It's really past my bedtime, but having just ragged Bruce Bateman about posting only his weekly Saipan Tribune column, I have to give him a nod.
He appears to have solved the great Live Sports Muzak mystery for us. That being the boring graphics and music shown during breaks. Of course, MCV knew all along and any of us could have picked up the phone.
I could repeat it, but it's his email, so just scurry over to Saipan Saipanuvian Speaks.
Those boring breaks do help us remember 1)how long they have become and 2) how desperate and antsy we are if the tube isn't feeding us every second.
The photo caption might offend some. Shame on them, I think it's hillaryous.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Meme? Or viral homework?
So I'm it. I've been tagged and should review and tag five blogs. Something I would usually avoid, because I link to people I read a lot and others can make up their own minds about them. But I'm told I'll have bad luck if I don't. It may be true: the last time I ignored a tag (from Jeff) this whole federalization thing picked up steam, the minimum wage increase was passed and garment factories kept shutting down.
This blogging thing is just entertainment to me, so I went for the the sites that keep me coming back the most often. Sometimes that's just a function of updating regularly. In no particular order:
The Saipan Blog -Angelo Villagomez
I first ran across Angelo's antics when I was searching for Ed Steven's then-new blog. That has degenerated into a soul-less rehash of his columns with no comments allowed, but I stayed with this one. At first it was because of his Linklust®. If somebody new popped up in the Saipan corner of the blogosphere (assuming spheres have corners in this dimension) they were likely to get a mention.
Picture Ralph Nader in Blue Suede shoes. Geraldo doing Al Gore. A Greenpeace document hidden inside a supermarket tabloid. Ah, that's not it. If you don't care for the cheesecake, come back tomorrow. I usually do.
Saipan and other random hypercritical thoughts - Jeffrey Turbitt
What Alan Colmes might write if he was here and had bigger cajones—and better comebacks. Mainstream liberal, not meant to imply all of the garbage spinmeisters try to fold into the word. Some would say the response could be 'I know you are, but what am I.' Too personal sometimes, but that's just me. My opinion, né? Good, clear writing style.
GLEND558 - Glen Doutrich
God bless him. I used to watch Glen suffer on other blogs. He kept trying to talk about issues and was always ignored and/or cut off. I'm glad he's got his own soapbox. Mad as hell and not going to take this any more. One of my first stops.
Saipan's Beach Boy Blog - Brad Ruszala
All over the map, but worth the journey. If it's a Dear Diary day, there's always the next post. I'd have to agree with Jeff, he takes other people's blogs very seriously, (if they're serious posts) and spends some time on his comments.
must be the humidity - lil_hammerhead
Queen of the adjectives. I like this one. Good (insert adjective) fun. OK, a lot of it is too personal for me, but easy to skip. Involved in incessant cold wars and border wars with her neighbors. I don't know the history and haven't done my research. The topics and writing style keep drawing me back.
Epilog
Middle Road would easily have been number one back in the day. All right, not that long ago. They've been coasting lately, but at their best they are hugely entertaining and I still visit wistfully every time I'm making the rounds. I'm also not one who should be caviling about blog burnout.
Bruce Bateman the Saipanuvian could have made the list, but I really only visit to post and browse the posts. I've usually already read it because it's not actually a blog, just his newspaper column with a few photos thrown in occasionally. Often wildly wrong and often entertaining. Rush Limbaugh with a tuba hangover. He can turn a nice phrase, my recent favorite being 'elevator rap' for the filler the local cable station puts in breaks from live sports. A libertarian with content moderation.
These are just the folks from the Saipan blogdivot, and the list is slowly changing. You'll note I couldn't stop at five.
I just returned from a lengthy hibernation and there are a lot of new perspectives I'm still checking out. There are also a lot of sites I visit but not so often—usually because they update infrequently. Strangely enough, they eventually make it to my Lazy Links ® When I'm not too lazy.
This blogging thing is just entertainment to me, so I went for the the sites that keep me coming back the most often. Sometimes that's just a function of updating regularly. In no particular order:
The Saipan Blog -Angelo Villagomez
I first ran across Angelo's antics when I was searching for Ed Steven's then-new blog. That has degenerated into a soul-less rehash of his columns with no comments allowed, but I stayed with this one. At first it was because of his Linklust®. If somebody new popped up in the Saipan corner of the blogosphere (assuming spheres have corners in this dimension) they were likely to get a mention.
