Oct 28th, 2008 · On its MySpace page, Small Sur facetiously claims its style of music falls into the reggaeton genre. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, as this Baltimore-based group instead creates strikingly peaceful folk that feels as if it has sprung from the Pacific coasts of California rather than the East Coast.
Oct 3rd, 2008 · SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Sep 25th, 2008 · Workers from the Pacific island of Palau are in Postville, Iowa, to work at a meatpacking plant that was raided by immigration authorities earlier this year. Palauan officials recently traveled to Postville to meet with plant managers.
Aug 2nd, 2008 · The tiny Pacific island nation of Tonga threw a big party to celebrate King George V's ascent to the throne last week. Tongan journalist Siua Lafitani describes the weeklong festivities that included two royal ceremonies, three coronation balls and a huge pig roast.
Jul 22nd, 2008 · High gas prices are prompting calls for increased oil drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Democrats are urging oil companies to drill under leases they already own, and not in protected areas. But a drilling lease is like a fishing license — having a lease doesn't guarantee you'll produce oil anytime soon, if at all. Moreover, companies that want to drill don't necessarily have the equipment or labor to do it.
Jul 9th, 2008 · A tiny state in the South Pacific is planning to clear the air. On the island of Niue, population 1,400, officials are considering a plan to ban smoking. If the measure passes, it will be a cruel blow for the nation's 250 smokers — the nearest smoking area will be about 1,400 miles away in New Zealand.
Jun 16th, 2008 · Singer and actress Kelli O'Hara has received three Tony nominations in as many years. She currently stars in the crowd-pleasing revival of South Pacific.
Jun 16th, 2008 · Broadway celebrated its best last night at the 62nd annual Tony Awards. The honor for Best Musical went to In the Heights, a celebration of life in a Latino neighborhood in Manhattan. But the most awards went to South Pacific, a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.