Apia, SAMOA—Twenty-one Americans arrived in Samoa last week, they are volunteers from the Peace Corps who has been sending volunteers since 1967. The volunteers who will spend two years living and working in Samoan villages serving as English Resource Teachers in government primary schools. This is the 88th Group of Peace Corps who ranging in age from their early 20s to their mid-60s. The Peace Corps works in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture to promote teaching and learning capacities in English Literacy.
 
According to a press statement issued, U.S. Embassy Acting Chargé d'Affaires Lynda Hinds said, “It is an honor to greet a new and impressive contingent of Peace Corps volunteers and to welcome them to Samoa. The Peace Corps' contribution to Samoa is vast, with not only over USD 100 million in support for the program but in the immeasurable ties built between our communities. Former and current volunteers speak warmly of the time they have spent in Samoa and I know that this new group will receive the same warm welcome from the Samoan people.”
 
Samantha Hurkmans one of the new volunteers to teach in Samoa said her primary aspiration is to get her students excited about reading and writing. “As an educator I believe that literacy is the key to the world. I realize how important education is in the hopes of accomplishing dreams and goals in life.”
 
Another volunteer Aftan Francis said he hopes to become as much a part of the community as possible, attending church, spending time with host family and students, forming bonds with the people around him, coupling respect with friendship and hopefully [one day] earning his place as a community member.
 
According to the press statement the new group of volunteers will spend their first 10 weeks in a Pre-Service Training Program, which will include learning the Samoan language and culture along with technical training. The first week of the training will take place in Apia, followed by nine weeks in a village setting.  In mid-December, the Volunteers will travel to their new sites in villages throughout Samoa to spend time getting to know their communities over the Christmas holidays.  In January they will attend an additional week of technical training to prepare for the start of the 2017 school year.

American Samoa’s first clinic to treat sleep apnea was officially dedicated last Friday in Matu’u, and the project is in collaboration between the Department of Health and the clinic, Pacific Sleep Care.

The clinic’s general manager, Ferdie Salvador, told the audience, which included Health officials and First Lady Cynthia Moliga about his journey that brought him to American Samoa. He said that he also suffers from sleep apnea.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more in a hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

During the dedication ceremony, Salvador says his disorder may have been apparent early in his life, “but by the time I was able to identify, recognize, understand and accept it, it was too late.”

“My business and way of life went down in a downward spiral. I had chronic need for sleep. I slept 12 to 14 hour days but still felt sleepy,” he said. ”It was so bad that it affected my work, my business, my relationships, with my parents, in-laws, and my kids and my wife. I had constant headaches, I had outbursts and not so good judgment.”

He said people could not understand what he was feeling. “People started to look at me as just being lazy and a failure, but at that time I really didn’t care,” he explained. “I fell asleep anywhere, at any time. For example, it could be at a Christmas party, it could be here, I would literally fall asleep. At meetings and even at a stop light.”

Looking back now on his situation, Salvador said it was a terrible ordeal that made him fall into depression. “Then life changed when I did an overnight sleep study. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea,” he said adding that he was given a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine and his life changed.

“I truly believe that if you talk to individuals, and there are some out here, who have been diagnosed with this sleep disorder and are now using the CPAP, their stories are very similar,” he said.

Salvador says it took him about a year and half before he developed the energy but eventually he “started exercising, watching my sugar [level] and working with the doctor.”

He said the service Pacific Sleep Care provides is important for American Samoa. For example, he said sleep is a simple concept, nothing like surgery or anything invasive, it is important as just eating healthy and being active.

“If we can diagnose and treat people who now walk our island with this sleep disorder, how life changing this would be to someone’s life and family, as I discuss with you my experience,” the clinic’s general manager said.

He also said Pacific Sleep Care may start the trend of having medical providers, join American Samoa with the continuation of a partnership with DoH, LBJ Medical Center, Medicaid and other government agencies with the private sector, with one mission, one goal — improving the quality of life for the people of American Samoa.

“From 2015 to the opening of this facility, it has not come easy” for him, Salvador said and noted that “positive reinforcement and encouragement” from Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua, DoH staff, Pauline Gebauer of LBJ and Sandra King-Young of the Medicaid Office “has finally brought us here to this special and historic event.”

“I believe with this mindset of collaboration, the Department of Health will continue to bring positive change to the islands quality of life,” he said adding he is confident that with Pacific Sleep Care’s commitment and community support, “together we will correct one life at a time.”

In her remarks Mrs. Moliga thanked the contribution from Salvador working in collaboration with DoH, saying, “You saw the need and responded whole heartily.”

“As all in cultures, we value the well being of our people, families and children,” Mrs. Moliga said and assured Salvador of the community’s support.

A look inside one of the rooms of the Pacific Sleep Care clinic, which opened last Friday in Matu’u. The clinic treats sleep apnea. [photo: AF]
 

Candidates platforms, the citizenship issue, veto override and the importance of the youth and the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) in the community were among the issues discussed during the forum hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA) at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC gymnasium.
 
Attending the forum, which was less than an hour, were incumbent Aumua Amata and challengers Meleagi Suitonu-Chapman, Paepaetele Mapu S. Jamais, Vaitinasa Salu Hunkin-Finau and Tim Jones.
 
Of interest in particular was the question about their platform and why people should vote for them.
 
AUMUA AMATA (INCUMBENT)
 
Aumua Amata said that while other candidates are making promises of what they will do if they get into office, that’s not her assignment, since she’s in office.
 
Amata pointed out that for the first time American Samoa has become part of the House leadership in the United States Congress and therefore a very strong connection has been established — with the House leadership, Speaker, Majority leader, Conference chairman and Committee and Subcommittee chairman.
 
According to the incumbent congresswoman, she chairs subcommittees, yet she’s a freshman congressional delegate.  She pointed out that it took her predecessor 18 years before he became a subcommittee chair — while it took her 18 days  — “and I say that with all humility and its all God’s work.” 
 
VAITINASA SALU HUNKIN FINAU
 
Vaitinasa noted the need to work closely with ASCC to help in terms of additional funding.
 
“We need to change and revamp the registration process and create an online process for students so they don't have to stand for long hours to get registered. I’d like to see satellite community centers where you don't have to come on campus but you can attend classes either at the east or west of the island, instead of trying to commute. We can’t continue to have one campus for the entire community,” the former AS-DOE director said.
 
Vaitinasa said she’d like to see the college move to be a full fledge four-year college; and, the two-year college needs to be beefed up not only for full time students but also for the workforce of the government.
 
“There’s a lot of training, adult education that should be going on for the community to help in terms of economic development and healthcare, infrastructure.”
 
TIM JONES
 
Jones spoke of the long-term solution that starts with job creation and improving the economy. He said his platform is how to get a job once out of school. This is a long-term solution that starts with job creations and improving the economy.
 
“If you go to the stores around town, most of them are not owned by Samoans, most of them are not employing Samoans, there’s really no legal path for a lot of these things to start, there’s corporate laws but that’s all local, the congressman doesn’t really have much to do about that. But what the congressman can do is utilize the federal resources to improve the economy down here, through helping us manage our money better. Keep money local, keep money from going off island,” the local businessman said.
 
