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

To: John Mansfield who wrote (3538)	2/1/1999 5:00:00 AM
From: C.K. Houston	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9818

"I'm really not too concerned about John Q. Public's vehicle stopping in the middle of the street," Col. Gerald Olesen, a support staff officer with the Wisconsin office of emergency management, said. "We plan on having enough equipment to move it. If need be, we'll use Humvees to push it out of the street." =========================================================== Y2K: NATIONAL GUARD MAGAZINE - January '99 Racing Against the Calendar (Some highlights) The bureau will begin testing in May its ability to communicate with the state units in an emergency and the Guard's mobilization readiness based on a "Y2K HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT" ... Some agencies and companies are reporting a wait of as much as 72 weeks to receive telephone switches after they are ordered,. [Little late, don't you think?] NGB is expected to establish a high-frequency radio network from Washington, D.C. to regional centers as a backup to microchips and satellites that could fail causing telephones, modems and pagers to stop working. "We're going to plan for the worst-case scenario: no power and lots of panic," Armory preparing to respond to the most widespread technological disaster in history. Systems cover command and control, satellites, inventory management, transportation, medical and pay and personnel. Problem now is determining what is truly mission-critical ... contingency plans must be developed for the possible failure of each "Anyone who tells you they're ready for the Y2K bug probably doesn't really understand the threat." If the computer bug interrupts critical services, local authorities will need help. Maybe lots of help ... Direct traffic and evacuate hospitals and nursing homes - may also be needed to respond for food delivery - issue of civil unrest What if bank vaults won¹t lock and looting occurs? Long lines at gas stations cause rioting? "Pick any part of the doom and gloom and you can find all kinds of social unrest in those scenarios," said Col. Dennis Haire, a doctoral candidate in information technology and chief information officer of the Texas National Guard. What will be different for the Guard is … also preparing to avoid economic emergencies. "In Oklahoma, that means staying in touch with the aerospace and oil industries. Some such industries can also spark environmental problems if embedded chip safety systems no longer detect poisonous gases, a scenario that happened to Phillips Petroleum Co. during a test of Y2K systems in the North Sea last year. ngaus.org ENTIRE ARTICLE IS DEFINITELY WORTH A READ. Lots of detail. National Guard is difficult to access during day. I've put entire article here: Message 7567402 __________________________________________________________________ FEMA REGIONAL Y2K WORKSHOPS BEGIN MID-FEBRUARY WASINGTON, January 26, 1999 -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) kicks off its first series of regional Y2K Preparation & Consequence Management Workshops agencies in Atlanta, Ga., in mid-February. In addition to FEMA officials, participants will include state emergency managers, state fire marshals, state Y2K coordinators and regional representatives of key federal agencies. Attendance by invitation only. Message 7565972 __________________________________________________________________ FEDS PLAN Y2K SPIN CONTROL Fears of Y2K panic have prompted the federal government to begin quietly preparing a media strategy designed to assuage public fears of blackouts or other potential infrastructure failures... wired.com

To: John Mansfield who wrote (3538)	2/1/1999 5:55:00 AM
From: C.K. Houston	Respond to of 9818

I pulled some pieces together on oil discussion over past few days, culminating with petition to replenish Strategic Petroleum Reserves. Cheryl ______________________________________________________________ TESTIMONY: Lawrence Gershwin, National Intelligence Officer Global Implications of Y2K January 20, 1999 Excerpt house.gov All countries will be affected, to one degree or another, by Y2K-related failures. Problems in one country or sector can have widespread consequences because of interdependence between sectors worldwide. We have few indications that countries are undertaking contingency planning for recovery from Y2K failures ... Foreign countries trail the United States in addressing Y2K problems by at least several months, and in many cases much longer. Y2K remediation is underfunded in most countries: Time and resource constraints will limit the ability of most countries to respond adequately by 2000 ... Global linkages in telecommunications, financial systems, air transportation, the manufacturing supply chain, oil supplies, and trade mean that Y2K problems will not be isolated to individual countries, and no country will be immune from failures in these sectors ... We are focusing increasingly in our study of foreign Y2K problems on those critical sectors that directly affect US interests. These include, among others, foreign military systems, trade, and oil production and distribution, all of which I will elaborate on ... DEFINITELY WORTH READING ALL OF HIS TESTIMONY. ______________________________________________________________ From: flatsville Yep Cheryl...That was the part of Gershwin's testimony that produced the involuntary cold chill. Those predicting "bump in the road" status keep overlooking those "global linkages" issues in "those critical sectors that directly affect US interests." I'm certain they think oil comes from the gas station the same way small children think milk comes from the grocery store. And speaking of oil, BHI's research department indicates that working US based oil rigs were at a historic low in 1998 with something in the neighborhood of 500 versus 4500 in place during 1982? the historic high. (BHI has been keeping a rig count since 1944.) It's doubtful that gas will come from the gas station...those damn global linkages again. I vaguely recall someone from CAT testifying before congress last year that if disruptions abroad lasted more than six weeks the corporation was effectively out of business. And if any corporation should know it's CAT given the hit they've taken with the Asian Crisis. Other multinationals have muttered similar statements in SEC documents (KO knows this too)...those damn global linkages again. US Oil Reserves fe.doe.gov ______________________________________________________________ From: Ken Salaets These are the same reserves that were proposed to be sold during the balanced budget struggles of years past. I can't recall the outcome of that initiative. Anyone else have info on this? ______________________________________________________________ From: Orbit I remember reading a few months ago (can't find the link) that the US decided not to replenish the reserves and save the extra $$$. ______________________________________________________________ This is a petition for the U.S. government to fill up, during 1999, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a safety reserve should either the foreign-based or our domestic-based petroleum facilities suffer Y2K-caused interruptions. What is feared are interruptions significant enough to cause shortages that could cause the nation's demand to outstrip the available supply of petroleum in 2000, or failing that, that might cause petroleum to be more expensive than need be. In addition, a private-sector operated community-based fuel reserve proposal is advanced. If filled up, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's full capacity would provide the U.S. protection against the loss of 135 days of crude oil imports. However, according to the SPR May 1998 position paper, the nation currently has around 67 days of crude oil import protection due to the current national policy to deplete the Reserve. ourworld.compuserve.com