Jim Leahey and Coach Mack: 2 legends of UH sports

 In the last few weeks, the University of Hawaii has lost 2 legends in the world of athletics.

One was the longtime sportscaster Jim Leahey.

The other was former football coach Greg McMackin (aka Coach Mack)

Jim Leahey

For decades, Jim Leahey was The Voice for UH sports. His voice appeared in the live broadcasts for many sports, including, but not limited to football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball. His voice spoke a passion for the teams, the university and the state of Hawaii. For many big plays, it was his voice that expressed the excitement that the fans feel. However, he was also known to be objective and didn't hesitate to critique bad plays from the team. 

Here's how Hawaii News Now described Jim Leahey's passion, talent and work ethic 

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/01/31/hawaii-lost-legend-tributes-pour-jim-leahey-longtime-voice-uh-sports/

If Hawaii had a sports soundtrack, undoubtedly Jim Leahey’s voice would be the one doing the play-by-play.

For decades his calls of sporting events drew listeners and viewers right into the action.

He had a special knack for doing it.

“The words that you use come from reading, reading, reading, reading, reading, and it doesn’t have to be sports, it can be anything else, because then you can compare and contrast. That ball is Aloha -- homerun. That ball is Aloha,” he once said in an interview.

“I remember working with him for so many years. There were times something would happen in the course of a game. He would describe something and I was getting ready to jump in to say something, and he’d grab my arm and basically said, ‘No. Let the crowd do the talking,’” said Artie Wilson, a friend and broadcast partner.

Leahey’s trademark style utilized a command of the English language that never failed to paint a vivid picture, and he was meticulous in his preparation.

“He would spend hours and hours and hours preparing for every game and color coding this and that – a tremendous amount of preparation. I remember walking by his desk and saying, ‘Do you really have to do all of this to do a game?’ And he looked up and me and he said, ‘No, you don’t have to. Only if you want to do it right,” sportscaster Larry Beil said.

Sports broadcasting was like a family business for Leahey. His father, Chuck Leahey did the radio broadcasting for Hawaii sports from the 1950s -1970s.  And now his son, Kanoa Leahey is taking on the tradition for TV broadcasts. 

Jim & Kanoa also had a weekly TV show where they debated the sports news of the day.  Jim jokingly portrayed the set-in-the-old-ways persona in contrast to the youthful Kanoa. 

Jim retired in 2018. He died on January 30, 2022 at the age of 80.

Learn more on Jim Leahey at

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/01/30/sports/sports-breaking/jim-leahey-voice-of-hawaii-sports-for-nearly-60-years-dies/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jerry-campany-jim-leahey-gave-170500944.html

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/01/30/jim-leahey-voice-uh-sports-more-than-six-decades-dies-80/

tributes from the University of Hawaii

https://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2023/1/30/general-longtime-uh-announcer-jim-leahey-passes-away.aspx

https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/01/30/in-memoriam-jim-leahey/

An article from 2009 about Chuck, Jim and Kanoa Leahey

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Jul/18/sp/hawaii907180331.html

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

Coach Mack

Greg McMackin (aka Coach Mack) was the football coach at the University of Hawaii.

His first coaching stint at UH was in 1999 as the defensive coordinator under the-then new head coach June Jones. 

Under the previous coaching regime (under Fred von Appen), the team went 0-12. 

Obviously, there was pressure when Jones and Mack came on the scene. Back then, the transfer policy for college athletes was much stricter than it is now, so Jones and Mack had to win with mostly the same players from the year before.

And they did in one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. The 1999 team went 9-4 and won a bowl game. 

The following year, Coach Mack left for a higher paying position as a defensive coordinator at Texas Tech. Then in 2002-2005, he was an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

But in 2007, Coach Mack came back to Hawaii to become defensive coordinator again under June Jones.

2007 was another legendary year for UH football as the team went 12-0 in the regular season with Colt Brennan as the QB! Sadly, the season ended with a lopsided loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

It wasn't long when June Jones decided to leave UH for Southern Methodist University (SMU).  It was assumed that Coach Mack was going to join Jones at SMU.  But Mack decided to stick around at UH and got a promotion as head coach.

2008 was already predicted to be a tough year for UH. Jones already left, and QB Colt Brennan graduated. And top receivers Davone Bess & Ryan Grice-Mullins decided to leave early to go pro.  And to make it worse, the season started with a game at Florida  back when that program was at its peak with coach Urban Meyer and QB Tim Tebow.  The 2008 season for UH started just like 2007 ended, with a big loss to an SEC power. 

However, UH did win most of its games with a slightly better than average 7-6 record.  But the season ended with a bowl game loss to Notre Dame. To add insult to injury, Notre Dame's notoriously grumpy coach Charlie Weis was smiling more than usual in the game. 

But Coach Mack's drama with Notre Dame didn't end there. 

