Monday, October 29, 2007
Camp Susupe and Camp Churo
If so, we need your participation. We are collecting memories for a book of these first-hand accounts of life at the camps. Talk with your teacher or principal to find out how you can be a part of this exciting project, or contact Katharyn Tuten-Puckett at 235-4849 or e-mail tutenpuckett@yahoo.com for more information.
Deadline for submissions is on January 31st, 2008.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Elite Printing Saipan turns 15
Given an uphill struggle with market forces and the onslaught of competition, Elite Printing banked on its hardworking staff, astute management decisions, and reliable printing setup to coast through.
Paul Jacoulet's Vision of Micronesia
Those planning to hold group tours are advised to contact the Isla Center at 735-2965/6.
Readers who are interested to get a copy of Island Locator - August Issue that features Paul Jacoulet may send their requests to islandlocator@yahoo.com or aleksea@yahoo.com.
For those who need a copy of the article (3,030 words, 15,762 characters) may also send their request to the above-mentioned email address.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Jacoulet Exhibit Ongoing
An exhibit of French-born painter Paul Jacoulet's paintings is still ongoing at the University of Guam's Isla Center. Art aficionados and collectors have until November 24 to see some of the rare Jacoulet collections and even perhaps help identify some of Jacoulet's subjects.
For those who are planning to visit the exhibit and are interested to know more about the artist may check our blog entry on Jacoulet. In IL Mag's August Issue, Dr. Don Rubinstein of the Micronesia Research Center at the University of Guam discussed Jacoulet's travels to the islands as well as his life as a French-born artist in Japan.
Recently, Island Locator has received requests from readers off island for copies of the magazine. We have readers as far as Seattle, Washington and as close as Guam who requested for copies of IL Magazine.
We welcome such requests and we encourage you our readers to also let us know what you think about the magazine. You may also send in your comments or suggestions via email.
For inquiries or requests, you may email us at islandlocator@yahoo.com. Alternatively, emails may also be sent to aleksea@yahoo.com.
If you, our readers, have articles about and photos of the Marianas that you would like us to publish, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will gladly allocate enough room for you in the magazine.
Together, let us make IL Magazine a vehicle for us to promote what is good and beautiful about our islands.
Monday, October 15, 2007
WWII Remembrance Calendar Now Available
WWII remembrance calendar now available
A CALENDAR that chronicles the significant battles in the Pacific during World War II is finally available.
Jerry Facey, co-chair of the commemoration committee of the 60th Anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian said, “We were just excited to have this available for the people of Saipan. This is a good education tool.”
According to Facey, the calendar contains a wealth of information not only about the battles fought on Saipan and Tinian but it also includes detailed description of other conflicts in the Pacific.
He said the calendar is well documented containing detailed description of the significant conflicts of the Pacific war beginning with the commemoration of the so-called Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June 1944 and ends with the signing of the peace treaty in September 1945.
A project of one of the 11 subcommittees of the commemoration committee, the education subcommittee headed by Martin Gerbens of the Northern Marianas College undertook the project.
Facey said, “They put together a draft calendar which we wanted to market in Hawaii in the Arizona Memorial Museum.”
The draft that Gerbens and his team put together was initially sent to the Arizona Memorial Museum in Hawaii for comments. But it was not approved for sale in the beginning.
Since then, the calendar underwent seven revisions, Facey said.
According to Facey, since they resurrected the project in 2006, “it dragged on for another nine months.”
The project took several years as they had to revise the text and change the photographs several times.
Facey said they really wanted to use pictures that are “eye-catching.”
As for acquiring the photos they needed, Facey said they worked with the Arizona Memorial Museum Association in Honolulu, Saipan’s Historic Preservation Office, Micronesian Seminar in Pohnpei, Northern Marianas College, Don Farrell, among others.
Facey also acknowledged the assistance of Randy Harper with whom he worked on the text revisions.
The remembrance calendar in its final form contains more than 300 text entries, synopses of the significant events that transpired between 1944 to 1945.
Facey said, “We had some great photos in the calendar beginning with the invasion of 1944, all these notes on the battles of Tinian and Saipan as well as notes on other battles in the Pacific.”
He also said they added to it (calendar) a lot color and graphics, showing some of the landing craft, flags, a well-known invasion beach photo, medallions, street signs warning people not to go off the road because of explosives, never-before-seen Northfield picture, Navajo Code Talkers, USS Arizona burning, attack on Pearl Harbor, and a lot more.
