PBS Documentary on the $10 Billion Marine Buildup on Guam

While I was on Guam last month I met with the crew that helped to produce a national report on the move of roughly 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to the island territory (dependents will more than double that number). Green Light Creative did a fair job of outlining the various perceptions on and off island. Hats off to PBS for hiring locally for the report.

My Dad, Jeff, is interviewed in the first half of the report. Here’s the link:

Now on PBS: The Marines Are Landing

– BAP

Soul Patrol in the Hood: Chef Cruises Chinatown

Sean Priester’s official launch of the Soul Patrol lunch wagon is tonight on Maunakea in Chinatown. Formerly the executive chef at Top of Waikiki, Sean has started a socially conscious venture that serves up gourmet leftovers to the houseless. We caught up with Sean for lunch… here’s a glimpse of his soul food inspired/Pacific Rim influenced menu:

Creativity is the name of the game when it comes to launching a new business in this economy. Sean’s committed to making his operation as simple and nimble as possible, while serving up gourmet eats for the complex palate.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin ran a story about the Soul Patrol and its special mission that satisfies Sean’s passion while serving up a profit. Link to the story: “Chef’s soul fuels lunch wagon, Sean Priester and pals will take Soul Patrol to Waianae to feed the homeless”

You can find Soul Patrol on Twitter: http://twitter.com/pacificsoul

By following Chef Sean’s tweets @pacificsoul, you can find out where the lunch wagon is each day.

As I write this, I’m so full and satisfied by my pulled pork adobo sandwich. Wish I could take a nap.

A clip from The Soul Patrol launch later the same day… First Friday:

– BAP

The 671 on Guam: Last Day… 5 :(

I almost didn’t make it to the first official meeting of the American Marketing Association’s Guam Chapter. I got a late start, and when you’re in Guam for a few days you start to become paralyzed by the idea of driving from the “South” to the “North” or vice-versa. My long-time friend Mary Torre (current president of the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association) is among the chapter’s officers, so I made it just to have a bit of time with her on my last day on island. The topic of the first meeting: Twitter. I was less than excited about the topic since I figured I had heard it all. Shame on me! I was blown away by the featured speaker: Jason Salas, KUAM’s interactive media manager. He was a wealth of information. He’s not just using Twitter to deliver KUAM’s news to the 400 Guam residents with Twitter accounts, he’s creating original programming with specific applications to Guam.

Being on Guam again, I was constantly reminded just how small the world is. (Kinda like being on Twitter.) I thought I was so clever “tweeting” the following from my Dad’s bar while I drank coffee and contemplated the shortest route to the Hyatt: “Having lunch with the new AMA chapter in Guam. Going to hear about Twitter strategies for business. Thanks Mary!” I just visited Mr. Salas’ Twitter page to follow him and grab something for this post and I found that were in similar positions within a 24-hour period… here’s the tweet I found:

“i drove halfway across the island to have an ice cream sandwich at Jeff’s Pirates Cove on the beach. the view is indescribable. “

Gotta love it. He’s so right about the view… nothing to the left, much less to the right. I don’t think Dad will entertain the idea of a Twitter account, but it’s clear he should.

Jason has created two Guam-specific Twitter applications. Here are two clips about Guam TweetBot and TwitterNene:

I raced back to the Hinasson Taotao Guahan conference to catch the “Federal-Territorial Relations” panel. There was some finger-wagging in the presentations. Two seated Guam Senators called out past issues involving federal matters. The questions regarding the Compact of Free Association* were perhaps the most compelling.

Sen. vicente c. pangelinan (sic), on self-determination:

Sen. Frank Blas, on the 1985 Compact of Free Association:

University of Guam professor, on culture preservation:

* The 1985 Compact of Free Association is sometimes referenced as “COFA,” but most people call it “the Compact.” For 15 years, 1985-2000, the United States committed to financial assistance in exchange for defense rights. This “compact” was made with the FSM (Federated States of Micronesia), The Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau. In 2003, the agreement was renewed for another 20 years (RMI, FSM). This is referenced as “Compact II.” The new compacts provide $3.5 billion in funding to both nations. American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands receive $30 million annually to help them with the expense of providing services to immigrants from these nations.

– BAP

How hot is your geothermal energy I.Q.?

