Archive - Jan 17, 2012 - Article (News Story)

The Ho-Ching Family's recent 3-day reunion culminated with Sunday toana'i at Mrs. Vera Milovale Ho Ching Annesley's garden in Iliili.

"Aunty Vera's" 84th birthday was celebrated on Friday at the Ho-Ching family reunion dinner at Tradewinds Hotel. On Saturday, there was an Utulei Beach Fun Day, and on Sunday, a special Mass at the Fatu O Aiga Holy Family Cathedral followed by an afternoon toana'i.

The American Samoa High School Athletic Association (ASHSAA) wrestling season just completed its first pre-season wrestling tournament last Saturday at Leone High School that saw the host school (LHS) walk away with highest overall team points.

Does Starkist really need a cold storage?  ABSOLUTELY.  

In the actual circumstances, they need a cold storage because they are competing with Trimarine that is building a cold storage and the boats will have a choice to unload there instead of waiting to unload in Starkist.

But the question is DOES STARKIST WANT TO BUILD A COLD STORAGE?  

Senate President Gaoteote Palaie has sponsored four measures to assist the LBJ hospital’s financial situation, and among them is a wage tax increase.

All four bills are assigned to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Lemanu Peleti Mauga.

LBJ Medical Center’s accounts receivables have reach more than $15 million with almost half of this amount owed by non-American Samoans, and the hospital is working with the Immigration Office on an agreement to collect the outstanding money from the immigration bonds for these individuals, says Viola Babcock, the LBJ chief financial officer.

A one-off ‘Laughing Samoans’ concert in Otara last Saturday raised $12,000 for the village of Fusi. The duo of Ete Etuati and Tofiga Fepulea’i, both from Fusi, performed to a 1,000-plus audience at the Otara Recreational Centre.

The fundraiser was to help refurbish Fusi’s EFKS church damaged during the 2009 tsunami. The new church is to be re-commissioned this March. Lealali Leilua, Chairman for the Fusi fundraising committee said, “The amount of money raised was beyond what we expected. It’s to help purchase the pews before the March umusaga.”

The Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) held the first day of their ‘Coastal Cleanup’ last Friday morning at Utulei Beach Park, beginning at the East end of the park and extending all the way to the tank farm in Gatavai, with trash being removed from both the land and water.

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Commerce Trade and Industry Charles Abel will be in Fiji this week to re-negotiate the US multilateral treaty on fisheries between the 16 Pacific Island parties.

Abel said the move to re-negotiate the terms and agreement under the treaty came after Papua New Guinea decided to withdraw from the treaty because it did not agree to some of the terms.

He said the negotiations “will see a better deal for our tuna.”

Is there such a thing as domestic trafficking or sex trafficking in Samoa? Let’s go on a short journey into our own households. Do you have any person brought in to take care of all the household chores 24/7 in sickness or in health ie: cooking, cleaning, washing, laundry, child care or elderly care with no respite or pay?

What's in a name? In his iconic story of ill-fated lovers — "Romeo and Juliet" — Shakespeare sidestepped the question... even (seemingly) shrugging it off.

The tragedy of warring families — the Capulets and the Montagues — who made names all important, brought an exasperated Juliet to the point where she finally declared, "Oh… what's in a name? That which we call a rose — by any other name — would smell as sweet!"