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Lunch with Wendy
2007-07-24 23:18:00
I had lunch with Wendy Doromal yesterday.I had chicken and she had a caesar salad.THE END...just kidding.Wendy emailed me a few weeks ago and told me that she was coming to Saipan and that she'd like to meet me. I guess she reads my blog.She called me yesterday and took me out to lunch. (That's right, folks, she bribed me with chicken...and it worked)It turns out that Wendy teaches in the Orange County Public School system. I am a proud product of OCPS. Go Winter Park Wildcats! She also knows several of my friends in Orlando, like Sandra Diaz who works at (worked at?) Dandelion Communitea Cafe and Representative Scott Randolph, my former roommate.Small world, huh?So.Wendy has been a thorn in the side of the CNMI government for well over a decade. Here is a letter to the editor in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin written in 1997 by they guy who used to have Charles Reyes job:Northern Marianas got unfair coverageCongratulations for a masterful job in helping the Filipino Coalition for Sol...
More About: Lunch , Immigration , Human Rights , Labor

Rotary Club Las Vegas Night
2007-07-24 05:25:00
I just bought a book of tickets to the Rotary Club Las Vegas Night to be held at World Resort on August 18. A book costs $20 and has five tickets. I need one ticket for EJ and one for myself.Anybody want three free tickets?If you want to buy tickets, contact your favorite Rotary Club member. I recommend calling Laurie Peterka at 483-7499.Proceeds will go to ISK8 to help them build a skatepark.

More proof that I am Harry Potter
2007-07-24 02:27:00
EJ was born on the same day that James and Lily Potter died. Whoa....******The front page of the Marianas Variety contains stories about Smokin' Matty G's crusade to legalize ol' Smoky and about Governor Fitial's ongoing man crush on Jack Abramoff.My advice:Drop the marijuana thing and start saying that Jack Abramoff screwed the CNMI out of $11 million...and stop saying what a great friend he is and how much he helped us.Jack Abramoff is at the center of the largest corruption scandal in United States history. He broke Federal law and now he's sitting in a prison cell. Delay had to resign his seat. Pombo was defeated in 2006. Doolittle is under investigation. Zachares is going to prison. These guys are all criminals. Why are you defending them? Worse, why are you defending them using CNMI government letterhead?You are known by the company you keep. Defending them makes you, me, and everyone else living in the CNMI look like a criminal.******Andrew and Suz from Operation Rota wi...
More About: Harry Potter , Proof , Harry

A Mistake in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
2007-07-23 02:58:00
Alright, so I haven't actually taken the time to research this idea, but I think that there may be one error in Deathly Hallows .STOP READING THIS IF YOU ARE NOT AT LEAST HALF WAY THROUGH DEATHLY HALLOWSAlright, so you know how in book six the spell that Dumbledore cast on Harry broke as soon as Dumbledore died? Does that mean that all spells are broken when the wizard casting it dies?If so, how were Moody's spells protecting 12 Grimwald Place able to work?Please explain.
More About: Harry Potter , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Potter

7th Blogger Meetup on Wednesday
2007-07-23 01:06:00
I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows late Saturday night. I have since reentered the Muggle world. I'll hold off discussing the book until you slow readers out there can catch up.So.Wednesday is the last Wednesday of July and that means that we have another blogger meetup at Java Joes at 7 PM.Will Rick Jones have someone on staff to make chicken nuggets for Jeff?Will Harry and Bree (the enviro-bitch-who-shall-not-be-linked) make up (probably not, Bree's in Bali)?Will Walt give another speech?Who will get the honor of buying me a beer?You'll have to come to the meetup to find out.P.S. Saipan's Sexiest Male Blogger will be crowned at Blogger Meetup . Please bring a gift to his coronation.
More About: Logger

RP Consul: My fellow Pinoys, shut up and take it like a bitch
2007-07-22 23:57:00
I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this story about RP Consul General Wilfredo Maximo telling the Filipino community not to participate in a boycott of Juan Guerrero's businesses.Maybe I'm oversimplifying the problem, but let's see, if you are a foreign worker you can't vote, you could lose your job and have to go home at any time, and nobody on the Hill has your interests in mind. EVER.Considering the status of most overseas workers, a boycott seems like a pretty good way to get your message across. It says, "Hey, Juan, go ahead and screw us...because we're going to screw you right back."The only people to be hurt by this boycott are Guerrero and his employees. There will be no net loss of jobs, because unlike the boycott of Jollibee, there are plenty of other businesses that can perform the services offered by Guerrero. He does not hold a Monopoly on baking bread, arranging travel plans, or sending money to the Philippines.I find it appalling that the so called leaders o...
More About: Politics , Immigration , Labor , Bitch , Like