Michael Kaleikini, Puna Geothermal Venture plant manager who leads Ormat Technologies, Inc. Hawaii team, tested the geothermal I.Q. of attendees at last week’s Beer & Business pau hana at the Hukilau Restaruant in downtown Honolulu.

Are you aware that geothermal power provides nearly 20 percent of the electricity needed on the Big Island, and more than 30 percent of Hawaii’s renewable energy resources statewide? he asked.

Was Italy the world’s first producer of geothermal electrical power?

Who generates more power from geothermal—Iceland or the U.S.?

These questions and more were part of a geothermal pop quiz handed out to 140+ attendees at the invitation-only gathering hosted by Hawaii Science and Technology Council and Hawaii Business magazine. Puna Geothermal Venture, Hawaii’s only geothermal electrical power facility, was a sponsor.

Honolulu’s high-tech crowd was more knowledgeable than most when it came to renewable energy resources in Hawaii, but not perfect.

Forty percent of those who responded got all but ONE correct. Only three received a perfect score: Joe Zbn, Chieko Kinata, and Joleen Damaso. We applaud you!

Take the quiz at www.punageothermalventure.com and test your geothermal I.Q.

Kayleen Polichetti

Journalist Larry Fuller Retires from Pacific Business News

Hawaii is losing a prize of a publisher in Larry Fuller who is stepping down at Pacific Business News.

Larry had come to Hawaii to lead The Honolulu Advertiser. This was after my days there, so I never had the opportunity to work with him in the newsroom.  For whatever reasons, he left the ‘Tiser.  PBN had the great wisdom to take advantage of Larry’s love of Hawaii.

Now, grandchildren are a stronger pull in the cold of upper middle America.  Our loss.

Journalism is in a flux.  Minds greater than mine don’t know where it will pool.  I doubt it will ever be like it was in my days of reporting.  We were well-paid and given latitude to rake muck, dig deep into crime, politics, science, poverty, environment, human rights, civil rights, healthcare, education.  Our job was to explain it to Joe and Minnie SixPack.

Larry Fuller is a bit of a bridge to the new world, I think.  He assembled a team of editors who know journalism to work with young reporters. Each day, he sent his readers updates on news—tight, clear snips and if we wished, we could drill deeper.

He led business forums and discussion breakfasts—any number of things to engage the business community, give them a chance to think outside their boxes and to network.

Many journalists look dimly on a reporter who “goes to the other side”, that is, into PR.  I’ve taken a fair amount of ribbing over the years.  Larry was never one to rib and always treated those of us on the PR side of communication with equanimity.

We’ll see where journalism lands in the new age.  It will always be the most fun you can have with your clothes on—a license to ask questions and gather information.  I hope it keeps some of the objective, fair eye that folks like Larry Fuller have brought to it.

BAHastings

The 671 on Guam: Day 4

Thursday proved emotional before we even got to the first day of the two-day forum at the Guam Legislature. The morning experiences set the stage for what we would hear at the “The 2009 Island Conference on Public Administration, The Military Buildup and Beyond: Hanasson Taotao Guahan (The Guam Perspective).”

We were drinking coffee at Dad’s “Jeff’s Pirates Cove” restaurant when employees started running and shouting about a car accident. Dad shot out of his office,  jumped in a cart, pulled me and the flip camera with him and went out to the road for the estimated thirtieth or so incident in a year’s time. Dad has a string of fishing floats along the road in front of his business to prevent such accidents, and has advocated for decades for safety on this stretch. The driver and the passenger were stunned, but fine. The car was tangled in the floats. It was pretty obvious where the car would have ended up. Earlier this year Dad worked to have a phone pole moved so it would not be yet another hazard. (Another pole nearby has been part of some pretty gruesome accidents.) This is an example of the kind of infrastructure gaps Guam grapples with in the face of a population boom that will increase numbers by 27%.

On the way to the forum I dropped off my friend for a short visit with an ailing relative in the village of Yona. Meanwhile, I visited the elementary school I attended in the 1970s: M.U. Lujan School. At the front of the campus, a flood of memories washed over me—lining up for immunizations in the cafeteria, rotating among teachers in our pod-classrooms, a bus with only five kids to-and-from school with a sweet driver, Ben. Ben became my personal bodyguard as the bus became more crowded and I found myself  subject to a few bullying incidents. I was one of two white kids who signed up for a bilingual instruction pilot program at M.U. Lujan, so teachers called in their colleagues to witness my speaking Chamorro, Guam’s native language.  (Back then, I was blonde enough to be called a tow head;  my parents confirm that my public speaking in Chamorro was quite the sight.)

