Columnists

IT is 3 in the afternoon here, they say 1500 because this town uses the 24-hour clock, also known as military time.  It is as dark as it was at midnight.  I am in Tromso, Norway, one of the northernmost cities in the world.  To get any closer to the North Pole I would need a boat.  We have entered …

THOSE who attend Church already know that life itself is a test and the challenge facing our Governors-Elect is no different — a test to live up to the promises made to the People. For me, they are off to a great start as the list of their “Transition Team” speaks for itself, as it includes the Dem…

EVERY Christmas, I look forward to seeing and hearing about the Christmas spirit in the community. Villages illuminated with holiday lights and cheerful music playing throughout the month of December bring me immense joy. One of my favorite aspects of Christmas is experiencing a sense of togetherne…

THE lack of workers for certain jobs has been a major challenge for the NMI economy since at least the Japanese era. Unlike the Spaniards and the Germans, the Japanese administrators of the islands wanted to see economic growth. Japan “solved” the islands’ labor shortage by bringing in tens of thou…

A SERIAL rapist terrorized a community, targeting over 30 women spanning three decades.  The trail went cold, not because police closed in on him, but because he either satisfied his desires or he realized he was one mistake from getting nabbed and chose to lay low. The victims, women from the ages…

CHRISTMAS in the Marianas is one of the Marianas Visitors Authority’s most popular annual signature events, second only to the Taste of the Marianas during Tourism Month in May. It’s also a great way for our community to share our cultural Christmas traditions. Honoring our traditions i…

FOUR years ago, two candidates told Variety that the 2018 election was “the most challenging” and the “nastiest so far” because of the “false accusations” and “misinformation” that also targeted one of the candidates’ family members. This reminded me of another previous gubernatorial election in wh…

IT feels like a brand new day in the Marianas. Leila Staffler and I join our fellow Democrats in extending our sincerest congratulations to Governor-elect Arnold Palacios and Lieutenant Governor-elect David Apatang on their decisive victory, which truly is the victory of the people.  I am proud of …

SOME interesting facts to start your week: Cloud-to-cloud lightning can stretch over 75 miles long. The busiest organization in the world is the Pentagon, which has 34,500 phone lines and receives more than one million calls a day. California is home to the oldest known tree, Methuselah, which is e…

THE world’s first politician was the serpent in the Garden of Eden — “more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made,” according to the Bible’s magnificent King James Version. The serpent’s “campaign” promise? Change! Believe me and do as I say, the serpent told Eve, eat the fo…