Afakasi Alien in New York
After 32 hours travelling, 3 planes and surviving the beast that is LAX airport, this South Auckland afakasi woman arrived blurry eyed and bloated with airplane food at JFK airport New York City.
I jump into a yellow cab and head to Brooklyn as the driver ducks and dives between traffic like a pro. We trade stories about our home towns and what brings us to New York. I tell him I am a poet and here to check out one of the largest youth literary organisations in the world.
I arrive at my friends place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn just as the sun is setting. I am greeted by smiles from the papas playing chess in front of the stoop. Clearly, my years of travelling are not evident in my overweight suitcase . . . but a girl never knows what she may need, ya feel me? (that’s me trying to ‘New Yorkify’ myself). Once settled in, I am taken for a walk and shown the nearby laundromat, grocery corner store, the subway, bars and restaurants.…more
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TARO
The health benefits of taro include its ability to improve digestion, lower your blood sugar levels, prevent certain types of cancers, protect the skin, boost vision health, increase circulation, decrease blood pressure, aid the immune system and prevent heart disease, while also supporting muscle and nerve health.
Taro root, which is the thick, tuber stalk of the taro plant is an extremely important part of global cuisines and diets, as it has been for thousands of years.
In fact, taro is considered one of the first cultivated plants in human history. Its scientific name is Colocasia esculenta and it has a truly fascinating history.
It is believed to be native to Southeast Asia and southern India, but it is cultivated and used all over the Pacific Islands. Every culture uses taro in a slightly different way, depending on how it is prepared and the variety of the crop that is grown. It is also one of the few crops that can grow in flooded areas, due to its petioles, which can transfer materials even whilst underwater.…more
Humans Of The Islands - Lilian Su'a
Lilian Su’a
Samoan
Theatre Director, Aspiring Film Director
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What inspired you to work in theatre and film?
I’ve always wanted to make films because I loved watching movies when I was little. There was one fale in our village in Fugalei, and they had a TV. Whenever they turned it on I I would just kind of stand outside their fale by the pillars and just peak in. Back then, they’d be playing imported movies from America like The Lion King. We would watch Cartoons and it was like the ‘in’ thing in the village. Myself and the village kids would just stand outside and watch and we weren’t allowed to go inside the house unless the owner would see us and invite us in. It was the only fale in our whole village that had a TV and that’s where you would find all the kids. I guess that’s where my fascination with movies started.
And that led you to what you’re doing now?
Yes - directing and writing Theatre productions.…more
Virgin Coconut oil effective in treating diabetes!
Can Virgin Coconut Oil be the superfood that everyone is saying it is?
Source: Health Impact News
25.8 million children and adults in the United States, 8.3% of the population, have diabetes.
The current rate of people becoming diabetic in the United states is doubling every 10 years. This has resulted in a windfall for pharmaceutical companies capitalizing on this “disease” with drugs designed to treat type 2 diabetes, but not deal with the underlying cause. These drugs have serious side effects.
One of the most popular diabetes drugs, Avandia, was pulled off the market in 2011 after a number of studies showed that the drug increased the risk of heart attacks among type 2 diabetes patients. The manufacturer of the drug reached a $3 billion settlement in December 2011 over its fraudulent marketing of the drug, the largest federal criminal drug-company settlement to date.
Information that is finally making its way into the mainstream media is that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle and diet issue that can be reversed without drugs.…more
Maria Tutaia joins tennis stars on streets of Newmarket!
Traffic stopped for a celebrity tennis match on the streets of Newmarket, Auckland in preparation for the upcoming ASB Classic next Monday.
A section of popular Auckland shopping destination Newmarket was closed off on Sunday as tennis stars Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki had a friendly few hits with Silver Fern Maria Tutaia and TV host Makere Bradnam.
The ASB Classic favourties went head-to-head with their Kiwi partners right in the middle of Broadway on a makeshift tennis court spanning the entire road.
Silver Fern Maria Tutaia - the only one of the four without a background in tennis - was paired with Wozniacki. The pair lost both sets gracefully to Ivanovic and Bradnam.
"Well, for me it was pretty easy, I'm quite the tennis guru!" Tutaia joked.
