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Showing posts from January, 2016

Rolling Stone on the Oregon Militia

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Rolling Stone has done a couple of stories on the white militia occupation in Oregon. Here are two of them. ***************** WTF Just Happened to the Oregon Militia, Explained by Tim Dickinson Rolling Stone 1/27/16 The FBI has cut off the head of the snake of the militia  occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge  outside Burns, Oregon. The FBI announced Tuesday night that it had arrested eight militia members and that the leader of the standoff, Ammon Bundy, is in custody. One militant is dead, another wounded. Here's what you need to know. Did federal officials finally raid the wildlife refuge? No. The militants got cocky and went on a road trip. The FBI intercepted a group of six occupiers traveling on the state highway to John Day, an east Oregon city 70 miles north of Burns, where militants had been scheduled to appear at an anti-government rally Tuesday evening. Who did the FBI capture? The FBI arrested Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan; the B

Why She Supports Bernie Sanders

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  Democracy for America, who was disseminating it on behalf of the Bernice Sanders campaign. I'm posting it here because I feel like I've been neglecting the Presidential campaign in the US lately because of research commitments, writing commitments, activist commitments and then my loves and my family. To be very honest, I've only been following the campaign(s) to the extent to which Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah or Seth Meyers are covering it. This makes it easier not to be horrified at the deadly organism that is the Republican campaign and Republican candidates, as it is presented to me as ridiculous, as just the fluff perfect for jokes, even if they are tragic ones. As a result, even if they are foretelling doom and destruction for America if someone like Donald Trump or Ben Carson is elected President, the humor is a cushion, making it easier to deal with, since while it may not provide much pleasure for the intellectual portions of my mind, it sure as hell feeds the p

Avalancha

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Ti siguru yu' hafa maolek na pinila' gi Fino' Chamoru para i palabara "avalanche." Sina un deskribi gui' gi Fino' Chamoru komo un nåpu pat un pakyo'. Sina un usa palabra siha ni' para u ma deskribi i kinalamten-ña pat i fuetså-ña, pat i piligro kada mana'fanhuyong. Ti siguru yu' hafa i mas propiu na pinila'. Manhahasso yu' put este sa' unu na kanta ni' gof ya-hu (ya hu e'ekungok gui' pa'go ha' na momento) i na'an-ña "Avalancha" ginen un inetnon danderu ginen España "Heroes del Silencio." Anai i fine'nina hu hungok i palabra, ti hu komprende hafa ilelek-ña i taotao, lao gof ya-hu i bos-na yan i tunada. Ya kada mafåtto i koru ya ma essalao "Avalancha!" malago' yu' tumachu yan umessalao lokkue'. Kada hu hungok ya na påtte, hu imahihina na ma'u'u'dai yu' un kabayu gi hilo' un nåpu niebes ni' pumopoddong ginen un takhilo' na okso. M

Sexual Harassment at UOG

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Articles on the current clash between UOG and Adelup, Calvo and Underwood. ****************** Calvo, Underwood clash over UOG case by John O'Connor Guam Daily Post 1/23/16 In light of Gov. Eddie Calvo’s claims that University of Guam leadership stood up for indicted professor Michael Ehlert, UOG President Robert Underwood held a press conference yesterday describing these statements as “incomplete and misinformed.” In the press conference, Underwood addressed several concerns outlined in a statement released by the governor. Namely, that two women involved in a case against Ehlert were mistreated and that the university acted in his favor. “In the news and in email I’ve seen, UOG leadership has stood up for the alleged predator … and hasn’t said a thing about the victims,” Calvo said. “Silence is wrong. Institutionalized silence should be criminal.” Underwood said actions against Ehlert were made based on information available at the time. In November 20

Fina'kuentos Chamorro #5: An Meggai Sinangan-mu...

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Last year I gave a presentation to a high school class here on Guam about the way we can understand Guam history, its trends, its tendencies, its cycles through various Chamorro sayings. For some reason, today I have that presentation on my mind. I undertake a similar activity in my World History and Guam History courses. In order to understand what history as a concept is, I don't give students definitions per se, instead I give them 28 - 30 quotes that people have said about history and its characteristics, its importance or its irrelevance. No single quote is meant to encapsulate everything or explain and cover everything, but rather they each provide some texture to aspects, some structural understanding or descriptions to tendencies. History in the mind of one scholar is an essential part of human activity, for another it is an illusion, a means of trying to imagine control over things you have no control over. I find the complicated mess that the quotes crea

I Sengsong Malesso'

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Estague un dikike’ na tinige’-hu put i sengsong Malesso’ giya Guahan. Hu tuigiyi i prayek I Ma’adahen i Fino’ Chamorro gi Koleho nu este. Dipotsi para u mausa gi un leksion put i sengsong gi sanhaya’ na songsong siha giya Guahan. Hu mentiona gi tinige’-hu unu na gof impottante lao esso malefa na sinisedi gi sengsong gi duranten i Tiempon Chapones, annai mangkahulo’ i Chamorro gi sengsong ya ma dulalak i sindalun Chapones, ya ma gogguen maisa siha. Estague i tinige’-hu: Gefpaʹgo Malessoʹ na songsong. Guaha pantalan ni siña maʹudai hao batko para un bisita DÃ¥noʹ (Cocos Island). Esta hassan koʹkoʹ giya Guahan, lao siña mannoddaʹ hao koʹkoʹ giya DÃ¥noʹ. Meggai na estoria put este na songsong lokkueʹ. Gi i Tiempon Chapones manmapunoʹ meggai na Chamorro ni i Chapones giya Tinta yan FÃ¥ha na lugat. Lao i Chamorro manachu ya ma kontra i Chapones ya manmadulalak huyong giya Atate. Este na aksion munaʹ fan sÃ¥fu i Chamorro giya Guahan guihi na tiempon gera. Gefpåʹgo na songson