Jones gave an example: “When you go to the store to buy a bottle of water, you have two local choices, Vaimalu or Island’s Choice — but many choose an off-island brand, not because it costs more or it’s any better — it’s just that you’re not thinking about your choice, of what you did when you bought water from off-island, that you're supporting someone else’s manufacturing job, a job overseas, and tossing the local jobs back to the trash. We need to rethink how we spend our money,” Jones said.
 
PAEPAETELE MAPU JAMAIAS
 
Paepaetele’s three pillars, includes improving the lives of the people, the hospital and room care programs for senior citizens. He’s also looking at establishing creative programs to service the needs of the disabled and to be independent in all aspects of the community. Also to encourage the utilization of non-governmental organizations to serve children, senior citizens and those with special needs in our community.
 
According to Paepaetele, he would seek the support of active and retired military personnel and petition the Department of Defense to support the troops and their families and also request for the Veterans Affairs to establish a 24-hour medical center, as well as lobby the US Congress and the VA to fund a VA hospital in the territory. (Currently the VA has a health clinic in the Territory, with the majority going off-island for major medical issues.)
 
MELEAGI SUITONU-CHAPMAN
 
Suitonu-Chapman noted that her platform is to serve the interest of all and not a few, to ensure the territory needs are heard and resolved, to achieve security full production, and full preparedness in readiness by improving our relationship in Washington DC with efficiency transparency and responsiveness.
 
Regarding the future of the youth, she said she has structured a plan to alleviate the language barriers. According to the congressional candidate there’s more she knows that will help the students teachers, and parents.
 
“As to efficiency and transparency, I will speak honestly about our needs, and responsiveness I know that the force of democracy is by using the internet and technology and this is the 21st century and we have really taken a step to the future.”

Tia Carrera has fond regard for her time in both Samoas. And with her Dad and tennis Ace sister's time in the Territory, you can bet she would listen to an offer to perform at the next Samoana Jazz Festival. Only problem, nobody ever thought to invite her.  
 
Cool Stuff was en route to Pago for the Jazz Festival and assumed Tia was coming. After a nice private chat about her time singing at The Tedreck's Country Club and Derek Le Godinet's upscale Apia Mulinu'u restaurant, Cool Stuff knew she would give serious consideration if approached properly.
 
The Samoa News did all we could to promote the last Territorial Jazz Festival because we love the potential and we have great affinity for the classic Samoan groove-masters that honored the Territory with their return.
 
American Samoan Tourism appears to lean solely on cruise ship visitors. Sometimes ASG might need to rethink the status quo by injecting a little connected star power... invite Tia and her awesome pal Willie K... who if you don't know Willie, will rock the Territory onto the other side of the International Dateline.  
 
Willie's ears perked when I asked him at the August Western Union Ohana Cup Concert if he would consider it. He responded, "So, you like for me fo' call Tia now?"
 
So a surprise onstage siva from superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? Yup, could all happen if some made the "pitch", showed sincerity and admitted how mativa the event is in its infancy... and how the celebs could make a major difference by supporting Samoa's classic and upcoming musical talent. Willie to Tia to Dwayne and plentee mo' stars would want to join in… with Samoan entertainers still the focus.
 
You Coolios know how major a draw this event could become, with tourists flying in from Asia, Europe, the US Mainland, Hawai’i, NZ, Australia, and our fellow Pacific Island Nations.
 
Success in this event would carry over to hotels, restaurants, J Len Tees, Shark & Turtle, Lua Tala Beach, and the farmers & fishermen that supply accommodations and restaurants (and of course we gotta support Sepp's Sama Beer and GHC's Coors Light)
 
Last year’s hiccups can be quickly resolved if complete delegation to the American Samoa organizing committee is given over from Apia. Only a few of the entertainers and us know how close things were to partially collapsing in Tutuila and horrendously collapsing in Upolu.
 
The VIP event at the Tradeswinds Hotel was wonderful, but how about smaller diameter upfront VIP tables with us regular guys in seats behind, to max the entertainment values with lower overhead?
 
Would the new Bluesky owners, Hawaiian Air, Fiji Air, Western Union and the canneries help out?  
 
With a firm American Samoa game plan and more than lip service from the ASG, the Territory’s Samoa Jazz Festival could be featured on CNN (who Cool Stuff occasionally serves), all the US, NZ & Oz TV entertainment shows, ABC's Good Morning America (Maria, their Production Manager is a kindred Drone buddy with Cool Stuff), magazines, Radio NZ Intl, Radio Australia, Oz's Channel 7 & Channel 9, TVNZ 1, our beloved Fresh TV, and (drum roll please) — what if Three Wise Cousins 2 (the sequel) was to use this event as a backdrop for their wished for next film?
 
What are your inputs Mr. Langkildes (all of you), you my dearest strictest boss Rhonda, the generous staff and management of Evalani's (who really saved the day) and the hot Kiwi bass player that bounced a lot and smoked too much? What do you guys feel in your hearts? 
 
Lasting Coolio fond memories I hope we all make, on an even more vibrant scale this year.

Peseta UTA—Since it is election year, The Samoan Gospel Homecoming Singers have invited all gubernatorial teams, congressional hopefuls, and would-be faipules — as well as all incumbents — to join them on Wednesday, November 2 at the Lee Auditorium for a pre-Thanksgiving celebration. Incumbent Governor Lolo and First Lady Cynthia Moliga as well as Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen are among the VIPs. The concert starts at 6p.m. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.
 
“This is our way of supporting the candidates and their families,” said Poe Mageo, music director for the group. “It’s been a rollercoaster ride for most candidates, but on this night we want them to relax and sing along with audience and have a good time.
 
“Our message for the candidates is imbedded in the lyrics of the songs we’ll perform,” said Mageo. “We pray that the Holy Spirit will manifest peace and harmony that evening. There are tough times ahead, and our leaders need our prayers.”
 
This year the group has decided to feature songs, which promote the importance of family. Songs such as ‘Getting Used to the Family of God,’ (Gaither) and ‘Alofa i Ou Tuaoi’ (S.Kurene) would be featured. ‘Me and My House,’ a song made famous by the Heritage Singers and The Katinas in the late 80s, will be the theme song. 
 
The concert will also feature singing families within the group like the Ponausuia Family from Aua; the Max Haleck Jr. Family (also known as The Harvest Time Singers); the Cornerstone Trio, and the Paaga Family.  Veteran gospel artists like Violet Richmond, Toe To’oto’o, and Mose Katina would join the celebration while John Marsh and Vickie Haleck offer inspirational readings.  Talented local artists will share the stage as guest performers. 
 
Accompanying the singers would be the Strings of Psalms from Calvary Temple AOG Lepuapua. 
 
Rev. Dr. Paloto Mageo of CCCJS-Pago Pago will offer words of encouragement before the finale. 

 “The legacy that our father has left behind is vast ranging from the business world to the sports world to the fisheries, to the service organizations in which he was a member. To us, his five children, he was our role model and our mentor both professionally and personally,” said Mrs. Olivia Reid-Gillete about the passing of her father, Lealaifuaneva Peter E. Reid Jr., last weekend.
 
Responding to Samoa News queries from Hawai’i, Reid-Gillete said her father had just turned 84 last week — his birthday was on October 18. He was the son of the late Peter Eugene Reid, Sr. of Pago Pago and Lise Levi of Olosega, Manu’a.
 
Married to Juliana Pearson Reid since December 5, 2001, her father loved his wife, Juliana, dearly and they shared many special years together, says Reid-Gillete.
 
