NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

A photo of me at Sinanganta , a poetry slam I participated in while I was on Guam in December.

Minahalang In the time it took me to drive to work today To drive twenty miles Through thick sick smelling smog Over overcrowded concrete lanes I could have driven down to my great grandfather’s old farm, seen the piece of land they call Bubulao, which they say is haunted by some of the nastiest taotaomo’nas around, and where the soil is so rich it smells like a new moon, guiding a thousand more plantings and harvests. I could have driven down to Si Ben Meno’s house and watched him fix his nets, or tunu I kinenne’-na. Talk to him about the strength of the Chamorro people during the war, facing off against Japanese bayonets and American bombs, having no one to rely on except themselves and their faith. I could have driven down to Hagat and gone to visit Mr. Palacios. I could have sat with him and his guitar, and he could have played chords that Chamorros put together three generations ago, in order to endure the hardship of war. They strummed tunes and songs to make known their strength...

Despensa yu', sa' ti fihu pumost yu' gi este na simana. Gof tinane' yu' put eskuela so hassan i tiempo-ku para este. So what I thought I'd do is have another edition of Fun With Footnotes, where I share with everyone the sprawling, almost jaw shattering footnotes that I often put in my academic papers. There are several reasons for making footnotes of this size, but the one that has served me well most recently is that I use them, or the rambling discussions I start in them as the basis for my next papers. One footnote from an article that will hopefully get published this year, has provided me with the basis for an article I'm working on with a friend of mine Madel, for an article we plan to try and submit to The Journal of Contemporary Thought. The following footnotes are from an article titled Everything You Wanted to Know About Guam But Were Afraid to Ask Zizek: Part 1, that I first presented at the Sovereignty Matters Conference April 2005 at Columbia U...

Originally published January 20, 2006 - Guam PAcific Daily News -You would think that the Pacific Daily News, having been in our homeland forover 50 years, would by now evolve as an institution that works to achieve acollaborative atmosphere, promoting dialogue for a good vision for Guam'spolitical development and leadership in the Pacific rim. Instead, the line ofquestion to eliminate the Commission on Decolonization (Dec. 15 Sunday Forum),indicates an immature, agenda-setting, self-interest laden power sector of thecommunity. There is a law in the books addressing Guam's decolonization. Onedoes not eliminate a law. What this island community needs is the encouragement for discussions regardingthis sensitive and complex issue. Sensitive and complex not because the Chamorro people made it out to be, but because Guam's non-status and lack of politicaldevelopment under the U.S. flag, as well as its economic circumstances, havebrought a difficult situation to the Chamorro peop...

Beneath is a hardly exclusive look at one of my chaotic breakdowns for B4K. I'm back from Guam, so me and my brothers are staring work again on our comic. As far as the work is concerned, I'll provide a little update. Writing-wise: I have completed the first issues and am almost down with the script and breakdowns for #3. The breakdown from above is from issue #3. Art-wise: Issue #1 is drawn and inked, and Jack is on page 12 of pencils for #2. Lettering: Issue #1 is still being worked on. When we first started I had originally wanted to just provide a script with some simple descriptions of the the panels I wanted, but it would be up to Jack himself, as to what he would draw. But Jack requested that I drawback some simple panel breakdowns for him to, which he could either use or ignore. The result is the barely visible sketches you see above, which probably look to some like the sketchbooks of Kevin Spacey's character in Seven. The biggest update I can offer now is that we ...

Estague Si Madel yan Si Alfred. Machule' este gi i ma'pos na sakkan gi i conference National Pacific Islanders Education Network (NPIEN). Manmama'nu'i ham guihi put i sinisedi i taotaogues Pasifik gi higher education gi lagu. Hafa na atkagueti sina u afetka i manhoben ni' ya-niha umeskuela gi colehio? Ya ginnen i sinisedin-mami yan i tiningo'-mami, hafa i inabisa na sina in efresi siha? Gof magof hu na mandana ham put este na asunto, sa' sina manashare put i che'chon-mami siha. Pa'go na ha'ani, ma kattayi yu' i National Association of Ethnic Studies (NAES). Gi i ma'pos na mes, in fa'panel ham, ya in na'halom i tres na papet-mami gi este na Conference, ya bunitu sa' manmachule' todu. Siempre este gof maolek na chansa para u na'fanugo' i taotao sanhiyong mas put hayi mismo i taotaogues Pasifik. Mas ki mai tai ha'. Mas ki grass skirts ha'. Lao, mas ki Amerikanu siha ni' manananangga taihinekok para u fanam...

