Aloha International has acquired a digital island named Pali Uli in the online virtual world of Second Life. "Pali Uli" means "Green Cliff," and is the Hawaiian equivalent of Bali Hai, which refers to a sacred, spiritual island in another dimension. The Pali Uli Plan is officially a part of the Aloha Project. If you wonder why we have taken this step, visit The Second Life Grid to see how businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, show business, artists, musicians, and even politicians are making use of this opportunity right now.

Second Life is an extremely varied virtual world with over 8 million members (called Residents) from a large number of countries. It offers free basic memberships that allow you to do everything except "own" property (for that you have to pay extra). There are many opportunities in this virtual world for exploration, social activities, fantasy role-playing, recreation, creativity, and education. For more information on Second Life go to http:www.secondlife.com. Please note that participation in the virtual world itself requires high-speed internet access and at least 1 gigabyte of RAM memory on your computer.

Because all the information on the Second Life home page can be confusing for first time visitors, we have created a "how to" page at Second Life Basics for those who want to try a Basic Membership.

Pali Uli has been terraformed to look like a tropical Polynesian island, and we have already created a Huna Village with virtual huts related to those on our huna.org website. There is also a Hawaiian Cultural Center that will eventually have a tour of a traditional village that will include various kinds of huts, an imu, taro patches, a canoe landing, a hula halau with dancing, a heiau (temple), and whatever else we can fit in. Planned activities include hula performances, teaching and healing sessions, and guided tours.

The island of Pali Uli is open to the public now, even though it is still a work in progress. "The Little Pink Booklet of Aloha" has been published as a virtual book that is given away free in the world of Second Life. The virtual Healing Hut has some exciting features, including ways to heal and be healed, and a virtual Petroglyph Casting Cube. The Hawaiian Museum has artifact photos on display with informational notes. Also, in the Hawaiian Cultural Center the walls of a heiau have been built and there is an outrigger sailing canoe available for rides.

In order to make this an even more interesting experience for visitors, Aloha International is looking for volunteers with Second Life building and scripting skills. If you are interested in helping with this project you can email huna@huna.org. Specific needs are outlined in the The Pali Uli Plan at the Aloha Project site.

If you want more details about Second Life, the books"Second Life: The Official Guide," "A Beginner's Unofficial Guide To Second Life," and "The Unofficial Tourist's Guide To Second Life" are recommended. All are available at Amazon.com and elsewhere.