Lealaifuaneva had five children with Cecilia P. Scanlan: Lise Marie Reid, Michael Henry Reid, Peter Eugene Reid, III, Rodney Ignatius Reid and Olivia Cecilia Reid-Gillet. He has a total of 10 grandchildren ranging in ages from 31 down to 6 years old. Reid-Gillete is the current President of GHC Reid Inc., one of her father’s companies.
 
She told Samoa News that when her father retired he left some huge shoes to fill and “even more so now that he has physically left us.”
 
“He loved his friends and family especially his grandchildren who held a soft spot in his heart,” according to Reid-Gillete, adding they were all truly blessed to call him husband, Dad, Grandpa and Papa.
 
“He loved life and left no stone unturned!  We miss him sorely, but we're certain that he's catching up with his father in Heaven and is playing a few rounds of golf, pitching a few curve balls, reeling in the big kahuna and winning a few sets of tennis. He was a true gentleman and a class act.”
 
Reid-Gillete gave a summary bio of her father’s life:
 
He attended Marist Brothers Elementary and Poyer Junior High in Atu’u in 1940-1943
 
Moved to Auckland, New Zealand and attended the Sacred Hearts in 1943-1946
 
Returned to American Samoa and attended Marist Brothers in Atu’u in 1946
 
Then moved to California where he attended St. Mary’s High School for three years and graduated from high school in 1951
 
Attended Heald’s Business College in San Francisco, California obtaining a Bachelor’s in Business Administration after only three years
 
Served in the military from 1953 to 1956
 
Lealaifuaneva served as treasurer for the GHC Reid Company in 1957, six years later he was made President and that’s when he also ran Peter E. Reid Stevedoring, Inc. with his father, Peter E. Reid, Sr.
 
In 1973, Lealaifuaneva started Pago Petroleum Products, Inc.
 
In 1974, he established the Polynesia Shipping Services, Inc. with Polynesia Line, Ltd.
 
In 1978, he also helped found the Amerika Samoa Bank, which is now the ANZ- Amerika Samoa Bank — he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASB for 16 years
 
In 1971 he was bestowed the title of Lealaifuaneva, Tei of Ma’oputasi County.
 
Lealaifuaneva was Senator for Ma’oputasi for 26 years where he served in various positions, such as Chairman of the Economic Development Board, and Retirement Board, as well as Vice Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and was a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Public Works Committee.
 
He also served on the Tax Exemption Board and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and in the early 1970’s Lealaifuaneva, served as Director of the Development Bank under Governor John Haydon.
 
Reid-Gillete said he also served on the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Council in the late 80’s/early 90’s and was also a member of the Lions Club for several years.
 
She told Samoa News that her father loved his church dearly. “His Catholic faith was extremely important to him” and in 1995 he received the Papal award of “Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice” (meaning “For the Church and the Pope).
 
That same year in December Lealaifuaneva was bestowed his Knighthood title of “Equitem Ordinnis Sancti Gregorii Magni” (meaning “For the Greater Honor and Glory of God”). “No more than 100 people in the world at any one time hold this title which is the highest award possible for a civilian and carries with it the title of “SIR” as well as other privileges.”
 
Perhaps what Lealaifuaneva is known best for in the territory was his mastery in Samoa’s most beloved sport of fautasi racing. He brought Pago Pago’s “Aeto” — the Eagle — to prominence … and changed the face of the long boat racing with the use of the fiberglass hull — the high-tech boats — as opposed to the heavier wooden hulls. To this day — the ‘eagle spreading its wings in flight’ is a Lealaifuaneva legacy unmatched in the annuals of fautasi racing — both in American Samoa and Samoa.
 
He started as a rower with the fautasi crew of Pago Pago Aeto under his father’s captaincy, and in 1960 was appointed Captain of the Aeto until he retired in 2000. He lost some races, but no one has forgotten his reign as ‘supreme’ captain of le faigamea i le tai.
 
Reid-Gillete described her father as an avid sportsman — “his love of sports was unmatched.”  She said he played football and baseball in high school. He also played baseball while serving in the military and then went on to play rugby in college. His team also won championships in cricket leagues with the Pago Pago Aeto and the Futiga Ula Fala teams.
 
Lealaifuaneva was also an accomplished pitcher with his Pago Pago village team in island leagues; and then there was golf and game fishing — both passions up to the day he passed.
 
“His victories included winning a prestigious Hawaiian International Bill-fishing Tournament in Kona, Hawai’i in the mid 80’s,” Reid-Gillete said.
 
Lealaifuaneva was also a member of the local Tennis Team that went to the first South Pacific Games in Fiji in 1963, and from1991-1992 he was President of A.S. National Olympic Committee. “He and Tom Thorpe, the Attorney General at the time, were the first volunteers to offer their services as referees to start the high school football league and trained others to get the league established properly,” she said.
 
A close friend and fellow senator and chief from Pago — Tuaolo Manaia Fruean told Samoa News, “The village misses him, especially his friends, who kept in contact him, and the aumaga.” He said, “We’re hoping the family will bring him to Pago Pago — even if for one day — so the village & aumaga can pay their respects and tribute to him.”
 
Tuaolo said of Lealaifuaneva, who was called ‘Leala’ by all who knew him, “He was a humble man – who treated his crew and his friends with respect — we never heard him swear at his crew or anyone.”
 
“He is missed!” Tuaolo reiterated, and offered his deeply felt condolences to the ‘children & family’ of my ‘dear friend’.
 
Tuaolo also noted that Lealaifuaneva was the longest serving senator from Pago Pago Village, over 20 years plus.
 
The Annesley family offers its sincere condolences to the Leala Reid family in the passing of their patriarch, who was a friend of our father. Leala is remembered as a shrewd businessman with a no nonsense approach to success. “We find it sad that in his passing an era of grandeur seems to be closing, leaving many of us with fond memories of ‘the good ole days’ — when establishing ‘firsts’ on island were celebrated by all and benefited all, and living life to the fullest, with good hearts and laughter — knowing God guides our choices and successes — was a given.”
 
Samoa News understands Lealaifuaneva will be returned home for burial. The family has not publicly released details of his funeral arrangements yet.

Ursula Te’o Martin is a woman of fierce determination, and could be considered a pioneer in her own right. With legacies to honor, and trails to carve, she is a daughter of American Samoa who has embarked upon a path few females have taken in the athletic world — she is building a reputation as a world class Bodybuilder.
 
Recently, Te’o Martin was endorsed by the American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) to represent American Samoa in the 2016 South Pacific Bodybuilding Championships and Figure Competition being hosted in Tahiti, French Polynesia this week (Oct. 27- 29.)
 
 While there, she will be participating in two separate female events: the Women's Bodybuilding Over 55kg and Women's Figure Over 165cm.
 
This is the first time American Samoa will be participating in this South Pacific Bodybuilding Championship and Figure Competition, and in an email message to Samoa News, Ursula said, “I feel honored to represent our island home once again.”
 
She noted that she has been training diligently since winning the Gold Medal in Papua New Guinea last year July at the Pacific Games.
 
Her preparations and ongoing training were not only for Tahiti, but also to compete in the biggest Bodybuilding show hosted in Hawaii, the National Physique Committee "Paradise Cup" which will take place in the Aloha State on November 12th this year.
 
She said, “I am elated as the Paradise Cup is being hosted the weekend of Veterans Holiday, and being a United States Veteran — I will use it as a good luck charm!”
 