At a press conference in the summer of 2009, Coach Mack was talking about his experience at the bowl game and called Notre Dame's chant a "faggot dance".  He knew he just said the wrong words and even begged the reporters there to not report it. That wasn't going to happen in an era when social media was just getting started. 

Though most people who said such words usually get fired, Coach Mack had such a nice-guy public persona that the university just gave him a 30-day suspension and mandatory sensitivity training. 

learn more at pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/08/coach-mack-controversy.html

The controversy was such a distraction that it likely led to a slightly less-than-average 2009 season at 6-7.

The following year, 2010 was Coach Mack's best season in which the team went 10-3 in the regular season, and won a share of the WAC championship. 

That team has great offensive players like Greg Salas,  Kealoha Pilares, and Alex Green. All were in their final college year and went on to the NFL.

2011 was going to be a rebuilding year. The top defense players were there, but most of the top offense players from the previous year were gone. The team went 6-7, slightly less than average.

I felt Coach Mack deserved another chance, but many of the UH fans didn't. They wanted the success that the team had under June Jones, and they weren't satisfied with a slightly-less-than average year right after a great 2010 season. But in this century, it's all about "what have you done for me lately".

After the 2011 season, it was announced that Coach Mack was going to retire.

learn more at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/12/uh-football-coaching-changes.html

However, the truth came out that Coach Mack "got retired", meaning he was pressured by UH administration to accept retirement or else he was going to be fired.

Then UH Athletic Director Jim Donovan later expressed regret for the way Coach Mack was pushed out of his position. Donovan claimed that it wasn't his decision to "retire" Coach Mack, and that it was university administration's decision.

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2012/09/25/hawaii-news/coach-was-forced-to-settle-donovan-testifies/

Donovan said, "I was told by the chairman of the Board of Regents, who, at that time was Eric Martinson, that I was to talk to coach McMackin about taking a $600,000 buyout in lieu of a $1.1 million buyout. I shared with him that I had talked with Coach McMackin about it for two or three weeks and that I had gotten him down to like $800,000 and I just didn’t know if I could push it down to $600,000."

But Donovan said, "I was told that I could share with him that there was authority for me to agree to a deal at $600,000 and nothing more and that if he didn’t agree to $600,000 he would be put on leave with pay pending an investigation.

"So, I met with him after the banquet and Virgina Hinshaw was there with me. After about two hours he finally agreed to the $600,000 buyout, a reduction of $500,000. And I called the chairman of the board the next morning and told him we were successful."

Donovan told the committee, "I don’t know what investigation would have occurred. There was an on-going investigation that was one of the two that Dennis Chong Kee (of the Cades Schutte law form) was working on. From the day I was aware of those allegations I believed them to be wholly false. And, at the end of that investigation, the allegations were not proven. I don’t know if they were referring to another investigation or referring to that investigation, I don’t know."

Donovan did not give the details on what was being investigated, nor was he pressed by panel members.

And who did UH hire to replace Coach Mack? 

It was Norm Chow, a longtime offensive coordinator at various colleges (BYU, USC, UCLA, Utah) who grew up in Hawaii.

People expected great things from Norm Chow at UH.

But EVERY SINGLE SEASON under Norm Chow WAS WORSE THAN ANY SEASON under Coach Mack. 

Coach Mack's record as UH head football coach was 29-25.

Norm Chow?  10-36. 

Chow got fired from UH in 2015 after a really bad loss to Air Force Academy on Halloween night.

learn more at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-end-of-norm-chow-era.html

UH should've sticked with Coach Mack! 

 

---

Coach Mack passed on Valentines Day 2023 at the age of 77. The cause of death wasn't publicly announced. 

Here is Honolulu Star-Advertiser's article on Coach Mack after his death

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/02/15/sports/ex-uh-football-coach-mcmackin-was-passionate-and-kind/

Rolovich recalled McMackin as a family man who brought his wife, their daughter, and two grandchildren to practices and football-related events. “He loved his family,” Rolovich said. “His family was always involved. It showed a great lesson for all the young people in the program. I thought that was a good message. That’s appreciated in Hawaii, especially.”

Miano, who served as McMackin’s associate head coach, said the Oregon-reared McMackin “quickly adapted to Hawaii and its culture. … We’d go into a movie theater, and he’d buy popcorn for everybody in line. He was that kind of guy. He’d see people, and extend his aloha and generosity. People loved him because he was so gregarious.”

From Honolulu Star-Advertiser's sportswriter Dave Reardon

https://news.yahoo.com/dave-reardon-mcmackin-did-best-170600859.html 

But the most positive part of his legacy with the Warriors is as the defensive coordinator in two of the greatest seasons in program history.

Without McMackin's defense in 1999 there is no greatest turnaround in college football history. Without McMackin's defense in 2007 there is no undefeated regular season and once-in-a-lifetime Sugar Bowl berth.

I wasn't here in'99. But all you have to do is look at the game-by-game scores to see that the defense did much of the heavy lifting for the nine victories, especially in the early part of the season while the newly installed run-and-shoot gained its footing.

