my battles at PES

Again, I expose the injustices I have experienced!

This time, I'll discuss my time working at Palolo Elementary School (PES)

I was a para-professional tutor at that campus for one semester (Fall 2011).

During my time there, I was in a total no-win situation.

I was to assist a student with behavior issues. (will be referred to with fake initials ZZ)

To make the situation worse, I have gotten totally contradictory messages from so many different directions.

While I will protect the student's identity, I will no longer protect the corrupt adults in this situation!

---------

Let's start with the angry parent from hell  ----  [name deleted due to confidentiality rules] I'll just call her ZZ's Mom for the rest of this post.

When I politely inform her of her son's struggle in one topic, she got all belligerent!

I mentioned maybe it was his 2 week absent. She said "those are excuses" EXCUSE ME- I JUST TRYING TO BE NICE TO YOU WHEN I MENTIONED "maybe it was his 2 weeks absences".  

But that's not all!

When I was waiting in the cafeteria for her son, I saw her walking in and I was wondering "where is her son?"  Then she starts confronting me with this "you can't just watch my son run around like that!"

As I try to explain that I didn't even know where her son was, she start telling "get away from me"

Yeah, she starts an argument, and yells "get away from me" as soon as I respond. That is not different from someone who punches you and then screams "dont hit me" when you punch back!

ZZ's Mom is no different from someone who punches the back of your head, then runs away before you can get back up!

-----

And  about what I mentioned earlier 

When I politely inform her of her son's struggle in one topic, she got all belligerent!

A couple weeks later, the principal told ZZ'z Mom straight up, your son is struggling in that topic. ZZ's Mom was like "he was doing fine last year". The principal replied "This isn't last year!"  and that "he will be placed in another class." 

Take that ZZ's Mom!

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ZZ had a different teacher for homeroom (Suanne Kim and for SPED (Connie Ma).


 I had ZERO problems with the SPED teacher.


Ms. Suanne Kim (the homeroom teacher), who is supposed to be more experienced, is another story!

Suanne Kim tried to undermine my authority by telling me "let it go" when I tried to discipline ZZ.

So did an Ed Assistant named Wendy by telling me you shouldn't be yelling at ZZ when I was disciplining him.

Hey Suanne Kim and Wendy, next time STFU and let me do my job!

---

If that wasn't bad enough, here comes  Nadine Chun, who was the school service co-ordinator.


She came to Suanne Kim's class to observe me and the student I was working with.

Remember, Suanne Kim was the same teacher who tells me "let it go" whenever ZZ misbehaves.

Then  Nadine Chun has the nerve to say afterwards that I was being "a patsy" and taunted me with about that ZZ  "got you wrapped around his finger".

All because I followed Homeroom Teacher's advice.


Obviously, I was full of rage that afternoon. I started going off and yelled at Nadine Chun with full blown rage!


Later that afternoon, I also expressed my anger at Ms Suanne Kim, who just sat there and took it! (Ms Suanne Kim later apologized the next week)


I was also ready to yell at ZZ's Mom with full blown rage, but she left earlier that day! Appointment, they said.


Well, here's my letter to Nadine Chun I sent to her after the meeting!

11/22/2011

From : Pablo Wegesend

To: Nadine Chun

(pre-letter :  Until you read this letter in it’s entirety and understand my talking points at the gut level, I will refuse to join any conversations in which you are involved)

This letter is my follow-up to what happened in the school office yesterday!  As I’m writing this, it’s a day later, and I had time to think about what happened! So I am going to write to you about how YOUR communication style increased my level of anger! I’m going to tell you why [the principal] layed down the law with you in the meeting yesterday, and why her communication style is VERY EFFECTIVE in calming me down.  Also, towards the end of my letter, I will give you a contact list of some of my former supervisors  whose communication style has a calming effect on me! Their communication style is similar to [the principal ]n and is TOTALLY OPPOSITE of YOUR communication style!

Also,  [the principal] told me that your communication style with me were the wrong things to say at the wrong time!  I encourage you to get some mentoring from her on that issue!

First off, my anger tantrum could have been EASILY PREVENTED had you just stick with telling me “OK, we will help with a more consistent discipline environment.” Had you just stick with words like that, I would have left the office a lot more calm and relaxed!

However, you in your infinite wisdom, thought it was a good idea to tell me “[ZZ} thinks you’re a patsy” and “[ZZ]has you wrapped around his finger”. Those words are guaranteed to cause the listener to over-compensate!  If you didn’t realize that those were fighting words, then YOU are Extremely Stupid and are less qualified to work in an educational environment than I am! Don’t’ give me this stuff about your decades of experiences and whatever degrees you have!  The fact that you thought it was a good idea to call me a “patsy” shows that whatever decades of experiences and degrees you got are ALL FOR NOTHING!

When you started to call me a “patsy”, YOU have woken up a sleeping giant!  Do know where that metaphor came from? When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto warned his superiors “you have woken up a sleeping giant”.  And look what happened to Japan afterwards. Once you start disrespecting me by using words like “patsy”, it will be impossible to put the genie back in the bottle! 

And now that I’m mentioned a few clichés, I’ll give you another one  --- No More Mister Nice Guy! That is my reaction after you used Ad Hominem attacks like “patsy”. I’ve been trying to be professional and accommodating to everyone around me the last 3.5 months! It’s not working! It’s been giving you a mistaken message that you could walk all over me and disrespect me without consequences!  Well, to paraphrase gangsta rapper Ice Cube, you have chosen the wrong person to [..........] with!

