In El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, of the former rebel FMLN party, has won the country’s presidential election, ending two decades of conservative rule. Funes won 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Rodrigo Avila of the ruling right-wing ARENA party. Avila conceded defeat late Sunday. The FMLN was a coalition of rebel guerrillas who resisted the US-backed military government. More than 70,000 people died over an eighteen-year period, the overwhelming majority killed by military and paramilitary forces.

Tristan Anderson, an activist in the Bay Area that I’ve known for many years, was critically injured this week after being shot in the head by the Israeli Army (IDF). We are all pulling hard for him right now. Please stay tuned for more information on his condition…
 
Statement from the International Solidarity Movement website:
 
American citizen critically injured after being shot in the head by Israeli forces in Ni’lin
Posted on: March 13, 2009 | ShareThis

Updates below Press Release

For Immediate Release
Friday, 13 March 2009, Ni’lin Village: An American citizen has been critically injured in the …

Luke, Amy, and myself just returned from an amazing three days of backcountry skiing in the Sierras.
Thursday, Feburary 26, after cutting out early from a trying week of work in Oakland, we made a mad dash for the Sierras.  By the time we reached the trailhead — on highway 80 near Truckee, CA ( just north of Lake Tahoe) — the forecasted storm had set-in, bringing gusty winds and a mixture of snow and hail. Loathing the idea of prepping our gear in these conditions, we celebrated when Luke had …

27 May 2008 | Opua, New Zealand
And the changes continue… 
Where to start? The short of it is that after what seems like endless changes in plans and unknowns, Bahati is not leaving New Zealand. She will stay here for the next year. This was decided the day before we were set to leave, amidst the madness of repairs and offshore preparations.
Originally, Bahati was on her way to Singapore where Nat would be based working in the Oceania/Asia region for the year. This made an immediate passage north to New Caledonia …

09 May 2008 | Opua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Wow. Changes, changes, changes… and life goes on…
Just before departing the Bay of Islands to head north for Vanuatu, we received word that Grandma White (Nat’s mother, Molly White) was very ill back home in Maine. The weather window to head north was closing, and decisions needed to be made quick. We immediately put Nat on a plane back to the US to be with his mother, and dear friends of ours on the sailing vessel Empire were gracious enough to …