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Friday, May 30, 2008
| Jaluit goes back in time Jaluit, which just a year ago, seemed to be heading boldly into the 21st century has now reverted back to the 1980s — though one businessman described it as more like the 19th century. With power rationing imposed by the Marshalls Energy Company beginning two weeks ago, businesses have suffered losses in frozen goods, bank services have been curtailed, and cell phone and Internet services have been disconnected. Grace Abon goes to Japan Secrets to capturing Japan’s travel market will soon be made available to local tourism development enthusiasts, thanks to a Japanese government funded training program administered through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Rongelap Tourism Resort Manager Grace Abon departs for Japan this Saturday for a month-long training in Tokyo that will focus on how to target the Japanese travel market. Mudge Samuel: I'm ready More than 1,000 Majuro Atoll residents have signed a petition in support of Mudge Samuel being the new mayor of Majuro Atoll. The petition was submitted to Minister of Internal Affairs Norman Matthew Wednesday this week. Fred: Cabinet is very concerned over prices A high-level task force is due to report to Cabinet tomorrow (Thursday) on measures to address soaring prices of food and fuel, according to Minister of Resources and Development Fred Muller. Muller’s message to the people of RMI on the critical issue is “we need to grow more food.” Gas hits $6 mark Gas prices surged past the $6 per gallon mark in Majuro on Friday for the first time. In January 2005, the price of gas in Majuro broke the $3 per gallon level for the first time. Koo's, MIMRA lose motion A US District Court judge in Guam denied the Marshall Islands Fishing Company’s motion to dismiss the US government case against it, the Guam Variety reported. Marshalls 201, a purse seiner jointly owned by Koo’s Fishing Company and the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, was seized for alleged illegal fishing in September 2006 inside the US Exclusive Economic Zone near Baker Island south of the equator. |
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E-mail: |
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Phone: |
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Fax:
(692) 625-3136 |
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Mail:
PO Box 14 Majuro, MH 96960 Marshall Islands |
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In Person:
On the ocean road behind Formosa in Uliga, Majuro |
By GIFF JOHNSON
The Marshall Islands flagship tourist destination — the World War Two ships sunk by nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll — is shutting down in two weeks after sustaining unprecedented financial losses. Problems with Air Marshall Islands and skyrocketing fuel prices torpedoed a once-thriving scuba diving business that lured thousands of visitors from Europe, America and Australia to this former nuclear test site in the Pacific, Bikini Atoll Divers manager Jack Niedenthal said Tuesday. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine called Bikini Atoll one of the “Top 50 Worldwide Island Escapes.” It was the sight of a two-hour, live broadcast feature in 2004 by the Discovery Channel during its annual “shark week” program, and has been featured in dozens of dive articles since opening in 1996. Air Marshall Islands did not fly from October until earlier this month, stranding dozens of divers late last year who had to be evacuated from Bikini by ship after planes repeatedly broke down. Although Bikini has been open for a new season since February, the national airline did not resume flights until recently and only two groups of divers have managed to get to Bikini this year.
The Marshall Islands flagship tourist destination — the World War Two ships sunk by nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll — is shutting down in two weeks after sustaining unprecedented financial losses. Problems with Air Marshall Islands and skyrocketing fuel prices torpedoed a once-thriving scuba diving business that lured thousands of visitors from Europe, America and Australia to this former nuclear test site in the Pacific, Bikini Atoll Divers manager Jack Niedenthal said Tuesday. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine called Bikini Atoll one of the “Top 50 Worldwide Island Escapes.” It was the sight of a two-hour, live broadcast feature in 2004 by the Discovery Channel during its annual “shark week” program, and has been featured in dozens of dive articles since opening in 1996. Air Marshall Islands did not fly from October until earlier this month, stranding dozens of divers late last year who had to be evacuated from Bikini by ship after planes repeatedly broke down. Although Bikini has been open for a new season since February, the national airline did not resume flights until recently and only two groups of divers have managed to get to Bikini this year.
WUTMI members were in for a tasty treat at last Friday’s cooking demonstration at the ICC, which was sponsored by the ROC Embassy and its technical mission. Pictured is WUTMI director Daisy Momotaro and Ambassador Bruce Linghu preparing a simple Taiwanese-style omelet.
Photo: Suzanne Chutaro.
Photo: Suzanne Chutaro.
Rulpert Heine was feeling lonely at the start of last year’s GED classes at the College of the Marshall Islands. An elementary school dropout, he was 41 years old — old enough to be the father of most of the dozens of younger Marshallese enrolled in the high school equivalency program. But then he reminded himself why he was sitting in that class. “Before I applied to GED, I told the Director (Tone Herkinos) I was there for two reasons,” Heine told the Journal following his graduation from GED last week." “I hadn’t been in school for 28 years and I wanted to do something for myself. I also wanted to open the eyes of older Marshallese who are too shy to go back to school with young babies in their class.” With those words, Heine signed up for GED in mid-2007. Heine was a classic “high-risk” student. He’d dropped out of sixth grade while at SDA School in Delap, and twice had signed up for but then dropped out of GED. Heine worked as a taxi driver and in construction for years — “I was working hard with a small salary because I hadn’t graduated from school” — before landing a job with WorldTeach. Watching the volunteer teachers and the travel, work and school opportunities open to them got Heine to thinking about what he was doing with his own life. “It gave me the idea to try again,” he said. Aside from helping himself, he said he wanted to encourage other older Marshallese to go back to school.
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Earthrace limped into Majuro on one engine going just 10 miles per hour after experiencing engine problems a day out of Hawaii. They refueled Tuesday with special bio-fuel brought from Portugal with the help of RRE’s shipping company, CENPAC. They fixed the problem, but a day out of Majuro, the problem reoccurred, so the crew was working to fix it at sea en route to Palau. Majuro was the halfway point in Earthrace’s attempt to break a world speed record. Local yachties in small boats helped maneuver the vessel into Uliga Dock on arrival Tuesday. Inset: Captain Pete Bethune.
Photos: Karen Earnshaw.
Photos: Karen Earnshaw.