Emotional Roller Coaster

Saturday, February 10
Man! What a weekend it was and what a week this is shaping up to be! Saturday morning rolled around a lot sooner than I'd wanted it to appear. Beautify CNMI! and her army of volunteers were out and about doing their wonderful deed to help make the CNMI a much better place to live. I hated to miss the cleanup since I wanted to personally welcome our new partners, CAMI-CNMI (http://cami-cnmi.blogspot.org), to the Beautify CNMI! family. But I couldn't be there because I had to be somewhere else.

Photo courtesy of Bree Reynolds

Photo courtesy of Bree Reynolds

I was also supposed to be at a relative's wedding in San Roque, but I couldn't go either because I had to be somewhere else at that same time also.

That somewhere else I had to be was at the Multi-Purpose Complex to present certificates to the winners of the Martin Luther King Day Essay and Elocution Contest. Don't get me wrong -- I was mighty happy to be there. I even picked up an Appreciation Certificate in the process. (Thank you to the African American Cultural Preservation Committee for this honor!)

Photo courtesy of Walt F.J. Goodridge

After a brief break for lunch and some rest, I rounded up the family around 2 p.m. and headed up to the airport to await the arrival of the airplane carrying the remains of Lance Corporal Adam Quitugua Emul, the 4th CNMI son to lose his life in Iraq. Such a sad day for our tiny community. Many came to show their support on this sad occasion. My family and I stood silently beside the road as the procession of cars eventually passed by. Through the windshield, I got a brief peek at Adam's mother crying and my heart shattered even more. How is that possible? My words pale in comparison to these images.
















As I write this, we await the return of the remains of yet another CNMI son, Army Specialist Leeroy Camacho, returning home in a casket. How much more can we take of this? I pray, and pray, and pray for this nightmare to end!

Sunday, February 11, 2007--Beautify CNMI! Clean-up of Dandan Road

The day after witnessing the sad procession of cars following the hearse that carried Adam's body from the airport, I went out with my fellow Beautify CNMI team to pick up trash on the Dandan to San Vicente Road. While the volunteers paired off and walked alongside the road picking up trash, someone drove by and tossed what looked like a plastic yogurt container out of the car window. The nerve of some people! Here are some pictures.



Tuesday, February 13, 2007--Adam's Funeral


Adam's family asked my family to be the choir at his funeral. We don't really do this anymore but, then again, how could we say no? The church was packed. So many sad people. The devastated family sat a short distance from the choir. We had to be at church by 7 a.m. for the Responso (the short prayer service as the body is escorted inside the church). My family walked over to Adam's casket to pay our last respects before we approached the family. Sob! Adam's mother Angie clung to me and fought to suppress her sobs. :( My heart hurt. I felt so darn...helpless! What could I say? I'm sorry just doesn't seem to be enough.

The funeral service itself was scheduled for 11 a.m. Prior to the service, the Governor spoke and then we, the members of the 15th Legislature, were called up to present a resolution to Adam's family. Wished I could've taken some of the family's pain away, but how does one do that? We honor you, Adam, and thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice so I could sit here in the comfort and safety of my home with loved ones.

Dining For A Good Cause With ISA CNMI and Aqua Resort

Angelo, Gus, and I had a fun dinner with our Beautify CNMI! partners from ISA CNMI and Aqua Resort last Friday, February 9. The leader of ISA CNMI, Aya Matsumoto (second from right), extended the invitation. Domo Arigato, Aya-san! We were glad to do our part to support the fundraising efforts being done on behalf of Beautify CNMI! by Yoshimi-san and the wonderful folks at Aqua Resort. The food is excellent and you get 10% off your meal plus they get to donate 5% to MINA for Beautify CNMI! How cool is that?!

Fun Facts: Did you know that at least 125 people in Japan are interested in Beautify CNMI? Our ISA partners got the buzz going by translating our Beautify CNMI! website (check us out at www.beautifycnmi.com) into Japanese and got the folks in Japan interested in what we're doing here in the CNMI! Is that terrific or is that terrific?

Thank you! Domo Arigato!Si Yu'us Ma'ase! Olomwaay!

Coral Reefs Video with Olomwaay Music

Here's a project that brother Gus and I were very proud to be a part of. Our Coastal Resources Management (CRM) agency produced this educational video to help protect our coral reefs. The videographer, Curt Klemstein, who had worked with us before, asked to use Olomwaay music. We didn't have any instrumental music handy, but he played the rough-cut video for us and then we quickly composed the two instrumental tunes you now hear in this video.