And for you tell me to “calm down”, “forget about it” and “don’t point your finger at me”. You know what those words mean? People who use such words are EXACTLY THE SAME as those people who throw punches at victims who aren’t looking, and run away before the victim can stand back and fight back! Words like “calm down”, “forget about it” and “don’t point your finger at me” are words used by cowards who pick fights with people but yet can’t stand it when their victims stand up to them!

It is a VERY CLASSIC TACTIC OF A BULLY to say words like “just forget about it” when their victims attempt to stand up to them and hold them accountable! Did you really believe that I would’ve calmed down after you told me “just forget about it”?  If you did, then you are truly an extremely stupid person! It’s impossible to be more stupid than person who thinks words like “forget about it” have a calming effect!  Kids who want to be more stupid than that need to set more realistic goals!

Also, that “don’t point your finger at me” stuff?  The fact that I kept pointing my finger after you said that, and you didn’t physically stop me shows that you are being hypocritical in calling me a “pasty”.  You want to start calling other people patsies, than you better back it up with some physical action! Otherwise, keep words like “patsy” to yourself! You keep telling me to “stop pointing your finger”, I will exchange my pointer finger for my middle finger! No More Mister Nice Guy!

Your “apology”

There’s a reason why I put quotation marks around the word “apology”.

For one thing, words like “I’m sorry if I offended you” or “I’m sorry if anyone feels offended” are OBVIOUS SIGNS that person is ONLY sorry that they’re being held accountable!

Remember when Rod Tam used the word “wetbacks” to refer to illegal alien workers? Remember when Gregg McMackin called the opposing team’s chant as a “faggot dance”? Remember anytime a celebrity said something racist, sexist or homophobic! What do they tend to say? They say “I’m sorry if anyone is offended”.

And how do the TV pundits and newspaper editorialist react to such phony apologies? They call it like it is – They say that this “I’m sorry if anyone is offended” is a sign that the person still doesn’t truly understand why he/she is wrong, that person is just trying to weasel their way out of trouble!

Also, the fact that you demanded my apology after yours is a sign that you still don’t understand how your words are really offensive! You’re trying to treat me like a “patsy” by playing mind games like “I say sorry, so you better say sorry”.

Well, guess what? I AM NOT sorry for my temper tantrum! I’d rather eat [..........] than give you a fake apology! In fact, I will go as far as saying that I am PROUD of my temper tantrum. It’s already in my top 5 list of the greatest things I’ve done in 2011!  Because you are so [..........] in waking up a sleeping giant, everyone finally took my grievances seriously! I’m been trying to say the same things in a professional manner the last 3.5 months! With my temper tantrum, changes are finally being made! So, don’t EVER expect me to give you a [fake] Apology for how I acted! Sure I might apologize to other office staff who heard it all!   They are the truly innocent bystanders in all this! I hate disturbing their peace! But you disturbed my peace with your disrespectful words! Your words like “patsy” is an Act of War that I will no longer tolerate!  Because you committed an Act of War against me, I’d rather eat [..........] than to give you a false apologize because you truly deserve all the anger I gave you yesterday! My only regret is that I didn’t yell louder and longer!

(and yes, you can show [the principal] what I just wrote!)

And the happiest part of that day was when [the principal] layed down the law on you and told you “No Buts”, “No lectures”, “Don’t demand an apology”. She exposed that you’re the true patsy in all this!  But more importantly, while might’ve been too polite to say so, everything she stopped you from saying are ALL SIGNS OF A [fake]  APOLOGY!

So, if anything I said indicated that I accepted your “apology”, I take it back!  I DON’T accept your BS apology! Until you can explain to me in a calm tone why you didn’t realize your words and communication style made things worse, than all attempts at apology would be a TOTAL waste of energy on YOUR part!

Inconsistencies with Staff Members

And let me tell you this, had YOU spent 3.5 months dealing inconsistent staff members, being told “let it go” by [Homeroom Teacher], being confronted  by [ZZ]’s mom, and being given mixed messages by so many different staff members, then YOU would understand why I have been so reluctant to go the full measure with [ZZ]. In fact, YOU would have been doing the same exact things I’ve been doing! You would understand my thoughts of “would she say I’m too soft or too abusive” when being observed by office staff members.  AND DON’T YOU DARE GIVE ME THIS horse [stuff] that you would’ve been able to control your anger after being called a “patsy” by another staff member. I don’t believe it!

And when you called [SPED teacher] and told her that I was frustrated by the lack of support from her  --  BULL[..........]! I was NEVER frustrated with [SPED teacher]! NEVER! My problem was with [Homeroom Teacher], who you seen admitting to saying “let it go” when dealing with[ZZ] ! Shame on you for telling [SPED teacher] that I was frustrated with her! You have done some serious harm by FALSELY telling [SPED teacher]  that I was frustrated with her. I even had to sent a letter telling her that your phone conversation was TOTALLY WRONG!

Supervisors with a Calming Effect on Me

As I’ve mentioned earlier, [the principal] has a communication style that has a calming effect on me, even when things get rough! Your communication style has the TOTALLY OPPOSITE EFFECT ON ME! So I’d happy if [the principal] can take time out of her busy to help with this! The fact that she told you “No Buts”, “No Lectures”, “No Demands for Apologies”, etc are great starting points!

