Sad but true -----Original Message----- From: Bill Burch <billbo@goodnet.com> To: Wes & Janda Walker <wwalker@primenet.com>; Vern Guthrie <veguth@aol.com>; Sharlynne Ziolkowski <sharski3@aol.com>; Scott & Emily Gustafson <GustafsS@T-Bird.edu>; Ron & Wanda Hillis <WandaLue@juno.com>; Raquel 'rockie' Steen <raquelsteen@inficad.com>; Michelle Boast <RAZTIG@aol.com>; Marcus & Trina Frandsen <MTFrandsen@prodigy.net>; Lisa Fink <llfink@juno.com>; Larry J Fink <ljfink@juno.com>; Kim Perkins <PJx7@aol.com>; Ken & Robin Tarr <ktarr@sprynet.com>; John Smithson <johnsmithson@juno.com>; John Seitzinger <johnseitzinger@juno.com>; Jerry Deymonaz <jerld@deseretmail.com>; Gaylen & Hallie Reese <halliejo@aol.com>; Eric & Marti Weinzinger <erweinzing@aol.com>; Ed & Linda Patterson <Edlin3@juno.com>; Dominic Boulter <domopal@aol.com>; Deanne Van Ausdal <dvanaus717@aol.com>; Dave & Gini Beeson <AZBeeson@aol.com>; Darrell & Debbie Skousen <DDS@primenet.com>; Craig Peugnet <craig.peugnet@alliedsignal.com>; Clark & Tana Jenkins <cjenkins@dancris.com>; Carrie Mangum <CMangum31@aol.com>; Carl Carter <CCart@aol.com>; Brent & Jean Lyman <ABLyman@prodigy.net>; Bill Van Ausdal <ChiefVan11@aol.com>; Ben & Sara Pierce <PierceBL@T-Bird.edu>; Barbara Kohl <bkohl@primenet.com>; Alan & Valerie Persons <alanpersons@worldnet.att.net>; Roger Gulledge <rsgulledge@mindspring.com>; Sharon Nielsen <mizscarlett_@yahoo.com> Date: Monday, November 16, 1998 5:49 PM Subject: Re: Y2K Fireside... ><*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> > >FWD>>Y2K Fireside > >For your casual reading. > >-------------------------------------- >From: Bill Burch >Hi,Thought you might want to see this. It is the first Y2K related mail >that I have taken seriously and think it should be forwarded on. Why? >because it does not reek of raticialism and seems to be rational. It does >give reason for concern. Are you preparing? > >Pres C. >Subject: Y2K Fireside > >(This was forwarded to me. Just passing it along as an FYI. You decide.) > >----------------------------------------------- > > >I thought people might be interested in what Senator Bennett said about the >year 2,000 computer problem. He spoke at a McLean Stake Fireside in >October. The follow are notes taken at the fireside: > >Notes taken by Steve Nichols, a member of the Arlington Ward, McLean, >Virginia Stake in October 1998. > >On Sunday, our stake had a family preparedness fireside on the year 2000 >(Y2K). The speaker was Senator Bennett of Utah who is the chairman of the >Senate Committee on Y2K. I went to the fireside thinking that it would be >interesting, but also thinking that Y2K was not a big deal. Senator Bennett >convinced me otherwise. > >The Y2K problem will be an unbelievably widespread problem that we each need >to start preparing for right now. Anything that is controlled by a computer >or a computer chip may malfunction in dangerous and >unpredictable ways at the beginning of the year 2000. Unfortunately, >everything is controlled by a computer these days. To illustrate the >problem, Senator Bennett told the following stories: > > To test a water treatment plant, the plant management rolled the clocks >ahead to 2000 to see how the computer systems of the plant would react. The >computer responded by immediately dumping all the chemicals it had into the >water supply instead of slowing dispensing the chemicals as it was supposed >to do. The water was then poison and unusable. > >At a General Motors factory, the management also rolled the clocks ahead to >see what would happen. The result was that none of the robots on the >assembly line would work. The factory was useless. Moreover, when the >inspectors tried to leave, the security system refused to let them out of >the building. > > Elevators have to be inspected regularly by law. When the year 2000 >hits, elevators may think they have not been inspected for 99 years. When an >inspection is missed, most elevators are programmed to go >immediately to the basement and close their doors until the inspector comes. >Don't get in an elevator New Year's Eve 1999. > >In January 2000, Senator Bennett does not think that the national power grid >will fail, but thinks that some areas will inevitably experience extended >brown and black-cuts. Supplies of natural gas and telephone . >communications could also be interrupted. Long distance telephone >communications will almost certainly be interrupted. > >The FAA has been unable to guarantee that its airtraffic control system will >not fail in January 2000. This may reduce domestic flight by 40% and make >it necessary to ration air travel. International travel will be worse. > >The Federal Reserve thinks that it will be able to continue to clear checks >and other bank transactions for the country, but each individual bank or >brokerage may be unable to continue to do business. Chairman >Greenspan informed Senator Bennett that the Fed is printing an extra ten >billion in paper money to handle the run on the banks that is expected as >people convert their money into cash before Y2K. > >Senator Bennett told of warning one of his daughters about these problems. >His daughter asked if he has spoken to the Church. He thought that was good >idea, so he contacted an employee at Church headquarters >responsible for worrying about these kinds of problems. That