Guam

  • Most Topular Stories

  • GFT Files Unfair Labor Practice

    KUAM - News
    16 May 2012 | 4:02 am
    The Guam Federation of Teachers has filed an unfair labor practice against the Department of Education and Interim Superintendent Taling Taitano.

  • Dolphins to meet Royals for soccer title

    KUAM - Sports
    15 May 2012 | 11:37 pm
    This year's girl's high school soccer championship game will be played on Friday at the GFA Field in Harmon starting at 6:30 pm.

  • Harvest Festival stressed organic farming

    KUAM - Weekly Features - Nav Bar
    16 May 2012 | 3:54 am
    For the sixth year DOA held the Harvest Festival, with the only difference this year being an increased interest in different farming practices throughout the community.

  • $150,000 for superintendent

    Marianas Variety Guam Edition
    16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm
    But allowances removed from contractAFTER deliberating the details of the proposed contract for new Guam Department of Education Superintendent Jon Fernandez, the Guam Education Board in a special meeting yesterday approved to increase his annual salary from $125,000 to $150,000, but without the additional allowances proposed in an earlier draft of the contract.

  • GFT Files Unfair Labor Complaint Against DOE Over Change in Teacher Work Hours

    Guam News
    16 May 2012 | 4:42 am
    Guam -The Guam Federation of  Teachers has filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against the Guam Department of Education and Interim DOE Superintendent Taling Taitano. According to an e-update sent out Wednesday afternoon, the complaint has to do with a March 6th memorandum issued by Taitano to all high school administrators establishing changes in working hours for teachers, although the change in worker hours had not been previously agreed to during collective bargaining negotiations. READ the letter HERE The GFT statement points out that both sides are still are in contract…
 
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    KUAM - Weekly Features - Nav Bar

  • Harvest Festival stressed organic farming

    16 May 2012 | 3:54 am
    For the sixth year DOA held the Harvest Festival, with the only difference this year being an increased interest in different farming practices throughout the community.

  • New service means fewer trips to the doctor

    14 May 2012 | 8:29 pm
    For times when you need medical advice but don't necessarily need to make a trip to the clinic, there's Consult-A-Doctor.

  • Turn your paper into mulch - for free!

    9 May 2012 | 3:36 am
    There are many ways to reuse paper, however, shredding it for compost is just one of the easiest where it can be used for beneficial purposes.

  • GW High hosts 'Geckos Go Green' fair

    2 May 2012 | 3:39 am
    Earth Month may be over, but an environmental fair held last week set out to instill knowledge and awareness about marine life to more than a thousand students at George Washington High School.

  • Savor Guam Food Festival, Part 2

    16 Apr 2012 | 8:34 pm
    The First Annual Savor Guam Food Festival will see ten talented teams from GCC's Culinary Arts Program go head-to-head to see who can create the tastiest dishes using innovative skills and techniques.
 
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    Marianas Variety Guam Edition

  • $150,000 for superintendent

    16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm
    But allowances removed from contractAFTER deliberating the details of the proposed contract for new Guam Department of Education Superintendent Jon Fernandez, the Guam Education Board in a special meeting yesterday approved to increase his annual salary from $125,000 to $150,000, but without the additional allowances proposed in an earlier draft of the contract.

  • Port reprimanded for employment gaps

    16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm
    SENATORS spent last night interrogating Port Authority of Guam officials on the apparent gaps in its hiring process, bringing to light at least three employees who may have bypassed required security credentials.

  • ‘Construction industry flat, but many projects coming soon’

    16 May 2012 | 12:37 pm
    GOV. Eddie Calvo yesterday acknowledged that the construction industry on Guam is flat; however, he also detailed numerous funding and projects on the horizon for Guam that can jumpstart the industry.

  • Continued funding for TRIO program gets huge support

    16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm
    A PUBLIC hearing on four resolutions introduced by Sen. Frank Blas Jr. was held yesterday afternoon, including Resolution 317-31 which would request Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo to introduce legislation to amend the Jones Act.

