Here's an interesting little graphic:

-- a (a@a.a), July 02, 1999.

Consumer interest grows for residential generators

Wednesday, July 7, 1999

SETH BORENSTEIN(BR)Knight Ridder Newspapers

NEW YORK - In the heart of a city electric by nature, the Central Park police station had too little power. Antiquated lines provided so little juice to the historic 19th-century precinct house tucked in the park that police couldn't run electronic fingerprint machines or air-condition the whole station. Getting to the 20th century with new power lines would have cost $1.2 million. Instead, the police skipped right to the 21st century and for $1 million got their own power plant - a clean, ultra-efficient fuel cell. Now they have enough juice to run high-tech gadgetry, charge four electric police cars and light up a nearby summer stage where the Metropolitan Opera performs. On May 1, they cut themselves off from New York's vaunted power grid. "It's great to be self-sufficient," said police Capt. James O'Neill. The Central Park police are pioneers in what experts see as a new era of power production. Growing numbers of businesses are turning on small, economical and extraordinarily reliable power plants to wean themselves from utilities. Private homes will be next, with hundreds of test residential generators scheduled for installation starting in August. Plug Power LLC of Latham, N.Y., hopes to begin selling dishwasher-sized fuel cells for the home for less than $4,000 in just 18 months and sees an initial market of 25 million homes. Researchers say personal power is poised to explode into everyday life just like personal computers in 1984 and cellular phones a few years after that. "We're at the beginning of a revolution here," said Shalom Zelingher, New York Power Authority research and technology development director, pointing to the police station's fuel cell. These new systems provide more reliable power and drastically cut air pollution, supporters say, because they produce both power and hot water. The hot water - which can also be used for heating and air conditioning - makes the systems two to three times more efficient than more conventional power sources. In the next few days, a suburban Chicago McDonald's plans to switch to its own microturbine gas engine to handle much of its power needs. Last month, a bank in Omaha, Neb., turned on four fuel cells in its credit-card processing office because managers wanted a power source more reliable than the utility grid. About the same time, a park in San Francisco turned on its own fuel cell. A textile mill in Lawrence, Mass., is already chugging along on microturbines. Allied Signal, which built the McDonald's microturbine, is talking with real estate developers about installing power plants for small residential subdivisions. "The era of big (central power plants) is certainly over," said Chuck Linderman, director of energy supply policy for the Edison Electric Institute, a power utility trade group. Linderman said utilities in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Tucson, Ariz., and in New Jersey, Florida, California and Idaho are embracing the technology as a new profit center. They want to be the companies that supply and maintain the generators, he explained. Driving the trend is a yearning for self-sufficiency as much as technology. The new generators differ from place to place. The most promising are fuel cells, which use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce both water and power, and microturbines, which use natural gas to run a small industrial generator. But wind, solar and even external combustion engines are joining the mix. Unlike the Central Park precinct, most companies that use personal power don't cut themselves off the electric grid. They stay connected, using the grid as a backup. Some even hope to sell excess power back to the electric companies. The utility industry is torn by all this. Some companies are putting up roadblocks because they envision lost customers. "When the public really gets the opportunity to make choices it will be impossible for the incumbents to stop this," Plug Power Chairman George McNamee told the Senate Energy Committee late last month. "It's a race," Assistant U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Reicher agreed. "This technology is going to be, I believe, a major part of our economy." The Clinton administration has proposed a bill, still pending on Capitol Hill, that would remove some roadblocks to personal power and encourage more research into it. Some people aren't waiting for support from Washington. More than 100 companies are entering the personal power business, which goes by the awkward name of "distributed generation," said Sarah McKinley, executive director of the newly formed Distributed Power Coalition of America. "This is really the year where it starts," said Ake Almgren, president of Capstone Turbine Corp., a California company that is one of the early producers of microturbines. The trend is intricately tied to efforts to deregulate the power utility industry in states across the nation. "What you have is a convergence of competition and choice coming to the electricity industry along with great advances in distributed engine technology," Reicher said. "These are ideal conditions for the rapid penetration of these technologies." What has everyone excited is the extraordinary efficiency of the new personal generators. Getting energy from fossil fuels in a large central plant is very inefficient. By the time the power arrives at a home or business, only 29 percent of the original energy in that coal or oil remains. Fuel cells boast 40 percent efficiency and microturbines get around 20 to 30 percent. But what makes both technologies pay off is that they are married to cogeneration. Cogeneration is the reuse of the generator's byproduct - clean hot water - to heat buildings, clear sidewalks and for other industrial uses. That brings efficiency up to the 80 percent range. With all its benefits, personal power isn't soaring nearly as fast as it could. That's because some utilities are making it tough if not impossible for companies - and eventually homes - to switch to personal power systems, said Tony Prophet, president of Allied Power Systems Inc. Utilities "have the motive, the means and the opportunity to block this technology," Prophet told the Senate Energy Committee. "And it's happening right before your eyes." Distributed power would deprive utilities of customers and, because nearly all purchasers of the new systems want to remain connected to the utility grid for backup power, some big power companies are using that connection as an excuse to stall the hookup of personal power systems, Prophet said. The utilities say it's a safety issue. They worry that a home or business generator sending power out toward the grid could electrocute a worker working on lines. That's why precise technical details have to be worked out first, said Meera Kohler, general manager of Anchorage Municipal Power and Light.

-- a (a@a.a), July 07, 1999.

Consumer interest grows for residential generators

Wednesday, July 7, 1999

SETH BORENSTEIN(BR)Knight Ridder Newspapers

NEW YORK - In the heart of a city electric by nature, the Central Park police station had too little power.

Antiquated lines provided so little juice to the historic 19th-century precinct house tucked in the park that police couldn't run electronic fingerprint machines or air-condition the whole station. Getting to the 20th century with new power lines would have cost $1.2 million.

Instead, the police skipped right to the 21st century and for $1 million got their own power plant - a clean, ultra-efficient fuel cell. Now they have enough juice to run high-tech gadgetry, charge four electric police cars and light up a nearby summer stage where the Metropolitan Opera performs. On May 1, they cut themselves off from New York's vaunted power grid.

"It's great to be self-sufficient," said police Capt. James O'Neill.

The Central Park police are pioneers in what experts see as a new era of power production. Growing numbers of businesses are turning on small, economical and extraordinarily reliable power plants to wean themselves from utilities.

