Surf's Up: Free Video of Eddie Aikau Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational On Watch Status In Waimea Bay

Your weekend bonus: coverage of the fabled Eddie Aikau Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational meet at Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Due to the stringent "big wave" requirements, this event has only been held seven times in 21 years.

The waves must be at least 20 feet, which translates to an actual working "wave face heights" of more than 30 feet. Earlier this week, the waves didn't meet the standard.

This weekend's watch has been cancelled for Sunday, Jan. 13 due to storm and high wind conditions.

The meet is limited to 20 of the world's top surfers. Big Wave is also traditional because it requires paddle-in competition. No towing by powered vehicles is allowed.

Lean back, relax, and enjoy the emotional start of a recent Big Wave invitational, and some incredible surfing video.




Fittingly, the first winner was Eddie Aikau's younger brother, Clyde. The mana ws there, Clyde said, as he told of Eddie"s spirit rising to meet him in the lineup in the form of a large turtle, surfacing just before the winning rides.

The first lifeguard at Waimea Bay, Eddie lost his life trying to save others. He was selected to crew the Polynesian Voyaging Society 's second sailing of the Hokule'a on a 30-day, 2500 mile journey following the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands.

About twelves miles out from the island of Molokai, the Hokule'a developed a leak in one of its hulls and capsized. Paddling on his surfboard, In an attempt to get to land to save his crew and the Hokule'a, Eddie paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard.

Ironically, Eddie was the only crew member to perish. A commercial airplane spotted the Hokule'a and the rest of the crew was soon rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Eddie was missing at sea. Despite great search efforts Eddie was never seen again.

The invitational meet honoring Eddie Aikau's life and spirit is dependent not on man's calendars, but on nature. "The Bay Will Call the Day" surfers and organizers say.

Champions of this event include 7-time world champ Kelly Slater (Florida), Bruce Irons (Kauai, HI), Ross Clarke-Jones (Australia), and Aikau's younger brother Clyde Hawaii). No one has ever won the event twice. Quiksilver is a company originally founded in Australia.

Aikau is also honored through the Eddie Aikau Foundation. The foundation's goals include: "advancing education and community service; supporting ocean-related activities and events; assisting in the preservation and perpetuation of Hawaiian history and culture; and encouraging Hawaiians and visitors alike to respect and contribute to the growth and development of Hawaiian culture. The Foundation strives to inspire people to develop a strong sense of pride in themselves, their heritage and their community through Eddie's remarkable spirit and character "

High Tech Gadgets to Change Your Life in 2008

Pakistan: Belligerent Musharaff Tells U.S. To "Stay Out,"Pentagon Worried About Al-Qaeda Bases & Support

The Juice is No Longer Loose: O.J. Simpson Bail Revoked, OJ on His Way Back to Jail in Las Vegas

Not the Real Thing: Fake Priest Tries to Smuggle 7.7 Pounds of Coke

Bold Bandit Robs Bank Across from FBI Headquarters in Washington

It took almost 12 hours for the bank to realize that they'd been robbed. And the cool criminal staged his larceny across from national FBI headquarters.

There has to be a made-for-TV movie in here somewhere.

Figure Skating Champion, Child Actor Christopher Bowman Dies, Possible Drug Overdose

Bowman the Showman

Bowman in Trouble

Benazir Bhutto Book Rushed to Publication Before Pakistan Elections; Mourning and Scotland Yard Investigation Continue

Three more investigators from the famed Scotland Yard have arrived in Pakistan to assist with the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Tornado Dumps Bus On School Full of Kids in Mississippi

John Kerry Endorses Barack Obama, Political Slap in the Face to Former Running Mate John Edwards

Happier days: 2004 Running Mates Edwards and Kerry

Apparently, breaking up isn't so hard to do. Welcome to the Democratic Party's "eat your own" buffet.

Oh yes, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson dropped out of the Democratic run for the White House. This is kind of non-news as he never was really in it.

New Scam Alert: Fake "Department of Homeland Security" Callers Try To Steal Your Money

This one appears to be Jamican in origin, with support from Las Vegas and pre-paid cellphones.

Pakistan Terrorism: Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 22; Turmoil After Benazir Bhutto Killing Continues

Warning: graphic images. We struggled with the decision on whether or not to publish these images. We decided that as stomach-turning and horrific as they are, the records of terrorism attacks need to be seen. Terrorism and radical Islamism are not just vague philosophical concepts.They are deadly, dangerous, and they intend to launch these attacks in your hometown if they can.

