Journal 10/1/1982
P1 Kwajalein talks underway in Washington
The talks in Washington, DC on Kwajalein are scheduled for October 2. The interim use agreement for Kwajalein Atoll use by the military expired yesterday (September 30). It contains a renewal clause which says that the governments expect to renew it subject to satisfactory progress toward a free association pact. Whether or not there is satisfactory progress from the landowners viewpoint will be determined by the current talks in Washington.
P1 Copra down
Copra prices have dropped again, this time to $130 (6.5 cents/pound) in Majuro and $100 per ton (5 cents per pound) in the outer islands. Tobolar Manager John Smith said he regrets that prices are lower but explained it is due to continued depressed market conditions and the high cost of operating Tobolar’s generator.
Journal 10/4/1991
P1 Budget slashes cut services
The Nitijela trimmed expenditures by almost $3 million for fiscal year 1992 to pass a total national budget of $67 million. The biggest increase was the additional $3,059,400 budgeted to service RMI debt, up 23 percent from FY1991 to a total of $16.4 million or 25 percent of this year’s entire national expenditure.
P10 Global warming could be catastrophic for us Excerpts from President Amata Kabua’s speech to the UN General Assembly. One week ago my country’s flag was raised outside this noble building to join the flags of the other member nations. The past week has been the culmination of one of my highest aspirations…Permit me, Mr. President, to pause here for a moment to make a statement that my advisors tell me is not often made by nations whose sovereignty is newly restored after a century of colonialism. That is, to praise the last colonial administrator which, as it happens, was set over us by this organization. The plain truth of the matter is that we could never have come as far as we have without the aid and encouragement of our former trustee — now our good friend in a relationship of equality. I refer, of course, to the United States of America…One of the issues that is fundamental to economic and social progress, as well as our very existence is that of the environment. The problem of global warming is a most formidable one. The possible consequences of global warming could be totally catastrophic for us as well as other countries similarly situated.
Journal 10/7/2011
P6 Gift wins ‘Best of Fest’
Laninbwil’s Gift producers sat dumbfounded in the Micronesian Mall theaters as Guam International Film Festival organizers on Sunday called out their film as the winner of the “Best in the Fest” — the top award of the program. Co-producers Jack Niedenthal and Suzanne Chutaro thought after the first few awards were announced and Laninbwil’s Gift wasn’t among them that “that was it” and they would have to be satisfied with being a “finalist,” said Chutaro. Then the announcer said it was time to award the best film of the festival. “…And the winner is…Laninbwil’s Gift.” “The air rushed out of my lungs and I just sat there,” said Niedenthal. “My wife elbowed me in the ribs and said, ‘go up to the stage.’” Chutaro said she was stunned by the announcement. Both made speeches after receiving the award.