Long Boat Racing: 50 Oars, 1 Boat!

The history of long boat racing dates back to the early days of island merchants.

With few Pacific harbors large and deep enough to accommodate deep keeled ocean cargo ships, lighters were used to transfer goods from the ship to shore.

The lighters were also useful as a quick means of transportation from one village to another. Over decades local boat builders lengthened the boats in order for more passengers and rowers to make interisland trips.

Today, American Samoa stands alone as one of two (Upolu)  islands where the custom of lighter transportation evolved into a sport.

These custom built racing machines, some costing as much as US $200,000 are crewed by young village men who row for the prestige and pride of village and family.

Next Goal Wins is a Global Soccer Story

Next Goal Wins started out as a fuzzy, good time story about the little Pacific Island that could overcome defeat and pull itself up by its bootstraps. Cute and inspiring.

There were images in the original trailer about church sermons, inspirational talks and how the Samoan culture bred warriors.

When the producers finally regained consciousness, they eventually came to their senses and discovered movie themes far more reaching about human goals, grit and achievement.

What they really discovered was that in Polynesia sexual orientation is not a barrier to success; Its a way of life considered and accepted as quite normal. They discovered that losing is an attitude which can be overcome and conquered.

Coach Thomas Rongen (left) is the catalyst that cemented the turnaround from defeat to victory; from doubt to confidence.

Can the world of big time soccer get that message and wrap their heads around it? In order to achieve that the soccer world will have to come to grips with the fact that a transgendered third sex soccer player, Jaiyah, (left) can actually be chosen  "Man of the Match".

Achievement and ability, not sexual orientation are the markers of success.

Watch the 2 1/2  minute trailer from Archers Mark Productions in England

Broadband Key to American Samoa's Economic Recovery

American Samoa's US $100 million dollar investment in fiber to the home networking and broadband satellite connectivity is well positioned to drive a 21st century economic revival.

O3b Networks, the mid altitude broadband satellite provider, notes in its January 2013 blog:

The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA) and O3b also struck a recent deal to provide up to 1.2Gbps of future broadband connectivity to an island nation currently served by a single submarine fiber cable and expensive conventional satellite services. On the very first day the O3b fleet is operational, ASTCA will double its broadband capacity, dramatically improve network speeds, affordability and the overall Internet experience across American Samoa.

http://o3bnetworks.com/additional-pages/newsletter-archive/issue/newsletter-january-2013#ceo



Coupled with the United States Department of Agriculture stimulus grant award:

APPLICANT NAME  American Samoa Telecommunications Authority
PROJECT TYPE  Last Mile Remote
FEDERAL AWARD LOAN  $10,000,000 
FEDERAL AWARD GRANT  $81,034,763 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION  Project will provide true broadband services to every household, business, and critical institution in American Samoa

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/supportdocuments/Round1and2%20Awardees.pdf




Three economic development projects are underway in the US Territory designed to utilize high speed broadband tied to cloud computing servers for real time data backhaul.

American Pacific University

Provides three courses of study; English for Foreign students, Environmental studies for visiting university classes and Medical US certification for foreign medical professionals.

http://www.americanpacu.com/

Public Health

Incorporates medical teaching at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Tropical Medical Hospital and Public Health Training for interns originating in South East Asia and Asia/Pacific nations. Medical  Mobile monitoring for non communicable diseases

High Tech Start Up Incubators

High speed (1.2Gps) bandwidth enables developers to build new technology businesses with speeds exceeding most US communities. American Samoa controls its own immigration services enabling foreign developers to work without acquiring the H1B visa, a strong advantage for US tech companies.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57589981-93/google-fiber-spawns-startup-renaissance-in-kansas-city/http://o3bnetworks.com/additional-pages/newsletter-archive/issue/newsletter-january-2013#ceo

Polynesian Nazca Lines In South America

The Nazca lines in Peru have befuddled scientists and archaeologists for decades. Theories range from Alien space travelers to ancient Peruvian tribes.

Until now, no researcher has approached the Nazca Lines from a Southeast Asian religious conceptual point of view. That view, practiced by Hindus today, embraces a sky deity who reigns over multiple layers of heavens, each populated by humans, animals and birds.

Polynesians were believers of the sky god, Tagaloa, and his eight layers of heavens who guided them safely beyond the horizons during their voyaging travels.

In their belief, still relevant today, whales, sharks, turtles and birds were messengers of Tagaloa and the spirits of their ancestors who guided them across the oceans.










