John Joyner goes to Godfathers

I knew I wanted to be John Joyner for Halloween the minute I saw him at the September Chamber of Commerce meeting.

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery.

There aren't a lot of bright green pants available in the Saipan stores, so I went with a slightly darker, forest green. Even those were hard to find.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Local Campaigns on Youtube

I just found the Youtube accounts of the congressional delegate candidates. Greg Sablan has two accounts. He has this one and this one. John Gonzales has one here and Luis Crisostimo has one here.

If there are other Youtube accounts from the candidates out there, please let me know and I'll link to them.

Election Watching Party!

The Democratic Party of Garapan will host an election results viewing party at Hawaii Bar on Wednesday, November 5 starting at 11 AM. There will be two wide screen TVs showing news coverage.

The first polls close at 9 AM local Chamorro standard time and the last poll closes on the West Coast at noon, so we might know who is the next president by early afternoon.

All Hockey Moms and Joe Sixpacks are invited! Members of all political parties, religions, and/or ideologies are welcome to attend, as long as you support Barack Obama.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase...and I promise to buy a round of drinks every time Obama wins a state.

Don't Let This Happen to YOU!!!

Don't forget to vote next Tuesday!

Why I hate Virginia

I lived in Virginia for four years while I was getting my Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Richmond. Before school started my freshman year, I was invited to attend "minority" orientation...which was separate from "international" orientation.

The Fall 1996 "minority" orientation consisted of the basketball team, the football team, one skinny gay black guy (Hi, John!), the coolest black girl I ever met (Hi, Aisha!), and a skinnier, younger me.

Growing up in Saipan, London, Massachusetts and Florida, diversity was always, well, diverse. For starters, I was the white kid in Saipan and the American kid in England. In Massachusetts, the kids living down the street were Cambodian and we knew families from Egypt and Somalia. In Florida my friends on the cross country team were Korean and Cuban.

Not in Virginia.

In Virginia, diversity (at least in the 1990s) was black or white. Oh, and I shit you not, at almost every function they served us fried chicken.

So when I read the following in a CNN story this morning, I was instantly reminded that there are still places in America where people think only in black and white, both literally and figuratively.

"We're here to show our support for John McCain and Sarah Palin," Easterling tells me. "We like their strategy on the economy and everything they say. He's an honest man, he doesn't lie and she's the same."

Most of all though, Easterling doesn't like Barack Obama. "I'm scared to death of him," she admits. "I'm scared of what he stands for, the whole nine yards. He hangs with the terrorists and he lies. He never tells the truth and he's a flip-flopper. He's not to be trusted."

Hardenburgh meanwhile has picked out a badge featuring a mocked-up image of a stars-and-stripes bikini-clad Palin wielding a rifle with the slogan "Caribou Barbie Shoot First!"

"That's what I like about her, right there," he says, pinning it to his Harley Davidson jacket. [emphasis mine]

So let me get this straight, McCain is honest and trustworthy and Obama is a lying terrorist? Are you kidding me? Maybe I'm reading into this too deeply, but anyone who really thinks Barack Hussein Obama is a terrorist is a racist of the simplest sort. Attack him as an inexperienced, effeminate, tax and spend, baby killing, anti-gun, latte sipping intellectual, but give me a break with the terrorist BS.

A message from the President

...and of course there is Sarah Palin's first press conference:


Gotta love SNL!

Wazzup 2008

I hate to overdo it with the Youtube videos, but this one is a must see.

This is the original Budweiser commercial from 1999 - 2000:


I still remember one of the guys at work saying WAZZZZUUUUUP every 30 seconds or so during the summer of 2000. That was followed by, "I'm sorry Miss Jackson...," "I'm Rick James, BITCH" and "WHHHHAT!?!"

One Week to Go!!!

I've posted this video before, but with one week to go...Viva Obama!

Blog Downer

I have to admit, Must Be the Humidity is the Saipan blog I visit most often.  I think it is the only blog I visit on a daily basis.  I hate admitting that, but there aren't as many frequent bloggers as there was just one year ago.

Mike Tripp, Boni, Tamara post every once in a while.

Cinta, Gus, Walt, Brad, and Middle Road hardly ever post.

Harry and David have quit blogging and  Jeff and Bev have moved.

WTF, mate?

Will some people please start blogging so that I have something to read?  I feel like I lost friends when you guys stopped blogging about Saipan.  Am I missing something?  Are there any other blogs out there I should be reading?

Hmmm...Maybe I should update The Master List or maybe we need another Saipan's Best Blog Contest?

Mariana Trench Posters

These posters were created to hang in businesses, classrooms, etc. They also make for good banners on websites. I have some in the office. Ask nicely and I can give you one.

Vote for Scott Randolph

My former roommate, Scott Randolph, is running for reelection in Florida House District 36. He was recently endorsed by the Orlando Sentinel on October 9, a newspaper that usually endorses Republicans (although they endorsed Kerry in 2004):

As a legislator, Scott Randolph remains a work in progress. The Democrat is much improved over his rookie season, when we labeled him as "class clown" for some bizarre proposals like awarding a sales-tax rebate on ticket sales only to teams with winning records.

Two years later, he's become a strong champion for education. He also advocates a much more open process in setting a state budget, and he supports commuter rail.

He also showed concerns for consumers by filing a bill to stop predatory-lending practices.

Stephen Villard, Mr. Randolph's Republican opponent, ran unsuccessfully for Orlando mayor years ago. He was a no-show at several candidate forums in 2000, and declined an interview with the Sentinel's Editorial Board for this election. Of the two, he's the one behaving like a class clown.

The Sentinel endorses Scott Randolph in District 36.

Biba Scott! Bota Scott!

Best Halloween Costume on Saipan

Last night Sarah Palin winked at me. It was awesome. Too bad I already voted for Obama.

So why was Sarah Palin drinking campaigning at Godfather's last night? No she's not here to hunt whale sharks from a helicopter, last night was the Red Cross' Club 200!

And I didn't go!

Yeah, lame, I know. Club 200 is the biggest event of the year. All the cool good-looking people go there. I went in 2006, but last year I was in Laos.  Now I'm a two year no show.  Oh well, there's always next year.

Anyway, Club 200 was a Halloween party this year. I missed out on the fun. Stupid work budget.

I've got a pretty awesome costume lined up for next weekend. I don't want to give too much away, but it involves a purple shirt, green pants, and a new haircut. Now if I can just find some red suspenders...

The Color of Flame Trees

Somebody remarked that our T-shirts are the color of the flame trees, our national tree. How cool is that?

An Environmental Afternoon

The Friends of the Monument turned over 5593 signatures in support of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument at American Memorial National Park this afternoon. They also turned in 201 business petitions, that is petitions signed by business owners and managers.

