WWII-era women covered in talks

Motivational speakers love to claim that the Chinese ideograph for "crisis" is made up of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity." There’s no question that the war in Pacific presented a dangerous crisis for Hawaii, but it’s also true that island residents, including women, were given opportunities that might not have risen otherwise.

And so Women’s History Month winds down Thursday with a presentation at 5:30 p.m. at Alii­olani Hale called "Women in WWII Hawai’i: An Era of Change," hosted by historians DeSoto Brown and Warren Nishi­moto. It’s part of a series called "Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History Program."

The two-part presentation begins with Brown, the collections manager at the Bishop Museum Archives, as he describes women’s roles under martial law, followed by oral-history interviews presented by Nishi­moto, Michi Kodama-Nishi­moto of the UH Center for Oral History and storyteller Nyla Fujii-Babb.

It’s sponsored by the King Kame­ha­meha V Judiciary History Center and the Hawai’i Council for the Humanities. RSVP by e-mail to toni@jhchawaii.net or call 539-4999.

Organ donors honored in book

The "Na Makana Pau ‘Ole: Gifts Without End" book features 135 quilt squares with the heart-wrenching stories of organ donors. Entries were written by the donors’ families.

A book dedication will be held at 3 p.m. next Sunday at the Louis Pohl Gallery, located at 1142 Bethel St.

The book project was developed as part of a program to promote the organ donor registry and honor families who had to consent to organ donation during traumatic situations. Quilt squares were gathered during the past 10 years. The quilts will be displayed in the gallery April 4-7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Books can be ordered online at www.kidneyhi.org or by calling 593-1515. To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.legacyoflifehawaii.org.

Ikebana group celebrates 50th

Fifty years of "friendship through flowers" will be celebrated at the annual exhibition of Ikebana International Hono­lulu Chapter 56.

The show, running Wednesday through next Sunday at the Academy Art Center at Linekona, marks the organization’s golden anniversary and will display modern and traditional ikebana styles by more than 40 floral artists and youth arrangers.

This year the exhibition features guest artist Kika Shi­bata of the Soge­tsu School of Ike­bana.

The Art Center is at 1111 Victoria St. Admission is free. Call 532-8741 for information.

Brain Health Fair includes filmfest

Learn more about how the brain works at the Brain Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 9 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The fair, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology’s 63rd annual meeting, features Q&A sessions with experts, children’s activities, health seminars and a film festival.

Participants can learn about the benefits of nutrition and emotional health. The "Advances in Neurology" keynote speech will be presented at 10:30 a.m.

Register at www.brainhealthfair.com. Admission is free.