I just finished talking to my local emergency management administration about the counties y2k efforts. He indicated EMA and FEMA's biggest concern is the public acting in a non-rational manner the last week of the year. They are very concerned about cyber-terrorism attacking LOCAL systems. But the one thing he stated that really made me think was this. He indicated that the National News Mediais getting ready for a big Y2K push of information. Its intent is to disspell any spin that is negative about y2k ie: anything but the 3 day storm scenario. Now if he know the press is ready to do this who else knows... I also found out there are alot more chemical plants(about 120-130) in my area(we also have a nuclear power plant 30 miles away). He has no concern they are doing their job. Gave me the line about having 18 hours to see what Austrialia and the rest of the world will be doing. Indicated that FEMA will have monitoring posts around the world. He thought most advanced countries would be OK but that 3rd world countries would be in trouble. So I wonder when the big National Media push is going to begin.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), October 11, 1999

Answers

What part of the country do you live in?

-- Backspace (delete@no .way~), October 11, 1999.

That's the wrong approach, IMO, for the pollies. Or, the Silencers, if you will.

They've already convinced the country that Y2K is no big deal; everyone then went happily back to snoozing.

If they turn up the three-day-storm message, people will become confused and even more inclined to panic - like Cory says, when the .gov says don't panic, he starts pushing people over to get to the exits, or however he phrases it.........

Well, at least we have this entire forum full of articles and quotes to shove in their faces very soon now.

-- lisa (lisa@work.now), October 11, 1999.

Beware the FEMA Meme! They are *hardly* capable of managing/helping/sheltering/directing the MONUMENTAL Emergency efforts necessary to cope with Y2K effects.

DWGIs come in all shapes and forms, including wolves in sheep's fleece ...

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

I live in Iowa. Another part of his message concerned PANIC by the public. He indicated the press will inform citizens to REVIEW what food they have on hand and then determine whether or not it would last for 3 days. They do not want people to prepare. He mentioned the word SPIN at least 6 times and indicated our local press had done a fine job disminating bad SPIN ie surivalist ect.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), October 11, 1999.

"He thought most advanced countries would be OK but that 3rd world countries would be in trouble."

Logically speaking...wouldn't the reverse actually hold more truth?

-- Cory Hill (coryh@strategic-services.net), October 11, 1999.

Less advanced countries run a couple of surprisingly high risks. When we got new generations of mainframes, we often sold the old ones to places in South America, shipped off in boxes with little documentation, just enough to get up and running. And by then the vendor no longer printed the manuals, etc, so whatever was lost was lost forever. Venezuela uses our old Univac boxes to pump us oil.

Also, less developed countries are dependent upon our hybrid seeds, pesticides, fertilizer, etc. If we can't ship that in early 2000, many countries may not get a crop planted. That could give massive famine in the year 2000 and the repercussions could go on for decades.

If we have even minor problems, we might devote all our shipping capacity, say, to getting food to NY and coal to the electric plants, all at the expense of shipping seed overseas. What politician is going to help Somalia at the cost of votes in NY, for instance?

So it's possible that a BITR in the US could be TEOTWAWKI for some other country, both because their computers go down and because they need us to keep shipping them the necessities.

Y2k dave - you lost me on "disminating".

-- bw (home@puget.sound), October 11, 1999.

bw,

I meant disseminating(typing to fast). He also indicated that the utility companies were working hard because "they didn't want to lose customers". Didn't want to lose customers is his belief. Not that lives depended on the utilities or anything but rather customer base. He also stated he would track down any RUMOR to prove or disproves its validity.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), October 11, 1999.

I keep looking for the "Media Hype". Has anyone seen it? I've looked everywhere. I can't seem to find it.

I scanned all 57 channels (and nothing on). Nope not there. Maybe someone clandestinely slipped a "Hype" filter into my TV. I tried changing televisions. Still no "Media Hype".

Maybe the "Hype" is subliminal. I tried taping bits from all the news channels, and playing them at slow speed. Other than discovering that Daryn Kagan is even sexier, when her lips mooooove reeeeeeaaaal sloooooowwwwww, I accomplished nothing. Still no "Hype".

I switched over to print and radio media. Other than acheiving new heights in boredom, I still accomplished nothing. Well, okay...there were a few radio talk show hosts, but these are listened to by people who already believed the world was coming to an end. "Hype" is not when you "preach to the choir". "Hype" is when you make Joe average say, "Damn Marge, come lookit this! If we buy a new Dodge we'll have whiter teeth!"

The search continues.

Maybe it's a "new and improved" kinda "Hype". Some new creature bio-engineered to inject the "Hype" directly into our bloodstreams. I go outside and look on tree limbs and under rocks. I keep expecting something to jump out and glom itself onto my face; tentacles piercing into my flesh, mainlining "Media Hype" right into the vein. Nope. Came across a really ugly looking beetle, that scared the hell outta my dog, though.

I looked in the compost pile. "AHA!", I shouted, in jubilation. Could this be it? Hallucinagenic fungus? Nah. This stuff stank and "Hype" is supposed to be really attractive.

I looked in the fridge, I looked on the bottom of my shoes. I tore out the plumbing and I tore up the sidewalk. I quizzed neighbors, I quizzed the mailman, I even quizzed the weird lady down the street, who talks to her bunions and claims to be carrying Morey Amsterdam's love child. This has got to be the most subtle and evasive "Hype" ever conceived.

I'm thinking of posting a reward.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), October 11, 1999.

