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

To: John Mansfield who wrote (2645)	10/3/1998 5:24:00 PM
From: RH	Respond to of 9818

Canadian Banking Problems: Does anyone have any information about the debit card system (and ATM) failure this week. It seems that the Bank of Montreal's system was completely shut down for 24 hours. For non-Canadians, the BOM is one of Canada's 5 major national banks. My wife also had trouble with her card from one of the other banks. It hit the local radio news stations but I haven't heard any speculation as to the cause. RH

To: John Mansfield who wrote (2645)	10/3/1998 5:50:00 PM
From: NickSE	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

US Senator Looks To Pacific For Early Y2K Warning 6.43 a.m. ET (1043 GMT) October 3, 1998 WASHINGTON — The head of a U.S. Senate committee on the Year 2000 computer problem said Friday he will set up a system to take advantage of the time difference in the Pacific to get early warning of problems as 1999 ends. Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah said a Year 2000 ''First Alert'' system focused on what happens in New Zealand and other Pacific countries after midnight December 31, 1999, would give the United States more than 17 hours notice of how utilities and transport services may be disrupted. "It is absolutely foolish not to use this advance notice for the good of the nation,'' Bennett said at a hearing on emergency services planning for the Year 2000. Bennett said he looked forward to working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish the early warning system but was prepared to introduce legislation if necessary. Older computers and software are expected to have difficulty recognizing the date change. The use of only two digits for the year in these older systems is expected to lead to errors or outright failure. White House Year 2000 chief, John Koskinen, told the hearing that there would be problems, even with the best efforts of government and industry to update systems. "We need to understand and expect that not every system and embedded chip will be found and fixed,'' said Koskinen who urged the development of contingency plans in addition to repairs. Koskinen described the Year 2000 problem as a "unique emergency response challenge'' with the possibility of multiple failures occurring at the same time in different places. "In a worst case scenario for a city or town, authorities could face the failure of the power plant, the water treatment plans and transit systems,'' he said.