Back in service and Pacific archaeology conference 2009

Ia ora na everyone, i've been away for way too long but now, the Pacific archaeology blog is back in service. I just realized that i wrote NOTHING in here for a year, which is absolutely scandalous... the updates : my Phd field-business part of it is in stand by since a few months but this, too, will get back in service ASAP. These last 5 months, i've been working for the (previous) minister of culture as a technical advisor for cultural and archaeological heritage. It was a very interesting experience but also a very frustrating one since I didn't have time to achieve what i wanted. The political situation is very unsteady and is seriously messing up the country, archaeology included! there is a new governement since last week, God knows how long this will last but i really hope that things are gonna be ok..before i start to digress, let's go back to our business : pacific archaeology. 2 news: 1/ the archaeology in our beautiful country is in a catastrophic shape at many levels but thanks goodness, we have some real passionate archaeologists and amateurs from here and outside who try to keep things going, no matter what. 2/ the Pacific Science Congress will be held in Tahiti in March (2 to 6, i think..). We are supposed to present something on March 4th, "WE" being my colleague Tamara Maric and myself. It is about oral traditions, chiefdoms and exploitation of natural resources in the Society Islands. I'll paste the abstract later and the program for the archaeology session, when i find them. This reminds me that i have some urgent work to do for this presentation. I wonder who had that great grandiloquent idea for the topic of our presentation, it gives me a headache already.. anyway, let me go brew another cup of nespresso and i'll be right back.... 3/ one cup later, i'm back with the latest news of the day : the Pacific archaeology conference that will be held in Palau in july 2009, 1st to 3rd..i'm seriously considering attending the conference..one has to find all excuses to get the hell out of here once in a while.. more seriously, i'm discussing with my brain if we should moderate a forum or panel discussion or not since i've been approached for that. Let me talk with my accolytes (i'm making up words from french to english..) and make a decision later... here is the link to the conference website : http://www.pacificarchaeology2009.com/ Voilà, enough for that very rainy day in Tahiti, storms, rain, clouds..anything normal under our beautiful tahitian skies, ok when the poetry becomes so bad, it's time sto stop ! mauru'uru, hinanui