NEWSPAGE 07 August
2009

(Photos: New Zealand Defence Force)

NEW ZEALAND: Air Force helicopters give disabled kids in Samoa a lift

(Photo: Samoa Tourism Authority)

SAMOA: Samoa Tourism Marketing Taskforce meets
Source: Samoa Tourism Authority Press Release

The Samoa Tourism Marketing Taskforce met in Auckland last Tuesday (July 28, 2009) to discuss issues facing the industry as well as forward initiatives to market and promote Samoa as a holiday destination in key source markets.

The Taskforce is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Honourable Misa Telefoni and comprises representatives of the Samoa Tourism Authority and tourism industry’s key sectors including hotels, tour operators and airlines.

The meeting was attended by members from Samoa, as well as Ms Jo Kennedy from Air New Zealand in Auckland. The Taskforce, which meets three times annually, acknowledges the support of Polynesian Blue, which provided air travel for Samoa-based industry members to attend the meeting.

Photo Caption: Chairperson Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Honourable Misa Telefoni with Members of the Samoa Tourism Marketing Taskforce and Ms Jo Kennedy from Air New Zealand during their recent meeting in Auckland.

(Photo: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Faleomavaega hails start of new GI Bill college benefits
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega announced yesterday that starting August 1, 2009, an estimated 2.1 million members of the military who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, including activated reservists and members of the National Guard, will be eligible for up to four years of education benefits, including stipends for housing and books.

Last year, Congress enacted Public Law 110-252, which contains the new GI Bill for the 21st Century (the “Post-9/11 GI Bill”) to restore the promise of a full, four-year college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, making them part of the economic recovery. On May 1st, veterans were able to start applying for a certificate of eligibility for the new college benefits at the VA website (https://www.gibill.va.gov/). And this year, Congress extended those college benefits to all children of fallen soldiers, with no minimum military service needed to qualify.

“I want to thank the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Mr. Bob Filner, for his leadership on this issue and for continuing to look out for the needs of our veterans. We have a responsibility to serve those who bravely served us, and this full college education benefit for recent veterans will expand job opportunities for them, and strengthen our economy. I am proud that Republicans and Democrats were able to come together on this key veterans issue. This year, we were able to extend these benefits to all children of fallen services members after 9/11; who could be more deserving of our support than children whose moms or dads have died in military service to our nation?” Faleomavaega said.

Generally, this new GI Bill provides up to four years of education benefits at a college or university for individuals with at least 90 days of active duty service on or after September 11, 2001 who have been honourably discharged from service. The benefits are correlated on a sliding scale to the total months served and to receive full benefits, you must have served on active duty for three years. This program will pay for:

* tuition and fees of up to the maximum in-state tuition and fees at a public institution in your state;

* a monthly housing allowance at the location of the school, based on the Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents; and

* an annual books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000.

These benefits are generally payable for up to 15 years following release from active duty.

“This measure is the least we can do for our men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the defence of this nation. All of the children of service members who have died on active duty since 9-11-01 qualify for the full education benefit, regardless of the length of military service of their parent; these benefits expire 15 years after the 18th birthday of surviving military children,” Faleomavaega added.

“May God continue to bless the men and women of American Samoa and this great nation of the United States who have served, and are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces,” Faleomavaega concluded.

Photo Caption: Payment processing for the new Post-9/11 GI Bill began August 1, 2009.

(Photo: Elite Sporting Academy)

FIJI: Elite Sporting Academy visit Fiji, Samoa to select scholarship recipients
Source: Elite Sporting Academy Press Release

Next week, the team from Elite Sporting Academy Dubai will be hitting Fiji and Samoa in a quest to identify and select recipients of their inaugural “ESA Pasefika Scholarships” -fully funded scholarships worth $70,000 per year for young rugby and soccer players to live and school in Dubai and attend their Academy.

The team, which will include former Manu Samoa star Apollo Perelini, will be in Suva, Nadi and Apia carrying out academic and physical testing on prospective scholarship recipients.

Successful applicants will be flown from Dubai to board and school at the prestigious Repton School, and get free elite mentoring at the Academy with the likes of Perelini for rugby, and former England international Carlton Palmer for soccer.

The Elite Sporting Academy was set up in Dubai by NZ-born Samoan John Mamea-Wilson and his good Australian international soccer star Tim Cahill to provide an elite pathway to professional sports for children of the Middle East.

Both Cahill and Mamea-Wilson see these fully-funded scholarships as providing this same opportunity to the children of the Pacific, and therefore giving back to their own communities to which they credit a lot of their own successes.

As well as these scholarships, the ESA also have a player management company which links talented rugby and soccer players with professional clubs throughout Europe and the UK, and know that the Pacific is a hub for untapped talent, but with limited resources.

For more information please contact Andrew Fa’avale-Tuala on +642115597654 or email him at [email protected].

Also, visit the ESA website : www.elitesportingacademy.com and the Repton School Dubai website : wwww.reptondubai.org

ESA would like to thank Taufusi Salesa and Samoa Rugby Football Union, Nadi Town Council and Pacific Theological College in Suva for use of their facilities.

Photo Caption: (L-R) Andrew Fa'avale-Tuala, Tim Cahill, John Mamea-Wilson, Paul Martin, Apollo Perelini.
 