I believe one of the original plans was to have this video played on the airlines heading to our islands to help educate our diving tourist visitors and others about our fragile coral reefs prior to their landing in the CNMI. Unfortunately, the airlines wouldn't go for it. However, this video plays everyday on Channel 3, our Visitors Channel, which is now owned by Flame Tree TV, our newest local channel on Channel 2.

In fact, this came in handy during a recent meeting of the Association of Pacific Islands Legislators (APIL), which the CNMI hosted last year (in 2006). As Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and as a member of Olomwaay, I was proud to share this video with our visiting colleagues from Hawaii and Micronesia. They enjoyed the video.

... and I hope you do, too!

Breakfast At Shirley's!

Beautify CNMI! volunteers enjoying breakfast at Shirley's in Garapan

Following our fun and successful clean-up of Mt. Tapotchao, the crew met up with Captain Carl to plant some coconut trees along Beach Road (replacing the ones we planted last year that washed out to sea). Then, we decided all that work made us hungry, so we headed to Shirley's. Shirley's is one of my favorite restaurants to eat here on Saipan. They're originally from Guam and are a welcome addition. If you're hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, cruise by Shirley's for some great food. If you're out partying with friends and want to eat before heading home, Shirley's is the place to go. There's a wide variety of food and they're reasonably priced. To top it off, they have wonderful, friendly staff waiting to serve you!

1st Olomwaay Band Fan From Sweden

Gus Kaipat, front-right, Leader and Voice of Olomwaay

The Olomwaay Band, formed in 1995, broke into the island music scene when it won the grand prize for the first annual Battle of the Bands in 1998... Solid as a bond - - But local fans simply know Olomwaay as the name of their favorite band that gave them the popular local hit She Gave Us Love. Experience the versatility and emotion of one of the best bands the South Pacific has to offer!

*"...People were requesting it so often that the station manager at a local station had to limit how often it was played to be fair to the other artists."--Gus Kaipat, from a Saipan Tribune article

Hello, there! The above write-up appears on the Olomwaay website (http://www.olomwaay.com/). Olomwaay recently received a cd order from someone in Sweden! Cool!

Olomwaay welcomes Herr Bertil Larsson from Sweden! Thank you for your interest in Olomwaay's music. Your cd is on its way! I hope you like our music. *Congratulations* on becoming Olomwaay's 1st fan from Sweden!

By the way, "She Gave Us Love" is the hit song that I watched my brother Gus compose in 15 minutes or less. The song is a tribute to our dear mother, whose love sustained us all throughout all our struggles after my father was killed when we were still very young. Our mom clearly was and still is the "wind beneath our wings." This cd contains two songs -- one in English, the other in Chamorro called "Ta Baila Na Dos." It's an upbeat cha-cha song, which you'll need to listen to after the melancholy tune of "She Gave Us Love."

I actually stumbled into producing this album quite by accident. (Another story for another day!) When the album came out, it sold 2,000 cd's in 3 days! Not bad for a rookie producer, eh?

My life took a dramatic turn when I entered politics and assumed office in January of last year (2006). But no matter how busy life is these days, I don't ever want to lose sight of the other important things in life, like music, family, and good friends.

Kudos to Roland Quitugua!

Photo Courtesy of Saipan Tribune (Jacqueline Hernandez)

Photo Courtesy of Angelo Villagomez
Roland Quitugua in the middle talking to Kagman High School Students

Unless you work in this field or in a related field, most of us probably don't appreciate a good arborist when we see one. This past week, I happened to spend two days in a Tree Care Workshop taught by an excellent arborist.

Several years ago, one of the local hotels did some major re-landscaping and cut down some Flame trees along Beach Road. This resulted in several irate letters to the editor as our citizens spoke out against such an act. I was newly sworn into office as a member of the House of Representatives, 15th Legislature, last January 2006. A few months into my first term, I began receiving calls from one of those irate community citizens complaining about the "butchering" of our trees. The usual suspects were our Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC), our Department of Public Works (DPW), and, to a lesser degree, our Forestry Division and our Parks and Recretation Division of our Department of Lands and Natural Resources. But, ask the average citizen and, most likely, they will finger our CUC or our DPW.

In CUC's case, they are mandated to provide power to the communities. The response I received from one employee typified the attitude that permeated the CUC culture. When the issue of trimming trees that obstructed power lines yet preserves the aesthetic beauty of the trees was raised to this employee, his response was that CUC's only concern is to provide power -- nothing more and nothing less. In the case of DPW, safety is their #1 factor, so they trimmed trees that comrpromised safety.