First Person in America to own Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!
2007-07-21 01:30:00
At 6 AM Standard Chamorro Time, I used a magic marker to draw a lighting shaped scar on my forehead and drove over to Bestseller Books in Susupe. At 6:10 AM, 2 hours and 50 minutes before the official release of the new book, I was the first person in line!I killed the time by reading the Saipan Tribune. Then I ate my donuts from Winchell's. Then I did the crossword puzzle. Then I did the other crossword puzzle.FYI:John Perez screwed up the Coed Soccer story. He wrote that Brad had the assist in our last game. NO! I had the assist. Bastards!The line never got that long. There were probably about 40 more people that showed up between 6:10 AM and 9:00 AM. Power 99 was there for the kickoff. Between songs they were asking Harry Potter trivia questions and giving t-shirts to the winners. I knew that Rubius was Hagrid's first name, Sami knew that Harry's wand was made of Holly and a Phoenix's tale, and Zoe knew that the Sorcerer's Stone was held in Gringotts vault 713. How the hell ...
More About: America , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Spoiler , Deathly Hallows

He-who-must-not-recieve-any-more-votes
2007-07-20 07:57:00
Why is Brad winning the Saipan 's Sexiest Male Blogger poll? Oh, I know. He's sending out mass emails and posting bulletins on Myspace, that's why.Jeff Turbitt has decided to hit back. His campaign has gone negative.It is not too late to vote or to change your vote. In a post-9/11 Saipan, we can't have someone like Brad named as Saipan's Sexiest Male Blogger.Think of the children.Vote.
More About: Must , Votes , Reci

No really, I am Harry Potter
2007-07-20 00:54:00
Tomorrow, at 9 AM Chamorro Standard Time I will pick up a brand new copy of the final Harry Potter book. I'll have it about 5 hours before everyone on the East Coast.Heck yeah!So.Prepare yourself for a story:I first picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in April 2000, the day after my last day in college.During my last week of college, my father fell ill and was hospitalized in Saipan. His condition was so bad that he was med-evacuated to Hawaii. As I studied for my final exams I knew that there was a pretty good chance that I would have to fly to Hawaii to be by his side. In preparation for that, instead of getting ready for Beach Week, when all University of Richmond Seniors hang out for one last week between their final exams and graduation, I was packing to return to Florida immeadiatly following my last exam.I loaded my car ahead of time and left Richmond minutes after handing in my final exam (I don't remember which one it was). When I arrived in Florida 12 hou...
More About: Otter , Really

Caption Contest III
2007-07-20 00:48:00
I have declared Mona the winner of Caption Contest II.This is fun.Here is the picture for Caption Contest III:Leave your caption in the comments. The winner gets...nothing.
More About: Soccer

What is Beautify CNMI?
2007-07-19 02:51:00
Katie is going to some conference later this month and needs a short presentation explaining Beautify CNMI! I took the first part of the Year in Review video and added some music, text, and a few pictures. Check it out:What do you think?
More About: Youtube

Brokeback COED Soccer
2007-07-19 02:19:00
What is going on in these three pictures:Why is Norm's hand in a fist and what is he doing to Bruce?Um, yeah, no comment on this one.You're fabulous, Yosh! Simply fabulous!More pictures from the Dread Pirates vs Pika Raiders game can be found on the NMIFA blog.
More About: Soccer

Caption Contest II
2007-07-18 08:23:00
I have declared Jeff the winner of the Caption Contest I.Here is the picture for Caption Contest II:Leave your caption in the comments. The winner gets...nothing.
More About: Random

