Oʻahu
The Gathering Place
Satellite photo of Oʻahu
Location in the state of Hawaii
Geography
Location	21°28′N 157°59′W / 21.467°N 157.983°W / 21.467; -157.983Coordinates: 21°28′N 157°59′W / 21.467°N 157.983°W / 21.467; -157.983
Area	596.7 sq mi (1,545 km2)
Rank	3rd largest Hawaiian Island
Highest point	Kaʻala
Max elevation	4,003 ft (1,220.1 m)
Demographics
Population	953,207 (as of 2010[1])
Density	1,468/sq. mi. (567/km²)
Official Insignia
Flower	Ilima
Color	Melemele (yellow)

Oahu /oʊˈɑːhuː/ or Oʻahu (pronounced [oˈʔɐhu] in Hawaiian), known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. Including small close-in offshore islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kaneohe Bay and off the eastern (windward) coast, it has a total land area of 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km²), making it the 20th largest island in the United States.^[2] In the greatest dimension, this volcanic island is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. The length of the shoreline is 227 miles (365 km). The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waiʻanae and Koʻolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. Ka'ala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.^[3]

Introduction[link]

Fly-around tour of the island.

The island is home to about 953,207 people (approximately 75% of the resident population of the state, with approximately 75% of those living on the "city" side of the island). Oʻahu has for a long time been known as "The Gathering Place". However, the term Oʻahu has no confirmed meaning in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself.^[4] Ancient Hawaiian tradition attributes the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiʻiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a son.

Residents of Oʻahu refer to themselves as "locals" (as done throughout Hawaiʻi), no matter their ancestry.

The city of Honolulu—largest city, state capital, and main deepwater marine port for the State of Hawaiʻi—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of Oʻahu is in the City & County of Honolulu, although as a place name, Honolulu occupies only a portion of the southeast end of the island.

Well-known features found on Oʻahu include Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma, Kāneʻohe Bay, Kailua Bay, North Shore.

Being roughly diamond-shaped, surrounded by ocean and divided by mountain ranges, directions on Oʻahu are not generally described with the compass directions found throughout the world. Locals instead use "ewa" (pronounced "eh-va") to mean toward the western tip of the island, "Diamond Head" to be toward the eastern tip, "mauka" is toward the mountains and "makai" toward the sea.

Locals consider the island to be divided into various areas, which may overlap. The most commonly-accepted areas are the "City", "Town" or "Town side", which is the metropolitan area from Halawa to the area below Diamond Head (residents of the island north of the Koʻolau Mountains consider the Town Side to be the entire southern half); "West Oʻahu," which goes from Pearl Harbor to Kapolei and Ewa and may include the Makaha and Waianae areas; the "North Shore" (northwestern coast); the "Windward Side" (northeastern coast); the "East Side" (the eastern portion of the island, including both the Windward Side and the area east of Diamond Head; and "The Valley" or "Central Oahu" which runs northeast from Pearl Harbor toward Haleiwa. These terms are somewhat flexible, depending on the area in which the user lives, and are used in a mostly general way.

History[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The old Kingdom of Oʻahu was once ruled by the most ancient Aliʻi in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The first great king of Oʻahu was Mailikukahi, the law maker, who was followed by many generation of monarchs. Kualii was the first of the warlike kings and so were his sons. In 1773, the throne fell upon Kahahana, the son of Elani of Ewa. In 1783 Kahekili II, King of Maui, conquered Oʻahu and deposed the reigning family and then made his son Kalanikupule king of Oʻahu. Kamehameha the Great would conquer in the mountain Kalanikupule's force in the Battle of Nuʻuanu. Kamehameha founded the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795. Hawaiʻi would not be unified until the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau surrendered under King Kaumualii in 1810. Kamehameha III moved his capital from Lāhainā, on Maui to Honolulu, Oʻahu in 1845. ʻIolani Palace, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil.

Oʻahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS Resolution on 18 January 1778 during Captain James Cook's third Pacific expedition. Escorted by HMS Discovery, the expedition was surprised to find high islands this far north in the central Pacific. Oʻahu was not actually visited by Europeans until 28 February 1779 when Captain Charles Clerke aboard HMS Resolution stepped ashore at Waimea Bay. Clerke had taken command of the ship after Capt. Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay (island of Hawaiʻi) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific.

