NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I love going to Anao in Yigo. I've only been there a few times, but I really enjoy it each time I go. For those of you who haven't heard of Anao, it's north of Hanom, almost on the edge of Anderson. In order to get there you hike for about 20 mins through some jungle and then get to the cliff's edge where a trail will take you down several hundred feet to the rocky limestone shore. There are some pretty cool features once you reach the limestone shore for those who love natural beauty. There is a massive rock that some people call "the pinnacle" that sticks conspciously out of the rest of the fairly flat limestone. When I took my History of Guam and World History 2 students to Anao last week, we explored to the north and found a pretty neat cove. There was a large rock, well over twenty feet high that stuck out past the shore, and was connected by a narrow land bridge. Several of my students and I climbed up it to take pictures. I recommend visiting Anao

Next month the primaries start for Republicans and so that means that the Presidential race will be starting soon. With so much of my focus on local politics, especially those dealing with decolonization, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to devote to following and covering Obama versus whoever the Republicans pick. One video I just came across on Youtube picked my interest. In it the campaign manager for Obama, Jim Messina lays out the five main paths in terms of electoral math and victories, that would give Obama the Presidency. Given the rough ride that Democrats had in the last election, and Obama's poor poll numbers, their projections have the aura of being both lean and sober, but also optimistic and wishful. I'm hoping for an Obama victory, despite my disappointment in his record thus far. To see the maps that Team Obama is working with, check out the video below:

For my Marianas Variety column this week I wrote about the current Republican pack of candidates as a colorful collection of barely electable political Pokemon (in homage of Herman Cain's suspension speech). It was a naturally partisan piece, meant to draw attention to how crazy the Republicans are this time around. No doubt some who read it and lean to the right will be offended by it and would love to remind me about all the craziness of the Obama Administration and the terrible things that he has done or that they feel he is doing in the darkest most. Perhaps a few months ago or a few years ago, I would have responded in true partisan form, downplaying all and making excuses for all, except for the racist fantasies which require no response. But watching Obama and his rise and fall as a Democratic figure, leader and symbol, I am fine nowadays with talking about his limitations. He has become a true Democrat, a model of caving in, compromising and disappointing people. Some say

Barack Obama's re-election campaign has officially begun, with the release of a video through his website . Here is the video below, which features people from around the United States getting geared up to help re-elect the President. Ti siguru yu' hafa siniente-ku put este. Ya-hu Si Barack Obama. Ya-hu gui' desde i fine'nina na humuyong gui' gi i 2004 na DNC giya Boston. Ga'o-ku gui' kinu Si Bush yan kinu todu i otro ni' sina manmalalagu para i ofisina gi 2012. Hunggan desganao yu' na ti gof "liberal" gui'. Ya ha na'desganao yu' meggai gi i ma'pos na dos na sakkan annai ti ha tachuyi hit kontra i manriku yan i Manrepublicans. Gof lalalu yu' na ti ha huchom GTMO. Ayu i mas fa'set na prublema. Huchom ha'. Sotta todu i mampinengle guihi. Manmapopongle todu kontra i lai internationale. Pues sotta ha' todu. Hunggan, sina na gigon manmasotta siha, ma hatme i US, lao maolekna ennao kinu i gagaige ha' i &quo;

Hafa Adai Taotao Tano’ Ti este mismo i mensåhin i Maga’låhi. Lao este un otro gof impottante na mensåhi ni’ debi di un taitai antes di un taitai i otro na mensåhi. Put fabot i Taotao Guahan. Po’lo påppa’ i lapes-miyu yan i pluman-miyu. Puno’ i telebishon-miyu. Na’fanmaigo’ i famagu’on-miyu yan godde’ i ga -miyu. Basta todu i buskabidan-miyu, put fabot fanngaha’ yan atan magi. Siempre ti mannina’desganao Hamyo ni’ este na mensåhi. Esta hu tungo’ na meggai giya Hamyo ni’ ti yan-miyu i Maga’låhin på’go’. Esta gi fino’ Ingles “keyao na nganga” gui’. Pau tunok ginnen i ofisinå-ña gi i otro sakkan, ya put este na esta ti apmam na tiempo-ña, guaha nai kulang taibali gui’. Guaha nai an un atan i atadok-ña siha, na kamten gui’, esta o’sun gui’ nu este na lina’la’, ya esta listo gui’ para u dingu i ofisinå-ña. Lao para på’go na momento, Guiguiya ha’ i ma’gås-ta, ya Guiya gumigiha gi este gof dongkulo na “military buildup.” Hu konfotme na guaha na biahi kalang binådu Si Camacho ni’ esta para

A series of storms are currently surrounding Guam. When I was younger, I would pray for typhoons, since it would mean no school (although no power and cable too). As a professor at the University of Guam, I pray for typhoons since, there would be no classes to teach, no power (internet, video games) to distract me and then I can finally catch up on my grading. I dreamed all day of coming home and finding that classes at UOG were cancelled tomorrow, but after logging on to the UOG website this evening, I found that there were indeed classes tomorrow. Lana, I just went back to the website to see if anything had changed in the past hour, but it hadn't. I guess that means I'll need to stay up a few more hours finishing my prep for my four classes tomorrow. Nina'hasso yu' ni' i mubin Equilibrium. Gi ayu na mubi, un petsona ilek-ña este: Manmahafye i guinife-hu gi sanpappa’ i patås-mu. Adahi månu un pokkat, sa’ hu gagacha i guinife-hu siha. Dalai UOG. Sa' hafa t

