9/13/11

My NewStand

Miss Universe
Miss Angola, Leila Lopes wins Miss Universe. Why do I care? Well, in light of some issues and controversies surrounding the Miss Samoa pageant, it’s time for pageant organizers to elevate and promote Miss Samoa in international competition - just like rakapi ...LOL! ....where The Manu might - just might - win it all. Go The Manu!

Samoa Head of State in Utah
Samoa's Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, is in Utah.  Read more here:

This evening Tuiatua and his good lady, Masiofo Filifilia, will be welcomed during an ‘ava faatupu at Utah Valley University (UVU) followed by a fiafia in their honor.

On Friday, he will be speaking at BYU - as part of the Kennedy Center Lecture Series - on "Samoa–U.S. Relations”.  I am planning to attend the lecture. I am a big fan of the Head of State - a man of great wisdom; he's smart, knowledgeable and eloquent in both contemporary world issues and Samoan topics.  His Masiofo, Filifilia, was my English teacher at Samoa College. I’ll post some updates on the lecture later on.

And the Head of State will certainly look forward to watching the Manu/Namibia game tomorrow (or is it today? ..yes, tonight at 8:30 - an hour and a half from now..yes!!!).  If the HOS leaves the fiafia early, then this community should know why.  Wow, these differences in days and times are making me psychedelically disoriented ... LOL!! Anyway, for me, I have the game as part of my TV viewing smorgasbord tomorrow evening... TONIGHT! - PPV.  If Fiji destroyed Namibia then I think the Manu should “destroyer” and “destroyest” them too....hahahaa.  And then the replays will be sweet. The All Blacks/Tonga game has been replayed ad nauseam here in the US; I wonder if they’ll do the same to the Manu/Namibia game.

Another GOP Presidential Debate Last Night
This one in Tampa, FL., was sponsored by CNN and Tea Party. Perry again became the “human pinata”. It was expected to be another Romney - Perry showdown but was watered down by aggressive and surprising performances of other candidates. Nonetheless, the two frontrunners still dominated the debate. And again the pundits give Romney another win.

Jennifer Rubin (Washington Post)
The winners: Santorum —— not a bad answer all night, and sounded better than most of the others; Perry on jobs; and Romney for overall strong answers and precision in his arguments.

The losers: Perry on everything else, Bachmann (who still isn’t on a par with Romney and Perry); national security (almost entirely ignored); Perry spinners who insist Social Security isn’t an issue for the Texas governor; and Paul, who was finally unmasked as a crackpot and apologist for our enemies (reciting Osama bin Laden propaganda).
I agree. Santorum did really well. I also liked Gingrich and Bachmann.  Huntsman was bent on attacking Perry and especially Romney. But Romney was his usual self - confident, smart, composed and witty. Perry on the other hand, was, well, “the other hand” - contrastingly speaking.  Here are some more reviews.

Washington Post:
WINNERS: Mitt Romney: Four debates. Four times Romney has wound up in the winner’s circle. It’s not a coincidence. Romney proved yet again that he is the best debater in this field with another solid performance in which he effectively downplayed his liabilities on health care and accentuated his strengths on jobs and the economy.

Others: Gingrich, Bachmann, Caine and Santorum

LOSERS : Rick Perry: The frontrunner didn’t get it done tonight. After surviving the expected back and forth with Romney over Social Security, Perry seemed to let his guard down a bit when the subject turned to his executive order on the HPV vaccine.

Others:  Huntsman and Paul

Peter Grier ( The Christian Science Monitor)
"... for the second time in a week, Mitt Romney may have turned in the best overall debate performance. He was prepared and crisp in his answers, and he differed with Rick Perry and others without seeming angry."

Howard Kurtz. (The Daily Beast)
"…… Romney seized control of the tempo in what may have been his strongest performance so far. He seemed at ease taking the fight to Perry and got the better of their heated exchanges. The former Massachusetts governor was clearly trying to position himself as the reassuring grownup on stage and Perry as the fearmonger."

Stromberg (Washington Post)
The Bottom Line: Romney was the most substantive. On content, Perry had mostly shallow answers and absorbed a few blows, but he did so with winking Texas swagger and didn’’t have a meltdown on Social Security, so pundits will probably say that he pulled through.
...stay tuned

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