Is Will Smith Plays a Scientology Recruiting Card; Tom Cruise Throws a Tantrum Over Morton Book

Left to right: Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes,Victoria Beckham, David Beckham, Jada Smith, Will Smith

Rumors are flying after popular actor Will Smith began handing out "free" Scientology personality test cards on the set of his new film. Smith also has said that Scientology is "like Buddhism."

What? Play that one again, Will. We didn't quite get the reasoning behind that weird pairing.
Also weird: the similiarity between the outfits chosen by Victoria Beckham and Jada Smith for that night out.

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise isn't jumping on any more sofas, as he did for Oprah. Instead, he's having a $100 million dollar temper tantrum
.

$100 million? And to think that for many of us, "church issues" means deciding between putting marshmellows or pineapple in the jello for the next potluck supper. Between this alien invasion of Hollywood and Garrison Keeler's Lake Woebegone, we'll take Lake Woebegone. Pass the hot dish, please.

Tungurahua Volcano: Massive Eruption Expected, Ecuador Evacuates 10 villages Near Quito

Tungurahua became active again in 1999. Prior to that, the volcano's last major eruptions had occurred in the early 1900's. The volatile volcano routinely causes earthquake tremors in the surrounding areas. Scientists say that energy is building up for an extraordinary eruption in the near future.

Bad Girl, Bad Girl: Woman on the Run Gets Stuck in KS Drain Pipe

Protest: Sex Offender Allowed in Elementary School to Vote

Raw Video: Iranian Boats Menace U.S. Fleet in International Waters

The Daily Drive-Through: Hot Tasty News About Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney, Megan Meier,Meredith Emerson, Storms

Would you like fries with that?

We've Come a Long Way, Baby: Clinton Takes New Hampshire

Tornadoes, Flash Flooding Kill Six, Tornado Alerts Across Miss. Valley

New Hampshire Primary: McCain Wins, Clinton Edging Obama, Shakes Up Campaign. Carville On Tap?

"We make our history--we are not its victims", John McCain said to a cheering crowd in tonight's victory speech.

Much to pundits' surprise, the "old man", John McCain, the tough, uncompromising Vietnam POW, swept the New Hampshire primary today.

On the Democrat side of the race, it's just about neck and neck, with Hillary Clinton slightly edging Barack Obama at this time. Predictions had been that Obama would decisively down Clinton.

Rumors abound that Clinton is going to shake up her campaign staff, and bring on some old tried-and-true President Bill Clinton era staffers. Among them: James Carville, Hillary's own former White House chief of staff Maggie Williams, ad guru Roy Spence and possibly Paul Begala. Carville and Begala, however, are stoutly denying that they'll get into the game on Clinton's behalf.

Clinton had already scheduled a key post-New Hampshire staff meeting to plan her campaign re-structuring. Just floating Carville's name might have boosted Clinton's campaign.

Princess Diana: Former Lover May Testify at Death Inquest; Bugging Claimed by Expert

One of Diana's friends claimed that rather than being ready to marry Dodi Al-Fayed, she was going to break off the relationship.

Killer Tornadoes Defy Winter, Slash Through Midwest in Bizarre Weather

In Oklahoma, the freak storms made history as the National Weather Service issued almost two dozen tornado warnings. The state has not recorded a tornado in January since 1975. Although none touched down, the warnings and the severe thunderstorms were so dangerous that local TV stations provided non-stop weather coverage during prime time, pre-empting normal shows.

Northeast Oklahoma stayed under tornado watch until 5 a.m. today. Although radar picked up supercell formation and rotation in the sky, the storms didn't unleash their deadly funnels until just after they crossed state lines into Arkansas and Missouri.

The photo is courtesy of stormchaser Chris Wilburn and KTUL. This incredible night photo of a tornado was captured in Missouri.



This dramatic night storm photo is courtesy of White Shadow Photography.



It was a tense time for those in the storm strike zone. Here at I Found a Peanut headquarters, we spent the night camped in front of a TV, flashlight and emergency gear at hand and ready to head into the storm shelter.

We knew something was coming even before the tornado watch and warnings were issued. The weather whipped from below freezing temperatures to a sudden tropical feeling. The high here reached 71 degrees. However, missing from the mix was the usual "oppressive" feeling that comes in pre-tornadic buildups.

Rapidly-building weather systems like this are incredibly dangerous because they appear so suddenly. Other dangers: flooding and lightning. As thousands of lightning strikes hammered to earth, the storms also brought flooding. Emergency workers had to rescue people from flash-flooded areas.

