MEDIA UPDATE

A taste of home

What do Guam natives craving a taste of kelaguen do when they are far from home? Make it themselves, of course. No recipe? It was tough luck for them until recently, when fellow overseas Chamorrita Paula Ann Lujan Quinene decided to fill the gap in the cookbook scene by publishing her island cookbook, “A Taste of Guam.” A showcase of the island’s rich culinary heritage, the book contains a comprehensive collection of her recipes, divided into sections like “Chamorro BBQ,” “Island Favorites” and “Guam Desserts” as well as listings of her favorite restaurants and village fiestas on island. What is particularly helpful are the precise measurements she uses in her recipes so that cooks can be sure of achieving that authentic Chamorro flavor. Available at www.buybooksontheweb.com for $19.95.

A bad reputation

The New York Times published an interesting study at the end of last year, showing the results of a Department of Justice tally, carried out over a decade, on corrupt officials in the U.S. The report focused on cases of corruption at local, state and federal levels and included all U.S. states, the District of Columbia as well as three U.S. territories.

The burning question, of course, is where Guam stands in the ranking of corrupt officialdom. For numbers alone, the state of Florida stands at the top of the list with 824 officials convicted between 1998 and 2007. New York comes next then other states like Texas, California and surprise, surprise Illinois. In this ranking, Guam comes in at 29 out of 54. Which isn’t too bad, right?

But that doesn’t really give us an accurate picture — because bigger states simply have a greater number of officials, guilty or otherwise. A clearer perspective emerges with the ranking done based on the number of guilty officials per capita. Guam then ranks No. 3, beaten only by the Virgin Islands and D.C., with 40.5 convictions per million residents per year. Cynical residents of the island may only be surprised we’re not ranked higher, but since Guam gets so little coverage as it is, it’s bad that when the island is finally catapulted into the national spotlight it’s for something like corruption.

Hyatt Regency Guam makes it mark on the world traveler

On a more positive note, one of the Tumon Bay hotels has scored favorable publicity on a global scale. Readers of Conde Nast Traveler have voted the Hyatt Regency Guam a Top 20 Australia/Pacific Hotel in the publication’s 21st annual Reader’s Choice Awards.

These awards are significant because they are derived directly from a survey conducted by the magazine that is the largest independent poll of consumer preferences in the world, with more than 32,000 readers voting this year.

“We are extremely proud of this recognition. It symbolizes our commitment to providing each of our guests with the highest levels of service that they expect from a Hyatt hotel,” said Anthony Gain, general manager of Hyatt Regency Guam.

“These awards celebrate the destinations, lodgings, and modes of transportation that manage to exceed our expectations,” said Klara Glowczewska, Condé Nast Traveler editor-in-chief in a media release. “The Readers’ Choice Awards are a credit to the worldly expertise of our readers—passionate travelers for whom no island is too remote, no city too challenging and no hotel too untested.”

Conde Nast Traveler’s tagline is “Truth in Travel” and it prides itself on its editorial integrity in providing accurate information to the public because it does not accept free travel or accommodations. Its correspondents are all anonymous, thus experiencing what ordinary consumers do when they travel. The magazine was named one of the top 10 publications in the U.S. last year, by both Adweek and Advertising Age.

Finding the King of the Corporate Jungle within you

Are you ready to up your game in the corporate world? Karri T. Perez and Richard S. Colfax, both professors in the School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Guam have published “A Leadership Fable Finding the King of the Corporate Jungle.” By using the animal kingdom as an analogy, this slim volume aims to get readers to think out of the box and look for solutions in areas they otherwise would not. Available at Bestseller for $16.99.

The view from our corner of the world

Due to popular demand, freelance journalist Jayne Flores has started up a local blog at www.viewsfromthetrench.wordpress.com. A journalism graduate from the University of Illinois, Flores moved to Guam in 1984 for work and has since stayed on, playing an active role in the local media scene as reporter, columnist, editor and news director. Last year, she started teaching at the University of Guam while earning her master’s in English at the same time. Her blog entries focus on local current affairs, ranging through education, media and politics, with a personal issue thrown in once in a while. Her tribute to the late Joe Murphy, from a veteran journalist to the “king of the local news perspective,” is particularly poignant and well worth a read.

UOG books are coming up green

UOG faculty members are a productive lot — not just busy teaching and doing research, a few of them have been involved in the writing and production of books. Two of the latest offerings focus on all things green.

i) “Biodiversity Assessment of Tropical Island Ecosystems: PABITRA Manual for Interactive Ecology and Management”
Global warming has no limits to its reach, hence the need for the United Nations to call for scientists to “fill a gap of explaining ecological methodology for biodiversity assessment in island ecosystems.” Hence, this book, a collaborative effort between Asia Pacific Network, Pacific Asia Biodiversity Transect Network, the University of the South Pacific and Pacific Science Association, UOG and University of Hawaii. Harley I. Manner, geography professor at the University of Guam, directed the 2006-2007 APN grant in producing this book and providing training and technical assistance on Palau with regard to the effect of global warming on biodiversity and ecological changes. He also wrote one of the chapters in the book on agro-ecosystems. PABITRA is an international organization of ecological scientists linked electronically via the Web site of the Botany Department at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

ii) “Biological Control of Tropical Weeds using Arthropods”
Gadi V.P. Reddy is a chemical ecologist, entomologist and research scientist at UOG. His particular passion has been plants — notably ways of controlling invasive tropical plants using non-invasive methods. His work has been of particular help to farmers in this part of the world since it is “the first book on the topic particularly dealing with biological control and sustainability of tropical weeds,” said Reddy in a media release. A testament to the importance of the tome (available in March this year) is the fact of its publisher — the Cambridge University Press. “That this book is to be published by one of the most prestigious publishers worldwide speaks to the quality of the research of the contributing scientists,” says Western Pacific Tropical Research Center associate director Greg Wiecko.

