Journal 5/1/1987
P1 Forced to sign 177
Marshall Islands negotiators told the United States that nuclear claims should be settled with individual Marshallese claimants but the US refused, using economic leverage and incentives in the Compact to get the Marshall Islands government to approve the Compact nuclear claims settlement with espousal, said Minister of Health Tony deBrum in a sworn statement submitted to the US Claims Court in Washington. DeBrum charged Washington with ignoring the wishes of the Marshallese negotiators and then putting economic pressure on the Marshalls to accept the $150 million settlement in the Compact.
P6 Good buy
Competition is fierce with the food business in Majuro. Great food at low prices makes going to the restaurant cheaper than buying food at the store if you are only feeding yourself. All Majuro eateries have ramen for one or two dollars. Two eggs, toast and ham is available every morning for a dollar up to two dollars. I alternate among Skyline, Downtown, Kitco, Runway and recently Formosa. Dinners are excellent everywhere. Fried chicken and chopped steak are the two most popular dishes from $2.50 to $3.50. —Grant Gordon
P13 New evidence suggests late problems for polio survivors
In 1963, a polio epidemic swept the Marshalls, leaving 196 Marshallese infected with the disabling disease. About 60 of those suffered from mild to severe paralysis of the muscles, while nearly two-thirds recovered. But recent evidence is suggesting physical problems associated with polio may take years before showing up, placing those infected at risk who were previously thought to be stable.
P19 High school stars take on Nationals
High school/Youth Options basketball league all stars will go head-to-head with the Marshall Islands national team this Saturday as part of Constitution Day activities. The first all star game of its kind, it promises to be an exciting matchup.
Journal 4/30/1999
P10 Attention Guinness World records
A parcel that had been mailed in the summer of 1997 was just received in Majuro this month, according to a reliable source. Probably not a local delay record much less Guinness material but worth consideration. A yellow notice received last week in the source’s mail box. “All right,” he thought, “package!” The package turned out to contain a bundle of mail with bills, bank statements, magazines dating as far back as July 1997. The October 1997 “Anthropology Today” had become “Anthropology Yesterday” or before yesterday. “Important,” said the Sierra Club, “election deadline April 18, 1998.” More important was a pair of bills from a storage company with draconian penalty charges, duly exacted, for late payments. What was our source’s bank balance in March 1998? Now he knows. Previous discussions he had with postal officials brought references to Continental and Guam, and lots of rhetoric. All this mail from distant points constitutes Exhibit A in the case for the prosecution, with maybe some extenuating or mitigating points. Far more damning is exhibit B, this person’s MEC bill for April 1998, which was included in the bundle. Can’t blame Continental or the US Postal Service for that. Probably the best thing that can be said for the postal service here is that none of its employees have gone berserk and shot any citizens. Yet!
Journal 4/30/2010
P1 ‘Magnificent’ performance
When Joseann Leer won Wednesday’s spelling bee at the ICC, students from Majuro Baptist Christian Academy went wild, cheering for the victory in the four-and-a-half-hour marathon contested sponsored by Seventh Day Adventist Schools.