Kudos to the Friends of the Monument and to Chairman Ignacio V. Cabrera for all their months of hard work. Over 60 volunteer signature gatherers helped collect the (now) 5600+ signatures over 4 months. Kudos also to the volunteers from Marianas High School and Saipan Southern High School who volunteered their time to put all the names into a database. Finally, kudos to Christina who punched holes in all the petition pages in order to load them into the binder.

Right after the Friends turned over the petitions to American Memorial Park I participated in a Beautify CNMI tree planting. Members of the Kanagawa Trucking Association from Japan were on Saipan and they wanted to become a part of Beautify CNMI.

Aya Matsumoto set up a tree planting event for them and we planted two young flame tree saplings at American Memorial Park. Cinta Kaipat and her family, Ranger Rheanna, Brad Doerr, Mr. Horiguchi from Paseo de Marianas Promoters and I were there to serve as Commonwealth Ambassadors to the visiting Japanese businessmen.

The visiting guests gave us Kanagawa Trucking Association shirts and several boxes of Yokohama Shiomai, which I take it is what Yokohama is known for. Not a bad afternoon, if you ask me.

Managaha Morning

I spent a much needed morning on Managaha Friday. I went swimming, saw some fish, took a nap and read on the beach.

I also got in some tourist watching.

My favorite was the fat Korean kid in a speedo.

I love the way the Japanese and Korean tourists dress when they go to Managaha. Undoubtedly there will be a handful of people dressed like Darth Vader, covered from head to toe so as not to let any sunlight touch their skin. These tourists are usually found in the shade covered in a blanket.

Amazing.

Then, of course, you've got your Korean and Japanese bikini babes* taking pictures of one another.

Chi-Zu!

Jeff Turbitt's second best reason for living on Saipan was the Japanese Bikini Girls. Makes you wonder why he ever moved?

Not a bad morning. I need to get out there more often.

*bikini is one of the top search terms for people finding my blog. Shameless, yes. Effective, absolutely.

An Open Letter to President Bush

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

The Friends of the Monument was formed in the spring of 2008 to express the voice of the local community and consists of a cross-section of indigenous and resident people of the CNMI who are dedicated to the conservation, preservation and protection of marine flora, fauna and geological features of the oceans; and the creation and proper management of a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

We, the Friends of the Marinas Trench Marine Monument, thank you and support your interest in declaring the marine ecosystems surrounding the three northernmost islands of Uracus, Maug, and Asuncion as a marine national monument, in accordance with the Antiquities Act of 1906. Declaring the waters as a monument under the Act would expedite the process of bringing protection to the precious resources found in the waters there, while establishing specific federal responsibilities toward governance of the monument, and enhancing our ocean legacy.

Additionally, we ask that you specifically include in the language of the Executive Order under the Antiquities Act that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through its National Marine Sanctuaries Program, be the federal agency that administers, co-manages, and enforces the monument, along with the CNMI.

Furthermore, any co-management agreement must anticipate unknowns and allow for responsible change. The management arrangement, goals, and objectives of the monument should be reviewed on a regular 10-year basis.

The health of the world's oceans has declined drastically over the past several hundred years, and we believe the most effective means of restoring their wellbeing is through the setting aside of large no-take zones or sanctuaries, such as the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. This would offer marine life a safe haven.

We believe that the creation of a monument in our northern waters would generate many benefits for the CNMI. The monument will enhance the stature of the CNMI on the world stage as a contributor toward the revitalization of the world's oceans, and as a contributor to the Micronesia Challenge to set aside and effectively conserve 30 percent of the region's near-shore resources by 2020. The monument would also provide countless benefits to the people of the CNMI.

We have taken the liberty of spelling out a number of the benefits, in the form of a vision that we believe would accrue from the monument. These fall into six categories: management and enforcement, culture and tradition, conservation, education, research, and economic development, which we address, in turn, below.

Management and Enforcement, by which we mean not only management of the monument once it is declared, but also the process of defining how the monument would function once it is established.

The Friends envision that the federal and local government officials will co-manage the monument. We would like the Friends to be involve in this co-management; we are sure that there are innovative means for our members' support and contribution. For example, we hope that the initial Advisory Committee for the Monument includes members of the Friends and other conservation-minded people who actively supported the creation of the monument.

Additionally, critical to see these efforts are the necessary resources to enforce any protections established by a special designations. With this regard, we would request your assistance with the necessary equipment, training and support to properly enforce the designated area. We envision having planes and boats for enforcement and patrol. In order to better manage and enforce the protections of the monument, we suggest that all vessels entering the monument area should be required to carry a VMS tracking system and adopt strict invasive marine and terrestrial species prevention measures.

Culture and Tradition, by which we mean the lifestyle, practices and beliefs of the Chamorro and Carolinian peoples that have been handed down from generation to generation.

The Friends believe, first of all, that the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures and tradition must be treated with respect, and taken into full account in decisions that are made about the management and use of the monument. We should take into consideration the precepts of our indigenous culture and tradition when deciding issues like, for example, sustenance fishing, canoe travel and other similar matters.

Conservation, by which we mean the protection and preservation of the marine ecosystems and their interrelationship with land ecosystems; and their continued presence and existence in the future.

The proposed monument contains some of the world's most unique habitats and unusual features, such as chemosynthetic and photosynthetic organisms living side-by-side, mud volcanoes, vent communities and other natural wonders. One of these is volcanic coral reefs, which occur nowhere else in Micronesia. The coral reefs that exist there are flourishing and vibrant, and need protection to help guard our planet from the threat of global warming and potentially act as a source of corals for other marine areas.

The Friends acknowledge that people of the CNMI and the world have historically relied on the oceans for food and other resources. We believe that the need for continued availability of our precious, limited marine resources does not conflict with conservation. We believe that creating the monument will help increase the oceans' abundance by contributing to the survival and recovery of depleted marine resources and biodiversity.

Education, by which we mean both formal and informal education, for students as well as the public, for residents as well as the rest of the world, in all relevant media formats, produced both commercially and non-commercially.

The Friends believe that funding should be made available to enable oceanography to be taught in schools, at the college and through lectures and programs for the public, and to ensure that pertinent education materials will be readily available, that careers in the marine and geological science will be encouraged, that opportunities for field trips for students, teachers, the general public and tourist should be made available.

We envision a Visitors' Center, including a centrally-located facility funded under the auspices of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program that would be open to everyone that would contain not only displays of various sorts, but would also offer related items for sale.

