The first day is the easiest day of all...just info for the students. My second class meets on Friday; I got some time to fix my syllabus.

The lights are dimmed and the stage is set; the first day of the semester begins. My best wishes to all the teachers today!

Last free weekend...went on an evening tour of Alcatraz Island which was awesome, and finished with Korean BBQ at Brother's on Geary Blvd.

What's a great way to end the work day? Oysters, beer, happy hour at Hog Island Oyster Co. in SF Ferry Building.

Done with today's orientation. Saw some of the first years on guided tours of the campus. They all seemed very excited to be there!

New faculty orientation ... Lots of new info.

Done with my course reader. What's next?!?

On the news now ... Senator Ted Kennedy passed away.

And my job officially begins with my first faculty mtg.

Still figuring out my syllabus ... Semester starts next week.

Almost done with my syllabi ... decided against using books for one class and going with a course reader instead which means more work.

At 10pm last night, my laptop suffered a catastrophic malfunction. At 2am I was able to recover my research but my laptop is busted.

Just had a thought ... What about Falwell/Obama? Rush/Obama? Pat Robertson/Obama? Gingrich/Obama?!? I should get back to work! LOL

So far I've seen the following from the anti-health care protestors: Joker/Obama, Hitler/Obama, Anti-Christ-Obama, Satan/Obama. What's next?

Beautiful day and at the cafe working. This time a Spanish guitarist is sitting outside playing some rich melodies for a few friends.

When God is Pissed

So God is pissed and He's tired of our bullshit, gun-wielding angels and demons come to exterminate us, a heavenly battle between the archangels Michael and Gabriel, Paul Bettany, and a foul-mouthed granny thrown in for good measure. As a recovering Catholic, what's not to like about this movie?

I like the greenband version of the upcoming movie LEGION better than the redband one.

Had a good productive meeting with Sanjit, the Director of the Center for Art and Public Life, about programming for the upcoming year.

I wanted to start the day positively. Then I read the latest SPLC's report on right-wing extremism. 50 new groups were formed this year. =(

What Goes Around, Comes Around

It takes a lot to get me pissed off ... especially in public. Some of my closest friends say that I have the highest and strictest anger threshold which is generally a good thing for everyone. But once certain boundaries are crossed, and mind you I'm talking miles and miles of boundaries, then I become very ... miffed ... irate ... agitated ... quarrelsome ... you get the idea. So here's what set me off (quietly) late this evening before I came home.

I was working on my courses at a neighborhood cafe this afternoon. I sat in the back away from the music because it was the quietest part.

A middle-aged woman and her dog walks in and sits down with two of her friends in the back. A moment later, the cafe worker approaches the woman and politely asks if she could leave her dog outside. The woman identified herself as disabled and indicated that her dog was a service dog. The worker didn't understand. English was not the worker's primary language. It was Spanish. So the worker was confused, and she tried to ask the woman for an explanation. The woman was not having any of it. She raised her voice and repeated the same thing: "I am disabled, and this is my service dog." Again, the worker didn't understand and it was clear she was getting frustrated which, in turn, frustrated the woman. Before the worker uttered another word, the woman raised her hand and said, "I am done. I don't want to talk about this." Again, the worker who tried to ask another question was quickly cut off by the woman who was now visibly disgusted. She then shouted, "My mother died yesterday and I need this dog because I am disabled. My dog is a service dog! I don't want to talk about this anymore!" The worker, who was already exasperated, quietly left the area without another word. It ended as quickly as it started.

Now to be fair, the worker was caught in a difficult place trying to do her job and keep customers happy. But employees, employers, and businesses need to know about disability rights as established by the federal American Disabilities Act of 1990 which explicitly guarantees, among many things for the disabled, use of service dogs in restaurants, public spaces and facilities, and public services (with the exception of sterile environments such as a hospital). Any business can be found in violation and fined if they do not provide access. Each state can and has passed its own statutes in addition to the ones provided by the ADA (keeping in mind that federal law trumps state law). California is no exception. It has all the core provisions of the federal ADA and then some. California, for instance, requires tags for service dogs to comply with animal control. For the use of service dogs, both the individual and the service dog must have their applications approved, and additional requirements from the state if needed. Basically, one cannot simply purchase a service dog from your local pet store. These dogs have all been trained to do specific manual tasks for their handler. These laws and policies are intended to prevent fraudulent cases of training "service dogs," and cases of false identity. As a side point, the proper term is "service animal" to include other species such as monkeys for the specific use of grabbing and picking up objects. It just so happens that dogs constitute the largest majority of service animals.

Here's what else I know about the ADA. You cannot ask a person with a dog if: 1) the nature and extent of their disability, and 2) any forms certifying a service dog. In fact, there are no federal guidelines requiring service dogs to wear anything special. If there are no other discernible signs (such as an obvious disablement, or a identifying gear on the dog like a harness or vest), then ADA prevents any question about one's identity and the dog's. It is illegal for, in this instance, a worker at the cafe to do so (there are exceptions such as the police in an emergency situation, and I think for private citizens it's different). This is where most establishments get into trouble, mainly because they are not educated about the law. So many violations, fines, heartaches, and embarrassing moments could've been easily avoided if employees and employers learned about ADA, and learned about ways of handling situations better. I could have intervened and acted as a mediator, but I wouldn't have been able to translate "disability" or "service dog" adequately to the employee (by the way, that was a clue that I'll explain further below). I would've made it worse with my involvement. Besides, it is management's responsibility to train their employees and that includes understanding ADA provisions with service dogs. As far as I was concerned, it was a situation between a business and one of the customers with her service dog that was quickly rectified. Or so I believed.

