Hawaii Book – Polynesia
The collection of Mark and Carolyn Blackburn, one of the greatest private collections of Polynesian art in the world. In this book, Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art
The geographic area covers the Pacific Ocean from Hawai‘i to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to ‘Aotearoa (New Zealand), the Austral Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Futuna, the Gambier Islands, Malden, the Marquesas Islands, Niue Island, Nukuoro Island, Rennell Island, Rotuma Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Takuu, Tokelau, Tonga, and the Tuamotu Islands.
The book features both ceremonial and functional traditional forms, from delicate ivory ornaments and decorated barkcloth to formidable weaponry and imposing sculpture in coral, wood, and stone. In Polynesia, the visual arts and their associated objects serve as physical representations of the underlying aesthetic, social, and religious aspects of the island cultures. In some cases, these eloquent objects may be all that remains to speak of these once-living traditions.
Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art was a winner of the Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards in 2011 for Excellence in Design, Excellence in Illustrative or Photographic Books, and the Samuel M. Kamakau Award for Hawai’i Book of the Year.
Hurricane Iniki Track
Hurricane Iniki formed over the warm waters southwest of Baja California around September 5th 1992. Over the next few days, the depression began to strengthen and it was upgraded to a tropical storm, then to a hurricane moving steadily west northwest. Iniki (Hawaiian for sharp and piercing wind) remained on a west northwest course and continued to strengthen while passing 300 miles south of the Big Island of Hawaii with maximum sustained winds of 85 knots.
Iniki was approaching the western edge of a subtropical high pressure ridge, that is a semi-permanent feature found north of Hawaii normally keeping hurricanes south of the islands. This ridge was now weakening and caused Iniki to take a course change that would eventually turn it on a more northerly track. On September 9th it was moving at 15 knots and was 425 miles south of Honolulu.
The hurricane began to slow its forward motion during the morning hours of September 10 with top winds of 100 knots. It slowed even more and started to turn northwest about 400 miles south of Lihue, Kauai, with maximum winds now estimated at 110 knots and gusts as high as 135 knots. A hurricane watch was issued for the western Hawaiian chain from Kauai to French Frigate Shoals.
It continued to strengthen during the early morning hours of September 11 as it moved north at 15 knots. Maximum sustained winds had increased and were estimated at 125 knots with gusts as high as 150 knots. It was rapidly approaching the Kauai coast and at 3:30 pm the eye crossed the south coast of Kauai just east of Waimea and departed Haena on the north coast about 40 minutes later. Estimated maximum sustained winds over land were 140 miles per hour with gusts as high as 175 miles per hour, making Iniki the most powerful hurricane to strike the Hawaiian Islands in recent history.
Hawaii FiveO Theme Song
At the center of rebooting the TV series Hawaii Five-O is the debut of a new orchestration of the iconic, 42-year-old theme song. “It’s the most enduring 59 seconds in TV music history” declares CBS. They are debuting this music video of the modern arrangement featuring recording session footage and clips from the upcoming new series.
After flirting with a major modernization – a synth-heavy remake, bringing in well-known bands, or doing a New Wave version, it was finally decided, “wait a second, we don’t want to mess with this.” Composer Brian Tyler was brought in to conduct 35 musicians for the re-record session. Among the musicians were renowned players from the original 1968 recording – David Duke (1st Horn), Chuck Findley (1st Trumpet) and Bob Zimmitti (Percussion). Feeling respect and awe for the classic theme by the series’ original composer (Morton Stevens) Tyler believed the new recording needed to be “true vintage with a cool vibe.”
CBS says, “It was essential to have the flavor of the original in the modern arrangement. We’re treating the Hawaii Five-O theme as a lead character in the show, and we’ll make use of the song in a variety of ways as we launch the new series,” which will debut September 20th.
Marine Debris Awareness
Marine debris, in addition to being unsightly, can also pose a threat to beachgoers and wildlife. You can help reduce the amount of debris that enters the oceans, and finds its way to beaches by following these guidelines:
- Think about the materials and packaging you are taking to the beach. Choose reusable items and use fewer disposable ones.
- Keep streets, sidewalks, parking lots and storm drains free of trash – they can empty into our oceans and waterways.
- At the beach, park, or playground, dispose of all trash in the proper receptacles or take your trash home with you.
- On a boat, bring all of your trash back to shore for proper disposal in trash cans or recycling bins, including fishing line and other fishing gear.
- Support environmentally responsible marinas.
- Properly stow and secure all trash on your boat.
- Remember that it is illegal to dispose of any plastic materials in all U.S. waters and anywhere at sea.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle.
- Get involved in cleanups in your area and encourage others to help keep the beaches and oceans clean.
- Report illegal dumping to your local U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Office.
Hawaii Rainforest Stamp
As part of the 2010 Stamp Program the U.S. Postal Service will feature a new stamp with a Hawaiian rainforest. The Hawaiian rainforest is the twelfth Nature of America issuance in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal communities in the United States. Previous issuances in the Nature of America series were Sonoran Desert, Pacific Coast Rain Forest, Great Plains Prairie, Longleaf Pine Forest, Arctic Tundra, Pacific Coral Reef, Northeast Deciduous Forest, Southern Florida Wetland, Alpine Tundra, Great Lakes Dunes, and Kelp Forest.
