Archive - Dec 30, 2011

Samantha Epenesa of California leading the Cali Women’s Volleyball All Star team over American Samoa yesterday, in their last meeting of this year’s Samoa Bowl match ups, as our local American Samoa Women’s All Star Team has been eliminated from the round ups.

 A big fa’amalo to our girls, and to their coaches Salave’a and Telefoni for a hard fought battle this year — malolo fa’atamali’i.

[photo: TG]

Samoa Bowl IX made history this year by adding baseball to its events with teams from the United States and Samoa to compete and train with the American Samoa National Baseball team. This past Wednesday, the first game was played that saw Team USA going against Team American Samoa. Unfortunately for both of these teams, due to heavy rain, the game was called to a halt after 6 complete innings of a 7 inning game, with Team USA ahead by a score of 8-1.

Dear Editor,

Divine purity and Krishnamurti’s “Intelligence that transcends thought” is beyond human reach; sometimes, the mere ability to dream simple dreams is an indispensable luxury especially at these unpredictable turns.

Church services and parties will top the list of activities when American Samoa welcomes in 2012 at the stroke of 12 midnight tomorrow night, the last in the U.S. “family” to do so. Guam will be the first U.S. possession to welcome in the New Year.

This year, neighboring Samoa is no long partner with the territory to welcome the New Year, as they moved last night to the other side of the International Dateline, which means today is their New Year’s Eve — along with their main trading partners, New Zealand and Australia.

Hawaiian Airlines’ Wednesday night flight didn’t operate due to a mechanical problem and affected passengers were to be accommodated on last night’s flight, says an airline official.

Samoa News received word Wednesday night that the flight had been canceled due to mechanical problems, but some local passengers alleged that the real reason for the cancellation was due to the “very light” passenger load for both the arriving and departing flight segments.

The ASG Shipyard Service Authority has reached another milestone in its accomplishments for the government owned facility, with its first purse seiner vessel last week on the slipway for repairs at the Ronald Reagan Marine Railway shipyard at Satala.

Speaking on his weekend radio program, Gov. Togiola Tulafono said he was at the shipyard late last week when the purse seiner was taken up the slipway, and this is a new accomplishment for the shipyard authority.

A new snapshot to be recorded as a ‘ta’ in the Samoa Bowl tattoo of events:

Coaches of Team USA, Murphy Su’a and Team Samoa, William John Cable shake hands after their game yesterday morning at the Tony Solaita Baseball field during this year’s Samoa Bowl IX baseball games. In a friendly gesture and a great show of sportsmanship, Coach Cable is handing Coach Su’a a Samoa’s National flag, as did many of the Samoa players to the Team USA players after the game.

The Asi Leulua’iali’i family of Moata’a will never forget this Christmas season.
Last Saturday, the family blessed 24 new matai (chiefs) to serve the family, church and the village.

The titles bestowed included Aemalo, Fogogafa, Falepauga, Taliauala, Toafaiga, Mua’avasa, Fanuasa and Pugalilo.

Rev Dr Taipisia Leilua of the Moata’a Congregation Christian Church of Samoa blessed the new titleholders during a special ceremony on Friday night.

Collecting empty Coke bottles and selling them to the local dairy as a boy is what sparked one businessman's passion for entrepreneurship.

Today Ulu Aiono is a millionaire, having founded successful software technologies company Cogita in 1983. The 57-year-old has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business.

Born in Samoa's capital, Apia, his parents and siblings travelled to New Zealand in 1960 in search of opportunity and set up home in Epsom.

That's where the entrepreneur in him was born, Aiono said.

The American Samoa Aquatics Agency (ASAA) will be holding a big swim event called ‘Swim A Mile To Save A Life’ (Auau Le Maila Ia Sefe Ai Le Ola) tomorrow morning starting at 9:00 a.m. at Utulei Beach park with members of the ASAA making a one mile swim.