I did see every game up close in'07. The offense got the headlines, but the defense made the deadlines ... McMackin's unit was at its best late in close games and overtime.

Little Children and Political Activism

Ewa Elementary School has a statue of Abraham Lincoln. 

On Friday, February 10, 2023,  the school had its annual celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. It's a day when classes perform songs and the parents come to watch.

A first grader went on stage solo with a sign protesting the celebration of Abraham Lincoln. He allegedly feels that Lincoln is racist and that we should celebrate Hawaii & Filipino cultures instead. 

Hawaii News Now video about the protest at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=587404822880792

KITV article & video on the protest https://www.kitv.com/news/first-grader-at-ewa-elementary-protests-against-lincoln-day/article_5c77e9d8-aa84-11ed-b05b-cf66aba3219c.html 

Security escorted the student and the father (Kaniela Ing, activist and former state legislator) off the stage.

As Mr. Ing was leaving campus, he had his son and the sign on his arms. A large man ripped the sign that Ing was holding. Ing was still holding his son, making the large man's action even more threatening.

Obviously, the large man was wrong to put Kaniela Ing and his son in danger.

However, I believed that Kaniela Ing is being dishonest in claiming that it was his first-grade son's idea to go on stage with the sign.

According to many witnesses saying their piece on social media, they saw Mr. Ing coach his son before him going on stage solo.

Ing is now saying we don't know his son.

No, but I do know about 1st graders. I was a substitute teacher for 13 years. I'm familiar with how each grade level students are.

There's no way in hell that I would believe a 1st grader would go on stage to protest a historical figure that most students his age don't even know much about.

Look, when I was in elementary school, I did amaze people by memorizing the name of presidents. The whole thing took a life of its own and people kept asking me about it years later.

But at the time, did I know all the nuances of the president's various policies? No.

And would I have gone on stage solo with a sign protesting a commemoration of that president when I was in elementary? Hell No!

After all, even the smart children are still just children. They may know some facts but they haven't really had the chance to understand the nuances of government policy.  And they sure as hell haven't yet figured out how to articulate all of that in front of strangers. 

That's not a knock on that 1st grader. It's just basic knowledge of childhood development. 

In fact, I went to a high school named after another president (William McKinley) who had a very problematic history as he was the president when the US took over Hawaii. 

And what did the students there think about William McKinley when I was there? They never talked about it. The student's minds were mostly focused on sports, entertainment, fights, gossip, sex, and other teenage stuff. 

As for the staff, they treated it like a dark secret that shall not be discussed. The only mention of McKinley's legacy was in the school's newsletter (The Pinion) that was published for Black & Gold Day in my senior year! 

It was only later in life that I went on social media to criticize the school's name and advocate for the school to be renamed Honolulu High School.

(learn more at 

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/put-tiger-statue-on-oval.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2022/08/associated-press-on-mckinleyhonolulu.html

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMaL-gWuhc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7262z_cGo

I don't criticize Kaniela Ing for having legit concerns about how history is taught to our students. I don't criticize Ing for criticizing how schools have sugar-coated the legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

 In fact, I have praised him in the past for pointing out that former senator Daniel Inouye is a rapist and that we shouldn't be naming things after him. 

learn more at  https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/03/dan-inouye-was-rapist.html

But it's dishonest for him to claim that it was his first-grade child's idea to go on stage solo with a sign protesting the celebration of Lincoln.  Especially when witnesses have said he coached his son into it.

If Ing wanted to protest Lincoln's celebration, he should've gone on stage himself and spoken his piece. I would've respected that more because at least that would be more honest than sending his child to do the dirty work for him. 

Also, his wife (Khara Jabola-Carolus, another activist) also posted pictures of her son holding signs about political issues that a child his age just wouldn't understand the nuances of. 

Yes, parents do pass on their values to their children. That's what parents do.

But many political issues come with many nuances and complexities that even some adults can't comprehend, but we're supposed to believe a 1st grader can know it all? Really?

And I get that some parents bring their children to protests to teach them the value of activism.  I also understand that many parents can't make other childcare arrangements and therefore bring their children along for the ride, knowing that their children still aren't able to process what the protest is about. 

We have to remember that children are very impressionable. They do what they think will please their family and friends.  The opinions they express are usually a regurgitation of what they heard from family and friends. Their social circles are still small, and they haven't yet been exposed to viewpoints from those outside their social circle. And they sure as hell haven't yet read well-written expressions of viewpoints different from their own. 

So no, I don't think that 1st grader was ready for prime time in political activism. No 1st grader is. 

Now, when he gets to high school and has read opposing viewpoints, and has developed a record of rebelling against family, peers, and school officials, then I'll know he's ready for prime time.

Who knows, maybe by the time he reaches high school, his family will move to the urban core of Honolulu, and he can make a legit and well-reasoned speech about why we should take down William McKinley's statue and rename my alma mater Honolulu High School. 