I have to really apologize. I haven't put together an issue of Minagahet Zine in close to a year, nine months actually. Its not because nothing has been happening on Guam or to Chamorros around the world. Its quite the opposite really. Over the past nine months there have been too many things happening, and so I tried to get someone to guest edit an issue of Minagahet. One of my friends agreed and started putting it together but never finished. I was so busy with finishing my dissertation, and now working at the University of Guam that I couldn't work on it either, even after it was obvious that my friend wasn't going to finish it. So I just wanted to put out a quick note saying that the next issue is on its way. I'm trying to find some time this weekend to organize and upload it. So many things have been happening lately, and a few things that were supposed to happen, haven't yet. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the bulk of the construction for the m

Despensa yu', but there probably won't be much on this blog for the next few days. I'm starting teaching at UOG in a few hours and so things will be crazy as I finalize my syllabi (syllabuses) and try to familiarize myself with how to teach English Composition ( in addition to the Guam History classes I'm teaching). I will be back soon though, as there is simply too much going on out there, to not be writing and blogging about it!

The dissertation writing continues today. It is such a horrible feeling when the issues that you take to heart and normally write about so passionately, get reduced to horrid chores of editing, re-writing, re-structuring. I guess it is a part of all dissertation project or large research projects such as this, where you start to loathe the work you are doing. I'm sure it will pass though, but in the meantime I can take a small amount of joy, when I get the chance to write some interesting things. Today I am finishing up the second draft of my methodology chapter, in which I discuss using "traces of sovereignty" to support my academic arguments about sovereignty and what we can learn or tease out from the concept through the political status of Guam. These traces of sovereignty come from everyday sources, my blog, my email account, my interactions with people. As I wrote today: They are traces, fragments of discourse which circle around the link or lack thereof between G

Taitai hafa pinost yu' guini. Para i mannatibu ni' sumusungon i "colonialism" ginnen i "mas maolek na nasion" hun, este i minagahet. Yanggen natibu hamyo, ya ma sakke' i tano'-miyu, i direchon-miyu yan kontodu i guinifen-miyu siha, ya i Amerikanu siha, ma sangani hamyo na "I'm sorry." Mismo kumekeilek-na "Lakis hao." Achokka' ma sangani hamyo "despensa ham," atan hafa i hiniyong yanggen en gaggao tatte i tano'-miyu pat un gaggao tatte para i direchon-miyu. Humuyongna este na na'ma'a'se na eskareng. Para i mannatibu ginnen Hawai'i, hafa sina hu sangani hamyo put este iyo-ta colonizer, na ti esta en titingo' pat siesiente? *********************************** Native Hawaiians Lose Claim By JESS BRAVIN Wall Street Journal April 1, 2009 WASHINGTON -- A unanimous Supreme Court rejected native Hawaiians' claims that a congressional apology for an American-instigated 1893 coup should block

The new Oliver Stone movie will be out tomorrow and I'm very excited about it. For better or for worse, Oliver Stone movies were one of my first very concrete experiences of being masumai or dunked into a historical context, and not hating or loathing it. Despite the creative liberties taken in the films, there is something often more real about them then actual real life, as if through fiction you can actually reach what "really" happened in a way that if you simply video taped the world you couldn't. Films such as JFK, Platoon, Nixon and Born on the Fourth of July, all brought me into American history in such a way that I was both entranced and disgusted. For me, and you may disagree, but JFK and Platoon were riveting stories, and Nixon was a film I thought I would detest or find boring, but like most Oliver Stone films I found myself wrapped up in it, and embodying what was probably the base intent of the film, that more people both understand Nixon and hate him.

Desde ma anunsia na Si Sarah Palin inayek as John McCain para u VP gi i banda Republican, hu gof nanangga para i ineppe i Campaign Obama. Taimanu para u ma chonnek tatte kontra i dinagin McCain yan i inayek Palin? Put fin gi este na simana, ma na'publiko hafa iyo-niha strategy. Pau ma na'dana' gi i mensahi-niha, manasunto Famalao'an yan Ikonomia. Ya bei sangani hamyo, ti desganao yu'. Ti nina'desganao yu'. Put ma ayek este na tactic, ma apreba nu Guahu na magahet i fino' Obama yan Biden. I inetnon Democratic, ma ofrefresi "ideas" yan "policies" gi este na botashon, yan i inetnon Republicans, ma ofrefresi "personalities." Pau ma kena'hasso i taotao Amerika hayi mismo umofrefresi "solutions" para i prubleman-niha, ya hayi umofrefresi "tinaya'." Manmiresi i taotao Amerika gi maseha manu na ma bota. In recent weeks, given the glowing coverage that the Republicans have received as Sarah Palin shows

The Democratic leadership in the House and Senate has set the stage for a spectacular cave in to the demands of the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans. One looming question remains however, and that is how much or how forcefully will Barack Obama challenge the Democratic folding to Bush on the FISA and telecom immunity issue. This issue, while not big amongst pundits as one of those issues polling data says Americans care about, represents two crucial tests for Obama and his campaign. First, there is the idea that Obama's campaign has promoted, that their candidate will break with the long-standing Democratic party tradition of backing down from any fight over national security issues with Republicans. Instead Obama is proposing to stand up to Republicans and not let them control the terms of the debate. Given his position on the FISA issue so far, its seems however that he's already given up the terms to Bush on this one. Secondly, will Obama continue another D