The Conversation Has Changed
2007-07-18 07:51:00
This month I have stumbled across two blogs from two different American couples moving to the CNMI in the next few weeks.Andrew and Suz at Operation Rota are moving to Rota. They arrive on July 25 (next week!). Suz is going to be a teacher and Andrew is going to be, to use Walt's terminology, a Nomadpreneur.Terri and Kevan are moving to Tinian. Their blog's name is Tinian Times and they arrive on August 31. Terri is going to be a physician assistant and Kevin is going to write that book that has been "rambling around in his head."In their Welcome to our Blog post, Kevan discuss some of their considerations in moving to the CNMI. He mentions some of the negative things, but freely admits that the negative is balanced out by the positive and that the CNMI is not alone in having ups and downs.I expect these four people to contribute greatly to the fabric of our community and local blogosphere. No one is currently blogging regularly about life in Rota and Tinian and there is very litt...
More About: Conversation , Chang , Chan , The Con

Dekada calls for a boycott!
2007-07-17 08:17:00
Hey, I may not be an Overseas Filipino Worker (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I have a lot of friends who are. One of them forwarded me this text message:FWD: MSG. FR. 788XXXX. JUAN T. GUERRERO-OWNER OF WESTERN UNION & HERMANS BKRY IS AGAINST FDRAL TAKEOVER! 2 ALL OFW DO NOT PATRONIZE.A few years ago a group of OFWs boycotted Brad's favorite hangout, Jollibee. They were protesting Ray Yumul's version of the Labor bill currently making the headlines. They were successful in killing the bill.I am told that this boycott is being led by Dekada. I tried calling the phone number in the message to confirm, but no one answered. I don't know whose phone it is, so I feel uncomfortable publishing the number. I am the CNMI's #3 WMD (Written Media Doohickey); that would be unethical.All of those readers looking at pictures of dancing monkeys might, well, let's just not go there.
More About: Calls , Boycott

Soccer it to me, baby!
2007-07-17 01:56:00
NMIFA Coed Summer League action continues tonight at the Airport Field at 5:15. The Greatest Coed Soccer Team Ever, Guns n Roses , takes on Team Canadian Thunder, Wild Bill's.EJ has promised that she will score a goal tonight, becoming the first female in Coed Summer League history to score a goal.I'll post pictures later tonight...maybe.
More About: Sports , Baby

A Battle is Raging
2007-07-17 00:43:00
Only one shall be named Saipan 's Sexiest Male Blogger...and it doesn't look like it will be me. In fact, it doesn't look like I'll even make the top three. That honor currently goes to:#3 - Dr. David KhorramAlright, this one I can understand. Chicks dig doctors. Enough said.#2 - Brad RuszalaAre all of our voters short Asian girls? Is that why Captain Guns is getting so many votes?Sure he has a face that only a mother could love, but he is on the National Football Team, cracks a funny joke once in a while, and can drink more strawberry daquiris that a freshman Delta Delta Delta.I would never suggest that a voter not vote for a candidate (no mudslinging in this contest!), but I'm not looking forward to listening to Brad talk about being Saipan's Sexiest Man Blogger for the rest of, well, eternity.#1 - Harry Blalock Alright, I don't own a radio, so I don't listen to Harry's show. Is he campaigning on his radio show? Is he telling listeners that he'll only play their requests ...
More About: Battle

Why Federalization Now?
2007-07-16 01:53:00
This Federal Takeover business has been hanging over the CNMI's head for well over a decade. Of course we could have done something about it by raising the minimum wage and actually doing more to stop the abuses...but the time for that conversation has long passed.So why Federalization now?Well, this was in the Marianas Variety today:Stayman: Military build-up a factor in drafting federalization billBy Gemma Q. CasasVariety News StaffTHE anticipated U.S. military build-up in Guam and the Pacific Region was among the major considerations in the drafting of the CNMI immigration federalization bill, according to Allen Stayman, senior staff member in-charge of insular affairs of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.In an e-mail, Stayman said the increased military activity in the Pacific region was seriously considered in drafting S. 1634, or the Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Implementation Act.?Increased military activity in the region is one of several consid...

How did I miss this?
2007-07-16 01:35:00
Did anyone else notice that Crimestoppers is offering rewards to report illegal aliens? How fucked up is that?Will Crimestoppers reward children who report their overstaying parents? That is like something out of George Orwell's 1984.Why waste time going after the individuals? That is a never ending battle. For every individual deported, three take their place. Shouldn't the government go after the businesses and locals employing illegals instead? If a business gets caught, shut it down...or at least fine them. Heavily.In doing so, the government could shut down all of the whore houses (operating as karaoke clubs and massage parlors) employing overstaying, out of work garment workers. It would also level the playing field for those businesses playing by the rules.Unless of course the government thinks that whore houses are good for the economy...
More About: Immigration , Miss

