Reflection Weekend Truk, April 8 -9, 1989 The chairman, Fr. Joseph Cavanagh, began the reflection weekend, fittingly enough, with the reading of the account from the first chapter of Genesis. "Increase and multiply" was the Lord's injunction to the persons he had made. But He also told his creatures to "subdue the earth," giving them …
Continue reading “Population Pressure and The Church’s Response”
When and Why PUC was Founded The announcement by Pohnpei Utilities Corporation (PUC) of an increase in power and water rates set off the normal fireworks on the island and occasioned this discussion. No one wants to pay more for power or water…or anything. The discussion, however, did not so much center on whether PUC …
A Look at the Figures Population growth in Micronesia has been very rapid since the end of World War II. At a yearly growth rate of about 3.5% for most of that time, the population has tripled in the last 50 years and now stands at about 105,000. This growth is all the more startling …
The Hotel/Resort Proposal for Pohnpei Casino gambling is an old issue in Micronesia. The idea has been tossed around many times before, as in 1983 when investors proposed the idea of offshore gambling on Pohnpei. The latest incarnation of gambling appeared nearly a year ago when Rancho Verde, a British and Australian investment group, offered …
A Cultural Issue Freedom of information has been a touchy issue in the recent past. Even more so freedom of the press. Americans and others from Western societies put a high value on the right of access to public information and the right of the press to transmit this information to others in an open …
Continue reading “Freedom of Information: Who Has a Right to What?”
What Is Domestic Violence and How Big a Problem Is It? Two cases of wife beating resulting in death have highlighted the problem recently in the FSM. It is a much talked about problem, something taken up by women's groups in the FSM in the wake of worldwide concern, but no one seems to have …
Women's Traditional Roles The topic addressed in this discussion was on women's roles, not women's rights. Mention of this brought a murmur of disapproval through the conference hall, but the moderator explained that he felt it was important to address the issue through concepts that could be as relevant to the past as to the …