But I also want to give you a list of my former supervisors within the education industry who have been able to have a calming effect on me, even when times are rough! They don’t use BULL[..........] Cliches like “forget about it” or “let it go”. They don’t use vicious Ad Hominem attacks like “patsy” or “wrapped around his finger”. They don’t have to tell me “don’t point the finger at me” because they NEVER given me a reason to be angry at them! They understand how to get performance improvements from me with using your INSULTING, DEGRADING tactics

Here’s my list

1)     [name and contact info taken out to protect the innocent]
He is a retired Recreation Director at [.................] ! He was my supervisor when I worked at[..............] summer programs. This was back in 2005 & 2006, when I was first starting out in the education industry! It was my first time working with elementary aged kids!
Being that I inevitably made some rookie errors, [recreation director]  was very patient with me! He was able to correct my errors without using your degrading and insulting tactics. . If it wasn’t for him and what he taught me, I might’ve burned out on the education industry a long time ago!He is a very calm presence, and taught me so much in dealing not just with the job, but with life in general. While I might’ve not effectively used such lessons on 11/21/11, I’ve been to do so most other times in my educational careerLike [PES principal], [the recreation director] has extensive experience working with people from the housing projects! He is a true believer in second chances, understanding that many working under him grew up in an unstable environment, but they all want to do their best for their community! 

2)      [name and contact info taken out to protect the innocent]
He is currently working as a principal at [public elementary school].
He was the Vice-Principal at [public middle school]  the previous 2 school years, in which he oversaw the Special Education Department.  Within that time, I was working as a PPT just like at my current school.I had ABSOLUTELY ZERO temper tantrums during my time working there! NONE, even though I did have some frustrations with teachers that I felt were things the wrong way! I was able to discussions with [vice-principal: name deleted to protect the innocent] on those issues in a civilized manner. He had a very calming effect on me, and someone I would love to work for again!While [name deleted to protect the innocent]  has spent the recent years at East Honolulu schools, he also had work experience with public housing students from his time working as an interim principal at [public middle school] and as a science teacher at [public high school] I have known [...........] for 11 years, when we were part of the UH’s school’s newspaper Ka Leo O Hawaii.  This guy is a true professional that has no patience with your style of clichés!  Those teachers who did use your style of clichés really got it under him, though he remained a true professional the whole time!

3)     [name and contact info taken out to protect the innocent]
She is the person in charge of the[..........] , an agency that provided substitute staff for private schools and preschools.  I have worked under her since 2006.
She is one of the compassionate people out there! She also is one of the best people I can talk whenever I have personal issues on or off the job! If I had problems with the worksites I was sent, she was able to have a calming effect on me.  And many times, the problems have gotten solved.  (by the way, I had NEVER had a temper tantrum with any of those worksites. Whatever their flaws, I didn’t hear BS clichés like “forget about it” nor ad hominem tactics like “you’re a patsy”)She was also good at hooking me up with worksites where my help has been appreciated! While I haven’t spent much time under her agency lately (due to budget cuts at the schools her agency work with), I would love to work under the agency more often in the future! 

I could easily come up with more names and contacts, but I think those 3 plus [PES principal] are more than enough people who are great in dealing with me! They can give you advice in how to communicate with me. They can give you pointers in getting your point across with a calming (instead of your insulting) effect on me! 

Until you have been able to talk to all those people, then I will REFUSE to engage in any civilized, professional discussions with you! If you have trouble contacting any of them, let [the principal] and she’ll relay that message to me!

You treat me with the same disrespect you have shown me on 11/22/11, then I will NOT guarantee that I will use a professional tone of voice! You said my temper tantrums are “unprofessional”? You calling me a “patsy” and telling me “forget about it” are NOT ONLY unprofessional, they are the tactics of the worst scum on Earth!

Conclusion

Yes, you have my full 100% permission to share this letter with [the principal] or any other DOE staff member! You have my full 100% permission to show this letter UNCENSORED!

( I already mentioned to [the principal] in a letter, that I will write a letter to you! Whether she thinks it’s a good idea is irrelevant to me as I am writing this).

My attitude is now “No More Mister Nice Guy”. Nice guy tactics don’t work with you!  There’s ZERO reason for me to be nice with you! There is ZERO reason for me to defer to you! In fact, I have an extremely high level of hatred towards you, and I already put you in my bottom 5 list of the worst people in the educational industry! You used personal insults on me like you did, then you should’ve seen it coming! No More Mister Nice Guy!

And to anyone else reading this, I know I’m taking a HUGE career risk by writing such an uncensored letter. But Nadine’s style of disrespect CAN NOT and SHOULD NOT go unanswered, and CAN NOT and SHOULD NOT be dealt with in a meek manner! It’s one thing if kids disrespect me, but I have a MUCH LOWER TOLERANCE for ADULTS (especially old ones like Nadine Chun)  who disrespect me like she did! 

IF I lose my job over this, then I’ll just say “my honor and soul is NOT for sale”.  It is what is is!

After recieving this letter, Nadine Chun (who called me a "patsy") started acting like a patsy herself!



The principal mentioned that Nadine Chun called the police on me. That was a few hours after I put my 2nd letter to Nadine Chun in the mailbox.

(As for the police, an officer interviewed me on campus,  and that was it)


But since Nadine Chun  called the police, I ripped up the  2nd letter when it arrived on campus but before she had a chance to see it.

But you know what?

I still got a copy of the letter!

And I can still post it on my blog, and not a thing she can do about it

11/23/2011

From : Pablo Wegesend

To : Ms Nadine Chun

This is Part 2 of my letter to you. As if I didn’t have enough to say in Part 1, there’s more to be said.