  • Guam veterinarian responds to allegations from Fiji

    16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm
    CONTRARY to reports made by Fiji Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that veterinarian Dr. Joel Joseph left his post as resident veterinarian suddenly and in breach of his contract, Joseph said the credible threat against him was never supported by the country’s SPCA executive committee.
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    Guam News

  • GFT Files Unfair Labor Complaint Against DOE Over Change in Teacher Work Hours

    16 May 2012 | 4:42 am
    Guam -The Guam Federation of  Teachers has filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against the Guam Department of Education and Interim DOE Superintendent Taling Taitano. According to an e-update sent out Wednesday afternoon, the complaint has to do with a March 6th memorandum issued by Taitano to all high school administrators establishing changes in working hours for teachers, although the change in worker hours had not been previously agreed to during collective bargaining negotiations. READ the letter HERE The GFT statement points out that both sides are still are in contract…

  • VIDEO: Lt. Governor, I-Connect, & Resorts World Manila Team Up To Beatify Guam

    16 May 2012 | 2:21 am
    Guam - The Lt. Governor's office is teaming up with the private sector to help to beautify the island of Guam. {youtube}anO7ByDxZVA{/youtube} The local wireless telecommunications company I-connnect and Resorts World Manila are teaming up with Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio's island wide beautification task force. Together they will hold a contest that asks people to come up with an artistic design that describes what their idea of fun on Guam is. There will be two age groups the 8-17 year old category and the 18 and older category. The winners artwork will be used to decorate bus stops and…

  • VIDEO: Congressional Candidate Karlo Dizon Defends His Age & Lack of Political Experience

    16 May 2012 | 2:14 am
    Guam - Democrat candidate to congress Karlo Dizon opened himself up to the island's media Wednesday afternoon. {youtube}Rb3VNGXXNg8{/youtube} Dizon gave no speech but instead opened up to any questions that the media had. The Pacific News Center asked him what would be different about him if elected to congress. Dizon said he would bring new energy and new ideas like his foreign money and repatriation act a law that was enacted for a brief period of time in the late 1980's. This act would allow territories like the island of Guam to bring money that was invested in foreign markets back into…

  • VIDEO: Mayors Concerned With Large Number of Break-ins Reported in Agana Heights & Sinajana

    16 May 2012 | 2:10 am
    Guam- Residents from Agana Heights and Sinajana are reporting a large number of break-ins in their villages for over a week now. {youtube}tlztvNjfUZY{/youtube} Vice Mayor Robert Hofmann says at least 1 to 2 homes a day are broken into on a daily basis, while cars are being stolen or broken into as well. He says they have noticed a pattern because it is also happening to Agana Heights residents. Hofmann mentions he already wrote a letter to the Chief of Police over the weekend on their concerns. “They're not doing this when people are not home” said Hofmann. “They're doing this while…

  • VIDEO: Gov Speaks Candidly About Guam Economy to GCA

    16 May 2012 | 2:07 am
    Guam - During today's swearing in ceremony for the new board of the Guam Contractors Association Governor Eddie Calvo gave a rather frank speech on the island's economy saying that he will press the feds into getting the military buildup moving and push for a China Visa waiver program something he referred to as low hanging fruit. {youtube}NIsnQF0TMF0{/youtube}  After swearing in the new members of the Guam Contractors Association board which includes newly elected chairman Bob Salas, Governor Eddie Calvo opened up to the group of contractors about the fate of the island economy. "What can I…
 
 
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    The Business of Guam

  • Russia Now Included in Guam's Visa Waiver Program, China May Be Next

    Michael A. Pangelinan
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:35 pm
    On November 15, 2011, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) signed a decision that allows the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to exercise discretionary parole authority on a case-by-case basis, to permit Russian nationals to travel to Guam visa-free. Travel is limited to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (“CNMI”) only and does not include eligibility to access other locations within the U.S.  These new visitors are able to travel freely between Guam and the CNMI as nonimmigrant visitors…

  • CFJ Tax Update: IRS Renews Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program for 2012

    Admin
    18 Jan 2012 | 6:23 pm
    The beginning of a new year always brings dramatic announcements from the U.S. Treasury Department (“IRS”) and year 2012 is no different. The most important news from the IRS for this new year is the emphasis that the IRS will continue to focus on the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program following the collection of more than $4.4 billion from 33,000 voluntary disclosures from the 2009 and 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Programs. The IRS announced a third Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program on January 9, 2012 to allow U.S. taxpayers, including green card holders (even if…

  • Guam Legislature Increases Public-Private Partnerships

    Janalynn Cruz Damian
    4 Oct 2011 | 9:41 pm
    Senators of the 31st Guam Legislature are busy at work introducing new legislation intended to increase public-private partnerships.  Here is a synopsis of some of their recent efforts. Bill 64-31, signed into law by Governor Calvo as PL 31-29, authorizes the Department of Education to enter into Performance Management Contracts (“PMCs”) for the management, operation, and maintenance of its facilities and equipment.  The Department oversees 27 elementary schools, eight middle schools, five high schools, and one alternative school. The Bill gives the contractor managerial…

  • Feds Crack Down on Stateside Medicare Fraud: Is Guam Next?

