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We rushed right out to confirm Little's observation, and by golly, it's true. There really is a funny-looking old thing atop a pole at Kamakee and Kapiolani. On closer inspection, it certainly appears to have been there for a while.

Oh. You want more?

Your first and last clue: Try standing next to the pole at 11:45 a.m. on the first working day of the month. Wear ear plugs. Yes, it's a civil-defense siren.

According to George Burnett, telecommunications director at Oahu Civil Defense, the siren is active. "I think that particular siren was out of service for a while, but it's back on line," said Burnett. It's activated by radio signals on the VHF frequency.

Somewhere down the line, OCD plans to convert these sirens to the "800-megahertz trunk radio system," which is apparently a good thing. According to Burnett, that will help standardize emergency frequencies while also allowing multiple signals. "Kind of like the cell-phone system," said Burnett.

Featured at the Diamond Head end of Auahi Street (formerly the KHON studio) between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. will be Kapena, the Piranha Brothers and others. Free pupu will also be available.

In exchange for being entertained, the SBER hopes the public will help in urging legislators to turn the economy around.

Love songs and dances will be performed on such exotic instruments as the recorder; the viola da gamba, an ancestor of the modern cello; the shawn, a predecessor of the modern oboe; and the krummhorn, a curved horn with a buzzy, muted tone.

The program starts at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Hawai'i's Orvis Auditorium. Featured will be the Europa Early Music Consort, the Orion Early Music Consort, the Skylark Recorder Ensemble, sopranos Phyllis Haines and Lina Jeong Doo and guitarist Jeff Peterson.

Tickets are $10 general and $5 for students. For information and reservations, call Jackie Ward at 734-0397.

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