The Friends believe that the Visitors' Center would bring benefits not only to the local economy by attracting tourist, but to the people of the CNMI as it would showcase information about marine geology in general, about the monument in particular, about the CNMI, and about its indigenous history and culture to all who visit it; it would present, in a variety of formats, the results of marine research done in the area and relevant research done elsewhere; it would regularly present programs open to the public on matters related to marine life in general as well as marine life specific to the area, thus allowing the people of the CNMI, tourists, and other visitors to benefit from the establishment of the monument.

It is our dream that this monument will inspire and contribute to the first indigenous students receiving their Ph.D. in marine biology, deep-sea geology, or other related sciences.

Research, by which we mean the process of studying marine life, geology and other sciences, and of data generation, as well as the products of such activity generated by scientists, teachers, or students.

The Friends believe the researchers and scientists who base their work on the marine monument and its environs should be asked to obtain permission prior to undertaking research in the area and should share the information they garner with the local community through presentations at the Visitors' Center or in other forms and forums. They should make accommodations to take along local students and teachers on research trips, so that local students are encouraged to become scientist and researchers.

Economic Development, by which we mean assistance in improving the economy toward enabling the CNMI to become self-sufficient. The CNMI, being a small island with limited assets, will always be dependent to some extent on outside forces and influences, but certainly more is needed and can be done to increase independence.

There are many great economic benefits that we anticipate from the monument. We envision a surge in the media attention from your designation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, which will attract more visitors to the CNMI. The CNMI relies heavily on tourism as its number one industry, and help to this sector of economy-whether from traditional or high-end visitors-will have a significant beneficial impact. The monument will likely attract scientists and other researchers, who will contribute financially while visiting or living here. The operation of the Visitors' Center and administration of the monument will create jobs, both directly and indirectly.

The contribution that a monument would make to the CNMI economy is in stark contrast to the present situation, where the only economic benefit that presently occurs from this significant resource is limited to illegal foreign fishing activities, such as shark finning. Obviously, this current economic activity has little benefit to the CNMI.

The Friends believe that the anticipated economic activities from the monument are much more suited to the CNMI's image in the world and more productive of tangible benefits. The increased flow of traffic from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to the monument would also benefit the people of the CNMI in that it would make more feasible resettlement of the Northern Islands and provide transportation and communication with the “lower” Northern Islands.

We envision the northern island of Pagan being used as a staging area for research, fuel storage facility, and other needs. Of particular benefit would be the expansion of the landing strip for easier and faster access. The provision of the floating dock could preserve its unique black and beach.

Greater protection of our monument resources from illegal fishing, exploitation, or harvesting will also help our fishermen who follow the law to stay competitive.

In conclusion, the Friends of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument hope that you make the designation of this monument soon and expressly give it the highest possible protections available by law.


Ignacio V. Cabrera
Chair, Friends of the Monument

Agnes McPhetres
Vice Chair, Friends of the Monument

Andrew Salas
Vice Chair, Friends of the Monument

Belinda Norita
MarjaLee Taitano
Ken Kramer
Chailang Palacios
Karl T. Reyes
Jane Mack
Cinta M. Kaipat
Emelain D. Fejeran
Wes Bogdan
Lynn Knight
David M. Sablan
Ruth L. Tighe

Boring?

An anonymous commenter on another blog called my blog boring. Boring? I can't have that.

I guess I'll have to post my photos of Harry Blalock and Stanely Torres* from Godfather's last Friday.

Last Friday was Harry's 48th birthday.

Harry was in the corner with his family and some friends when Stanley Torres walked in and plunked himself down at the bar. I told Harry that he should go say hello and try to get a picture with him since it was his birthday.

Harry walked up to Stanley, tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he could have a picture. Stanley didn't move and completely ignored Harry. Not even a flicker.

Unperturbed, I told Harry to turn around and pose.

Happy Birthday, Harry!

*For those of you not up on your local politics, earlier in the week Commonwealth Representative Stanley Torres introduced a bill to declare Harry persona non grata because Harry called the members of the legislature a bunch of "meatheads" and other colorful names in print and on his radio talk show, Island Issues. The bill was defeated, but the egos remain bruised.

Feeling Better

I haven't played soccer since August because my ankle is hurt. I should probably go see a doctor.

Anyway, it is feeling better. I might start doing some light jogging to see if I can handle it. If I can, I might be playing soccer within two weeks.

If I can't, it might be time to go see a doctor

Hawaii Bar has good beer

Anne is the bartender at Hawaii Bar. She's the boss.

Notice the NO SMOKING sign on the right.

Biba Hawaii Bar!

Biba Anne!

White House Public Workshop

Turnout at the White House Public Workshop was unbelievable. We had someone stationed out front to count people as they came in and he counted 360. The feds' number is higher. They are saying that 400+ people showed up. In my best estimation, 2/3 to 3/4 of the people were wearing orange t-shirts.  Cinta said she thinks about 90% of the people there were supporters.  I'd call that an overwhelming showing of local support.

From The Saipan Blog - Saipan's most popular blog since ever since

Not to say that there wasn't non-support (I know you ain't supposed to use no double negatives). There was a "protest" outside the Fiesta Resort before things got started. It consisted of about two Carolinian families, staff from the Division of Fish & Wildlife and some longline fishing "consultants" flown in from Hawaii. The whole thing was being orchestrated by John "What am I thinking" Gourley and Manny "Angelo Villagomez is an Idiot with Coconut Mentality" Duenas from Guam.

Once the meeting started, James Connaughton, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chairman (he is one of twelve advisors to the President of the United States), gave a short talk on the Presidential Memo that directed Interior, Commerce, Defense and CEQ to do an assessment of potential increased protections for marine areas in the Pacific. He told everyone that he was on Saipan to gather opinions and comments on any increased protections for the Marianas. He wasn't here to deliver a proposal, he was looking to gather data to be used in drawing together a proposal.

From The Saipan Blog - Saipan's most popular blog since ever since

The entire room was split up into 11 groups and comments were taken.  As far as the federal government's participation, they did not debate and they did not argue.  That was left up to the good people of Saipan.  While my group was generally civil, I noticed some heated disagreement from the other groups, well actually, just one group

Just a side note: That match up pitted Friends of the Monument Cinta Kaipat, Chuck Sayon and Agnes McPhetres against DFW Director Sylvan Igisomar.  Sylvan never had a chance.

And we're back.

I joined a group that had five of the protestors. They were carrying signs not in support of the monument. After I sat down I was joined by Chailang Palacios, Herman Villagomez, Ed Propst, Daisy Propst, Ayako Matsumoto, Alexie Zotomayor, Emelaine Fejeran, Ike Cabrera and a few of my cousin Cindy's boys. We were joined by Jim Davies and PacificaDave, the longliner "consultant" who has been leaving nasty comments about retards on the blogs (he is in the brown shirt, second from the right, in the first photo above).