Artist John D. Dawson painted the scene and each of the previous ones in the Nature of America series. John is a gifted wildlife artist whose meticulous attention to detail and accuracy is inspired by countless hours of research, field observations, specimen studies, and consultations with scientists. The dramatic terrain of the West fueled many of his creative ideas, but in 1989 he traded the Rocky Mountains for the tropical rain forests of Hawaii, where he lives and works today. His clients include National Geographic, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Postal Service, for which he has created more than 30 stamp designs. The stamp goes on sale in August.
The following text appears on the back of the stamp pane:
Rainfall is abundant in a Hawaiian rain forest, a verdant world dotted with ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms and the flowers of the kanawao, ‘ōhā, and other shrubs. Typically, the leaves and branches of mature ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees make up the forest canopy. Saplings, shrubs, and tree ferns dominate the understory, while a great variety of smaller ferns, herbs and mosses carpet the forest floor.
The lush vegetation offers protection and sustenance for wildlife, including several bird species, numerous insects, and the islands’ only native terrestrial mammal — the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, or Hawaiian hoary bat. Because of Hawaii’s remote location, its rain forest plants and animals were safe from competition and predation by introduced species until relatively recent times; today, they are among the most vulnerable biological communities on Earth.
The stamp pane features a rain forest on the island of Hawaii. In the painting, a tiny happyface spider clings to a leaf in the foreground as honeycreepers and other birds seek nectar, insects, and berries amid the dense foliage.
1. ‘Ōhi‘a lehua (Myrtle Family) Metrosideros polymorph
2. Hawaii ‘Amakihi (Finch Family) Hemignathus virens virens
3. Hawaii ‘Elepaio (Monarch Family) Chasiempis sandwichensis sandwichensis
4. ‘Ōma‘o (Thrush Family) Myadestes obscurus
5. Kanawao (Hydrangea Family) Broussaisia arguta
6. ‘Ōhelo kau lā‘au (Heath Family) Vaccinium calycinum
7. Koele Mountain Damselfly Megalagrion koelense
8. ‘Ākala (Hawaiian Raspberry) Rubus hawaiensis
9. ‘Ōhā (Bellflower Family) Clermontia parviflora
10. ‘Apapane (Finch Family) Himatione sanguinea
11. Hawaiian Mint Phyllostegia vestita
12. ‘Ākepa (Finch Family) Loxops coccineus coccineus
13. ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian Hoary Bat) Lasiurus cinereus semotus
14. Pulelehua (Kamehameha Butterfly) Vanessa tameamea
15. Kōlea lau nui (Myrsine Family) Myrsine lessertiana
16. ‘Ilihia (African Violet Family) Cyrtandra platyphylla
17. Jewel Orchid Anoectochilus sandvicensis
18. Palapalai (Hay-scented Fern Family) Microlepia strigosa
19. Hāpu‘u pulu (Tree Fern Family) Cibotium glaucum
20. ‘I‘iwi (Finch Family) Vestiaria coccinea
21. Hāhā (Bellflower Family) Cyanea pilosa longipedunculata
22. ‘Ala‘ala wai nui (Black Pepper Family) Peperomia hypoleuca
23. Koa (Pea Family) Acacia koa
24. Happyface Spider Theridion grallator
Amelia Earhart Photos
Enlarged photos of Amelia Earhart’s visit to Hawaii in 1934 are on display at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (Oahu) where she stayed. Sixty-five recently discovered photographs of the pioneer’s time in Hawai’i are from the archives of the Matson Navigation Company (owners of the Royal Hawaiian, and the S.S. Lurline, which transported the pilot and her plane to Hawai’i). Although Earhart spent a lot of time at Wheeler Field getting her plane ready for travel, she and her husband also relaxed in Waikiki.
The black and white photographs capture Earhart with her husband vacationing, enjoying a little R&R, meeting Duke Kahanamoku, sampling pineapple, visiting Maui and the Big Island, and planting a banyan tree. Also on board the ocean liner was aviator Paul Mantz, who took her bright red Lockheed Vega up to Wheeler Field for fine-tuning and flight testing. The plane, she nicknamed “Old Bessie”, was pretty much hidden from public view, while Earhart and her husband became the toast of the islands.
The pictures are blown up in exquisite detail on canvas, and will be donated to the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island when the exhibition ends. In addition to the oversize canvas prints, more than 50 other pictures of Earhart will be used in an illustrated time line of her stay in the islands. On Jan. 12, 1935, Earhart took off from Wheeler and flew to Oakland, becoming the first person to make a solo trans-Pacific flight. The country went wild, and Earhart’s status as a modern heroine was assured. The exhibition starts on July 24, 2010 (Earhart’s birthday) and continues through the end of the year.