Private homes will be next, with hundreds of test residential generators scheduled for installation starting in August. Plug Power LLC of Latham, N.Y., hopes to begin selling dishwasher-sized fuel cells for the home for less than $4,000 in just 18 months and sees an initial market of 25 million homes.

Researchers say personal power is poised to explode into everyday life just like personal computers in 1984 and cellular phones a few years after that.

"We're at the beginning of a revolution here," said Shalom Zelingher, New York Power Authority research and technology development director, pointing to the police station's fuel cell.

These new systems provide more reliable power and drastically cut air pollution, supporters say, because they produce both power and hot water.

The hot water - which can also be used for heating and air conditioning - makes the systems two to three times more efficient than more conventional power sources.

In the next few days, a suburban Chicago McDonald's plans to switch to its own microturbine gas engine to handle much of its power needs. Last month, a bank in Omaha, Neb., turned on four fuel cells in its credit-card processing office because managers wanted a power source more reliable than the utility grid. About the same time, a park in San Francisco turned on its own fuel cell. A textile mill in Lawrence, Mass., is already chugging along on microturbines.

Allied Signal, which built the McDonald's microturbine, is talking with real estate developers about installing power plants for small residential subdivisions.

"The era of big (central power plants) is certainly over," said Chuck Linderman, director of energy supply policy for the Edison Electric Institute, a power utility trade group.

Linderman said utilities in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Tucson, Ariz., and in New Jersey, Florida, California and Idaho are embracing the technology as a new profit center. They want to be the companies that supply and maintain the generators, he explained.

Driving the trend is a yearning for self-sufficiency as much as technology.

The new generators differ from place to place. The most promising are fuel cells, which use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce both water and power, and microturbines, which use natural gas to run a small industrial generator. But wind, solar and even external combustion engines are joining the mix.

Unlike the Central Park precinct, most companies that use personal power don't cut themselves off the electric grid. They stay connected, using the grid as a backup. Some even hope to sell excess power back to the electric companies.

The utility industry is torn by all this. Some companies are putting up roadblocks because they envision lost customers.

"When the public really gets the opportunity to make choices it will be impossible for the incumbents to stop this," Plug Power Chairman George McNamee told the Senate Energy Committee late last month.

"It's a race," Assistant U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Reicher agreed. "This technology is going to be, I believe, a major part of our economy."

The Clinton administration has proposed a bill, still pending on Capitol Hill, that would remove some roadblocks to personal power and encourage more research into it.

Some people aren't waiting for support from Washington. More than 100 companies are entering the personal power business, which goes by the awkward name of "distributed generation," said Sarah McKinley, executive director of the newly formed Distributed Power Coalition of America.

"This is really the year where it starts," said Ake Almgren, president of Capstone Turbine Corp., a California company that is one of the early producers of microturbines.

The trend is intricately tied to efforts to deregulate the power utility industry in states across the nation.

"What you have is a convergence of competition and choice coming to the electricity industry along with great advances in distributed engine technology," Reicher said. "These are ideal conditions for the rapid penetration of these technologies."

What has everyone excited is the extraordinary efficiency of the new personal generators.

Getting energy from fossil fuels in a large central plant is very inefficient. By the time the power arrives at a home or business, only 29 percent of the original energy in that coal or oil remains.

Fuel cells boast 40 percent efficiency and microturbines get around 20 to 30 percent. But what makes both technologies pay off is that they are married to cogeneration. Cogeneration is the reuse of the generator's byproduct - clean hot water - to heat buildings, clear sidewalks and for other industrial uses. That brings efficiency up to the 80 percent range.

With all its benefits, personal power isn't soaring nearly as fast as it could. That's because some utilities are making it tough if not impossible for companies - and eventually homes - to switch to personal power systems, said Tony Prophet, president of Allied Power Systems Inc.

Utilities "have the motive, the means and the opportunity to block this technology," Prophet told the Senate Energy Committee. "And it's happening right before your eyes."

Distributed power would deprive utilities of customers and, because nearly all purchasers of the new systems want to remain connected to the utility grid for backup power, some big power companies are using that connection as an excuse to stall the hookup of personal power systems, Prophet said.

The utilities say it's a safety issue. They worry that a home or business generator sending power out toward the grid could electrocute a worker working on lines. That's why precise technical details have to be worked out first, said Meera Kohler, general manager of Anchorage Municipal Power and Light.

-- a (a@a.a), July 07, 1999.

Time for a quick poll. Using the following scale,

SCENARIO	ADVOCATE
Bump in the road	Koskinen
Recession (as bad as 70's)	Yardeni
Depression (as bad as 30's)	Yourdon
Collapse (fall of US government)	Milne
Devolutionary spiral	Infomagic

give your one line distribution of probabilities of the scenarios from Bump to Devolution. They should sum to 100. If everyone puts a # as the first character, and uses commas as a seperator, I'll sort the results in a few days and post two averages; one comprised of only "regulars" and one of all posters.

Here is my entry:

# 1,28,50,20,1

-- a (a@a.a), July 14, 1999.

Time for a quick poll. Using the following scale,

SCENARIO                           ADVOCATE
--------                           --------
Bump in the road                   Koskinen
Recession (as bad as 70's)         Yardeni
Depression (as bad as 30's)        Yourdon
Collapse (fall of US government)   Milne
Devolutionary spiral               Infomagic

give your one line distribution of probabilities of the scenarios from Bump to Devolution. They should sum to 100. If everyone puts a # as the first character, and uses commas as a seperator, I'll sort the results in a few days and post two averages; one comprised of only "regulars" and one of all posters.

Here is my entry:

# 1,28,50,20,1

-- a (a@a.a), July 14, 1999.

Decker, on another thread you refused to address my plethora of economic issues, which you referred to as "all over the road Y2K jitters." You requested that I pose them one at a time, I guess so your macroeconomic theory would not experience overload. So, forget all of those, they obviously disturbed you to the point of speechlessness. You ignored all except my contention that we live in a more violent society with a larger prison population than the 70's, and used misleading crime rate statistics to spin a bogus response to that one. So here's a new concern for you to contemplate:

During the Great Depression, families predominantly had a single source of income, usually the husband. When times got tough, the wife would seek employment as a source of additional income.

