Felis Noche Buena!

Felisitasion Felis Noche Buena para todu. Un` ma`gas na selebrasion i Lunes na ha`ane gi kompliaños i Niño Jesus. Esgaihon halum gi gima` familia ya in`gagau motmut na bendision. Tat mas ke bendision i Nanalibreta!

Finattun ha`anen gupot siha hana` hahassuyu` ni tres dias na nobenan Niño gi bisinu gi hagas soñgsoñg. Tradision soñgsoñg antes. Kulan maliñgun ñaihon na tiempu fuera de chumahlau kumu promesa.

Ai antes na ninamagof i tropan lukau Niño gi señgsoñg. Duru hit man-ana`e felisitasion gi halum `agañg na kantan Noche Buena. Namagof! Pa`gu masaulag dandan CD para ta tuñgu` na mamamaila` i Niño. Taya` guaha kumu manafattu i patgon Yuus gi gima`ta siha.

Estague` na tiempu i mas paire i dinaña` familia. Marinueba inafamauleg, inasi`i yan inagofli`e gi halum todu. Mauleg na okasion `nai man-matucha grasiosu siha na konbetsasion. Pot mantautau hit, maila` ta osge tinagu` i Saina ya ta asi`i prohimu-ta. Esta este hu chogue silensiu dispues de tinayuyot-hu.

Na bonitu i Lunes na ha`ane yan familian miyu. Ta`lu un` biahe, Felis Noche Buena!

History: I recently conducted the turnover of several oil paintings of Sugar King Haruji Matsue the famous statue at the Garapan Central Park. His grandson Keiichiro Saeki, head of the Sugar King Foundation he founded in 1997, was present.

As I organized my thoughts approaching the podium, there stood prominently the historic fact that the late Matsue was the first to bring commercialized industries to the islands in the manufacture of sugar. His effort spurred other investors to gravitate to the islands and engage in the production of goods that were subsequently exported to Japan. It included fish and farm produce.

Hallmark: This chapter occupies the brightest spot in our historical development. Matsue proved it could be done with commitment to realistic investments and industry.

A few days later, Japan Consul Kinji Shinoda related that we should continue to work together to attract more Japanese tourists and investors to the islands before it’s too late. I couldn’t agree more.

In the late sixties, Nippon investors established the tourism industry here. It’s a clean industry where we offer the triad of sun, sea and sand to our Japanese friends especially during the cold winter months.

The islands were home for many who were born here before the war. I recall the first PanAm 707 flight that landed here from Tokyo in the late sixties. I was quizzing why each of over 200 passengers knelt and kissed the tarmac when they got down from the plane. My mom related that they are happy to be back home. Each was born here before the war.

Japan is the world’s second largest economic powerhouse in the global village. She’s been here and knows even the soil content of these isles. In brief, we should embark on a serious mission to lure her back home. She’s proven the strength of an agriculture-based economy in addition to sugar manufacturing and fishing.

Sugar production may be out of the question but like Mr. Shinoda said we could begin exploring technology-based industries. Japan is a hi-tech powerhouse Full Square! Let’s revisit what worked!

Definition: Analyzing the term investment, it brings into focus if we even understand it or are the people in charge familiar with it equipped with the wherewithal to be making decisions? Or is it premised on windfalls from what’s known as “temperamental” growth triggered by the gaming business here? We can’t call casino here an industry given that it’s limited to a single licensee!

Investment reminds me of a quote by Titus Maccius Plautus, a Roman comic playwright, that has unexpected relevance on this score:

“In everything the middle course is best: All things in excess bring trouble to men”. Balance serves as the ideal metaphor for long-term investing. Needs change over time and shortcut stratagems that may work one year can prove obsolete…and even costly…the next.

“Ignorance is never bliss when betting on a particular sector or company over time. Otherwise, you may as well play the slots in Las Vegas. “If you don’t understand the business you invest in, you’re going to be highly unlikely to discern the noise from your truly meaningful information that should factor into your decision-making, says Thomas Sudyka Jr., president of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management, Nebraska.

“Stay away from investment strategies that are too obscure, complex, or out of your wheelhouse to keep up with. If you don’t understand how investment works, how can you expect to work for you?” Obviously this assertion brings into focus if the NMI has ever had a successful casino business at any point in its developmental history. Or isn’t forms of gambling limited to cockfights outside of church on Sundays or bingo for the old ladies? So we can’t tell if casino is in fact working for us, right?

The more critically the issue gets the more the reason to retreat and reassess our journey re-charting our destiny over the next forty years of self-government. Otherwise, we’d be repeating failure in grand redundancy!

Complacency gift-wrapped in mañana is an outdated paradigm. Must part with it now rejuvenated with a new set of vision to revive economic prosperity. If we snooze a bit more, we could kiss opportunities to build upon rock solid economic foundation adios. Not a good time to prolong the usual complacency that seems aplenty these days. This is the time to show some coconuts and push the envelop beyond our usual mañana that seem to have gotten a bit fatter.