I'm not convinced that Jim is really against the monument. He seems to want what the monument supporters want, increased education and such, but doesn't seem to like the monument process. Dave, on the other hand, is dead set against a monument. He wants a National Marine Sanctuary, which he of course knows would lead to a WESPAC-led deadlock.

Even so, our supporters just plugged away with our comments. We want educational opportunities. We want comanagement. We want a visitors center. I'd go on with all of our comments, but it is just easier for you to read the Friends of the Monument vision statement.

The whole process was very democratic and reminded me of the island way of resolving disagreement. The only thing missing was food. The detractors can say what they want to say, but everyone, meaning all 400 people in that room, had the opportunity to say what they wanted to say and to have it read into the record. Not only were there notetakers at each of the 11 groups, but there were also roving comment takers. There were also separate Carolinian and Chamorro translators, so no one was left out.

John Gourley was visibly frustrated with the outcome. When he saw the number of people in orange shirts, his final act of desperation was to hang his little banners on every wall. You can see them in a lot of the pictures.

I have to say thank you to the literally hundreds of people that came out in support of the monument. The showing at the meeting, along with the now 5600 signatures on the Friends of the Monument petition, 500 letters from public school students and 50 letters from businesses, organizations and associations, shows that there is overwhelming support for the monument in the CNMI.

Thank you.

Walk It Don't Drive It II

The CNMI Energy Office dropped off our Walk It Don't Drive It goodies this morning. Walk It Don't Drive It is a day where government offices and businesses use alternative forms of transportation to get to work. I walked. Others carpooled.

Anyway...

One of the goodies is a "Conserve Energy" tote back, or as I prefer to call it, Oreo's new mode of transportation!

It also makes for a good naughty dog basket.

Vote YES to wearing orange

The Saipan Tribune currently has an online poll asking the question, "Do you plan to wear an orange shirt anytime this week?"

Please visit the Saipan Tribune website and vote YES. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the poll. The current tally is 31 YES and 28 NO.

******
It would have been nice if the Saipan Tribune explained why people are wearing orange this week.

Connaughton gets another mwaar

Cinta gave James Conaughton another "mwaar" at the Friends of the Monument meeting yesterday.

I noticed that it was orange.

Connaughton asked if he was allowed to put a cloth over his head when he wore it back in Washington, DC. Cinta said it would be alright to wear it on top of a baseball cap.

Photos of Friends

There were over 300 people in support of the monument at the White House Public Workshop. Cinta Kaipat was there along with many of her family members.

Former RC&D Coordinator Ken Kramer (he quit after his boss told him he couldn't work on the monument issue anymore) and Representative Andrew Salas support the monument.

We all know that Jane Mack is a big supporter, but did you know that Senator Tom "Kiyu" Villagomez likes the monument idea? At least I think he does, I sent him a bunch of information and he said it looked good.

The award winning environmental non-profit group Friends of the Mariana Islands was there with many members. They all support the monument and have written letters in support to President Bush.

The Cabrera family supports the monument. Their members composed an entire focus group.

Greg Cruz, the President of Taotao Tano, was there with his wife and daughter. Greg supports the monument.

Students from Hopwood Junior High School were there. They all support the monument and had an entire focus group to themselves. I noticed that Ranger Nancy was their moderator. Go Ranger Nancy!

Members of the local dive club, Marianas Dive, were there to show support. I don't think the club has taken an official position...yet...but these members were all in support of the monument.

******
I'll get around to posting my thoughts on the meeting. Today was a busy day. Maybe I'll get to it tonight.

First Pictures and Reactions

Group Hug: Cinta Kaipat, Big Herms Villagomez, Angelo Villagomez, John Joyner, Laurie Peterka, and Sylvan Igisomar after the White House Workshop. More photos in the next post.

Aya Matsomoto from Pacific Eagle was the first person to post pictures from the White House Public Workshop last night. I'm still at home so it will be a few hours before I get my photos up.

Lil Hammerhead had posts on the 5502 signatures gathered from the Friends of the Monument and on the meeting with the Legislature yesterday afternoon.

Jane Mack also wrote about her experiences at the public meeting on her blog.

360 on 10/20

More to come tomorrow with all types of pictures and such.

About 360 people showed up for the White House public workshop on the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. About 2/3 to 3/4 of the people were wearing orange t-shirts. Those 300 t-shirts were quite a sight.

Thank you to everyone who came out in support tonight.

Chillin' at the Legislature

The meeting of James Connaughton and the other federal officials with the Commowealth House and Senate is well into its second hour. The meeting started at 11 AM and the federal officials don't have another meeting until 2 PM. I think they're going to be here right up until that next meeting.

Connaughton started the meeting off by explaining the reason for his visit, then he talked a bit about the geology and biology of the area, and then opened up the floor for questions and comments.

I think I'd get in trouble if I repeated some of the things that were said by the elected officials.

I'll just leave it at that.

Edit:

At 12:15 the federal group was going to leave, but Senate President Pete P. Reyes promised Mr. Connaughton that he'd get him a sandwich if he'd stay longer.

It is now 12:35.

No sandwich yet.

Another Edit:

It is now 12:52.

No sandwich.

Edit:

It is now 1:27.

Taya sandwich. I'm starving.

Edit:

1:45 PM. Still no sandwich. I feel for those federal guys.

I just got comments from Mike Tripp and Jane Mack asking for more details. Yes, we had a room full of orange. Yes, John Gourley was there. Yes, John Joyner was there...and got scolded like a school child by one of the federal representatives for not informing them of a schedule change.

The comments from the Legislature were all over the map. They still do not understand that we are talking about the waters, not the islands. Connaughton said at least 15 times that navigation would not be restricted, but the issue of the islands kept coming up time and time again.

Joe Guerrero expressed his dislike for the Antiquities Act. Ray Tebuteb had concerns with the timeline. David Apatang accused every single person supporting the monument of being bought off and Joe Camacho called Pew Environment Group an oil company disguised as a conservation group. Justo Quitugua thinks that the signers of the petition were nine year olds and Pete P Reyes thinks that the people who signed the petition have no long term interest in the Commonwealth.

So the Mayor of Saipan has no interest in the long term interest of the Commonwealth?

Students write to Bush

In the last few weeks I have led a discussion with over 1000 high school and junior high school students on the islands of Saipan and Tinian. The discussion is on the pros and cons of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. I try to get the kids to identify the good and the bad and then I urge them to talk to their friends, family and teachers before forming their own opinion. At every presentation I told the kids that their homework was to write a letter to President Bush commenting on the proposed monument.

