The economic shoe

The U.S. economy will the be the "other shoe" that drops, after the financial shoe has hit the stage. If you've got ties to Asia, opportunity will eventually knock, because the world's economic order is going to change dramatically.

Wacky economics

If you’re serious about earning a living in Saipan, then you might want to look at the opportunities appropriate to these kinds of economies. No, they’re not particularly glamorous, but they are definitely proven.

The closer

Sometimes being a fly on the wall can be mighty instructive. This week's column is about 12 minutes in a cafe that offered profound insights into investment psychology. I'll probably do a follow up piece in the near future.

This is a test...

Need to take a written test? Here are a few thoughts on making it to the right side of the Bell Curve...

Romeo void

No matter how bad your financial lot is on Saipan, you can still enjoy sunsets and warm breezes. Don’t worry, I haven’t punted economics for kum-bay-yah platitudes..." Here's the entire column.

As for the title, "Romeo void," here's a YouTube link to the 1980's New Wave band.

A few words of Tagalog

What's the most useful language for a tropical adventurer? I think that a little bit of Tagalog can go a long way, and for those who agree, today's column reviews an unassuming little book, Tagalog (Pilipino) Made Nice & Easy (Amazon link here). Synopsis: It's a great book for picking up a few useful words and phrases.

As for Saipan, it would be fun to make a list of all the languages that have been spoken here, since we're a linguistic crossroad, but I don't know if anyone will get around to it....

See? I told you so!

As the hysteria over the U.S. economy, and its moribund stock market, flows through headlines, here’s a fact for you: I warned you about this gig over five years ago. Here's today's column on the gig.

Best of all: Here is a link to my Feb. 13, 2004 column that boldly predicted exactly what we've seen recently. Not bad, eh?

Netbooks: yes or no?

Netbook computers: yes or no?

At first blush is sounds like the ultimate tool for tropical life: A tiny, dirt-cheap (under $300), Wi-Fi capable notebook (OK, "subnotebook" or "netbook" ) computer that can be toted anywhere. You can check the news over your Shirley's Special Omelet, update your blog over coffee, then head to Micro Beach to finish work on your blockbuster novel as Jimmy Buffet (or, in my case, Jerry Reed) plays from the hard drive...." Here's the article.

(Note: This article ran on a Monday instead of the usual Friday.)

Expats: The next generation

Some intrepid folks from the mainland are looking to follow tropical rainbows. Here are some thoughts.

The betel nut bikini team?

When it comes to betel nut Saipan holds world-class status. But even in this sacred realm we're being upstaged, as Taiwan's betel nut culture puts some very sexy spin on the otherwise mundane chore of vending betel nut.

(Photo: Wikipedia)