Columnists

Jim Rayphand EARLIER this week I was invited to speak (or rather to answer questions) at a forum hosted by and for students at Northern Marianas College to engage with candidates for the CNMI Delegate to U.S. Congress.  On first impression of the young ladies and gentlemen of NMC, I feel compelled …

Ambrose M. Bennett THE ominous phrase “Of, For & By the People” is too often taken for granted, especially when you don’t hear it being said in any shape, form or fashion coming from the ones you depend upon MOST — our LEADERS! The politics of China has prevailed over our economy and our very s…

CUC’s executive director has informed the governor and the CUC board that there is “an urgent and escalating risk that CUC may soon be unable to provide continuous and reliable electrical services to the islands of Saipan and Rota due to circumstances beyond our control.” In other words, engine pro…

BC Cook JIMMY Buffett taught us that sometimes, well-told fiction is better than reality.  Tristan Jones would have agreed.  His own life packed enough interesting material to keep inquisitive grandchildren gathered wide-eyed at his feet for years, yet halfway through his life’s journey he upped th…

Del Benson THE Northern Mariana Islands, a small archipelago in the western Pacific, have undergone a series of dramatic transformations throughout their history. From colonial possession to modern U.S. Commonwealth, the islands have continually reshaped their identity and economy in response to gl…

THROUGHOUT recorded human history, many people have believed that 1) they are underpaid or not paid enough for the services they perform; and 2) they are overcharged for the services/commodities they need to buy. Corollary to this still widely popular notion is the equally unshakeable assumption th…

Jim Rayphand FOR someone who likes to overstate the obvious, I can be shockingly oblivious to foreseeable consequences of my own decisions and how they affect me personally.  Nowhere has this been more evident than in the compromised, weakened state of my body, mind and soul over the course of the …

Rosemarie D. Embile  AS a teacher, I often caught up in lesson planning and evaluating student work, and I didn’t take the time to appreciate the special moments I shared with them. However, in 2019, I decided to make a change and saw an opportunity to create something extraordinary with my student…

Christopher A. Concepcion WHEN I was a young student, tourism was the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, young people today are much more in tune with and a part of our Marianas tourism economy, thanks to the work of Marianas Tourism Education Council and Marianas Youth Welcome All Visitors Enthus…

BC Cook IT is not often when Saipan makes the international news cycle.  Julian Assange passed through a little while back, that caught headlines. The military’s plans to re-open the airfields on Tinian got attention. But other than the occasional typhoon, Saipan quietly goes about its business awa…