Saipan Sunrise

Serfs Up In The CNMI

2011-07-19T13:33:00.020+10:00

Why The Feudal Lords Of The CNMI Want To Keep Article 12

Article 12 in the CNMI. Taking out the fancy language it allows for only people of NMI decent to own land in the NMI. To own land you need to be at least 25% NMD decent. There are several ways to get around this, mainly through adoption, which automatically makes you 100% NMI.
As people inter-marry the "blood quantum" has been diluted to below 25% (this is happening now to many families) so sons and daughters may not inherit their parents land. What actually does happen to land is still a bit fuzzy.
That aside, Article 12 was probably a good thing when it came about 25 years ago. If land could be sold to anyone the Japanese would probably bought off nearly every acre of this island in the early 90's. They could only lease land, and have leased much over the years. The old story of landowners becoming millionaires overnight only to be on food stamps ten years later is a tale told often. They still own the land and can get it back in...probably 30-35 years. People of simple means earned the big money by merely signing their name. Wealth created without "Sweat or Brain Equity".
Even proponents of continuing Article 12 can see the economic advantages making land available for sale to anyone. The list of benefits is too long and not worth re-hashing here. Repealing Article 12 does not force anyone to sell their land, it just gives them a wide choice of buyers if they wish to do so. Currently, they can only sell their land to another person of NMI decent. The main reason given by proponents of keeping Article 12 is that the culture of the island will be negatively affected if anyone can buy land. I actually heard one on the leading proponents of the Article 12 say that it was okay if one local were to buy land (cheap) from another local because it would "still be in the Saipan (CNMI) family".
The proponents of Article 12 have wrapped their arguments in " the loss of culture" and "people losing their lands forever". The loss of culture is rather subjective and the land loss would have happened anyway, just to another NMD and for probably much less money.
What has developed in the CNMI, and what Article 12 has pushed along and encouraged, is a class system based on land ownership. This is not a new situation. Feudal Lords vs. Serfs, Bourgeoisie vs. Proletariat. You now have the wealthy land-rich NMD families pitted against the disadvantaged NMD that might have one small homestead lot. Indeed, many NMD rent and have no land. For the many NMD that have a small homestead lot, it's not the Japanese that are taking advantage, but their own neighbors, or as stated earlier "part of the Saipan family". Many situations arise where a person with a little land needs a lot of money. With such a small pool of eligible and able buyers it's just a matter of time until most, if not all, of the land will be in the hands of a few people, or families. The Feudal Lords of the CNMI.
On another level Article 12 discriminates not only against fellow American Citizens that want to buy land, but to the local NMD that would like to sell their land at a higher price. What you are saying to the disadvantaged class is "There are only a few people you can sell to. Pick which buyer and don't worry about the low price you get. Remember, it's the law". I cannot think of anything more discriminatory to a local NMD than this.

With the repeal of Article 12 any local NMD with land can choose to sell their land ,or not sell their land, to anyone they wish. They can hand their land down to their children. They can sell it cheaply to another NMD if they wish to keep it in the NMD family, or they can sell it to the highest bidder, which might also be an NMD. The Feudal Lords of the CNMI will get richer, but not by paying bottom dollar to their neighbors. Either way, it's the owner's land...and it should be their choice.

Swimming, Soccer, Hammocks, Shisk-ka-Bobs, and Coconuts

2011-07-19T10:26:00.008+10:00

It's been a busy summer with Clark and Amaris having swim lessons at the Marpi pool. We also got a hammock for the summer days...which is everyday here. They also had a soccer camp and we made Shisk-ka-Bobs. Coconuts are everywhere here so here is Doris opening up for the juice and meat.

Camping out at Wing Beach

2011-07-01T08:07:00.010+10:00

We camped out one night on Wing Beach. We swam, had a weenie roast, made s'mores, and played dominoes. Had a lot of fun, but one of the worst electrical storms in a while came in that night and lightening was hitting less than 1/4 mile from the tent. Amaris was holding on to Mommie for dear life and Clark...he slept thru it. I, however, was rather worried. Our new tent did a great job and we left the next morning. We plan go somewhere else soon.

Amber Alert Status on Saipan and Tinian

2011-06-29T12:12:00.003+10:00

Here I am talking about the Amber Alert (Emergency Alert System (EAS))program on Saipan and Tinian.

Christmas, Easter, and Clark's Birthday

2011-06-27T12:22:00.002+10:00

Again, I have been remiss in putting up these videos. This is Christmas 2010 (but I am going to do another YouTube with the present opening). It has Easter at the Fiesta Resort. Clark won the Easter Egg coloring contest and Both Clark and Amaris won the Egg Toss. I don't think they understood the rules of the Egg Toss and the reason they won is they were the last with an unbroken egg. Enough said. We took the prize and proud parents and ran off before they could figure it out ;)_
This also has the Christmas play put on by Grace Christian Academy. We did not realize that Clark had about a 102 fever when he did this. He was sick the next week, but school was out so he did not miss any days. We have more shots of the Cliffs and making Christmas stockings. All in all pretty good stuff

Clark and Amaris 2010 stuff

2011-06-25T11:35:00.004+10:00

I do aplogize being a bit behind in videos. I have well over 100 Youtube videos up, but not as much on the family lately. Here are some videos from, gulp, last year including Halloween. I will try to get Christmas up very soon. Anyway, it is much easier to get photos up, but with video you have to edit, render, and upload. It just takes more time. Hope you like them.

Spring on Saipan 2011

2011-06-15T10:20:00.005+10:00

Lots of stuff going on in the Spring. Clark and Amaris had their class field trip at the Saipan World Resort Wave Jungle. Doris and I went as chaparones. The next week they had their class parties to end the year. At Adwards Day Clark received three awards. He got a trophy for winning the GCA Bible Sword Drill and Honor Roll. He also received a medal for finishing 3rd in the islandwide PGFC forensic competition in Impromptu Speech. He is in 3rd grade and competed with other 3rd graders as well as 4th and 5th graders islandwide. Amaris did not get an award and as you can see by the her face she was not very happy. She is only in 1st grade so she will have lots more opportunities. Anyway, we got her a pink doughnut and she was happy again.
Also there are some shots of them opening up presents from Grandparents. Amaris is getting a makeover from Mom and Amaris lost her first tooth. The tooth fairy came that night.
I had to work on Mothers Day, but we had a surprise party for mommie the next Saturday. We surprised her when she came back from church. We had balloons, cake, and Clark and Amaris sang a special song for mommy. It was fun.

Neal Edwards Birmingham (1929-2011)

2011-05-10T15:49:00.007+10:00

My Father passed away in the early morning hours on Saturday, April 30, 2011 in Atlanta, Texas. He ws 81. I called him on Saturday morning around noon (Yes, I talked to him because we live on Saipan which is ahead of Texas time by 15 hours). I was the last person outside of Joan and the staff at the nursing home he was staying. He had never been in a nursing home and was only to be there for 10 days while he did some rehab so he could go home.
He did not say to much when I talked to him. I know we both ended by saying "I love you" so that means alot to me.
I knew when I woke up on Sunday and saw Joan's number on my phone that it was probably not good news. I was right. I called her back and she told me the news very straight forward. I had prepared for it somewhat, but it was still difficult to hear. I did not go back for the funeral because of the cost. It was $2900 on a last minute ticket from Saipan.
I loved my Dad, but had not seen much of him over the past several years. We only get back to the States once every three years, but I do talk to him on the phone.
He was never really scared of death. Oh, I guess we are all are in some way. He had a medical emergency about twenty years ago and we thought we were going to lose him then. He made a full recovery. He told me that as he laid there on the floor, knowing that the ambulance and doctors would not arrive in time and even then could not do much, he thanked God for his life and his family and was ready to go. From then on I did not worry much about him in that regard. He had a great life and his greatest fear (he told me) never came to pass. He said that he did not want to outlive any of his children. We're all still here and will be seeing him again in our time.

I love you daddy.

2011 on Saipan, Part One

2011-05-06T15:14:00.005+10:00

Lots of stuff is happening in 2011. First, Clark started playing with the editing options on his Nintendo Dsi XL. He created some interesting photos. Then he had is birthday...and got more games. Then Doris and Amaris went to then wedding of Shey Fernandez and Bill Owens. More to come.

Halloween to Christmas Pictures

2011-01-19T13:38:00.022+10:00

I have been a bit lazy about adding pictures to the blog. Still have to get up some more videos, but this will due for now. We have the GCA Christmas Play and Class Parties, Halloween at the Hyatt, Doris Golfing at KingFisher and going to the Island Apparel Christmas Party. Also, MCV Christmas Party pictures from the Saipan World Resort and the Office. And some pictures of Amaris goofing around at the house and Clark and Amaris goofing off outside the Marianas Business Plaza.

Guests, Palm Resort, 1st Day of School

2010-10-02T11:06:00.009+10:00

JIB JAB

2010-08-30T16:30:00.001+10:00

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JIB JAB

2010-08-30T16:14:00.001+10:00

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"I never saved anything for the swim back"

2010-08-18T13:43:00.003+10:00

THERE ARE SEVERAL MOVIES that I have thought about through the years. Some just because they are fun and some because they have something to offer besides just a popcorn stomach ache. One is "Jacob's Ladder". If you have not seen it, it's worth the watch. Another one is "Gattaca". Not a big hit, the basic idea is that in the future society analyzes your DNA and determines where you belong in life.
Ethan Hawke's character was born with a congenital heart condition which would cast him out of getting a chance to travel in space. He (Vincent) is also one of the last "natural" babies born into a sterile, genetically-enhanced world, where life expectancy and disease likelihood are ascertained at birth. Myopic and due to die at 30, he has no chance of a career in a society that now discriminates against your genes, instead of your gender, race or religion. So in turn he assumes the identity of an athlete who has genes that would allow him to achieve his dream of space travel. He achieves prominence in the Gattaca Corporation, where he is selected for his lifelong desire: a manned mission to Titan. Constantly passing gene tests by diligently using samples of Jerome's hair, skin, blood and urine, his now-perfect world is thrown into increasing desperation, his dream within reach, when the mission director is killed - and he carelessly loses an eyelash at the scene! Certain that they know the murderer's ID, but unable to track down the former Vincent, the police start to close in, with extra searches, and new gene tests. With the once-in-a-lifetime launch only days away, Vincent must avoid arousing suspicion, while passing the tests, evading the police, and not knowing whom he can trust.

There is one scene that I will never forget and stays with me.

Anton: Gene altered
Vincent: Natural Born (main character in film, Ethan Hawk)

"Our favorite game was chicken. When our parents weren't watching, we used to swim as far out as we dared. It was about who would get scared and turn back first. Of course it was always me. Anton was by far the stronger swimmer and he had no excuse to fail."

Then later, as adults when they swim, and Vincent is beating the odds:
Anton: "Where's the shore? We're too far out!"
Vincent: "You wanna quit?"
Anton: "We're too far out!"
Vincent: "You wanna quit?"
Anton: "No!"
Anton: "How are you doing this Vincent? How have you done any of this? We have to go back."
Vincent: "It's too late for that. We're closer to the other side.
Anton: "What other side? You wanna drown us both?"
Vincent: "You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back."
"It was the one moment in our lives that my brother was not as strong as he believed, and I was not as weak. It was the moment that made everything else possible."
And that is what I think about. That moment. That moment made all the difference. It was then he realized that he could beat the system through hard work, ingenuity and self determination... and hope and faith. And to just keep going. Think about this:

"I never saved anything for the swim back."

Clark and Amaris Summertime Activities 2010

2010-08-03T12:01:00.003+10:00

Clark and Amaris had a great summer. They had swimming lessons three times a week from the Saipan Swim club at the Marpi pool. They both had private Music Lessons twice a week from the Saipan American School in Susupe. Clark had Taekwondo three times a week at the Blue Dragon in Chalan Kanoa. Clark will continue with his Taekwondo when school starts next week and both will still have music lessons once a week. Both will also have soccer. We bought them an electric piano keyboard and set of Pearl Target Drums for home practice.

2010-07-13T12:48:00.005+10:00

Oh, there's a lot going on this summer! Clark has Taekwondo 3 days a week and both Clark and Amaris have swimming lessons three days a week and music lessons two days a week. Clark on Drums and Amaris on Piano. We also went to the Cliffs-Again- on Monday, July 5th. Lo and belhold one of the bands that marched in the Liberation Day the day before came to the cliffs and gave an impromptu concert. We and the people that followed them up there were their only audience. After leaving the cliffs we went to the "The Last Airbender" The kids went to a birthday party at the Palms Resort. They had a lot of fun swimming, eating cake, and hitting the pinanta. I am going to post some other things soon. They both got some very special gifts.

World Cup Soccer: It's not the whole world, there's not really a cup, and don't they call it football somewhere?

2010-06-29T13:53:00.006+10:00

Look, I understand playing soccer, or football, whatever you want to call it. It's fun. Even watching it live might be OK if you can get really, really drunk. But watching it on TV? Where would you put the soccer channel? Right between the "Watching the grass grow" channel and "Watching the paint dry" channel. My top three things wrong with Soccer?
1) Offsides rule (Heaven forbid the offense might ACTUALLY score a goal!)
2) draws (55% of games end in ties)
3) World Cup games in the same group starting at the same time so a team knows if it ties it can actually "win" and advance. This is really messed up.
+++Bonus: Penalty kicks: At the end of a basketball game why not have everyone on the teams get together and play "HORSE" for the victory. weird.
+++Double extra Bonus: Time. It counts time used up,not time left. I already know what has happened (which usually isn't much) And "bonus" time? The game just ends and everyone goes home and kicks their dog.
Oh, and don't miss the "exciting" World Cup final on July 11th. Or as most American's refer to it, Sunday
CLICK ON TITLE FOR MORE INFO

Brother David Does Good!!

2010-06-24T13:14:00.007+10:00

My younger brother David has been very active and successful in the...the... oh, he's a computer guy. I don't understand it, but he's very good and people hang on every word he says. He received a major award a few days ago for his "Community Voice" He's written several well received books and is in demand as a speaker at conferences all over the world. We are proud of him and his success at...oh...whatever he does!!
We wish you continued success!!
To find out exactly what David Birmingham does CLICK ON ABOVE TITLE FOR LINK

Marianas Cup 2010 Clark and Amaris Escorts

2010-06-23T16:26:00.004+10:00

Clark and Amaris lead in the CNMI and Guam Women's team. Guam won 1-0, but it was a good game. They both got T-shirts. I added a little World Cup flavor to the audio.

"Our God is a Great Big God" and "Our God is so Big"

2010-06-12T10:09:00.002+10:00

Amaris signing at her K5 graduation. Same as youtube below, but just the singing on this one. Also, ad that ran on Cable TV for a week.

Amaris's Kindergarten Graduation from GCA

2010-06-08T16:09:00.002+10:00

Amaris Birmingham graduated from GCA on May 25th, 2010. She received the "Consistant Honor Roll" award and the "Perfect Attendance" award.

2010-06-05T11:47:00.003+10:00

Amaris's Kindergarten Graduation from Grace Christian Academy in Navy Hill, Saipan. She got a "Consistant Honor Roll" award and "Perfect Attendance" award, or as I call it the "We'll send the kid the school sick because we're paying for it" award.

2010-06-05T11:30:00.004+10:00

Just some pictures. At the beach, at the waterpark, school parties, and so on

YEAH, YEAH, Where’s My Check!!

2010-05-08T11:30:00.002+10:00

You hear on TV and read in the paper about all the money being wasted by the Federal Government. In the CNMI, we don’t pay US Income Tax so maybe we don’t feel the need to be overly upset about this issue. Basically, we are like a baby bird that always has its mouth open waiting for the Mother bird to drop in a tasty worm. We never get enough and we never grow up.
Such is the case with a new job program being touted by the Federal Government. It is supposed to create Green Jobs for local residents.
First, how much money are we looking at? 3.5 million over a couple of years.
Second, how many people will it involve? Well, let’s just say that some jobs are not equal to others. There will be 20 people hired to handle the other 200 other people hired to learn about Green Jobs. The 20 “elite” hires will get all-expense paid trips (multiple trips over a couple of years) to the Mainland and other places to look at a windmill and see some algae.
The lucky 200 people will actually get to learn about green jobs. They will get practical knowledge of… well, things that don’t run on oil. Maybe they will learn how to turn coconut juice into fuel for our cars. Maybe they will learn how to run a power plant on sunlight. They will be able to do all of this stuff after they are trained, right? Not really. A line taken from the proposal reads:
Additional trained experts are needed in the islands to promote, sell and service solar products.
Great
What I can guarantee is that they will get a check for learning all of this good stuff. Money they can use to buy gas for their cars and pay for their fossil fuel generated electricity. They can buy frozen meat and fresh vegetables delivered on huge ships and airplanes then cook it up on charcoal burning grills.
Thanks a lot Federal Government for the Green Job learning!!
The only losers, besides the stateside taxpayers, are the people that sign up to be trained thinking that they will actually learn a skill that will benefit them in the future. Of course the majority of the people that sign up won't really care as long as they get a check.
Let’s just call it what it is: A Government Welfare program to help 20 connected people as well as an additional 200 less connected people.
What’s that I see up in the sky? Oh, it’s a Big Momma Bird with a whole bunch of worms!!

thai rest,/wfriends

2010-04-17T10:07:00.002+10:00

hey were here in the thai rest. w/ frnd dcide 2 go n eat get together w/ them che,april,shei n ate lina our young mother, we are so had a great day w/amaris my 2nd child, wish we have more 2come get togethere again.

SWING with Clark and Amaris

2010-03-30T14:38:00.001+10:00

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2010-03-29T12:34:00.001+10:00

Clark Birmingham- ROCK AND ROLL

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Clark's 8th Birthday Party at Grace Christian Academy

2010-03-25T16:14:00.005+10:00

Clark had a great party at Grace Christian Academy. He celebrated with Miss Kelly's 2nd grade class. Amaris was there also. He got four Spongebob Nintendo DS games (Amaris got a Tinkerbell DS game), and some supplies for his second most favorite thing, drawing. There are also some shots of us walking on Friday afternoon on Beach Road and some shots around the house. The graphic ran on the MCV classified channel for five days. More to come.

Presents from Grandma, Walking on Beach, Golf, and the Dirt Devil Monster!!

2010-03-03T16:24:00.011+10:00

Well, it took awhile due to the US Post Office taking nearly six weeks to get a package out here. But Grandma's Christmas presents did show up. It was like Christmas...In February!!! More stuff to play with. Also included is a late Friday afternoon walk on the Beach and Doris playing Golf. Plus, lunch at Raffie's and Amaris sleeping on Sunday. BEWARE: The Dirt Devil Monster also invades the house!!!

Birmingham Christmas 2009 Video

2010-01-18T15:41:00.002+10:00

Some Video of our Christmas

Beach Road Magazine "Little King and Queen" Contest

2010-01-13T14:27:00.009+10:00

Amaris entered the Beach Road "Little King and Queen" Contest. She liked getting dressed up and taking the pictures. All the have to say is "model" and she starts posing.

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! THE CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH MONSTER IS IN THE HOUSE

2010-01-05T13:35:00.006+10:00

We opened our door and the MONSTER came in and ate our Breakfast! I wonder when it will come back. Better have some CTC ready!! That and Clark and Amaris make their own "Secret recipe" Krabby Patty recipe

Birmingham Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T16:00:00.008+10:00

Here are some Christmas Pictures from 2009. It has pictures from their school parties, Christmas Eve Church service, Santa visit, Christmas at the Cliffs, taking down the tree, and other things.

Thanksgiving Weekend with the Kids

2009-11-30T10:42:00.006+10:00

Normally you like to be together with your family on Thanksgiving. However, this is not the case since we moved from Guam to Saipan. I lived on Guam for eight years and Doris for four years. We have many friends down there, espeically Doris. So each year she goes to Guam to visit and I stay with the kids. We have fun, although they can be a double handful. Clark and Amaris made a Thanksgiving sign that we put in our picture window. We visited the unfortunately named suicide cliffs on Thanksgiving and ate pizza and Clark rollerbladed and Amaris jumped on her bouncy ball. The wind was probably about 45 mph and almost blew away everything. It's very pretty up there and the view is great. Of course, about 1000 jumped off of these and the Banzi cliffs during WWII. The Banzi cliffs are are the other pictures you see with water. A nearby Typhoon kicked up the waves. Also, Amaris won a prize at a birthday party on Saturday.

STAR OF THE WEEK and HALLOWEEN

2009-11-02T13:39:00.005+10:00

Here are some random photos. The big one is Clark's "Star of the Week". We put up a lot of photos in his classroom. Plus, pictures of Halloween (Clark was a Ninja and Amaris was, suprise, a princess). Amaris playing with her princesses, Clark skating and climbing a tree. Both ready for bed.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY AMARIS!!!

2009-10-06T15:29:00.004+10:00

Amaris had a party at Grace Christian Academy on September 29th, her Birthday. There was a "Princess Castle" cake, which contained six princess she could play with after the cake was gone. She also got a mermaid and a couple of Barbie dolls as well as a Disney Tea Set, make-up, stationary, and other things. She is still having fun with her toys.

Guam/CNMI Visa Waiver Program

2009-09-28T17:12:00.002+10:00

Who are these Kids?

2009-09-22T14:01:00.003+10:00

Well, its David Corely Birmingham, Mark Edwards Birmingham, and Rebecca Marguerite Birmingham. We are all in our mid to late forties now. Ok, I turned 50 this month, but who's counting. Thanks, Cousin Doug for the pictures.

Playing Piano with Mom and Blessing Granny

2009-08-27T14:16:00.003+10:00

Mom gives Clark and Amaris their first Piano lesson. Better keep their day jobs. Also, Amaris blesses Granny Filipino style. Hong Kong Airport after 14 hours on plane!

Family in the Philippines

2009-08-26T16:34:00.003+10:00

Clark, Amaris, and Doris went to visit family in the PI. I stayed in Saipan to work, but met them there and spent three days. This is up in Lubao, Pampanga at Tita Rose's house as well as Manila Ocean Park, an aquarium in Manila.

Birmingham Family Vacation Texas 2009

2009-08-26T15:59:00.002+10:00

Going on Rides at Six Flags on July 23, 2009. We had a great time! Also, Tita Becky at the "Best" Mexican place in Arlington. Becky and I have a tradition of going to out of the way places to eat. This place did qualify. I think it was called My Amigo or something like that.

Birmingham Family Vacation Texas 2009

2009-08-26T10:06:00.003+10:00

Here are some videos from our vacation. This was Joan and Amaris reading a book and then having an afternoon choclate treat. Next, is Adventure landing in Dallas. We also played golf and both kids rode the big go karts with Mom.

MANILA OCEAN PARK

2009-08-07T09:00:00.004+10:00

The Family (without yours truly) went to Manila Ocean Park which is (and I paste) "The Philippines’ first state-of-the-art Oceanarium, open water marine habitat, boutique mall, restaurant row and function facilities all located in one complex at the back of the Quirino Grandstand".
They had a good time with the highlight being the little fish that eat the dead skin off of our feet. Whatever.

BIRMINGHAM FAMILY VACATION 2009

2009-08-05T14:44:00.020+10:00

OK, I have not updated the blog in a while, but then again the rest of my family has been gone! They left for Manila on June 16th. I joined them in Manila on July 5th and we all left for Texas on July 8th. We left Texas on July 25th for Manila. I spent one day in Manila then left back to Saipan. The family stayed another week and came back on Saturday, August 1st. Clark and Amaris started school (Grace Christian Academy) on Monday, August 3rd. They only spent two weeks on Saipan after school was let out and one week of that they had Vacation Bible School. The breakdown of our Trip:
Mark: Gone from Saipan 24 Days
Family: Gone from Saipan 45 Days
Flew in eleven different planes for a total of 46 hours in planes (including two 14 hour flights). Drove over 2500 miles in cars. The family stayed in six different Hotels for a total of nine different locations. Highlights of the trip include:
* Manila Ocean Park
* Dora the Explorer live show in Nokia Theater (Dallas Area)
* Six Flags over Texas
and, of course, seeing family. There is lots more and lots of pictures. Video will come soon, but it takes a while to upload to YouTube. We had a great time and hope to come back soon.

Going to the Cliffs, Washing Dishes, and Stuff

2009-05-06T10:55:00.005+10:00

We went up the Cliffs...again. We like it up there. We flew the kite and the kids had doughnuts. I had a sandwich. Clark also did his skates and we played kickball. All in all a good time.
Check out the video of Amaris giving Mommie at neck massage and helping was dishes. Every time mommie washes she gets her stool and starts to help.

All Kinds of Stuff

2009-04-07T13:16:00.005+10:00

I have been a bit remiss about updating the blog. Actually, only missed about a month, but when you have a 4 and 7 year old, a month is a long time! Here are some things in order: Wennie roast at Pala Pala, Doris helping at GCA, Clark and Amaris playing Candyland, Clarks Science Fair project, AMARIS (one name), Fun at the Cliffs

Grace Christian Academy Spring Production

2009-04-07T09:38:00.004+10:00

Clark and Amaris had their Spring Production. Here are the pictures and video.

Happy 7th Birthday Clark!

2009-03-19T15:25:00.003+10:00

We celebrated Clark's 7th Birthday with his 1st Grade classmates at GCA. He got a new pair of inline skates. We had double choclate Oreo cake and ice cream. They all had a good time. He also got a water gun and more cake! The "Superman" ad was seen on channel 41 on MCV.

Basketball and Sleeping

2009-02-11T14:22:00.004+10:00

It has been a good January for us. We have a new basketball goal. It's only 8 1/2 feet high, but it's fine for Clark (and me to). We have a junior basketball for him. He plays about every day. And Doris shoots hoops in the morning. We had someone make it for us for about $200. We can move it if we like.

Birmingham Saipan Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T16:18:00.007+10:00

It was a great Christmas in the Birmingham house. Amaris was the first to wake up and ran down the steps to see her new pink scotter (see YouTube video) Clark got a skateboard (with protection)and a real basketball (we are having a basketball goal installed next week). It will not be sturdy enough to slam dunk, but if he's doing this, were moving back to the States and contacting the NBA. Amaris tried to sneak a "Santa Cookie". Santa might be better off if she did, but that's another story. They also got one of those dance games you hook up to the TV. Clark seems to have fun with it. We did our usual trip to the suicide cliffs with a Big New Yorker Pizza from Pizza Hut. The played with their toys. In the afternoon we went to see "The Tale of Desperaux". We all went to bed about 8:30pm and had a good night's sleep. Again, another great day on Saipan.

December 2008 Happenings

2008-12-23T10:56:00.005+10:00

It's been a busy December. MCV Broadband had it's Christmas Party at the World Resort. Employees brought their families for the noon buffet and all day passes at the Wave Jungle Water Park! Clark went down the slides for the first time. He was little scared at first, but, as usual, once he did it once we couldn't keep him off. Amaris liked the kids area. We have gone several times, but this was the most fun they (and us) had. Video of Mom and kids going down the "lazy river". I got there early and had about two hours of swim time before they came. Also, pictures and video of Amaris's class party on the last day of school before Christmas. I also read to Amaris's and Clark's class the pop-up book version of "A Night Before Christmas". We also have some pictures of Carolers from Grace Christian Academy. They came by Friday night and did about a fifteen minute show. We were up on the balcony. Clark went down and starting banging some old toys together to keep time with the music. Christmas is in two days. I told them that bad kids only get a stick and a rock for Christmas. Well, it works for a while!

Grace Christian Academy Christmas Production

2008-12-10T14:10:00.006+10:00

Clark and Amaris both had parts in the GCA Christmas Production. The K4 class goes first (they are not going to wait)and they sang a song. Clark did a dance. Both were good and each got a cupcake and juice after the performance, so it was a VERY good night. I have included the rehearsal video instead of the actual performance of Amaris because you can see it better. One his her singing and the other is the "diva" getting ready. Note: She acted better in the production.

Doris's Thanksgiving Trip to Guam

2008-12-04T14:17:00.006+10:00

Doris left for Guam on Wednesday morning right before Thanksgiving. She had a great time. Just look at the pictures. I was at home with the kids. We went to the Suicide Cliffs and ate Pizza for Thanksgiving. We went to a Birthday Party on Friday. We went to see "Bolt" on Saturday. We also saw, for the first time "The Little Mermaid" (the Sea Witch scared Amaris and she ran over and grabbed me) and "Ice Age". We did other things to and had a good time. Doris bought a bunch of stuff on Guam. Thanks to Jeanette and Brian for letting Doris stay with them. To Margie and Patrick for the annual party (wish I could be there, but I doing real work for a change)and Katherine (thanks from Amaris) and Bob for... well, for just being Katherine and Bob. Plus, some shots of Clark and Amaris dressed for Church.

Obama will be President

2008-11-17T16:00:00.005+10:00

Well, it was an historic election. The idea that the USA could elect a black man president says more about the USA than Obama, and I mean that in a good way. I do understand the pride that the black community must feel.
There are as many ways to look at Barak Obama as there are people looking.
My main concerns are the following:
First: Forget the fact that he's African American, he's a liberal democrat which is scary for anyone that wants to get ahead in the world. His "redistribution of wealth" (his words) already has the stock market moaning. Those evil rich people! I guess I could agree because I'm not rich, but it's the Democrat definition of "rich" that should have everyone concerned. Although the Dems won't say it, if you have a job, your rich! If they CAN take money from you they will. After all, they need to give to the people that have nothing so they can have the good life also. Nevermind that they don't work or do anything else for society. It's someone elses fault that they are in the shape they're in. And the Democrats are there to make everything better. And to give them a ride to the polling places.
Second: This financial mess that we are in is not his fault, but he will be the one responsible for cleaning it up, which is a bit unfair, but hey, that's the way it is when you're President. He can blame the actions of the former administration, which may be true, but in the long run it does'nt give you a free ride. He has promised alot, but I don't really think he will be able to deliver and I will hold his feet to the fire when he does not. It's not OK for a politican to say anything to get elected, but get elected they do. Getting re-elected is a hard thing. And you better believe, like ever other President, he started to run for re-election on November 5th.
Third: How far to the left will Obama move to serve his radical constituancy? We already have nationwide protests for gay marriage. They feel more bold now that their guy will soon be in the White House. This is the part I fell best about. I think he will move to the center. Bill Clinton governed from the center and did a good job for eight years. I don't like the Democrat agenda much, but I would probably vote for Bill Clinton again.
I don't feel bad about Obama as President, but I don't understand why some people are just so gaga over him. For black americans this would be understandable just for the fact that he was black. I would say that he has basically a cult of personality feel about him. Let's face it, the real competion for Obama was not John McCain, but Sarah Palin, which is why the media and other Democrats treated her so shamfully. What about Joe Biden? He has promised that America will be attacked, and soon. The man is a human gaff machine, but the media did not seem to care. And now the McCain staffers are coming out with negative things about Palin. Why? Because they are scared of her to. Remember, most of the comparsions in the elections were made between Obama and Palin. What does that mean? Forget what she did in this campaign. The only reason that McCain did not get beat by 10 points was because of Palin. She will be back and she will bring her A game.
Am I worried? Not from the perspective of Obama being president. He is a smart guy and I would expect him to the smart thing. I really hope he is successful.

Sunday with the Birmingham's

2008-11-10T12:52:00.003+10:00

Doris and Amaris get ready to go to Church. Amaris and Clark have their weekly "Pala Pala" race on Sunday afternoon while I watch College Football and grill Chicken, Ribs, and Fish.

Halloween at the Hyatt

2008-11-03T15:51:00.003+10:00

We went to the Hyatt Hotel for Halloween. The kids went to their party while we ate at the Kili Cafe buffet. After that, they went door-to-door in the Sugar King area (aptly named)which is close to where we live. People were having outside parties and lots of candy and trick or treaters. Amaris got a couple of blisters walking in her "princess shoes". Clark was a ninja.

Nikon CoolPix S210 is a PIECE OF CRAP!!

2008-10-30T14:17:00.005+10:00

I hope you enjoy the pictures associated with this posting. They were taken with a Brand New Nikon CoolPix S210 camera. I got it on Thursday, took these pictures on a Saturday, and then the camera stopped working on Tuesday. I tried to fix it using comments I got on line, but in the process, I scratched it thus voiding the warrenty. I got online to find that the "Lens Error" problem is very prevelant in the camera. This POS crappy (and realatively inexpensive) no-good NIKON camera should be banned for sale in the USA. The pictures are not even that good as some were blured. The video was not bad, but is was a bit choppy at times. The other pictures are of a party at Grace Christian Academy. Enjoy the pictures of the soccer game. Snacks at the game: $10 New Soccer Shoes: $30 Clark making his first goal of the season: Priceless? No- $179.00 Thanks a pantload Nikon

Grace Christian Academy Activities

2008-10-20T10:31:00.005+10:00

The kid's school, Grace Christian Academy, had a full weekend starting with the Fundraiser dinner on Friday where Clark performed. Also,the "Parade of Nations" on Monday. Clark's class dressed as Cambodian children and Amaris's class dressed as Chinese children. All classes dressed up.

Amaris 4th Birthday

2008-10-07T11:36:00.005+10:00

The Lovely Amaris celebrated her 4th Birthday (Sept 29) at home and at Grace Christian Academy. She got some dolls, which she dismembered within a few hours. She also got a Junior Doctor set, which we would hope would help with the dolls. The baloons were the big hit as usual.

Amaris and J.R. the dog

2008-09-23T11:00:00.003+10:00

Amaris can't wait to go to school and see her friend, J.R. Also, a shot of Clark and Amaris at school

The CUC Song

2008-09-10T08:49:00.003+10:00

"The CUC just cut off my power. I won't have it back for a few hours. I can't do my homework or watch T.V. or surf on the net or do washee washee. PLEASE CUC turn on the power! PLEASE CUC turn on the power!"

Saipan Disgrace

2008-09-02T11:09:00.002+10:00

What is the word?
The Four “s’s” of Saipan
YouTube Video
The recent Power outage disgrace on Saipan has now reached what can be technically referred to as “Medieval”. Basically, you have power for 12 hours and no power for 12 hours. The situation is called Load Shedding. To find out what this is all about you have to go to the complete source of all knowledge. Of course, I am talking about Wikipedia. I might get in trouble, but I am putting what the “W” said about it.
A rolling blackout, also referred to as load shedding, is an intentionally-engineered electrical power outage. These blackouts are normally in response to insufficient resources and inability to meet prevailing demand for electricity. For information about accidental blackouts that are not intentionally engineered, see power outage.
In many African and South Asian countries – e.g. India, South Africa, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Zimbabwe – a combination of aging electricity generation infrastructure, and the inadequacy of the supply of electricity to the ever expanding demand, has made rolling blackouts a staple of daily life.Well, that about says it all. To all of our friends in India, The Congo, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, we feel your pain
We can call the situation many things. My son calls it “Disgusting”. He is only six and he likes the word for lots of things. Actually, if you take all of the emotionally charged words out the simple word is: Substandard. We have a substandard existence on Saipan now. With the standard being the USA Mainland who would disagree. Yes, I think the word Substandard will do nicely.
THE FOUR “s’s” OF SAIPAN
First: Let’s Sit. Nothing else to do when the power is off.
Second: Let’s Stare. Stare at the streetlights to see when they come on. Stare at the walls. Basically, just Sit and Stare.
Third: Let’s Sweat. No Air con (who are we kidding; we couldn’t afford air-con even if we had power, but we like to live the dream). No fan. That’s it. Just Sit, Stare, Sweat.
Fourth: Let’s Stink. See Sweat above. The unholy square of living in a concrete house that protects you from a typhoon, but becomes a sauna during the day.
Add them all up and you come up with another “S”. I hope you have been paying attention. Substandard. (Two “S’s” in that!)