So if you work at a cafe, and someone brings a dog in, even though there are signs indicating that no dogs are allowed on the premises, then how can you broach the subject of disability without breaking the law, and without disrespecting the identity of the person?

There are three questions that you can legally ask:
1) Question: Is this a service dog? If the answer is "Yes," then proceed to Question #2. If the answer is "No," then you have the right to refuse service if the dog does not leave.
2) Question: What has the dog been trained to do? Answer: Any task such as, but not limited to, pulling a wheelchair, fetching objects, guiding the blind, etc. Emotional comfort, however, is not covered. Animals for "animal-assisted therapy" is not covered under Federal law; they are not the same as "service animals." Some therapy animals can be used as pets; service animals are, by definition, not pets.

So what was my problem? Other than the obvious in which was both individuals were loud and disturbing my peace? Nothing really. I thought it was a non-sequitor that the woman revealed her mother's passing, but I didn't think twice about it. In fact, I was more than happy, and eager, to get back to work. It's what she said underneath her breath that triggered my foul disposition. She said, "I showed her up" and her friends voiced and chuckled in agreement. THAT's when I looked at them with the foulest of faces and made my disapproval known. The two friends caught my glance and quickly looked away, and the woman stared at me briefly before she turned away. You see, saying "I showed her up" is a statement of smug victory. It's purpose is to make someone inferior when they acted or behaved in an unacceptable way to them. And that statement needs to be contextualized further. It's a white woman with her two white friends declaring their racial and linguistic privilege in public over a Latina who's primary language was not English. The woman took advantage of the employee's linguistic shortcomings and outright disrespected her behind her back. She did not have to say anything more afterwards. She could've said that people need to know the law, or they need to know my rights, etc. She could've said any number of things about disability rights. She could've said nothing at all. Up until that moment, I basically agreed with the woman and understood her frustrations because businesses need to know that she has rights under the law. In hindsight, I could've intervened, but my Spanish is extremely limited and there was no way for me to translate and explain the ADA.

But she said, "I showed her up" and that changed her intentions and my view of her altogether.

The employee returned a few minutes later with her boss on the phone. She again approached the woman and politely asked her if she could repeat what she said. Without hesitation, the woman raised her hand and shouted, "I don't want to talk anymore!" The employee asked again in which the woman grabbed the phone and said, "I don't want to talk anymore. You are an embarrassment!" and returned the phone. The woman turned away, and the employee left without saying another word.

That was the last boundary for me.

It was already late in the evening. I packed up my laptop and notes for my syllabus into my bag. I walked over to the woman and her companions. I made eye contact, smiled, and said "Hello." We greeted each other. I leaned down to where she was sitting to ask her one simple question that I can ask as a private citizen.

"Oh, so where's your dog's ADA badge?"

She answered, "I left it at home."

My mind exploded with the sound and fury of thunder and lightning. It cried "LIAR! FRAUD! FAIL!"

I politely and calmly replied, "There are no badges. Under the American Disabilities Act of 1990, you are not required to show certification or identification for service dogs."

"You're a liar," I said to her.

She was so mad that she couldn't scream at me even though she wanted to. She muttered holding back her rage, "I don't want to talk to you."

"That's fine," I said. "Because you just got showed up by someone who knows the law and who can speak perfect English. Good-bye!"

As I turned to leave, I heard her start crying.

You see, that woman may have genuinely lost her mother; I can't deny or confirm it, and at face value, I'll accept it as truth. But after that outright lie? Sorry. Your credibility is all gone. Now, I could've left, or been respectful about it. There were a million ways I could've approached her, but you know what? She LIED! And it's a federal offense to claim disability and lie about your service dog! And she needed to check her damn privilege!!! That was just WRONG!

I know I was a cold-hearted asshole at that moment. But I felt obligated to ruin her day since she felt she was so righteous to ruin another. I am a firm believer of "what goes around, comes around," and I was more than happy to give it a firm push along.

Now, back to work.

I'm so infuriated right now at this one person who took advantage of a worker's weak speaking skills. I shot a MAD stare at him/her.

Checked out Berkeley Farmer's Market today and picked up some of the freshest tomatoes, peaches, mushrooms, and strawberries. =D

Currently reading: FROM DISSERTATION TO BOOK by William Germano, and AN ESSAY ON THE PRINCIPLE OF POPULATION by Thomas Malthus.

Obituary of federal judge Robert Takasugi. Thanks to A3G for the post: http://ping.fm/54T6k

So what do I do on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon? I go on a photowalk at the Mountain View Cemetery.

Apparently, I was wrong. The "Twitter/Facebook Affair" got national coverage on CNN.

Set up my new Google Voice number. WOOT!

Hmmm...as soon as I settle down from moving, I get hit with a bunch of writing deadlines that I set several months ago!

Watching old episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker.