SATURDAY SCOOPS
Get your green on

Advertiser Staff and News Services

A wee bit of history

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated each March 17 in honor of a fellow born in Wales about AD 385 whose given name was Maewyn Succat. Originally a pagan, he converted to Christianity and, having become a bishop to Ireland, converted many to his faith. In folklore, he is credited with driving the snakes from Ireland — but snakes were not native to Ireland, so perhaps this is more an allegory for his having replaced paganism with Christianity.

Anyway, what was once a serious religious celebration has become quite the secular occasion to swig green beer and dine on corned beef.

Green drinks

Looking for authentic Irish drinks for St. Patrick's Day? Replace the traditional green beer with a festive recommendation that will get those Irish eyes a' smiling.

Banned in its native land of Ireland since 1661, the clear, smooth spirit known as potcheen (or poteen or poitin) has been illegally made in home stills by farmers, barkeeps and experts ever since.

Bunratty potcheen is available at The Liquor Collection at the Ward Warehouse, among other places on the island.

Green Irishman

• 2 ounces green creme de menthe
• 2 ounces heavy cream
• 1 ounce Bunratty potcheen

Shake with ice. Makes one cocktail.

Irish pride is shining

The annual parade, sponsored by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Hawaii, begins at noon Monday. It begins at Ala Moana Boulevard and Atkinson Drive, travels along Kalakaua Avenue and ends at Kapi'olani Park. Expect 500 marchers and hundreds more onlookers.

And you can rub shoulders with the Irish, wannabes and everybody else at a block party starting at 5 p.m. Monday at Nu'uanu Avenue and Merchant Street. Early celebrants can head for the parking lot across from Murphy's starting at 11 a.m.

Admission is free.

Lahaina celebrates the whales with the Ocean Arts Festival

The celebration includes arts and crafts, entertainment, photo exhibits, displays, whale experts on hand to chat, ocean games and activities for kids. The entertainment highlight of the festival takes place 10:30 a.m.-noon today with a performance by Brigham Young University-Hawai'i's Jazz Ensemble and its Hawaii Shaka Steel Drum Band; other performers include Kalani Smythe, Moku and the Pacific Storm, and Bryan & Avi.

Admission is free. (808) 667-9193.

Books offer advice on how to converse intelligently with your cats or dogs

Jean Craighead George, a naturalist and author of the new children's books "How to Talk to Your Dog" and "How to Talk to Your Cat" (HarperTrophy) offers these tips on how to get human-animal conversations started and how to read your cat's or dog's mood:

• If a cat's whiskers are bent forward, it is a sign the cat is embracing you; bent backward, it means the cat is alarmed.
• If a cat's tail is hanging down and loose from the body, the cat is saying "All is well," but if it's lashing around, the cat is angry.
• If a cat's back is arched high and its fur is standing up, the cat is ready to battle. It's both a defensive and offensive pose.
• A dog's tail that is hanging low is a sign that it's depressed, while a tail that is up and slightly curved means the dog is happy. If the dog is sick, the tail might be lowered and hanging toward one side.
• A suspicious dog thrusts his head forward, presses his ears back and frowns. A wrinkled brow and ears held out to the side is a way of saying "I'm confused."
• Dogs love to play. They invite each other to tumble and romp by spanking their forepaws on the ground, rear ends up. If a person gets into the same position, it also is an invitation to play.

Tonight's your chance to see best short films on Doris Duke screen

"Give Up Yer Aul Sins," from Ireland, was an Oscar nominee for the Best Animated Short Film in 2002.

Well, at least we can find out what last year's films looked like: The Doris Duke theater at the Honolulu Academy of Arts is screening both the winners and nominees at 7:30 p.m. today.

The films:

• "Fifty Percent Grey" (Ireland, 3 minutes)
• "For the Birds" (USA, 3 1/2 minutes)
• "Give Up Yer Aul Sins" (Ireland, 5 minutes)
• "Strange Invaders" (Canada 81/2 minutes)
• "Stubble Trouble" (USA, 4 minutes)
• "The Accountant" (USA, 38 minutes)
• "Copy Shop" (Austria, 12 minutes)
• "Speed for Thespians" (USA, 29 minutes)
• "A Man Thing" (Poland, 26 minutes)
• "Gregor's Greatest Invention" (Germany, 11 minutes)

Total running time is 140 minutes. Admission is $5 general, $3 for museum members. 532-8768.

Note for film lovers: The 2003 Academy Awards show takes place March 23, airing at 6:30 p.m. on KITV. And the short-film winners will be shown at the Doris Duke in May.

Hall of fame rockers on VH1 tomorrow

If you were paying attention, you already know who just made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The awards took place Monday night, but is being telecast at 4 p.m. tomorrow on cable's VH1 channel. Can't wait to find out who's been inducted? OK, the inductees were AC/DC, The Clash, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Police, and The Righteous Brothers.

'Beehive' at MVT held over — again

"Beehive" is a honey of a hit for Manoa Valley Theatre. It's been held over for a sixth week, with final shows April 9-13. Tickets for the extension — the third, since the March 5 premiere — are on sale now; admission is $35 for adults, with $5 discounts available for seniors and military. Patrons younger than 25 are admitted for $15. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 988-6131.

Waikiki is a beach party this weekend

Waikiki might just be the place to be this weekend, as the city offers its "Sunset on the Beach" and "Brunch on the Beach" events again.

The Saturday/Sunday Sunset experience begins at 4 p.m. with food booths and entertainment. Tonight's free featured film on that 30-foot screen is "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," the action adventure starring Angelina Jolie, pictured at left, and based on the video game. Tomorrow's free film is the sci-fi drama "Signs," starring Mel Gibson. Each film will be screened at 7:30 p.m.

The brunch party — 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday — finds those big blue umbrellas, tables, artificial grass and lots of aloha along Kalakaua Avenue.

A number of restaurants will offer food at reasonable prices. And the entertainment lineup includes headliner Henry Kapono and an appearance by "American Idol" contestant Jordan Segundo.

Information: 523-2489.

If you're still in Waikiki Sunday evening, take in the Honolulu Festival grand parade, 5-8 p.m. along Kalakaua Avenue, which culminates this annual cultural exchange between Japan and Hawai'i. Its colorful floats represent festivals from across Japan.