Tsunami And The Day After On Maui

Well it's the Day after the Chile Earthquake generated Tsunami that had Hawaii and plenty of other places watching and waiting for a destructive Tsunami to hit.

As it turned out, we we're lucky this time. On Maui, Kahului Harbor, about 2 miles from my home, had only about a three foot wave. The Maui News has some good pictures of what I described in my earlier blog and how the early morning looked like a Friday Night and Gas Stations were full.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, it's the Earthquakes in the Alaskan and South American regions that are of most concern historically to Hawaii.

• August 17, 1906 an 8.4 earthquake in the area of Chile did do some damage on Maui.
• February 23, 1923 an 8.3 earthquake from the Alaskan area did some major damage on Maui.
• April 1, 1946 an 8.6 earthquake from the Alaskan area did major damage and many died, especially having been on April Fool's Day, many just didn't take it serious enough.
• November 4, 1952 an 8.2 earthquake from the Alaskan area did some major damage.
• March 9, 1957 an 8.3 earthquake from the Alaskan areadid minor flooding and damage.
• May 23, 1960 an 9.5 earthquake in the Chile area did Major damage.
• May 27, 1964 an 9.2 earthquake from the Alaskan area did some minor damage.
• February 28, 2010 an 8.8 earthquake from the Chile area did no damage.

So as you can see, we may have been lucky enough to come through yesterday's Tsunami unscathed, but based on the past and the amount of earthquake activity in the pacific region we are not immune to another big one hitting.

No one mentioned Japan's earthquake earlier that morning in the 7+ range, probably because there was nothing much generated by it, but there has been plenty of activity in the pacific and elsewhere.

Hopefully some lessons were learned and maybe we will look closer at things like sewer plants and power plants that are built at nearly sea level and next to the ocean. Infrastructure changes to allow for people to be moved and supported properly. It all takes money, but we need the work and I would rather see it go to improving these things that to straighten a short piece of road or some of the many almost ridiculous projects that seem to suck up the money.

Tsunami Waiting In Hawaii

I was up at 4:30am on my way to Starbucks and it looked like a Friday night on the roads. I tried to pull into gas station to put water on my windshield and all the gas stations had a line right our into the road. I'm wondering why there are so many people out that early on a Saturday Morning, then I remembered the 7.5 earthquake yesterday morning off Japan and then just before bed getting the Tsunami warning about the 8.5 earthquake of Chile coming in on my Blackberry right before going to bed.

Knowing how Alaskan and South American earthquakes historically are the ones that Hawaii worries about I read the warning, but Hawaii wasn't listed. I went to bed and wondered what it would say this morning about Chile, also knowing the time frame involved for the wave to reach Hawaii, I wasn't too concerned.

After looking at the traffic so early on a Saturday and then remembering the Tsunami warning, it suddenly clicked that that's why so many people were out and about.

So at just before 5am I walked into Starbucks and they were talking about it. I got my coffee and sat down to start working, but before I could finish even opening my computer bag, the employee came up and said they were closing up.

I packed up, took my coffee and made my way in the dark to Walmart down the street and saw it filling up fast. When I walked in and saw a crowd of people and a full staff of workers unloading batteries, toilet paper, bags of rice and just about everything else they thought people would be wanting. Talk about an Economic Stimulus. The stores made money, but a lot of people bought stuff they may not need today or necessarily be able to afford. I guess it's good to have on hand.

My heart goes out for those directly affected in Chile.

So far it's about 30 minutes past the estimated arrival time in Hilo, Hawaii and watching it all on TV via a Skype connection, there's not much happening. They say the estimated time can be off and we need to be at least 2 hours past the estimated time of arrival before they will begin issuing an all clear.

If it plays out like it is so far, it was a lot of work getting ready and more to do to put everything away after. That all may have to wait until this evening or tomorrow.

The whole Pacific region and rim has had quite a few of 6 and 7 earthquakes over the last year with no real effects. I guess it's always better to be safe than sorry, especially in light of the devastation that has occurred in other places of the world.