New YouTube Video
Besides the four “S’s” you can do other things. I put together a great YouTube video. I call it “4pm”. It’s about the wacky exploits of an “island family” that only has power for one hour per day- 4pm-5pm. Share in their zany everyday antics including the following:
• Here the four year girl talk about her heat rash- it’s cute as she says “Heat Wahsh”
• Here the whole family sing the “Walk it off” song. This is when you hit things in the dark.
• Watch the unbridled joy and celebration as the lights come on at 4pm and the kids try to watch TV and do Internet at the same time.
• Watch their little faces turn to wonder at 5:10pm as daddy tells them about a place far, far away where people have light and water all the time and they actually can use the air conditioning all the time. They ask me where this wondrous place is. I tell them it is where their mother grew up, a progressive place called the Philippines.
Well, that’s about it. If you see me (you will probably smell me first) please say hi.

Three Win-Win Ideas!

2008-08-27T13:45:00.007+10:00

It’s time for some out of the box thinking. Let’s look at four areas and see how we can improve. Tourism, Power, Gambling and Social Responsibility.

First, let’s kill two birds with one stone. On one side we have a lot of stray dogs in the tourist district. On the other side we need extra tourist’s attractions. How about we make the stray dog the sacred animal of Saipan! This is a win-win instead of a lose-lose. Instead of the tourists being frightened of the derelict animals and the loathsome canines going hungry, under this plan the tourists would flock to the unfortunate Saipan version of Man's Best Friend, probably bestowing gifts and taking pictures with the wretched creatures. This could get so popular that we might have to create more of the foul beasts to keep up with tourist demands. The possibilities are endless.
Second, our power situation. I am not going to bore you with a long winded diatribe of our power woes. Anyway, my power is scheduled to go out soon so I will be brief. Our load shedding may end in a few weeks. Don’t laugh, it actually may happen. At this point our local utility will wake up like the Fraternity boy that downed three bottles of Jack Daniels the night before. We may have power, but nobody will be able to afford it once the CUC starts chargin' us for all those new “energy makin' machines” they got. My solution. Let’s put slot machines on the power meters! It makes sense really. You only have $20 left to your name and you have a $500 power bill starting you and your family in the face. Power’s gonna get cut off on Monday. Why not “roll dem bones” and see if you can win the “CUC Power Jackpot”. Anyway, what’s the harm, you only have $20, but you have a chance to win thousands… of kilowatt hours. And think about what you could do if you win. You could have party for all of your friends and at that party you could have… light, and air con, and hot water, and, well, lots of light! Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, customer.
Third, and I have to admit, this is probably the controversial of all. Let’s do something about the alcohol on the islands. This would be in the vain of the old 1960’s movie ‘Cold Turkey” staring Dick Van Dyke. A funny movie. Let’s find a very, very rich person or group that would pay to have every drop of alcohol removed from the island for sixty days. That’s right, everybody on the island takes "the pledge" for sixty days. After we go without "demon rum" for 60 days, the group makes a huge donation to the island. This would get worldwide coverage and probably encourage a different group of people to come to the islands. Oh, by the way, what do you do with all the left over alcohol? Let’s find away to burn in our gas tanks. See, a win-win-win situation.
Well, that’s it, and by the way I have a prediction. More of a calculation, actually. I don’t know who will win the Presidential Election. I don’t know if we will see a Typhoon this year. I do know two things. The Baylor Bears Football team will not have winning season and we will still have load shedding in October. That and the sun will come up tomorrow.

Chainsaw Maid- Just For Fun

2008-07-31T10:27:00.000+10:00

New House Photos

2008-07-28T14:28:00.007+10:00

Well, it's not exactly a new house and it's not our house. We are renting, as everyone like me has to do on this island. We are forbidden to own land by law (Article 12 of the Constitution) that says only people that have at least 25% Chamorro/Carolinian blood can own land. As people inter-marry even the locals will dilute their blood so that the grandkids cannot own land. Outside of Indian Reservations, this is is probably the only place under the American flag that a Citizen of the US cannot own land. However, there is not probition against locals owning land in the USA. This will probably change in the next few years as locals have seen their property be worth about 20% of what it would be in
Guam or Hawaii (even more so on Hawaii). I get to have a nice rental rate, but no equity. Might as well be flushing it down the toliet.
I do like the house. It is three stories and has spiral staircase from top to bottom. We have a huge Pala Pala area next to house with a "Dirty Kitchen". We even have toliet and shower at the Pala Pala. We have balconies on the second and third floor and a great view of the ocean from the big sliding glass doors on each floor. We see the ships at night with their lights on. We are only about a mile as the crow flies form the tourist district, but when you're at the Pala Pala you cannot see another house. Just trees and green.
We are very close to Grace Christian Academy and Gold's Gym, both place we frequent and we should be able to save a bunch of $$$ on gas.

2008-07-28T14:19:00.001+10:00

Getting ready for Church, Fingerpainting, and Playing at the new house

2008-07-28T14:09:00.002+10:00

We did fingerpainting on Sunday. Clark and Amaris also get their bikes and big wheels and go down the street. No worries as we are the last house on a dead end road.

