Journal 1/1/1982
P1 More spending, less singing Christmas and money; money and Christmas. There seems to be a correlation between the two. In the few days before Christmas, stores around the capital were crowded with shoppers, particularly at Robert Reimers store. People were buying like crazy. Taxies that normally make $15 or $20 a day were making over $60, and there are hundreds of taxis. It seems like the spirit of Christmas has shifted from religion to business or from churches to stores. At Uliga Protestant Church, there were fewer jeptas and the Christmas activities ended around 9pm. Last year, it ended at 5am the next morning.
P6 Diet effects discussed Participants from 11 Pacific island countries met in Suva last month to discuss the effects of urbanization and western diet on the health of people in the region. Recent medical surveys have revealed alarmingly high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and gout in some communities in the Pacific.
Journal 1/7/1994
P3 Court load jumps 50 percent Criminal cases filed in the Majuro High Court were at an all-time high in 1993, increasing more than 50 percent over 1992. The government prosecutor said a disturbing trend is the expanding level of youth gang crime and anti-social attitudes being exhibited by young people in the community. A total of 79 criminal cases were filed in 1993, 27 more than the previous year.
P5 Only rumor We have been asked if Kirt Pinho’s pipe is affixed to his teeth. We are happy to report that this is not true. In fact, we saw him smiling and without the pipe at the Tide Table last week and almost didn’t recognize him without his trademark.
P6 1993 easily beats 1992 for wet-year award Nineteen ninety-three was a wet year for Majuro. The total rainfall was 152.6 inches — 65.53 inches more than the 1992 total of 87.07, and 21.26 inches above Majuro’s yearly average of 131.34 inches.
P14 2 Marshallese excel at Xavier Xavier High School in Chuuk has announced the names of two Marshallese students who excelled in achieving honors for the first quarter of the 1993-94 school year: Samuel Lanwi, Jr., ninth grade, and Elizabeth Lanej, 10th grade.
P17 Charlie’s Angel out-fishes everyone During their first year of fishing, Majuro-based longliners reeled in more than 800,000 pounds of yellowfin that was exported to off-island markets. The 13 locally-based long lingers that arrived in late 1992 combined for a catch of 808,078 pounds. The 12 Chinese longliners got in on the act in the last week of the year, bringing the total to 844,296 pounds. Charles Domnick’s Charlie’s Angel and Misao Capelle’s were in a seesaw race during the last half of the year to see which would hold the top spot for total pounds. Last week, Charlie’s Angel nosed out Libubu to become the top fish catcher for 1993, with 108,321 pounds — 13 percent of the total caught by the 13 locally-based boats.
Journal 1/7/2005
P3 Less $, fewer jobs for women Women earn much less than men in the Marshall Islands, and are out-numbered more than two to one by men in the RMI government. These were among the findings highlighted by Ben Graham in a research paper for his master’s in business administration program’s economic development class at Georgetown University. Poor school completion rates, teen pregnancy and cultural perceptions are some of the problems that were identified by Graham as leading factors which have kept women behind.
P8 Students open wide to learning dentistry The three young Marshallese dental students at the Fiji School of Medicine now interning at the Ministry of Health in Majuro are solid proof that the young generation is thinking about the future well being of the people of the RMI. Dental interns Philipp Lajar and Flora Nathan are in their final year working toward a bachelor degree in dental surgery. Dustin Maita Bantol is also working toward a similar degree but has two more years of study to complete the program.
P24 Baby boom Last Wednesday, 18 babies were born at Majuro hospital, which is about four times the average born each day in that fine establishment — meaning that March is the month of romance in RMI?