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Non-Tech : The Y2K Newspaper -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: C.K. Houston who wrote (114)	9/30/1999 9:01:00 AM
From: hunchback	Respond to of 198

Iraq decides to wait and see on Y2K oil disruption September 29, 1999 Web posted at: 3:11 PM EDT (1911 GMT) BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- Iraq's oil industry is not prepared to deal with the millennium bug and may well be forced to shut down production and exports at the turn of the year, a reliable industry source in Baghdad said on Wednesday. The source told Reuters that Iraqi oil officials were aware of the year 2000 computer problem but had decided to avoid the multi-million dollar cost of dealing with it. Asked what the oil ministry was doing to counter the Y2K changeover, the source said: "They are doing nothing." There was no immediate comment from the oil ministry. "There is awareness of Y2K but consultancy is very expensive. The alternative is to lose production over the millennium," the source said. He said Iraqi crude pumping stations and export facilities were likely to be hit by the problem and that engineers would have to deal with disruptions ad hoc. Iraq is now OPEC's third largest exporter, delivering an average of 2.4 million barrels a day to world markets over the last month. "Any processing controllers by micro-processors such as distribution control systems or process logic controller (PLC) in computers manufactured prior to 1996 -- like the ones the Iraqis have -- will be unsafe to run any chemical or petro- chemical processes during the 2000 transition," the source added. "That means most of Iraq's refinery, fertilising plants and gas plants will have to make a decision on shutting down the process or risking the effects of Y2K on their systems." Process pneumatic systems in some refineries would not be affected, he added. Iraq's oil industry, like all sectors of the economy, has been hit hard by U.N. sanctions imposed shortly after Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Iraq is allowed under a deal with the United Nations to export oil worth $5.26 billion every six months to buy food and medicine and other essentials including spare parts to its oil industry. Oil experts have marvelled for the past several years that Iraq has been able to lift its production and oil exports levels despite little funds for maintenance. Iraq has continually produced and shipped more oil than experts hired by the United Nations have expected. It is expected to surpass the ceiling of $5.26 billion for the first time under the current six-month phase of the oil-for-food deal, thanks mainly to the spectacular recovery of oil prices this year and increased production. cnn.com

To: C.K. Houston who wrote (114)	10/2/1999 11:11:00 AM
From: C.K. Houston	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 198

Y2K Experts Poll conducted by IDG's CIO magazine, ISACA and Dr. Ed Yardeni's Y2K Center exposes corporate ill-preparedness, complacency and misplaced vendor trust. The Y2K Experts Poll is a real-time snapshot of Y2K readiness among global, large firms with an average of 1,360 suppliers. biz.yahoo.com peoplepolls.com [993 respondents] - 81% of companies are not done remediating the Y2K problem - 30% of companies are behind schedule. - 21% of respondents selected the third quarter 1999 as their completion date. - 27% in the number selecting fourth quarter 1999. - 12% plan to complete their Y2K remediation in 2000 or beyond. - 69% are simply sending out questionnaires to vendors - Only 13% conducting on-site inspections. - 23% are waiting for Y2K compliant mission-critical software from third-party suppliers. - 40% believe between one and 10% of their critical systems might fail. - 30% of companies are presently implementing contingency plans. - 48% of companies are without a formal plan and/or still in the process of creating one. ============================================================ 28) Personally, do you plan to stockpile extra food at home? (Total Votes: 990) No: 423 - 42.7% Yes, 2-7 days: 382 - 38.6% Yes, 1-2 weeks: 110 - 11.1% Yes, 3-4 weeks: 38 - 3.8% Yes, 5-8 weeks: 5 - 0.5% Yes, more than 8 weeks: 17 - 1.7% Not sure yet: 15 - 1.5% 29) Personally, do you plan to have extra cash at home? (Total Votes: 990) No: 298 - 30.1% Yes, 2-7 days worth: 392 - 39.6% Yes, 1-2 weeks worth: 175 - 17.7% Yes, 3-4 weeks worth: 83 - 8.4% Yes, 5-8 weeks worth: 12 - 1.2% Yes, more than 8 weeks worth: 12 - 1.2% Not sure yet: 18 - 1.8% Cheryl 90 Days until 2000