It's not yet dawn, so we haven't had a chance to check for any possible damage from the high winds. Amazingly, the power stayed on. Parts of Oklahoma are still recovering from more than a week without power and heavy damage from the recent multi-million-dollar ice storm.



Tulsa has brought in outside contractors to help with downed limb clean-up from the ice storm. Officials fear that fallen trees and limbs, especially in country areas, will serve as dangerous fodder when the fire season begins.

Despite all that, Oklahoma was lucky last night. Our neighbors on our northeast borders weren't so lucky, nor were those in some sections of Wisconsin and Illinois. Although we're reeling from the one-two punch of historic ice storm and now spring-like supercell thunderstorms, we know that last night we managed to dodge a deadly bullet--this time.

Applause is due KOTV, KJRH, and KTUL, who all fielded stormchasters and spotters, and who worked throughout the entire night monitoring and reporting on the storms.

Hillary Tears Up: "This is Personal"

Swiftboating 2008: Toor is a Bore; Romney's a Mormon! Oh my!

Yawn.

Flack Darryl Toor's media-churning release declaring that a swiftboating, via book, of a presidential candidate would be unleashed today turned out to be a non-starter. Despite the hyerbole, the fuss was about--surprise!--a book attacking Mitt Romney for being Mormon.

Boy, that's an original idea. Who ever would have thought such a thing might happen in the first presidential campaign with a Mormon front-runner? It's not like John F. Kennedy's bid to be the first Catholic president made waves.

Ok, we'll stop with the sarcasm now. But let's face it: the frenzied hype and today's press conference to shill for a "a Mormon can't do a good job as an elected official" book aren't exactly divine revelation. (Ooops, there's that sarcasm thing again! But this sinking boat just begs for it.)

Toor and his Attention Group only offered up a cheap, sleazy, attention-seeking sideshow for an issue that, like Grandma's cabbage, has been chewed twice (more than twice, actually, if your granny's cabbage was anything like mine). The book Toor was tooting up is Mitt-Set Our People Free! by Mike Moody.Toor describes Moody as " a twice-decorated US Army war hero and a maverick Republican who,four years ago, was the Nevada Coordinator of Republicans for Kerry."

Guess that swiftboating ploy used on Sen. John Kerry really caught on with these guys.

The Daily Drive-Through: Hot Tasty News From Geeks (Las Vegas, Baby & Bill Gates) to Freaks ( Cannibal Killer Christopher Lee McCuin)

Whale Wars, Race Wars: Japanese Video Accuses Aussies of Racism

Australia and Australians are showing "racist ideology....xenophia, white supremacy" and are "instigating hatred" against Japan by protesting Japan's plans to kill 1,000 whales this year The hard-hitting video assault was released by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

Springboarding off the Cronulla race riots and the killing of dingos, the video is shocking in its accusations. Note: we are presenting this as news, and in no way do we condone or support such accusations.

The whaling issue has spawned demonstrations and a great deal of passion in Australia. Here's some necessary background on the issue.

Swiftboating 2008: Is McCain or Romney the Target of Monday Book Release?

It takes a lot of nerve to brag about "swiftboating" someone, but PR flack Darryl Toor seems to think his "swiftboat" press announcement is a badge of honor. Early rumors say that the target may be either Vietnam veteran and POW survivor Sen. John McCain or Mormon Gov. Mitt Romney, but Toor's teaser is deliberately vague.

Among the attacks reportedly floating about McCain: he didn't really go to college. No, doofus, he attended the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy.

There's also rumors afoot about a possible second "scandal." Some whisperers say that Romney may be the target of that flank attack.

Meanwhile, Toor is trying to drum up media attention for his staged event tomorrow in Washington, D.C. Toor is CEO of Attention Group, which will hustle you up whatever you need. Among the clients listed: "Carnival Cruise Lines, Ericsson, Motorola, Rent.com, an eBay company, Blimpie, Avalara, Aegis Communications Group, Patriot Scientific, Wolff System Technology, YMCA, Giant International, Web MD."

The book will be published by something called "Revelation Press," which seems to be a mysterious no-name presence. The website doesn't seem to work, at least when checked.Is this another arm of his PR business?

It seems that this presidential campaign is going into the Big Nasty Swamp, and quick-production books are going to be part of the ooze. In December, a new book emerged that looked at the swiftboating of Sen. John Kerry and found it to be not only a good thing, but a true thing. Frankly, we think that swiftboating needs to sink as a campaign tactic.