Picture Ralph Nader in Blue Suede shoes. Geraldo doing Al Gore. A Greenpeace document hidden inside a supermarket tabloid. Ah, that's not it. If you don't care for the cheesecake, come back tomorrow. I usually do.
Saipan and other random hypercritical thoughts - Jeffrey Turbitt
What Alan Colmes might write if he was here and had bigger cajones—and better comebacks. Mainstream liberal, not meant to imply all of the garbage spinmeisters try to fold into the word. Some would say the response could be 'I know you are, but what am I.' Too personal sometimes, but that's just me. My opinion, né? Good, clear writing style.
GLEND558 - Glen Doutrich
God bless him. I used to watch Glen suffer on other blogs. He kept trying to talk about issues and was always ignored and/or cut off. I'm glad he's got his own soapbox. Mad as hell and not going to take this any more. One of my first stops.
Saipan's Beach Boy Blog - Brad Ruszala
All over the map, but worth the journey. If it's a Dear Diary day, there's always the next post. I'd have to agree with Jeff, he takes other people's blogs very seriously, (if they're serious posts) and spends some time on his comments.
must be the humidity - lil_hammerhead
Queen of the adjectives. I like this one. Good (insert adjective) fun. OK, a lot of it is too personal for me, but easy to skip. Involved in incessant cold wars and border wars with her neighbors. I don't know the history and haven't done my research. The topics and writing style keep drawing me back.
Epilog
Middle Road would easily have been number one back in the day. All right, not that long ago. They've been coasting lately, but at their best they are hugely entertaining and I still visit wistfully every time I'm making the rounds. I'm also not one who should be caviling about blog burnout.
Bruce Bateman the Saipanuvian could have made the list, but I really only visit to post and browse the posts. I've usually already read it because it's not actually a blog, just his newspaper column with a few photos thrown in occasionally. Often wildly wrong and often entertaining. Rush Limbaugh with a tuba hangover. He can turn a nice phrase, my recent favorite being 'elevator rap' for the filler the local cable station puts in breaks from live sports. A libertarian with content moderation.
These are just the folks from the Saipan blogdivot, and the list is slowly changing. You'll note I couldn't stop at five.
I just returned from a lengthy hibernation and there are a lot of new perspectives I'm still checking out. There are also a lot of sites I visit but not so often—usually because they update infrequently. Strangely enough, they eventually make it to my Lazy Links ® When I'm not too lazy.
Quick hit
This is one for Brad:
Nevada sports books lose record $2.6 million on Super Bowl.
But those greasy bookies are a stereotype or front men these days. I think you'd be more likely to find actuaries setting the odds. I found the story because I've got an active search going for the 49'ers and they had the previous record.
Nevada sports books lose record $2.6 million on Super Bowl.
But those greasy bookies are a stereotype or front men these days. I think you'd be more likely to find actuaries setting the odds. I found the story because I've got an active search going for the 49'ers and they had the previous record.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Battle lines being drawn
Flashback, ca. 1975. I'm sitting in the Student Union with some friends having coffee. There is a stack of pamphlets and papers in the middle of the table that we collected when we ran the gauntlet of activists choking the lobby. They range from the Young Republicans to the Socialist Student Workers Party and the Socialist Workers Student Party. The latter two just had a nasty split over the meaning of 'dialectic'. They now spend their time attacking each other.
We idly discuss the screes, but, really, they try so hard to make their points that they overreach and throw in that last comment that takes them over the top.
Which is my cue to fast-forward.
Bruce Bateman got me to thinking with his Sour Grapes column at Saipanuvian. He spends a lot of time trying to explain taotao tano. Actually makes some good points along the way. They have their voice, and it's one that's needed. Are their politics too personal? Yeah, for me.
Then Bruce makes the classic mistake--if it's a mistake, because it's also a classic propaganda tactic. He starts branding anyone who might disagree as "mainlander liberals, and mainland educated liberal locals". So there, now I don't have to deal with ideas, lets just talk labels.