What really angered me was when you got on my case for “not giving [ZZ] a consequence” after spitting his crayon!  Excuse me? I wasn’t even allowed to give [ZZ] much of a consequence when I’m in [Homeroom Teachers’] class. [Homeroom Teacher] admitted it in the meeting! So it pissed me off that MY HANDS WERE TIED, yet you scolded me for not giving [ZZ] a consequence! And to make it worse, you used vicious insults like  “patsy”, and you have the nerve to call me “unprofessional” when I finally stood up to you and defend myself against your vicious insults and accussations?  What the[.........] do you expect me to be? You expect me to be a doormat when you’re talking to me? I’m supposed to take your [.........], and I’m supposed to be submissive to you?  Well, [..........] that [..........]!  No More Mister Nice Guy!

You said you were “not blaming me”? Yeah, and OJ is looking for the real killer!  You saying “I’m not blaming you” is another mind game you think you can play with me? No more games, No More Mister Nice Guy!

Also, the next time you piss someone off, it’s best that YOU not tell them to calm down.  All that does to me is INCREASE MY ANGER LEVELS EVEN MORE!  Nothing increases my anger more than someone who is already pissing me off telling me to “calm down” and “forget about it”.  YOU WERE THE WRONG PERSON TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! Next time you piss someone off (even unintentionally) let the bystanders tell that person to “calm down”. The angry person is A LOT MORE LIKELY to calm down for the bystander instead of the person who pissed him/her off!

You telling me “calm down” and “forget about it” has the same meaning  as “how dare you stand up and defend yourself against my vicious insults and accussations. Just suck it up and be an ass kisser”. Well, guess what? Don’t you dare tell me not to stand up for myself against you!  I will NOT kiss your [the other word for donkey]! No More Mister Nice Guy! 

I also told you some of your suggestions didn’t work! You said they do! THEY DON’T WORK!  I did try them and don’t you [..........] dare tell me that I didn’t!  You weren’t there everyday! Oh, so you saw me one day! Hello, everyday is different, duh!

You told [SPED teacher] that I felt I didn’t have support from her! BULL[stuff]! I was NEVER angry at {SPED teacher]! It was Miss Alvina that was criticizing [SPED Teacher], NOT ME! I was angry that I didn’t get the right support from [Homeroom Teacher]!  You telling [SPED teacher] the wrong information is A SERIOUS MISTAKE! Because of you, [SPED teacher] probably feels that I’m against her ! HOW DARE YOU PLANT THOSE THOUGHTS IN HER HEAD!

And before you go complaining about my “unprofessionalism”, I’m going to tell you that I have WASTED 3.5 months accommodating the wishes of everyone else around me! I have WASTE D 3.5 months being Mister Nice Guy and submitting to the advice of all the teachers, EAs, PPTs and everyone else around me! I held back some of my criticisms earlier in order to be a “team player”.  Rookies (like me) are very vulnerable to holding back their criticisms of their more senior members! But I can only take so much bull[...] from others. But YOU are the WORST PERSON in all this! Your communication style with me is WORSE and MORE INSULTING than everyone else on campus!

I fooled too many people with my nice guy persona.  My glasses, my smile, my people pleasing ways have has given people like you a mistaken impression that I’m a doormat! Well, guess what! DON’T LET THAT NICE GUY PERSONA FOOL YOU!  While I am nice and generous to most people, I am totally hateful to my enemies! And you have become my enemy with your insulting communication style!  Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s hard to put him back in! No More Mister Nice Guy!

I’m at a point where I no longer care if I get fired! My honor and soul is NOT for sale!  So yeah, show this letter to whoever you want! !  I’m done with  being a “professional”.  I’m done “being calm”! I’m done with being “mature”.  I’m done with being a nice guy! No More Mister Nice Guy!

PS: You want my forgiveness? Forgiveness is NOT FOR FREE! It is earned over long periods of time!  

PS # 2: to anyone else who might be reading this – I really need to get my message across uncensored. I know I’m taking a huge risk with this letter, but this risk is my best option out there!  While I appreciate the opportunity given to me by Palolo Elementary School, if I get fired for this,  oh well, at least I got my message out!

No, I wasn't fired!

 the principal begged me to stick around. The principal was a strong believer in 2nd chances!


Plus, the principal knew that Nadine Chun (aka the real patsy) was in the wrong.

The principal wanted me to meet with Nadine Chun to make peace.

Nadine Chun refused!

The principal claimed Nadine Chun had "fear in her heart"

So not only is Nadine Chun is a patsy,Nadine Chun is a COWARD!


Nadine Chun later complained to the DOE with slanders about the principal and me!
  
Guess what?  The principal got a promotion! I'm still in the DOE!

You know why?

Because the DOE knows that Nadine Chun is full of stuff you wouldn't dare eat. 

You see, the DOE knew about previous complaint about Nadine Chun when she was a teacher at Wilson Elementary School and at Queen Lilioukalani Elementary School

A parent wrote a letter to the Board of Education that Nadine Chun forced his son to eat  dog biscuits.

Another parent mentioned that Nadine Chun put soap in a student's mouth!

You can read about both incidents at https://lilinote.k12.hi.us/STATE/BOE/Minutes.nsf/ebb43af14ca5cdb30a2565cb006622a8/7175bbd1600bff1f0a2569340069fbd0/$FILE/7-20-00%20BOE%20Minutes%20-%20Attachments.pdf

(you'll need Adobe PDF to read the above link)

Ms Nadine Chun, you are lucky I'm not those kid's parents. You are lucky those parents had good restraint.