Dedicated to the “greatest generation,” the calendar is available for $13.95 at the American Memorial Park bookstore on Saipan and War in the Pacific National Historical Park bookstore. The Arizona Memorial Museum Association in Hawaii has also agreed to take on consignment through its website.
With 2,000 copies available, the calendar was financed and supported by 60th Anniversary Commemoration of the World War II Battles of Saipan and Tinian Committee, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands government, Department of Interior, National Park Service, and the Arizona Memorial Museum Association.
“We think it will make a great gift for the holiday season,” added Facey.
History Institute 2007
The annual program kicked off on August 18th and ended its run on September 22nd. It featured both international and local scholars: Dr. Brian Butler, Dr. Dirk Spennemann, Dr. Augusto de Viana, Carlos Madrid, local historian and artist Noel Quitugua, Lino Olopai, Brenda Tenorio, Don Farrell, and Humanities Council program officer Scott Russell.
A total of 32 teachers participated in the program from across the three islands— Saipan, Tinian, and Rota—through the video teleconference facility of the PSS.
The institute provides teachers not only with the rare opportunity to interact with the experts in NMI history and culture but it also affords them the chance to get to know the islands and its people better.
Listening to the scholars' lectures on NMI history and culture is an experience to be reckoned with. In just one month, one gets to learn NMI history in a nutshell.
Dr. Brian Butler delved into the pottery culture as well as the techniques that archeologists like him employ out in the field. Dr. de Viana and Carlos Madrid provided engaging lectures on the Spanish period.
From Australia, German-born Dirk Spennemann talked about the German period in rich details. As someone who can read and speak German, Spennemann worked on the voluminous piles of documents on the period.
Local historians and artist Noel Quitugua and Lino Olopai shared with the teachers their knowledge of local arts and traditions, something teachers cannot get from textbooks.
Scott Russell, on the other hand, provided a clear picture of the Japanese administration of the islands. He delved into the interests of the Japanese and other world powers in the South Seas prior to 1914. His discussion of the Nanyo-cho was made even more interesting by an oral account by Tun Juan Blanco himself.
A well-known author and teacher Don Farrell from Tinian discussed World War II in the Marianas. He also discussed some details about the Manhattan Project.
For the period after WWII leading up to the making of the NMI Constitution, it was Howard Willens and Deane Simmer who provided the teachers with the insider's view of the issues as well as the history of the commonwealth.
And capping the month-long series of lectures was Brenda Tenorio's presentation and discussion of the contemporary issues facing the commonwealth.
With an excellent lineup of speakers/lecturers every year, the history institute is one of the best programs of the Humanities Council— it equips teachers with the necessary tool they need in teaching history in their classrooms.
Island Locator Magazine highly recommends teachers to take this crash course in NMI history every year. History aficionados on island will also find this history institute as something they should not miss.
October Issue
Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder. What is beautiful to one may not be beautiful to the other.
For our cover story, IL Magazine shares with the public an eye doctor’s eye for details and beauty as he talks about his nature photography and his profession. Both dealing with the sense of sight, his profession and photography never confused Marianas Eye Institute’s Dr. Mark Robertson in electing which one to solely pursue. Early on, Dr. Robertson knew photography is something he would love to do in his leisure and optometry is his unrivalled bread and butter.
Spend time reading and sharing with family and friends our other features.
Enjoy reading.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Coming Soon : Eye to Eye with Dr. Mark Robertson
For our October issue which will come out this week, Island Locator features an eye doctor whose fondness for taking photos stretches as far back as his high school days when he would be invited to take wedding pictures. Although photography has been his passion, Marianas Eye Institute's Dr. Mark Robertson wanted it to remain just that—his recreation. (Find out why he decided to make photography as just his recreation with the release of Island Locator's newest issue.)
As a preview to our latest issue of the magazine, here are are samples of Mark Robertson's work.
Jacoulet Exhibit at UOG's Isla Center
Readers who are interested to get to know more about Jacoulet and his work, you may visit the Isla Center on Guam where some of his paintings are on exhibit. A project of Dr. Don Rubinstein of the Micronesian Area Research Center, the exhibit runs from October 11 up to November 24.
For readers who have not had the chance to get a copy of our issue on Jacoulet, we are uploading the article for you.