Bruce got me to thinking, but it was Wendy Doromal over at Unheard No More that got me to writing. I vaguely remember her wandering through the Variety when I was there, also vaguely that her stories were pretty good, except that they verged on having too much opinion for straight news.
It's interesting that Guam Chamoru Rights activists seem to be heavily involved with Taotao Tano. Makes sense, I suppose. They've got a lot of the same interests.
I've always thought Guamanians had a better beef with the U.S. After all, the CNMI approved the Covenant in an election. Nobody ever asked Guam. I think we all know how that would turn out, but that's beside the point.
And now that I've made it by the tables in the food for thought court, I'll finish my V-8. All of these activists shouting makes me thirsty.
We idly discuss the screes, but, really, they try so hard to make their points that they overreach and throw in that last comment that takes them over the top.
Which is my cue to fast-forward.
Bruce Bateman got me to thinking with his Sour Grapes column at Saipanuvian. He spends a lot of time trying to explain taotao tano. Actually makes some good points along the way. They have their voice, and it's one that's needed. Are their politics too personal? Yeah, for me.
Then Bruce makes the classic mistake--if it's a mistake, because it's also a classic propaganda tactic. He starts branding anyone who might disagree as "mainlander liberals, and mainland educated liberal locals". So there, now I don't have to deal with ideas, lets just talk labels.
Bruce got me to thinking, but it was Wendy Doromal over at Unheard No More that got me to writing. I vaguely remember her wandering through the Variety when I was there, also vaguely that her stories were pretty good, except that they verged on having too much opinion for straight news.
It's interesting that Guam Chamoru Rights activists seem to be heavily involved with Taotao Tano. Makes sense, I suppose. They've got a lot of the same interests.
I've always thought Guamanians had a better beef with the U.S. After all, the CNMI approved the Covenant in an election. Nobody ever asked Guam. I think we all know how that would turn out, but that's beside the point.
And now that I've made it by the tables in the food for thought court, I'll finish my V-8. All of these activists shouting makes me thirsty.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Ruthless
Note to those who, as I have, linked to Ruth Tighe at Chamorro.com. The link has been broken for awhile. I got old-fashioned and gave her a call; she said she'd follow up.
Meanwhile, On My Mind is still available on saipan.com. She doesn't link to anyone, so I gave her a pass on that etiquette point because I like the way she thinks. And the break is over; she said a column was coming Friday.
Hee, hee. Harry Blalock is broken too. I haven't called yet.
Oh, and props to her for her support of Public Radio.
Meanwhile, On My Mind is still available on saipan.com. She doesn't link to anyone, so I gave her a pass on that etiquette point because I like the way she thinks. And the break is over; she said a column was coming Friday.
Hee, hee. Harry Blalock is broken too. I haven't called yet.
Oh, and props to her for her support of Public Radio.
En Voc
Tony Pellegrino's letter to the editor about vocational education caught my fancy.
He says there is no vocational school in Saipan. I haven't been keeping up with the college, but I know they used to have a number of programs. Well, yes, most of the students weren't strictly 'local', they counted a student twice if they took two classes and anybody who could immediately applied their skills in Guam or the mainland because of the wages here. But the classes were available. (I did try to check out their new and improved website but it's obviously still a work in progress.)
Still, I'd bet on Tony. I remember saying his public library scheme was stillborn. He signed up Joeten (added parking) and Kiyu (keeping up with Joeten) and motivated a lot of kids. OK, that's not fair, they both contributed greatly. We now have a library to be proud of, and I always remember Tony when I think about it.
I wish some reporter would follow up on this, but it's obvious they don't read the papers, even their own.
Pubic Library?
For instance, back on January 15 the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation was advertising for PURCHASE OF ADULT BOOKS for the Tinian Public Library (built with public funds) in the Saipan Tribune. Maybe the Marianas Variety, too, but I read that one online. Part of a Community Development Block Grant.
Now, doesn't that pique your interest just a little? Maybe enough to be worth a phone call?
The lie of the land
Since I've started, it's time to rage about public land leases again. Now, the government does its job to the letter of the law. Of course, the average person has no clue about the location of section 15...blah, blah, blah, but the proposed lease has been published.