Over 500 of them turned in letters. They have all been turned over to the staff at American Memorial Park as official comment on the proposed monument.

Kimberley Vaillancourt, a science teacher at Hopwood Junior High School, took some of her students to American Memorial Park last Friday afternoon to turn over their letters.

They watched Ranger Nancy individually stamp in each letter as an official comment submitted to the federal government. It was a neat little lesson in civics for the kids.

W.O.W. - Wear Orange Week

This is it, folks, time to don those orange t-shirts and hit the streets. Please wear orange all week, especially today.

If you've read a hard copy of either the local newspaper, then you've seen the Friends of the Monument signature advertisement with over 2500 names of people who signed their petition. At two O'clock today the Friends will announce just how many signatures they've collected. Here is a picture I took of the pile of papers back on October 12...only thing is they've collected 1200 signatures since this photo was taken. The current pile is even bigger than this.

Welcome to Saipan

Scores of supporters of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument descended upon the Hyatt Regency to welcome James Connaughton, Lyle Laverty and Sean Morton to Saipan. Led by Ike Cabrera, Cinta Kaipat, Ed Salas, Dave Sablan, Chailang Palacios, Agnes McPhetres, and many others, over 65 supporters stood on the curb to welcome the federal officials to our island home.

As the Department of Public Safety neared the group of orange clad supporters, it slowed to a stop and James Connaughton stepped out and shook hands with every single person out there to greet him.

When I shook his hand he said, "Hello, I'm Jim Connaughton and I work with President Bush."

I simply replied, "Welcome to Saipan."

It took a lot of hard work from a lot of hard working individuals to get to where we are today. Thank you, everybody.

...and don't forget to wear orange all week!

...especially today!

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ignacio V. Cabrera 234-2665, marianamonument@gmail.com

The Friends of the Monument will announce the number of signatures they collected for their support the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument petition at a press conference in the Mariana Trench Monument Office in Garapan on Monday, October 20, 2008 at 2:00 PM.

******

On Thursday night we ran in Commonwealth Senator Luis Crisostimo at Hawaiian Bar. I told him how many signatures the Friends of the Monument had collected.

If I saw Mr. Crisostimo today, I 'd have to tell him a new, higher number.

Even though the Friends have stopped collecting signatures, people are still turning them in. Cinta Kaipat turned over several signature packets from the Carolinian community last night and yesterday afternoon Agnes McPhetres picked up several packets from Hannah Borja over on Tinian. Tami Hunter dropped off some signatures on Friday and Andrew Salas and Ike Cabrera still have packets floating around.

What is John Gourley thinking?

Leave your best "What is John Gourley thinking" caption in the comments. I'm not going to make this part of my Caption Contest series, but I still promise to give the winner...nothing.

Angelo & Edz

I need to shave.

If you are reading this and you are looking for something to do tonight, come down to Godfather's to celebrate Harry Blalock's 58th birthday!

Oreo the Great Escaping Dog

Oreo escaped again this morning.But I think it only lasted about 2 minutes. We were working in the office when one of the volunteers pointed out, "Hey Bro, your dog is outside the door."

And there he was. Patiently waiting to be let back in.

I think after last week's Oreo Kenobi's Excellent Adventure, Oreo has learned to appreciate the comforts of air conditioning and a full bowl of dog food.

I don't think we'll see him escaping again any time soon.

Get a haircut

Oreo goes through life not being able to see anything. I need to give him a haircut. Stay tuned.

Send an online comment

Pew Environment Group has set up an online comment form to allow residents of the Commonwealth to easily send an online comment to President Bush asking him to designate the waters surrounding the northern islands of Asuncion, Maug, and Uracas as a National Marine Monument.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/cnmi

It only takes a minute to fill out the form. Please help!

Please send in your comment and then forward the link on to 10 friends.

Round 2

Here we go:

John Gonzales: Good answer but didn't answer the question.

Chong Won: Got a similar question in Round 1. Could have done better.

Juan Lizama: Got the monument question. Didn't answer it.

Pete A Tenorio: Nailed it, I think.

Luis Crisostimo: Almost got it. Nice "mwaar."

John Davis: Nailed it.

Greg Sablan: Only laughs in the round. Good answer.

Felipe Atalig: Kept saying he was going to be our delegateSSS.

Round 1

The candidates are each asked one question and get two minutes to resond.

Round 1:

John Gonzales: Good. Sounded informed.

Chong Won: Seemed dazed. Answer too short.

Juan Lizama: Rambled a bit.

Pete A Tenorio: Very good. Emotional.

Luis Crisostimo: Better than I expected.

John Davis: Got some laughs.

Greg Sablan: Solid.

Felipe Atalig: Got the toughest question. Rambled.

Winner: Too close to tell.

Debate Countdown

Number of candidates on this year's ballot: 9

Number of candidates on stage: 8

Number of candidates wearing a tie: 4

Number of candidates wearing a "mwaar:" 1

Number of lifelines the candidates get during the debate (i.e. pass on a question, phone a friend, or poll the audience): 1

Number of candidates on stage named David Cing: Taya

Chamber Debate

The candidates are taking the stage...but where is David Cing?

We're already five minutes late to start. Come on, let the games begin!

Wait, wait...oh good, Luis Crisostimo is adjusting his "mwaar."

And we're off!

Concerned Citizens Against the Monument

I'd like to comment on the organization Concerned Citizens Against the Monument.

On October 1, Jack Villagomez wrote an email to ACT President Betty Miller. He writes:

Hi Ms. Miller,

Our group, Concerned Citizens Against the Monument, will like to make a presentation at your school this month. When is the best time and date for such presentation?
I got your email from PSS but they did not indicate which school you are with.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Jack Villagomez

On Tuesday October 7 at 9:28 AM Betty Miller wrote back:

Dear Mr. Villagomez,

To date three teachers have expressed an interest in having your group make presenations at their school. I previously forwarded your contact information to Jaime Vergara at San Vicente Elementary and Bryan Jones at MHS. Please feel free to contact them regarding a presentation, if they have not already contacted you. Alan Davis from Kagman High School has also expressed an interest. All three of these teachers have already allowed PEW (sic) to present in their classrooms, and are willing to hear about the issue from another perspective.

I wish you the best of luck with your presentations, please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Betty Miller

ACT President

13 minutes later at 9:41 AM Jack replied :

Thank you Ms. Miller. I am forwarding your note to Dr. John Joyner who is coordinating our group. I have to go to Guam for my wife's medical services. [emphasis mine]

Jack Villagomez

So let's get this straight. Concerned Citizens Against the Monument is being coordinated by the Director of the Coastal Resource Management Office?  Isn't he a government official?  WTF, mate?