You keep treating the kids like that, the next parents you'll see might not practice good restraint! Consider yourself warned!

-----------
 
ZZ's mom and Nadine Chun are dishonorable people.  

They are rude and belligerent people who start stuff with people who are too professional to go down to their level!

They pick fights with those who restrain themselves!

They pick fights with those who fear getting fired!

They talk trash, but can't handle it when their victims stand up to them!


If you talk to them in a respectful, accommodating, and professional manner, they will look at as a weakness to take advantage of! 
 
But they don't realize that just because someone is soft-spoken, accommodating and professional, that doesn't mean they will be forever submissive!

---------


As for me, I no longer work as a Para-Professional Tutor, I no longer do one-on-one work with students with extreme behavior issues.
 

I still work as a substitute teacher and I have ZERO drama with school staff members this year.

I get along with the overwhelming majority of school staff members!


As far as I'm concerned, my time as a Para-Professional Tutor at PES is  just a footnote in my work history in the school system.

Nation Building at Home

Within the last few years, President Obama promised to do more "nation building at home".


This was his rationale for withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

 OK, the troops have already withdrawn from Iraq and we are slowly withdrawing from Afghanistan.

But yet, even with the sequestration, in which automatic budget cuts have occurred due to a lack of a deal between Congress and the President, we are STILL spending US taxpayer's money to do nation building OUTSIDE our borders!


Latest example?

The US government has given $250 million of our taxpayer's money to the government of Egypt, which may or may not be our ally, depending on the mood of the  Muslim Brotherhood leadership.



 
For America's Facebook  page



We still have military bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and other nations wealthy enough to fund their own military!


Time for them to start practicing some self-reliance! 

Same goes for Israel too.  (and no, this isn't anti-Semitic either! Either Israel is a part of the US or it isnt. No?  Well then, they can start being more independent and be more self-reliant for their own nation building.)

As for South Korea and Taiwan  -- build your own nukes already!  North Korea did it even with a poor economy, so can you!


As for other foreign aid, private charities can still provide assistance to the needy overseas. 


So, if President Obama is truly serious about "nation building at home", he should  tell the foreign leaders "YOU pay for your own defense, YOU pay for your own infrastructure, YOU stop expecting us to bail you out when you make poor decisions."

"After all, we got nation building to do at home!"  

 

Faye Hanohano's racist tantrum

How would you react if someone installed artwork in your office without consulting you?

An average person may not be so happy about it!

 The same situation happened with Faye Hanohano, who is a member of Hawaii's state legislature.

 

Star Advertiser

Sure, Hanohano didn't like the artwork installed without being consulted, but for very different reasons!


http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20130228__House_member_insults_ethnic_groups.html?id=193763311 

State Rep. Faye Hanohano — unhappy with the paintings installed in her state Capitol office as part of a public exhibit — used racial and ethnic slurs in a tirade Monday, according to an email from a state exhibit specialist.

Hanohano, who is Native Hawaiian, called the works for the "Art in Public Places" exhibit "ugly" and questioned why the paintings chosen were not from Native Hawaiian artists.

Exhibit specialists who were installing the art said the House member from Hawaii island told them that "any work done by Haoles, Japs, Paranges, Pakes, you can just take away right now."

(The meaning of Paranges in the email is unclear.)

 For those who might be reading from outside Hawaii  --- "haole" is used to refer to those with European ancestry, "pakes" is used to refer to those of Chinese ancestry.

As for the word "paranges", she might either be referring to "Portuguese".  Or, as one caller to KSSK mentioned, she might've said "palagi" which is a Samoan word referring to those with European ancestry (in other words, Samoan version of "haole")

But yeah, all this over .............. artwork installed in her office.

She judges artwork by ................... the ancestry of the artist!

And of course, she made a BS apology afterwards

http://www.kitv.com/news/politics/Big-Island-lawmaker-apologizes-for-racial-slurs/-/8905242/19130000/-/6abqiq/-/index.html?absolute=true

"First and foremost, I'd like to express my sincere apology to any individuals or groups who may have been offended by my comments. Clearly comments that were intended to be an impassioned plea for increasing the visibility and support for Native Hawaiian artists were expressed in a manner that did not accurately reflect their intent, sentiment or the integrity of this office. I accept full responsibility for this unfortunate incident and, again, I apologize.

It sounds more like she's sorry for being caught!

And this "impassioned plea for increasing the visibility and support for Native Hawaiian artist"?

You could EASILY advocate for Native Hawaiian artists without yelling insulting rants about other racial groups.

----

If Hanohano was a Republican, the liberal websites would be all up in arms by now! At least, that's how they react when a Republican (or a Republican sympathizer) makes insensitive remarks related to race, gender, etc.

But the 2 liberal websites I usually check (TheNation, Salon) still has NOTHING about Hanohano's racial tirade.  

At least give MSNBC credit for linking to KITV's article that I mentioned about!

----

This whole issue reminded me of when the Grammy's  once had a category for Hawaiian music.

Some Native Hawaiian activists went bezerk when Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho (both of Asian ancestry) won!

Trisha Kehaulani Watson mentioned in her Honolulu Advertiser blog (no longer in existence) that  Carrere/ Ho victory was depriving the Native Hawaiian artists of recognition!

 

LinkedIN

 Trisha Kehaulani Watson

(aka : musical segregationist)

And yes, I am calling Ms Watson a musical segregationist!

I mean, who in their right mind who have a problem with an African-American winning an award for country music, punk rock or emo music?