As a fan of http://www.peoplefromguam , I found this article interesting. When I first left island in 2003 someone invited me onto this website. It was an interesting experience, because I realized then how my circle of friends at that time was very old and very low tech. I knew alot of people on the site, but very few of them did I consider my friends. I remember feeling very depressed because I would scour the site looking for people, and I would use any strange connection in order to add someone as a friend. ("I met your mother once!") PeopleFromGuam.com creator looks back at highs and lows of rampant online growth by Jason Salas , KUAM News Friday, January 20, 2006 The best ideas, it's often said, are born of necessity. Hidden within the wealth of information that is the World Wide Web, it's difficult to grow an idea, being a virtual needle in the digital haystack of cyberspace. One local entrepreneur has coupled local pride and programming savvy to create one of ...

I came across this on http://www.kuam.com , its Congresswoman Bordallo's recent address to the people of Guam. I don't have the time or energy to critique it right now, so I'll just post it here with a few things that you should be reading for. First, note the popularity of politicians such as Bordallo or Felix Camacho and what they might possibility represent in a new level of Americanization on Guam, as evidenced through the way in which culture and history are unattached from particular groups or characteristics, and under the rubric of American multiculturalism, become things which we can all share and enjoy. Second, take note how our presence in the United States is always heavily drenched in the rhetoric of service, obligation and a fantastical opportunity. If we were really a part of the United States, would we need to punctuate this link that much? If anything this sort of talk emerges to cover over the fact that we are so not a part of the United States, and the hy...

I already know that I do not have the strength for the post I want to write right now. Another Chamorro soldier has died in Iraq, this time, Army Spc. Kasper Allan Camacho Dudkiewicz a military police officer. My life for the past 48 hour has deprived me of the energy to write want I know I must. I haven't slept very much lately. I was up all night Friday night writing a conference paper I had to give Saturday morning in Honolulu. I gave the paper, packed my bags and then flew to Los Angeles that night, arriving in California Sunday morning at 5. I then waited until 8:30 for a train to take me down to San Diego. All I have the energy for right now is raw emotions, I can't find the strength to turn them into something constructive or something beautifully written. All I can come up with now is that I'm pissed as hell. (I'm trying to be careful now not to use chatfino' in my posts after extensive use of the f word kept many people from viewing my blog at their workpla...

We here at Pump Fake Nation/ Panopticomix are working hard to produce mid to low quality comics which will not only make you chuckle, but also make you confused and make you question your commitment to independently produced and run comics. Our latest title B4K will be out in the trunk of our vehicles sometime later this spring. Prior to that we'll be showcasing it at the 2006 Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco, where we will be providing a number of free hurriedly photocopied ashcans to snotty little 25-35 year old comic fans, with highly concentrated buying power, that only want it however by virtue of it being free. In the meantime I'd like to introduce all of you to our creative team. Today's focus will be on Jack Lujan Bevacqua, our belabored artist and inker. Jack Lujan Bevacqua. Jack got his start in comics at the tender age of 4 when he was offered a position in Stan Lee's shirt pocket as the writer for the Spider-Man daily comic strip. After several...

10 Reasons to Oppose Privatization of the Port Authority of Guam Tinige' Si Sabina Perez. 1. Privatization will lead to a monopoly of a vital economic resource. Monopolies lead to rate hikes, which will have devastating effects on Guam's import based economy and cost of living. 2. Privatization will endanger security of our food supply, since 95% of imported goods come through the port. 3. Privatization is not necessary. According to the 2005 Public Auditor's report, the Port has operated in the black for two years in a row, with net revenues of $1.9 million in 2005. Thus, the revenue created could be reinvested back into capital improvements and the purchasing of a new crane. 4. A private monitor will be difficult to monitor and keep in check because of the lack of a strong regulatory framework, and companies can be exempt from Sunshine laws. 5. Privatization will result in a loss of funding for COLA for retired Port Authority employees. 6. Privatization of the Port under ...