    Shane Intihar
    29 Mar 2011 | 5:39 pm
    The federal government has recently stepped up efforts to crack down on Medicare fraud, particularly in such "fraud hot spots" as Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, Tampa and Baton Rouge. As reported by the Associated Press: "Federal authorities [recently] charged more than 100 doctors, nurses and physical therapists in nine cities with Medicare fraud Thursday, part of a massive nationwide bust that snared more suspects than any other in history." Although small in terms of absolute population figures, Guam is a significant consumer of Medicare funded medical…

  • Port Authority of Guam Extends Engineering Contract

    Jennifer Calvo-Quitugua
    1 Feb 2011 | 6:07 pm
    As the Pacific Daily News ("PDN") reported last week, the Port Authority of Guam recently extended its engineering contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff. The PDN reported: "[T]erminating the contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff could have led to a combination of schedule delays, potential loss of funding associated with grant expiration due to the delays, and potential issues associated with a $50 million federal loan." The contract extension demonstrates the ongoing efforts of the Port Authority of Guam to accommodate the growth of Guam’s economy, particularly in anticipation of the…
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    zenhabits

  • The 9-5 Guide to Staying Active

    guest
    15 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Matt Madeiro of Make Every Day Count. Let’s see if this rings any bells. When the clock hits 8, I sit. I plop back in my rolling chair, crack open the laptop on my desk, and spend the next nine hours with my butt glued firmly to seat. I stand on occasion to step into the bathroom, but I’m back to my post again shortly thereafter — hunched over, bleary-eyed, and nursing my coffee like it’s the greatest thing since toilet paper (I make no claims to the contrary). When that clock hits 5, I bolt. I’m out the door in the blink of an eye,…

  • Three Little Habits to Find Focus

    Leo
    10 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
    ‘Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for miseries and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.’ ~Blaise Pascal Post written by Leo Babauta. I’ll be the first to admit that I fall victim to the trap of the Internet — a wonderful empowering tool that can fill your day with distractions, a million little “productive” tasks that matter little, constant interruptions from messages and status updates. Who doesn’t fall victim to this? We are frittering our lives away. So how do we beat this? How do we make best use of the awesomeness of the…

  • How to Live Well

    Leo
    7 May 2012 | 2:59 pm
    ‘Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.’ ~Seneca Post written by Leo Babauta. I’m not a rich man, nor do I fly around the world and drink champagne with famous people in exotic locales, nor do I own a sports car or SUV or a yacht. And yet, I’m very happy. Much happier than seven years ago when I ate fried foods and sweets all time time and felt unhealthy and overweight, when I watched television and was out of shape, when I shopped a lot and was in debt, when I worked a job that paid fairly well and had no time for myself or my loved…

  • What I’ve Learned About Learning

    Leo
    3 May 2012 | 10:07 am
    ‘We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.’ ~Lloyd Alexander Post written by Leo Babauta. I am a teacher and an avid learner, and I’m passionate about both. I’m a teacher because I help Eva homeschool our kids — OK, she does most of the work, but I do help, mostly with math but with everything else too. I also teach habits, writing/blogging, simplicity and other fun topics in online courses. I’m a lifelong learner and am always obsessively studying something, whether that’s…

  • The 39th Lesson

    Leo
    30 Apr 2012 | 10:05 am
    Post written by Leo Babauta. Today (April 30) is my 39th Un-un-birthday, and as usual, the day is a good day to pause and reflect. Last year I wrote 38 Life Lessons I’ve Learned in 38 Years, and people seemed to find some use in it. This year, I thought I’d share an additional lesson I’ve learned: You’re not missing out. Our lives are often ruled by the Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO. (Never heard of FOMO? You’re missing out.) Some ways we let the fear of missing out rule us: We check email, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks often, in case we’re missing…
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    Guam Blog

  • Guam as a 'strategic hub'