Unfortunately, my village (Ipan) was redistricted after third grade and I became embarrassed to speak the language among my new school friends. On a few occasions I would let on that I knew what was being said, and it helped my survival as I migrated further and further south for my public school education, becoming more and more of a minority along the way. Later in life, as I found new languages fun and somewhat easy, I would learn that’s it’s proven bilingual education wires your brain for new languages. There are a number of immersion programs in Guam now. People talk about how grandparents are able to converse with their grandkids, but there’s a language gap in a lot of families between these generations.

As you leave the south for the capital of Guam (Hagatna) which is central, you can see that Pago Bay is being carved out for a housing development. While there are many empty executive homes on the island, this development is said to be sold by a third. Detractors are concerned that developments like these are not needed and are driving up home prices for the general population. There is also some protest surrounding evidence that the site was an ancient settlement. Just under 100 homes are planned for the community. I take  this in while I remember how near to the ocean I lived as a child. By Guam standards, we were  lucky to spend our childhood in Ipan, a small village that isn’t noted on most maps. It’s a tiny coastal community with houses mostly across the street from the ocean on hills that offer an enviable view. We lived there because that’s where our family business, Jeff’s Pirates Cove is located (next to Ipan Public Beach).

Clip from Pago Bay:

Thursday was the first day of the “other” conference related to the build up; the first was in Tumon and organized by the University of Guam. Two Guam Senators organized the free two-day event held at the Guam Legislature (I Liheslaturan Guahan). There was another conference the previous week. This one was billed as a forum for “all the voices” to be heard.

U.S. Marine Corp. leadership filled most of two and a half rows of seats at the front of the forum. I give them a lot of credit for committing to the two full days of feedback from government officials, community leaders and some clearly anti-buildup activists. Below are a few clips from the conference featuring Sen. Judith P. Guthertz (my Mom’s classmate from Academy of Our Lady of Guam) who discusses the concept of “One Guam” versus two; one inside the bases and one outside the bases. The third clip is a woman representing the Committee on Natural Resources, Civilian-Military Task Force, who warns against turning Guam into Hawaii. The last clip is an interesting segment from a longtime farmer who now runs the Farmers Co-op in Guam.

Sen. Guthertz wrap up on first day of forum:

From the Natural Resources panel (note reference to Hawaii’s lack of affordable housing):

On Agriculture (Bernard Watson, Vice President, Farmers Co-operative Association of Guam):

This is a repeat of the clip from “The 671 on Guam: Day 2″

–BAP

Are you a “cybercriminal”?

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, Hastings & Pleadwell hired Wagnervision (Brett Wagner) to use some creative edginess  for two videos that educate people about cybersecurity.

The latest web video, aimed at the 17 – 25 age group, is a humorous attempt to educate about the risks on the Internet.  “Cybercriminals” profiles three everyday people who inadvertently become criminals because of mistakes they made online.  We may never be subject to this level of dramatic interrogation, but many of us could be guilty of these mistakes and become “cybercriminals” ourselves.  A huge percentage of us are giving out too much personal information online, using too-simple passwords or operating without security software without thinking of consequences.

Gamers will likely relate to Denise aka “Identity Diva”.  My favorite is Alfresco Frank – the care-free, beach-bum type without a worry in the world.  (He reminds me of half the guys I knew in college.)  Check them out here.

Will you be a cybercriminal?  Avoid it by going to www.staysafeonline.org and learning what you can do to protect yourself and everyone else in your network.

-Kayla Samascott

The 671 on Guam: Day 3

We stayed in Tumon yesterday. Meetings were back-to-back, so we didn’t get to enjoy it as much as we’d have liked. Tumon is the stretch of hotels I call the Waikiki of Guam. A friend doing consulting work related to the buildup finds Tumon an important center. He reminds me of the insane traffic that snakes along Marine Drive, the main vein that connects the financial district with the visitor center. Below is a quiet, early morning clip I captured of Tumon Bay.