Guaha una na tano', ni' sina ta tungo ginnen i litratu ha' Un tano' sin kulot siha Manu i trengko yan i mapagahes parehu ha' na kulot I tasi yan i iani, taya' lao un inanakko' na apu Taya' sonedu Na'ma'a'nao na silensio Anai i taotao siha, manotoghe sin siniente Taya' minagof Taya' piniti Taya' linalalu, kulang imahi siha Este na tano', kulang malingu Ti sina ta taka' Lao guaha pudera Guaha estoria siha, lihenden siha, fubulus siha Ni' sina ha dura i manmaloffan manmafnas na litratu siha, yan mambihu na papet siha Yanggen ta sangani yan na'i i estoria-ta Ya yanggen sina ta ekungok para i manamko' put i tiempon antigu pat hagas siha Pues sina ta penta tatte i kulot siha gi i manmaloffan na tiempo ta'lo Enao ha' sina ta kontinua yan ta po'lo mo'na i manma'pos na bosa siha I kilot siha, i paguan siha, i fina'pos, yan i siniente siha Pues ayu nai sina hit manla'la' Ya sina ta satba i...

I talk often about Chamorro language and the limits of it, and I often kase' pat keha people for their re-affirmation of these problems. People who talk about how its sad that we only use or language to make jokes or tease each other, lament this gi fino' Ingles! People who talk about our dying language often do not use it to complain or make depressing predictions, even amongst those who can understand. They instead of course use English, how fitting. Naturally given the content of this post, I fall under this category as well. There have to be some Chamorros on the internet who can speak and read our language, who are trawling for anything they can find out there, to stimulate that piece of their mind and memory. Actually I know that those Chamorros exist because I am one of them, I constantly search for certain Chamorro words on the internet and often use different spellings to see if I can find it. When I first started this blog, I was using Chamorro more. I had just left G...

Some of you might remember that for almost two years I ran a message board for leftist, indigenous activist and culturally radical Chamorros called Fanahgue'yan. The link is on the right side of this page, but if you try clicking on it you'll probably be disappointed, I closed down the site a few months ago. I won't go into the details of why it closed down, a number of incidents took place that I probably shouldn't go into. But the incidents that eventually happened, were preceeded by a mass exodus of the boards starting members. Fanahgue'yan came about largely because Chamorros such as myself who are less than magof that we are a colony and that our history has turned out this way (where we are patriotic pawns of the United States military) grew tired of being tossed around or dismissed on other boards and felt that there should be a place on the internet where our ideas could be shared and discussed without someone telling us, "if you don't like the way ...

Published on Friday, December 9, 2005 by The Nation 'Never Before!' Our Amnesiac Torture Debate by Naomi Klein It was the "Mission Accomplished" of George W. Bush's second term, and an announcement of that magnitude called for a suitably dramatic location. But what was the right backdrop for the infamous "We do not torture" declaration? With characteristic audacity, the Bush team settled on downtown Panama City. It was certainly bold. An hour and a half's drive from where Bush stood, the US military ran the notorious School of the Americas from 1946 to 1984, a sinister educational institution that, if it had a motto, might have been "We do torture." It is here in Panama and, later, at the school's new location in Fort Benning, Georgia, where the roots of the current torture scandals can be found. According to declassified training manuals, SOA students--military and police officers from across the hemisphere--were instructed in many of ...

Just thought I'd share this with anyone. If you're on sites like myspace or peoplefromguam maybe you're familiar with the "fake friends" phatic post. Its a posting mechanism meant to weed out who amongst the dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of people that you have as your friends are your "real friends." The post is often a generic, "this is to see who is really my friends or not, if you do not repost this you will be deleted." Often times people truly get into the concept and start drafting their own "fake friends" posts, which lash out at the people who are adding people left and right like this site is a popularity contest, and not using it properly to keep in touch with people or meet new people. What these people who like me add people left and right forget is that crucial lesson of high school, and that is that being cool is completely dependent upon no one realizing that you are trying to be cool. The moment the strings sh...

Hu tuge' este gi 2003 nai fine'nina mana'tungo' yu' put i nuebu na tinakpangin Marine Drive. Ya-niha na u mafa'dibin dongkalu Marine Drive, ya na'ma'se sa' manggana'. Pa'go mismo "Marine Corps Drive" sigun i gubetnamento. Kalakas este na tinilaika, sa' mas mappot para ta puni yan na'suha ayu na gof mappot na dibi-ta nu I Amerkianu siha, ni' fihu muna'fambachet hit ya muna'fangga'ga' hit lokkue. Rename Marine Drive after natural resource Pacific Daily News http://www.guampdn.com/ For indirectly saving the lives of my grandparents and relatives, any of the soldiers who fought to retake Guam in 1944 are welcome in my home, and have my sincere gratitude. But if we can be honest for a moment and think with our heads and hearts, rather then with the flags in our front yards, the Marines who fought and died in the retaking of Guam were not fighting to save the Chamorro people. Why should we rename anything after...