Puntan Patgon

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--> Ti Guahu tumuge' este na estoria, lao fihu hu sangan este na estoria gi klas-hu siha yan gi me'nan i famagu'on-hu. Estoria na estoria ni' mafa'na'an "Puntan Patgon." Este na estoria put i fihu na prublema siha gi familian Chamorro (yan gi todu i familian taotao). Achokka' mamparerentes, guaha nai ti maniniha put chinatkomprende. I Puntan Patgon na estoria uma'aya yan i estorian "Sirena" sa' i dos put i prublema anai ti manafa'maomaolek i manaina yan i famagu'on, sa' binibu pat hinesguan umentalo'. Hu hahasso este na dos na estoria todu tiempo, ya i mensahi gumigiha mo'na komo tata. *************         Ã…ntetes na tiempo gi tiempon i man mofo’na na taotao estÃ¥ba un taotao i na’Ã¥n-ña si MasÃ¥la. I gima’-ña gaige gi inai giya TÃ¥lagi Si MasÃ¥la gof banidosu sa’ pudi sumen dangkolo yan sumen metgot gue'. Mansen ma'åñao i Chamorron Guahan.   TÃ¥ya' gi isla siña umigi si MasÃ¥la.  

I Love the Maddow Blog

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On days when I am so busy I barely have time to think or learn anything, I appreciate Rachel Maddow and the Maddow Blog on the MSNBC website. Some wonderful person, posts each of their articles to Facebook, and so at moments when I am breezing through peoples' pages, liking random things, I click on the Maddow Blog posts and it updates me on various things involving Democratic/Liberal/Progressive topics in the United States. Ti hu tungo' hayi si Steven Benen, lao milagro gui gi lina'la'-hu. Kada diha mamange' gui' put kosas pulitikat gi sanlagu ginen i inatan Inakague pat Progressive. Fihu an guaha finaisen-hu put este na gayu pat ayu na gayu, umannok chaddek unu na tinige'-na gi i Maddow Blog, kalang esta ha tungo' hafa malago'-hu.  *************** Christie: Americans have a president ‘who we don’t know’ 01/08/16 04:32 PM facebook twitter 3 save share group 29 By Steve Benen http://www.msnbc.c

#ReinstateDocHawk

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Unu na parehu na sinisedi para hami yan i nobia-hu Isa, na dumangkolo ham gi kumunidat ni' gof gaihinengge yan umeskuela ham gi eskuela ni para i manggaihinengge lokkue'. Para guiya, Lutheran gui'. Para Guahu SDA. Lao gi i kareran-mami gi lina'la', in dingu ayu na lina'la. Hunggan manhohongge yu' gi aniti, yi'us yan todu ayu siha, lao ti parehu yan antes. Gi inestudia-hu gi koleho yan i intaitai-hu/inaligao-hu komo academic, pa'go na meggai mas meggai na tiningo'-hu put i diferentes na hinenggen taotao, lao ti sina dumichosu yu' nu unu na hinengge pat guma'yu'us. Gi i klas-hu put Estorian Mundo, sesso hu kefa'nu'i i estudiante-ku siha put na ti kabales todu i sisteman hinengge gi hilo' tano'. Achokka' un sen hongge na i gima'yu'us Katoliko i mas kabales na rilihon, gi i inestudian estoria, sina ta li'e' na ti uniku ayu na rihilon. Ha a'ayao meggai gi estoria-na yan i kustumbre-na ginen otro ma

Ti Para Sappho, Para Hagu

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Maloffan yu' gi trongko gi hatdin-mu Gof agaga' unu na maisa na tinekcha' Gi mas yahululu' na ramas Sen takhilo' gui' ya i mammamamfe' Ti ma li'e'e' Umangglo i labios-hu Ai mohon na hu taña' i mames-ña

Ayuda Un Keyao Taotao

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This image is from a painting by Joe Babauta who passed away last year and was one of my favorite professors when I was at UOG. You might recognize the figure in the bottom right corner, as it was supposed to be my grandfather, Joaquin Flores Lujan in his blacksmith garb.  When I was taking art classes at UOG, I didn't have much space to paint at home and so I would often sneak into the secon d floor studio at night and paint until morning. I had a small black CD player that eventually got covered with paint from my sessions and I would blare Chamorro music while I worked. Joe, who would often times sleep in his office, would come out all groggy when a song played that he particularly liked. At this time I was just learning to speak Chamorro and was just getting into Chamorro music. Every time "Matulaika i Siniente," "Ayuda Un Keyao Taotao" or "Guahu sin Hagu" would come on he would suddenly appear at the studio door wailing like a