For now, she is on her way to Tahiti, traveling with her coach, Shane Lyman of Hawaii’s Elite Athletic Training/ Mana Barbell Gym.
 
Te’o Martin wasn’t always a bodybuilder, but she was always interested in physical fitness, nutrition, and a lifestyle that promoted optimum health. When questioned about her new field — bodybuilding — she said, “While I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in Exercise Sports Science, a few of my colleagues were competing in the sport. They kept telling me that I should consider competing. When I told my late husband Colonel George "Doc" Martin I might be interested in the sport, he expressed to me that Polynesians-Samoans are naturally blessed with the muscular genetics, and that it would be a tragedy if I did not pursue the sport. When I learned Bodybuilding was a competitive sport at the Pacific Games I set a goal that it would be the very first stage that I would compete on, and represent not just myself but my island home.”
 
She represented well and with dignity, as she came home from those games with a gold medal.
 
She added, “ Bodybuilding is another way for me to honor my husband’s memory, as he encouraged me to pursue this sport.”
 
Locally, Te’o Martin is working with ASNOC to officially recognize the American Samoa Bodybuilding Association in the Territory. She stated that “Mr. Ed Imo has been very instrumental in guiding and assisting me, and I’m very grateful for his mentorship.”
 
Several years ago, she earned an M.S. from the American College of Sports Medicine, and became an Exercise Physiologist and Certified Personal Trainer.
 
Her feelings going forward?
 
Te’o Martin said, “I love this sport because of the culmination in each area of discipline required of me — the physical training (work, rest, recovery), nutritional intake, and the emotional, mental and — most importantly — spiritual strength that contributes to the overall health and physique of the body.”
 
What’s on her agenda following the Tahiti and Hawai’i competitions?
 
She said, “I want to compete in the Las Vegas Classic next year November, 2017. My father has always wanted to see me compete on stage, and in Vegas, he can personally attend.”
 
Samoa News sends kudos to Ursula, and best of luck in the competitions ahead. 

The 12th Annual Tisa’s Tattoo Festival officially opened yesterday morning with the help and collaboration of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) Arts Department, which hosted the “Tatau Forum”, a new addition to Tisa’s Annual Tattoo Festival, that featured retired Associate Professor, Anthropologist and Author, Dr. Unasa Lulu Felise Va’a from Samoa as the main speaker of the forum.
 
With the addition of the forum this year, the festival paid homage to its cultural and historical roots, while honoring its modern inceptions as an art form — often referred to as ‘skin art’ in modern day terms.
 
Conducting the Forum was the Professor of Music for the American Samoa Community College Fine Arts Department, Poe Mageo – who welcomed their honored guests, friends, families and students of ASCC to this first ever forum, held at the ASCC lecture hall.
 
Introducing the keynote speaker of the forum – Dr. Unasa Lulu Felise Va’a. Mageo said “our keynote speaker is a graduate of Marist Brothers School in Apia, followed by his at St. Thomas School in New Zealand. His secondary education started when he went back into college in Silver Stream Upperhutt New Zealand.” Mageo noted the retired professor obtained his PHD from Australia National University in Social Anthropology, and “assisted in the planning of the new Bachelor in Samoan Studies program, which was implemented in 2007” at the University of Samoa.
 
Dr. Unasa’s presentation started off by reflecting on past writers on Tatau, like Kramer in 1995, Marquardt in 1984, and Mcgreevy in 1973. Dr. Unasa said, “We are grateful to these three writers for their accounts of tattooing in Samoa at the present time. Kramer discussed the tatau as a declarative art of Samoa. It is the ancient bible of Samoa bound out in written form.”
 
Of the customs of the Tatau, Dr. Unasa said, “The tatau customs were obliterated in Manu’a and almost in American Samoa. Only in Samoa (Western) was the tatau continued, mainly because the Wesleyan and the Catholic religion allowed it.”
 
He added, “In traditional societies like Hawai’i and the Maori of New Zealand, and the Tahitians, the missionaries had almost completely put a stop to the practice of tattooing.”
 
Dr. Unasa went on to discuss the symbols of the Samoan tatau, starting with the back of the male tatau “the “Va’a”, it symbolizes the fact that one of the functions of the ‘tautua’ was to store, accumulate funds for the chiefs in order for him to marry – in the old days in Samoa, you cannot just get married, you have to give your bride a lot of gifts – it could be in the form of pigs, fine mats, etc.”
 
He continued, “We need to know the future of the Samoa tatau, I am mainly treated in the implication of the tatau from a “mana” point of view. The tatau, for Samoans in Hawai’i, Australia and here at home in both Samoa’s – represents cultural identity, a potent signifier of tattooed Samoans attempt at self-definition.”
 
 “Symbolism behind some of the motifs are – Alualu, Aso Faaifo, Aso Talitu, Fa’aatualoa-sa, Fa’aatualoa Tasi, Fa’aila, Fa’amata’upega, Fa’amulialiao, Fa’aululaufao, Fa’aulutao, Fa’avae’ali, Fusi, Pe’a, Pulatama, Pute, Saemutu, Soga’imiti, Umaga, Utu Teu Upu, Va’a – these are some of the better-known motifs of the Samoan tatau and what they stand for, culturally speaking. But there are also many other motifs, which no doubt also have their unique meanings.”
 
Dr. Unasa also discussed the meaning of the symbols “Tatau and Malu represent in functions of males and females, a title written on the skin. The motifs of the tatau are symbols with meanings, which remind Samoans of their duties and obligations towards their relatives and fellow-Samoans.”
 
Moving onto the topic of why most Samoans get tattooed, Dr. Unasa said, “Reasons for tattooing include: cultural identity, doubles (soa), serving the chief, family tradition, admiration of others ‘tatau’, parents wishes, or examples from parents.”
 
The forum offered a brief question and discussion session for those who attended. Of note, Dr. Unasa did not discuss legends associated with the tatau, including the most renown locally of two women from Fiji bringing the tattoo-forms and instruments (tatau & malu) to Samoa. He was asked, but said he did not recognize the legend.
 
BACKGROUND
 
As of now, there are only six known or recognized tatau writers around the world:
 
*           Dr. Unasa – in 2006 Dr. Unasa launched his Tatau: From Initiation to Cultural Symbol, Measina a Samoa Volume 3.
 
*           Thomas Nicholas – in 1995 with The Art of the Body.
 
*           McGrevy Noel – in 1973 O LE TATAU, an examination of certain aspects of Samoan tattooing to the present.
 
*           Kramer, A – 1995 THE SAMOA ISLANDS. An Outline of a Monograph with particular consideration of German Samoa Volume II  
 
*           Marquardt, Carl – 1984 The Tattooing of Both Sexes in Samoa.
 
*           Crockett, G. – 1997 Tattoo, A History of the Decorated Body 1770- 1997.

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Tafuna High School Social Studies Department hosted a political forum — Let Our Voices Be Heard —focused on the 2016 House of Representative candidates for the Tualauta District and Ituau District. Held at the school’s gymnasium, the forum drew focus not only to voices of youth, but also to the fact that these two districts make up more than 50% of the territory’s population, with Tualauta being the most populated, according to the 2010 US Census.
 