employee >assured Senator Bennett that the Church has, or is, upgrading all of its >computer systems to deal with the problem. > >Senator Bennett then asked if he could question this Church employee. The >senator wanted to know how the Church is going to contact missions, temples >and members around the world when the international and national >phone systems won't work; how the Church is going to transfer funds around >the world with the banking systems not working; how the Church will respond >to members who are out of work for three months or more because the >equipment at the factory or office where they are employed is >malfunctioning. The Church employee had to admit that while the Church has >fixed its own systems, they had never considered how they would be affected >by other systems that had not been fixed. > >Senator Bennett was then invited to a meeting with the First Presidency, >Council of the Twelve, Presiding Bishopric, etc. to brief them on the Y2K >problem. Senator Bennett told the Brethren that he had been asked by >someone in government when the Mormons were going to start warning their >people to get ready for the year 2000. President Faust immediately >responded, "We've been warning them for thirty years." > >A major complication of the Y2K problem is that it will be a problem >world-wide. While all the problems I have described above will happen in >the U.S., we will be relatively well off. Senator Bennett said only five >countries in the world including the U.S. are doing anything significant to >address the Y2K problem (Japan is NOT one of the five. The five are the >U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Singapore and one other). > >This will cause huge economic upheaval in many countries. Senator Bennett >was informed that the New York Stock Exchange has been refitting and testing >its computers and thinks it will be able to continue trading >in the year 2000. However, the Senator expects most exchanges in foreign >countries to be shut down. For this reason, he cautioned us about investing >in foreign stocks. It is anticipated that the economies of some countries >will be devastated for decades by the Y2K problem. This anticipated turmoil >around the globe will inevitably cause a deep recession, at least, in the >United States. > >You may wonder why we don't just fix this problem before it's too late. The >answer is, it isn't possible. Senator Bennett has been informed that there >are 160 billion lines of computer code around the world that have the Y2K >problem. For every four lines that are fixed another error in the program >is created. Therefore, everything has to be fixed, tested and then >re-fixed. There simply are not enough skilled people or time left to do the >job. Moreover, that does not include checking all the embedded computer >chips that run everything from your car's transmission to your thermostat to >your elevators to your children's toys. > >Senator Bennett illustrated the cause of the Y2K problem with the following >Allegory. A new wife was making a ham for her new husband. She cut off both >ends. When the husband asked why, she replied that it makes the ham taste >better. "Who told you that?"' he asked. "My mother," she replied. The >husband went to his mother-in-law and asked if she cut off the ends of ham. >She replied that she did. When he asked why, she replied that it made the >ham taste better. When asked who had told her that, she indicated that she >had learned it from her mother. The husband then went to his wife's >grandmother and asked if she cut the ends off a ham before cooking it. She >said she did. When he asked why, she replied that it was just habit, when >she was young, the family oven was too small for a whole ham, so they cut >the ends off to make it fit. > >When computers were first being developed, they were not powerful enough to >easily process dates with a four digit year. Early programmers used a >two-digit year and saved millions of dollars. The early programmers, >working in the '60s assumed that their programs would be obsolete by the >year 2000 and that later programmers would use four digit years. The new >programmers learned from copying the old programmers, and nobody ever >started using four-digit years. > >Anyway, that's the problem, the question is what should you do about it. >Here are Senator Bennett's suggestions. > >(1) Check with all your banks, brokerages, and other financial institutions >as to their preparedness for the year 2000. If they can't assure you that >they will be able to continue to do business as usual, move your assets to a >place that can. > > (2) Keep hard copies of your financial records and get up-to-date hard >copies near the end of December 1999. > >(3) Have everything you need on hand for at least three months by December >1999 (food, water and fuel (January is cold)). > > (4) Expect a recession in 2000 and plan your finances accordingly. >Keep some cash on hand. > >Needless to say, after listening to Senator Bennett we are very concerned >and are trying to get better prepared for this-crisis. We hope this warning >may help you do the same. > > >Bill Burch > >BILLBOs Web Page: >"Words of Wisdom" LDS & Kids Links page: > >http://www.goodnet.com/~billbo/ldslinks.html > >ICQ UIN: 218484 >E-mail express: mailto:218484@pager.mirabilis.com > > >