However, for the Beautify CNMI! team of volunteers who plant trees all over our islands, such goals are not mutually exclusive. We believe that knowledge and appreciation of proper tree-trimming techniques have been sorely lacking, and that, with proper training and good old-fashioned teamwork, we can accomplish our mutual objectives. After all, we all live on the same tiny dot in the Pacific Ocean and we ought to work together to make our home the nice tropical paradise we all deserve.

As noted in an earlier post, my friend Captain Carl took me on several guided tours in which he pointed out several environmental hazards--whether man-made or nature-caused. He also made me sit up and take notice of a lot of tree stumps that litter our beautiful landscapes. (Like I said, thanks, Captain -- I think!) Ever notice those coconut tree trunks that line the road past Coffee Care on your way up to the Legislature? When someone decided to cut down the coconut trees, why leave the tree stumps standing? Why not cut the whole trunk down to the roots? Even better, remove the old and plant another tree in its place? Look around you and I bet you, too, will see other tree stumps that were previously invisible to your eyes.

Captain Carl would end his tirade with "We NEED a Beautification Department!" Are you kidding me, Captain? With the economy the way it is; with everyone shouting about a bloated government size, there's no way another department would be created. The chances of another island being created out of the next volcano eruption is probably more likely to occur first. (In other words, don't hold your breath!) Well, instead of creating another department, I created Beautify CNMI!

And because of Captain Carl's opening my eyes, Beautify CNMI! and proud partner RC&D co-sponsored a two-day tree-care workshop geared towards personnel from CUC, DPW, DLNR-Forestry, and the private community. Mr. Roland Quitugua, President of RC&D in Guam, spent the two days educating the workshop attendees on the importance of tree care and trimming. The workshop consisted of classroom time in the morning, followed by a wonderful lunch buffet, some more classroom time, and then on-the-field training. The first afternoon, we replanted some of the Flame trees that we planted in the early beginnings of Beautify CNMI! The second afternoon, the group spent time under the mango trees up in Kagman at the DLNR-Forestry facilities. Each student had a chance to trim a mango tree branch and show off his newly acquired skill!

I didn't see any evaluation forms other than mine, but from what I gathered verbally from the workshop participants, this training was well worth their time and effort and Roland Quitugua is an excellent instructor. He not only donated his teaching services for the two days, but his infectious humor and energy captured the hearts and minds of the entire class! Thank you, Roland!

Following this workshop, class participants indicated to me that they hoped we would have other more advanced training in the future. That's always a possibility. In fact, we need to continue having this basic course to train additional personnel. But, in the meantime, we will be planning a proper graduation ceremony to properly recognize the newly trained tree trimmers. Stay tuned for that one.

DONORS TO THANK

Beautify CNMI! for sponsoring the lunches and for helping organize the training workshop; RC&D Saipan (Ike Cabrera, Ken Kramer, and Angelo Villagomez) for organizing the workshop; Mr. Roland Quitugua and his assistant Eileen for donating his training services for the two days; to the Grand Hotel for the hotel and meeting room accommodation; all the workshop participants and their supervisors, and Rep. Cinta Kaipat's Office for the support shown.

When The Bloggers On Saipan Meet!

Photo Courtesy of Angelo Villagomez

Hey, Y'all! We've been immortalized in a Walt F.J. Goodridge Life Rhymes poem.

Cool!

WHEN BLOGGERS MEET

Sit right back for a spell
for there's something to tell
ahh, my friend, yes you're in for a treat
For I'll tell you the tale
to which others will pale
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

Yes, they came out in style
just to chat for a while
some drank coffee and some came to eat
Strangers greet you by name
(it's an odd type of fame)
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

Yes, the Captain was there,
then Mike pulled up a chair
Bree and Cinta and Gus found a seat
Brad and Bev came on through
Melissa made her debut
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

Then the laptops came out
just like we joked about
and the bloggers pulled off a rare feat
Growing close as a team
with eyes fixed on a screen
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

Then old bloggers taught new
showing just what they should do
the camaraderie there couldn't be beat
That's the way things will go
as this group's sure to grow
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

Yes, you should have been there
if you missed it, don't fear
for the love-fest is bound to repeat
Come the next time you hear
"A WeLoveSaipan affair!"
when the bloggers on Saipan meet!

For they'll meet once a moon
come tsunami or monsoon
final Wednesday when month is complete
all in favor say "aye"
so for now it's goodbye
'till the bloggers on Saipan re-meet!

(c) Walt F.J. Goodridge
(Life Rhyme and Additional pictures posted on www.passionprofit.com/blog
and WeLoveSaipan.com)