Attending the forum was (L-R): standing: incumbent Vaiaitu Mulinu’u Filo T. Maluia (Ituau — the only Ituau candidate to attend), Samuelu Ioka Ale Meleisea, Tapumania Galu Satele Jr., Ryan A. Peau, Leomiti Faitamai Leomiti; sitting: Barley Lucia Su’a, Saipai Cassens and incumbent Vui Florence Saulo.
 
Kolose Ili, a THS Social Studies teacher (and the head coach of the THS football program) moderated the forum, while THS principal, Beauty Tuiasosopo offered closing remarks. Edney Apulu, the head of the Department of Social Studies advised and helped organize the event. Senior class members of the National Honor Society asked the questions, and the forum was open to the public, with the THS senior class attending.
 
Questions asked of the candidates during the forum, included topics such as Transportation, Education, Amnesty Program, Health Care and the Territorial Bank of American Samoa.
 
TRANSPORTATION: Local traffic in the morning due to work and school traffic, and the high cost of Hawaiian Air flights between Pago and Honolulu were queried.
 
Leomiti mentioned the DOE budget for transportation and suggested paths be developed across communal land between Pavai’ai and Tafuna High so more students could walk to school or ride bikes to and from school. Cassens suggested starting schools at different times in the morning, for example Tafuna High School at 0930 to 10.00, which won a big applause from students. Satele Jr. recommended another school be built in a different location — noted was the difficulty in getting land for government to do so.
 
EDUCATION: The budget and teachers’ salaries were discussed, with all the candidates stressing teachers are under paid, and increments should be paid when due.
 
Satele Jr., a former teacher at Leone with a Masters degree suggested DOE be removed from political intervention; and, Leomiti said twice, if elected he would give his $30K non-taxable office allowance to the schools in his district.
 
AMNESTY PROGRAM: Most agreed the program was necessary and also pointed out with most recent laws passed, it would be harder for over stayers to slip through. Most candidates blamed the Immigration office for the problem, citing the officers being underpaid and getting kickbacks. Asian businesses were mentioned also, with a note that in Tualauta they do not hire local people but "bring in their own" to work in their stores. All candidates agreed that immigration must be tightened up so jobs would be available for people born in American Samoa or at least are here legally.
 
HEALTH CARE: The common theme throughout the discussion was “you get what you pay for”. They said good health starts at home, it is not up to the government, and the people in territory should learn to eat healthy foods like our ancestors.
 
TERRITORIAL BANK OF AMERICAN SAMOA: All agreed with the exception of Bartley that having a choice was most important thing. Candidates made clear the Governor only stepped in because the private community bank was moving to slow for development. However, Bartley said point blank that government should not be in banking business.
 
Absent from the forum’s House candidate lineup were: Ituau County candidates Sataua Dr. Mataese Samuelu and Manumaua Wayne Wilson, and Tualauta County candidate Ufuti Fa'afetai Ieremia.
 
 (A special thank you goes out to Mr. Jim McGuire, Blue Pacific Communications, for providing info as well as photos for Samoa News.)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Zika virus ravages the testes of male mice, sharply reducing sperm counts and fertility, says a study that raises a new specter about its threat to people.

Experiments found testes of infected mice shrank about 90 percent by weight, while their output of useful sperm fell by three-quarters on average, and often more.

Now it's time to find out if Zika causes similar damage in men, experts said.

"We just don't know that yet," said Michael Diamond of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a senior author of the study. The virus is known to infect a man's reproductive system and persist in sperm and semen, "so it's in the right place," he said.

Diamond said he suspects that in mice, the damage is permanent.

But mice are not men, and experts unconnected with the study agreed that it can't be assumed that the mouse results apply to people.

Shannan Rossi, who studies Zika in mice at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, noted that the researchers had suppressed the animals' immune system defense against the virus. That's a standard step in such experiments but it adds another level of difference from humans, she said.

Zika, which is transmitted by the bite of a tropical mosquito, is such a mild disease in people that most who get it don't even know they are sick. But it can cause serious birth defects if women are infected while pregnant, so health officials have been concerned mostly with helping women who are pregnant or about to become pregnant avoid the disease.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, said the study alerts researchers to look for effects in men.

"Don't jump to the conclusion right off that this is definitely what is happening to the human," he said. But the mouse finding is a "red flag you need to pursue."

The mouse results appear in a paper released Monday by the journal Nature. They show the virus attacks the anatomical structure where sperm are made and reach maturity. Testosterone levels also fell.

The infected mice were able to impregnate females at only about one-fourth the normal rate. And in females that got pregnant, the number of fetuses was less than half of normal.

Four million. That's how many Americans the US Census Bureau estimates live on five island territories of the United States.

Millions of them are of voting age. Many are veterans or active military. But they cannot vote to elect their commander in chief.

People born in Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico are all Americans. They vote in US congressional elections and presidential primaries. This year, voting rights advocate and lawyer Neil Weare says they were "even heavily courted by both parties ... they went to the [Democratic and Republican] conventions."

But Americans born in these territories can't vote for president. Not unless they move to the mainland.

This is in spite of the fact that they're all US citizens (except for American Samoans, who are only US nationals. More on that in a moment.)

So, why is this — why can't all US citizens vote in general elections? The short answer: Because the Electoral College says so. Bryan Whitener, spokesperson for the Election Assistance Commission, a government agency, quoted the National Archives on the matter:

"No, the Electoral College system does not provide for residents of U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands) to vote for President. Unless citizens in U.S. Territories have official residency (domicile) in a U.S. State or the District of Columbia (and vote by absentee ballot or travel to their State to vote), they cannot vote in the presidential election. Note that prior to the adoption of the 23rd Amendment, DC residents could not vote in the Presidential election. The political parties may authorize voters in primary elections in Territories to select delegates to represent them at the political party conventions. But that process does not affect the Electoral College system."

These rules are why pollsters and news outlets have been carefully watching a mass movement of Puerto Ricans to the US mainland in recent years. Once they establish residency in a state, these US citizens can vote in the presidential election — and potentially affect the outcome.

Weare, who heads the We The People advocacy group, doesn't think US citizens should have to relocate in order to vote for their president. His DC-based group is involved in lawsuits to grant voting rights to Americans in territories — to do for them what the 23rd Amendment did for natives of Washington DC in 1961.

"The US has had territories since day one," he says, "but they've always gone on to become states. It's only with the acquisition [of] the overseas territories that we can keep these places but never really have them be part of the political community."

Weare thinks the current voting laws are especially unfair in Guam and American Samoa, given their high military enrollment. In 2014, the Army said American Samoa was the United States' No. 1 military recruitment post.

"Someone who's denied full participation in American democracy," Weare says, "for these people who've served to defend the American Constitution, it's a real insult to them as Americans."

John Oliver made the same point last year on his weekly HBO show, "Last Week Tonight":

Among permanently inhabited US territories, the general election rules are weirdest for American Samoa.

Like other territory residents, American Samoans can vote in US primaries but not for presidents. But they can't do what millions of Puerto Ricans have been doing: relocate to the mainland permanently like one would move from state to state. That's because American Samoans, unlike other territory residents, are not citizens.

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(AP) — Millions of Americans are finding out this month that the price of their health insurance is going up next year - as it did this year, last year, and most of the years before that.

And it's not just that the price is going up, it's that it goes up faster than wages and inflation, eating away at our ability to pay for other things we want (beer, televisions, vacations) or need (rent, heat, food).

Does it have to be this way? Why does health care grow so much faster than almost any other spending category so consistently? And will it ever stop?

