Dear futurework people. This is about a community response to the Y2K problem. Is this an important issue? I admit to not having paid it much attention. David >X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.2 (16) >Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 09:05:56 >Subject: Re: advertising barter feeding internet growth >From: Terry Cottam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Unsub: To leave, send text 'leave econ-lets' to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Reply-To: Terry Cottam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Greetings again, people in LETS dream land. > >In the back of our minds, we know the dream is about to be either shattered >or take a radical new direction. We know that barter will be part of the >new dream. Will LETS, Microsoft or any other e-currency? If power, fuel, >telecom, and/or computers become scarce or unreliable, they will either >localize and go low-tech or die. This is what we will increasingly confront >in 1999-2000. > >Please read the letter below. Is there such a group in your town or city? >If not, it doesn't matter where you are, let me suggest you start one, >pronto. There is very little leadership at the top, anywhere. It's all >bottom-up. There many success stories, including Nelson, BC and Boulder >Colorado (more at http://y2k.inode.org/prepare.htm , >http://cassandraproject.org ) but time is becoming very short. > >For instance, we really don't know how much time we have before our >currencies collapse from the "IMF-fluenza" that has felled Japan, Russia >and Brazil. When it reaches the West, it will spread quickly, and community >cooperation may be immensely more difficult. > >We've always wanted to knit together our neighbourhoods. Now is the time to >do it, block by block. The Utne Reader Y2K Citizens Action Guide tells you >how (http://www.utne.com/y2k ). > >My very best wishes to Richard, Michael, Andy, Mary and everyone else I've >shared the dream with over the years on this list. > >Terry > > > >Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 03:59:10 -0800 (PST) >From: "John O'Brien" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: URGENT >To: Terry Cottam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >URGENT!! >Yesterday I recieved a letter from Clancy Priest, who heads Chico IT >dept. CP is in charge of the city's Y2K efforts and heads a Y2K Task >Force, whose members include the Police Chief, Fire Chief, City >Attnorney and Risk Manaager. This taks force "meets as needed to >address specific problems regarding Y2K...." > >CP "joined the City in January, 1996.... The City has set aside >$100,000 for replacement of systems which are found to be >noncompliant. As you can imagine, Y2K testing and verification is a >time-consuming and tedious task, which the City is currently in the >middle of performing." > >So it has taken from 1-96 to 12-98 to get to the MIDDLE of the task? >Does this mean they will have to squeeze another 35 months of work >into 12 months? > >Meets as needed? Once a day? Twice a day? Or monthly? Bimonthly? How >much time do those people have to study the issue, to plan for citizen >action? > >$100,000 for replacement.... The City IT staff now has 6 persons; they >are working like dogs right now. When will they discover noncompliant >systems? When will they find time to install those systems and test >them? > >"In response to your concern about educating the public, the City >Manager has requested that we use the City's web page to inform and >educate City residents. We are currently collecting information from >various sources, and we will shortly have detailed information on the >web page describing steps that citizens can take to ensure that they >are adequately prepared for January 1, 2000. As this date draws >nearer, there will be additional press releases and other education >efforts to inform the broader public about what steps they can take to >insure that Y2K occurs as safely as possible for everyone." > >#1: Who is spending the time to put up a redundant Web site? Wouldn't >links to the many organizations do the same? Cassandra Project? Etc. >Did the City every consider using Y2K Action Group as a resource? #2: >Press releases just don't cut it. The "broader public" --ie the larger >numbers of citizens who don't use the internet for info-- aren't going >to pay much attention to a press release in the E-R, assuming they see >it at all. #3: "As this date draws nearer..." it will be too late for >the broader public, and the narrower, unprepared public, to take >non-panic stricken steps to ensure their safety. > >This is NOT reassuring. Vague, non-specific pr like this is convincing >only to those who believe that "THEY" will make everything okay, that >there is no need to worry, feel uncomfortable, make any plans, or >other wise assume responsibility for ensuring their own safety by >taking rational intelligent steps toward same; these words cheat us >all by ensuring that the reader feels no need to get to work on >creating the safety of their community. > >YOU NEED TO HELP ON THIS. You can email CP at [EMAIL PROTECTED] >ALSO, I am nearly finished with the mailing list for the Dec 10 >meetings. This is about 120 names: church leaders, business owners, >heads of groups, city officials in other nearby cities. Each of these >people should have a follow-up telephone call to help get them to the >Dec 10 meeting. If you are willing to call 3 or 4 of the names it will >help immensely. > >If CP's letter represents the official, carved in stone direction the >City is taking, boy are we in trouble. If it represents the happy-face >public stand that masks the private worries and thoughts of CP, the >police chief, the fire chief, etc, then we're still in trouble. If it >represents a large stone blocking the path to preparing our community >and ensuring the safety of our community, then let's get to work >moving that stone. > >Y2K Action Group had a "Task Force" meeting last week. About a dozen >of us brainstormed areas of concern. I typed up all up. The document >is about 9 pages long. Questions and concerns, suggestions what local >government might do or look into and suggestions for the individual's >action and areas of responsibility. This will be available to you and >audience members at the Dec. 10 mtg. > >Let me know ASAP if you will call people. I'll email 3 or 4 names and >numbers. If you have non-net concerned friends who will call, let me >know & I'll include extra numbers. All it requires is the call, a >reminder to attend, and perhaps letting the contact know that Senator >Bennett said, "I am convinced there will be some [municipalities] >without water and there could be serious serious difficulties there." >And that Mari Nahn, the attorney for a utility company in Madison, >Wisconsin, said in a newspaper article that they expected blackouts >and loss of water. > >Also included in the Dec 10 handout is Ed Yourdon's essay "Will >Talking About Y2K Cause Panic?" Basically if people hear the bad news >NOW, in Jan 99, and they panic they'll stock up on food etc, but they >won't be able to maintain a state of frenzy for another 12 months. So >after a short while -days, a couple of weeks- they'll say, "Okay, >we've got food and water and extra fuel... NOW what do we do?" And >thenthey can start making rational intelligent decisions about how to >get their communities prepared. > >HOPE FOR THE BEST. PREPARE FOR THE WORST. This does not mean hoping to >get a new Lexus in Jan 99 and preparing for higher insurance premiums. > >The Best: As a COMMUNITY we have the resources to plan what we need to >do, we have to know-how to do it, and we have the moral/spiritual >strength to weather whatever the storm produces. > >The Worst: the prospect of more months of official do-nothing and >verbal marshmallows. > >John O. >Copies: to everyone I can think of. > > > >_________________________________________________________ >DO YOU YAHOO!? >Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com >
