Corazon Aquino passes away

Kamusta ka na?

Corazon Aquino, the former President of the Philippines has passed away. It seems like we have lost a lot of truly great people...I still cannot believe Walter Cronkite is no longer with us.

Some of you may know that I spent a large chunk of my formative years in the Republic of the Philippines. The Philippines certainly made a big impact on my life. I got to see a lot of things most Americans never get to see. That's a good thing and a bad thing. I saw a lot of beauty, but also a lot of sadness. The Philippine Islands and the Filipino people will always be in my heart.

Because of some of the corruption in the Philippines, I remember being exposed to a lot of violence and knowing very early on the difference between good and evil. Corazon Aquino was always one of the good ones. She did a lot for the Philippines. People Power!

I have been approved by the powers that be to produce a special on the Honolulu Surf Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. Our special guest is going to be the curator of the museum Mr. Mark Fragale. It should be exciting! The museum is located inside the restaurant Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber. It should be an interesting episode of TAIT.

Speaking of Mr. Buffett, he was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which is turning out to be a really great show. He played "Margaritaville," but was backed by the Roots in addition to MacDonald, McAnally and Shakoor. It was interesting to hear the song played with Sousaphone.

Mr. Buffett mentioned an album coming in November 2009. The title? Buffet Hotel. One t. I have a feeling a lot of people are not going to like that title, but I happen to really like it. Apparently there is a hotel in Timbuktu, Mali called Buffet Hotel. I hope this album is similar to "Far Side of the World." I've never met Buffett, but I think the continent of Africa is a big influence on him. "Far Side of the World" was a wonderful album, steeped in mystique, adventure, literature and the exotic. It had an indescribable "feel" to it. I looked at it as a Buffettized version of Paul Simon's "Graceland." Made me fantasize about some mysterious, romantic Shangri-la.



I hope some of you got to listen to my interview with Cesaria Evora and you are turned on to Morna. It is beautiful and there is nothing like it!