a computer at home and relied on the library's computers to accomplish any tasks that required the use of a computer.  So everything that required a computer had to be done by 18:00 (aka 6 pm). 

 At the time, I was my major's (Library & Information Science)  representative in the university's Graduate Student Organization (GSO).  I drafted a resolution for increased library hours during the summer. The resolution was approved by the G.S.O in July of that year.

I wrote about it in this blog post  "GSO resolution to extend summer library hours"   https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/07/gso-resolution-to-extend-summer-library.html

The university's newspaper Ka Leo O Hawai'i (aka The Ka Leo) published an article about the issue in September 2015. 

Courtney Teague, “Increased Library Hours? Graduate Student Organization Proposes More Hours, Hopes ASUH Will Follow Suit,” Ka Leo O Hawaii, September 1, 2015   https://www.manoanow.org/increased-library-hours/article_a2f423e2-50da-11e5-88fd-cfd20c41fd68.html

Later that year,  I presented a poster at the 2015 Hawaii Library Association (HLA) conference about the need for extended library hours during the summer.

Check out the poster at https://f50b11d0-8144-4b73-aa56-1defbe26de98.filesusr.com/ugd/c8d67a_37170d9ed0a14fa4833a6209b7711764.pdf

It's now 9 years later, and the problem still persists. 

I have written a letter to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about it

Here's the link

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/07/27/editorial/letters/letter-longer-summer-hours-needed-at-uh-libraries/

And here's the letter itself!

Back in 2015, when I was a student at UH-Manoa, I noticed the school’s library was open for fewer hours during the summer school sessions compared to the fall/spring semesters. That year, I drafted a resolution that was approved by the school’s Graduate Student Organization calling for increased library hours during the summer sessions.

It’s now nine years later and nothing has changed. This is problematic especially because summer sessions cram 16 weeks of coursework into six weeks, making it more essential for students to get as much library time as possible.

The shorter hours are also a major inconvenience for those with daytime responsibilities, as well as for those without a computer or quiet study space at home.

The university should do the right thing in ensuring that future summer school sessions will have the same library hours available as the fall and spring semesters.

Pablo Wegesend

The good news was that the editors deemed it worthy to be posted online.

The bad news was that they decided to post on the Saturday edition, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser doesn't publish a print edition for Saturdays. (Their website does post a print replica online though).

It would've been nice if they posted it on the Sunday edition, when more people are reading the newspapers. For devoted newspaper readers, the Sunday edition is always the best one!  

Oh well, can't win them all.

But I truly hope that the students at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa can win a major victory with extended library hours for future summer sessions. 

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