The Hawai'i governor reportedly stated on television and in an article in the Honolulu Advertisor that Hawaii is prepared, our supply chain in prepared, and that there is no need to stock up on food and water...

I don't have a link...but it was reported to me by a reliable source. Reportedly, also, the "spot" with the Gov. is still running periodically on local TV.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), December 15, 1999

Answers

Sara, Keith, Aldo --

Good to see your comments, it brings back the pleasant memory of meeting you and so many other nice people in Hawaii when I visited in April.

Has your esteemed governor pointed out to everyone that you have only a 30-day supply of oil for generating electricity, and that much of the oil comes from Indonesia? For that matter, isn't it true that the on- island inventory of EVERYTHING that you import is typically 30 days or less? Is the governor not only guaranteeing that local industry and gov't is compliant, but that also all of its suppliers around the world are compliant too?

Have our leaders completely lost their senses? I am speechless at this point ... and can only hope that you, your families, and your close friends and neighbors have taken appropriate steps to cope with whatever Y2K brings us.

Ciao,

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), December 15, 1999.

Yippee! Aloha

-- mil (millenium@yahoo.com), December 15, 1999.

The PTB are telling everyone on the Big island *NOT* to prepare also.

They have even mailed a very slick brochure to everyone with a signed letter from all the major suppliers (power, water, shipping, etc)with typical PR statements.

Some of them even have put their disclaimers right under their letter saying they are not responsible if anything happens and that they can't guarantee anything.

But John Q Hawaiian probably won't put 2+2 together and realize he's being sold yet another bag of worms.

We've been trying to get people aware and prepare but the resistance is futile.

Our Y2K Wake Up Call TV show begins airing on the Big Island tomorrow with the other islands to follow shortly. Maybe that will get some people to start getting serious.

It will take some time for Hawaii to become totally self-sufficient. We have the basic natural resources but it will take time to impliment a paradigm shift.

Keep your fingers crossed for good shipping.

Keith.

-- Keith Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 15, 1999.

Great News! But how long will the on-hand supplies last when the ships and the airplanes stop resupplying the islands? Can the populace live off of fish and coconuts for an extended period? They could 200 years ago, but I think the population density is a "little" higher these days.

That PR release reminds me of the one for our town which said that water will not be a problem because the town is supplied by gravity feed from water towers. Hmmm, let's think about that for a minute...population of 500,000, several water towers, unknown capacity, but certainly not more than a couple of million gallons, all the water towers are refilled by pumping water up into them. OK, so what happens when we can't refill the water towers? How long will that wonderful gravity fed water supply last? Thanks anyway, but I think I'll still fill my water barrels ahead of time.

-- rob minor (rbminor@hotmail.com), December 15, 1999.

I saw him on PBS last week. Also, he said something to the effect of "leave your money in the bank, where it will be safe." And then he smiled....

This is the same man who wanted to put a rocket launching facility AND a 3000 bed prison in the little town of 1000.

Hope he stays in Honolulu in January.

-- aloha (aloha@hula.com), December 15, 1999.

FYI -

Population density on the Big Island was much GREATER than it is now - about 300,000,according to some - and the population lived in a sustained local economy. The only maritime industry involved long boats, fishing nets, and spears. No dockworker strikes then... that we know of.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 15, 1999.

That's a "self-sustaining local economy"...

on poi (taro), tropical fruits: breadfruit, bananas, coconut, papaya, guava, pig and seaweeds and sea creatures.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 15, 1999.

Aloha, I'm here too and ever so thankful. The Big Island has been home for over thirty years. As I've said so many times here, my main prep has been the community around me. I'm satisfied. Also, I have my Polynesian heritage to see me through. It's nice to know there are others here. Aside from MadMonk and Y2KGardener, I've felt pretty much alone out here. The only one I trust out here is Harry Kim -- any of you on the Big Island will know what I mean -- he's the bomb! Grngrl

-- grngrl (jhandt@gte.net), December 15, 1999.