Today, two income families are the norm, and a lot of these are still struggling to get by. When the downturn occurs, they will lack the safety net families had in 30's with their reserve income earning potential. This is another reason why today's economic situation, with its structured credit, debt load, nonexistent savings and speculation-fueled buying is indeed a House of Cards.

Care to take a shot?

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

Y2K Economics 101 for Decker

Ken, in my class, I define the principles a little differently than you.

First of all, most people believe that their hard earned money is sitting in a bank vault, pension plan or stock & bond fund. But actually, what exists is an electronic promise to pay. What these "investors" really have is quite literally ones and zeros in a computer database. Rather than something concrete like a gold coin or a years supply of heating oil, these 1s and 0s represent "stock" in the economic system. The "stock" rises when the economic system is prospering, and this is reflected in increased savings interest, fund dividends and market share price. When the system is in recession, or a momentary panic, or "correction", the "stock" falls. Sometimes the behavior is more complex and inexplicable, but the underlying definition of "stock" in the economic system remain fundamental.

Secondly, the success of the modern economy of the world is based on sustained growth. When that growth stops globally, at this point in the Ponzi scheme, TSHTF.

Now, lets put 2 and 2 together. We have A) a financial system based on "stock" in the economic system and B) global growth stops. What can we extrapolate?

Well, for starters, have you ever seen a new office building, gas station, builders mart, hospital or shopping center going up in an area that seems to already be saturated with new office buildings, gas stations, builders marts, hospitals and shopping centers? Ever wonder how in the world they will turn a profit? It has to do with structured debt. The banks are in the business of loaning out ever increasing sums of money, to finance this construction spiral. Governments get into the act too, building unneeded roads, bridges, and other facilities in order to keep the speculative bubble inflated.

The economy goes into overdrive as these expenditures of money are put towards raw materials and labor, and the beneficiary of these expenditures (company stockholders and workers) in turn reinvest this booty in such "commodities" as video rentals, restaurant meals, vacations, sporting goods, and the Home Shopping Network. Now, the $64,000 question. Where did this money come from?

In very large part, from you, the investor. Which is why the banks have loaned it out so liberally. Without stopping to think if the growth trend is sustainable. Without warning you, the investor, that things have become pretty darn shaky. Which is why y-2-k spells trouble for the banks. Confidence is at risk. But the bigger problem is that its not just about confidence - its about the current financial architecture reaching the end of its rope.

So, if and when the serious downturn occurs, guess who loses out when all the outstanding loans for new new roads, bridges office buildings, gas stations, builders marts, hospitals and shopping centers go bad? The banks? Guess again. The banks are insured by the government. And the government is insured by you. And you, with that 6 figure 401K, are heavily invested with stock in the economic system. Get the picture?

PNG expressed this quite succinctly when he wrote of the deteriorating situation in Japan earlier this year:

This is not a deferred payment plan. This is: "Remember that $2 billion you owe us? Well, you don't have to pay it back and we'll probably give you more cash on top of that because the government will give us the money to cover it."

My question is why are they asking the bank executives? Banks don't have any money. Towa Real Estate borrowed the depositors' money and promised to repay it with interest.

The government doesn't have any money to give to the banks to offset these bad loans. The taxpayers' money is being given to the banks to offset the depositors' money mishandled by the banks and Towa Real Estate.

The bottom is, when and if things go way south, the pollies will discover a new definition for "marketing fad".

Next lesson: How to avoid being accused of sedition by conventional economists.

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

Milne (still) not a fan of Senator Bennett>>>

Milne no fan of de Jager either>>>

Milne No fan of Senator Bennett (Part III)>>>

Milne not a fan of Senator Bennett>>>

Milne offers pollyannas an arithmetic lesson>>>

Milne on AT&T's announcement that it may go "Chevron">>>

Milne on Russia, North Korea and Y2K: What Pollyannas don't want you to know>>>

Milne on the Great Geek Migration>>>

Milne: 16 Reasons Why Self-Reporting Is Specious>>>

Milne: A Pollanna Is Nothing But A Selfish Human Being>>>

Milne: An example of the compliancy myth: Ericsson Systems>>>

Milne: And while you're at it...spoof this too>>>

Milne: Another challenge for pollyannas>>>

Milne: Ask Bozo If He Is the 'Best' Clown Ever>>>

Milne: Attention Pollyannas: FBI Agent says "This is a Clue">>>

Milne: Australia: A Parable Of Non-Compliance>>>

Milne: Beginning of The Y2K Panic Sell-Off>>>

Milne: Blind Faith Of Managers>>>

Milne: Boston Herald says "the outlook is bleak">>>

Milne: Brokerage Firms Miss Deadlines>>>

Milne: California Dreamin'>>>

Milne: Chaos in 90 days>>>

Milne: China poised to devalue its currency; get ready for Asian Flu II>>>

Milne: Clue-By-Four>>>

Milne: DC on fast track to the crapper>>>

Milne: Dealing with Y2K failures in the midst of Y2K failures>>>

Milne: DoD is floundering>>>

Milne: European airports heading for millennium computer crash>>>

Milne: False sense of security about Y2K emerging>>>

Milne: Fat lady is singing>>>

Milne: Flint, are you sure this is UK's Gary North?>>>

Milne: For Flint, an example of spin and distortion in a Milne posting>>>

Milne: For those who say Milne has never been right>>>

Milne: Gartner Group now rates US at 12th in remediation status>>>

Milne: Get out of Atlanta>>>

Milne: Government Y2K director cites potential for 1-2 weeks without power>>>

Milne: Half of the nation's 6,000 hospitals will not be Y2K compliant by 31 Dec>>>

Milne: Hoff, are you "ready"?>>>

Milne: Iraq and Y2K Poisonfire>>>

Milne: Ireland "Completely out of Touch" with Y2K (warning: offensive language)>>>

Milne: Japan: She Loves me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves me...>>>

Milne: Japanese Federal Government Spending 1/42 Of What We Spend>>>

Milne: Japan's Banks: White Wheat or Raisin? (with help from PNG)>>>

Milne: Koskinen Lies Again>>>

Milne: More "Y2K Jitters" for Mr. Decker to ignore>>>

Milne: More Ignorant Hoffs>>>

Milne: New research says US imports will be "badly hit" even in BEST case scenario>>>

Milne: NONE of California's utilities are ready yet>>>

Milne: NZ warns of three month interruption of essential services; concerned that citizens are not preparing>>>

