Bravo: They got it wrong

tw-pic-9-23Journal 9/17/1976

P1 The foot in the door At the heart of the Marshalls’ separation movement is Amata Kabua. Forty-seven years old, senior Senator in the Congress of Micronesia, successful businessman and son of one of the Marshalls’ paramount traditional leaders, Amata Kabua is a power in the Marshalls. He has served as Chairman of the Marshall Islands Political Status Commission since its foundation in 1973.

P1 Palauans firm on separation intentions Palau District’s two major political parties have formed a united front in their bid for a separate political status for that district.

P4 Kusaie prepares for district status Kusaie Island will become a separate district on January 1, 1977. Is Kusaie ready? “Yes we are,” declared Jacob Nena, Kusaie’s Deputy District Administrator.

P12 The new breed Buckle Lauror, who was hard at work sanding (when photographed by the Journal), typifies a distinct new attitude young Marshallese men are taking to work. Buckle works for Island Fiberglass, but all around Majuro employers of Marshallese are extremely complimentary of their workers. The labor market here is excellent, unfortunately not enough good employment is available.

Journal 9/27/1991

P1 Tax law revamped The Nitijela has voted to do away with the tax law which has been in effect since October 1989  and re-enacted a modified version of the gross revenue tax law that was in effect from 1979 until 1989. “The old law was producing only about $800,000 a year jun revenues,” said Sam Lira of the Revenue and Taxation Office. “The new law will produce around $3 million a year.” “Many businesses like the new law,” said Chief of Revenue Toke Sawej, “because they were having trouble filling out the forms for filing net income tax.”

P8 More growing pains License number 2000 was issued last week in Majuro. During rush hours the steady line of vehicles in DUD often means two or three minutes waiting to find an opening to turn out into traffic, or even longer to get across to the other side of the road. Since Majuro doesn’t have enough land for more roads nor money for public transportation, one approach would be to build sidewalks and bicycle paths along both sides of existing roads in DUD. Majuro would look much more attractive, too, and walking or playing at the side of the road would be a lot safer.

Journal 9/29/2000

P1 Bravo: They got it wrong US Atomic Energy Commission doctors underestimated the Rongelap people’s thyroid dose by up to 20 times, and their whole body dose by as much as two times, according to a four-month review of US studies. A combination of errors, incorrect assumptions, and poor quality radiation measurement equipment of the 1950s period led to a seriously underestimated dose from the Bravo H-bomb test that does not match the medical problems experienced by exposed Rongelap Islanders, said Dr. Hans Behling, a co-author of the report, “Reassessment of Acute Radiation Doses Associated with Bravo Fallout.” The study was prepared for the Nuclear Claims Tribunal’s Public Advocate’s Office.