Aloha to all Hawaiian preppers, those who are in the know are ready, the Gov here is hopeless and parrots the standard line. No matter how difficult it gets here we will not have the ass bite cold to deal with. Electrical generation here on the big Island is fuel dependant and antiquated but we expect it to muddle through until fuel stocks can be replentished. the recent threatened dock strike didn't occur but many DGI"S stocked and have unknowingly prepped.While geographical isolation may hit us hard (just in time inventories) I think we will muddle through. Hawaiian's have a great tradition of helping one another and extended family units (Ohana's) are alive and well! The herd is not moving here at all and Christmas shopping appears no more frantic than usual.

-- Merek mura (merek@aloha.net), December 15, 1999.

Great to see "locals" on this site. Good luck to all in Hawaii. Hope things go okay. Some of my family there preparing. We're heading for the Canary Islands over the holiday season. Concerned about getting back into the country without lost luggage.

Aloha from Colorado!

-- kalani & katiuska (kalani_hanohano@hotmail.com), December 15, 1999.

After one year of politely suggesting community preparations and community gardens, we came to the conclusion that the "denial syndrome" is a perennial phenomenon. We decided NOT to prepare alone, for that would turn us into the local supplier to DGI's. We started 2 community gardens and several victory gardens, we have also been busy doing planting of sweet potatoes aroud wild areas. The locations of such plantings will soon be obvious to the enterprising gatherer. Come 2000, we are prepared to be wrong, in which case we'll accept the inevitable ridicule in a spirit of Aloha. The question remains - how many Pollyannas on this i Big Island are ready to be wrong? Well, no problem, if they are they can recruit stranded tourists and put them to work on the land planting potatoes. Maybe our diligent governor will do the same for the rest of the Hawaiian people.

Dreamers who say they can go fishing or hunting pigs must imagine on a torrential rainy morning being woken up by their keiki asking for breakfast...the store is left with no food, the pig population is down to a few roaming inaccessible spots. Meanwhile on local radio the Governor is promising the arrival of supplies as soon as FEMA has time for this forgotten province of the empire....be that as it may,...we'll keep creating victory gardenswith the help of local youth and planting and learning to fish and gather. It is too expensive to stock up with more than a few pounds of rice, the rich have stocked up for themselves, the poor will scrounge and beg. THE FULL Y2K REALITY WILL BE IRREFRAGABLY SELF EVIDENT ALL TOO SOON --- SO LET US ENJOY THE LAST OF"THE GOOD OLD DAYS" AND DEAL WITH LIARS AND OTHER POLITICIANS IN ELECTION 2000. WE'LL ALL KNOW THEN WHO LIED AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE. MAYBE WE'LL AT LAST FIND THE RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE TO ELECT TO OFFICE. Thank you to all those who helped organize the Big Islanf...Thank you Ed Yourdon for accepting our invitation to lecture here, may heaven reward you for your wisdom and generosity.

MAY THIS HOLY SEASON BE A PEACEFUL ONE FOR ALL AND MAY HEAVEN PROTECT US ALL IN THE COMING MILLENNIUM.

Aldo and Family United Eco Action Fund http://uneco@uneco.org

-- Aldo Vidali (aldo@uneco.org), December 15, 1999.

CORRECTION of URL

http://www.uneco.org

Keep on working for truth and freedom.

Aldo

-- Aldo Vidali (Aldo@uneco.org), December 15, 1999.

Sara:

"Population density on the Big Island was much GREATER than it is now - about 300,000,according to some " According to some, but not many.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 15, 1999.

12/15/99

Ciao ED,

First - Thank you Ed Yourdon for your brave work and your gift of time to the Big Island. Yes the government here has gone bananas. Unfortunately even the Y2K messengers have lost all sense of proportions it seems.

The small community of North Kohala was exposed today to a poor taste video by Hawaii 2000 on the local public access channel. Wannabe Madison Avenue soap- commercial style eclypsed Y2K seriousness with a ludicrous cheesy-glamour production by newly a arrived small time pop and mom New York video-shop.

Quick snippets of internet info delivered by the authors talking heads patronizingly dismissed Ed Yourdon hour long lecture sponsored and promoted by United Eco Action Fund (UNECO)s Big Island Round Table before hundreds of people at the Kona Coast Hilton. Ed Yourdons masterful presentation was given less than one minute comment in black and white by this late third rate video.