Milne: Officials who last year shrugged Y2K off as a Bump-in-the-Road now predict SEVERE GLOBAL PROBLEMS>>>

Milne: one more "spoof">>>

Milne: Pay no attention to that Bear behind the curtain>>>

Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy">>>

Milne: Recession in Latin America worse than IMF expected>>>

Milne: Say goodbye to Venezuelan oil>>>

Milne: See ya>>>

Milne: Six Out Of seven Most Populous Nations Are Among The Worst Prepared>>>

Milne: Solution to Japanese debt bubble: Apply patch, inflate bubble larger.>>>

Milne: Spoof THIS>>>

Milne: The Collapse Of Indonesia>>>

Milne: The Job Is Not Getting Done>>>

Milne: The Readers Digest version of Y2K>>>

Milne: This may help you decide your bugout date>>>

Milne: Today's example of pollyanna spin>>>

Milne: Trashing The Idiotic "Y2K Will Be Like Three Day Storm">>>

Milne: Trouble brewing up North>>>

Milne: UK Y2K expert says 33% of top firms failing remediation, may go bankrupt>>>

Milne: Water supplies at risk despite pollyanic reassurances>>>

Milne: When "Y2K Ready" does not mean Y2K Ready (much less "compliant")>>>

Milne: Why are Wall Street securities firms preparing to SLASH their assets due to a "minuscule risk"?>>>

Milne: Why do pollyannas waste their time discussing y2k?>>>

Milne: Why the US is Fatally Tied To The Global Economy>>>

Milne: Y2K comes early to Serbia>>>

Milne: Y2K Scapegoats>>>

Milne: Y2K to dramatically increase starvation in third world>>>

Milne: Yet Another Government prepares for Y2K in a Bunker>>>

Milne's Toast>>>

Milne-US GDP Plunge>>>

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

Milne: Six Out Of seven Most Populous Nations Are Among The Worst Prepared

Milne: Flint, are you sure this is UK's Gary North?

Milne: NZ warns of three month interruption of essential services; concerned that citizens are not preparing

Milne: An example of the compliancy myth: Ericsson Systems

Milne: Officials who last year shrugged Y2K off as a Bump-in-the-Road now predict SEVERE GLOBAL PROBLEMS

Milne No fan of Senator Bennett (Part III)

Milne: Y2K Scapegoats

Milne: More "Y2K Jitters" for Mr. Decker to ignore

Milne: Why the US is Fatally Tied To The Global Economy

Milne: China poised to devalue its currency; get ready for Asian Flu II

Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy"

Milne: This may help you decide your bugout date

Milne: False sense of security about Y2K emerging

Milne: DC on fast track to the crapper

Milne: Gartner Group now rates US at 12th in remediation status

Milne: Attention Pollyannas: FBI Agent says "This is a Clue"

Milne: When "Y2K Ready" does not mean Y2K Ready (much less "compliant")

Milne: UK Y2K expert says 33% of top firms failing remediation, may go bankrupt

Milne: Pay no attention to that Bear behind the curtain

Milne: Hoff, are you "ready"?

Milne: New research says US imports will be "badly hit" even in BEST case scenario

Milne: Blind Faith Of Managers

Milne: Solution to Japanese debt bubble: Apply patch, inflate bubble larger.

Milne: Y2K to dramatically increase starvation in third world

Milne: Dealing with Y2K failures in the midst of Y2K failures

Milne: California Dreamin'

Milne: For Flint, an example of spin and distortion in a Milne posting

Milne: See ya

Milne: Boston Herald says "the outlook is bleak"

Milne: Koskinen Lies Again

Milne: Trashing The Idiotic "Y2K Will Be Like Three Day Storm"

Milne: Clue-By-Four

Milne: Australia: A Parable Of Non-Compliance

Milne: Brokerage Firms Miss Deadlines

Milne: The Job Is Not Getting Done

Milne: Japanese Federal Government Spending 1/42 Of What We Spend

Milne: Half of the nation's 6,000 hospitals will not be Y2K compliant by 31 Dec

Milne: Chaos in 90 days

Milne: Japan's Banks: White Wheat or Raisin? (with help from PNG)

Milne: For those who say Milne has never been right

Milne: one more "spoof"

Milne: And while you're at it...spoof this too

Milne: Spoof THIS

Milne: Today's example of pollyanna spin

Milne: Y2K comes early to Serbia

Milne: Fat lady is singing

Milne: Trouble brewing up North

Milne: Water supplies at risk despite pollyanic reassurances

Milne: Another challenge for pollyannas

Milne: The Readers Digest version of Y2K

Milne: A Pollanna Is Nothing But A Selfish Human Being

Milne: Ireland "Completely out of Touch" with Y2K (warning: offensive language)

Milne: Iraq and Y2K Poisonfire

Milne: Why are Wall Street securities firms preparing to SLASH their assets due to a "minuscule risk"?

Milne: Say goodbye to Venezuelan oil

Milne: The Collapse Of Indonesia

Milne: Beginning of The Y2K Panic Sell-Off

Milne: Why do pollyannas waste their time discussing y2k?

Milne: European airports heading for millennium computer crash

Milne: Government Y2K director cites potential for 1-2 weeks without power

Milne: DoD is floundering

Milne: Get out of Atlanta

Milne: NONE of California's utilities are ready yet

Milne: Ask Bozo If He Is the 'Best' Clown Ever

Milne: 16 Reasons Why Self-Reporting Is Specious

Milne: More Ignorant Hoffs

Milne no fan of de Jager either

Milne (still) not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne on Russia, North Korea and Y2K: What Pollyannas don't want you to know

Milne: Yet Another Government prepares for Y2K in a Bunker

Milne offers pollyannas an arithmetic lesson

Milne on AT&T's announcement that it may go "Chevron"

Milne on the Great Geek Migration

Milne not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne: Recession in Latin America worse than IMF expected

Milne: Japan: She Loves me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves me...

Milne-US GDP Plunge

Milne's Toast

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

Here's a list of Milne's rants and a challenge for Milne detractors: find 5% that contain distortions.

Milne: Six Out Of seven Most Populous Nations Are Among The Worst Prepared

Milne: Flint, are you sure this is UK's Gary North?