Music is music!

If a Vietnamese person wins an award for mariachi music,  or if a Micronesian person wins an award for jazz music, or if  a Somali person wins an award for the best taiko drummer, most of us would be appreciative of those artists being cross-cultural visionaries!

I mean, this is the 21st century!

This is an era where a South Korean guy had the world's most popular rap song last year.

 This is a world where a Samoan guy was the most popular player for the Notre Dame's Fighting Irish.  

This is a world in which a man of Kenyan ancestry became the President of the United States.

This is a world in which people of Indian ancestry are governors of Louisiana and South Carolina.

And yes, this is a world in which a Native Hawaiian guy was one of the top offense players in the Canadian Football League! (that would be my former UH classmate Chad Owens) 

This is an ever-integrating world!

It's time to celebrate that!

UH sports nicknames

Within the last decade, there plenty of UH team nicknames.

The women's teams were all Rainbow Wahine.

The men's teams had different names.

The football team were Warriors!  The men's basketball team were Rainbow Warriors! The baseball team were the Rainbows!


Rainbows, Warriors, Rainbow Warriors ------ can you all just make up your damn mind already?


That's what Ben Jay was thinking when he got hired as the UH athletic director.

 

Star Advertiser

Ben Jay

It was time for consistency! A decision had to be made! 

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

The UH teams were the Rainbows since the 1920's

  http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/07/17/sports/simpson.html 

 It happened long ago, in 1923 to be exact. Hawaii's Fighting Deans staged an epic 7-0 upset of Oregon State, and a rainbow appeared over the field. It must have looked, it must have felt, much the way it did that December day last year when a brilliant arc, a perfect rainbow materialized in the Aloha Stadium sky after Hawaii had punted BYU.

And in those early days, every time there was a rainbow, the team won. Every time there was a rainbow in the valley, the team won.

Yep, the Rainbow was the good luck charm for UH

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

UH Rainbow symbol

But as time went on, the Rainbow was later considered a bad luck charm for UH!


There was a stigma surrounding the rainbow

You see, the gay rights movement had their adopted own rainbow symbol!   Yep,  rainbows have become a "gay symbol"!

 

Wikipedia
No, this has NOTHING to do with UH sports

And in the macho world of sports, you do not want to be thought of as "gay". 

 The Rainbow symbol had made it harder for UH coaches to recruit from the continental US where the rainbow is ridiculed as a "gay symbol"

http://www.staradvertiser.com/businesspremium/20130222_UHs_Rainbow_connection_began_with_magical_game.html

a quote from Joe Moore

"Since former coach June Jones took it upon himself to drop ‘Rainbow' from the name Rainbow Warriors, I have not liked the change. When I expressed my opinion on the air, Jones phoned me and said he couldn't recruit the quality players he needed if they were called Rainbows.

"When I asked why, he said, ‘Because they don't think it's manly or tough enough.'

"When I asked if he didn't consider it part of his job to enlighten his recruits about the uniqueness and significance of the rainbow in the school's history and Hawaiian culture, he said, ‘Good luck with that.'

So in 2000, then-UH football coach June Jones (with Hugh Yoshida's approval) told the world that we are no longer Rainbows, we are now Warriors!

 http://kegsneggsblog.com/2011/05/11/life-lessons-from-june-jones/

 "Dont call me a Rainbow!"

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/07/28/sports/story1.html

That's after athletic director Hugh Yoshida acknowledged the decision to change the logo stemmed, in part, from concerns about how the rainbow has become a symbol of gay pride and acceptance.

"That logo really put a stigma on our program at times in regards to it's part of the gay community, their flags and so forth," Yoshida told KGMB-TV in remarks aired yesterday. "Some of the student athletes had some feelings in regards to that."

Yoshida made the statement after a ceremony on campus Wednesday at which the new logo was unveiled. During that ceremony, attended by 500 invited guests, assistant women's volleyball coach Charlie Wade also alluded to the rainbow's gay theme.

"I can't be certain, but I think that the rainbow had something to do with a flight attendant giving me his phone number one time," Wade told the audience.

And this was how the  rainbow symbol got replaced with the more macho H-tiki symbol

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

The H-tiki symbol

But some Hawaii fans got upset at the name and symbol change. After so many decades of cheering for the "Rainbows", it was hard for many to deal with change!

But as mentioned earlier, some of the other men's teams still had "rainbows" in their name.

With Ben Jay coming in, there had to be a unified nickname for UH sports teams.

There was talk in having all men's teams go back to being the "Rainbow Warriors"

After all, June Jones has been gone for years. And plus, who cares if "rainbows are gay"?  Gay marriage is getting increased support, that even pro athletes have been publicly supporting that!

But it was not to be this time around!

All the men's teams are now just Warriors!

But a new issue has come up!

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sportspremium/20130215_Anti-change_factions_had_plenty_of_time_to_make_case.html?id=191360151

I am very glad action has been taken toward naming all the teams the same, finally.

I say "toward" because men's and women's teams with different names is less than ideal. This is 2013, and the government is allowing women to be full-on warriors in the military. But they can't be Hawaii Warriors. Those who say it's sexist not to name them all the same — regardless of gender — are correct.

But I get it. Good luck deleting the history-rich moniker "Wahine" from UH women's sports while also removing the final traces of a 90-year-old name from the men.

To solve that issue, I was thinking of

Men's teams = Kane Rainbow Warriors

Women's teams =  Wahine Rainbow Warriors

But those names are Three words long!  Having Three Word Nicknames probably isn't that marketable!

