This is such a depressing subject...could you use a smile? My teenager son suggested that, since I'm a homebrewere, maybe to prepare for this apocolyptic scene, that I should lay in some extra beermaking supplies (malt, sugar, yeast, hops, etc.). "You never know, Dad, he said. If things get bad enough, you might be able to trade a six pack for a TV, a twelve pack for a couch. A sip for a toaster oven!" He cracks me up.

It reminds me of the book "Alas Babylon" which I read in high school. If I remember correctly, a bottle of hootch was a powerful tool for bartering after the economic system failed.

In all seriousness, the big money interests are not stupid. Banks (and mutural funds, etc.) that are not ready will be punished severely and savagely. When money starts fleeing 3rd world banks because of the y2K problem, it will be clear that the problem is

-- R. Jay Goos (goos@badlands.nodak.edu), March 29, 1998

Answers

To add to your note I had a recent discussion with my two oldest children. Our discussion centered aroung the purchse of an item for our home. The choice was a new computer or a swimming pool. My eldest, into computers and games, voted for the computer. His age is 14 y/o. My next son voted for the swimming pool. His age ia 9y/o. He pointed out to my eldest that when the electricity ran out in 200 2000 the computer would be kaput. The swimming pool would still be here to use for water storage, household use, or cooling off. when it gets hot. How's that for a nine year old's thought process. By the way your son has a point about alcohol. We are putting away a few bottles for special occasions. (Time will tell what those will be.)

-- kim welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net), March 30, 1998.

Well,I am a teenager and i do tend to make my mom laugh alot when we first started to talk about Y2K I asked some pretty stupid questions like, Why did they only have to use 2 digits for the year if they didnt they wouldnt be facing this problem or would we, my mom and i talked about this subject awhile and we really didnt know the severity of the problem at that time gosh i am rambling geez i can just talk or i mean type forever =)

-- Morgan (Y2KFever@aol.com), October 02, 1998.