Milne: NZ warns of three month interruption of essential services; concerned that citizens are not preparing

Milne: An example of the compliancy myth: Ericsson Systems

Milne: Officials who last year shrugged Y2K off as a Bump-in-the-Road now predict SEVERE GLOBAL PROBLEMS

Milne No fan of Senator Bennett (Part III)

Milne: Y2K Scapegoats

Milne: More "Y2K Jitters" for Mr. Decker to ignore

Milne: Why the US is Fatally Tied To The Global Economy

Milne: China poised to devalue its currency; get ready for Asian Flu II

Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy"

Milne: This may help you decide your bugout date

Milne: False sense of security about Y2K emerging

Milne: DC on fast track to the crapper

Milne: Gartner Group now rates US at 12th in remediation status

Milne: Attention Pollyannas: FBI Agent says "This is a Clue"

Milne: When "Y2K Ready" does not mean Y2K Ready (much less "compliant")

Milne: UK Y2K expert says 33% of top firms failing remediation, may go bankrupt

Milne: Pay no attention to that Bear behind the curtain

Milne: Hoff, are you "ready"?

Milne: New research says US imports will be "badly hit" even in BEST case scenario

Milne: Blind Faith Of Managers

Milne: Solution to Japanese debt bubble: Apply patch, inflate bubble larger.

Milne: Y2K to dramatically increase starvation in third world

Milne: Dealing with Y2K failures in the midst of Y2K failures

Milne: California Dreamin'

Milne: For Flint, an example of spin and distortion in a Milne posting

Milne: See ya

Milne: Boston Herald says "the outlook is bleak"

Milne: Koskinen Lies Again

Milne: Trashing The Idiotic "Y2K Will Be Like Three Day Storm"

Milne: Clue-By-Four

Milne: Australia: A Parable Of Non-Compliance

Milne: Brokerage Firms Miss Deadlines

Milne: The Job Is Not Getting Done

Milne: Japanese Federal Government Spending 1/42 Of What We Spend

Milne: Half of the nation's 6,000 hospitals will not be Y2K compliant by 31 Dec

Milne: Chaos in 90 days

Milne: Japan's Banks: White Wheat or Raisin? (with help from PNG)

Milne: For those who say Milne has never been right

Milne: one more "spoof"

Milne: And while you're at it...spoof this too

Milne: Spoof THIS

Milne: Today's example of pollyanna spin

Milne: Y2K comes early to Serbia

Milne: Fat lady is singing

Milne: Trouble brewing up North

Milne: Water supplies at risk despite pollyanic reassurances

Milne: Another challenge for pollyannas

Milne: The Readers Digest version of Y2K

Milne: A Pollanna Is Nothing But A Selfish Human Being

Milne: Ireland "Completely out of Touch" with Y2K (warning: offensive language)

Milne: Iraq and Y2K Poisonfire

Milne: Why are Wall Street securities firms preparing to SLASH their assets due to a "minuscule risk"?

Milne: Say goodbye to Venezuelan oil

Milne: The Collapse Of Indonesia

Milne: Beginning of The Y2K Panic Sell-Off

Milne: Why do pollyannas waste their time discussing y2k?

Milne: European airports heading for millennium computer crash

Milne: Government Y2K director cites potential for 1-2 weeks without power

Milne: DoD is floundering

Milne: Get out of Atlanta

Milne: NONE of California's utilities are ready yet

Milne: Ask Bozo If He Is the 'Best' Clown Ever

Milne: 16 Reasons Why Self-Reporting Is Specious

Milne: More Ignorant Hoffs

Milne no fan of de Jager either

Milne (still) not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne on Russia, North Korea and Y2K: What Pollyannas don't want you to know

Milne: Yet Another Government prepares for Y2K in a Bunker

Milne offers pollyannas an arithmetic lesson

Milne on AT&T's announcement that it may go "Chevron"

Milne on the Great Geek Migration

Milne not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne: Recession in Latin America worse than IMF expected

Milne: Japan: She Loves me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves me...

Milne-US GDP Plunge

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

Milne: Six Out Of seven Most Populous Nations Are Among The Worst Prepared

Milne: Flint, are you sure this is UK's Gary North?

Milne: NZ warns of three month interruption of essential services; concerned that citizens are not preparing

Milne: An example of the compliancy myth: Ericsson Systems

Milne: Officials who last year shrugged Y2K off as a Bump-in-the-Road now predict SEVERE GLOBAL PROBLEMS

Milne No fan of Senator Bennett (Part III)

Milne: Y2K Scapegoats

Milne: More "Y2K Jitters" for Mr. Decker to ignore

Milne: Why the US is Fatally Tied To The Global Economy

Milne: China poised to devalue its currency; get ready for Asian Flu II

Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy"

Milne: This may help you decide your bugout date

Milne: False sense of security about Y2K emerging

Milne: DC on fast track to the crapper

Milne: Gartner Group now rates US at 12th in remediation status

Milne: Attention Pollyannas: FBI Agent says "This is a Clue"

Milne: When "Y2K Ready" does not mean Y2K Ready (much less "compliant")

Milne: UK Y2K expert says 33% of top firms failing remediation, may go bankrupt

Milne: Pay no attention to that Bear behind the curtain

Milne: Hoff, are you "ready"?

Milne: New research says US imports will be "badly hit" even in BEST case scenario

Milne: Blind Faith Of Managers

Milne: Solution to Japanese debt bubble: Apply patch, inflate bubble larger.

Milne: Y2K to dramatically increase starvation in third world

Milne: Dealing with Y2K failures in the midst of Y2K failures

Milne: California Dreamin'

Milne: For Flint, an example of spin and distortion in a Milne posting

Milne: See ya

Milne: Boston Herald says "the outlook is bleak"

Milne: Koskinen Lies Again

Milne: Trashing The Idiotic "Y2K Will Be Like Three Day Storm"

Milne: Clue-By-Four

Milne: Australia: A Parable Of Non-Compliance

Milne: Brokerage Firms Miss Deadlines

Milne: The Job Is Not Getting Done

Milne: Japanese Federal Government Spending 1/42 Of What We Spend

Milne: Half of the nation's 6,000 hospitals will not be Y2K compliant by 31 Dec

Milne: Chaos in 90 days

Milne: Japan's Banks: White Wheat or Raisin? (with help from PNG)

Milne: For those who say Milne has never been right

Milne: one more "spoof"

Milne: And while you're at it...spoof this too

Milne: Spoof THIS

Milne: Today's example of pollyanna spin

Milne: Y2K comes early to Serbia

Milne: Fat lady is singing

Milne: Trouble brewing up North

Milne: Water supplies at risk despite pollyanic reassurances

Milne: Another challenge for pollyannas

Milne: The Readers Digest version of Y2K

Milne: A Pollanna Is Nothing But A Selfish Human Being

Milne: Ireland "Completely out of Touch" with Y2K (warning: offensive language)

Milne: Iraq and Y2K Poisonfire

Milne: Why are Wall Street securities firms preparing to SLASH their assets due to a "minuscule risk"?