Ed Teixeira of the State civil Defense department is feeling good about things, but still stressing that people keep their guard up for awhile more. The Samoa Tsunami hit it's largest wave an hour and a half after the estimated time of arrival and the warning had already been dropped to an advisory level.

So as of 11:501am on Maui, it's bright and sunny and Hilo is still looking good. Guess I'll get back on later if any more develops.

Pictures looking towards the Kahului Harbor on Maui. Not much of a different look than any other.

Well, I guess the internet can't handle, because I can't up load any pictures right now. Looks like the surfers are all already starting to hit the beach.

Good Practice run anyways. Maybe everyone made their own Mind Movie of it not hitting.

Whole Foods Opens On Maui to Huge Crowd

I had to work a 10 hour day, but my friend went to the Maui newly opened Whole Foods Store and came home with some great food.

I had beef locally produced from Maui Cattle Company and Sunflower sprouts from KahanuAina Farms. A whole host of other good locally grown produce and although the prices were a bit high, many items like Coconut Milk were way reasonable.

Between Whole Foods and Mana Foods in Paia, I can get more than enough good healthy, locally produced and grown food to keep me fed. It doesn't take much and with such good food to look forward to for dinner I'm more likely to eat more dinners instead of relying on lunch and breakfast to carry me through.

I hope this gives Maui a boost for the local Farmers, that can really use the help and encourages even more to start up.

Anyone Can Live on Maui, Just Make a Mind Movie and Goal

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And speaking of "try"--well, let me just say I'm kind of like
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Jim

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Gas Prices in Hawaii Are Really Messed Up. Why Is This?

In the last month I have been to the Big Island of Hawaii and last week I worked on the one town Island of Lanai. I live in on Maui and yet the gas prices in Kahului Town that are located within a mile or two of the holding tanks that supply them are constantly changing price and just driving around Kahului, it's possible to find gas prices ranging from $3.79.9 to $8.39.9 per gallon. We are only talking about blocks away. Maybe it's just the time it takes for the person to get out there to change the sign. Usually Kahului is about the same everywhere.

"Looks like it's hard to keep up with the changing of the prices"

"Only a few blocks away the price changes"

While on the Island of Hawaii last month, I drove through the town of Naalehu which is the very southern most point in the United States, let alone the Big Island of Hawaii. This place is about a two hour drive from Hilo where the gas is shipped in and their prices were less than Maui at about $3.53.9 per gallon. They drive for two hours to deliver to two gas stations and it's cheaper than Maui?

Last week on the Island of Lanai their gas price at the one and only gas station was well over $4.00 per gallon. I think like $4.39.9 per gallon. Their holding tanks at the harbor are a few miles away, but they are closer to the Island of Oahu where it's shipped in from in the first place. 

Then on the way home I noticed that gas prices in Lahaina were $3.77.9 per gallon and thats a 20 to 30 minute drive from the holding tanks! What is the deal? They are quick to raise the price, knowing people are hurting and out of work, but very slow to bring them back down, and then if they do it's only by a few cents.

I can drive up the Face of Haleakala on Maui to Kula Hardware and I have almost always seen them an average of 5 cents per gallon cheaper than Kahului. This is probably at least a 20 minute drive to carry a heavy load up a very steep hill and yet Kula Hardware consistantly charges less for their gas than Kahului.

A number of years ago, the Government decided to finally look into the Gas Companies pricing structure and after a very long time, it seems that they couldn't make sense of it all and gave up. The Governor tried to regulate them with no success and so the consumer continues to pay.

Today I stood next to an elderly Hawaiian Woman in the bank as I was trying to do some banking and she was going around and around with them over three $39.00 over-draft fees that she couldn't afford to pay. I don't even want to get started on the banks, except to say what ever you have to do, get out of debt!

With major Hawaii Corporations shutting down and laying of people with no regard to our economy, or in the case of one such company, trying to hold jobs for ransom over water rights to be able to control and build more homes that have lost value and no one can afford.