The Nazca images reflect those beliefs. The ancient Polynesians, stranded in the Peruvian desert appealed to Tagaloa for spiritual messages and a safe return to their islands.

Watch this 2:36 video explanation of  the Polynesian drawings at the Nazca Lines.

Jean Michel Cousteau visits American Samoa: The 300m Exosuit

He described his visit to American Samoa's coral reef atoll, Swains Island, as a "jewel of the ocean".

He implored a group of young students to learn the lessons his generation never knew. He said the oceans can not be a trash bin of humanity or the universal sewer of the world.

And that the exosuit will enable explorers like himself to retrieve the plants and animals of 300 meter depths to stir science, create new medicines and spur economies built around preserving the ocean environment.

But his most impassioned declaration to his young audience was that, "I will never let you down" in the quest for a cleaner, protected ocean environment.



Watch as Jean Michel Cousteau describes his newest
conquest: Diving to depths of 300 meters for periods
of more than one hour in the exosuit.

American Samoa Joins O3B Global Broadband Network

The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority begins medium orbit global satellite broadband service for its customers in November 0f 2013.

O3B broadband service rivals fiber optic cable networks in speed, capacity and efficiency. O3B service costs are substantially more economical for small and medium customers.

As an early adopter, American Samoa places herself in the forefront of a communications revolution which brings broadband to more than 3 billion people in remote and developing areas of the globe.

 The O3B broadband connection will lead American Samoa into a new economic development era."










Vision became reality June 24th when the Soyuz rocket carrying  the first 4 of 20 communications satellites were successfully placed in orbit.

Sea Terns in Flight, New Age Consciousness

The ancient Polynesians touched nature and led their sustainable lives in touch with nature.

Feel that connected experience. Be alone for a moment; touched and belonging.



Calming, relaxing, reflective, inspiring American Samoa.


Three minutes of solitude.

Dr. Steve Palumbi Talks American Samoa's Amazing Coral Resiliency

Several years ago National Park Service researcher, Peter Craig, observed corals thriving in overheated reef pools on Ofu, an island in American Samoa's Manu'a Group.


According to  conventional knowledge American Samoa's  corals should have bleached out and died in the extremely hot reef water. But they thrived instead.

For the past six years Dr. Steve Palumbi of Stanford University's Ocean Research Department has conducted on going research into why Ofu's corals survive. His results indicate an intricate set of genes within the coral that regulate the corals themselves to the prevailing water temperature.

Portable Labs on the island of Ofu in American Samoa

Dr. Palumbi's research may provide clues to save the world's remaining coral reefs from climate change and global warming.

The video provides excerpts from from his speech at the Coral Reef conference held in American Samoa in conjunction with the dedication and opening of the territory's new Tauese P. Sunia Ocean Center, an interactive learning facility funded and operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Welcome to Tutuila, Aunu'u and Manu'a in the Samoan Archipelago

Welcome!

Here at BusyCorner Magazine On-Line you will find reef to rainforest eco-adventures, a learning place for Polynesian culture and short stories of spiritual romance. There are updates on good travel deals, how to travel on a budget and where to get the most value for your dollar; whatever your budget.

Its always better to know about a place before you arrive. BusyCorner Magazine On-Line does that. Much of the information is applicable for all of Polynesia. Enjoy, even if you don't get to appreciate the Samoan islands on your next trip.

Tutuila, Aunu'u and Manu'a have special and unique personalities.

Tutuila is modern in character with fast food places, luxury hotels, cheap hostels, economical living and great nite clubs. If you are coming from Oceania or Southeast Asia it will seem very much like being in America; music, movies, pizza, hip hop, fancy cars, beautiful buildings and polished roads and walkways. Surprisingly Tutuila's rainforests and reefs are fabulous and intact and only minutes away. Tutuila's hike and snorkel adventures put you in triple canopy rainforests during the day and back in your choice of clubs, restaurants or hotel lobbies during the evening. We are like that.

In Aunu'u your world slows down appreciably. Just a ten minute water taxi from Tutuila, Aunu'u has no stores or commercial activitie. Aunu'u does have rainforest shacks for great adventure overnights and plenty of families willing to care for you when you visit.

Manu'a is one hundred forty miles east of Upolu and eighty miles east of Tutuila. This is an enchanted world of myth and magic; A place where, according to Samoan legend, the earth was created. You are as likely to meet a friendly shape shifter spirit as you are to meet Sao Noa, an organic farmer who will serve you the earth's bounty on a plate made of woven palm fronds.