By then, I would say that the kid's protest is legit!

Until then, it's best to lay low, accumulate knowledge, expose oneself to opposing viewpoints, practice debating issues when the cameras are off, practice writing out essays about the issues, and THEN, he can be ready for prime time. 

age, liberals, conservatives, hearts & brains

 There's been this cliché that's being going around a long time that states something like this

Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.

 I've heard that cliché about a decade before I was 30, and now I'm 42.

So what I do think about that cliché?

Before I was 30,  I didn't identify with the left-wing or the right-wing.

I still don't.

But that doesn't mean I haven't evolved in my worldview over the decades.

Before I was 20, I would make snide remarks about religious conservatives like Dan Quayle and Bob Dole for publicly criticizing films & music with explicit content.

As a 42-year old adult who has worked 15 years in the education industry, I do understand their concerns being that I have to intervene when students say something inappropriate that they heard from films or music. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go on a censorship brigade, but I do encourage parents to have a discussion with their kids about what they see on TV & hear from SoundCloud.

And now, when I see kids playing video games, I cringe at some of the violence. 

As a teen, I would go to friend's homes and watch adult films on VHS. But as an actual adult, I haven't watched adult films in decades.

Learn more on that issue (and similar issues) at 

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/01/money-down-drain.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2017/02/time-not-just-money-down-drain.html

And even though I grew up listening to gangsta rap & booty music, when I hear the new generation singing similar explicit lyrics, I cringe.

Yes, I am old!  

I haven't been 16-years old in decades.

So in a way, I did get more conservative as I get older.

But when it comes to things like a government-funded safety net, I have become more liberal when I get older.

Back in my early college years, I was fascinated by libertarian ideas, some of which I still believe in today. I was fascinated by libertarian ideas because they focused on maximizing liberty and reducing government interference in our lives. 

Some libertarian ideas did gain more popularity in this century, including the legalization of marijuana and the acceptance of LGBT rights. People are now more aware of the police abuse of power.

However, the one thing that keeps many people away from being fully libertarian is the idea that the libertarian idea that government shouldn't offer a safety net, and therefore, no government funding of social security, medicare, welfare, etc.

There was a time when I thought "maybe we could privatize those safety net programs".

But I'm not convinced that a totally privatized safety net would be sufficient. 

Not to say government safety nets are perfect. Nothing is.

 People can talk all day about "lift yourself by your bootstraps", "be independent", "just work hard and you'll never go hungry", yada yada yada.

But one thing people have to understand is that being able-bodied is a temporary condition! 

You are just one accident or just one infection away from not being able to work. 

Remember, if it happened to somebody, it could happen to you too! 

Who is going to save you then?

Not every family has the resources to save less fortunate relatives.

And not everyone has the luxury of a loving family.

And it's not just being able-bodied.

It's also being able-minded!

And being able-minded is also a temporary condition!

Don't think you're immune to getting dementia, Parkinson's, or other mental conditions! 

And don't think you can handle anxiety problems if you ever get them! 

If it happened to somebody, it could happen to you too! 

This isn't about "victimhood", it's about reality! 

Hard work isn't going to save you all the time! 

If you get injured on the job, don't always expect your employer to show the same loyalty they have long demanded from you!  Regardless of how hard a worker you are!  They'll find someone to replace you tomorrow. Or they'll get a robot to do your job.

If you get a heart attack or an anxiety attack, or even a shark attack (it happens), you are at increased risk of becoming homeless.

There's only so much "lift yourself by your bootstraps" that you can do at that point.

And before somebody screams "you're socialist", I never said "get rid of private businesses".

Capitalism, by allowing for entrepreneurship and consumer choices, has lifted millions out of poverty.

There's a reason why South Korea is much richer than North Korea. Capitalism allowed entrepreneurs to shine, giving South Koreans opportunity to shine not only in their homeland but also worldwide.  

Meanwhile, socialism has devastated Venezuela in that it left the economy less flexible in the years when oil prices went down. Meanwhile, capitalist places like the United Arab Emirates and Norway still found a way to thrive during those same years when oil prices went down.

And speaking of Norway, like its neighbors, Sweden and Denmark, allows for private industry to shine, but also provides a safety net for their people. 

In some ways, those countries are more capitalist than the US. Sweden doesn't charge property tax. Lower-income landowners in the US wish they were that lucky.   Also, Sweden's tax forms are simpler too.   Denmark doesn't have a minimum wage, but their workers are unionized. 

Even with these capitalist conditions, those countries offer a safety net that's the envy of the world.

