Columnists

HAGÅTÑA — A Korean mountaineer, Kim Hong-bin, scaled the summit of the Broad Peak on July 18, culminating his long-awaited dream to scale all 14 peaks over 8,000 m. A crowning achievement, indeed. Only 43 climbers were blessed to possess this daunting record. Kim Hong-bin became the 44th honorable …

NO matter where in the world you go, another island or other continent, travel is good for growth and understanding.  The world is full of rich cultures and wonderful people, and the more of it we experience for ourselves the better. There is no substitute for visiting a new place for the first tim…

THE Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ announcement last week barring bicycles along the Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio Beach Road Pathway stirred discussions throughout our community about road safety and the pros and cons of this directive. Runners and walkers, drawn to the pathway’s picturesque…

THE late Hans Rosling, MD, in his brilliant book, “Factfulness,” noted that “fears that once helped keep our ancestors alive today, help keep journalists employed.” Rosling reminds us that the “world seems scarier than it is because what you hear about it has been selected — by your own attention f…

IN a democracy, such as that of the United States and the CNMI where the people elect their own leaders, the constitution is the supreme law of the land. The constitution delineates the respective powers of the elected and appointed officials in each of the three branches of government. The executi…

JULY 26, 2021, marks the 31st Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA, in my opinion, is the greatest piece of civil rights legislation created for people with disabilities. Basically, the ADA prevents discrimination based on disability in areas such as, employment; access to go…

BELIEVE it or not, the Governor figuratively wants us to think “the sky is falling” with his announcement to run again for office. Does he think that the majority of voters are gullible enough to vote for him again! FYI Governor, WE the People already saw this movie with Governor Fitial when he was…

 “What looks like tomorrow’s problem is rarely the real problem when tomorrow rolls around.” — James Fallows SO far, my favorite doomsday scenario was the one faced by the Western nations in the late 19th century:  horse poop. “The situation seemed dire,” Clemson University assistant professor Eric…

THE Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force has been aggressive in its vaccination campaign in the past several months to help the Marianas reach herd immunity. As of July 22, 2021, the CNMI had 29,406 fully vaccinated individuals with a vaccination rate of 69.4%. We need 4,512 people to complete their vacc…

THE South China Sea is an important gateway connecting the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and has close relations with Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN countries. So maintaining a peaceful environment in these waters is very important for countries in the South China Sea region.…