Help the Friends of the Monument

I received the following email from Friends of the Monument Chairman Ignacio V. Cabrera today:

Hafa Adai Friend,

Thank you for signing the Friends of the Monument petition asking President George W. Bush to designate a Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

The comment period to designate a marine monument, which began on August 25, is quickly coming to a close. It is set to end on October 26. All public commentary, whether via email or post, must be received by this date.

Signing our petition is just one of the ways that you can help support the monument. There are other ways in which you can help.

You can:

1. Sign the support the marine monument petition (you’ve already done this…but you can encourage your friends to sign!)

2. Write a support letter to the President of the United States (visit http://marianamonument.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-support-letter-to-president.html for more info)

3. Send a support email to the Council on Environmental Quality (visit http://marianamonument.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-support-letter-to-president.html for more info)

4. Attend the Federal public workshop on October 20 (visit http://marianamonument.blogspot.com/2008/10/attend-federal-public-workshop-on.html for more info)

5. Wear Orange during the week of October 20-24

You can also:

6. Sign the business petition if you are a business owner (contact me for more information)

7. Write a letter to the editor

8. Add a link to our blog, found at http://marianamonument.blogspot.com on your email signature and website

Thank you again for helping us showcase our community’s support for the marine monument. Your help is greatly appreciated. Please call the Monument Office at (670) 234-2665 or email us at marianamonument@gmail.com if you need any assistance or if you have any questions.

Si Yu’use Ma’ase,



Ignacio V. Cabrera
Chairman
Friends of the Monument



Friends of the Monument
PO BOX 50921
Saipan, MP 96950

marianamonument@gmail.com

http://marianamonument.blogspot.com

The federal public meeting on the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument takes place in exactly one week. Now is the time to throw your support behind our effort. In the words of Cinta Kaipat:

Biba Monument! Biba Preservation!

Cinta Kaipat is Smart and Brave

Cinta M. Kaipat had an editorial in the Saipan Tribune today asking people to join the federal public meeting to take place next Monday concerning the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. She is calling for 120 on 10/20, where over 120 people show up to participate in the meeting on October 20.

Long time readers of this blog might remember 1020 on 10/20, the island wide cleanup Beautify CNMI orchestrated on October 20, 2006. She asks people to wear orange to this federal public meeting in the spirit of that day.

Cinta has been a staunch ally of the Northern Islands people and of the environment for years. Most people know her for her recent work with Beautify CNMI, but she has been fighting for the people up there since she came back from law school.

Thank you, Cinta.

Oh yeah,

Biba!

120 on 10/20
By CINTA M. KAIPAT

Special to the Saipan Tribune

Two years ago, the people living in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands set out to do something extraordinary. Members of the Beautify CNMI! coalition challenged themselves to recruit 1,020 volunteers to clean up our island on Oct. 20, 2006. We called this day 1020 on 10/20.

On that fateful day, not 1,020, but over 3,000 people came out to clean up litter from our roads and beaches, paint over graffiti, and plant trees. It was one of my proudest moments knowing that I was a part of it-I was part of something bigger than our community.

In the two years since that day, our people have learned the value of a beautiful, clean island. On an almost weekly basis, we see pictures of community groups, schools, and churches pitching in to do their part to keep our islands beautiful. Our community members are doing this on their own, not at the urging of the government, but because they know it is the right thing to do and because it makes our islands a better place to live and visit.

As a result of this new ethic among our residents, it is a safe bet to say that the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are now the cleanest islands in Micronesia. That is something of which we can all be proud.

In a few days, the people of the Commonwealth will again have the opportunity to be a part of something large with potentially global implications, and it happens to fall on the two-year anniversary of 1020 on 10/20.

The federal government will be holding a public workshop on the proposed Marianas Trench Marine National Monument on Oct. 20 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. This will be an opportunity for our people to stand up and tell the federal government and the world that we support the preservation of our marine resources.

Preservation is enshrined in our Constitution. Article XIV, Section II of the CNMI Constitution protects the islands within the proposed Marianas Trench Marine National Monument for the preservation of birds, wildlife, and plants. The constitutional protections do not extend to the marine environment, however, and we now have an opportunity to fulfill the intent of our Constitution by working with the federal government to declare a monument.

I hereby challenge the people of the Commonwealth to come out in support of preservation and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

I hereby declare Oct. 20, 2008, 120 on 10/20.

I call for 120 of our community members to join hands with me on 10/20 to support the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. I challenge at least 120 of you to attend this meeting to show the federal government and the world that we support preservation.

I look forward to seeing you there in your bright orange t-shirt!

Biba Monument! Biba Preservation!

Cinta M. Kaipat, the deputy secretary of Labor, is one of the founders of Beautify CNMI.

More Live Blogging

The main topic of the "debate" is immigration and to a lesser degree education.

The immigration issues that the 30,000 or so people on this island have to worry about on a daily basis make me really appreciate that blue passport I received for no other reason than my mother has one, too.

Well, my father got one in 1986...unless he applied for IR status back in 1976...

And we're back.

The CUC question got some good laughs. God help us.

Live Debate Blogging

I'm at the Congressional debate hosted by CREAM. CREAM invited Greg Sablan, John Gonzales, Pete A Tenorio, and Juan Lizama to debate tonight but only Sablan showed up.

There are about one hundred people here and Sablan has their full attention...well except for that guy blogging on his PTI phone.

Yeah, I'm in the network.

And we're back.

The crowd is a good mix of ethnicities...and all of them just applauded Sablan.

I still haven't made up my mind as for who gets my vote by the way. I've never been a swing voter before.

How cool is that?

Link to the Friends of the Monument blog

Would you like to help spread the word about the Friends of the Monument blog? Just copy and paste the following code into your blog template!

<center><a href="http://marianamonument.blogspot.com"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1JpJJOCfqGQ/SM46QtKacyI/AAAAAAAAAAs/-zNkzylS_oI/s200/good+for+culture.JPG" /></a></center>

<center><a href="http://marianamonument.blogspot.com"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1JpJJOCfqGQ/SNEIjsy8ZgI/AAAAAAAAACQ/scF0yg9UHsQ/s200/monument+poster.jpg" /></a></center>

<center><a href="http://marianamonument.blogspot.com"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1JpJJOCfqGQ/SNHMbP9azXI/AAAAAAAAACg/GO4BroSQFzk/s200/JerryVersion.jpg" /></a></center>

The federal workshops on Saipan are just over one week away!  There are ways that you can help to support the monument.  Click HERE for more information.

Macedonia, Burkina Faso and the Northern Mariana Islands

According to a recently released Internet poll, there are only three countries in the world where a majority of "voters" support John McCain over Barack Obama. Those three "countries" are Macedonia, Burkina Faso and the Northern Mariana Islands.

