Journal 1/4/1983
P1 Nitijela opens 4th constitutional meet The marshall Islands High School Glee Club sang at Nitijela’s official opening of the 1983 session January 3 with such compositions as “Give me oil in my lamp, I pray,” and President Amata Kabua and other Nitijela members reaffirmed in their speeches the Republic’s commitment to the Almighty ever since missionaries arrived in the Marshalls over 100 years ago. President Kabua wished the people of the Marshall Islands a happy new year and said he hopes this new year will be better than last year in terms of accomplishments and in the spirit of working together. Minister Charles Domnick (Maloelap) complained about the Christmas on Maloelap not being celebrated because no ships brought people their needs. He said people have yet to have their Christmas and this is January 3!
P8 Compacts distributed The Task Force on Political Education started passing out copies of the Compact of Free Association. Youth took the books to each household — from Rita to Rongrong.
Journal 1/6/1995
P1 Here’s to ya! A new, lighter, more American-style brew has been prepared by Marshalls Brewing Company and is available in various clubs and bars around the island. The new production, one of a series of energetic attempts to define and develop a brew that is suited to local tastes, indicates a maturing of the marketing sense of the brewery. Until recently, the brewery has been targeting a more substantial taste in their manufacture, something beer drinkers identify as “bitter.” This is perhaps the result of overhearing too many vociferous Kiwi and Aussie beer drinks disclaim the inherent desirability of good old fashioned Budweiser. Seeing grown men actually gag and provide tears in their eyes as they were forced to drink Bud, evidently had some affect on the various brew masters who have employed their trade in the Republic. They forgot to take note of the fact that while the Kiwis and Aussies gagged and teared, they nonetheless held on firmly to their Budweisers and stoically finished it off, all the way to the last drop, and then contented themselves immediately with ordering another libation of suffering. Those of us with knowledge of the antics of South Pacific Caucasians fully understand their primeval need to castigate and rant about how ’oribble Yank beer tastes, while explaining the beauty and richness of the brew they are forced to drink at home. These circumstances are what has led to the mistaken idea that Marshallese beer drinkers would prefer a beer that is not properly and extensively filtered to provide a high quality beverage. But it is fortunate that mistakes can be left behind, divorce has become reasonably accepted, and reverse is an option one obtains when both buying a vehicle and producing a beer. So beer drinkers of the Marshall Islands are encouraged to have yet another go at the latest production of Marshalls Brewery. From all accounts, it will make the Kiwis blush and gag with nausea, the Aussies belch and burp with gaseous incontinence, and our local brew masters rich as hell.
Journal 1/6/2006
P1 RMI ploughs $25m into CMI campus The RMI government has agreed to a five-year, $25 million funding plan to totally rebuild the campus of the College of the Marsall Islands, according to President Kessai Note, who announced the Cabinet decision.
P2 Taiwan ups aid to RMI The RMI and Taiwan governments signed a deal Friday that will see Taiwan provide $800,000 to launch a “micro credit” scheme in the Marshall Islands.
P3 Cell sales double NTA has a very serious problem — one that every business in town would like to have. It’s being overrun by customers wanting its new GSM cell phone service. NTA had 838 customers using the old cell system. In just three months of the new GSM system, the number of users has skyrocketed to 1,916.
P3 Andrew’s new set of Dartmouth undergrads arrive A new, six-member team from Dartmouth arrived last week for a 10-week stint of working at Marshall Islands High School. This is the seventh year that the Dartmouth program has been in operation at MIHS. In addition, the six Dartmouth students will assist with the production of the Shakespeare play Rome and Juliet.
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