A friend told me about this two hour Hawaiian music show a while ago, but Saturday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. is a bit early even for me. But I finally listened to it last week, and encourage you to do so as well if you enjoy Hawaiian music. The host is John Putnam, who play a variety of English (plus hapa-haole) and Hawaiian songs for this Mele O Hawai’i show.

KXCI community radio website info: www.kxci.org, 91.3 FM radio. Request line is 520-622-5924.

Last week Putnam played favorites by Raiatea Helm, Israel Kamakawiwio’ole, Cyril Pahinui, Mark Yamanaka, Brothers Cazimero, Cecilio & Kapono, etc. I just heard Cyril, Mark, and Lehua play live a few weeks ago at the Hawaii County “Magic of the Season” events. But the best singer for that holiday event was Henry Kapono (of former Cecilio & Kapono duo) who sang “Danny’s Song” and other favorites to a huge crowd in Hilo, Hawaii.

KXCI even lists their programming playlist (click here for January 5 show).

My favorite Hawaiian music station on the Big Island (when I get to go home) is KAPA 100.3/99.1 FM, where the radio hosts speak Pidgin English and have a Hawaiian word of the day for the listeners. And by the way, one of my favorite singers who plays slack key is Kohala local boy/friend John Keawe, who attended the same high school as me. I think I own all of his CDs.

And save the date: February 21 for George Kahumoku, Jr. at the Fox Theater, 17 W. Congress St.

Then after two hours of Hawaiian music, you can head over to Lani’s Luau for authentic Hawaiian food for lunch. They say they “speak aloha” at that restaurant, located at 2532 S. Harrison Rd. (NW corner of Golf Links Rd).

Listen to Mele O Hawai’i tomorrow morning, and every Saturday morning.

From AP news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake

From Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-quake-20110311,0,1950058.story

Epicenter was 81 miles off the coast of Sendai, where my mother’s family (my grandparents) came from, and where we still have relatives.

Just got a call from my son who works in the tsunami evacuation zone in Hilo, Hawaii that they will be on alert shortly due to a tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. I’m worried about him and other relatives in both Hawaii and Japan (as well as Australia and New Zealand).

I’ve been in several earthquakes myself having grown up on Hawaii Island, where there are two active volcanoes (Kilauea, who recently opened a new vent near Pu’u O’o this week) and Mauna Loa– but 8.9 is incredibly huge. Photos of the devastation in Japan are incredible.

Stay tuned. Estimated time of arrival of any tsunami in Hawaii is 3 a.m. HST (6 a.m. MST), per the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center latest alert.

Star Advertiser newspaper in Honolulu reporting evacuation of all coastal areas before 3 a.m. HST:

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/117783848.html

7;30 a.m. MST morning update: 200/300 people reported killed, tsunami waves in Japan reached 10 meters. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asiapacific/?gt1=43001 (sent from friend who used to live & study in Japan).

For those of you who want to read a live detailed blog, click on this link: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/11/6243734-live-blog-huge-tsunami-hits-japan-after-89-quake

This is supposed to be the largest earthquake that Japan has ever experienced, and from the news reports, the destruction is massive.

Damage in Hawaii seems minimal (thankfully) as only waves of up to 6-8 feet (2 meters) reached there. Best news is from Honolulu Star Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com/.

Hawaii Civil Defense usually evacuates most people (residents & tourists) from coastal low-lying, tsunami inundation areas once they receive a tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Once the sirens go off, people in Hawaii know to turn on their radios or TV sets (if there is electricity) and head upland (mauka) away from the Pacific Ocean.

3:30 p.m. update: horrendous photos of disaster in Japan:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365318/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-The-moment-mother-nature-engulfed-nation.html

I was one of the lucky ones who saw a preview last night of “Amelia”, the new Hilary Swank/Richard Gere movie about the life (and death at age 39) of pilot Amelia Earhart.

In the audience were two rows of women pilots from the Tucson 99s, the local chapter of the International Organization of Women Pilots. Amelia Earhart was the founder and first President of this group, and was a leader in aviation education for women in America.

As for the movie, it is based on two biographies of the rise to fame of Ms. Earhart, the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. She was also the first person in 1935 to fly solo over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California. The movie also chronicles her marriage to publicist George Putnam and her extra-marital affair with pilot Gene Vidal, an aviation pioneer.

Amelia Earhart

I grew up on Hawaii Island where there is a beautiful banyan tree in Hilo (on Banyan Drive), planted by Ms. Earhart herself on January 6, 1935, before her disappearance on July 2, 1937. There have been stories circulating for years out in the Pacific about her demise, and today there are still reports of plane wreckage and possible possessions of hers being found on Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island).

I recommend this movie about this legendary, courageous woman pilot and feminist, who believed in following her dreams, whose passion was flying. She wrote about the peaceful freedom she gained from flying, way up above the world.

“Amelia” opens in movie theaters tomorrow.