I visited Pacific Daily News (PDN) publisher Rindraty Limtiaco; the Gannett affiliate is diversifying into serious custom publishing. I did an internship with the PDN in 1989, and 20 years later there’s much that’s the same about the building. The Honolulu Advertiser’s current publisher, Lee Webber, was my boss in those days. Rindraty worked for Lee before advancing to the publisher’s desk.

PDN is geographically targeting major areas with inserts. Rindraty says that people still want to know what’s going on in all areas, and come in to pick up the inserts. People on Guam are focused on their local, community news. Another executive of a locally owned media group believes there’s no separate market for business news. He says that locals like all their news delivered together, and consider business news to be mainstream news.

We had breakfast with former radio talk show host Jon Anderson. Jon’s popular morning radio show on K57 was an institution on Guam. Ray Gibson, who was the leading music deejay while we were growing up, is now in this role. You can see Ray behind the mic on one of the TV stations as well as catch him on the radio. K57 also streams live on the internet.

At the Guam Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon we took note of the number of our childhood friends starting businesses or climbing executive ranks. It is exciting to see them doing well, filled with optimism about the future Guam holds for their children. We sat with the armed forces committee chair and several military members. There were also a number of Hawaii bankers at our table. During general introductions, we discovered a number of Hawaii firms represented.

Below are video clips of David Leddy, the Chamber President, and Frank Campillo, outgoing chair.

– BAP

On SNS: advice from a graffiti artist, slam poet, singer, flack

H&P partner, Barbra Pleadwell, spoke on the panel  “Tools for Change: The evolution of mass marketing and social media” at the Envision Hawaii conference at the State Capitol this past weekend.  A grafitti artist, a slam poet, a singer/songwriter and a digital media expert made up the diverse panel.

The audience was excited by the potential of social media, and offered up a healthy dose of nerves and questions on how to use tools like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs and Myspace to help your business or non-profit.

Before you jump in, you should know how  your targeted audience uses social media. Below is a clip of advice on this aspect of communicating on the web.

These FREE tools have garnered plenty of interest.  Our firm is cautious in how it uses social media tools to advance messages for clients.  It’s important to pay attention to the language you are using on each social media outlet.  In the clip below, Barbra discusses how a message for Twitter, may not be appropriate for Facebook.

Traditional media outlets are integrating these tools to reach more people.  Hawaii News Now is the best example in our local market.

Jared Kuroiwa, director of interactive strategy, is the brains behind social media at Hawaii News Now. Here he talks about the most important rule of social media, be social.

-Kayla Samascott

The 671 on Guam: Day 2

Being a day ahead has advantages. Monday on Guam is Sunday in Hawaii, so I had a day to deal with my communication challenges. AT&T’s International Roaming plan… yikes. I’m using land lines as much as possible, and text messaging when I can’t find one. Folks who come here regularly for business find major communication issues need to be worked around.

We met with David Leddy, new president of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, yesterday. Leddy says the armed forces committee is active, and others agree that the Chamber is an important nexus.

The other meeting I had yesterday was with a group focused on publications. (The group is split into two departments, the other being an ad agency.) In the late 1980s I did an internship with Guam Business News, a monthly publication at the time. Steven Nygard was  publisher and Joe Couch, the owner back then. There’s since been an ownership change. The operation publishes three titles regularly, the most interesting being the Marianas Business Journal. Imagine Pacific Business News for the Marianas. The Journal is among the healthier print media outlets I’ve seen so far. The publisher is Maureen Maratita who writes an interesting “Plain English” column. The Journal gets out every other week.

I cooked for my Dad, Jeff Pleadwell (Jeff’s Pirates Cove) last night. I was pleased to see really healthy produce at Island Fresh in Chalan Pago. (When I was a kid on Guam, we ate lots of canned vegetables for lack of fresh.) The prices weren’t as crazy as I remember. We sat on the lanai and ate wahoo caught by fishermen right in front of the Cove. The fishermen give my Dad two fish for all the ice they need to keep their catch fresh.

There’s very little light polution in the South, so the night sky is spectacular.

Clip from the VP of the Guam Farmers Co-op (relates to my observation about the healthy produce selection at the grocery store):

BAP