I just turned on the computer and there on the MSN home page was an article about Y2K preparedness. I expected the article to be about how foolish preparing is but instead the story was pretty good. The problem is that it was put out on Dec. 22 instead of back in March. All the media articles seem to be getting more serious about preparation. Do you notice this shift too? Pam

-- Pamela (jpjgood@penn.com), December 22, 1999

Answers

http://underwire.msn.com/underwire/reallife/Savy/54savvy.asp

They're talking about "learn how to turn off your utilities & etc..." (in so many words).

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 22, 1999.

Yes, I've been noticing more preparedness related material in the mainstream media. The major news sources seem to be getting a little schizophrenic lately since they'll run a "maybe you should prepare" article right next to a "Y2K is OK, don't worry" piece.

It's fairly typical. They wring their hands about us "hoarders", "panickers", and "survivalists" causing problems and then at the comparative last minute start running pieces that are designed to make the general public go "hmmm." If they'd actually listened to the surivalists everyone would have prepared months ago in an orderly fashion but that wouldn't sell newspapers or air-time.

We're starting to enter into the never-never land of what's news and what's not.

.........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@sprintmail.com), December 22, 1999.

By waiting until this late date, all they can do is encourage panic...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), December 22, 1999.

I read in a post on this forum that contained portions of the material presented at a "media seminar". The subject matter addressed "balanced" reporting by not overstating the darker side of Y2K and to always include positive articles or FAQs.

I wondered at the time if they held the same seminars on politics???

-- gary (a@a.com), December 22, 1999.

Yessum, I do. Very serious indeed.

-- mil (millenium@yahoo.com), December 23, 1999.

"Senator John Glenn, our twice-in-a-lifetime space adventurer, said "The greatest antidote to worry  is preparation.""

What a wacko, eh? ;)

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 23, 1999.