    3 May 2012 | 11:24 am
    Takeaways from the “Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee."“In view of the increasingly uncertain security environment in the Asia-Pacific region … “... the U.S. intent to rebalance defense priorities toward the Asia-Pacific region ...”“.. support the development of Guam as astrategic hub ...”“In order to develop Guam as a strategic hub ..”What this means: -- The “increasingly uncertain security environment” is a clear reference to China’s naval development. Other than the pirates, there’s not much else going on in this region unless you…

  • One Guam, Green Guam, Glow Guam

    28 Apr 2012 | 9:52 am
    Nuclear power generation on Guam must be opposed with all heart and soul.For sure, energy prices are high on Guam but that’s because the island is excessively reliant on fossil fuels. It should turn its attention, instead, to alternative sources. This is not a knee-jerk response to the obvious risks that nuclear power brings. After Katrina hit New Orleans, architects and builders began to imagine a different city, one that’s less dependent on fossil fuels.  New Orleans is a good city to compare to Guam. New Orleans is ecologically fragile. Although it is part of the continental U.S.,…

  • Climate change and the lost islands

    5 Mar 2011 | 11:04 am
    The U.N. says it is vowing to help Pacific island states affected by climate change.  Its options are not good. The U.N. can't help these islands unless Washington comes to terms with climate change. But the U.S. seems to be in complete denial about it. The newly elected House Republicans want to cut climate science funding and strip the EPA of much of its regulatory power. It’s just amazing, really, how self-destructive we've become on this issue. This issue is entirely political unless you live in the Federated States of Micronesia, with many vulnerable sea level population…

  • Say goodbye to Guam war reparations

    24 Dec 2010 | 11:19 am
    Guam's longstanding effort for war reparations ought to have won passage by Congress this year. The island is facing major upheaval as a result of the build-up, and approval of reparations would have been one way for Congress to demonstrate to Guam that it honors the sacrifices that the people of the island have made. But it was rejected, once again, this year. That's probably it for war reparations; it has zero prospects in the next Congress.Consider the 9/11 health care bill, which began at more than $7 billion, but was chopped down to $4.3 billion. The 9/11 bill will help pay the…

  • The three phases of Guam's buildup

    6 Nov 2010 | 10:46 pm
    I loved the headline in the Guam NewsWatch. “Hillary Clinton Spends ‘Productive' Hour on Guam.” Delightful sarcasm, I hope. The buildup is now is entering several phases. One: The first is the babble phase. Guam isn’t registering with the news media and President Obama has crossed it off his list. There’s no interest in the Guam buildup in Washington and the Pentagon knows it.  It’s all done now and the Pentagon has sent out a new team to supervise the buildup.“We’re not going to build a new Marine Corps base ... and the Marines are going to move here and we…
 
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    www.sabete.org

  • Milestone

    sabete
    25 Apr 2012 | 8:49 am
    Yesterday Zoey read her first couple words all by herself! Cat, dog, fish … I’m so proud of her smarts.

  • Just an observation

    sabete
    16 Feb 2012 | 4:50 am
    Cookies bought with money never, ever taste as good as homemade.

  • snapshot #6

    sabete
    10 Feb 2012 | 6:10 am
    Me at this moment. The time is 10:05 p.m.: Sitting at the dining table with a daunting basket of clean, but unfolded, laundry. The whir of the Keurig as it brews me a lovely cup of English Breakfast Tea. A bang from upstairs and a cry from Zoey. Wayne took her up there a bit [...]

  • Long time no see

    sabete
    10 Feb 2012 | 5:49 am
    I’m thinking about getting back into the blog thing. For me, not for you. Not that there are many readers nowadays. This post may have set off a few Google Buzz feeds back in the day, but since Buzz is gone … I don’t see how anyone will bother coming around. Unless they find me [...]

  • Big update

    sabete
    20 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    Broke my images. I have a sneaking suspicion I deleted the uploaded files along with the WordPress ones when I updated. Argh. Will fix later.
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    Brad Boydston

  • The mysteries of creativity (1991)

    29 Apr 2012 | 11:08 pm

  • Simplistic but helpful

    19 Mar 2012 | 9:22 am
    Via: Online College Advice

  • Jumping flea watch

    1 Mar 2012 | 11:15 pm
    The 5-stringed  timple, native to the Canary Islands, is a close cousin to the ukulele.

  • Failure of imagination

    21 Feb 2012 | 11:54 pm
    The reason that so many young people are walking away from church is that they were not properly taught about the reliability and defendability of the scriptures when they were children in Sunday School. That argument is the essence of a blog rant that I was recently sucked into reading hoping that the writer might have some helpful insights. I would humbly suggest that the blogger has it backwards. As I see it, the real reason that we are failing to develop mature, convinced, and convincing followers of Christ among the younger generations is that we are still thinking like we’re in the…

  • Great concept but...