Learn more at 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2018/07/08/sorry-bernie-bros-but-nordic-countries-are-not-socialist/

Socialism can take the form of government controlling or interfering with free markets, nationalizing industries, and subsidizing favored ones (green energy, anyone?). The Nordic countries don’t actually do much of those things. Yes, they offer government-paid healthcare, in some cases tuition-free university educations, and rather generous social safety nets, all financed with high taxes. However, it is possible to do these things without interfering in the private sector more than required. It is allowing businesses to be productive that produces the high corporate and personal incomes that support the tax collections making the government benefits feasible. The Nordic countries are smart enough not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

And the following article was written by a US American living in Sweden

https://www.vox.com/2016/4/8/11380356/swedish-taxes-love

My wife and I have been dividing our time between jobs in Sweden and Wisconsin for the past dozen years, and I'm here to tell you that taxes in Sweden are not that high. To my surprise, I found that there are lots of things to love about the Swedish tax system. Swedish taxes are easy to pay, rational, and efficient. Best of all, rather than take away opportunities, Swedish taxes expand them.

and just one of many classic examples from the article 

And you get far more for your taxes than you do in the US. In Sweden, college is free and students get a housing stipend. A colleague's daughter, Kerstin, just completed a five-year dental program. Her family paid nothing for her education. The Swedish government gave her $340 a month to live on when she was in school and the right to borrow $700 more a month, which she did. After five years, she graduated with a debt of $37,153.

In the US, dental students graduate with an average of $215,000 in debt from dental school alone.

Back in the US, many have become fascinated with Andrew Yang's idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI). The idea with UBI is that everyone gets a guaranteed income that they can use to survive hard times without having to fill out a bunch of forms justifying why they need additional assistance. 

However, some of my libertarian friends are skeptical because UBI is taxpayer-funded, and they point out that taxation is still a form of violence. 

I sure did feel a bit violated when I was informed that I owe the feds money when filling out the 2017 tax forms. 

But still, unless some private entity is willing to provide a safety net for all those who need it, we'll probably have to be taxed a little while longer.

And if that's the case, then I'm willing to say that as I get older, I become more liberal as I advocate for a stronger safety net.

Understanding that some people (and that you could be those "some people" in the future) need subsidized assistance to survive  - that isn't just a sign that you have a heart, it's also a sign that you have a brain.  

So no, I don't believe in this cliché that says  "any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains".

=======

PS: Check out this blog post from 2021!  It's about worker rights and safety nets.

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2021/05/its-more-about-respect-than-money.html

when working at the Department of Health is bad for your health

Time to expose two supervisors who work with the Hawaii Department of Health who are bad for the mental and physical health  for  their employees

Joanne Higashi & Kimberly Arakaki,
- supervisors within the Hawaii Department of Health
- very toxic towards the mental health of employees
- too stupid to realize that in the social media age, their toxic style of supervision will be exposed online to a worldwide audience 

==========

 In December 2022, I took a temp office assistant position with the Department of Health (DOH).

I was looking for a full-time position, and I was interested in clerical work, whether in a library or an office.

The person who interviewed me for the position of DOH was Joanne Higashi. She seemed so inviting and friendly. The interview went smoothly and she seemed so excited about having me join the position.

But great recruiters don't always make good leaders.

Good leaders are organized when it comes to training their assistants.

That isn't only done with oral instructions but also by giving outlines, lists, workflow charts, and other visual cues to help us.

Joanne Higashi doesn't believe in any of that!

This is what I wrote to her supervisor, Sage Goto. 

Aloha Sage,

I'm sorry to bring you the bad news but I am having problems dealing with Joanne Higashi and I'm getting the feeling that she may not be the best mentor for me.

Today (01/05/2023), she kept piling on more assignments and expected me to take in the information without giving me a list. Then to add insult to injury while she was describing the CDC RPE forms and how to do them, she told me to not write things down, "just listen to me". THAT right there is the epitome of a toxic work environment. I had a nervous breakdown at that moment. I later discussed the issue with her, but Joanne has never apologized.

If I have to multi- step tasks, I can only work well when given lists, templates and other written guidelines. Joanne doesn't seem to believe in any of that. She just tells me "just use the previous emails as guide".  It was only TODAY (weeks after starting the job) that she tells me exactly which people to route invoices/MOAs/PO's/etc to. A list of those names should've been given to me the first week of doing routing assignments.  It doesn't work well for me to just look at previous emails to figure out who to route documents to. 

Joanne has never given me a list, templates, or written guidelines.  These are things that make workflows more simpler. Her mentality is just "I tell you orally, that's it". This is not compatible to guiding me to work success.

Contrast to that to the way you were able to map out on the white board on how to organize files into Fiscal Year folders. I LOVED THAT! :)  That made the work flow so much more smoother.  That's the type of instructions I want to have when given work assignments.

 

However, Joanne doesn't operate that way. 

I'm OK with learning all the clerical skills, but Joanne's way doesn't work for me. I'm actually thinking of not wanting to renew my 89-day contract beyond this month, and it might even get to the point where I might walk out before the month ends.  

I understand your hands may be tied in some ways, but if for the rest of the current "contract" I could work on tasks that don't need Joanne's guidance, that'll be great.  I'll understand if that's not an available option. 