I would hesitate to bug them about every lease they advertise, and obviously I'd come off as a crank or a busybody. A reporter, on the other hand, would just be doing his or her job. The flip side being not doing his or her job by ignoring such simple leads.
Right. I've been here before. I did try to get around this basic laziness or incompetence by approaching one of my Representatives. "How about legislating a requirement that the location be described generally so that ordinary people could understand it?" Sez I. "Great idea," sez he. "I'll get right on it."
It pays to advertise
Now I'm waiting to see if they follow up on the ad for CNMI Labor's new job posting site. I would expect their business departments to be a tad nervous about losing revenue if newspaper posting of job vacancies gets replaced. We already see one or two pages of ads where there used to be three or four.
I had to look it up, you know. Using 'marianaslabor.net' instead of 'marianaslabor.gov.mp', I thought it might be a scammer.
He says there is no vocational school in Saipan. I haven't been keeping up with the college, but I know they used to have a number of programs. Well, yes, most of the students weren't strictly 'local', they counted a student twice if they took two classes and anybody who could immediately applied their skills in Guam or the mainland because of the wages here. But the classes were available. (I did try to check out their new and improved website but it's obviously still a work in progress.)
Still, I'd bet on Tony. I remember saying his public library scheme was stillborn. He signed up Joeten (added parking) and Kiyu (keeping up with Joeten) and motivated a lot of kids. OK, that's not fair, they both contributed greatly. We now have a library to be proud of, and I always remember Tony when I think about it.
I wish some reporter would follow up on this, but it's obvious they don't read the papers, even their own.
Pubic Library?
For instance, back on January 15 the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation was advertising for PURCHASE OF ADULT BOOKS for the Tinian Public Library (built with public funds) in the Saipan Tribune. Maybe the Marianas Variety, too, but I read that one online. Part of a Community Development Block Grant.
Now, doesn't that pique your interest just a little? Maybe enough to be worth a phone call?
The lie of the land
Since I've started, it's time to rage about public land leases again. Now, the government does its job to the letter of the law. Of course, the average person has no clue about the location of section 15...blah, blah, blah, but the proposed lease has been published.
I would hesitate to bug them about every lease they advertise, and obviously I'd come off as a crank or a busybody. A reporter, on the other hand, would just be doing his or her job. The flip side being not doing his or her job by ignoring such simple leads.
Right. I've been here before. I did try to get around this basic laziness or incompetence by approaching one of my Representatives. "How about legislating a requirement that the location be described generally so that ordinary people could understand it?" Sez I. "Great idea," sez he. "I'll get right on it."
It pays to advertise
Now I'm waiting to see if they follow up on the ad for CNMI Labor's new job posting site. I would expect their business departments to be a tad nervous about losing revenue if newspaper posting of job vacancies gets replaced. We already see one or two pages of ads where there used to be three or four.
I had to look it up, you know. Using 'marianaslabor.net' instead of 'marianaslabor.gov.mp', I thought it might be a scammer.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Dog days
Everyone's howling about dog control. Understandable, I guess. In my case, there is this cute dog across the street. She's kind of a wire-brush terrier boonie dog, except that is a misnomer. She is a feral animal. Apparently so are her friends that hang around, though I'm less certain of that.
Tourists love to take her picture as she lolls in the sand. She barks at them. Cutely. Most think so, though some are obviously intimidated by three or four dogs just lurking. When she drops a litter the barking is less cute.
She threatens the tourists, especially small children. One Russian lad would probably have been attacked; he was running far ahead of his parents. I warned her off. Only one top dog in this neighborhood, thank you.
Happily, the puppies have been cute, so they get rounded up rather quickly. Then she returns to her old habits. Her friends come back and they pack up, attacking dogs being walked down the street and chasing the occasional car.
They eat horses, don't they?
So what's the answer? There seems to be some opposition to eating our way out of the problem, though it is traditional in some cultures.
Not for me, with the admission that I have sampled Fido. Not by choice, mind you. I was at a birthday party and they put a chaser out before the rest of the food. Not bad, I said, reaching for more. What is it? (If you have to ask that question, you're probably already in trouble.)
After general laughter, and a few "woof, woofs", I filled my plate again. Because, of, in order: my inner eight-year old who would take any dare, the rationale that I'd already eaten it and I really was hungry, and, weakest of all, I didn't know the dog by name.