The opening battle of World War II in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu on the morning of December 7, 1941. The surprise attack was aimed at the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine Air Forces. The attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and resulted in the deaths of 2,403 American servicemen and 68 civilians (of those, 1,177 were the result of the destruction of the USS Arizona alone).

Today, Oʻahu has become a tourism and shopping haven. Over five million visitors (mainly from the American mainland and Japan) flock there every year to enjoy the quintessential island holiday experience.

An earthquake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, struck the Island Of Hawai'i and the surrounding islands at 07:07:49 HST on 15 October 2006, causing an island-wide power outage and over $200 million in damage.

Tourist attractions[link]

Top beaches[link]

• Ala Moana Beach
• Hanauma Bay
• Kaneohe Bay
• Ko Olina Beach Park
• Kailua and Lanikai Beach
• Sandy Beach
• Sunset Beach
• Waikīkī Beach
• Waimanalo Beach
• Waimea Bay

Attractions[link]

• Ala Moana
• Aloha Tower
• Bernice P. Bishop Museum
• Diamond Head
• Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa
• Honolulu
• Honolulu Museum of Art
• Mauna Ala
• Makapu'u Lighthouse
• North Shore
• Pali Lookout
• Pearl Harbor
• Polynesian Cultural Center
• USS Arizona Memorial
• USS Missouri
• Valley of the Temples
• Waikīkī

Oahu in media[link]

Due to its beauty, easy access from Hollywood and incentives by the state and local governments, Oʻahu has been featured in many movies and television shows. There is great financial incentive on the part of the State to promote filming on location in Hawaii as the local economy benefits. The notable films and shows to shoot scenes on Oʻahu include, but not limited to:

Blue Crush, Soul Surfer, Lost, Dante's Cove, 50 First Dates, Flight 29 Down, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, From Here to Eternity (movie), From Here to Eternity (TV series), Hawaii Five-O, Jake and the Fatman, the Jurassic Park movies, The Karate Kid, Part II, Magnum, P.I., Mighty Joe Young, North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Windtalkers. The Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami as well as its sequel, Johnny Kapahala, use O'ahu as the hometown of the family. The Even Stevens Movie, also by Disney, was filmed in various locations on O'ahu. The reality TV show Dog the Bounty Hunter is filmed in the regions of Honolulu, Oʻahu (as well as other regions in Oʻahu), and the city of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The children's series Flight 29 Down was filmed on the island. The hit television series Lost was filmed almost entirely on O'ahu, and many of the show's stars still call the island home. The island's thick rainforests and picturesque beaches are prominently featured. The ABC TV show Hawaiian Eye, while set in Hawai'i, was filmed in Los Angeles. The new Hawaii Five-0 is set and filmed on location on the island. Some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were also filmed on Oʻahu. The upcoming film, Battleship is also set and filmed on location on Oahu, and the other Hawaiian islands.

Multiplayer online racing game Test Drive Unlimited takes place on a fully modeled Oʻahu island with 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of roads and highways. Oʻahu is featured in its sequel, Test Drive Unlimited 2, as a second island, together with Ibiza.^[5]

See also[link]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu

References[link]

• Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson. 1983. Volcanoes in the Sea. University of Hawaiʻi Press, Honolulu. 517 pp.
• Pukui, M. K., S. H. Elbert, and E. T. Mookini. 1976. Place names of Hawaiʻi. University of Hawaiʻi Press. 289 pp.
• Doyle, David W., Rescue in Paradise: Oahu's Beaches and their Guardians (Island Heritage, 2001)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oahu

• Oahu travel guide from Wikitravel

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Alana Blanchard
Personal information
Born	Alana Rene Blanchard (1990-03-05) March 5, 1990 (age 22) Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Residence	Kauai, Hawaii
Website	AlanaBlanchard.com

Alana Rene Blanchard (born March 5, 1990) is an American professional surfer. At 22 years of age, Blanchard has gained fame as "one of the best female surfers."^[1] Alana surfs on the ASP World Tour.^[2] Alana is involved in designing Rip Curl bikinis.^[3] She is best friends with fellow surfer Bethany Hamilton, and was present when Hamilton suffered the shark attack that cost her an arm.^[4][5] She is played by actress Lorraine Nicholson in the 2011 film Soul Surfer.

