HI...I'm Sybil Spencer and I live in the town of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. My Home Page features lots of FREE practical Y2K information, solutions, resources, Emergency Preparedness help and shows you where to get survival food and supplies you and your family will need starting next year. This Y2K problem is very real and needs to be taken seriously. I've just learned that the White House has a "contingency plan" for this crisis and I think we, the people, should also have one.
My site also includes some fun things like: how to send FREE virtual flowers and cards over the Internet, a FREE Message in a Bottle, how to earn points FREE with My Points and Bonus Mail and redeem them for excellent goods and services, Play Web-Lotto FREE and Win CASH! and lots more FREE stuff like the Old Farmer's Almanac and the Back To Eden website and eJournal. If you have a product or service you want to advertise on the Internet and reach literally millions of people, I've included some sources for FREE Classified Ads. I'll be sharing more fun and useful sites monthly as I find them so save or bookmark this page so you can come back easily.
I'm new on the Internet (less than one year) and have had lots of FREE help learning this new technology. Thanks to my friend Richard for helping me get WebTV Visit "Hawaii Paradise Calls" and to Nancy & Fabian for their experience and enthusiasm for WebTV and Home Page. Many other kind and good-humored people have helped me along the way. So, to say "thank you" I have included some neat links to them (below) that you might want to explore. Please tell them that Sybil sent you, okay?
How to Start your Home Page by Dave Kristula: Visit Dave's Site Thanks for your help Dave! Thanks also to my Heartland neighbor Grace for the warm welcome: Visit Grace and her family And to Bugsy for her help on WebTV "how to" guidance.
Here's what I call the "Reader's Digest" version of my life so far: I was born in Illinois, raised in Florida, went to college in California, and moved to Hawaii when I was 20 years old. I'm now 55 years old, a retired print and broadcast journalist, a former newspaper publisher and editor, and a school teacher. I have taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to high school students and adult education as well as Basic Computer Literacy for elementary school children. I have traveled a great deal throughout the Pacific Islands and written about many island nations and their people, cultures, customs, art, music, and politics. I could talk your ears off for many days with my stories of unique places, fascinating people, and many historical events I was fortunate enough to be a part of for 35 years.
I've chosen to retire in the quaint, rural town of Hilo on the windward (East) side of the Big Island of Hawaii. During my career I did a lot of traveling and saw many fine sites & sights. But, there were always two things missing that Hilo had that I didn't find anywhere else. Lots of rainbows and wonderful Hawaiian music and hula. I just had to make Hilo my home because I learned that the rainbows and the music and dance brought peace, joy and happiness into my life. The more rural, agricultural environment gives me the oportunity to simplify my life. And, these things are important to me!
Every Spring we have The Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo. The competition draws numerous performing groups called "halau's" from all the islands of Hawaii, California, and Japan. The elaborate gala is televised by a Honolulu TV station on three consecutive nights. You have to see it to really believe the demanding year-long practice and preparation these performers go through for this one event. (There are others held in Honolulu on Oahu!) I love to relax in front of my TV and watch the entire spectacle! The next best thing would be a video of it or come here to see it live. (You will need to book your trip WAY in advance because hotel rooms and rental cars go fast then!)
The Hilo area is very lush and tropical because of the abundant rain we get here and our pleasant temperate climate. In town I live at sea level, but a short drive will take you to beautiful black sand beaches, calm clear tidepools, mountain rain forests, dense tropical jungle, flower farms growing orchids and anthuriums, growers of papaya, bananas, coffee, macadamia nuts, vegetables and other foods we eat and export. We also have cattle ranches, dairy farms, piggeries, aquaculture and a winery. We also have lots of "shop 'til you drop" areas.
One of our most popular sights is The Volcanoes National Park at about 6,000 feet on Mauna Loa, where some vents have been spewing red hot lava steadily for more than ten years. This is an awesome sight!! As are the many observatories on top of our dormant volcano Mauna Kea. Did you know that it snows almost every year on top of that peak and we can see it from Hilo. Absolutely beautiful! The scenic contrast draws many artists and painters here as well.
On the Leeward (West) side of the island is the town of Kailua-Kona which is known worldwide as home base for the annual Bud Light Ironman Triathalon. Kona also offers a scenery and climate equal to that in Acapulco, Mexico. The Kona Coast is also home to some legendary Hawaiian historical and archaeological treasures -- another "must see" on your visit. And some spectacular hotels and other visitor destinations. Our island and environment is still basically agricultural in nature but we are also growing and going through some changes since pineapple and sugar cane are no longer our bread and butter income base.
Come see the beautiful island where I live: Visit the Big Island of Hawaii.
Since retiring, I've been enjoying a more relaxed pace doing some gardening as well as doll and toy making. Just recently, a friend introduced me to WebTV and the Internet. I'm having a great time exploring new territory and meeting many wonderful people. This technology is fascinating and challenging at the same time. (You really can teach an old dog new tricks...if the old dog wants to learn, that is!-- ha ha.)
