MEDIA UPDATE

Veterans remembered.

Admiral Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, dedicated a memorial to Coast Guard veterans at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on Dec. 18. The memorial honors Coast Guard veterans. The dedication formally unveiled a memorial for Coast Guard veterans who fought on the battlefields of World War II. A stone from Guadalcanal acts as the centerpiece of the memorial. A team of more than 40 volunteers worked for several months for the memorial.

Guam Industry Forum II open for business.

The second Guam Industry Forum officially kicked off with the launching of a new Web site and registration portal. The forum is sponsored by the Joint Guam Program Office and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

The forum from March 6 to 8 will feature updates and presentations to about 1,300 people by Joint Guam Program Office, Naval Facilities Marianas, and the government of Guam, and will include four break-out sessions and an Industry Day for business to business networking.

Guam to China via Continental.

The Guam Visitors Bureau partnered with Continental Airlines in a market development cooperative agreement to facilitate a direct flight to Shanghai, China. Through an affinity charter, local travel industry members of the Guam Visitors Bureau participated in a four-day familiarization study tour to Shanghai. The city is one of three key markets in China that GVB has identified to broaden and diversify its customer base.

Eight is enough.

Gregory and Melony Cruz, along with their six children, were one of the first families granted financial assistance under the Rural Home Loan Partnership Program. Through the Guam Housing Corporation, the couple was provided a $200,160 loan to purchase a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. This comes after a year-long search for affordable housing and enough space for their family of eight.

Guam sons take filmmaking project home.

Kel and Don Muna, filmmakers based in Hollywood, Calif., returned home to Guam to create their first film, “Shiro’s Head” in 2006. The Muna brothers held numerous multimedia positions on Guam prior to moving to the mainland to further expand their careers. They worked with various media organizations before eventually setting up their own production company, which worked on projects, such as an east coast based breast cancer awareness documentary and published a book entitled “Why Go to Film School?” “Shiro’s Head” will be released on Guam around May 2008.

JB’s Ukulele Hut partners with people in recovery.

The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention and Training Branch and Drug and Alcohol Treatment Branch added a new feature to the New Beginnings Program and has partnered with JB’s Ukulele Hut to offer the Music Matters in Prevention and Treatment Program.

Music Matters’ purpose is to provide individuals in treatment with knowledge, skills and peers support for using music and music lessons and applied techniques to strengthen their desire for positive behaviors and successful outcomes. The program philosophy centers around incorporating life’s lessons around recovery and music and the Pacific Island culture with the use of the ukulele to channel negative energies and behaviors into positive ones. The first graduates of this six-week program will receive certificates of completion and brand new ukuleles to celebrate their successes.