Bradnam said it was an awesome opportunity to smack the ball around with her heroes.…more
Humans Of The Islands - Seuta'afili Patrick Saulmatino Thomsen
Seutaafili Patrick Saulmatino Thomsen
31 years old
Samoan
Where do you come from and where are you currently located?
I was born in Auckland New Zealand, my village in Samoa is Vaimoso, and I grew up in Manurewa. After living in Korea for the last 7 years, I recently moved to Seattle, Washington, USA.
What are you currently doing with your life?
I completed my MA in International studies at Seoul National University in Korea a couple of years ago. After that, I moved to Seattle and I’m now a PhD student at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington.
Is this where you'd planned to be?
In all honesty, I wanted to be in entertainment or sport, like most poly kids of my time. I left New Zealand at 25 years old, to go on my OE to South Korea - that was only meant to last one year!
I ended up doing further study there. During my MA studies, I fell in love with the research and made up my mind to pursue my PhD.…more
Pacific Youth amongst The Queen's Young Leaders winners
The Queen's Young Leaders Programme discovers, celebrates and supports exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth - which include Youth Leaders from the Pacific!
Last year the search was launched to find exceptional young people to receive the first ever Queen’s Young Leaders Awards. Hundreds of applications flooded in from incredible young people all dedicated to making lasting change in their community and beyond.
The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives. Winners of this prestigious Award will receive a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK during which they will collect their Award from Her Majesty The Queen.
Amongst those recognised from the Pacific include:
Aiona Prescott TONGA
Easter Tekafa Niko TUVALU
Luisa Tuilau FIJI
Mary Siro VANUATU
Salmon Parairua SOLOMON ISLANDS
Seini Fisi'Ihoi PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Tabotabo Auatabu KIRIBATI
Unique Harris NAURU
To see the full list, check out https://www.queensyoungleaders.com
SBW sparks conflict with graphic images of dead children
Sonny Bill Williams tweeted extremely graphic images of two dead children after returning from Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, demanding to know what they had done to deserve death.
The two images, which thecoconet.tv has chosen not to publish due to their graphic nature, show young children lying on the ground with wounds to their heads, torso and legs.
"What did these children do to deserve this?" SBW tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Williams recently returned from visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon as a Unicef ambassador working to bring awareness to the plight of the children and their families living in the camps.
The All Black star said his time at the temporary settlements at Faida in the Bekaa Valley, made him realise how "ignorant" of the refugee crisis he was.
He continues, "This summer share a thought for the innocent lives lost everyday in war,"
Early mixed reactions to Williams' tweet were followed by a flood of support on Twitter.…more
As a Pacific person, you are someone.
Last week, I shared my thoughts on the media’s storytelling of the sad death of Tevita Ba Daunibau. Like you, he was someone. A son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, and a valuable, young Pacific person. His life was meaningful, and his death – a tragedy. The media barely mentioned his name, only giving a small bite to the reader, leaving a person like me – a person who cares – starving for more.
You are More
Tevita was more than a gang member, more than a few lines in a news article. He was a person and he was one of our own. Lovingly raised by God-fearing grandparents, loved by his family and respected by his friends, he brought life and laughter to those who knew him. After 10 years in the Australian Army, he was discharged due to post-traumatic stress disorder, and later joined a bikie gang. The fact that he joined both the defence force and a gang tell me he was looking to belong to something bigger than himself.…more
FIJI: Just another Island boy living in America
He's one of the pioneers of the island reggae sound and continues to represent the Polynesian culture and music scene to this day. Fiji's voice is soulful and moving. Coupled with the fluid sound from the islands of the Pacific and the strong cultural roots and history, his music refuses to be categorized and boxed up. It's reggae, R&B, hip hop...it's island music.
You can close your eyes, listen to Fiji, and be taken anywhere you choose. It's spiritual. It's grimy. It's about love. It's about community. It's about culture. It's about truth.
All of it comes from "just another island boy living in America."
All Images Copyright Brad Puet
On who Fiji is:
I've had a pretty humble beginning. I was born in Fiji. Where I was born was regarded as a ghetto in a garrison. Even though we were in a very poor area, it was full of athletes, musicians, and artists. As I was growing up, I had a lot of musicians to look up to. A lot of them were my uncles.…more