Accomplishments[link]

2007 Accomplishments:

• 1st place – Women’s Pipeline Championships, Hawaii^[6]
• Quartersfinals – Rip Curl Girls Festival, Spain
• 1st place – Rip Curl Girls Festival Jr. Pro, Spain^[6]
• 1st place – Roxy Pro Trials, Haleiwa, Hawaii^[6]
• 1st Place – Billabong Pro, Pre Trials, Hookipa, Maui^[6]
• 1st Place – Volcom Pufferfish Surf Series, Pinetrees, Kauai^[6]
• 3rd place – HASA State Championships, Alamoana Bowls,Hawaii
• 4th place – NSSA Nationals, Trestles, California

Past Accomplishments:

• 2006 International Rip Curl Gromsearch Championships
• 2005 T&C Women’s Pipeline Championships. – 1st Place
• 2005 HASA State Championships. – 1st Place
• 2005 NSSA Regionals – 1st Place Explorer Women, 1st Place Explorer Girls & 3rd Place Open Women
• 2005 NSSA Nationals – 2nd Place Explorer Girls, 3rd place Open Women & 4th Place Explorer Women
• 2005 Rip Curl Grom Search Nationals – 1st Place
• 2005 Oneill World Cup of Surfing – 3rd Place/Users/
• 2005 Triple Crown Rookie Of The Year

References[link]

This biographical article related to American sports is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article related to water sports is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer, who has won numerous awards, including Grammys and Stellar Awards.

Early life[link]

CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores ("Mom" and "Pop") Winans, on October 8, 1964. She is the eighth of ten children, and the eldest of three girls.

Solo career[link]

CeCe began her solo career with the Platinum certified album Alone in His Presence. It was released in 1995 and earned her a Grammy Award and two Dove Awards, including the Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she earned again in 1997. Winans' next release, the Gold certified Everlasting Love was released in 1998 and featured Winans highest to date Billboard charting solo singles "Well Alright" & "Slippin". The song "On That Day" from the album was written and produced by R&B singer Lauryn Hill. Later that year, Winans released His Gift a holiday album.

In 1999, Winans started her own recording company, "PureSprings Gospel". Her first album on the label was Alabaster Box in 1999. Some production of the disc was done by Gospel singer and musician, Fred Hammond. It included a guest appearance by Take 6. In 2000 Cece released a concert VHS titled Live At The Lambs Theater in New York. The concert contained songs from her previous albums. Winans released her next album, the self titled CeCe Winans, in 2001. The single "Anybody Wanna Pray" included a guest appearance by GRITS. The second single, "Say A Prayer" crossed over into the CCM market.

Winans took a two year break from releasing albums and returned in 2003 with Throne Room. The first 1,000 copies were issued with a bonus CD that contained exclusive interviews with the artist, the making of the CD, some touring footage, and the music video "More Than What I Wanted" (which came from the 2001 release). In 2004, the 25 city tour Throne Room featured free admission and was followed with a DVD release of the concert recorded in Tennessee near CeCe's place of residence. Live In the Throne Room contained tracks from all of Winans' albums. Around September 2004, Winans experienced what she thought was a flu but turned out to be a serious stomach infection and was hospitalized immediately for surgery. Due to the extended recovery time, the second half of the Throne Room Tour was postponed to early 2005.^[1]

Winans' seventh album Purified was released in 2005. Producers on board for the project were longtime BeBe & CeCe collaborator Keith Thomas, and CeCe's nephew Mario Winans. Winans' son Alvin III also co-writes several songs on the album and younger sisters Angie and Debbie Winans make an appearance as well.

CeCe's collection of Top Ten R&B radio hits include "Count on Me", her duet with Whitney Houston, from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. The single was certified Gold in the US and reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 8 on the Billboard R&B Singles charts.