Here are some of my FAVORITE SITES that are fun to visit often so I give them special attention:
Surprise Someone with FREE Virtual Flowers! Click Here.
THE place to go shopping for books, tapes, and CDs of all kinds is Amazon.com and you can get there from here easily: CLICK HERE. (In Association with Amazon.com).
Here you can earn points in many ways and then redeem them for great products and services: Visit the MyPoints Website--it's fun and profitable too!
Have you ever wanted to put a note in a bottle, cork it and throw it as far as you could out into the ocean...then wait to see if you got a response? Well, here's your chance to do just that: send your Message In A Bottle You just never know who will answer but it's really fun and since your message in a bottle is sent out over the worldwide web the response is fast. Who knows, you may even make a new friend! Try it!
Just got an email message from Kevin at the Inet Exchange (which publishes the A.I.M. Ezine) saying he is offering a new service on the Web. It's called memail and you can get FREE subscriptions to all kinds of online publications like news, jokes, horoscopes, sports scores and more. Check out his new site at: memail His email address is: webmaster@memail.com You can subscribe online.
Are you selling products or services and need FREE
Classified Advertising? Check THIS out!!
Are you having fun yet? (Be sure to save or bookmark these sites.) I'll add more neat sites as I find them.
CURRENT SPORTS NEWS HEADLINES:
I've really become interested in the Year 2000 news and have been learning about what's called the Y2K Problem. Are you familiar with it? I've included some hot links below to share this information because it is such an important topic. The online articles that I've read say we should take this issue VERY SERIOUSLY! As I find solutions and practical resources, I'll share them here on my Home Page to keep you up-to-date with what's happening. My email address is also at the bottom if you would like to share Y2K information. Feel free to write.
You can get a FREE Subscription to this Email news service and read all of today's millennium bug news here: Year 2000 News, Free Subscription
Another FREE email Y2K publication is the Y2KNewsWire:
Click here
There are two widely accepted and quoted authorities on the Y2K situation and I highly recommend their websites and newsletters. To visit Michael Hyatt's site: Click Here and to get the latest from Dr. Gary North: Click Here. You might also want to check in with Scott Olmstead at his Prepare4y2k site: Click Here and my Australian friend Nick Laird has an incredible list of resources at his neat site: Click Here. Another good Y2K resource is Richard Fleetwood's SurvivalRing Webring Click Here.
Surviving any kind of disaster is difficult especially when they are sudden and unexpected. I've been through hurricanes and flooding in Florida, tornados in the Midwest, earthquakes in California, tropical storms, hurricanes and tidal wave alerts in Hawaii, and typhoons in Guam and Saipan. Over the years, I've learned valuable survival skills from many people. About the only good thing that comes from disasters is the way most people help each other and share what they have.
I've decided that one of my Home Page goals is to help people with their individual and family Disaster Survival Plans. Surviving any disaster or crisis depends on having a practical plan, remaining calm and being prepared for the worst case scenario. If the worst does happen, you and your family will make it. If the emergency is less severe, you will be safe and secure and have enough food and supplies to share with your family, friends, and neighbors if necessary.
Modern technology now provides us with early warnings of some natural disasters so that we have time to prepare and evacuate if necessary. Other disasters, like earthquakes, happen suddenly and without warning. No matter what the emergency situation is, the people who are PREPARED will have the best chance of survival. If you have thought about this topic before but never done anything about it, NOW is the time to take action! Why now? Because we are currently being given an EARLY WARNING about a disaster on its way that will have a global effect even before the Year 2000. That's right...all of us on this planet will be affected in one way or another and it's time to prepare NOW so that we survive!
"Survival is the Art of Being Prepared," say my friends at BlueWolf: Visit The BlueWolf Survival and Preparedness Website
Another excellent site: Visit The Back To Eden eJournal + Y2K Pages
Everyone needs THIS great resource: Check out The Old Farmer's Almanac Website
You may already know something about this problem from news media reports. It's a computer glitch known as the "Year 2000 Problem." Its effects could be so catastrophic that it's been honored with two more nicknames--Y2K and the Millennium Bug. Experts say that millions of computers all over the world cannot distinguish between the years 1900 and 2000 because past programming gave years as two digits and assumed the "19." Even if you have read enough to know that the problem concerns many computers' and software programs' inability to deal with digital date codes that include "00," you may have thought the glitch would affect only banks and government agencies like the Internal Revenue Service. (Hold onto your hat, Bubba, that's not all!) The video "Town Meeting with Dr. Gary North" is a must have and see in EVERY community! (Click below for details.)
Unless they are repaired before December 31st, 1999 at midnight, computer systems with date sensitive data storage could produce wrong information, no information, or shut down completely! Systems and embedded chips that control everything from your automatic coffee maker and telephone's Caller I.D. unit to the New York Stock Exchange, hospitals, transportation networks, air traffic control, elevators, new cars with computerized function controls, power plants, the public water and sewer supply...the list goes on and on and on.
