In greek mythology there was a character who had offended one of the gods, and as punishment was forced to live out his life with food and water being forever just beyond his grasp. Anyone remember who that was?

It seems to me that this is the position we're being pushed in...no matter what we prepare for, someone will move the goal just beyond our grasp again.

As an example, one of the toughest decisions we had to make as a family was determining the length of time that we thought it was appropriate to prepare for. And we did.

Now, the landscape seems to be changing just a bit where the line used to be pretty well defined. It used to be, "Come January 1, you'll need your stuff so you'd better have it".

Now the word seems to be, "well, things might not happen immediately upon rollover...but the slowdown of imported oil will eventually cause problems, so you'd better be ready in March..."

I keep thinking of that movie with Arnold Schwartzeneggar and Jesse Ventura where they keep trying to kill the alien with thier hillariously large guns, but he keeps disappearing into the jungle. Somehow I feel that the objectives for our preparedness are being similarly moved.

-- dan (dbuchner@logistics.calibersys.com), October 20, 1999

Answers

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

Somehow, we manage to hold it together through extra-ordinary effort throughout the year 2000, and then is when somebody decides to see if the high thermonuclear explosion over the center of the country trick would work real cool. Who would be dastardly enough to do that? Depends on how mad they get over their bad year.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 20, 1999.

See Greek Mythology: Heros and Characters

For edumacational porpoises: Tantalus, was a king in Greek mythology. Tantalus was son of Zeus and sea nymph Pluto. Tantalus was punished because he killed his son Pelops and served him to the gods as food. Later, Pelops was restored to life. In the Lower World, Tantalus was forced to stand under threat of a hanging rock and up to his chin in water. But when he tried to drink, the water always vanished. Fruit and grapes hung above him. But when he tried to eat them, the branches were whirled out of reach by the winds. The word tantalize is taken from his name.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 20, 1999.

Yikes!!! Does the word polly derive from pelops? See Andy's post on my thread: Why Pollyticians Should be Held Accountable but Warners Need Not Be

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 20, 1999.

Dancr -

Actually, the term is derived from Polyphemus, who was none too "quick upstairs" and fundamentally unable to believe that the threat he faced was real. Ended badly for him.

Note: 8-}]

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), October 20, 1999.

mythology is for pudds. and u dont want to be a pudd so forget about it

-- byrin bachbaet (www.jkldgjlkagjlkdsa@wcoil.com), March 13, 2003.