We need to have some way of getting these corporations out of controlling our lives by keeping the majority of people so under-paid, unemployed or afraid for their jobs that they will settle for anything to survive. The highest paid carpenters in the cities of India might make 75 cents a day and we are buying and shipping good from off island, instead of buying more and pushing more local food and supplies. Our Keiki (children) only go to school for 4 days a week because the State is to broke to pay the schools to allow a full 5 day work week. Then to top it off you get people like Joe Souki trying to bring back not one but two Super Ferries and have them subsidized by the State. Something is wrong with that picture if we can educate our kids, but can consider subsidizing a con-traversal project like bring back the Super Ferries to burn 600 gallons of fuel for each trip.

Well that's all I've got to add except that the answer is probably to get more educated and learn to provide for your families through new sources of income. Mine happens to be Internet and Consulting, because I know physically my brain will probably out last my physical endurance. So be on the look out for every chance to create a business and look into Vitec on Maui. They have excellent starter classes and often are discounted quite a bit.

Aloha for now!

Mind Movies are Playing in our Heads All the Time

Whether you live in Hawaii or deep in the snow and cold of the mainland, attitude and the mind movies in your head are an important part.

Living in Hawaii, I am asked quite a bit from people living in different parts of the world about what life is like living in Hawaii and especially on an Island like Maui. My reply is that it's pretty much like living and working anywhere. I live within a few miles of the beach, wake up to beautiful days and some pretty rotten, wet and windy days, but most of those days I only see a small portion of it. I rarely even get close to the beach.

For the most part if you work in an office, and it's an office like mine where I wear two long sleeve shirts, a jacket and sometimes gloves because of the airconditioning in the building. Then work eight to ten hour days, it really doesn't matter where I work or live.

Living on and island you can have a mind set that allows you to get up at 4:30am and go to work. Put in your time and go home to do the work that still needs to be done. It's not easy and requires you to create a goal in your life and that goal can be like a movie in your mind.

For me, I enjoy traveling and I love mountains. I am grateful for the chances I have to spend at some of the most beautiful places on earth and yet there are many places I would love to visit or even live for a short while.

So this is the mind movie I create for myself. One day to be able to sit back on a deck admiring the scenery and working from home. Or traveling to different places and living and fully experiencing those places for what they are. It would be nice to have the choices and there are ways to create what you envision.

With the economy they way it is and being employed, you have to count your blessings, yet at the same time a few more years to reach retirement age and depending on companies and contracts to provide for you can make the future seem very uncertain.

My mantra and what consumes quite a bit of my time off the "job" is educating myself in areas that interest me. By doing so you find that before very long you have become somewhat of an expert in those areas. For myself I have a variety of interests and not being able to predict the future, but keeping my eyes, ears and especially my mind open to the possibilities, I can see having options in place not only now, but especially in the future.

The last thing I want to do is be in a situation where I physically have to be able to keep up with younger and stronger workers and have to compete with them in the job market.

My advice is to keep an open mind and good attitude. Work at educating yourself in various fields. Hopefully they are one you truly enjoy, but don't limit your education to just your passions. You can be very passionate and enjoy doing a certain type of work, but if there is no demand for it and it doesn't help to pay the bills, it may be best to work that area as more of a hobby.

Eight years ago I didn't know anything about how the internet worked and now I may not be the best, but I know enough to blog, twitter, and even build a website by scratch. That took a lot of learning and time, but it was part of my goal and the mind movie I made for myself. I would love to do a number of other things such as photography, learn to play various instruments and tinker with ideas I've had in my garage, but those I hold for either future use or hobbies, although the photography works well with the internet and social 2.0 internet work. So with that said, open yourselves up to new possibilities. Learn to adapt to the changing world, and it does change fast. Remember education is one thing no one can take away from you.

Maui Sun Versus Texas Snow

I was working at one of our sites with the best views looking out over Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii towards the Island of Lanai on a blue sky day with a few white puffy clouds floating overhead occasionally. In the view was the cruise ship and many other ships anchored of the Lahaina Harbor. The ocean was flat and calm. There was little if any breeze and the sun was shining bright. I can't say the same about today though. It rained on and off today.