"At some point it's not going to be worth it to have less food, less travel in order to spend money on health care," said Louise Sheiner, a health economist at the Brookings Institution. "That's what really stops it."

Insurance premiums, which reflect spending on medicines, doctor visits, tests and hospital stays, have climbed 213 percent since 1999 for family coverage purchased through an employer, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care. Wages, by comparison, have risen 60 percent, while inflation is up 44 percent.

Here's why the price of health care doesn't grow like, say, the price of dishwashers or blue jeans - and why that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

IT'S HARD TO SHOP FOR HEALTH CARE

Insurers and employers have been trying for years to make patients better health care shoppers and force doctors and hospitals to compete on price. They've raised deductibles or out-of-pocket costs on coverage and given tools to patients so they can compare prices and quality.

The idea is that patients become more motivated to price shop when they first have to pay several hundred dollars toward the bill due to a high deductible. Many see this push as a key to curbing health care spending, since insurance tends to hide the full cost of care from the patient.

This can work ... for small stuff, said Renya Spak of the benefits consultant Mercer. Patients will shop if they need an MRI exam on their shoulder. But Spak isn't convinced it will do much for things like surgeries, when the insurer or employer will wind up covering much of the bill anyway and the best deal might involve travel away from family.

"It's not human nature to be rational thinkers about health care cost decisions," she added. "It will never be just like buying a lawnmower."

Consumers also prioritize health care purchases over other buying decisions, especially if they have basics like food and shelter covered. You'll have back surgery to alleviate chronic pain before you take that long-awaited trip to Paris.

"What good is a better house if you are too sick to enjoy it?" said Charles Roehrig, an economist and vice president of the nonprofit Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending.

TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T HELP

A carmaker can knock down the cost of making a vehicle by replacing auto workers with robots in parts of the assembly line. Treatment advances in health care are geared more toward making something more effective, not cheaper, noted Paul Fronstin, an economist with the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

A device maker may come up with a new hip that improves a patient's quality of life, but it's likely more expensive and the surgery might require the same number of doctors and nurses or more, A drugmaker might produce a new treatment that dramatically improves a condition but it may come with a bill of more than $50,000 in the meantime.

Device and drugmakers have been producing a steady stream of new products for consumers, and insurers that pay the bills have a limited ability to keep prices for those devices and drugs down.

"Every year, it's kind of like Christmas, they deliver all this new stuff and of course they deliver it at high prices and insurance covers it," said Mark Pauly, a health economist with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

HOW IT ADDS UP

People with coverage through their employers should expect premium hikes of 5 percent or 6 percent next year, depending on where the employee lives and what adjustments a company makes. That's double the forecast for inflation next year.

And the rising rates may keep them from getting a raise, too. Employers often pay most of the bill for employee coverage, leaving them less money to increase salaries when rates rise.

Customers shopping on the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges will see premium hikes of 20 percent or more in many markets, though those increases aren't just because of rising health care spending. The exchanges have seen wild price swings in part because insurers are still trying to balance out claims they pay in this relatively new coverage.

All told, health care costs, including the insurance bill and money paid out of pocket, made up 7.8 percent of the average consumer's total expenses in 2015, up from 5.7 percent in 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, much bigger portions of personal budgets like housing, food and transportation all slipped.

WHEN DOES THIS END?

Health care spending now accounts for more than 17 percent of the U.S. economy. In 1980 it was just half that.

Economists and benefits experts say this trend has to slow at some point, or consumers won't have enough money left to spend on things unrelated to health care. Some think big, disruptive changes in how we buy and use care may be needed.

That might mean that more insurers could drastically restrict a patient's doctor choice in order to gain better negotiating leverage over the cost of care, a trend that is growing on the ACA's exchanges.

Mercer's Spak thinks employers need to lead, since they cover so many people. She noted that some companies have started contracting directly with big hospital systems for health care, cutting out the insurance middleman.

Sheiner, the Brookings Institution economist, says health spending may slow if drug and device makers stop developing new technology or drugs as quickly. But she thinks health care will keep climbing until people decide they aren't going to burn any more of their pay check on it - and we're not there yet.

"You never say never, but I don't think we should expect that any time soon," she said.

Imagine magic in the palm of your hand that will provide an incredible forever-family video and still memories and can be operated by your 6-year old, your 84-year old grandma and all the other interesting kin folk in between.
 
DJI, famous for the Inspire, Phantom & Mavic drones, has smartly adapted the same stabilizing technology and put it in a hand gimble affording you ultra smooth vids whether you or the subject is moving.  
 
The great things in life move and so will you as you capture great life moments unfurling.
 
With the cost effective DJI Osmo Mobile ($299 shown above) just add your Apple or Android smartphone as your dual-purpose camera/monitor and you have the capability to out Spielberg our favorite Spielberg.  
 
Cool Stuff Jr, Abe Markowitz, has the Osmo Mobile we bought from Drone Services Hawaii (near the Costco, Kalihi, https://droneserviceshawaii.com/).  Abe is an awesome gimble operator who was brought on the Western Union Ohana Cup Media Tour last July...delivering tears to Fijians when he captured their spiritual huddle, pride to Tongans with his Haumonga sunrise and Miss Tonga National Rugby League graceful parade siva, and the awesomeness of Toa Samoa's Malo People & places in Upolu and Savaii.  
 
Abe does time-lapse, slow-mo, low angle, high angle, in your face, in your car & at your car action vids and stills. 
 
Remember, these incredible capabilities are only $299.  How many family celebrations do you have per year?  Still hire a great professional wedding photographer, but let a family member roam with your own Osmo.
 
The option to beat the Osmo Mobile excellence was solely the regular Osmo with supplied camera at $549.  It gives you more angle flexibility, allowing you to see better, on your detached monitor, the bizarre places you might aim your Osmo.  This unit also gives you options to easily plug in uni or omni-directional interview or shotgun microphones, cold shoe lights, and as mentioned provides greater mounting flexibility for your monitor (which is your smartphone). 
 
Cool Stuff passed on the Osmo and got this week’s new release... drum roll please... the $649 Osmo Plus!
 
Why is the "Plus" more special than the regular Osmo?  Yeah Hooray, it has 3.5 x optical zoom, 7 x digital zoom and more refined sound capabilities.
 
Whatever Osmo you choose you can blow your mind with their smartly designed extenders, tripods, stands and brackets.  Essentially DJI Osmo accessories are "Tinker Toys" for us grown up Coolio boys.
 
Join our Samoa News team at "Sadie's by the Sea" ‪on November 4- 5 — that’s today & tomorrow — as we humbly work to again capture the spectacular Samoana Jazz Festival.  
 
Expect to see our Cool Stuff "Osmo +" creeping from stage right as we slosh the Sama and Vailima Beer you will be shouting us from stage left.
 
And yes, the more oga you get, the Osmo will remain rock steady stable... and if you talk sweetly, it may even call you a cab for a safe ride home. Fa'amolemole, please take the safe ride home.

A 44-year-old Samoan woman, Rosita Afele, has conquered the world’s tallest mountain after 14 days of living on the edge.

The Melbourne-based daughter of Fuimaono Savili Afele and Tima Afele from Lefagaoali’i Savai’i, Falealili and Lotofaga Safata, is absolutely elated about conquering Mount Everest, in Nepal, a peak often referred to as a “death zone.”

