NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I miss teaching history. Guam History and World History were my teaching for for close to five years. I've only recently started teaching Chamorro formally at UOG, and although I enjoy it, for many years teaching history was my passion. I loved the way that history provided a means of probing and opening students' minds by revealing to them the invisible and unknown things that exist within them. The way that a word could be traced back in time and attached certain meanings that might have been unfathomable before. The way a word, a custom has been adapted and altered over time, and how it may unintentionally reflect and refract previous areas without people today realizing it. My most enjoyable experience was to root in the earth and in human meaning, things which people accept to be untouchable, natural, unquestionable. Perhaps not in the sense that they would refuse to entertain any questions about something, but rather the way that thing might persist in the

Published on Monday, February 4, 2013 by TomDispatch.com The Paranoia of the Superrich and Superpowerful Washington’s Dilemma on a “Lost” Planet by Noam Chomsky [This piece is adapted from “Uprisings,” a chapter in Power Systems: Conversations on Global Democratic Uprisings and the New Challenges to U.S. Empire , Noam Chomsky’s new interview book with David Barsamian (with thanks to the publisher, Metropolitan Books). The questions are Barsamian’s, the answers Chomsky’s.] ********************* Does the United States still have the same level of control over the energy resources of the Middle East as it once had? The major energy-producing countries are still firmly under the control of the Western-backed dictatorships. So, actually, the progress made by the Arab Spring is limited, but it’s not insignificant. The Western-controlled dictatorial system is eroding. In fact, it’s been eroding for s

 Stuff from my inbox about the Wisconsin Recall election last week. **************** From the AFL-CIO: Dear Michael, A year and a half ago, Gov. Scott Walker and his friends in the Senate forced through an extremist anti-worker agenda that divided the state. Li Last night, Wisconsin took back its Senate. While Gov. Walker remains in office after being only the third governor in American history subjected to the humiliation of a recall, his divisive agenda has been stopped cold. Though Walker was shielded with a flood of secret corporate cash, Wisconsin made its voice heard. While we came closer to recalling Walker than many expected, we ended up coming just short. The work we did together was about much more than just this one election. We laid the groundwork for a powerful movement to push back against Walker-style anti-working family policies everywhere. The energy and momentum in Wisconsin have inspired working people from all walks of life to stand toget

An editorial from the Guardian/UK to start the new year. It is true in a way. There is still no other country in the world that can challenge the US militarily (although China seems to want to try for that soon). But in terms of the interests of the US dictating the way regions see or arrange themselves, or the way people on the ground aspire for their own liberty, the fantasies that of the US as that shining beacon of light on the hill are a bit out of date. That was part of the imperialist messaging of the Cold War. This idea that the rest of the world did not only want what America had, but also were willing to trade their own interests or their resources, their sovereignty in order to get it. People have learned that freedom does not belong to any particular power or country, and that the definition of freedom is that even if someone inspires you or helps you achieve it, is that you should have the right to turn your back on them and choose a life that conflicts with what they migh

Two things are filling up my inbox this morning and my Twitter timeline: the protests taking place in Madison, WI and the aftermath (especially the dangers from affected nuclear power facilities) of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. I was torn over which to write about this morning, and found myself wasting an hour just reading through articles on both events. Since I don't have enough time this morning to write up my overall thoughts on what is happening in Wisconsin right now in terms of the labor movement, protests with over 100,000 people from around the country showing up, and even Tony Shaloub, formerly from TV's Monk has flown in to show solidarity. Instead, I'll turn to Michael Moore and his thoughts last week in terms of arguing the importance of what is happening in Wisconsin. A speech he gave last week is below, as well as a blog post about how he came to Madison to give that speech. *********************** "America Is NOT Broke" By Michael Mo

Published on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 by The Guardian/UK Why Fear the Arab Revolutionary Spirit? by Slavoj Žižek What cannot but strike the eye in the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt is the conspicuous absence of Muslim fundamentalism. In the best secular democratic tradition, people simply revolted against an oppressive regime, its corruption and poverty, and demanded freedom and economic hope. The cynical wisdom of western liberals, according to which, in Arab countries, genuine democratic sense is limited to narrow liberal elites while the vast majority can only be mobilised through religious fundamentalism or nationalism, has been proven wrong. The big question is what will happen next? Who will emerge as the political winner? When a new provisional government was nominated in Tunis, it excluded Islamists and the more radical left. The reaction of smug liberals was: good, they are the basically same; two totalitarian extremes – but are things as simple as that? Is the true long