I would love to meet with you to discuss more if you have further questions or concerns

The following day, Sage Goto didn't show up but Joanne Higashi did. It was awkward silence all day. 

That was a Friday.

I came home that day and came across an article title "How Anger Affects the Body" and I was nowhere near done with that article that I realized "don't wait, just leave the job, it's too unhealthy to stay".

Saturday, I sent the following email to Sage Goto and Joanne Higashi.

To: Sage Goto, Joanne Higashi

As I look over the events of this past week, and as I think about what is best for my mental & physical health, I feel that it is best to remove from myself working at this job at this time.  

It's not the office tasks I want to get away from.  What I need to get away from is Joanne Higashi's psychologically dangerous style of "leadership".

When I did the interview and talked with Joanne Higashi through the hiring process, I assumed that this will be a very wonderful partnership with someone who can guide me with psychologically safe practices.

Unfortunately, the events of January 5, 2023 proved all that wrong. I basically had a nervous breakdown because of Joanne Higashi's psychologically dangerous way of interaction. On that day,  she kept piling on more assignments and expected me to take in the information without giving me a list of tasks. Then to add insult to injury while she was describing the CDC RPE forms and how to do them, she told me to not write things down, "just listen to me". THAT right there is the epitome of a toxic work environment. I had a nervous breakdown at that moment. I later discussed the issue with her, but Joanne has never apologized.

If I had known that Joanne Higashi would treat me like that, I would NEVER had accepted the job.  Only a psychologically dangerous person would treat a person that way and not apologize for it. If this is how Joanne Higashi treats someone who is trying to help her, that means sooner or later, those trying to help her would stop helping her.  I'm done! 

But it doesn't start there. Joanne Higashi's practice in training me is very inefficient.  Efficient training emphasize clarity, and the best way to do that is give out visual guidelines.  Things like charts, lists, templates. Joanne Higashi doesn't believe in any of that, she just believes in just telling me orally, and just telling me "just use the previous emails as guide". Why should I search through hundreds of email when you could've printed me a template in the beginning?

For example, when I was first assigned to do routing, she could've given me a list of who to route documents to when it comes to invoices/MOAs/requisition. She didn't do that. She doesn't believe in giving me a list, she believes in just telling me to look at previous emails. Looking at previous emails isn't effective. Giving me lists, flow charts and templates is effective. 

With a previous employer, when I was given a chart listing priorities and tasks, that worked wonders for me. It made work flow smoother. 

Or for a good example at this worksite, when Sage Goto was going over how to organize e-files, he drew a flow-chart on the white board. That made the work flow so much easier.  That's kind of leader I want to work for. 

Unfortunately, Joanne doesn't believe in doing that, she only believes in oral instructions, and saying "don't write, listen to me" when giving instructions.  Who wants to work for someone like that?

And the thing is just thinking about that incident puts me at risk of a heart attack or a stroke.  So not only is Joanne Higashi's practices dangerous to my mental health, it's dangerous to my physical health. I'm literally putting my life at risk by working with someone like Joanne Higashi. 

And then for her to smile and say "don't stress"?

It's not the tasks by themselves that's giving me stress, it's Joanne Higashi's "leadership" style that is giving me life-threatening stress. 

In fact, just hours after coming home on 01/06/2023 that I came across an article titled "How Anger Affects the Body", I was nowhere near done reading it before I realized dealing how Joanne Higashi treated me on 01/05/2023 is literally dangerous to my physical health, and that I need to move on if I want to remain literally alive. 

I can't work like this!  Dealing with middle schoolers when I was a substitute teacher was less stressful than this. 

In fact, when I was a substitute teacher, I was usually given clear lesson plans (with charts, lists and other visuals) and I was encouraged to write things down. When school admins give me info, they don't say "don't write, just listen", they encourage me to write things down. This made the job much easier. 

Clarity is what made great lesson plans.

Clarity is what makes workflow smooth.

Clarity reduces the chance of life-threatening stress.

Clarity saves lives.

But Joanne Higashi's instructional and "leadership" style doesn't bring clarity. 

It is this lack of clarity and this kind of rudeness that made me leave the Library Assistant job at Kalakaua Middle School, a job that should've been a dream job if it wasn't for the rude head librarian who doesn't believe in providing clarity for assistants. 

This is exactly what working with Joanne Higashi reminds me of. 

And on 01/06/2023 (the day after my nervous breakdown), it was all awkward silence and zero apology from Joanne Higashi about what happened the previous day. 

This again reminds me of the Kalakaua Middle School library job. 

And the sad thing was that a few days earlier, when the Office Assistant III job finally appeared on governmentjobs.com, I applied thinking this could extend my time with SVP.

 

But after 01/05/2023, I need to end my time with SVP!  Working like this is not sustainable. 

I did send Sage Goto an email that night. Sage, I still want to talk with you about this. You can email or call me. I'm sorry you have to get in the middle of all this. Sage, you have a communication style that works well with me and I trust you. 