As your lagniappe of the day, we'll serve up an authentic Mitt Romney scandal. It's true that he allowed Fox News reporter Greta Van Susteren into his touring campaign bus for an informal chat. And yes, while raving about a lemon meringue pie a supporter had made for him (and confessing his weakness for pie in the morning), he did slip up and call the pie just plain "lemon." You can see the video for yourself on Greta's blog.

What's coming tomorrow is a lot more serious than pie in the morning, or even a pie in the face. This "swiftboating" press release, folks, is the official entry of the cow pie brigade into the 2008 presidential campaign,

Here's the backgrounder on the Dec. book ploy. The "I'm so proud I'm swiftboating someone" press release follows the backgrounder.

"Subject: Candidate to be Swift-Boated Tomorrow in D.C

Guest Available in D.C. and NYC

Candidate to be Swift-Boated Tomorrow in D.C

Press Advisory

Who: A leading major U.S. Presidential Candidate

What: Eight years ago, George W. Bush’s Presidential campaign was nearly torpedoed by the last-minute “October Surprise” release of factual truth about a decades-old DUI. Four years ago, Bush’s campaign was almost derailed again, by the release of authentic-looking forged documents relating to his National Guard service. Had the documents proved true, Kerry might have become President.

Four years ago, “Swift Boating” entered the Presidential campaign lexicon when Kerry’s candidacy was torpedoed by accusations from men who’d served with him in Vietnam. Kerry was never able to recover, even when the veracity of these accusations became subject to question. In 2004, “Swift Boating” and “Rather-Gate” were action based on “iffy” information. However, in 2008, this “Swift Boating” experience is based on rock-solid, well-sourced and absolutely accurate information.

Why: This years’ Swift-Boating” will occur with the release of a new book published by Revelation Press and available this week at www.revelationpress.com. The author is concerned about the danger of this candidate misleading the American people if they were to become president. Built around irrefutable hard and cold facts – these allegations come from a former TV business news editor, a twice-decorated military veteran who shares this candidate’s party affiliation – and who has known the candidate personally since their college days. This book literally gives “chapter and verse” about this candidate’s less-than-candid candor with the American people. Unlike “Rather-Gate” and the original “Swift Boat” book, this former TV journalist’s book is no fabrication – it is supported by 10 pages of meticulously-researched end-notes citing original source material supporting every factual assertion about the candidate’s failure to shoot straight with the American people, and this breach-of-faith’s implications for the Presidency.

Where: National Press Club, Murrow Room, Washington D.C.

When: 1:30 p.m. January 7, 2008

Why: This years’ Swift-Boating” will occur with the release of a new book published by Revelation Press and available this week at www.revelationpress.com. Built around irrefutable hard and cold facts – these allegations come from a former TV business news editor, a twice-decorated military veteran who shares this candidate’s party affiliation – and who has known the candidate personally since their college days. This book literally gives “chapter and verse” about this candidate’s less-than-candid candor with the American people. Unlike “Rather-Gate” and the original “Swift Boat” book, this former TV journalist’s book is no fabrication – it is supported by 10 pages of meticulously-researched end-notes citing original source material supporting every factual assertion about the candidate’s failure to shoot straight with the American people, and this breach-of-faith’s implications for the Presidency.

Note to Media/Guest Bookers/Producers: Limited conditional signed embargos available on request. Obviously, we can’t tell you more at this point – not without inviting in-advance cover-up from the Candidate’s camp.

Immediately after the press announcement, the author will be available in Washington D.C. and NYC for interviews for broadcast appearances and interviews – ready to answer questions and defend his allegations – with facts. To schedule an interview, please contact:

Daryl Toor
CEO/Chief Awareness Officer
Attention!
1030 Clairborne Drive
Alpharetta, GA 30004
www.attentiongroup.com

Democrats in New Hampshire: Yes, We're Different

Pakistan, Iran to Finalize Gas Pipeline Project, India Hook-Up Wanted

Backgrounder: McCain, Vietnam POW Survivor, & "100 Years" In Iraq

The Daily Drive-Through: Hot Tasty News About Al-Qaeda, Terrorism, Bush,New Hampshire Primary, Winter Storm, Alaska Plane Crash

The gloves are off in New Hampshire, as the primary countdown clock ticks. Other Republican candidates ganged up on Mitt Romney as the digs got down and dirty. Romney fired back as tempers became testy.

Ron Paul had his chance to jump into the mix. The Republican Party withdrew their sponsorship of the Fox News debates after Fox decided to eliminate Paul/

Across the U.S., a massive winter storm ripped into several states. In Alaska, a small plane crashed into icy waters at Kodiak, killing six people. Four survived.