36 Flame Trees Planted in Koblerville
2007-07-15 23:29:00
Beautify CNMI has several long term goals. We want to promote Ecotourism in the CNMI (there is currently no Ecotourism here), we want to restore and promote many of our historical landmarks (i.e. the Japanese Jail and the Lighthouse) as tourist/historical sites, we want to reduce illegal dumping and littering, and we want to create an interconnected system of parks and trails.One of those parks is going to be located on top of the old airstrip in Koblerville, currently the site of the Koberville Youth Center and Substation.We started work on this project last year. We took an overgrown old abandoned airstrip littered with trash and grafitti and simply started cleaning.We mowed the grass. We got rid of the weeds. We painted over the grafitti.We've kept this up for almost a year.Last month, with the involvement of several government entities, we helped open up the Koblerville Youth Center. For almost a month now, we've participated in Family Fun Night, held at the Youth Center every...
More About: Trees , Flame Trees , Plant , Lame , Ville

Unofficial NMIFA Blog
2007-07-14 23:15:00
The Master List of Saipan Blog s now stands at 97 blogs. Anyone know of three more blogs that I haven't found yet?One of those 97 is the new Unofficial NMIFA Blog, started by Brad and me. I want it to be a blog written by the NMIFA players, for the players...and anyone else who wants to read it.Are you an NMIFA player/blogger? Want to contribute?Just send me an email and I'll add you.
More About: Sports , Soccer , Blogging , Official

On Nicknames
2007-07-14 20:45:00
One day my father was drunk or otherwise temporarily insane and came up with nicknames for his five boys. They were, from oldest to youngest, Taiger, Taipan, Taiphoon, Taicho, and Memong (I think Memong was born after the glorious renaming).Thank God my father didn't get to name us.You may have noticed that the names of the four older boys all begin with "Tai." I don't know why; they just do. In Chamorro, when someone's last name starts with "Tai," it means "no" or "without." For example, the last name Taitano means "no land." My father, "the champion of indigenous rights," would have been very well aware of that.Therefore it follows that Alex is "No Pan" or maybe "No Bread," Abraham is "No Phoon" or perhaps "Landline Only," and Solomon is "No Cho" or in Japanese "not profitable."What was he trying to say?Oh yeah, I can't think of anything funny for Taiger. I'm accepting nominations.While I've always hated mine, my younger brothers like there nicknames. Alex uses Taipan...
More About: Random , Nicknames , Ames , Names

EJ and Deece say that I am The It
2007-07-14 09:22:00
EJ and Deece tagged me. EJ's tag is for 8 random things and Deece's is for 8 lasts. I decided to post 8 last emotions, but I posted it over at Daily Pic.Check it out.I tagged Alex, Mom, Steve, Tony, Mona, Melissa, Jeff, and Gus.
More About: Random , Tagged

Disappointed
2007-07-14 04:53:00
The new and FINAL Harry Potter book comes out a week from today.My name is the second one on the list of people that have reserved a copy at Saipan's only bookstore, Bestseller Books. For weeks they have told me that I would be able to buy the book at midnight.They lied.They are not going to be selling the book at midnight; I am going to have to wait until 9 AM.I hate you, Bestseller Books....and I'll see you at 9 AM next Saturday.
More About: Sapp

Fitial has a friend in Dengre....NOT!
2007-07-13 08:59:00
Dengre has posted a new blog about our Governor titled "He?s in DC... Can we arrest him now?" Here is the intro:One of the key players in the Abramoff/Republican Corruption Scandal is in Washington DC tonight. He was there for the bribes, the payoffs, the secret deals between Jack and the Bush White House. He benefited from the crimes and did his part to further the GOP Criminal Conspiracy.He is an architect of the system of human trafficking and abuse that has flourished on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for over 25 years. The sweatshops, forced prostitution, money laundering, gambling, graft, corruption and incompetence that have become synonymous with the rogue US Territory in the Western Pacific are all by-products of his criminal career.His name is Benigno R. (Ben) Fitial. He is the Governor of the CNMI. Jack and Tom got him the gig.Can we arrest him now?Click HERE to read Dengre's full Dailykos Diary.Dengre reads my blog, so if you are not yet registe...
More About: Friend