I was talking on the phone to an engineer located in Texas that had been working from home for the past two days because the snow was so bad. I can't relate too much having never been in any myself, but I couldn't help myself and sent him a picture of what I was looking at while asking him questions about the equipment I was working on.

He replied with a short message about us Hawaii guys not knowing how good we have it and then sent me a picture from his phone that he took while trying to go out to get some lunch from home. Most definitely different worlds. Just the Saturday before I was at the beach and catching some video of the Whales slapping their tails just off shore of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.

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Whole Foods Comes to Maui This Month

They finally took down the boards covering the new Whole Foods Market located in the Maui Mall where the old Star Market used to be.

I had a chance this evening to get a few pictures from the outside looking in. While not fully stocked and a few things left to be done, they are progressing along.

It should be a good thing for the local farmers and hopefully even more incentive to push the farmers to think in a more sustainable and healthier way of growing the food in the islands, especially on Maui.

Hopefully between the various "Health Food Markets" located on Maui, we will have a better selection of wholesome and nutritious foods to choose from and help to prevent adding too many "food miles" to what we choose to eat.

Here are a few pictures for the blog and I hope to add more pictures and information to my website www.EmpowerMaui.com. Unfortunately, I have neglected the website for awhile and need to get it more up to date. Blogging the info out is so much quicker and easier for me.

With that said, here are a few pictures for the blog.

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Grand Children and Home Over Super Bowl 2010

I know being way behind everyone in time zones by being located in Hawaii means the results of the Super Bowl 2010 and it's infamous halftime shows and commercials will result in a lot of parties still taking place around Maui.

Not being a big sports fan, I know it sounds almost sacreligious to not follow football, but I used to enjoy the halftime. Now with grand children around, just a good nap, is very much appreciated. Both theirs and mine.

Unlike most people that drink and eat too much and then have to be at work on Monday morning, I have none of those problems. Don't drink, eating is a chore and I'm off on Mondays. I still put in those 40 hours per week at my "real job", it's just 10 hour days and then the work that's left to be done in the evening.

Well, it seems only half the grand children are sleeping so better get back to the non-Super Bowl spent time and so much for everyone taking a nap!

Empowering the I ------- Creating Wealth is an important part of Living Sustainably

With the times the way they are and people losing jobs right and left, while the few working have to struggle to make ends meet and hold on to the benefits and medical plans they have, learning new ways to create income is critical.

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Volcanoes Can Be Like Living in the City Smog Times Ten!

It has been just over a week since being on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona and Volcano. The Body and Soil Farm Health Conference went well and was pretty well attended.

Waiaha Farms was an incredible place to hold the Conference and they made us feel right at home.

Raising all their own food, Plant and Animals, offered us up a great array of good food. All Locally Grown and very Healthy. You could tell just in the taste how much effort was put into raising all the food.

The Volcanic Haze (VOG) came and went depending on the weather and wind directions. Some days we had hazy days and a few were really clear. Maui was probably getting the haze on the days it was clear for us.

The effects of the Volcanic output on the plants close to the Volcano were significantly impacted by the high acidity and the people living there reported that they had not seen the plants so yellow and burnt looking in the past. Another aspect is that the Island of Hawaii, despite what the weather maps would seem to show, the rains seemed to pass the area over and maybe drop their precious resource higher up on Mauna Loa.

We were able to visit some Green Tea being grown, as seen above. Also the Kahili Ginger, which tends to take over the under lying floor of the forest and is really more invasive and a bit hard to get rid of. It's very successfull in spreading.

So all-in-all the trip was very informative of a place that is so different, even though it's an Island that sits right next door to Maui. It really shows how each area does need it's one accessment and requirements. Our soils being geologically new and on the acid side is quite different from the soils in the Mainland and Europe, where there may be higher levels of alkaline soil.

Aloha to all from Hawaii. and a big Mahalo to our host and the many people that helped to pull off the conference and the ability to bring the knowledge and education of our excellent Speakers.