Maybe just this

Men's teams = Kane Wariors

Women's teams = Wahine Warriors



Even if the Rainbow name is taken out, we can still put the small rainbow symbol somewhere on the side of the  uniform, with the H-tiki symbol still  front and center! 

But whatever we call the teams, the main thing is  we can call them winners at the end of the season

more responses to my "Dont Do It in 4" editorial

Yesterday, my Ka Leo article "Dont Do It in 4" got posted
 http://www.kaleo.org/opinion/don-t-do-it-in/article_565788b6-759b-11e2-82ca-001a4bcf6878.html

and so did my blog post
 http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/02/im-back-on-ka-leo.html


Here's another response

lkll posted at 9:35 pm on Wed, Feb 13, 2013.

As an undergraduate who is only delayed because of a late study abroad, I think it's fair for the administration to at least pitch the 15-credit, four-year plan and suggest students to complete in four. They're not requiring all students to take 15 credits to become a full-time student—let them lay down the facts and give the students a little insight on how much their plan may help them in the long run. Of course everyone's situation will be different, so maybe they cannot; I couldn't in my freshman year when I had strict work hours, and maybe some people are in majors where textbooks cost a small fortune every semester. But as administration, it's their job to inform students that 12 credits won't cut it if you want to get out in four years so students don't complain that "they didn't know it would take so long."

OK, so far, so good!

 Contrary to your opinion, 15 credits is more than possible, especially early on in one's college career since most (if not all) of the classes would be intro-level and/or large lectures where homework isn't assigned. If you're either lucky enough to work on/near campus or have a generous boss who will stick to your schedule, 15 credits shouldn't be too much of a challenge unless you're the one who needs hours upon hours to study.

If you're lucky? Obviously, this world doesn't equally distribute luck!

While the into classes might seem easy for those who are already in graduate courses, to someone who just came out of high school, it could be very intimidating to pass 5 of them while not being lucky enough to have a trust fund, a lenient employer or a nearby employment.

 In fact, I tell my younger friends the exact same thing Itano suggests: signing up for as many classes as you can and dropping what you either can't handle or don't like. The perks of registering for more classes are: to guarantee you a spot in the class or to let the professor know you're interested if you end up wait-listed, to test the waters with subjects you may be interested in majoring, to save money on up to two additional classes and/or a lab, and to make your major years a lot easier by allowing you to finish up taking 12 credits per semester without falling behind. I tell my friends to sign up for more if they're available because you won't know if the classes will fill up, and it'll be easier to drop a course rather than scrambling around to find another. Plus some classes may be easier than you initially thought, so you would be able to devote those class' study times to an additional class.

 The stuff I highlighted in blue above is so ridiculous I can't believe anyone takes such advice seriously! What's the point of enrolling in classes if you already know you're going to drop one of them? If that's your strategy, you're wasting your time and everyone else's time.

Look, I know sometimes, people have to drop classes due to unforseen circumstances.  Sometimes a class is too much to handle at this time  That was the case in the UPhx class I left last year.(It ended being the best decision, as I later decided to leave UPhx and come to UH)

But registering in classes just so you can drop one on purpose is such a stupid strategy. And for what? To make yourself more lovable to the UH admin? They really could care less about you personally, even if they say the opposite in public!

I understand it's just plain impossible to finish in four in some majors (e.g. art, foreign language if one isn't placed high enough when starting), but it's possible to finish other majors within four to five. In fact, most programs seem to be designed to be finished within two years, so it's just a matter of staying on top of your game the other two years. If you look at it like that, maybe even two years of 15+ credit semesters could get you out in four—is it really that silly for administration to suggest that?

Yes, because of what I didn't have room to write in my editorial. Some programs are NOT 4 year programs at all (ie. architecture, engineering) and plus I noticed that the UH admin kept adding more core requirements every other year during my undergraduate years. I don't know how often they still do so, but adding core requirements make it harder to graduate in 4 years!

And why is it really so important to graduate in 4 years anyways? Why the rush!

I've been outside of the university for 8 years, and I can tell you from experience that there is no need to rush all your undergrad years into just 4!

Your employers dont really care if you take longer than 4 years to get your bachelors.

With all the job interviews I have had, I had experienced many types of question. NOT A SINGLE QUESTION in those interviews asked "why did you take more than 4 years to get your bachelor's?"  That question had NEVER been asked in any interview I went to!

That's a sign your employer doesn't really care if you took longer than 4 years.

Only  "experts" stuck in the Ivory Tower really care if most of a college's graduates "do it in 4".     

That's another topic that couldn't fit in a 500-word format I was required to follow for this Ka Leo editorial!

I'm back on the Ka Leo

Before I started this blog, I was writing opinion articles for the UH newspaper, the Ka Leo!

www.kaleo.org


That was back in my 1999-2004 undergraduate years!

Unfortunately, that website doesn't archive its old articles for long :(

Before I started my time at UH, I didn't pay much attention to opinion articles in the newspaper. That changed when I would read the Ka Leo and saw the opinion articles. It was controversial and exciting! And it was perfect platform to make my mark on the campus!

Back then, blogs were not a big thing as they are now! I didn't start my blog until 2003. 

Now that I'm back at UH as a graduate student, I decided I got to go back to the Ka Leo.

Things have changed within the 8 years I was off the campus.

The Ka Leo headquarters moved from the small building by the tree east of Campus Center to the 1st floor of Hemmenway Hall!

Ka Leo was once a daily paper, now it's only out 3 times a week.

