Somewhat lengthy summary of UK, with links, can be found here. The rating system (color coding) is pretty meaningless. The overall situation in the UK is guardedly optimistic. Except for the police, maybe. And health care. And ports and shipping. Etc.

-- regular (zzz@z.z), May 18, 1999

Answers

"Although the technology-dependent world at large is no longer in millennium bug denial, organisations that have the problem well and truly licked are pretty thin on the ground."

Sorry, I'm a Yankee. Anyone know what the phrase "pretty thin on the ground" means? Anything like "on thin ice"?

-- regular (zzz@z.z), May 18, 1999.

Dear Regular, "Thin on the ground" means "not many of" whatevers. I read with interest about our county police force.When I rang their Milenium team I was told that they do not expect too much problem from the sheeple ..just the normal drunken revellers on New Year's Eve.The police communicate by radio & have back-up generators & diesel. However an earlier thread some weeks ago pointed out the low manning levels in police forces generally...which means that they would not be able to cope with widespread unrest. Our lot are more worried about the forecasted massive influx of people coming to view the Solar Eclispe in August than the Millenium.However that was the official line & I rather felt as though I had been given a pacifier.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), May 18, 1999.