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Friday, February 29, 2008
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Majuro, MH 96960
Marshall Islands
In Person:
On the ocean road
behind Formosa
in Uliga, Majuro
money surplus
“We want a budget surplus every year in the General Fund,” new Finance Minister Jack Ading told the Journal this week. “By saving General Fund money, we can invest it for the years after 2023 (when the Compact ends).” To make it happen, Ading said he’s already started chopping expenses.
Anti-cancer vaccine for our likatus
The Ministry of Health will role out a new anti-cancer vaccine in May, using Mother’s Day to launch the drive. Minister of Health Amenta Matthew told the Journal this gives the Ministry time to plan for the nation-wide immunization program that is being funded largely by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Copra up again
R&D Minister Fred Muller announced the second copra price hike in as many months. The price on the outer islands will rise this Saturday, March 1, from 17 cents to 18 cents per pound. Price on Majuro will increase from 18.5 cents to 19.5 cents per pound, he said.
Love story
with a twist
Youth to Youth in Health and Small Island Films have joined forces to produce “Morning Comes So Soon,” a movie about a Marshallese boy and a Chinese girl who fall in love, and all the problems that they have to face because of their relationship.
Billy still on the job
Rumors swirled around the capital following Monday’s MEC board meeting that general manager Billy Roberts had been fired. “Not true,” said Marshalls Energy Company vice chairman Fred Pedro to the Journal Wednesday. He said the board reaffirmed Roberts hiring arrangement from the previous government/board at its Monday meeting, and also set in motion a plan to recruit a new GM for the utility company through local, regional and international advertising.
Once upon a time there were some long green beans from Laura Farm. Fresh, delicious green beans. And then, like magic, the beans turned into a bunch of beautiful children’s blocks! And those blocks suddenly appeared at Rita Elementary School, there to stay and keep the children happy all the day. The magic was the work of the Mieco Beach Yacht Club’s membership director Karen Cary who sold the donated beans at the RRE marketplace, making $31. Using this money and wood donated by EZ Price, Karen deployed her skill with power tools and varnish to make the blocks. And when EZ’s Terry Gross found out what the wood was for, he joined the tale by making a wooden truck to complement the blocks. And how did they end up at RES? Well, you see, Karen loves kids and for a while now has been volunteering as a teacher’s aide for one of the RES kindergarten classes. “I go to RES one day a week and help the teachers,” Karen said. “I read stories to the children and play with them.” The day includes language lessons, which Karen is enjoying enormously. “It’s a perfect age group for me,” Karen said. “Because I’m right there with the kids trying to learn Marshallese.” In our front page picture are, from front left to right: Karen Cary (teacher’s aide), Jasmith Mea, Vince Eleuterio, Waston Enne, Sharon Enos, Samina Lajar, Tommy Naster, Roselynn Samuel, Juntina Jally, Sabrina Lanej, Momilani E. Horiuchi (teacher), Justin Alik, and Nicola Schwarzen.
Despite passengers and ground observers reporting explosions and flashes of flame from the engine of Continental Micronesia’s flight Monday night, a Guam-based Continental official downplayed the seriousness of the incident, saying “our Continental flight crew did not declare an emergency landing. It was a normal mission and a normal landing.” Continental flight 956 to Honolulu was forced to return to Majuro shortly after takeoff Monday night when it experienced engine problems. But according to Continental Micronesia public relations official Grace Garces, the engine did not catch fire and the plane could have continued onto Honolulu. Her comments to the Journal contradict what eyewitnesses told the Journal. “A few seconds after the aircraft was airborne, numerous loud explosions and large flashes of flame were seen coming from the right side engine of the plane,” said Roger Cooper who observed the plane from the ground. “Under the flight path, a pungent odor of burnt fuel and smoke began to waft towards the ground.” “First we heard a loud sound (right after takeoff),” said Kalani Wase, who was sitting in a seat just behind the engine on the right side of the plane. “At first I thought it was from the landing gear coming up. I looked out the window and then heard a big explosion and saw sparks coming out of the engine, followed by flames. “Our flight crew could’ve pressed on to our next destination, but elected to return to Majuro,” Garces told the Journal. “Our aircraft engine did not catch fire.
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American’s third richest man, Paul Allen, is crossing his fingers that officials at the Department of Defense in Washington, DC, will allow him to fly into Kwajalein Atoll on his private jet. Allen, who according to Forbes magazine is worth $20 billion, is hoping to arrive in Kwajalein next week, after which he will be ferried to his 416-foot boat Octopus in Bikini by helicopter. According to the US Embassy’s Political and Economic Officer Adam Mitchell, Kwajalein “is a very secure military base,” suggesting that permission may be denied. It’s believed that Allen wants to fly into Kwajalein, rather than Majuro, because the Octopus’ helicopter can make it from Kwajalein to Bikini in one hop, but the distance from Majuro is too great. The luxury ship Octopus arrived in Majuro lagoon at 6pm on Tuesday evening, anchoring off Uliga. Shortly after anchoring, a tender came to the RRE Shoreline to pick up US Ambassador Clyde Bishop, Mitchell, and two other embassy staff for a tour of the Octopus. “The Octopus is very big and very, very posh,” Mitchell told the Journal. “It’s really a fantastic bit of ship-building.”
The stories shown here are just a sample from this week's paper.