Winans released her eighth album, Thy Kingdom Come on April 1, 2008, featuring the single "Waging War". On October 6, 2009, a BeBe & CeCe reunion album named Still was released. It is the ninth album released by the brother / sister duo. The album was released under Malaco Records and features collaborations with Marvin Winans and contemporary gospel sisters duo Mary Mary.

On December 23, 2010, Cece along with Bebe Winans & Mary Mary, featuring the West Angeles Choir, performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[2]

Personal life[link]

CeCe now resides in Forest Hills, Tennessee ^[3] (a suburb of Nashville) with her husband Alvin Love and two children, Ashley and Alvin III. CeCe's children were featured in the BeBe & CeCe Winans music video "If Anything Ever Happened to You". Alvin III also appeared in the music video for "Well, Alright." They attend Born Again Church in Nashville, where CeCe is on the worship team and her children are involved in the drama ministry.^[3]

CeCe was a good friend of Whitney Houston and godmother to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. She performed "Don't Cry for Me" and "Jesus Loves Me" at Houston's funeral, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey on February 18, 2012. CeCe is also the godmother to Minister Deron Cozart, Sr., and a good friend of Dr. Bridget E. Hilliard, co-pastor of New Light Christian Center (Houston, Austin, Beaumont, Texas).^[4]

In pop culture[link]

In the Disney Channel's animated television series The Proud Family, the baby twins are named "BeBe & CeCe."

Books[link]

CeCe has authored three books: On A Positive Note, a collection of her memoirs released August 1, 2000; and Throne Room: Ushered Into the Presence of God, a devotional released January 1, 2004 and co-authored with Claire Cloninger. Always Sisters: Becoming the Princess You Were Created to Be, released on July 17, 2007 and co-written with Claudia Mair Burney.

In 2009, CeCe announced her support for a multicultural Christian education curriculum from Abingdon Press, entitled "On the Move: God's Grace from Place to Place."

Discography[link]

See also BeBe & CeCe Winans Discography

Solo albums[link]

Other Albums

Guest appearances & soundtracks[link]

• 1994: "Rest In Me" Coram Deo II: People Of Praise (Sparrow)
• 1996: "Count on Me" with Whitney Houston (Arista)
• 1996: "Take Me Back" Tribute: The Songs Of Andrae Crouch (Warner Alliance)
• 1997: "All Is Well Tonight" God With Us: A Celebration Of Christmas Carols... (Sparrow)
• 1998: "The River" The Prince Of Egypt: Inspirational (DreamWorks)
• 1998: "Humanity" The Prince of Egypt Soundtrack (DreamWorks)
• 2000: "Tonight Tonight" BeBe Winans (featuring CeCe) (Motown)
• 2006: "He Set My Life To Music" Barbara Mandrell She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool (BNA)
• 2006: "Walking Away" The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle (Umbrella)
• 2008: "Right Now (We Need Another)" BeBe & CeCe Winans with Vince Gill and Wynonna Judd (Zomba Recording)

Videography[link]

Concert[link]

Music videos[link]

• "Count on Me" (Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans) (1996)
• "Well Alright" (1998)
• "More Than What I Wanted" (2001)
• "Purified" (2006)^[8]

Television appearances[link]

List includes acting appearances only, not interviews and/or performances

• CeCe's Place (aired on the Odyssey Channel)
• 7th Heaven ^[9]
• Touched by an Angel ^[10]
• Living Single
• Doc ^[9]
• Martin

Other

Awards[link]

CeCe has received 10 Grammy Awards, 21 Grammy Award nominations, 20 Dove Awards and seven Stellar Awards (as well as numerous nominations).

See also[link]

• Category:CeCe Winans albums
• Category:BeBe & CeCe Winans albums
• The Winans Family

References[link]

Other References

• Winans, CeCe: On A Positive Note (August 1, 2000)

External links[link]

• www.cecewinans.com - Official CeCe Winans Internet site
• Cece Winans - Interview (August 2008) on BlackGospel.com
• CeCe Winans at Allmusic
• CeCe Winans discusses On the Move curriculum
• Accomplished gospel singer Cece Winans showered with 11 nominations for 2011 Stellar Awards including special honor at trumpet awards prayer breakfast - Fusemix.com