With a few dozen good computers hooked up to the web, someone could easily put this server into permanent busy status. I'm not saying that anyone is going to do it, but it is easy enough to accomplish. What are our contingency plans?

Sincerely, Stan Faryna

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), October 11, 1999.

Bokonon: 'Maybe the "Hype" is subliminal. I tried taping bits from all the news channels, and playing them at slow speed.'

Don't ya know...you gotta play it in reverse. :-)

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), October 11, 1999.

(Slapping my forehead, in the classic "I coulda hadda V-8!" pose)

Of course, Sheila! Reverse! I'm off!

(I'll report my findings)

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), October 11, 1999.

Nope. Still no "Hype".

But I distinctly heard John Gibson say, "Yoko killed Paul".

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), October 11, 1999.

I'm a joiner. A team player. I've recently completed 8 online courses and registered my social security number and address commo information as a VOLUNTEER for FEMA. I'm pretty psyched to recieve my nifty certificates identifying me as "someone on the team" as we head for the rollover. Look for me to be in the loop and making a difference. Hell, I might even get me a FEMA tattoo ;>

Really though, wouldn't you rather try to be a part of the solution than run over by it? I would.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), October 11, 1999.

Gordon,

I tried signing up for FEMA-CERT-like training but my City doesn't have the courses, and the only nearby one's are in San Jose, CA and require one to be a resident or work there.

Seems like a ridiculous requirement... this year!

*Sigh*

Sometimes, I get the feeling the dot gov's WANT people to panic during the last week of December. That would be the reverse thinking, IMHO.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 11, 1999.

Bokonon,

I think we all miss the hype andits right under our nose. Its not the MEDIA where everybody is getting their info but rather your telephone, bank, and utitity statements. Think about it. What has a greater circulation and reaches every household. It is this medium that is being overlooked and there is nothing we can do about. I ask my barber if she was preparing and she "oh they will be ready". I ask how did she know and she pointed that all these statement informed her. The MEDIA is just putting out fires and rumors and lulling the sheeple into a complacency. They don't want the public to do anything DIFFERENT and will say anything to make sure this happens IMHO.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), October 11, 1999.

BOKONON...thanks for the laughs. Truly! I had to control myself so I didn't wake the family.

Here's a glimmer of hope and another nesting place for hype. I chaired a committee meeting at my church tonight. Our minister mentioned y2k during his sermon on Sunday. I started off talking about y2k by stating noone...NOONE knows for sure exactly what's going to happen. I added that preparing was the prudent thing to do.

One gentleman, usually the toughest nut added quickly, "Well I was on base and they all told me everything was going to be fine." I was surprised when a couple others chimed in on the "Uh-huh". The gentleman continued, "I don't really think anything's going to happen."

I said, "It really bothers me that all here have most likely paid money over the years for fire insurance, but never feel silly at the end of the year for not needing it...and you may possibly NEVER get that money back." Many nods. After this one said, "We're ordering more wood for the woodstove." and another said, "Me too!". The tough nut admitted..."Well I did buy a generator this week." Much grinning from the chair. Another lady who initially agreed with Toughy said, "Well I've been putting away some water."

I'm beginning to think...make that hope...that there's more people out there that GI than we think. When I saw how Toughy changed his tune when he realized he wouldn't look so silly afterall...it gave me hope.

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), October 12, 1999.

Bokonon- Y2K dave is right; the hype is that there is no hype. BTW, your post was too long and not very funny.

-- cavscout (laughnow@cry.later), October 12, 1999.

Bokomon,

Thanks, your post was my laugh for the day. I needed it. ;D

-- Leslie (***@***.net), October 12, 1999.

Bokomon... AIDEM EPYH?

;-D

Clearer now?

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 12, 1999.

Morey Amsterdam's love child? Bwahahahhahaha.

-- anon (anon@anon.calm), October 12, 1999.

While we were at Hechinger's going out of business sale (standing in line at the register), the guy behind us started saying something about getting his house Y2K compliant. I asked him if he knew about the Northern Virginia Y2K Community Action Group, but he didn't. Anyway, he said everything was going to be alright. After all, if it's going to be bad, we wouldn't survive. That's what he said. Then, he proudly told us that he had talked his neighbor out of buying a gun. His neighbor, a firefighter was concerned about leaving his wife at home during the expected hard times ahead while he was fighting fires. But since this guy was a vet (the one who I was talking to), his neighbor wanted his advice on a weapon. Apparently, he shut the conversation down by telling the firefighter that unless he was prepared to kill another human being (i.e., his wife or children) then he shouldn't get a gun, because you never know where a bullet will go.

Huh?!

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), October 12, 1999.

Stan, your point about whether this forum has any contingency plans is well taken. We are probably at the mercy of Greenspun, MIT and whatever happens in that locality. What happens to this forum will be a key indicator as to what happens y2k. It could be taken out deliberately with very little effort, if not by hackers then by political pressure on Greenspun, or in the worst case it could simply disappear along with every other service at MIT during the rollover itself. And of course it could be taken out just by being overloaded as the news ramps up.

The Prep Forum will be the real loss if its bad, but the historical record of the discussions on this forum could also be lost, for a time anyway. I guess that's what makes the book author issues so important. Will the story only be available through the filter of a couple of authors quick enough off the mark to realise this?

I don't have an answer to this problem, but as a y2k wishful thinker, I'm banking on it staying up through the event itself.

-- Christopher (christopher@philosopher.net), October 12, 1999.