Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Aloha Shorts | January/Feburary 2005

Aloha Shorts

News and Notes from Around our World

How to Make a Splash in Our Contest

Judging from the number of entries we receive each issue— often more than 5,000—for the little travel contest we sponsor (click to see contest), it comes as no surprise that some of the entrants will do almost anything to receive special attention. However, even we were surprised, and not a little bit titillated, recently, when a contest entry arrived in our mail from Howard Gamper Jr., who lives in the far-away city of Philadelphia, Pa. Ever the resourceful ocean loyalist, Mr. Gamper enclosed his entry in the blue diver’s fin you see here, appropriately addressed to SPIRIT OF ALOHA and adorned with the proper amount of Priority Mail postage ($3.85). To make this story even more memorable, we might have hoped to be able to tell you that, when the regular bimonthly drawing was held, Mr. Gamper’s fin was pulled as the winning entry. Sadly, it was not. But, we can assure you, the splash he made will never be forgotten.




Whale Tales

January and February are whale-watching months in Hawaiian waters, reason enough for you to update your knowledge of the activities of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. This busy organization, established by Congress in 1992, continues its multiple research studies to preserve and protect humpback whales in Hawai‘i waters. According to Ka Leo o Ke Koholä, the newsletter voice of the hump-back whale, while research on living whales is often costly and involves significant logistical and legal hurdles, the Hawaiian Islands sanctuary is a strategic locale for obtaining scientific data. These are among the complexities that have made Hawai‘i one of the leading centers for marine studies and home for some of the world’s most outstanding cetacean scientists.

Says sanctuary science and rescue coordinator David Mattila: “The sanctuary is tapping into the long history of humpback whale research expertise here in Hawai‘i, and through that process is encouraging local researchers to participate in new studies. The more we know about humpbacks, the better equipped we are to aid them in their struggle for survival.” The organization welcomes volunteers and naturalists to engage in whale-watching for science and whale protection. Various events are held on all the Hawaiian Islands, including public lectures on marine mammal biology, research and conservation. More information is available at the sanctuary Web site at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov


Iz Is It

The life and music of the late, beloved Hawaiian musician Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo‘ole is well and beautifully documented on a new 90-minute DVD called “Iz: The Man Behind the Music,” released with considerable fanfare by Mountain Apple Co. of Hawai‘i. It features live performances, rare interviews and sweet stories of the man who, a rguably, is Hawai‘i’s best-known contemporary musician. The DVD is available at all music and video stores in the Islands. More information at www.mountainapplecompany.com
















San Diego Travel Values

With its gorgeous, year-round climate and near- perfect location on the cusp of Baja California, Aloha Airlines’ newest destination, San Diego, has never lacked affordable things for visitors to do. Now, thanks to a new program called San Diego Travel Values, many of these things are even more affordable. A special insert, updated biannually in April and October, offers hotel savings and value-packed coupons to favorite San Diego attractions and activities. Anyone can receive the Travel Values by visiting the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site at sandiego.org or by calling the International Visitor Information Center at 619-236- 1212. This site also describes 25 free activities in San Diego, including 70 miles of beaches, the turn-of-the century architecture of the Gaslamp Quarter, historic Old Town, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the many beautiful things to see at Balboa Park. A few miles from San Diego’s city center is Tijuana, Mexico, where the entrance is free and the possibilities are, to say the least, colorful.”



Another Hangover Remedy

On our traveler’s list of hangover cures and remedies are the following: a strong Bloody Mary, a greasy burger and milkshake, a bowl of New England clam chowder, orange juice with a raw egg, pickle brine, a eucalyptus-based oil massage, a full English breakfast, Thai noodle soup with pork skewers, a bowl of tom yum gai, a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel and Assyrian crushed swallow beaks with myrrh. To this we can now add a new commercial product called Sober-X Hangover Free Topical Patch, which is said to help reduce—and even prevent—hangover symptoms, through a unique blend of natural extract formulations and vitamins. This blend supposedly hydrates the body while maximizing its natural repair process, enhancing a natural response to physical stress created by factors such as excessive alcohol. The topical patch formulation is absorbed into the skin for up to 24 hours, according to its maker, Sober-X USA, a division of Task Alliance. Its formula includes milk thistle, artichoke, green tea and vitamin C, with all natural ingredients recognized as safe and based on a comprehensive review by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (more information is available at www.soberxusa.com). The makers point out that Sober-X is not a treatment for hangovers, it is a preventive measure. Of course, if it doesn’t work, you can always go back to the crushed swallow beaks with myrrh




