The project will be co-directed by retired educator and former Humanities Council board chairwoman Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei and Dr. Sandra Chung, professor of linguistics at the University of California at Santa Cruz. They will work with the Chamorro community in the commonwealth to significantly upgrade the documentation of the language.
Rechebei will supervise a working group that will revise the existing Chamorro-English Dictionary and videotape the life histories of Chamorro elders. Chung will prepare a Chamorro reference grammar and conduct workshops on descriptive linguistics for members of the working group.
Total funds awarded for the three-year collaborative project are $300,000, of which approximately $285,000 will go to the Council to support work in the Northern Marianas. The remainder will go to the University of California at Santa Cruz.
The grammar, revised dictionary, and oral histories — in video and print formats — will provide a highly detailed, accessible record of the Chamorro language for future generations.
The completed project will also serve as a valuable reference for the development of the next generation of Chamorro bilingual education materials —contributing to the teaching and learning of the language — which Rechebei and Chung said could make a critical difference to its long-term survival.
(CPA) — Fifteen firefighters from Palau and Yap have successfully completed seven weeks of Basic Fire Fighting Academy. The academy started on July 14, 2008 and graduation day was on Aug. 29, 2008.
The training is initiated by the Commonwealth Ports Authority in anticipation on the opening of the new aircraft rescue firefighting station in each respective island.
Seven weeks of academics, physical agility and hands-on training was conducted for the participants.
The participants went through four disciplines for certifications and they are Firefighter I, Basic Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, Hazardous Materials, and First Responder and CPR/AED certifications.
The participants had to wear full protective gear and SCBA to go inside a burning building and aircraft mock-up to extinguish the fire and save dummies weighing up to 180 pounds each and treat the injuries accordingly.
The participants were made to experience the actual response for each kind of possible aircraft emergencies based on the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Saipan’s training center is equipped with one of the finest emergency response training programs in the world and it is designed to meet the training needs of firefighters for Guam, the CNMI, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.
Participants in the Basic Fire Academy were Charles R. Mitchell, Burton Wenty, Rodney Omelau, Levelyne Renguul, Smith Pedro, Warren Richard, Carl Haruo, Kent Kerai, Yip Erungel, and Ashley Joseph from Palau; Dominic Brug, Francis C. Buchun, Jimmy C. Buchun, Mariano Wur, and Kenneth Flamoon from Yap.
The next Basic Fire Academy for the airport is scheduled for next year, and the Pacific Region ARFF Training Center is hopeful that there will be more participants.
PTI announces 2-1-1 feature for the NMI
(PTI) — CNMI residents now have a dedicated access line for weather updates at their fingertips. Just by dialing 2-1-1 on any landline phone or cellular phone, callers immediately hear an up-to-date recording of the latest daily and weekly weather forecasts at no additional cost.
2-1-1 was first launched by United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta in 1997 for the purpose of providing callers with information regarding community and volunteer services for everyday needs or in times of crisis.
According to Genevieve Miller, meteorologist-in-charge at the NOAA weather forecast office in Guam, “such service existed since the early 80’s, but it wasn’t until November 1st, 2005 that the 8-1-1 was switched to 2-1-1 to be in compliance with an FCC mandate.”
She further explains that the recording is directly from their NOAA Weather Radio base station which is located at their Tiyan office and covers the Marianas region.
The CNMI now joins more than 30 states including the District of Columbia in having a 2-1-1 center.
While services offered varies for each state and community, the 2-1-1 line for the CNMI will primarily be used for weather updates, safety tips and real time information during and after a storm or a tsunami warning.
All CNMI residents “will get the most current positions of the tropical cyclone, information about the cyclone, information on the effects to the islands and emergency information that the CNMI Emergency Management Office will provide to protect life and property,” states Miller.
In order to ensure that all CNMI residents could benefit from 2-1-1 services, PTI approached IConnect and SaipanCell who both agreed to also offer the service at no charge.
“Such joint efforts from all the major players in the telecommunication industry only proves our commitment in providing quality and reliable communication and at the same time acting in the best interest of the community by being socially responsible,” states Kathryn Barry, regional marketing manager of PTI.
“I would like to thank IConnect and SaipanCell for joining PTI in keeping the CNMI up-to-date,” added Barry.
For more information, you may log on to http://www.prh.noaa.gov/guam/ or call 682-4PTI.
SMOKE-FREE AT SUBWAY RESTAURANTS. Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin P. Villagomez hands over a certificate of recognition to Marcia Ogania, Subway store team leader, and Jerry Loyola, Subway store assistant team leader, following the signing by Gov. Benigno R. Fitial on Aug. 29 of a proclamation declaring September as Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Awareness Month. The certificate commends Subway for implementing a smoke-free policy at its restaurants. Contributed photo
PIC PALOOZA. The Pacific Islands Club held a “PIC Palooza” 70’s themed party at its Charley’s Cabaret on Aug. 30. PIC raised $3,500 which was donated to the church-based charity group Karidat. Contributed photo.