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Ms. Afele, said it’s a moment in her life she would always remember. The realisation of a dream started 12 months ago with an idea.
“I’d like to think I am a free spirited person; I love adventures and travelling has always been a dream,” she said.

But trekking up Mt. Everest never crossed her mind.

“It never entered my mind in a million years, until a year ago. This was a massive undertaking and it was mainly driven by the soul. And after talking to a work colleague last year who had just returned from Everest doing the same trek, it sparked something in me and I knew then that this is it. This is what I needed to do.

“I used to have this motto in my school days which is “the view is always better from the top” though at the time, I didn’t mean it literally.”

To prepare her for the trip, it took a year of training.

“This little trip to the ‘death zone’ has kept me away from those leisurely weekend catch-ups,” she said.

“As I continued to say ‘no’ it’s nothing to do with your much entertaining companies, or the food, the caffeine, most definitely not the vino…but more the long walks and hikes that has been talking up most of my weekends.

“A once in a lifetime experience especially for a fob like me as another one was alluding to that “she’s never known or heard of a Samoan whose done this kind of thing so either I’m the first ‘fool’ or perhaps am just a different breed.”

Ms. Afele said the journey from an idea to the realization of it has changed her life.

The Flowers Organization hosted their 13th Annual Beauty Pageant – Miss Flowers 2016 – 2017 that saw Ms. Sophie McMoore crowned, after a hotly contested pageant, which saw 7 contestants vie for the title.
 
During the opening of the event, President Josie Afu Muasau said, “As you can see all the beautiful floral arrangements, these were all locally made from women here in American Samoa.”
 
Proceeds from the pageant, according to the Miss Flowers president, will go to charities such as various sporting organizations, the Rotary Club- Swimming Pool Project, Floral Arrangement competitions, contestant prizes, and the organization’s goals and objectives.
 
“This is our charity to give back to them – helping them out financially and to acknowledge their craft and effort put into something they love doing.”
 
Muasau said, “Thank God for strength and health, and if you were looking for a great evening to end the weekend, you’ve come to the right place,” adding “tonight, we have the professional designers, the most beautiful Pageant Coordinator, Shiki Leaupepe, and seven beautiful pageant contestants that will vie for the Miss Flower title.”
 
Following the opening number led by reigning Miss Flowers Ms. Aruni Talaifaga, the event went straight into the categories of the evening – opening with the Black Couture category, into the Floral Ova Ova Wear, into the remaining four categories of the evening — interview, talent, evening gown and swimsuit.
 
The event was flawless in its execution of costumes and makeup that indeed made the contestants Exotic Flowers, each illustrating the awesome beauty of a brush of Heaven. Laughter and a well-entertained crowd from the talent and ‘catwalks’ of beauty made the pageant a memorable evening.
 
Masters of Ceremonies William Thompson and Uaika Savusa announced the final results that everyone eagerly anticipated after an extravagant evening of extraordinary costumes and talent:
 
*           Miss Photogenic was awarded to contestant No.1 — Alanah Gore.
*           Miss Personality was awarded to contestant No.5 — Isabella Valentino.
*           Best Couture was awarded to contestant No.7 — Kelly Westwood
*           Fairy & Floral Wear was awarded to contestant No.7 — Kelly Westwood
*           Best Swim Suit was awarded to contestant No.3 — Sophie McMoore
*           Best Interview was awarded to contestant No.3 — Sophie McMoore
*           Best Talent was awarded to contestant No. 2 — Arykah Contess
*           Best Evening Gown was awarded to contestant No. 6 — Petra Travis
 
The Official Results of Miss Flowers 2016 – 2017:
 
*           3rd Runner Up was contestant No. 6 — Petra Travis
*           2nd Runner Up was contestant No.7 — Kelly Westwood
*           Miss Flowers Winner contestant No. 3 — Sophie McMoore

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Dialysis patients in Manu’a will no longer need to come to Tutuila for their dialysis treatment, once the LBJ hospital moves forward with their plan to take three or four dialysis chairs to Manu’a, this is according to hospital Chief Executive Officer, Taufete’e John Faumuina.
 
Responding to Samoa News questions, Taufete’e said they have already made a proposal to the Department of Health (DOH) for the use of their clinic. He said the move came after much consideration of the inconvenience of the dialysis patients in Manu’a to travel to Tutuila. According to Taufete’e the hospital’s Chief Engineer Sa Mavaega has been tasked to purchase the chairs for this project. Each dialysis chair costs $18,000 and the hospital has identified funds to get this project going.
 
The hospital CEO said this project would go a long way for their dialysis patients that live in Manu’a, who want to return home; and Chairman of the House Health Committee, Vesi Talalelei Fautanu Jr. said with this project, Manu’a residents can move back home as it’s an option that his constituents have been wanting.
 
In the meantime, Taufete’e noted that with the significant increase of dialysis patients, the hospital’s move now is to open a pre-dialysis clinic. He said this pre-dialysis clinic would happen within six months of dialysis initiation, and would go a long way in helping patients to identify and manage co-existing conditions associated with Chronic Kidney Disease, and would also include the identification and treatment of reversible causes of renal impairment.
 
According to the hospital CEO, “Referral time also affects the choice of modality of treatment. Patients and their families should receive sufficient information regarding the nature of their CKD and options for treatment so that they can make informed decisions concerning their care.”
 
Taufete’e said that addressing the timing of pre-dialysis clinics is limited and existing data suggests that such clinics and patient education programs may improve the medical care of patients, promote greater patient involvement in the selection of the mode of dialysis, reduce the need for “urgent start” dialysis, and improve short-term survival and quality of life after initiation of dialysis.
 
The CEO said the numbers of dialysis patients has increased significantly and that’s why there is a need to open a pre-dialysis clinic, for the benefit of the public who are not on dialysis yet.
 
He further noted that with the pre-dialysis clinic he believes that once the patients are diagnosed they will make good healthcare decisions; maintain their current levels of health and they will be prepared to make the best therapy selection at the time that dialysis is needed.
 
Taufete’e said some people refuse to believe they are to be on dialysis, and this clinic will go a long way in getting them to deal with the healthcare decisions they will need to make,  “and it’s long overdue for the hospital.”

Pago Pago, AS— Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, issued the following statement in recognition of Veterans Day 2016.
 
 “As we come together today to recognize the service of all who have served in our nation’s armed forces, let us take a moment to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedoms and could not be here today to join in the celebration.  Let us also remember those young men and women who at this very moment are in far off lands, standing between the forces of oppression and freedom loving people everywhere.
 
"We must also not forget the sacrifices made by the families of our service members, who go long periods of time without seeing their loved ones, and often have to perform the duties of two parents, while the other willfully places themselves in harm’s way for our grateful nation.
 
"As you know, our beautiful island, while small geographically in comparison to other states and territories, has the highest rate of enlistment into our nation’s armed forces, a fact that I persistently remind Congress of.  In fact, it is 10 times that of the states.  This means that in American Samoa, every Veterans Day is just a little more special, and I want to personally salute all from our island who have served.
 
"May God continue to bless the United States, and those who stand to protect her.”

            The Samoan Studies Institute (SSI) at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) held an awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 1st, to recognize the top three finalists in its Samoan language writing competition Lau Gagana! Tauvaga Tusiga Tala Faasamoa. ASCC student Ms. Dorothy Mana’o authored the piece that took top honors, with fellow students at the College Ms. Andrea Faalei’ua and Ms. Oneata Melody R. Soi taking second and third place respectively.
 