MUSIC: Now Hear This

Brickwood Galuteria, Hawaiian 105 KINE’s “Aloha Morning Show” radio host, chooses this list of recommended music from the Islands, with all selections widely available at Island record stores:

• The Brothers Cazimero—Some Call It Aloha … Don’t Tell: Contemporary Hawaiian music masters Robert and Roland Cazimero demonstrate once again their passion for creating groundbreaking music in their first new album in six years. Original compositions, such as Robert’s “‘Ala Anuhea,” blend beautifully with old-time favorites, including “Hawaiian Lullaby,” composed by another musical master, Peter Moon, with lyrics by local legend Hector Venegas. The album, incidentally, has been nominated for a Grammy

• Vaihi—Vaihitian: Vaihi celebrates Hawai‘i’s strong cultural ties with its Polynesian neighbor Tahiti with this collection of songs written and composed by Marotea. If the lyrics interest you and you want to know more of the Tahitian language, go to www.vaihi.com.

• Nä Leo—Find Harmony: One of Hawai‘i’s most beloved groups, the trio Nä Leo Pilimehana, finds harmony in romance, divine inspiration and family, all familiar themes from musical sessions over the past two decades. If you’re new to their music, get acquainted with Lehua Heine, Nalani Choy and Angela Morales, and listen closely to “Sophisticated Hula.” Oldtimers, on the other hand, will keep coming back to originals such as “Coming Home.



Books

The Next Good Atlas
The next good place described in this issue of Spirit of Aloha is surely described, indexed and linked to an extensive online database in the Eighth Edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World (National Geographic Books, $165), now available at all bookstores. The 416-page, 7-pound reference book to the world includes 15,000 updates and editorial changes to the political plates since the Seventh Edition was published five years ago. Needless to say, for travelers, this is an astonishing book. And for those of us who like to travel at home, the new atlas is replete with the kind of facts that only the National Geographic can provide: since the last e dition, Mount Everest has gained seven feet; the Dead Sea, Earth’s lowest point, has dropped 26 feet; East Timor, the first new nation of the 21st century, is mapped for the first time; diacritical marks for spellings of Hawaiian place names are used for the first time; Calcutta is now named Kolkata; Yugoslavia has been has been renamed Serbia and Montenegro. More information at www.nationalgeographic.com



The Hawaiian Songbook
He Mele Aloha, now in its third printing, is a collection of over 250 favorite Hawaiian and hapa-haole songs dating from 1830 to present times, complete with ‘ukulele chords, lyrics and English translations. If you love to sing Hawaiian songs, there’s never been a book quite like this (‘Oli‘Oli Productions, $21.95). According to Carol Wilcox, one of four collaborators on the book, seeds were sown for the songbook in 1997, when a list of some 600 mele were compiled, then honed to about 300 titles “based on a loose standard of kanikapila—songs we most love to sing. One of the original contributors, an avid singer and collector of Hawaiian music, passed away while we were doing the book, and we had to eliminate several songs, because he was the only one among us who remembered them. This drove home how easily songs are lost.” Profits from the book go to Lunalilo Home. He Mele Aloha is available at all Hawai‘i bookstores.


Grinding, Local Style
A comprehensive guide to Hawai‘i’s small, fun eating places can take you down little alleys, streets and nooks and crannies in search of lup cheong omelets, peppery pipikaula, pülehu ribs and other favorites of the Islands. David B. Goldman’s Island Grinds (Bess Press, $11.95) describes 119 family-run bakeries, delis, cafés, izakaya and even roadside trucks—all the great places where locals hang out, but you don’t. Come join them. Superchef Alan Wong, who wrote the book’s foreword, says “Much of my own favorite eating today is still the good, simple comfort foods that can be found in the unpublicized small eateries in Hawai‘i.” Now they’re in this book.

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