"Millennium bug on agenda of 170 countries -- but too late to kill"

http://www.foxnews.com/nav/js_stage_foxwire.sml?content=/news/wires2/0622/n_ap_0622_329.sml

"The Y2K problem is too global, too complex, and too systemic to be totally solved on time,'' Carlos Braga, head of the World Bank's Y2K program, told the second global conference on the Y2K problem."[...brilliant assessment]

"As James Lee Witt, head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, put it: "Prevent what you can, manage what you can't."" [...Oh lovely. Just what the problem demands, too! And good ole FEMA is going to step in and MANAGE! Can you imagine?]

""Disruptions are not likely to be major disruptions because by and large problems have been identified,'' said Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Ahmad Kamal, who chairs the U.N. working group dealing with Y2K problems."...[read, it will be contained by shutting down lots and lots of businesses so the problem can be contained, cuz identification ain't the same as remediation, testing, more testing and then compliance.]

"He told a news conference that reports from every region Tuesday morning at a closed-door session created greater optimism than was expected at the first global conference in December. "Action is under way everywhere, by and large according to schedule,'' he said." [closed door session????...action is by and large according to schedule? Yeah, sure it is. That's why the meeting needed to be closed-doored.]

"Russia, for example, reported that testing of its nuclear power plants will be completed by September "so we will not have any unforeseen disruptions in that particular sector,'' Kamal said." [Oh, puleeease! Stop. I can't take it anymore. I'm coming close to drowning in the the bullsh*t.]

"Because there has been so much emphasis on possible banking problems, it is no longer a high-risk sector, Kamal said. Now, the focus is on shipping, health care, tourism, trade and small and medium-size businesses which dominate the developing world." [...'EMPHASIS' on the problem... Oh, how I wish that was all it would take to fix the problem.]

"The World Bank's Braga said it was encouraging that over 100 developing countries had now initiated national programs, compared with less than 10 countries in January 1998." [In the paragraph above it states that banking is no longer an issue and in this statement ISSUED BY THE WORLD BANK 100 countries are now on track..World Bank=banking industry...Huh?]

-- (toomuch@to-laff-at.com), June 23, 1999

Answers

The reviews are in! Two thumbs up for a great comedy story! You people keep breaking me up with this stuff! Thanks for the laughs...

-- BiGG (supersite@acronet.net), June 23, 1999.