I could try give Joanne Higashi another chance, but I think it's best we go our separate ways. 

Joanne, I really need you to read all that I just wrote so that when you ever get a new assistant, you can be a better guide and not made the same mistake you made with me.  Otherwise, you'll just keep doing the same thing, alienating assistants and it becomes a revolving door of assistants. You may also want to learn from Sage on how to develop a more effective communication style when guiding assistants.  You may also want to learn from the person who was mentoring me at Macy's the last few months I was there. That person is (name deleted to protect the innocent), and he was great in guiding me in learning new tasks and dealing with problems. He never used degrading tactics like "don't write, just listen to me" even when going over big-picture things. 

And Joanne, you want to talk about big picture things, let's talk about big picture things, your leadership style will cause problems for you because you have just alienated an assistant who was so enthusiastic about working with you in the beginning. You can't mistreat your assistants and expect them to continue to help you.  Your leadership style causes employee turnover and it's not sustainable for your program.  DOH is already struggling with multiple vacancies as it is.

Now, I wish I didn't leave Macy's for this. And just to think, I wanted to move on from Macy's for months, but I left SVP in less than a month since starting. A Macy's co-worker was right to tell me the grass isn't always greeener on the other side.

So it's time for me to say goodbye. I am resigning effective immediately. 

Mahalo,

Pablo Wegesend

Yes, I "went there" and told Higashi off by telling her how she's an ineffective leader and a toxic supervisor.

This NEEDS TO HAPPEN because Higashi needs to understand how her tactics, if they don't change, will only going to cause more problems for her in the long run. Now she knows how she alienated me and how she can prevent herself from making the same mistake with the next assistant. 

If I just stay silent, I am hurting the next assistant to be hired.

By speaking up, and telling Higashi off in an email also sent to her supervisor, she should know now how to better assist her next assistant. Higashi can no longer use the excuse of "I didn't know" and "nobody warned me".

If I stayed, it gives Higashi the impression that what she did "wasn't that bad". I left, I told her why, so know she knows, her tactics are That Bad! 

And with this blog post, she is now publicly exposed as a toxic boss who is only nice when recruiting employees. 

=======

Do I regret leaving? No. 

I did lose some money, but I gained dignity.

Also, I now have time to do what I've been putting off, which is to talk to a mental health professional to address my mental health concerns and how it affects my career development.   

(And I'll discuss the details some other time)

And I found temp employers who'll give me time to deal with all that! 

(Where? You may find out some other time) 

=====

BONUS PICS

Joanne Higashi,

the person with degrees in psychology and social work who alienates assistants in less than one month due to her psychologically unsafe practices, 

and walks away from a tough conversation when her ass isn't being kissed!

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

Joanne Higashi, the person with degrees in psychology and social work ......... 

who doesn't understand who doesn't understand the psychological benefits of providing written guidelines for her assistants. 

Even worse, she only gives in oral instructions and gets mad when her assistants writes notes to help memorize important information. 

Her degrees are all for NOTHING

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

Joanne Higashi,

 a supervisor who doesn't prioritize providing clarity or written guidelines for her assistants.

 A very disorganized person who doesn't respect the assistant who kept things organized for her. 

Yet, she wonders why her assistants don't stick around.

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

Joanne Higashi

- during the interview & hiring process, she presents herself as a wonderful mentor who will make your worklife a heaven.

- once the job begins, she fosters a toxic work environment and would rather eat fecal matter than apologize for the psychological harms caused by her mangement style.

-To top it all off, she's too stupid to realize that in the social media age, the people she mistreats can expose her contradictions to a worldwide audience with a click of a button

PS: Joanne Higashi, you asked in the job interview about my thoughts about social media. I mentioned that I'm a social media user.  If you didn't expect me to expose you like this, then  you're a special kind of stupid! 

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

Also, the Department of Health isn't immune from covidiots who want us to pretend the pandemic is over. 

One of those covidiots is Kimberly Arakaki.

Here is an email I sent to her supervisor Matthew Shim!

Aloha Matthew Shim,

I have become aware that you are in charge of the Family Health Services Division (FHSD). I am a new 89-day office assistant who experienced a negative encounter with Kimberly Arakaki on Monday, December 19.

I have sent a letter to DOH's Human Resource Office and the earliest they might get it might be Wednesday 12/20/2022. The following are the contents of the letter

========

12/19/2022

From: Pablo Wegesend

To: Hawaii Department of Health, Human Resource Office

Aloha,

I am a newly hired Office Assistant with DOH’s Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) program working as an 89-day hire, and therefore lack access to union representation.

I believe that I am dealing with a hostile work environment due to the action of Kimberly Arakaki, who is the supervisor of my supervisors (Joanne Higashi, Sage Goto).

On Monday, December 19, 2022, Kimberly Arakaki wanted to talk in private in the office room I was working at. When she entered my office room, she told me that she wanted me to take off my mask and face shield and she said “I want to see your face”. All of that was said in a hostile, aggressive and rude manner.  I informed her that I feel very uncomfortable when people tell me to take off my mask and shield.