Milne: Say goodbye to Venezuelan oil

Milne: The Collapse Of Indonesia

Milne: Beginning of The Y2K Panic Sell-Off

Milne: Why do pollyannas waste their time discussing y2k?

Milne: European airports heading for millennium computer crash

Milne: Government Y2K director cites potential for 1-2 weeks without power

Milne: DoD is floundering

Milne: Get out of Atlanta

Milne: NONE of California's utilities are ready yet

Milne: Ask Bozo If He Is the 'Best' Clown Ever

Milne: 16 Reasons Why Self-Reporting Is Specious

Milne: More Ignorant Hoffs

Milne no fan of de Jager either

Milne (still) not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne on Russia, North Korea and Y2K: What Pollyannas don't want you to know

Milne: Yet Another Government prepares for Y2K in a Bunker

Milne offers pollyannas an arithmetic lesson

Milne on AT&T's announcement that it may go "Chevron"

Milne on the Great Geek Migration

Milne not a fan of Senator Bennett

Milne: Recession in Latin America worse than IMF expected

Milne: Japan: She Loves me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves me...

Milne-US GDP Plunge

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

1. Milne: Six Out Of seven Most Populous Nations Are Among The Worst Prepared
2. Milne: Flint, are you sure this is UK's Gary North?
3. Milne: NZ warns of three month interruption of essential services; concerned that citizens are not preparing
4. Milne: An example of the compliancy myth: Ericsson Systems
5. Milne: Officials who last year shrugged Y2K off as a Bump-in-the-Road now predict SEVERE GLOBAL PROBLEMS
6. Milne No fan of Senator Bennett (Part III)
7. Milne: Y2K Scapegoats
8. Milne: More "Y2K Jitters" for Mr. Decker to ignore
9. Milne: Why the US is Fatally Tied To The Global Economy
10. Milne: China poised to devalue its currency; get ready for Asian Flu II
11. Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy"
12. Milne: This may help you decide your bugout date
13. Milne: False sense of security about Y2K emerging
14. Milne: DC on fast track to the crapper
15. Milne: Gartner Group now rates US at 12th in remediation status
16. Milne: Attention Pollyannas: FBI Agent says "This is a Clue"
17. Milne: When "Y2K Ready" does not mean Y2K Ready (much less "compliant")
18. Milne: UK Y2K expert says 33% of top firms failing remediation, may go bankrupt
19. Milne: Pay no attention to that Bear behind the curtain
20. Milne: Hoff, are you "ready"?
21. Milne: New research says US imports will be "badly hit" even in BEST case scenario
22. Milne: Blind Faith Of Managers
23. Milne: Solution to Japanese debt bubble: Apply patch, inflate bubble larger.
24. Milne: Y2K to dramatically increase starvation in third world
25. Milne: Dealing with Y2K failures in the midst of Y2K failures
26. Milne: California Dreamin'
27. Milne: For Flint, an example of spin and distortion in a Milne posting
28. Milne: See ya
29. Milne: Boston Herald says "the outlook is bleak"
30. Milne: Koskinen Lies Again
31. Milne: Trashing The Idiotic "Y2K Will Be Like Three Day Storm"
32. Milne: Clue-By-Four
33. Milne: Australia: A Parable Of Non-Compliance
34. Milne: Brokerage Firms Miss Deadlines
35. Milne: The Job Is Not Getting Done
36. Milne: Japanese Federal Government Spending 1/42 Of What We Spend
37. Milne: Half of the nation's 6,000 hospitals will not be Y2K compliant by 31 Dec
38. Milne: Chaos in 90 days
39. Milne: Japan's Banks: White Wheat or Raisin? (with help from PNG)
40. Milne: For those who say Milne has never been right
41. Milne: one more "spoof"
42. Milne: And while you're at it...spoof this too
43. Milne: Spoof THIS
44. Milne: Today's example of pollyanna spin
45. Milne: Y2K comes early to Serbia
46. Milne: Fat lady is singing
47. Milne: Trouble brewing up North
48. Milne: Water supplies at risk despite pollyanic reassurances
49. Milne: Another challenge for pollyannas
50. Milne: The Readers Digest version of Y2K
51. Milne: A Pollanna Is Nothing But A Selfish Human Being
52. Milne: Ireland "Completely out of Touch" with Y2K (warning: offensive language)
53. Milne: Iraq and Y2K Poisonfire
54. Milne: Why are Wall Street securities firms preparing to SLASH their assets due to a "minuscule risk"?
55. Milne: Say goodbye to Venezuelan oil
56. Milne: The Collapse Of Indonesia
57. Milne: Beginning of The Y2K Panic Sell-Off
58. Milne: Why do pollyannas waste their time discussing y2k?
59. Milne: European airports heading for millennium computer crash
60. Milne: Government Y2K director cites potential for 1-2 weeks without power
61. Milne: DoD is floundering
62. Milne: Get out of Atlanta
63. Milne: NONE of California's utilities are ready yet
64. Milne: Ask Bozo If He Is the 'Best' Clown Ever
65. Milne: 16 Reasons Why Self-Reporting Is Specious
66. Milne: More Ignorant Hoffs
67. Milne no fan of de Jager either
68. Milne (still) not a fan of Senator Bennett
69. Milne on Russia, North Korea and Y2K: What Pollyannas don't want you to know
70. Milne: Yet Another Government prepares for Y2K in a Bunker
71. Milne offers pollyannas an arithmetic lesson
72. Milne on AT&T's announcement that it may go "Chevron"
73. Milne on the Great Geek Migration
74. Milne not a fan of Senator Bennett
75. Milne: Recession in Latin America worse than IMF expected
76. Milne: Japan: She Loves me, She Loves Me Not, She Loves me...
77. Milne-US GDP Plunge

-- a (a@a.a), July 24, 1999.

