I am sitting here thinking about 60 Minutes show this coming Sunday. This could be "the big one, Martha". Do I need to hit Sam's and WalMart tomorrow? Is the panic going to start on Monday morning? Will the bank runs start this Monday? Oh wow....checking over my "last minute" list and wondering if I should buy that cat kibble now or the Velveeta cheese or the chicken, parrot and rabbit food and, oh yeah...............more duct tape.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 21, 1999

Answers

I hope that I am wrong, but I think that 60mins is going to treat y2k like all the other tv programs that I have seen in the past. Their goal is to make the people that are preparing look stupid.

-- Missy2k (timeisup@webtv.net), May 21, 1999.

Taz,

Good question. I was just thinking this myself. Trying to get up a list of things I *should* buy this weekend, that may indeed be in shorter supply after the next few days. IMHO, I don't think the bank runs will start on Monday.... but maybe after Ed speaks... I'll say Wednesday at the earliest. :)

-- (cannot-say@this.time), May 21, 1999.

224 days left.... that makes for one very loooong "last minute".

-- tick (tick@tick.tick), May 21, 1999.

Lets hope its a very looong minute, but word on the street is that they are going to be "telling it like it is". I have a friend at the studio who alerted me and is out getting all her last minute stuff. But there have been other programs, that had I not already prepared, I would have been at the WalMart in the wee hours of the next morning. Guess, I will buy some bird seed for the parrots and put into the freezer until I need it or the lights go out, which ever comes first. Same with kitty food. Tho I have one cat named Bear Dawg that loves veggies raw out of the garden. Will eat anything we will eat, even turnips. If you lived with this cat you would understand why she is called Bear Dawg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 21, 1999.

"I am sitting here thinking about 60 Minutes show this coming Sunday. "

I don't expect anything but footage of bank-failures or power- failures to raise eye-brows. If aliens landed in New York, most people would probably switch channels to The Simpsons.

OK, I exagerate, but folks are too de-sensitized to act on a single 60-minutes story.

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous99.xxx), May 21, 1999.

Taz, I don't usually give complete credence to Drudge, but sometiems he gets it right. Hree's what Sweetie just sent me:

'60 MINS' PLANNING NEW Y2K SCARE STORY; WATER, ELECTRICITY MAY BE CUT, SAYS MAG

Y2chaos on CBS-TV this weekend! Despite the billions being spent to deal with the Y2K computer bug, many cities in America are uncertain they'll be able to continue to provide basic services like water and electricity on Jan. 1, 2000, reports 60 MINUTES in a new shock story being readied for Sunday.

CBS' Steve Kroft is putting the finishing touches on his controversial report, according to network sources.

Mary Ellen Hanley, a computer systems specialist hired by the District of Columbia, tells wide-eyed Kroft that she believes Washington will continue to function on Jan. 1, 2000, but it must be prepared for what many cities could face.

"We think there will be some disruptions... localized in many cases if the supply chain works," Hanley tells the cameras.

"If power works, if gas works, if Bell Atlantic works... all of those are big ifs."

Hanley explains to Kroft that contingency programs, such as centers where city workers would manually verify taxes or write welfare checks, are being planned by her office. And even though she believes the city's water system can run without computers, rationing could be necessary if a power outage for as long as a week or two -- slows down water distribution.

Sen. Robert Bennet, R-Utah, who chairs a special Y2K Technology, scares the stopwatch and explains: "If, for example, there is a municipality that is unable to distribute welfare checks, there could be some civil unrest that could come out of that. If, if there was a disruption in the food supply, and food didn't get in, in a distributive kind of way. That it was concentrated in one part of the city but not in another, that could be a situation that could create some civil unrest."

Tick, Tick, T. . .

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 21, 1999.

I posted this answer on another thread, but it belongs here, too, I think.

I think some are jumping the gun a bit. It remains to be seen what kind of treatment 60 Minutes gives this. Y2K has been on the periphery for months now, with occasionaly mentions in all the media. A raised eyebrow, a significant pause ... these can--and do--alter the message and gently prod the reader, listener, watcher in the desired direction. I think we should wait and see what is reported--and how it is reported. Supposing that the mainstream media are going to suddenly jump into the middle of honest, unbiased reporting is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

-- Vic (Rdrunneris@compliant.com), May 21, 1999.

-- Vic (Rdrunneris@compliant.com), May 21, 1999.

Just saw the other thread - sorry to be redundant, Drudge info posted there too:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000r1H

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 21, 1999.

Taz and all, I'm reposting the following in case anyone missed it. Based on what I saw on this tape I think the 60 Min. show will be a little more realistic than before. For people in mainstream malaise the tape I saw would have at least made them rethink their position and possibly moved a few off the couch.

Repost: I had an opportunity to see the govt. film (mentioned in an earlier post way down the line) that is being released via PBS supposedly in July...but which you can get free now. Whoever posted the earlier info about it please repost...I can't find it now. There is a toll free number to call.

The film is really nothing new for the people on this board. But it is better than most media releases. Leaves it up in the air with the "no one knows" caveat, but notes that there can be local outages, supply line problems, and because much of the rest of the world is in sad shape we can't realistically expect our lives not to be impacted. There were snippets from Yourdon, Yardeni, deJagger, President Clinton, and others. It wasn't the best but it wasn't totally clueless. It challenges the premise that it's all a money making scam, or a bump in the road. Another person watching it with us noted that if it's only being shown on PBS few will see it. Also re: preps near the end they tell you if you order this tape they will send you another free tape on preparations.

So looks like some degree of disclosure is opening up to the public at large.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), May 21, 1999.

But will 60 Minutes parrot the "72 hours" line and convince the masses that "Yeah, it's bad. But not for me and only for a short time."

I don't expect anymore mass awareness and change of attitude than we saw earlier this year when there were spikes of media attention and short-lived public reation.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), May 21, 1999.

Taz:

Similar thoughts, but then I also thought about China and Russia.

China has threatened to NUKE Los Angeles (three or 4 months ago was when it was said) , they have stolen and implemented our most secret weapons, so forth. Russia has THOUSANDs of missiles pointed at us and directed by Yeltsin (sober or drunk?) or who?

Inhofe gave a speech about Clintons direct lies to the American people and 2 weeks later a propellar on his plane "fell off".

THE POINT: If Americans won't wake up when we are directly threatened by espionage and nuclear threats, why will Y2K make an impact?

There will bw no discernable reaction.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), May 21, 1999.

My goal has long been to have most of my food preparation (except fresh stuff stored at the last minute) out of the way by the end of June (at the latest). Other stuff to follow...trying to stay ahead of the herd. Suggest that you take a similar tack.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), May 21, 1999.

Got off work early today and made an impromptu run to Aldi's, a stop at Walmart, and then the grocery store. Went back out to the local drug store to pick up some of those "milk crate" things, and finally back home. Fixed a sandwich and a soda, sat down here to read the boards (my husband says I'm obsessed), and found out about the 60Min show on Sunday. Now I'm wondering if I should go make another run to Walmart. Son finally got tax return check this Monday, and we're still looking for ours. Think it will get here before TSHTF?

-- lvz (lvzinser@hotmail.com), May 21, 1999.