Had an off-the wall thought recently about y2k. If things are really as bad as I think they'll be New Years Day, and considering how the general public perceives y2k to be a minor event, how will major events like the Rosebowl and the Rose Parade be handled? Lets say that the press is able to continue snowing the population into malaise up to the 1st, then all hell breaks loose on the 1st. You've got all the floats ready, ($100,000 dollar floats are typical for the Rose Parade) hotel rooms are filled to the brim with tourists etc. etc. what a mess! Since the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl are televised worldwide how would one broadcast such an event should problems occur? To cancel such events would be a MAJOR financial hit, plus it would send an ominous message to those wanting to watch. If I were an organizer of one of these events, I'd be sweating major bullets right now, or would have a major case of denial. Opinions anyone?

-- Richard (trubeliever@webtv.net), September 11, 1999

Answers

TV? Electricity? Broadcasting?

-- optimists (abound@bowls.boot), September 11, 1999.

I have always said that Joe Sixpack's riot will be instigated by the fact that when he crawls out of bed and goes to McDonalds and can't get breakfast, the liquor store is closed up and when he gets back home the TV won't come on so he misses the Rose Bowl. Only then, will he say, "huh? (scratching armpit) What the f... is going on?"

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

What makes you think that all of the problems will surface on Jan 1st?

-- Rockafeller Skank (rocky2k@x-networks.net), September 11, 1999.

It's not just the Rose Bowl, it's everything that people are planning and working on for next year. It's so weird. Remember, all big events are planned many months in advance. I belong to an organization that is planning its annual awards dinner next April. I am friends with the exec director and she keeps exclaiming in disbelief when I say about stuff, "IF the structure holds..."

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

The denial of the major media is going to cost them big time come January 1,00. They could have admitted the problems and encouraged preparations. No they denied everything. Now look at all of the TV advertising revenue, boost to the local economy etc. that will be lost due to these disruptions. The game could have been changed to the Century Rollover Game or some such name. Surely the expert spinners could have come up with some spin that Joe 6 pack would believe as to why the bowl game was moved to be in late 1999. No the powers that be would not allow that. They deserve the consequences. The public that was deceived will also suffer greatly. They will get their revenge on election day. Virtually no incimbents will be reelected to anything. Curly agrees.

-- Moe (Moe@3stooges.gom), September 11, 1999.

So do we :-)

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 11, 1999.

See this very old thread, quoting a local Pasadena free paper. I read the article at the time off line - the poster made fun of it, but it was a fairly reassuring article. Pasadena is a very technologically oriented town. In November 1998, they had 2 years of preparations behind them - by now, they should be in even better shape. And no one will be freezing to death in Southern California in January. If I were in the midwest, I'd be happy to take a Rose Bowl trip, and stay out here until I saw whether power was on back home before returning. Of course, I would fly into Burbank and avoid LAX. But I would do that anyway.

Besides, if there is a disaster, the TV ratings will go up. You can't lose.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q- and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000G6l

-- kermit (colourmegreen@hotmail.com), September 11, 1999.

Yeah, I bet those Tv commercials are in the $$millions, almost as much as Super Bowl. I wonder if the advertisers have an agreement in the contract to get their money back for cities where it doesn't run? In that case, I guess they would have to sue the responsible network subsidiaries or the power companies. Ugh, what a legal mess!

-- @ (@@@.@), September 11, 1999.

>Rose Bowl a good place to be...warm

Do you really want to be there if the toilets don't flush? Do you really want to be there if there are toxic spills or chemical plant explosions not to mention nuclear power plant problems?

The density of population in Southern California makes it among the most dangerous places to be during the rollover imho.

If you are out in the countryside in the Midwest you will be much better off--particularly in an area with a woodstove, well and septic system, etc.

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), September 12, 1999.