I put "countries" in parentheses because we are not a country.

According to Blast Magazine:

More than 87 percent of the near 200,000 who cast their vote on www.iftheworldcouldvote.com voted democrat, putting their hope behind Sen. Barack Obama as leader of the free world.

The goal of the independent site is to see who global citizens would elect if they were eligible November 4. The site, developed by “three guys from Iceland” has one rule; each computer can only vote once.

Voters have cast their ballots, so far, from 190 countries. From Iraq to Vanatu, from Malawi to the French Polynesia, citizens from 190 countries care about the fate of this election.

People from all parts of the globe are interested in this one election’s outcome, more so than ever before. It does make sense, America’s foreign policy agenda is perhaps the most important in the world.

That makes this country’s leader one of the most powerful and as we’ve recently seen, one of the most capable of doing more harm than good.

Only three countries have voted in majority for McCain and the republicans. The three countries, Macedonia, Burkina Faso and the Northern Mariana Islands, have a combined 367 votes [emphasis mine].

Oh well. The people here support the old guy. That's no surprise.

Edit:

I just voted.  Before I voted only 3 votes had been cast.  Please help me correct John McCain's local "win" by visiting www.iftheworldcouldvote.com and voting for Barack Obama.  Let's turn this thing around in the next two hours.

Another Edit:

Thanks for voting!  30 minutes later and Barack Obama is leading in the Northern Mariana Islands!

Crazy Thai Girl Story

Look, I realize this blog pisses people off sometimes. I'm not nearly as bad as my fellow Rotarian Ed Propst or Lil' Hammerhead, but every once in a while I find out that I unintentionally hurt someone's feelings or (intentionally) bruised someone's ego.

About a year ago I wrote about crazy Thai girls. To quote myself, I wrote, "Thai Party Girls: These girls are crazy. Before I went to Thailand I thought that it was just these Thai girls that were crazy. After having visited their homeland, I now realize that all Thai girls are crazy."

Yeah, so I pissed off one of the Thai girls with that one.

Let them eat cake: After getting creamed on my birthday at Godfathers, one of the Thai girls let me know what she thought about my calling her fellow country women crazy.

Look, I'm not saying you're crazy in a bad way. Not at all. You're crazy in a good way...but has this really been stewing for a year? Just saying. What would you call that?

Kazuyoshi Miura commits suicide

The talk of the town in Garapan is that Kazuyoshi Miura killed himself one hour after arriving in Los Angeles. I don't know if I believe this story, but so and so heard it from what's his name who got a phone call from Los Angeles.

I guess we'll just wait and see.

Edit:

The Associated Press is reporting that Miura hung himself.

Dinner with the Friends

Friend of the Monument Aya Matsumoto's favorite restaurant is Kuriya in Gualo Rai. I don't know if its the food or the fact that it is right next to her house...oh, nevermind.

I'm not sure if I've ever written about this place before. It is on Middle Road right across the street from the Division of Environmental Quality. The first time I ate there I felt like I had been magically transported to a hole in the wall place in Tokyo. The food is great.

The tuna tataki...and the beef tataki for that matter...are really good. I also recommend the curry curry potato salad (not what you would think) and the deep fried whole parrot fish.

We ate there last night to celebrate another great week of outreach for the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. We are in the final days of this. The public comment period ends on October 26.

Then just to throw in an "only on Saipan" story...

Guess who was sitting next to us at dinner?

Uncle Ben!

Sitting one table over from us was Governor Benigno Fitial, Secretary of Finance Eloy Inos, Secretary of Lands and Natural Resources Ignacio Dela Cruz, and an official from Office of Management and Budget (I forget his name).

Uncle Ben's godfather is my grandfather Ignacio P. Villagomez.  That makes Uncle Ben and my Dad godbrothers.  That makes Uncle Ben, well, my uncle.

The Final Days of Outreach

The Friends of the Monument continue to do great things. They go on TV. They go on the radio. They go out in the community and collect signatures. They are the people moving this idea forward, I'm just around to explain the co-management agreement and to answer any questions about deep sea volcanic vent invertebrates.

I've been doing the rounds at the public high schools in the last two weeks.  The rowdiest bunch of students I presented to were the 8th graders at Hopwood Junior High School. There was one particular girl who got all the kids in her corner all riled up. She was against the monument, even though we agreed on what should and what should not be allowed. She liked what the monument would do, she was simply opposed to the idea of declaring it a monument, if that makes any sense.

When I make these presentations at the schools I do not go alone; I am always accompanied by one of the Friends of the Monument, whether it be Ike Cabrera, Agnes McPhetres, David M. Sablan, Andrew Salas, or as was the case at Saipan Southern High School, Chailang Palacios.

Finally, Kimberly Vaillancourt, an 8th grade science teacher at Hopwood Junior High School, is having some of her students debate the pros and cons of the proposed Marine National Monument. Ken Kramer, Jane Mack, and Ike Cabrera worked with them the most, but I had a few minutes to share a few of my own pointers.

On a side note, do you notice those environmental friendly vehicles outside the window? Yeah, that Jeep and that pickup belong to environmentalists.

Feedback

Via email:

Angelo,

Just wanted to thank you again for stopping by my classroom this past Monday and speaking with my students. The topic has apparently sparked interest in a lot of them...some of them came back to school today with some interesting comments from home. I will continue the conversation with them throughout the next few weeks until it's time for those petitions to be turned in.

I, for the most part, am in support of the project although with reservations; those reservations stemming purely from a need to get even more information to be clear on the issue. I will definitely look through the reports and booklets you handed out to us, but I wanted to give you a heads up because I have a feeling I'll be sending you a bunch of e-mails these next few weeks. Students might ask questions I don't know the answers to, and that's when I'll ask you for the info.

Couple of things...Is there a website with the CNMI Constitution available? Also, do you have any copies of formal documents containing the opposition's points of view, from the legislature or organized group, for example? You mentioned several reasons people are fighting this, but generally. And by the way, I want to thank you also for putting your message out on a more-or-less neutral position. You guys were obviously trying to gain support, but you did not try to drill it through their heads.

So, in essence, if you've got anymore material that could help me better understand what's going on...for me and for the sake of knowing, for my students...then all the better.

Again, thanks and hope to hear from you soon.

Via a blog comment:

I was in Saipan 2 weeks ago for the Chamorro conference (Im 15 by the way) with my dad and I was walking around Garapan by myself when it started to sprinkle so I ran into this building to cover from the droplets. I just so happened to have ran into the building cover that housed the Marianas Trench office.