178 Seconds to Live

How long can a pilot who has little or no instrument training expect to live after he flies into bad weather and loses visual contact? Researchers at the University of Illinois did some tests and came up with some very interesting data. Twenty student "guinea pigs" flew into simulated instrument weather, and all went into graveyard spirals or rollercoasters [a tribute to the U of I flight training program??]. The outcome differed in only one respect - the time required till control was lost. The interval ranged from 480 seconds to 20 seconds. The average time was 178 seconds -- two seconds short of three minutes.

Here's the fatal scenario. . . . . . .

The sky is overcast and the visibility is poor. That reported five mile visibility looks more like two, and you can't judge the height of the overcast. Your altimeter tells you that you are at 1500 feet but your map tells you that there's lcoal terrain as high as 1200 feet. There might be a tower nearby because you're not sure how far off course you are. But you've flown into worse weather than this, so press on.

You find yourself unconsciously easing back just a bit on the controls to clear those towers. With no warning, you're in the soup. You peer so hard into the milky white mist that your eyes hurt. You fight the feeling in your stomach. You try to swallow, only to find your mouth dry. Now you realize you should have waited for better weather. The appointment was important, but not all that important. Somewhere a voice is saying, "You've had it -- it's all over!"

You now have 178 seconds to live.

Your aircraft feels on even keel but your compass turns slowly. You push a little rudder and add a little pressure on the controls to stop the turn but this feels unnatural and you return the controls to their original position. This feels better but now your compass is turning a little faster and your airspeed is increasing slightly. You scan your instruments for help but what you see looks somewhat unfamiliar. You're sure that this is just a bad spot. You'll break out in a few minutes. (But you don't have a few minutes left. . .)

You now have 100 seconds to live.

You glance at your altimeter and you are shocked to see it unwinding. You're already down to 1200 feet. Instinctively, you pull back on the controls but the altimeter still unwinds. The engine is into the red and the airspeed, nearly so.

You have 45 seconds to live.

Now you're sweating and shaking. There must be something wrong with the controls; pulling back only moves the airspeed indicator further into the red. You can hear the wind tearing at the aircraft.

You are about to meet your Maker; you have 10 seconds to live.

Suddenly you see the ground. The trees rush up at you. You can see the horizon if you turn your head far enough but it's at a weird angle -- you're almost inverted. You open your mouth to scream but. . . . . .

. . . .you just ran out of seconds.

Think about it before you press on into marginal weather.

-- a (a@a.a), July 26, 1999.

Y2K Budgets Jump As Much As Five-Fold

After Underestimating Task of Preparing for Y2K, Many Nonfinancial Companies Play 'Catch-Up'

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 1999--Y2K budgets at many large nonfinancial corporations have jumped as much as five-fold in the first quarter, indicating that management may have greatly underestimated the scope of their Year 2000 computer problems, according to a recent study by Weiss Ratings, Inc., the only provider of Y2K readiness ratings.

OGE Energy Corporation, based in Oklahoma City, reported a Y2K budget of $35 million in its March 31, 1999 SEC filing, representing a 483% increase from the $6 million the company disclosed at year-end 1998. The company has received a Weiss Y2K Rating of ``low,'' primarily reflecting concerns regarding the integrity of its budgeting process.

USX-U.S. Steel Group, among the nation's 100 largest corporations, nearly doubled its Y2K budget to $71 million at the end of the first quarter of 1999, after budgeting only $36 million at year-end 1998, according to its filings with the SEC. The company is rated ``below average'' due to this dramatic budget increase, plus a failure to use more than 52% of the budgeted funds by March 31.

Similarly, Kroger Company, based in Cincinnati (not rated due to insufficient data), boosted its budget by 158% from $31 million to $80 million, while Fluor Corp. in Irvine, CA (rated ``low'') more than tripled its budget from $15 million to $55 million.

Even some technologically advanced companies have had difficulty gauging the costs of their future Y2K fixes. America Online Inc., for example, has boosted its Y2K budget to $20 million at March 31, 1999, more than double the $8 million estimate of three months earlier and four times larger than the estimate of six months earlier.

AOL is rated ``low'' because of the company's apparent failure to accurately estimate future Y2K costs as well as the lack of progress in using those funds. Nearly two-thirds of AOL's Y2K budget was still unspent at the end of the first quarter, according to the company's disclosures to the SEC.

In contrast, some large companies have reported significant reductions in their Y2K budgets, although many of these had experienced large budget increases earlier. For example, Texaco, Inc. (rated ``below average low'') revised downward its Y2K budget by 43% in the first quarter, but only after an upward revision of 76% from the third to fourth quarters of 1998.

Similarly, Eastman Kodak Company (not rated due to insufficient data) cut back its Y2K budget by 31%, following a budget increase of 45% at the end of last year.

Martin Weiss, chairman of Weiss Ratings, commented: ``Estimating Y2K fix-it costs has been touch-and-go for many companies. Often, the more bugs they fix, the more they find. The net result is that some of these companies are falling even further behind in their Y2K remediation schedules.''

Among other Fortune 1000 companies, large firms rated ``low'' for their Y2K readiness include (in order of their size): Intel Corporation, Dynegy, Inc., Farmland Industries, Inc., Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Texas Utilities Company, Lear Corporation, Consolidated Natural Gas Company, El Paso Energy Corporation, Ikon Office Solutions, Inc., Comcast Corporation, Owens-Illinois, Inc., Applied Materials, Inc., Merisel, Inc., Phelps Dodge Corporation, Solectron Corporation, Beverly Enterprises, Inc., 3Com Corporation, and others.

The largest nonfinancial companies rated ``below average'' for their Y2K readiness include AT&T Corporation, Texaco Inc., Bell Atlantic Corporation, Motorola Inc., PepsiCo Inc., SBC Communications Inc., United Technologies Corporation, ConAgra Inc., United Parcel Service of America, Inc., BellSouth Corporation, International Paper Company, MCI Worldcom, Inc., Atlantic Richfield Company, UAL Corporation, and others.

Meanwhile, large ``high'' rated companies include Phillip Morris Companies Inc., J.C. Penney Company, Inc, American Stores Company, AMR Corporation, American Express Company, and AlliedSignal Inc. These have generally reported consistent Y2K budgets over time and consistent progress in duly allocating those resources to Y2K remediation efforts, indicating advanced states of completion.

