Columnists

THE casino era’s end is at hand and the Casino Commission is finally drawing a line in the sand with the suspension of IPI’s Gaming License and imposing a 6.6 million dollar fine. I said a long time ago the “hand-writing-is-on-the-wall” for the casino given all the adverse financial factors they do…

A CASE study in 2004 recognized Saipan’s solid waste management system as a model for other South Pacific islands to follow. The same year, the island received the Silver Solid Waste Management System Award/Planning & Management Division from the Solid Waste Association of North America, a well…

IN his latest book, “Data Detective,” British economist and journalist Tim Harford reminds us that “we’d be wiser to acknowledge that we all think with our hearts rather than our heads sometimes.” And by “sometimes” I think he means “most of the time.” He also reminds us that biased thinking is eas…

THERE will always be opposing sides in political arguments but regardless of which side you are on in the CNMI it is obvious our Republicans have literally turned the CNMI into a “Banana Republic.”  In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an econ…

THE CNMI Constitution and CNMI law require both houses of the legislature to adopt new rules of procedure at the beginning of every term. This process of adopting rules is unique to the legislative branch, the first of three co-equal branches in our system of government.    A few months ago, in Jan…

MANILA (Reuters) — The daughter of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte says there’s no chance she’ll run for the presidency next year. Her father says the presidency is no job for a woman. But few are convinced by either of them as campaigns grow to back Sara Duterte-Carpio, 42, to succee…

TAIPEI/KOROR (The Guardian/Pacnews) — It launched with a presidential escort and the promise of rare international travel to a postcard-perfect tropical island, but the Taiwan-Palau travel bubble has deflated after just a couple weeks, with Taiwanese bookings dwindling to single figures.  Travel ag…

I FEEL I should comment on the recent news story titled “Non-NMD wife seeks 55-year leasehold interest in late husband’s property” on your issue of March 30, 2021, and now more recently, on April 15, 2021 issue saying about the same thing. First, I am assuming that the decedent (late husband) died …

I WOKE up this morning to the gentle swaying of Adaline, a graceful old girl who knows how to take of her family.  The sky was cloudy grey and the chill in the air reminded me that we were still in the grip of early spring.  Coffee became my priority.  I spent the night slumbering in her warm embra…