We're all glad to see the sun break through the clouds this morning drying us out. Yesterday was a wet one. A winter storm formed up northwest of the islands during the first part of the week. It hit us before dawn yesterday morning and dropped a couple of tons of water on our heads.

At my house we got 3 inches of rain (an hour!) for a while. By night fall when the worst of it subsided, the gauge in the back yard measured 14 inches. We're okay. Our neighborhood is designed to take the cloud bursts

Not so the North Shore. Parts of Haleiwa town flooded. Cars were washed away. Some houses, even those built on stilts, had their living rooms washed over. Christmas decorations ruined. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but there are plenty of folks angry. The problem is that weeds clog up the small streams in the area and cause the water to back up into the town.

Surfing's Triple Crown

On a brighter North Shore note, the Van's Triple Crown of Surfing is finishing up today (Friday the 12th) at Sunset Beach. The event is one of the most important in the surfing world. Pro boarders from around the globe come to tackle Hawaii's notorious winter waves. These monsters range from 15-30 feet in height and attract thousands of spectators.

Three Aussies seemed to be favored again to take the trophy south of the equator, although local boy Andy Irons has a good chance to grab the last leg of the Crown -- the Banzai Pipeline Masters. At stake is $800K in prize money (should've taken those surfing lessons more seriously!)

Want to rent a cottage at the North Shore this time of year? It can cost you up to $30,000 a month. Regular people lodge in Honolulu and drive out -- fighting the traffic and lack of parking.

Honolulu Marathon

It's Christmas time in Honolulu and that can only mean the marathon is on. It was once the biggest in the world. I believe in 1995 it attracted almost 35,000 runners. Two-thirds of the runners come from Japan, but due to hard times there in recent years, our race has shrunk.

We still need 2 million water cups and a 150,000 oatmeal cookies to run the race. Yet this year participants are down to about 22,000. There's usually another 10,000 folks who do the marathon walk.

Perennial favorite Jimmy Mundi from Kenya is expected to cross the finish line first in this years 37th running. He's won 4 out of the last 5. Unbeknown to him, his brother-in-law Patrick Ivuti has also entered. Patrick won the Chicago marathon last year and could give his fellow countryman competition.

On the woman's side, the Russians are expected to dominate again, as they have for the past few years. Other notable runners will be Hideki Okajima, the Boston Red Sox's All Star relief pitcher.

The marathon is a major economic event for Hawaii. It brings in over a $100 million in revenue. This year merchants are hoping for an early Christmas gift. They note that the dollar has sank to it's lowest level in over a decade against the Japanese yen . That's bad if you're trying to buy a Toyota, but very good if you are a tourist from Tokyo and a merchant in Honolulu.

This reminds me of how closely related we all are around the world. When you buy a Toyota, many of whose parts are made in Japan, your dollars go to Yokohama. Folks there bring your dollars here to feast on big juicy steaks which we get by sending your dollars back to the mainland.

Like it or not we truly live in one increasing small world. So this Christmas lets all pray for Peace and be kind to our neighbors.

Aloha and God Bless Everyone.

Wayne