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.
WS Merwin US Laureate
W.S. Merwin, has been named Poet Laureate of the United States. Merwin, who lives in Hawaii, is one of this country’s most distinguished, decorated, and productive poets. Previous writers selected by the Librarian of Congress include Robert Penn Warren, Richard Wilbur, Rita Dove, Joseph Brodsky, Robert Pinsky, and Kay Ryan.
Merwin has also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice. The first was for his book The Carrier of Ladders
He lives on 18 acres of land that started as a tropical forest, then was logged and burned, then used for sugar cane and pineapple, and finally for grazing cattle. Merwin wanted to re-create a Hawaiian tropical forest, so he hauled loads of horse manure, wood chips, and seaweed onto the property to rejuvenate the soil depleted from decades of erosion. Hundreds of species of native trees, palms, and plants now form a canopy around his home in secluded Maui. He also helped design and build his wooden house, install solar panels for electricity, and a roof catchment system to capture rainwater.
He has developed a close relationship with the native culture and ancient language, and has incorporated Hawaii subjects in his poetry. His work The Folding Cliffs
About poetry, he says, “It’s like making a joke. If you get one word wrong at the end of a joke, you’ve lost the whole thing.”
Baby Dolphin Contest
Sea Life Park Hawaii is inviting you to help name the newest member of their family – a baby dolphin. A male Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was born on February 27, 2010. The calf’s Father is Kaleo and its mother is Laka. At birth a dolphin calf is approximately 40 inches in length and weighs approximately 45 pounds. Laka is an experienced mom and the birth went very smoothly in just less than 1 hour, and each day the bond between mother and calf continues to strengthen.
Sea Life Park Hawaii is located on Oahu and provides a unique opportunity to interact with exotic sea life and animals – from swimming with dolphins and sea lions to sitting in on a penguin trainer talk to feeding sea turtles to diving with rays. Sea Life Park Hawaii features a beautifully designed park with reefs, lagoons, pools, theaters, lockers, and dressing rooms. And, starting June 26, the Park will be offering special guided visits for guests to see the new baby dolphin.
The contest to name the dolphin is global and anyone can enter by submitting a name before August 31, 2010. The winning entry will be chosen based upon the meaning and reasoning of the name, and the results will be announced September 30, 2010.
The Grand Prize:
- 3 nights Stay at Sheraton Waikiki hotel (estimated value: $1000)
- Round Trip Air for two (if Mainland resident wins) (estimated value: $1500)
- Annual Pass (if a Hawaii resident wins) for a family of four and four Dolphin Royal Swims (value estimated:$1200)
- Winner will be invited to attend the Baby Dolphin Event in Fall 2010
- Private Dolphin Interactive program for two and the chance to go into the water with mom and baby dolphin. (value estimated: $200)