(Photo: Korea Herald)

NEW CALEDONIA: Korean chef brings Hansik to New Caledonia
Source: Korea Herald

In the beautiful, tropical paradise of New Caledonia, a special event has been taking place this week involving prominent international chefs who are showcasing fusion cuisine - their country's traditional food with a touch of French cuisine - at five top restaurants on the South Pacific island. Among the select group of invited chefs is Ahn Jung-hyun, 59, a prominent Korean chef renowned for her expertise and finesse with traditional Korean wedding food.

The event, "Touch of France" opened on Tuesday for a five-day stint with chefs from Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France showing off their talents alongside local chefs.

Joining Ahn for this special culinary festival is Didier Clement from New Caledonia; Julie Le Clerc from New Zealand; Keizo Inoue from Japan; and Gabriel Gate from Australia.

Ahn, who has been instrumental in the globalization of Korean food, worked with local chef Jacques Prouchandy to create a fusion of French and Korean dishes as part of a special menu at Hippocampe Restaurant at Le Meridien Noumea Hotel.

Organizers said that her participation will help to promote Korean food worldwide.

World-renowned French chef Pierre Gagnaire once praised Ahn's work as having created a refined taste with originality by reflecting the wonders of art.

She has extensive experience under her belt, including her role to feed the heads of state at the 2005 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation held in Busan.

Ahn's background is diverse: She graduated from the Catholic University in Daegu, majoring in Applied Fine Arts. In 1975, she earned a flower arranging teacher's certificate in Japan, studied candle art in Hongik University the following year and, from 1980 to 1985, she learned about Korean traditional cuisine from well-known traditional cuisine experts. With a background in floristry, Ahn is also well-known for incorporating beautiful flowers into her cuisine presentation.

Major points in her culinary career include serving since 1995 as the president of Somi and Jeongseong, a leading Korean wedding food and gift food company and, since 2004, her role as president of Wooriga, a noted Korean traditional haute-cuisine restaurant.

In April 2005, she led a demonstration of Korean traditional cuisine and wedding food for journalists from 16 countries, sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organization. In May, with the sponsorship of the Korean Embassy in the United States and the Korea Foundation, she hosted a Korean traditional banquet for 100 journalists, chefs, food critics and VIPs in Washington, D.C.

Ahn was head chef for the luncheon at the first Korea-ASEAN summit in June, and is currently one of the advisors to the government-led initiative to promote Korean cuisine worldwide. 

Photo Caption: Korean chef, Ahn Jung-hyun.
 

WORLDWIDE: Climate change threatens human security in the Pacific Islands
Source: United Nations Development Programme Pacific Centre Press Release

Climate change poses an existential threat to the Pacific Island countries and may further aggravate conflicts over increasingly scarce resources, a high-level panel warned today (August 06, 2009) at the Pacific Island Forum in Cairns, Australia.

“We recognize climate change to be a critical development challenge with enormous implications for the entire range of development concerns: poverty, livelihoods, food security, conflict and social cohesion, to name a few”, said Ajay Chhibber, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, who is also Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and UNDP Director of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau. “At a time of global economic crisis, climate change has the potential to reverse hard-won development gains in the region, which could compromise our collective ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and plans for a prosperous, peaceful and secure region”, added Chhibber, who chaired the high-level climate change side event at the 40th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ meeting, August 5-6.
Panelists called on countries to act immediately to address threatening climate change issues, stressing the importance that the Pacific Island countries develop adaptation intervention to “climate-proof” their development plans and policies.

Richard Towle, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Regional Representative for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, told the panel that the legal and human rights implications of displacement driven by forces such as climate change and environmental degradation have yet to be seriously addressed - regionally and globally.
“However, it is clear that climate change - and the human security and development challenges it brings - adds to the scale and complexity of human movement and displacement in the region,” Towle said. “We need to act now if we are to find solutions for people whose homes, lands and livelihoods are, as we speak, being destroyed by rising sea levels and violent fluctuations in weather patterns in the region.”

The Pacific is one of the most disaster-affected regions in the world, permanently threatened by a variety of natural hazards, many of which are likely to worsen as the planet’s temperature warms. Already, in Kiribati, a number of villagers had to move their houses to retreat from the rising sea. In other Pacific Island countries, relocating families may spark social conflict due to traditional land rights. Moreover, several countries in the region may soon experience food security issues relating to coral bleaching - normally caused by temperature change - that threatens fish stocks.

For this reason, UNDP Pacific Centre is undertaking the initiative Interface between Climate Change, Disasters and Potential for Conflict in the Pacific: putting together a regional mechanism to prevent conflicts sparked by climate change.

“The initiative is the recognition that climate change will impact conflict dynamics in the Pacific”, said Jean-Luc Stalon, senior regional adviser on Crisis Prevention and Recovery at UNDP’s Pacific Centre in Suva, Fiji. “Climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of disasters, which are causing displacement, livelihood insecurity and increasing instability. We need to focus on integrating climate change risks into conflict prevention efforts - before it is too late and too costly”, Stalon added.

In partnership with other regional organizations, UNDP will map, identify and collect data about the effects that climate change and increasing disasters will have on conflict dynamics in the region. The Interface between Climate Change, Disasters and Potential for Conflict in the Pacific initiative also aims to build capacity of national and regional organizations to prevent and manage violent conflicts emerging from climate change.