And some articles are just Web-only and doesn't make the print edition.

That was the case with my first Ka Leo article this year.

You can check it out at http://www.kaleo.org/opinion/don-t-do-it-in/article_565788b6-759b-11e2-82ca-001a4bcf6878.html

It pretty much sums up my points I have made in my earlier blog posts criticizing the excess pressure the UH administration is placing the undergraduate students to graduate in 4 years!

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/let-them-take-less-classes.html

and

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/10/uh-trying-to-micro-manage-students.html

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

I already got one response from the comments section

wethepeople posted at 2:17 pm on Wed, Feb 13, 2013.

I would have to disagree with this. I believe that every student should aim to graduate in four years. One thing about being an adult is managing your time well. I understand that students have a job and other priorities but I am sure the university understands this. The reason why they want us to graduate in four is because it affects our accreditation. Schools get scored on their retention rates and we don't want to be labeled as a university that can't have their students graduate on time. University of Hawaii has the resources such as financial aid and academic centers to help with students to help with their assignments so students can't succeed. I am a full time student and working full time as well. I can graduate in four and everyone else can.

Well, at least someone took the time to read my article!
To wethepeople, NO employer will care if you graduate in 4 or 5 or even 8 years! They only care if you got the proper experience and attitude to do the job!

And this "The reason why they want us to graduate in four is because it affects our accreditation" crap was something I was going to address in my Ka Leo but it was edited out for the purposes of keeping the article about 500 words!

But my response to this "The reason why they want us to graduate in four is because it affects our accreditation" crap is addressed here



http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/10/uh-trying-to-micro-manage-students.html

You see, Itano cares more about RANKINGS (which are based on arbitrary criteria by outside "experts") than the actual lives of the students!

UH's priority shouldn't be about rankings (read: popularity contests for mainland "experts"), the priority should be about access to higher education for Hawaii's students. And  greater access REQUIRES flexibility!

Yep, I was going to mention that in the Ka Leo article but it got edited out! Ka Leo articles (unlike blog postings) are required to fit a certain format, so I wouldn't be able to address every point in a Ka Leo article!

As far as I'm concerned people like wethepeople should just MYOB and stop insulting students who need to take a little longer to graduate! It's not about how long you take to graduate, it's what are you going to do afterwards?

entertainment critics

 Some thoughts on the lame criticisms surrounding the entertainment industry


1) Music writer Rick Moody writes extremely negative shallow comments about Taylor Swift, because she (gasp, omg, ring the alarms...........noooooooooooooooooooooooooh!) makes music he doesn't like. Moody thinks music he doesn't like is the downfall of civilization.

http://www.salon.com/2013/02/09/i_dared_criticize_taylor_swift/


and now Rick Moody is SHOCKED that people are standing up to his rudeness! Yep, bullies like Moody can't stand it when stand up to them

Still, I was not prepared for the assault that lay in wait for me when I published this piece, and on this basis (lack of preparation for the assault), we can only say that I am hopelessly naive. I suppose my thinking was that The Rumpus, where I publish this work, is pretty intellectual and bookish — and when it is more than intellectual, it is usually engaged with matters of sex and politics, and so its audience is literary and pretty progressive, and they are not going to mind a little carping about Taylor Swift. Apparently, I either underestimated the diversity of The Rumpus’ audience or I was hopelessly unaware how many Swiftians use Google Alerts to keep up on matters pertaining to their muse. Because although there was a day or two when people commented about Los Lobos, things on the comments page pretty quickly turned into a trench war about me and Taylor Swift.

And now, here is MY response to Rick Moody!

Hey Rick Moody,

I used to be like you. I used to make extremely negative and insulting comments about musicians who make songs that I didn't like!

THAT WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!

THAT WAS 2 DECADES AGO!

I have since became a real adult!

I'm assuming you're either my age (32) or older.

Either, it is truly sad & pathetic that an adult like Rick Moody is still so immature that he would write extremely mean-spirited comments about a musicians whose only sin is (gasp, omg..........noooooooooooo!) making songs he doesn't like!

Rick Moody, there are worse things in the world than someone making music you dont like!

But being the over-privilleged person like Rick Moody is, he probably will never understand that!

Maybe learning more about real suffering in the world (no... hearing music you dont like DOES NOT COUNT as real suffering) will give Rick Moody some real perspective in life!

2) Within the last few months, there has been controversy over the HBO show "Girls" because  like the former NBC sitcom "Friends", it has mostly European-American cast in a diverse city like New York! 


SO WHAT?


There wasn't much diversity in movies like "Boyz N the Hood", "Friday", "Menace to Society" or "Baby Boy" even though ALL of those movies took place in one of the most diverse cities in the world --- Los Angeles!

In fact, those movies just focused on an ethnic group that is only about 12% of LA's population! 

Dont get me wrong, I got nothing against John Singleton, Ice Cube or the Hughes brothers for making such classic films!

They all wanted to share with us what African-American life was like in Los Angeles!

And the makers of "Girls" and "Friends" wanted to share with us what European-American life was like in New York!

Makers of films and movie are NOT obligated to showcase every diverse group out there! They're NOT obligated to appeal to every diverse demographic out there!

You dont like those shows, then don't watch!

Or better yet, MAKE YOUR OWN SHOW!

After all, in this day and age, there's reality shows focusing on so many groups, even  groups like the Korean-Americans and Iranian-Americans have their own reality show!

If reality shows aren't your thing (they are sure not mine), you can just make your own documentary or whatever else!