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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (8924)	10/13/1999 1:41:00 PM
From: Jim	Respond to of 9818

That makes you not only a polly, but a cocky polly. Only my wife knows for sure! There seems to be less support for a scenario of massive infrastructure failure, at least in North America, so the risk is perceived to be more of a business risk than a life-and-death risk. This sums up my feeling about potential Y2K problems. If you agree with this, you are a polly as well (but you cannot be a cocky polly). Jim

To: Lane3 who wrote (8924)	10/13/1999 6:07:00 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

11:45 AM ET 10/13/99 CIA: Russia, China at Most Y2K Risk CIA: Russia, China at Most Y2K Risk By JIM ABRAMS= Associated Press Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) _ Russia, Ukraine, China and Indonesia are among the countries likely to suffer the greatest Y2K-related disruptions, but even well-prepared countries could import computer problems from other nations, a CIA official said today. Lawrence Gershwin, the CIA's national intelligence officer for science and technology, told the Senate special Y2K panel that the United States will see few direct effects from Y2K problems abroad. But computer crises overseas ``have the potential to involve U.S. military and civilian components in humanitarian relief, environmental disaster recovery or evacuations.' Another leading Y2K expert, Bruce McConnell of the International Y2K Cooperation Center, warned that in many ill-prepared countries the real danger is not a sudden breakdown in power or phone service on Jan. 1, 2000, but a slow deterioration of services across the economic spectrum. ``What is likely in countries with numerous Y2K failures is a growing slowdown in commerce' resulting in both degraded infrastructure performance and shaky consumer confidence, said McConnell, whose organization was founded under United Nations auspices and funded by the World Bank. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who heads the Senate Y2K panel with Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, said that ``in the spirit of self-preservation, we are chiefly concerned with the potential for cascading failures which could land on American shores.' The United States is thought to be leading the world in fixing problems caused by computers that read only the last two digits of a year and could confuse the year 2000, or ``00,' for 1900. On the other end, many developing countries lack the money and technology to ensure that their basic computer systems will continue to function after the new year. Gershwin, in a rundown, said Russia, Ukraine, China and Indonesia are among those facing considerable risk. Countries in Western Europe are better prepared, although there is a chance of significant failures in Italy, he said. Areas of greatest risk in Russia and Ukraine are strategic warning and command and control, nuclear power plants, the gas industry and the electric power grid. In the Americas, disruptions in basic public services including utilities, telecommunications, public health and social welfare are likely. Oil and banking companies in the Middle East and North Africa have recognized the problem and are working to fix it, but government institutions, small businesses, the health sector and some public utilities are vulnerable, Gershwin said. Gershwin said the United States is unlikely to experience a significant disruption in oil deliveries. The situation is somewhat more serious in Europe, which relies heavily on gas deliveries from Russia's Gazprom. Locally severe gas shortages may occur in Russia, Ukraine and in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, he said.