Some Major Companies Fail To Make Adequate Y2K Disclosure

The Weiss Y2K Ratings for the large nonfinancial corporations are based on a proprietary model that compares publicly available data on Y2K budgets and expenditures over time, and in relation to industry peer groups, while also reviewing the company's own assessment of its Y2K status.

Weiss rates financial corporations, such as banks, S&Ls, and insurance companies, separately, based on the Weiss Y2K questionnaires received privately from these institutions.

``The information disclosed by the companies to the SEC does not permit definitive conclusions regarding their current status, but it does give us a pretty good indication upon which we base our opinion,'' said Weiss. ``Unfortunately, many companies have failed to disclose even the basics such as their Y2K budgets and expenditures, despite SEC guidelines that call for these disclosures.''

IBM, for example, has so far failed to reveal the amount it has spent in Y2K remediation efforts, making it difficult for outside analysts to evaluate the company's Y2K progress. Other major companies that have failed to disclose either their Y2K budgets, their expenditures, or both, as requested by the SEC, include Boeing Company and Merck & Company.

``Investors can usually absorb just about any bad news on Y2K, provided it's reported promptly and in small doses,'' commented Weiss. ``It's the sudden surprises, typically the result of inadequate or late disclosure, that have the potential to cause the most damage to investor sentiment.''

Weiss also publishes financial safety ratings and Y2K readiness ratings on insurers, banks, and S&Ls. The accuracy of its financial safety ratings has been favorably reviewed by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) as well as national consumer organizations. For more information, contact Weiss Ratings at 800/289-9222 or visit the Weiss Ratings web site at www.weissratings.com.

Note to editors: Attached are tables on the Fortune 1000 companies with the largest Y2K budget increases, notable upgrades and downgrades, and the distribution of Weiss Y2K Ratings among the Fortune 1000.

Fortune 1000 Companies With Y2K Budget Increases Of 40% Or More

Y2K Y2K Budget Budget Budget 12/31/98 3/31/99 Growth Weiss Y2K Company ($ mill.) ($ mill.) (percent) Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------

America Online Inc. 8.0 20.0 150 Low Apple Computer Inc. 9.0 13.0 44 Below Average Commonwealth Energy System 7.0 9.9 41 Below Average Computer Associates Int'l Inc. 20.0 30.0 50 Insufficient data Computer Sciences Corp. 45.0 64.0 42 Below Average

Costco Companies Inc. 5.0 7.5 50 Average Ethyl Corp. 2.0 3.0 50 Low Farmland Industries Inc. 3.0 6.0 100 Low FirstEnergy Corp. 92.0 191.0 108 Below Average Fluor Corp. 15.0 55.0 267 Low

Frontier Corp. 11.3 38.0 236 Low H.B. Fuller Co. 2.3 3.4 48 Insufficient data InaCom Corp. 4.0 6.4 60 Average Kroger Co. 31.0 80.0 158 Insufficient data Lear Corp. 15.0 27.0 80 Low

OGE Energy Corp. 6.0 35.0 483 Low Owens-Illinois, Inc. 50.0 75.0 50 Low Tenet Healthcare Corp. 70.0 100.0 43 Low Texas Utilities Co. 36.0 75.0 108 Low US West Inc. 175.0 271.0 55 Below Average

Union Planters Corp. 0.7 1.0 43 Average Unova Inc. 7.0 10.0 43 Below Average USX-U.S. Steel Group 36.0 71.0 97 Below Average

Weiss Y2K Ratings scale: High, Average, Below Average, Low. Changes in Y2K budgets represent only one of the factors considered in the Weiss Y2K ratings model.

Data: 10K and 10Q filings with the SEC

Copyright Weiss Ratings, Inc., 1999

Notable Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrades: -- General Motors from "below average" to "average" -- Wal-Mart from "low" to "average" -- ConAgra from "low" to "below average"

Downgrades: -- AT&T from "average" to "below average" -- SBC Communications from "average" to "below average" -- US West from "average" to "below average"

Distribution of the Weiss Y2K Ratings Among the Fortune 1000

Weiss Rating Percentage High 10.8 Average 26.5 Below Average 21.2 Low 4.9 Insufficient Data(a) 36.6

(a) Due to inadequate disclosure, late filing or data collection problems

Data: 10K and 10Q filings with the SEC

Copyright Weiss Ratings, Inc., 1999

-- a (a@a.a), July 27, 1999.

Death Of The Japanese Dream By Matt Frei in Tokyo BBC News 8-19-99 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_425000/4254 57.stm

They call it the suicide line - the station in Tokyo's western suburbs where many Japanese take their own lives as the country struggles with serious economic gloom. Thirty thousand people committed suicide in Japan last year, double the 1997 rate. The country is facing its worst recession since World War II. And, although there are growing signs of recovery, the old certainties of a lifetime of employment and growing prosperity have gone. In the past, workers could expect secure jobs with the same employer until the end of their working days, regardless of their ability. But the recession and record unemployment have changed all that - and led to despair for many. On average, 100 people are committing suicide every day in a society where, without state welfare, the loss of a job is an unacceptable loss of face and a devastating loss of income. One woman, sitting by herself for half an hour - suspiciously long for a rush-hour commuter - said she had been employed for five years as a clerk in a toy factory. "The trains are often delayed because of suicides, she said. "When people jump, it takes hours to get to the office. Not that it really matters - my work isn't going very well anyway." She said she was afraid of losing her job, but would not commit suicide. New underclass She had thought about it, but she was single; it was the people with families and mortgages who were in real trouble. For some, things look good. The pulse has returned to the economy, the Stock Market is up and shoppers are out in force. But a closer look reveals just how much Japan has changed. The new underclass of homeless and unemployed even populate the manicured gardens near the Imperial Palace. The Japanese dream is dead.

-- a (a@a.a), August 20, 1999.

Hello, My name is Srinivas. I live in India, am 25 year old young guy, single. I'm Christian.

My Postal address:

Pilla Naga Srinivasa Rao, Jillellamudi Vari Lane, Eastern Street, Eluru-534001, Andhra Pradesh-India.

-- Pilla Srinivas ( Pilla Naga Srinivasa Rao ) (srinivaspilla@space.com), July 04, 2002.