Hanging Ten or Just Hanging

I found our surf instructor through a guy in the gift shop; the surf instructor the hotel hooked us up with was not to my liking for a reasons I will not disclose here. (You all like a good mystery don�t ya?) This guy I found in the gift shop delivering "real Hawaiian� gifts to one of the gift shops here. (Real as opposed to fake as there are several levels of shops in this resort. 1. One being the one that sells all the fake stuff from Taiwan and the usual assortment of hang ten and I got leid in Hawaii shot/beer glasses. Tell me whose mother is going to put an �I got leid� in Hawaii magnet on their refrigerator? 2. The art shop which sells decent enough art prints by various artists with around fifty percent being local artists. 3. The clothing shop where they sell a rather eclectic variety of beachwear of the more expensive type and a few things you might actually wear while in the water and 4. The shop that sells stuff actually made in Hawaii. It is of course the most expensive shop here) The surf instructor was the brother of the gift shop delivery guy ( Anna my brothers gf and I) took lessons from him as the gift shop guy convinced him do us a lesson even though he does not usually give lessons to �mainlanders� because they are �soft� �complain a lot�, are litigious�, and think they can surf when they can�t and therefore get themselves into all kind of trouble of which he had � no desire to deal with�. My cousin,(who is not my cousin anymore than my uncle is my uncle but whom any relationship other than platonic would seem rather incestuous) can surf really well being the crazy Aussie he is, but refused to give us lessons as he was not going to be responsible for our demise. Those were a couple of interesting few days and believe me it is so worth hooking up with the people that actually live here. Anna (my brother�s gf) has quit trying to surf after getting rather beat � up the other afternoon and then supposedly getting some kind of sting on her foot. I find this hard to believe I think she just wants to go to the spa and get her hair done and lay a round the pool drinking all day. My cousin and brother are playing golf and so I am left to my own �devices? Or is it vices? They are all a twitter here with Jack Johnson�s Grammy nomination. They do love their home-boys; I haven't looked hard enough for him I guess as I haven't come across him yet even at the park which hosts the pipeline. I thought for sure he would be there. ;) Big push to save the north shore and there is some hostility toward the establishment we are staying at. I am all for saving the Northern Part of this Island as it is quite gorgeous. The lack of roads doesn�t bother me at all and whatever. I could indeed live here; if only for a time. Time to do something as it appears I have had my first morning of doing absolutely nothing except talking to various people on aim , one of them being Wombat and as he said "pretty please" when asking for a few nude surfing pictures... he got them. ;) As language has its own logic as does this blog.

We could close our eyes its still there And oh, Its such a crying crying crying shame

Post is a little spacey but I am a little spacey today.

Peace Out.

Check out the news on Darfur.. thanks. This is not a good sign - the situation in Darfur is worsening and has, in recent weeks, become tied to events in neighboring Chad. In December 2004, U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland warned that 100,000 people could die a month if humanitarian organizations are forced to suspend operations in Darfur. In September 2005, Egeland warned "If (the violence) continues to escalate, we may not be able to sustain our operations for 2.5 million people requiring life-saving assistance. In Darfur, it (aid distribution) could all end tomorrow. It is as serious as that." Now, the UN is pulling out all non-essential workers from parts of Darfur because this is exactly what is happening: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05207366.htm The United Nations has scaled back its staffing in parts of Sudan's war-torn western Darfur region following a buildup of forces along the country's border with Chad, U.N. officials said on Thursday. Tensions have soared on both sides of the border in recent weeks after Chadian rebels based in Darfur, joined by Chadian army deserters, carried out several cross-border raids. Several rebel groups last week said they were banding together to topple Chadian President Idriss Deby. Deby accuses the Sudanese government in Khartoum of backing them and has urged the United Nations to take over Darfur's administration. Khartoum denies any involvement. The decision to restrict staffing "does not mean there will be an overall evacuation," U.N. chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "Essential life-saving humanitarian services delivered by the U.N. will continue, and the mission will monitor the situation and carry out a fresh security assessment of the area in the next two to three weeks," Dujarric said. The move was "due to the increased instability in the affected areas, including a buildup of forces on ether side of the Sudan-Chad border, with increased potential for armed conflict," he said. The border tensions have further complicated a debilitating civil war that has raged in Darfur since February 2003, pitting Sudanese rebels against government forces. Tens of thousands have been killed and 2 million have left their homes for camps in Sudan and Chad to flee the fighting. The area now hosts one of the world's largest humanitarian operations, with more than 11,000 aid workers struggling to feed, clothe and shelter inhabitants. The Sudanese rebels began fighting to pressure the Arab-dominated central government to respond to the needs of Darfur's villagers. U.N. officials say Khartoum then armed Arab militias to fight the rebels, and that the militias launched a campaign of rape, killing and looting that continues to this day. While the U.N. Security Council has demanded an end to the militia attacks, the government has yet to make real gains in doing so, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported last month. The council meets on Jan. 13 to discuss the situation.