Almost done with my Core Subjects at Guam Trades Academy. Only two more courses to go to finish off. Already working on my Skills course.

Julian Assange is nothing more than a terrorist. He should be in the next cell with Bradley Manning. I wonder how much his bounty will be.

Buzz on internet: Incident with Wikileaks is nothing more than the USS Pueblo, again. This time Cyber style. Conspiracy theorists at it again. LOL... The internet is truly entertainment.

View from the Lens of my Camera -- Delta Cam.

I've been with the TV ministry going on two years, this coming March 2011.  I started out as the cameraman for Bravo Camera.  Now, we call that camera, Charlie.  I've been on Delta Camera for a long time, now.  I forget when I first started operating Delta cam months ago.  Being in the TV ministry is fun and challenging at the same time.  I really enjoy doing what I do during our Sunday regular morning service. 

It wasn't easy moving to Delta Cam.  My focus shots are not of the pastor or whoever is giving the sermon for the morning.  My focus is the audience.  I mainly get head shots, one or two shots, a group shot of three or more, and reaction shots.  Reaction shots are the hardest because I have to time my shots with the pastor's sermon.  Trying to catch people responding to his questions or jokes, or when the sermon gets powerful and people clap in response, and/or cheer with a chorus of Amen's or other suitable reply, is hard. 

What was the hardest part of operating Delta Cam is not getting the shots for my director to record.  But the physical part of actually standing up during the whole service.  In the beginning it was hard.  I had back spasms during the service as I operated the camera.  But, I had a job to perform for the ministry.  I wasn't doing this for myself.  We have to get the Word out through our ministry.  So as time went by, week by week, I grew stronger.  The pain was less to where it is no longer bothering me, now.  I prefer operating Delta Cam to any other camera in the studio (sanctuary). 

I have always wondered if the congregation actually realizes what I realistically see on my monitor.  A minority of the congregation look like goats or cows chewing away on their cud as they listen to the sermon.  Some are subtle in their movements.  While others want to make it known, maybe to me, that they're expressively chewing their gum.

Then there are those, for lack of a better term, who I call, the nodders.  It seems this small group stayed up late on Saturday nights and occasionally nod out during the sermon.  And only catch themselves, when they feel the jerk of their head falling forward.  The other tenacious group is what I call the sleepers.  There are not very many of them.  Maybe for the same reason as the nodders, this group stayed up a lot later than they should have on Saturday night.  It's not that hard for a nodder to become a sleeper. 

It used to be funny catching someone nodding out or sleeping.  I admit...I used to suppress my laughter many times when I would catch anyone through my lens, doing one or the other.  A couple of weeks ago, it stopped being funny.  It's hard getting a really good shot and framing it, and then to notice there is a sleeper behind my main subject of focus within my shot.  I would have to abort the shot and look for another one.  Can you imagine if that shot was recorded and aired on our ministry page on facebook?  I'm pretty sure the editor would catch it before it made it to final production.  But on the off chance a nodder or sleeper did slip into the final production teaser and then aired. 

I wonder if the pastor would allow me to mount an air-soft rifle to my camera to shoot the nodders, especially the sleepers, from falling asleep.  That would keep them from nodding out or sleeping. 

All in all, the rest of the congregation are alright, especially those who sit up front towards the pulpit.  It's only a small group towards the back and in the middle right that makes it challenging to get my proper frame for the shot. 

The way I see it, if I have to stand up during the whole service operating my camera.  At least, those in the audience who are sitting comfortably should stay awake and listen to the message the pastor is bringing forth in the Word of God.  Anything less is Tai Respetu,  not just to the pastor or whoever is speaking, but to God. 

Power Nap

I didn't realize how tired I was.  I knew I was exhausted from the weeks training at the university.  After returning from the Trades Academy this morning.  I did some catching up on the internet, enjoyed some lunch, and then took a power nap.  That was supposed to be for an hour.  Woke up a couple of hours later.  Just enough time to feed the animals before the sun went down.  Feel refreshed.  

What part of "NO", don't they understand?

For over a year, many people on this island have been protesting to the firing range plan along a stretch of Route 15, locally known as the "Backroad to Andersen", between the Guam Race Track and the Nelson Family Compound.
We went to the townhall meetings and voiced our concerns.  Many of us wrote letters against the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  Yet, the Department Of Defense has the gall to send a deputy secretary here on a "listening tour" and trying to make a compromise with island leaders in regards to their firing range plans in village area of Pagat.  We said, "NO", back then.  And, it's still "NO", now. 

Here's my message to them again.

Keep your Firing Range inside your own bases!  No more land grabs! 

Organic Inspector Basic Course

This week I was able to participate in the Organic Inspector Basic Course at the College of Agriculture and Natural Science Building at the University of Guam.  Since the first day, it was a very intense course with lots of information handled to us.  The class started at 8:00 am and getting out after 6:00 pm.  It was like that the whole week.  The daily homework had us burning the midnight oil.  Sleep was starting to be a challenge up until the last night.  Where most of the students had little sleep or none at all working on their field reports to turn it in this morning. 

This course was the Crop Inspection portion of the basic course.  I would have to take the Livestock portion and Handling./Processing portion at a later date. 

My class was diverse as the subjects that were being taught.  There was Felix from Palau, Jackson from Pohnpei, Soko from Fiji, Valetine from Chuuk.  The rest of the class was from here on Guam.  Majority were from the college itself.  A couple of farmers and gardeners rounded out the class structure. 

My instructors were Luis from Costa Rica and Garry from Canada.  They are instructorsfrom the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA).  They have so much knowledge in regards to the Organic Farming Industry in both the National Organics Program (NOP) and personal experiences as Organic Inspectors.  That, I have learned so much from them.  It was a fun but intense class. 

I now understand that Organic is bigger than Organic Certification.  It makes it a lot easier for me to transition from a conventional ranch to an organic ranch.  I thought it would be hard.  But, seeing the perspective from my instructors viewpoint, makes it a lot easier.  Especially, when I now personally know what synthetics are allowed and what non-synthetics (aka as natural) are prohibited in the organic certification process. 

I am praying that I pass this course and earn my certification as an Organic Inspector.  I will not know my official results for a couple of days. 

I recommend this class to anyone who would like to become an organic inspector.  The knowledge will also help out in your farm/ranch operations.