    18 Feb 2012 | 9:18 am
    One more potential for electronic glitch. (I still favor hand-crank windows over the electric windows.) Simpler is often better. But I have to admit that these doors have a high coolness rating.
 
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    La Vie Joie

  • I've caught a bug

    9 May 2012 | 10:32 am
    The name of that bug is Crossfit. Thanks to the encouragement from my friends at CR8 Crossfit, I am now a big fan. I signed up with Crossfit Tracy in mid April and I still look forward to going at least 4 days a week. I push for 5 though. If you haven't heard of crossfit, check it out at the links above and also at www.crossfit.com- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

  • Stars

    15 Jul 2011 | 5:33 pm
    Do you see the stars? I fell in love with these after seeing them on fellow bloggers. I was sad when they were sold out online (probably because it was on sale). I managed to add it to my wishlist after reading some tips on Effortless Anthropologie and it magically appeared as available a few days later. Here they are. Happy Feet!

  • bad bad bad

    31 May 2011 | 1:18 am
    I logged on to post and realized that it's been more than a  year since I last posted. Little X is not so little anymore. He went from being a tiny 8 lb 7oz baby to a 26 lb bundle of energy Our family and home have been turned upside down but all for the best. A year ago we were busy preparing for baby X and now we are busy preparing for his 1st birthday. I've let a lot of things go around the house. I keep it clean but piles keep piling up. My dining room table has become the mail sorting area. In my efforts to keep the kitchen counter clear, the mail has moved to the dining room table,…

  • Finding inspiration

    22 Mar 2010 | 6:44 pm
    I've been thinking a lot about the Boys' rooms. We will have two boys soon. We've been a family of three for quite some time and we're ready to expand. I'm not sure if our bank accounts are ready for the expansion but we'll figure it out. Our house is filled with bins and boxes. We stopped by Ikea last week and bought a new stand for our room. Our master bedroom is finally starting to look put together. Not bad after almost four years. I've finally parted with a bunch of stuff that I've been holding on too. I don't think I'll need my insurance bill from 2006. The shredder has been really…

  • Test Run

    22 Mar 2010 | 6:26 pm
    I must have eaten something that wasn't right because I did not feel well on Wednesday. Diarrhea and stomach cramping. I called the advice nurse just to check in with them and she advised that I be monitored to make sure these are not uterine contractions. I ended up staying the night as I had ketones in my urine, low potassium and PVCs while monitoring my heart rate. I was told ketones are a sign of dehydration and they fixed that by loading me up with IV fluids. The fixed the potassium issue with potassium laden IV fluids and oral potassium. The PVCs are not easily fixable. I have an…
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    Dave Owen's Guam Blog

  • One More Post on Graduation

    15 May 2012 | 4:54 am
      One of my favorite things about the graduation ceremony is getting to meet, and take pictures with, the graduates’ families and friends. Usually we hang around the venue and talk with people for a longer time than the actual program. There is always that feeling of accomplishment and relief and it is enjoyable to be able to share that with the PIU family. So here are a few more pictures of smiling graduates, or should I now be calling them alumni? On the left, the Owen’s and the Chorams. On the right Rommel Carino with Hartmut and Urte Scherer Rommel and family, Bible faculty Larry…

  • The Graduation Celebration

    13 May 2012 | 3:50 pm
      I have a lot of pictures of the celebration after the graduation ceremony which I will divide into two posts. This post has mostly pictures that Joyce and I took of us, graduates etc. The first two here are of the cake cutting ceremony. New PIU Board member Siska Hutapea did the honors with assistance from Nino Pate and me. Nino and Phil pose left with their future graduates while on the right we see Orichy Orichiro and Vivian Choram Graduates Johnny Esa and Ikol Suda Cita Tomada, Esther Tarkong and Joyce on the left, while Mike and Mo hit the dessert table Greg Calvo takes care of the…