A Happy Ending for Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo
2007-07-13 08:25:00
The waiting is over. Miss New Jersey decided to go ahead and release her naughty pictures. She isn't naked, drunk, drugged, or otherwise doing something illegal or against her Christian upbringing.In fact, the pictures are really, really lame. EJ takes better pictures with her camera when we go to Godfather's in Garapan.This is from CNN:Miss New Jersey can keep her crown despite photos that show her acting "not in a ladylike manner."Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo blew kisses to audience members during the announcement.Hours after a nervous Amy Polumbo went public Thursday with photos of herself that had been sent anonymously to pageant officials, those officials decided the pictures did not merit stripping her of the title."I'm very happy about this decision, and I look forward to resuming my agenda as Miss New Jersey," said a smiling Polumbo, who blew kisses to audience members during the announcement.The beauty pageant winner apologized for the trouble the pictures had caused and ...
More About: Katie Rees , Happy , Miss Nevada

If I was in charge
2007-07-13 04:22:00
The Marianas Visitors Authority semi-annual meeting is well into its third hour. My brain is going numb. 7 more minutes of the "Panel Discussion" and I can eat....So.Just a thought:The MVA Branding Adhoc Committee has decided that "Play, Relax, Enjoy" should be our slogan. I don't like it. If Smokin' Matty G can hook us up with a law legalizing marijuana, I would prefer "Smoke, Shag, Snorkle."Just kidding.I've got a few other critiques, but I'll get to those later. Before I put my foot in my mouth, I'm going to see if I can get a copy of the 12 minute video explaining all the work that MVA has done in the last six months. I'll put it up on Youtube if I get a copy.Well, I will make one more critique:NO MORE PANEL DISCUSSIONS
More About: Tourism , Charge , Marijuana , Char

Link Referral
2007-07-12 11:38:00
Harry just published his thoughts on Link Refer ral on his blog. If it is good enough for the current leader in the poll to become Saipan's Sexiest Male Blogger, then I figure it is good enough for me.Basically, Link Referral is a website designed to drive traffic to your website. Webmasters sign up with Link Referral, pick a category for their website, and write up a little "my blog is about" blurb.Link Referral then allows other webmasters to comment on your website. The websites ranked the highest rise to the top of the rankings.Link Referral wants to promote the ranking of the different websites, so the benefit to the webmaster of ranking other websites is that their website will rise in the rankings with every review that they make...did you follow that?So technically, even if your website sucks, as long as you sit around making reviews all day, you can keep your website at the top of the rankings.Harry has been using the service for about a month and has received just over 100...
More About: Miss New Jersey , Ferr

Taya Talent Undefeated!
2007-07-12 01:00:00
The Morgan Rose Pika Raiders were no match for Brad & Angelo's Guns n Roses...just kidding. We tied 1-1.John "I once shot myself in the eye with a pellet gun" Mafnas scored in the first minute of play off a wide open pass from Adam. Damn it!We tried to return the favor for almost the entire game, scoring only in the last ten minutes off of a corner kick from Allen to Chris Nelson.Hell yeah!The Coed League is going great so far. Both games have been really exciting, nobody was seriously injured, and all of the teams seem to be pretty evenly matched (Suck on that one Yosh and Dale).After the game I went home to take a shower so that I could go see....HARRY FRICKIN' POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!!!!!!!After a quick dinner at Cafe at the Park with EJ, I met up with Sami, her friend Jesse, Bree, Dough, Litcelle, and Bev for the 9:50 showing.One of the great things about life in Saipan is that you can show up 60 minutes before the start of the biggest movie of the year and be the ...
More About: Sports , Harry Potter , Soccer , George W Bush , Order of the Phoenix

Bald and Talkative is the New Sexy
2007-07-11 08:37:00
Harry Blalock thinks he is new to blogging, but he's actually been doing it for several years. Although Harry has only been blogging at Saipan Diver for just over a month, he has been publishing his weekly Food for Thought column online since ever since. He didn't even know that what he was writing was a blog!In addition to blogging, Harry has a morning radio talk show called Island Issues. I imagine that he'll eventually get into podcasting because, man, does this guy like to talk (Just ask EJ, who says Harry is like a talkative lady).Harry is a member of the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Hair Club for Men. In his spare time he enjoys SCUBA, shell collecting, and sticking it to politicians.Harry was shocked to find out that he had been nominated for Saipan's Sexiest Male Blogger.I'm shocked that he's winning.
More About: Sexy