            Now in its second year, the writing competition attracted 42 entries this time, a dramatic jump as compared to only eight last year. Ms. Mana’o submitted a piece titled “Mafatiaga o le Alofa,” which focuses on the way people respond to love, and examines how even the love of God may be marred by how love is shown at home. In the story, a girl encourages her friend to still believe in love, especially the love of Father God, despite what she has described as betrayal by her own father.  
 
Judges for this year’s competition included SSI Director Mrs. Okenaisa Fauolo-Manilia, Samoan Studies Department Chair Evile Feleti, Samoan Studies instructors Alofa Nuusila and Tasia Talamoni, Language Translator Tamari Mulitalo-Cheung and Senior Researcher Teleiai Ausage. Describing the general quality of the submissions for the competition, Mrs. Fauolo-Manila reflected on how creative writing in the Samoan language continues to evolve.
 
“Compared to more than 10 years ago when the writing was still more oral influenced, there is a bigger change greatly influenced by having rubrics where students are given criteria to write towards,” she said. “However there is still a lot of work to be done. Writing in Samoan is a skill to be honed on like writing English. When there is more practice and more reading, there is bound to be improvement.”
 
            When asked about the general topics of the pieces submitted, Mrs. Fauolo-Mania said she was impressed with how most of the writers keep their focus both true-to-life and down-to-earth. “There were a lot of close-to-home experiences written about,” she recalled, “and a lot of laughing at themselves, putting a closure to some deep experience just by writing about it, dealing with broken families, love and relationships, real-life experiences as a young man or woman serving families and communities, and sometimes culture shock and experiences of living outside Samoa, or Samoans born off island returning and living in Samoa.”
 
            The top three submissions for the competition and many of the runners-up will be read on-air during the SSI’s weekly radio show Faasamoa Pea, which is broadcast every Saturday morning from 9:00 to 9:15 a.m. on local station KSBS-FM.  Stories that are considered by SSI faculty member and Samoa Pea host Alofa Nuusila to be appropriate and relevant for the general public, and especially children, will be shared on-air, provided that the author of the piece gives his/her permission. ASCC students, whether part of the competition or not, regularly read their original work in the Samoan language on-air as part of Faasamoa Pea.
 
Promoting the continuity of Samoan culture, tradition, language and heritage aligns with the mission of ASCC in general and the SSI in particular. The SSI takes an inter-disciplinary, comprehensive educational approach that focuses on four major areas: Academics; Community and Cultural Extension programs; Research and Publication; and Samoan Language Translation.
 
“In our humble opinion, having a writing competition is one way to promote faasamoa,” said Mrs. Fauolo-Manila. “We have been complimented by the general public on our Faasamoa Pea radio program, and even approached by some elders asking if we could have their stories read on-air. Some community members even asked if we could open our writing competition to the general public. All of this interest has helped us continue our writing competition into its second year, and it is our intention for this to be an annual event. “
 
For more information on the Samoan Studies Institute, see the ASCC Catalog, available online at www.amsamoa.edu, or call the SSI at 699-9155, extension 347. The SSI expresses their gratitude to KSBS-FM for their support of the program Faasamoa Pea.

With the generous support from an Oregon couple, the LBJ Medical Center has new equipment for the Eye Clinic, and this includes a $40,000 yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) III laser, which will help patients waiting for eye surgery — allowing for surgery to happen sooner.
 
The Oregon couple, Kathy and Frank Deggendorfer are long time friends of former LBJ physician, Dr. Mitchell Brinks; and, the couple came up with $20,000 for the cost of the YAG laser and LBJ hospital pay the balance.
 
The Deggendorfers also donated the Reliance 7000 Motorized Eye examination/procedure chair (which carries up to 400lbs) and lays flat so the Ophthalmologist can do eye procedures in the clinic. Cost of this equipment is $8,000.
 
LBJ officials say the addition of the new equipment will help with safe patient eye care and laser therapies for the people of American Samoa.
 
For the YAG laser, it allows the ophthalmologist the ability to perform procedures such as a noninvasive method for the treatment of posterior capsular opacification, which is a common long-term complication of cataract surgery.
 
This Posterior capsular opacification causes glare, decreased vision and other cataract symptoms for the patient. The YAG III laser is special because it is a state-of-the-art high-quality therapeutic and high-precision laser treatment for patients in American Samoa.
 
Dr. Daniel Lattin of the Eye Clinic said they do about six cataract surgeries a week. “So on average that’s a  lot of patients  a week and this [laser] is really going to be valuable to us,” he said in an interview at the Eye Clinic last Thursday afternoon. He believes that about a dozen patients are waiting for this laser “so we can treat their after cataract”.
 
“This is a top of the line laser... and we are really grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Deggendorfer for their support for our clinic,” he said “Our old laser broke down and we’ve been lacking a new laser and we’ve been unable to repair it.”
 
“The new laser can be used to treat certain types of glaucoma and you can also use it to treat what we call a secondary cataract or an after-cataract — and that tends to form after cataract surgery where somebody, who’s vision was great right after surgery and then several months or years later, the visions starts to get cloudy again — like they cataract again,” he explained.
 
“After a cataract forms months or years after their initial surgery, some doctors do it routinely a few months after surgery just to prevent that from happening,” he said and that the best advice for people to have their eyes checked is — an annual exam for anyone 60 and older and under the age of 60 at least every couple of years.
 
“And if you have any change in vision, we want to see you sooner than that,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just something simple as needing reading glasses, but sometimes it’s a cataract that we can treat with surgery.”
 
Additionally, Diabetes can affect vision so diabetics should have an eye exam annually regardless of their age and for someone without diabetes, “we recommend annually for 60 years and older.”
 
Two weeks ago, the YAG III laser was installed by the visiting engineer from a company called Zeiss. Last week, a certified Zeiss technician was on island to assist LBJ physicians and ophthalmic technicians with low-level maintenance care and training on proper use of the YAG laser.
 
Lattin, who is originally from Virginia but moved here from Portland, Oregon, points to the eye examination/procedure chair that can lay almost pretty much flat and it’s all motorized and it’s built to support heavier patients.
 
He says that when Mrs. Deggendorfer visited the Eye clinic not long ago, she noticed that “we need a new chair for more support so she donated the chair.”

In a time when social disruptions are becoming a norm across the US, local kids are proving that there is still love and compassion, and it’s never too early or too late to teach someone the importance of giving.

Earlier this month, representatives from the Galea’i Cancer Foundation, as well as the American Samoa Community Cancer Coalition were presented with monetary donations earlier this month from perhaps the most unexpected source of all: school children.

In honor of Cancer Awareness Month, the entire student body of Manumalo Academy not only wore pink during the last Friday in October, they also ‘voluntarily’ donated their lunch money/allowance to assist in the fight against cancer.

Students as young as 3 years old all the way up to the high school levels were asked to donate what they could to assist in helping those whose lives have been affected by cancer. The result was an outpouring of generosity. Some gave 50-cents, some donated a dollar, and some donated more, as a show of support for awareness outreach programs, and in remembrance of those who have died from cancer, those who are currently battling the disease, as well as their families and friends who were and still are a part of the journey.

Altogether, about $800 was collected and the money was split evenly between the two local non-profit organizations.