Ed Yourdon was the one important expert who donated to Hawaii his time for free, and was treated with equal discourtesy and ingratitude by the authorities (Harry Kim and Mayor Yamashiro) as he was by this cheap video.

No credits to Ed Yourdon or any other of the REAL Big Island organizers who started meetings, radio talks, debates with government and articles long before welcoming and assisting these NY ingrates upon their arrival on the island.

Merek, an American war hero was the first to wake up sleepy Kohala and among the first to help the Nealys set up but was also totally ignored. Merek single handedly had started waking up people by printing and distributing thousands of pages of information for two years when people still thought Y2K was a new breakfast cereal.

Jim C offered his restaurant facilities and illustrated with masterful sketches and charts Y2K information at the meetings organized by UNECO. He donated art work to the second garden. These were the Cassandras who suffered the anger of the local rag-weekly. Our articles on Kau Landing which brought response from all over Hawaii, Earl Bakkens support, Laureanne A. s research and many other giving hearts were ignored. Use and dump is the modern form of solidarity.

None of the important web sites from which most of the info was taken, such as Yourdons forum, Gary North, Y2K Newswiew etc. were mentioned to help the community find the great archives they contain quickly. Only the late comer (under construction site) promoting Hawaii 2000 was listed. The Hawaii Y2K forum on UNECOs site was also ignored. We could go on.. but then what is new? It is the lack of generosity that divides people. Both pollies and realists.

Sad but true, lack of solidarity and smallness of spirit again tried to impersonate Y2K Paul Reveres but showed a transparent modern plastic mentality of exploitation. The subtle mobbing to display others engaged in the same task only hurts community interest for the sake of an imagined self-advantage. What fools humans can be. Too late now to remedy any of these follies.

Unfortunately sweep under the carpet correctpolitics will survive even Y2K in our age of idiotic B.S. and lack of nobility of heart.

Let all water be channelled to my mill is Madison Avenues war cry so that show biz BSs most sterile form, the TV Commercial, may survive in all its cheap glory.

This pathetic production went so far as to avoid notifying our community that UNECO had opened AT ITS OWN COST two community gardens in North Kohala so that residents might have a place to garden for their families. Nor did the ungratefuls have the good taste to announce B.I.R.T.H. (Big Island Rototilling Teams of Hawaii) a program of youths ALOHA in action where teen agers go out to help seniors and poor families to start Victory Gardens. Among the members of BIRTH are the very kids who helped these producers unload all their heavy equipment upon arrival and did baby sit their children when they after introducing them to many in the community as fast as possible to help smooth their path toward what we believed would be a meaningful work. Vanity and greed waited until the last two weeks for a tiny local useless release that may turn more people off than more drivel by Ko-skin-em.

Thanks a lot Hawaii 2000 for wasting our precious time.

-- Aldo Vidali (Aldo@uneco.org), December 16, 1999.

The post by Aldo Vidali doesn't deserve the air time it took up.

There is one reason for the scathing remarks - and one only - there is one thing missing in the production: and that is Aldo Vidali.

"Hawaii 2000: Winds of Change" was designed to be the first of many television shows that would bring out many aspects of Y2K, preparation and the spirit of "ohana" (Hawaiian for "family" - a spirit Mr. Vidali severely lacks in his quest for pathetic recognition.)

We will let our efforts, late in the game as it may be, stand on their own merits.

We spent the last year of our lives moving our family to a new place, and starting a new life. All of our former business and personal resources have been devoted toward this project.

After facing the "censorship" of this show from television for telling the truth, we decided to donate this project - a year's work - to our community.

Ref: our good friend, Merek, we acknowledge him for being a dedicated Y2K activist here, among several others, but this video was never intended to be a documentary about Y2K activities and activists in Kohala.

We stand by our work and by the spirit with which it was carried out. We accknowledge everyone who contributed to the video directly in an appropriate way, including Ed Yourdon, who is the only one credited within the body of the show.

There is more that could be said, but we are in shock that Mr. Vidali chose this forum to air his personal disappointments.

Apologies to the Forum for taking up more air time for a small town disagreement.

Sara Nealy

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 16, 1999.

Aloha, indeedly-doodly!

-- Ned Flanders (kamahna@wanna.laya), December 16, 1999.