  • PIU Graduation 2012

    13 May 2012 | 12:17 am
    Last Monday PIU held our commencement ceremony for our 2012 graduates. We had 27 graduates including 3 AA’s, 3 BA’s (in biblical studies) and three Master’s of Arts in Religion. This was the 10th graduation since I became the President of PIU on January 1, 2003. We had about 450 friends and family attending the ceremony at Saint Paul’s North Church in Yigo. With the pouring rain and large crowd it is probably a good thing that we did not have the graduation on campus this year. It was a beautiful ceremony and we are very proud of our graduates. Many of them are already headed back to…

  • First Annual PIU 5K Run and Walk

    11 May 2012 | 10:01 pm
    Dark and early this morning  Titus and I got up to go run in the 1st Annual PIU 5K Run and Walk. One of our goals this year at PIU is to do a better job of connecting to and serving the local community here on island and the 5K is a part of that. It was great to meet new people and to hear so many people “wow, this is such a nice campus, I should have come up here sooner.” The race began on the campus at 6 AM, went out through the gate, through our neighborhood and then out on to Route 15 and then turned around and finished back on campus at the starting line. We had over 140 runners…

  • Some More Pictures of Baccalaureate

    11 May 2012 | 8:29 pm
      I promised a few more pictures of the baccalaureate service. We had some camera issues during the ceremony but I was able to get some pictures of the celebration after. Here are a few of them. On the left the faculty are honored by the graduates and on the right Rommel Carino gives his Salutatorian speech       The Chapel Worship team got the program off to a good start. Pastor Philip Bradley of Agana Heights Baptist was the main speaker and Nino Pate, PIU Exec. Administrator led the award ceremony Rommel’s family filled a large part of the audience The ladies in the…
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    NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

  • Occupied Okinawa #5: My Unused Pokemon Metaphor

    14 May 2012 | 9:14 pm
    The past few days have involved alot of very interesting discussion about the possibilities for Okinawa to become an independent country or seek greater autonomy from Japan. While at the conference that I attended most people were sympathetic in some ways to an independent Okinawa, some were still very resistant. If you are from Guam, then you may not think that Guam is very close to becoming independent. You may think of it as being an idea that only a few people take seriously. You would be right for the most part, but you would also be diminishing the fact that over the past 40 years Guam…

  • Occupied Okinawa #4: Beyond the Base

    14 May 2012 | 8:50 pm
    In Guam we are already very accustomed to thinking about military bases as being essential, safe and secure engines for an economy. This is true to some extent. In Guam, the military presence and strategic importance opened many doors in terms of Federal funding that Guam would not have received otherwise. Furthermore, the local economy is supported by the income taxes payments for Federal employees on Guam, and that gives some stability to the coffers of GovGuam. The military is also a chance for economic improvement and was something that played a very significant role in creating a middle…

  • Occupied Okinawa #3: Independence for Okinawa

    13 May 2012 | 8:05 am
    The symposium at Okinawa International University that I attended and had the privileged to speak at today and yesterday is historical I’ve been told. While speakers and organizers were introducing themselves, it became clear that not only were all of them liberal and critical, they were all openly supportive of Independence for Okinawa. This conference on decolonization and demilitarization is one of the first public gatherings of academics who want Okinawa to become an independent state. Given my experiences over the years interacting with Okinawan activists I knew that this wasn’t the…

  • Occupied Okinawa #2: Life Without Pictures

    12 May 2012 | 5:41 pm
    During my first day here in Okinawa I ended up taking 600 pictures.When I go on trips like this I often end up taking a lot of pictures so I have plenty of evidence when I go back to Guam that I indeed did travel somewhere else and talk to people, look at things, etc.When I was in Hiroshima in 2010 for the World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs I was methodically taking pictures of every speaker, no matter who they were, even if they weren't really that interesting. I would take at least three pictures of every speaker, each from a different angle. A European at the conference…

  • Occupied Okinawa #1: Tinituhun

    11 May 2012 | 7:54 pm
    I will be in Okinawa for the next 10 days. Over the course of that time I will give several academic presentations at different universities to both professors and students about the historical and contemporary connections between Guam and Okinawa. I will also be meeting with some local political leaders and community organizations who are committed to demilitarization on the island. Ed Alvarez, the Director of the Decolonization Commission organized this trip through cooperation with some universities. He will be speaking on Guam's political status and current efforts to decolonize. Former…
 
 
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