A Rota prize for roaming journalist

Rota recently welcomed a travel journalist who had won a trip to the island in the annual North America travel Journalists Association Awards Competition. Bryan Schofield was awarded first place for Best Travel Broadcast in the 2007 contest and was awarded a package tour for two to Rota, which he took in January this year.

Schofield and his travel companion Jenny Broughton spent Jan. 10 to 12 on Rota, and stayed at Rota Resort and Country Club. The couple received a warm welcome from Edward U. Maratita of the Marianas Visitors Authority. “We’re honored that NATJA would choose the Mariana islands as a destination prize for our nation’s top travel journalists,” said Perry Tenorio, MVA managing director, in a media release.

The couple toured the Cave Museum, Tweksberry Beach Park, Aqua Gift Shop and the Honey Garden, taking in sights like the Sugar Mill Train, the WWII cannon overlooking Sasanhaya Bay, and the island’s legendary Wedding Cake Mountain. They also did a trail trek, enjoyed a sunset barbecue and visited the famous Swimming Hole.

The island left a positive impression on Schofield as a good place to get away from it all. “Rota has maintained a balance between modern conveniences and deep island history ... truly the most relaxation I’ve had in years,” he said. Hopefully the trip inspires him enough to highlight this region in his next journalism assignment.

NATJA is a professional association of writers, photographers, editors and tourism professionals founded in 1991 as a nonpolitical organization.

“American Idol” gets a glimpse of Guam’s talent

Flying the Guam flag at the “American Idol” auditions in Phoenix was our very own former Miss Guam Tourism, Joy James. She was one of the 8,000 who showed up on the first day of auditions in Phoenix and revealed that she had to go through three rounds of auditions to reach the top 50 in Phoenix before she even got to sing in front of the famed Idol judges. Even though she didn’t go much further, James took the opportunity to help bring some global attention to the island. “The producers and the judges all knew me as ‘the girl from Guam,’” James told the Pacific Daily News. “All I wanted to do was tell the world that Guam is amazing and remind them to keep an eye out for us (because) our island is full of gifted, talented and amazing musicians and singers.” She may not have come anywhere near capturing the Idol crown but because James always remembers her roots, she’s already a winner on Guam.

NATJA Competition award-winning travel journalist Bryan Schofield
and companion Jenny Broughten, left, are welcomed to Rota by staffer Sandra Atalig and MVA board representative Edward Maratita.

Engineering a military response

The military buildup has been shining the spotlight on Guam for a while and it’s no surprise that with the scale of the relocation, engineers are particularly interested in what’s happening on our island. An article on the Guam buildup is featured in the Jan-Feb 2009 issue of The Military Engineer, the magazine published by the Society of American Military Engineers. Entitled “Preparing for Growth on Guam” by Jay Rojas, the managing partner of Construction Resources, the piece highlights different aspects of the buildup on Guam and the steps the island is taking to prepare for the particular challenges it will bring.

The Military Engineer is published every two months. SAME is a professional engineering association in the United States for connecting architects, engineers and builders in the public sector and private industry. Construction Resources is a venture of Guam-based Slotnick Enterprises Inc.

NMC launches new catalog

Northern Marianas College sophomore Robert Guerrero poses with NMC President Carmen Fernandez and the new 2008-2009 NMC catalog. The cover of the catalog bears his artwork, which won the NMC cover design contest centered on the theme “Putting Pieces Together for a Better Future.”

James Fee
Northern Marianas College sophomore Robert Guerrero poses with NMC President Carmen Fernandez and the new 2008-2009 NMC catalog. The cover of the catalog bears his artwork, which won the NMC cover design contest centered on the theme “Putting Pieces Together for a Better Future.”

Alexie Zotomayor
Glimpses of Saipan & Beach Road Magazine proudly announce that Alexie Villegas Zotomayor is the team’s newest reporter. She has more than 10 years of media publishing experience. Prior to joining Glimpses she was editor of the now defunct Island Locator Magazine and was associate/features editor of Marianas Variety.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Zotomayor earned a bachelor’s in Asian Studies from the University of Santo Tomas. She has written and co-written high school history and biology textbooks.

Julian Ryall (left), Japan correspondent for the Marianas Business Journal, and Frank Whitman, managing editor of Glimpses Publications, ate lunch at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo on Jan. 6.

Continental Airlines held a welcome cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception for visiting international journalists attending the airline’s biofuels demonstration at the Houston Airport Marriott on Jan. 6. Attending were (from left) Frank Whitman, managing editor, Glimpses Publications; Grace O. Garces, representative, corporate communications, Continental; Nene Foxhall, senior vice president global communications and public affairs, Continental; Sonya Artero, host and producer of KUAM News Extra, Pacific Telestations Inc. and Tammy Godwin, senior executive assistant, Continental. Godwin is a former Guam resident now living in Houston.