Here's a very good source of Y2K news, solutions, resources and more: Preparing for the Year 2000 CRASH
Here's a Y2K free classified site you can check out if you are looking to buy or sell Y2K related items: Click Here.
We are far more dependent upon computers keeping our lives functioning smoothly than we realize. Most people are in for a very rude awakening come Spring of 1999 when major economic changes occur in the United States and Europe. The breakdowns will begin gradually and build to a high pitch by summer of that year. The level of panic and fear will grow due to shortages of food and increased prices of other consumer goods in many areas of the globe.
HOT BULLETIN!! I have saved a copy of an email article titled "Nine Millennial Milestones That Will Signal the Chaos to Come" by Michael S. Hyatt. I haven't gotten this information on TV news or in the newspaper yet. But, I think it's important so we can understand the "big picture." If you'd like a copy just email me at sybhi5@webtv.net and ask for it. It's also FREE.
News Update: Friday, January 8, 1999...The American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have both announced through the news media that they recommend people begin preparing now for the Y2K problem by stocking food, water, and other necessities. (For the full stories see above link to the Y2KNewswire.)
The most important ingredient in our Preparedness Plan is FOOD! We need to have a backup food supply in our pantry at home in case local supermarkets are closed because they have no electricity or their shelves are empty. I know that this concept of having a pantry filled with extra, long lasting food might sound crazy to some people in our modern age of microwave ovens, frozen food meals in a bag, and fast food restaurants.
However, as a child I clearly remember my grandmother's basement in her Illinois home was lined with shelves of home canned fruits and vegetables she had grown in her garden. She said it was their "winter food" supply. In her day there were no supermarkets with bar code labels, check out stand scanners, or buying food with credit cards. Though it may sound "old fashioned" to you, NOW is exactly the right time to follow her lead and gather a comfortable stock of winter food and supplies we and our families will need to survive this coming emergency. And, we must also remember our family pets too!
HOT BULLETIN!! Email me at: sybhi5@webtv.net for your FREE Survival Catalog. My friend Joanne, who knows all about survival foods and supplies, will be glad to send you a top quality FREE Catalog of products and services. Her company has everything we need to survive an emergency: a variety of Survival Foods, storing Fresh Water instructions, Portable Cook Stove, survival foods cookbook, Battery and/or Solar Radios & Flashlights, handy Tools, Supplies, helpful reading, and much more.
In case you haven't heard yet, companies that specialize in survival foods and supplies are being SWAMPED with new orders right now! (I heard that one survival food company in the Midwest United States got a very large order from the White House just recently. They are working around the clock to fill it.) Since the White House has a contingency plan, don't you think we should have one too??? There are quite a few good websites on the Internet specializing in survival supplies so go to your favorite search engine to locate them. I'm getting mine from my friend Al Villa.
This problem does NOT have to destroy everything we've worked hard to earn. If we are practical and prepared to meet our family's basic needs NOW! we'll survive. Our stock of emergency food, water and supplies should be stored in a safe, dry place at home and available at a moment's notice. It's also a very good idea to have paper copies of all your financial records, mortgages, tax returns, and information about anything else important that is now stored on computers (hard drives and/or discs).
Every family member should know the plan and what to do when any emergency occurs. Staging a family emergency drill on a weekend is a very good way to teach your children how to handle such an event without panic. Why not set up the pup tent and other camping gear in the back yard (if you have one), and pretend you are in a real emergency 48-hour situation. (You'll be amazed to learn about the little necessary things that you have forgotten!) After this exercise, you and your family will be secure in knowing that generally the safest place to be is together at home and out of harm's way.
I've listed some valuable resources below to help get you started with your Survival Plan. As I find more practical solutions, I'll post them here. So, check back often. Any questions? Just Email me and ask!
I know this is an awful lot of information to read and digest and I thank you for hanging in here with me. I chose to homestead in the GeoCities community on the Internet and share this information so that I could help my friends and neighbors. That's what being a part of a community means! Thanks to all of you who have welcomed me.
That's all my news for this time. Please come and visit me again soon! Until next time...Aloha, your friend and neighbor--Sybil. (Updated 4/26/1999.)
Links to other sites on the Web
FREE Report: Y2K Solutions=Exterminate the Millennium Bug!(tm)
FREE Subscription to the Y2K/Survival Living Journal
Y2K Help
Are Your Home, School & Office Computers Y2K Compliant?
Microsoft FREE Y2K Seminar Online
IBMs FREE PC Systems Year 2000
Please visit these sites because of the many kind folks who have helped me build my Home Page.
FREE places to Advertise! Visit A-PLUS FREE Classifieds. and
TradeView2 FREE Classifieds.
Place more FREE Classified ads at: E-Page Free Classifieds .
My Home Page URL is:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/7435/ Tell
your friends about my site too, okay?
© 1997 sybhi2@webtv.net
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