At the door i saw a little white dog there looking at me and i knew it was Oreo because Ive been reading this blog for a long time and i felt like i saw a celebrity (kinda weird) and i wanted to go inside to take a picture but i was embarassed so i didnt.

Saipan is beautiful, Im from guam by the way.

I hope you find your dog :) & good luck in your mission, you have many supporters here on Guam.

In a conversation:

A mother told me yesterday that her daughter had come home with one of the Scientific Case for a Mariana Trench Marine National Monument reports. She said that they had a nice conversation over dinner about the costs and the benefits of such a protected area.

Oreo is safe!

I haven't seen him yet, but Oreo Kenobi is safely back at the Mariana Trench office. Somebody called me today to let me know that they had found him running around in the middle of the street and that he was safe and sound at his house.

Thanks to everyone who helped me find him. Thanks to everyone who posted about him on their blogs. Thank you also to the newspapers for printing his picture in the newspaper.

I haven't seen him yet because I've been making presentations all morning, so I'll give a fuller update when I hear the whole story.

Oreo Update

Oreo is still lost.

His picture is up on several blogs, I blasted out his picture to my email contacts, and all the kids at Garapan Elementary School know to look out for him.

Hopefully tomorrow he'll be in the newspaper.

I think he'll be OK. He loves people and he'll go up to strangers. As long as he doesn't get hit by a car...or eaten...I'm confident I'll get him back.

Lost Dog - Oreo Kenobi Villagomez

Oreo escaped. He was last seen in the China Town/Garapan area Tuesday night at 6 PM. Help! Please call Angelo at 285-6462 if you find him or see him.

Oreo is a small white dog with some black fur. He answers to "Oreo" and is wearing a brown leather collar with silver metal studs.

Please repost this on your blog.

Jean-Michel Cousteau on the Monument

The Saipan Tribune carried an editorial from Jean-Michel Cousteau today.

'A natural treasure worth protecting'

By JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Last year over four million people visited the Grand Canyon and it is widely regarded as one of the world’s natural treasures. But as the people of the Northern Marianas know, however, not all of nature’s treasures lie above the waves. The unique geological and ecological marvels found in the water surrounding the Mariana Trench makes this area one of the world’s most precious marine environments.

President George W. Bush, following in the footsteps of noted conservationist Theodore Roosevelt, recently proposed protecting these invaluable treasures found in the waters of the U.S.-held Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands once and for all.

The question is still open as to what prohibitions will be established in the area against fishing, drilling and mining. It is also uncertain whether the area will be designated as a marine sanctuary or national monument.

Yet while there may be unresolved issues, one thing is clear: If the President establishes this site as a no-take reserve, it would be one of the most significant conservation achievements of any President in U.S. history. The people of the CNMI should make their voices heard on how why it’s so important that we protect these underwater treasures while we still can.

I’ll never forget the first time I visited the waters off the Marianas. The area holds a kaleidoscope of life. More than 250,000 sea birds representing two dozen species live in the area that would be included in the proposed marine monument, along with several species of endangered and threatened populations of sea turtles, and the coconut crab-the world's largest land-living arthropod. Indeed, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have described the waters off the Northern Marianas as one of the most unique geological and biological environments on Earth.

The proposed monument also includes a portion of the trench and a significant cross-section of one of the planet's most volcanically active regions. The combination of the trench and volcanic geology creates a wholly unique and extraordinary underwater wonderland of seamounts and mud volcanoes not found anywhere else.

Managed properly-much as the areas around the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and other treasures that are above the waves-the natural wonders that bless the CNMI could serve as an important engine for tourism. To do that, however, the mechanisms to properly manage uses of such special places while also protecting them from damaging activities that only pay off in the short term must be put in place. Designation as a marine reserve would be just the tool to use here.

While roughly 13 percent of the Earth’s land is currently protected, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, less than 1 percent of our oceans are completely off limits to fishing. Scientists, however, have found that when managed properly no-take marine reserves can be a tremendous tool in both conservation and rebuilding stressed fish populations.

No-take marine reserves act like nurseries where animals grow larger than normal. They reproduce much more effectively and reproductive capabilities increase exponentially with the size of the fish. The abundance of these no-fishing zones often spill over into adjacent fishing areas, where just outside the boundaries, fishermen can fish all they want. This, in addition to the potential of millions of new tourist dollars that designation of a marine monument might bring, could be a boon for the local economy.

As a lifelong environmentalist, diver and marine explorer, I have dedicated much of my life to advocating the protection of the world's oceans. In particular, marine reserves are of primary importance in preserving the richness and integrity of the plant and animal life within. And President Bush's proposed ocean monument in the CNMI has the opportunity to do just that.

The proposed monument complements the protections already enforced by the CNMI and presents a remarkable opportunity to care for every link in this complex and fragile chain as an integrated ecosystem.

We owe it to future generations that the natural wonders found below the waves enjoy protections just as strongly as those above. Areas that may seem remote and hard to reach today could be the natural treasures of tomorrow.

I hope the people of the Northern Marianas will make their voices heard in this next step of the process and let officials in Washington know that they want to protect the CNMI’s natural treasures while there is still time.

The eldest son of the late ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau is president of Ocean Futures Society.

Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere on SNL

At least if McCain/Palin win this year, we'll have four years of great SNL skits to look forward to. Tina Fey rocks Sarah Palin...doggonit.

Olson's Emptied Oceans

This is why thousands of people in the Marianas support the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. We've seen the changes. It is not just the Saipan Lagoon that is suffering; it is the entire ocean.

Bruce Bateman: Marketing Manager

Bruce Bateman is the new marketing manager for MVA. May the Good Lord guide him in his new role as the CNMI's tourism chief.

At least we have someone in that job that supports increasing the size of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

The Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere

My dog, Oreo, could have said more than Sarah Palin did in tonight's debate.

Some quotes from the Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere:

"Nucular"

"John McCain has already tapped me."

"I want to give a shout-out."

On McCain: "He is the man we need to leave...um...lead."

Godfathers

The birthday party is going to be at Godfathers on Saturday night. See you there.

Come Watch Sarah Palin Choke

The Democratic Party of Garapan will be hosting a Vice Presidential Debate Party tomorrow morning at Tribes in Garapan.  The debate starts at 11:00 AM.  Drinks and food from Shirley's will be available for purchase.

See you there!

Our Next Attorney General

The public has spoken and 34.6% of the public wants Janet King to be our next Attorney General.

Congrats, Janet! Biba!

I'm sure the local government will take my Internet poll into account when picking their nominee.

Coming in at a close second with 19.2% of the vote was Meaghan Hassel-shearer, with Joe Taijeron and Tony Atalig tied for third with 11.5% each.