Live From Saipan

Saipan — Recently, a local public official — one of the better ones — gave the worst possible piece of advice to a college student. He...

Saipan — Thirty years ago, the banner story of Marianas Variety, the CNMI’s oldest newspaper, was “Top Officials Named as Shabu Users.”...

Saipan — New Zealand’s left-leaning prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, who is beloved by the mostly left-leaning international media, says...

Saipan — Never underestimate humanity’s ability to ruin a well-intentioned public policy. In 19th century Vietnam, the French colonial...

Saipan — In the summer of 2020, amid the Covid-19 global onslaught, the Wall Street Journal reported the rollout of an artificial...

When literary works are judged according to political viewpoint Saipan — Perhaps one of the best things that could possibly happen to...

Saipan — The CNMI’s new Legislature will be sworn in this month, and, as usual, each of the lawmakers will deliver their inaugural...

Saipan — This month, voters across the U.S., including Guam, the NMI and the other territories, are electing their leaders, lawmakers...

Saipan — In “A Reporter in Micronesia,” his 1966 book about the tiny islands administered by the United States, E.J. Kahn Jr. pinpointed...

Saipan — Sept. 21st marks the 48th anniversary of Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ declaration of martial law which made him the...

Saipan — “The best novel about American politics,” according to The New York Times, was published in 1956. The author was Edwin...

Saipan — Staring into the financial abyss, the Northern Mariana Islands government has enlisted the help of Graduate School USA in...

Saipan — On June 12th, the Philippines will celebrate the 122nd anniversary of its declaration of independence. But for one of my...

Saipan — By the time you read this, it is likely that we’re still observing social-distancing rules, and a curfew remains in place. Many...

Abed Younis Saipan--They may call themselves Territorial, Popular, Democrat, Republican, Covenant, Reform or Independent, but since the...

Saipan — In a book published in 1884, Herbert Spencer wrote that the “mischiefs wrought by uninstructed lawmaking, enormous in their...

Saipan — So far, the news headlines here are about the Public School System’s funding woes; unhappy teachers who are on the verge of...

Saipan— Some of the Northern Marianas’ high school seniors were asked recently if they plan to return to the islands after graduating...

Saipan — The last time I experienced the Christmas holidays in Manila was 26 years ago. Which means that I’ve already lived half of my...

Clearly, democracy is ridiculous and politics is senseless, but there are many people who truly believe that they can make a difference —...

Saipan — Say something obvious. Say it because no one in his or her right mind will dispute it. “We should always think about the...

Saipan — After Typhoon Soudelor battered the island in Aug. 2015, someone complained, on Facebook, that the most horrible thing that had...

“None of the Robespierres of the world knew how to make a pencil, yet they wanted to remake entire societies.” — Lawrence W. Reed Saipan...

Saipan — When it comes to politics and the government, many us believe that what’s happening now should be the worst thing ever. Not a...

Saipan — If all you read (or watch) are news stories, you may wonder why the world has not yet ended. Airplane crashes....

Saipan — Worried about your island and/or nation’s state of affairs? Read the news from other islands and/or nations. Do you tend to...

Saipan — Some critics of casino legalization ask, usually rhetorically, “At what cost?” Fair enough. In discussing any public policy, it...

Saipan — Twenty-five years ago, there were at least six newspapers on island: Marianas Variety, Marianas Review, Saipan Tribune (then...

Saipan — In the last election campaign, certain supporters of certain candidates repeatedly stated — as if putting a hex on us all — that...

Saipan — In terms of lawmaking, you should stick to introducing and passing spending measures, chief of which is the government’s annual...

Saipan — Humans, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, can foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year —...

Saipan — I experienced my first NMI election in 1993. The voters headed to the polling centers on Nov. 6, and I, like most people on...

Saipan — Somewhere in the Pacific… Moderator: Good evening. We are gathered here today to get through this thing called democracy in...