Arakaki then told me, in a rude & hostile manner, that masks are no longer required.  Then she asked in a rude manner “do you go to the bank, they ask you to take off the mask”.

When I go to an actual bank, they politely ask me to pull down my mask for a few seconds, and they ask that with a plexiglass between me and them.  That is very different from the situation where Arakaki rudely demand “take off your mask, I want to see your face”.

Arakaki mentioned that she needs to know who is in the building because it’s a secured facility. I noted that I have a badge with my name, photo and the building I work at (Wilcox Building).

As for the photo on my badge, I will note that the person from the HR office who took the photo (Rachel Nakagawa) had a mask on, and was very polite when she asked to remove my mask for a few seconds for the photo.  I appreciate Nakagawa’s politeness.

And to add insult to injury, Arakaki said it was “weird” that I didn’t want to show my face. Not only is the word “weird” unprofessional, the way she said it was rude, confrontational and hostile.

I see no reason why Arakaki had to ask me to take off my mask and show my face in a hostile manner. In the pandemic era, it shouldn’t be considered “weird” when someone wants to keep their mask on.  And it shouldn’t be considered “weird” by someone who works for the Department of Health.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have worked for Macy’s, Kamaaina Kids and Bishop & Co. None of them demanded that to me that “I want to see your face”. None of them asked me to remove my mask and shield. If it’s not necessary for them for me to take off my mask because “I want to see your face”, then why is it necessary for Arakaki to make those demands?

Talking about secured facilities, when I was working with Bishop & Co during 2020, I was sent to work at HonBlue, the location where the ballots were being printed. It was a secured facility. Nobody demanded that I remove my mask and “show my face”. So I see no reason why “this is a secure facility” would be a good reason for a supervisor to start a conversation in a rude manner to remove my mask and shield.

The way that Arakaki communicated is as if she was a high school teacher dealing with a unruly teenager who refuse to stop playing in class.  This is no way to treat an adult professional who wear a mask and face shield for protection.

I also want to note that I wear a mask and face shield because I take public transportation in which I no control over who I encounter, whether it’s an ill person or an immune-compromised person who I really don’t want to infect. I also have parents who are in their 70’s and I don’t want to infect them when I meet them.  Also, because I don’t have access to sick leave, I can’t afford to be infected.

I understand that not everyone wants to take the same precautions that I do. But I want my choice to take those precautions to be respected.

Also, I don’t want to have to worry about dealing with hostile communications at my workplace.

So far, I like most aspects of my new positions, and I like most of my colleagues, but I cannot tolerate the hostile work environment fostered by the rude, aggressive and confrontational mannerism of Kimberly Arakaki.

While I understand that I can’t really make demands on what you might do with this information, I would really like to request that you inform Kimberly Arakaki to not retaliate against me for documenting this situation.  And I will continue to document if this situation continues.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, you may contact me at my personal email or my work email.

Mahalo,

Pablo Wegesend

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

PS: I will also want to add that if this treatment by Kimberly Arakaki continues, I will not hesitate to walk off the job (which took DOH 6+ months to find someone to fill) and share my story of mistreatment with the media. 

After that email to Mr. Shim, Kimberly Arakaki was begging for forgiveness! 

No! 

You want war, you get it!

Kimberly Aragaki, a covidiot who demands everyone takes off their mask when talking to her

Kimberly Arakaki, a Department of Health branch chief that believes it's OK to put employees at risk for covid, because she's a covidiot who thinks covid is a hoax!

Kimberly Arakaki, a workplace bully who demands unwavering submissiveness, and gets mad at employees who protect themselves and others from contagious respiratory diseases! And she works for the Department of Health!

Kimberly Arakaki, a workplace bully too stupid to realize that employee Pablo Wegesend would go on his blog to expose bullies like her! Only dummies like her pick fights with someone with years of experience exposing bullies on social media


========

On the bright side, after her begging for forgiveness, she did wear a mask in my presence. Which was what she should've been doing  when she's around anyone this whole time! 

=======

Also, when  Joanne Higashi learned of my conflict with Kimberely Arakai, I mentioned that I can give here a written copy of my complaint, Joanne Higashi said "no, tell it me ".

What? Joanne Higashi, are you illiterate? 

No, what Joanne Highashi is is a psychologically illiterate (despite her psychology and social work degree) that doesn't understand that for some people (like me) prefer to write about instead of orally speak about emotional trauma. That's because it's emotionally and psychologically draining to orally speak about trauma and it's less draining to write about it instead. 

Joanee Higashi, if you didn't know that, then your psychology and social work degree is ALL FOR NOTHING! 

That was THE MOMENT that I realize that Joanne Higashi is NOT TO BE TRUSTED, and my biggest mistake is to give her a 2nd chance after that! 

But if Joanne Higashi wants war, HERE IT IS!