The articles below are sad attempts by Russian spinmeisters to paint a nicer picture than what's really gonna happen over there. We don't bring embassy personnel home, unless things are gonna be bad. The arguments below are Soooo feeble. We'll turn off things that go wrong. We fixed some of it with the money we had. It's cold here anyway. We loose power all the time. The house is on fire anyway, so what does it matter that you pour gasoline on it? Duh.

You pricks, and you know who you are, you pricks who read this board each day then report to your little work groups to formulate spin control should realize what you're doing. You're facilitating a disaster. Doesn't that bother you? These are people.

For educational and humanitarian purposes only:

Russia Power To Be Manual on Y2K > The Associated Press > Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999; 9:24 p.m. EST > > MOSCOW -- Russia's electricity monopoly will shift its huge grid to manual control on Dec. 31 to ensure it avoids "millennium bug" outages, system officials said Wednesday. > > Russia is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to potential problems when the changeover from 1999 to 2000 is expected to effect many computers whose chronometers cannot distinguish between the years 2000 and 1900. > > Although Russia has proportionately fewer computers than more developed countries, it also apparently has done less to prepare them for the new year than have Western countries. > > Managers at United Energy Systems, the country's electricity monopoly, said at a news conference that they are 95 percent ready for the date flip-over. > > The company has checked about 50,000 computer systems which guide the flow of power across the country. > > The company allotted less money than engineers asked for in 1998 in order to fix the problem, officials said. Planners wanted $28 million but UES allotted only $8 million. > > UES deputy chairman Alexander Remezov said the company made up for the shortfall with a plan to use manual controls. > > [snip]

Yeah, right. Told ya, no money, no fixey. Duh.

Thursday, November 4 12:52 PM SGT

Russia to escape major Y2K disruption

MOSCOW, Nov 4 (AFP) -

There will be no nuclear disaster in Russia at the millennium, and planes will run no greater risk of crashing than usual, but ordinary Russians face a series of passing problems.

The Russian federation has 11 time zones, which will switch to the new millennium at various times on December 31 in the biggest country in the world, which the Central Intelligence Agency says runs the biggest risk of breakdown.

Recently officials said that Russia was prepared for any problems arising from YK2, brushing aside international concerns.

"Russia is ready for the millennium bug. It's true we don't have the money to do all the necessary work rapidly, but it will be completed before the New Year," Labour Minister Sergei Kalashnikov said.

"The millennium bug is a less serious problem for Russia than for other countries," the minister told a press conference, pointing to the "delayed computerisation of the country."

"There are republics in Russia ... where all official documentation is still on paper," he added.

But the non-governmental YK2 task force charged with preparing Russia for the year 2000 warned of the risks of complacency.

"No one can say to what point Russia is ready to tackle the millennium bug," Nadedzhda Sena, head of Committee-2000, told the recent press conference.

According to different sources, Russia is not ready to handle the coming year.

Some suspect that problems may arise if existing computer programs and chips that deal with dates track only the last two digits of the year, which may cause the first day of 2000 to be confused with January 1, 1900.

The problem could affect airlines, lifts, electricity and any industry using computers.

Russia says it is spending 187 million dollars on adjusting its computer infrastructure for the next millennium, topped up by 70 million dollars from international bodies including the World Bank.

Moscow was tardy in reacting to Y2K, unblocking a meagre 50 million euro (dollars) whereas experts said 187 million were needed, and available cash has been slow to trickle down to the administrations that need to modernise.

But they said that priorities have been dealt with in defence, oil and gas, telecommunications, aviation and the nuclear industry.

In the nuclear energy field, Russia has been aided by western firms such as Germany's Siemens and the French state gas and electricity utility EDF.

Happily, the level of computerisation in the country has remained low and many manual systems remain operational.

"All air traffic control can be switched over manually, " an expert said.

In other fields such as gas and electricity, anything that is potentially dangerous can be turned off or switched over manually, the expert said.

But the population risks momentary cuts in electricity and heating, food and water supplies and telecommunications, which could be dangerous for the old and the sick.

The United States has advised its diplomatic personnel in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Vladivostok and staff posted in Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova to spend the New Year back home.

Russians think these precautions are exaggerated. "We have provided a big budget. I am absolutely certain that not a single American diplomat will die of cold," said Anatoly Chubais, director of the Russian electricity utility.

Foreign companies have taken elementary precautions. Unilever has handed "what-to-do" instructions to its workers while Oreal said it was considering hiring generators if necessary in case of power cuts.

"As a precaution, we should buy in candles and reserves of drinking water, fill up with petrol and draw out cash before the holiday, a western diplomat said.

But in many parts of Russia, power and heating cuts are daily ocurrences and YK2 will barely be noticed.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999

Answers

Hey Gordon -

You made the Michael Regans (yep the son of President Ronald

Regan) radio program tonight. Don't ya feel special now? Truth is I

couldn't quite figure out if he was flaming you or not, probably not.

Actually, I was sidetracked by a necessary maneuver while driving, so

I don't have the details. I assume, of course, there is only ONE

Gordon Gecko!! LOL!

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), November 04, 1999.

Hey Mikey,

Roll on deodorant is on sale, 2 for $5.00, at Safeway.

-- anything_else_would (be@uncivilized.pu), November 05, 1999.