Media Tidbits for 2/17/99 ... Ooops, I mean 1999...

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

-------- From FEMA's website ------------

http://www.fema.gov/y2k/99036.htm

Y2K Problems can be Avoided, FEMA Official Says

Atlanta, February 17, 1999 -- The transition to the Year 2000 is not expected to bring major problems with the nation's infrastructure and the country can avoid localized disruptions if work begins now to make systems compliant, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Deputy Director Mike Walker said today.

"Nothing about Y2K is preordained except for the date," Walker said, speaking at the first of 10 Y2K workshops FEMA is holding across the country with state emergency managers and Y2K coordinators to prepare for the Year 2000 transition.

"We know what the problem is and we know how to fix it," he said. "As leaders in our respective sectors, we should as a matter of first priority resolve to encourage those to fix that which has not yet been fixed. That is the surest way to prepare for Y2K."

(If works BEGINS NOW to make systems compliant? PUH-Leeeze!)

---------- We've seen this on WorldNet Daily, and other "alternative" news sites. Now the mainstream media is picking up on it (see thread about ABC below -----------

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/ap/technology/story.html?s=v/ap/19990217/tc/y2k_national_guard_2.html

Wednesday February 17 2:13 AM ET

Guard Units To Combat Y2K Problems

By EUN-KYUNG KIM Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - National Guard units around the country are being trained to deal with phone-system outages and other chaos that could result from computer crashes when the year 2000 begins.

In Washington state, half of the guard's ground troops will be on duty Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Other states plan to have units on standby in case of blackouts, looting or other problems that might occur if computers shut down because they can't comprehend the date 2000.

``The business we're in is to help communities when they're overwhelmed by an event, a blizzard, riot or other natural or manmade disasters,'' said Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, spokesman for the National Guard in Wisconsin. ``We have the resources. And many of the consequences being speculated about Y2K are not unlike the things we've been doing for years. . .''

. . . Most government officials expect only minor problems from the so-called Y2K bug and say training the National Guard is merely a precaution. But some people are hoarding canned goods and planning to withdraw their money from banks in case deliveries can't be made and bank machines can't operate.

Others are predicting shutdowns of airports, train stations and power generators.

Just in case, the adjutant general in Washington state rescheduled a drill so that 3,000 guardsmen would be on duty on New Year's Eve and Jan. 1.

The decision to call out the Guard in each states rests with the governor. If troops are mobilized, they likely would be called to aid civilian law-enforcement, transportation agencies and emergency medical crews. . .

------------ From govexec.com ---------------

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0299/021799k1.htm

February 17, 1999

DAILY BRIEFING

Y2K, security are priorities, CIOs say

By Katy Saldarini ksaldarini@govexec.com

Federal Chief Information Officers cited Y2K readiness as their number one priority in 1999, but computer security looms as the government's biggest challenge after Y2K, a survey released Tuesday reported.

The Information Technology Association of America's (ITAA) ninth annual survey canvassed 25 federal CIOs on current and impending IT issues.

Contrary to worrisome reports from the General Accounting Office, CIOs at most federal agencies were optimistic about their Y2K readiness, the survey said. Most agencies "feel positive about code modification, but are concerned about their trading partners' readiness," said Paul Wohlleben, director of information technology at Grant Thornton LLP, the firm that administered the survey. Federal agencies that do business overseas were particularly concerned about data exchanges with foreign governments and private firms.

Y2K concerns went beyond the end of this year. Many CIOs said they were worried about technology improvements that are on hold while the Y2K crisis is worked out. They anticipate that Y2K's demand for IT money and staff will continue beyond Jan. 1, 2000.

Another reason CIOs won't be breathing easy after Y2K, the survey said, is because security issues need to be resolved. "A lot of people consider critical infrastructure protection the next Y2K," said Olga Grkavac, executive vice president of the enterprise solutions division at ITAA. The global interconnectedness of computer networks presents government programs with new vulnerabilities, the survey said. Technical threats aren't the only problems.According to federal CIOs, getting senior management to recognize the threat will be a major challenge as well.

---------- I wonder how much of a trend this will turn out to be -----------

http://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/ROB/19990216/RGEAC.html

Geac shares bitten badly by Y2K bug problems Stock falls 29% after company's profit warning

Tuesday, February 16, 1999 TYLER HAMILTON Technology Reporter

Geac Computer Corp. Ltd. stock fell 29 per cent yesterday after the company warned that the year 2000 computer bug will gnaw a sizable chunk out of its third-quarter software sales and profit.

The announcement follows a string of warnings from Canadian and U.S. software firms, all of which say that fixing the year 2000 computer problem is sucking money out of customers' budgets and leaving little for new orders.

"The transactions are not happening," said David Scott, chief financial officer of Canada's largest software company.

Mr. Scott added that Geac is being hit on two fronts. While the company's sales were sluggish in the quarter ended Jan. 31, it has also been footing the bill to help existing customers prepare their own systems for the year 2000.

Geac said it expects these costs to continue for several more quarters.

"We're spending some additional money -- unexpected money -- to make that process easier for them," said Mr. Scott, explaining that Geac's year 2000-ready products are still dependent on and must work with other software systems used by its customers . . .

---------- This is a positive babystep in the right direction-------------

http://www.cutimes.com/y2k/1999/yr021799-1.html

Credit Union Times Year 2000 in the pages of Credit Union Times

St. Mary's is first again New Hampshire credit union is first in nation to offer Year 2000 loans

By PAUL GENTILE CU Times Associate Editor

MANCHESTER, N.H.-The nation's first credit union, St. Mary's Bank has pulled off another first. St. Mary's appears to be the first credit union in the nation to offer a Year 2000 loan geared at helping its business members fund their Year 2000 compliance efforts.

"This is the very first I've heard of any credit union offering a loan to help members with Y2K," said David Plank, CUNA's senior vice president, chief technology officer and a leading expert on credit unions' Y2K efforts. "It does show that credit unions are moving past technology and liquidity issues and starting to look at doing good PR with members and communicating with the media," said Plank.

The St. Mary's Y2K loan is available to any of its 250 business members who have been a member prior to Sept. 1, 1998. The CU established the Sept. 1 date in hopes of avoiding an influx of new membership applications from business owners solely looking to take advantage of the Y2K lending.

According to David Deziel, vice president/director of marketing for St. Mary's, the loan is designed for business members who need to update systems, hardware, or software to fully prepare their business for the Year 2000 computer glitch . . .

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), February 17, 1999

Answers

Gee, pshannon, you're becoming a regular Gary North clone.

-- troller (troll714@trollville.us), February 17, 1999.

troller,

No, pshannon is doing a "Sanger's Review of Y2K News Reports"...

http://www.y2kreview.com

In other words, pshannon is presenting Y2K news without the spin Gary North sometimes puts on Y2k items.

Pshannon, thanks for the time and effort you put into collecting those articles for us.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), February 17, 1999.


Thanks, pshannon! Gonna check WorldNetDaily daily since they seem to go out and ask the questions. Good collecting, appreciate it :)

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), February 17, 1999.

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