Not for sale, in any case. I think USDA approval of a dog-packing plant would be a reach. Also, I remember the business that used to buy dogs no questions asked. Quick beer money for the boys. And, now that I think of it, my neighbor in Tanapag who seemed to think a beating gave it more flavor until I offered to whack him with his own stick if he didn't stop.
Don't lase me bro
I think shooting is out, the community seems to have responded rather strongly to that one. That reprobate up on Navy Hill who was putting out antifreeze was also on the wrong track. Besides, the corpses would probably never be collected.
Sterilization is great, but a few operations won't begin to address the problem. Maybe India has the answer. Did you catch In Northern India, Unemployed Youths Hired To Sterilize Monkeys? The 300 political footballs in the government, unemployed garment workers, high school graduates. The possibilities are endless.
Laser sterilation, according to the Chief Minister. Obviously we'd need some controls. Don't want some guy settling a grudge outside a bar.
The kids are right
I've been searching the local papers to no avail. I'm sure I wasn't hallucinating. Wasn't there a story about school kids wanting to solve the problem and wondering why the Legislature did nothing? They'll learn, they're young.
Money for a pound, but not enough, and no animal cruelty laws.
It's (still) amazing to me that a small problem can fester for this long but there's plenty of time for public posturing about pet peeves.
Maybe dog-kicking is needed to release frustration, and that's why it can't pass the Senate. Or, again, they fear any animal control is a backdoor attempt to move in on cockfighting. No politician in his or her right mind would take on that group. Talk about one issue.
Tourists love to take her picture as she lolls in the sand. She barks at them. Cutely. Most think so, though some are obviously intimidated by three or four dogs just lurking. When she drops a litter the barking is less cute.
She threatens the tourists, especially small children. One Russian lad would probably have been attacked; he was running far ahead of his parents. I warned her off. Only one top dog in this neighborhood, thank you.
Happily, the puppies have been cute, so they get rounded up rather quickly. Then she returns to her old habits. Her friends come back and they pack up, attacking dogs being walked down the street and chasing the occasional car.
They eat horses, don't they?
So what's the answer? There seems to be some opposition to eating our way out of the problem, though it is traditional in some cultures.
Not for me, with the admission that I have sampled Fido. Not by choice, mind you. I was at a birthday party and they put a chaser out before the rest of the food. Not bad, I said, reaching for more. What is it? (If you have to ask that question, you're probably already in trouble.)
After general laughter, and a few "woof, woofs", I filled my plate again. Because, of, in order: my inner eight-year old who would take any dare, the rationale that I'd already eaten it and I really was hungry, and, weakest of all, I didn't know the dog by name.
Not for sale, in any case. I think USDA approval of a dog-packing plant would be a reach. Also, I remember the business that used to buy dogs no questions asked. Quick beer money for the boys. And, now that I think of it, my neighbor in Tanapag who seemed to think a beating gave it more flavor until I offered to whack him with his own stick if he didn't stop.
Don't lase me bro
I think shooting is out, the community seems to have responded rather strongly to that one. That reprobate up on Navy Hill who was putting out antifreeze was also on the wrong track. Besides, the corpses would probably never be collected.
Sterilization is great, but a few operations won't begin to address the problem. Maybe India has the answer. Did you catch In Northern India, Unemployed Youths Hired To Sterilize Monkeys? The 300 political footballs in the government, unemployed garment workers, high school graduates. The possibilities are endless.
Laser sterilation, according to the Chief Minister. Obviously we'd need some controls. Don't want some guy settling a grudge outside a bar.
The kids are right
I've been searching the local papers to no avail. I'm sure I wasn't hallucinating. Wasn't there a story about school kids wanting to solve the problem and wondering why the Legislature did nothing? They'll learn, they're young.
Money for a pound, but not enough, and no animal cruelty laws.
It's (still) amazing to me that a small problem can fester for this long but there's plenty of time for public posturing about pet peeves.
Maybe dog-kicking is needed to release frustration, and that's why it can't pass the Senate. Or, again, they fear any animal control is a backdoor attempt to move in on cockfighting. No politician in his or her right mind would take on that group. Talk about one issue.
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