The Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity is underway in Honolulu this week, and one thing they will be looking at is the connection between disabilities and prison incarceration.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with experts in the field of using culture and creativity to turn lives around.

The Royal Hawaiian Band and the Hawai’i Council on the Humanities have joined forces for a tasty lunchtime program this Friday (4/26) at ‘Iolani Bandstand.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

Hawai’i Opera Theatre is launching a new production of one of opera’s most thrilling treasures:  Puccini’s Tosca.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa goes behind the scenes for a look at why this production promises to be a blockbuster. 

This Sunday at Magic Island, you’re invited to a convivial gathering of people who make things.   Digital, virtual, physical, whatever your medium, if you’re really into it, the 6th Annual Geek Meet welcomes you with open arms.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

After over a century of persecution, the Ainu people were recognized as the indigenous people of Japan in 2008.  By that time, assimilation policies had nearly extinguished the Ainu language.  Population counts range from 25 thousand to over 200 thousand, as many do not acknowledge their ancestry.