The Highest Power Bill under the US Flag

2008-06-24T10:41:00.007+10:00

When I ask friends and family in the States how much they are paying per kilowat hour for their power they don't really know. Why should they. Their power bill is what it is. They know if they conserve the bill will go down and if they don't the bill will stay the same or go up. A little. Here on Saipan you don't know from day to day what will happen. First, the power goes off every day for at least two hours, but at least half of time it goes off twice a day and sometimes for more than two hours. Last Thursday night it was off from 7pm-11pm and then off and on again for a while. To make up for the fact that the power engines are only about 40% efficent and that we have a 25% line loss on what is produced they need to make money somewhere.
To answer the above question, anyone in the US is paying about 10 cents per Kilowat hour. Some a little more, some a bit less, but this is the average. On Saipan we pay 38.7 cents per kilowat hour. Nearly 4 times the national average. Click on bill to see it better. Our Goat Family does not use that much power, although we use more than some people. For 707 kilowat hours in 29 days were were charged $256.86. They tack on another $27.26 in non-fuel charges (maybe I should pay them in non-money). Note: The past due amount on the bill is for a water dispute I have filed about my water bill.
We are going to do more to conserve. We are going to a gas stove for the top burners (still using electric on the oven). Installed these Intelliworks devices (only $30 each,you need two per home) and they seemed to save me some this month. We usually average 850 Kwh per month (and the power was going off then)now down to 707.
Well, at least the weather is good

A Family of Goats

2008-06-20T09:43:00.005+10:00

I would like to introduce you to my family. I am Billy the Goat (not very creative I will admit). My six-year old son Randy the Goat (he picked it). My 3-year old daughter Mermaid the Goat (could have been "Princess")and my wife, Elephant the Goat (don't really know why). You may ask why we are goats. The answer is simple. Goats don't need power. Maybe you can play this game at your house. Maybe you can be sheep, or cows, or ducks. Oh, the wonderful things you can do when there is no power. Actually, my 6-year old gets very upset when the power goes off, but he quickly recovers. The 3-year old doesn't know any better. I sweat. The moon was full and very bright last night. It was beautiful. So the next time a coconut falls on your head, make coconut juice (or go to the hospital). Note: Below is shocking video (it is dark so facial features cannot be recognized) of what really happens when the lights go out on Saipan. Keep telling yourself, "It's only a video blog. It's only a video blog".

2008-06-04T14:21:00.003+10:00

Flowers in our Yard

2008-06-04T10:42:00.004+10:00

The Lovely Amaris is posing next to the flowers in our back (or is it front)yard. It's kinda hard to tell at our house. We have Yellow, White, and Red (Flame Tree). I pick her new flowers every morning before I go to work.

FIRST GRADE HERE I COME!

2008-05-23T13:34:00.011+10:00

The last day of Clark's Grace Christian Academy Kindergarten was celebrated with a party including Karaoke kids songs. I went over for the last 30 minutes to get pictures and video. This was the last day with their teacher "Miss Melissa" Harper. This was her first year of teaching. She will be back at GCA in the fall, but with a new class. As I watched them play I wondered how much of this he would remember. He may see pictures later, but that's not the same thing. In a relatively short time most(probably all) of the people in the room will only be a picture to him. He will make new friends and have new experiences, and so will they. But for this day they are happy and together. For one picture they are forever.
As I watched him play at the party, I tried to remember my kindergarten class. A few images and thoughts come to mind, but nothing I can put into context. The truth is I have not talked communicated with anyone from that class in at least 30 years. I have posted pictures and updates on those alumni sites that seem to crop up on the Internet. In August, 1977,I just moved out (to Baylor) and never returned to my home town except to see family. I have my memories and am busy making new ones. I wonder what Clark and Amaris will do?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2008-05-12T14:08:00.002+10:00

Here is Mommy with her two kids and I even threw in a picture of me. We went to the Aqua Resort for lunch and they also had a free family portrait with the meal. We have very few pictures of all four of us together, so this was a nice service by the hotel.
As usual, we ate then came back home to take a nap. We woke up around 4:30pm and went out on the balcony to play tag with the kids. We played outside for about an hour and the sun started to go down. We went back inside and the kids had their usual Sunday treat- microwave popcorn. The most fun is watching it pop. Even better was the power not going off anytime that day, which is rarity. Our power was off from 9:30pm-Midnight on Friday and about an hour late Saturday night.
All-in-All another nice day on Saipan.

Go Fly at Kite!

2008-05-05T15:55:00.003+10:00

I took Clark and Amaris out kite flying on Sunday. This is their third kite. The other flew OK, but did not hold up very well at the house. We discourage kite flying in the house, but they still try. This is a nice kite for %5.99. It is a boat with three sails and has what must be 100 feet of string, which we let all out.
With all of the wind here we should probably be an kite flying destination.
These pictures were taken over at the softball field near the legislature. I know we would have much more wind had we waited until the House or Senate was in session but...

Sampung Mga Daliri

2008-04-30T13:04:00.003+10:00

The Birmingham's at Home and Flame Tree Festival '08

2008-04-30T12:51:00.006+10:00

Another Day at Suicide Cliffs

2008-04-30T10:30:00.005+10:00

The Suicide Cliffs are probably my most favorite place on Saipan. The unfortunate name and history are contrasted by what a beautiful place it is. It's cool, windy, and quite. The kids have great place to play in the field. Eventhough we live on a island, going here for the afternoon makes it seem like a little vacation. I took Friday off from work and school was out for Clark, so we brought a pizza and played kickball and baseball with the kids
The weather has been spectacular the last few months, although we could use some rain. After we got back from the cliffs we all had an afternoon nap.
Saipan has it problems to be sure, but days like today are the reason we stay out here. All in all another perfect day on Saipan

2008-04-15T09:30:00.001+10:00

Update: When picking up the tables from the fiesta in Kagman shown in some of these pictures, Jeffrey Nakatsukasa Maratita, an employee of the Saipan Mayor's office, was electrocuted when his boom truck hit a primary electrical line carrying over 7K volts. The fiesta we attended was on Sunday and he was killed on Tuesday.

2008-04-15T09:23:00.001+10:00