My partner (who is a pastor) just got faxed an invitation from the DC Government and the DC Emergency Management Agency (DCEMA) for a Y2K Emergency Preparedness Luncheon on Tuesday (are they going to serve Spam?). The goal, according to DC government, is to encourage pastors "to take an active role in working with us to prepare the communities of the District of Columbia for 'Y2K and Beyond.'" The meeting agenda includes the following discussion: personal and institutional preparedness for Y2K, organizing your faith community for emergencies, becoming an emergency/disaster shelter, developing a food bank for your community, and designating a key person for y2k preparedness.

I'm planning on going as well. Will keep folks posted as events unfold.

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), November 13, 1999

Answers

Please do, Libby.

Thanks.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 13, 1999.

Ooohh, I LOVE these bits:

...becoming an emergency/disaster shelter...

That would be YOUR HOUSE (if you prepared).

...developing a food bank for your community...

That would be YOUR HOUSE (if you prepared).

...designating a key person for y2k preparedness...

That would be YOU (if you prepared) who would be the "ridicule magnet", right up to the time they show up at YOUR HOUSE for their personal survival.

Yup. Y2K. Gotta love it. Darwin would be proud.

48 days.

-- Dennis (djolson@cherco.net), November 13, 1999.

So much for the much vaunted separation of church and state we are constantly warned about by the liberals ...... until the state (and church) have a message they both agree on....

But maybe - when both agree on a message they both want to spread at the same - that's the most frightening point of all.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 13, 1999.

Isn't this a wee bit late? (Won't be a personal house, Dennis, will be the church.)

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 13, 1999.

I think DC would be better served to encourage personal preparedness and break the growing populace dependency on the "Gobmint."

Or so they will stand stamping their feet, burning tires in the streets, and with a stupified expression staring at the "Gobmint" will howl, "Feed me, water me, and change my newspapers!"

"We're burning the city down cuz the gobmint isn't even offering us a glass of water."

"Ah, they were hungry so we let them loot."

The headlines will read, "What began as looting for water and food rapidly disintegrated into a riot with televisions and stereos being carried out..'

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 13, 1999.

pastors tend to be consensus oriented and quite gutless.You can count on your pastor to do nothing that will effect the collection plate.There are exceptions,but I'm sure they're few and far between.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), November 13, 1999.

Gawd, they are talking about pastors setting up food banks in Churches...so much for the 3 day storm...most people have about 3 days at home now. Sure, minute rice and Cream of Wheat get old fast, but we're talking 3 days.

Talk sbout mixed messages...sheeesh! I think Dee Cee is in for more trouble than anyone is letting on...at least the City Government isn't writing Sermons.

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It's ALL going away in January.com), November 13, 1999.

If you have preps, close and board up church and recory after taking in the most needy of the parish (those known about beforehand). Use dim lamps in innermost rooms only. Post outside sign sending mass public over to church summer camp "Chagingahookie" 80 miles away, remembering, however, to take in any needy churchorganists.

-Churchorganist, too far north in N.Y.-

-- churchorganist (swedemusic@webtv.net), November 13, 1999.

libby it is very important that you provide a copy at this site of that faxed memo to your pastor or were we can get an exact copy. Churches across this country are asleep. If your fax is for real it is a smoking gun. The gravity of y2k is very serious and immediate mobilization of the church is needed. If this fax is genuine I will take this matter up with a pastor that could get the job done but I need something that weighty to get him out of his y2k denial,(maybe). I am so upset that the churches have allowed them selves to be so deceived about such a potenialy life threatening matter. The truth will always be brought to the light of day. The church leadership will have no excuse before the eyes of God for dropping the ball on this one. They may be forgiven but they should expect chastisement for deliction of duty.

-- y2k aware mike (y2k aware mike @conservation .com), November 14, 1999.

Churches are effecient at charitable distribution. This is a good move. Even at this late date they are capable of accomplishing much.

-- Tom Beckner (tbeckner@xout.erols.com), November 14, 1999.

Libby:

I hope there is some serious awareness taking place here. The best thing pastors can do is to speak about Y2K from the pulpit and get their congregations moving.

There is not enough time or volunteers to finish the "shelter" approach. Please look at The Bean Theory:

http://www.y2kkitchen.com/html/y2k_bean_theory.html

If the members of the congretations get prepared, they may have the ability to help others. A person who is starving or thirsty himself will not be able to volunteer anything, no labor, no food, no anything, to help in a shelter.

If those who can, prepare, they may be able to donate to the needy. Will they help if helping jeapordizes their own families?

Libby - please come to Paula Gordon's Y2K conference this week and next week:

http://www.gwu.edu/~y2k/keypeople/gordon/announcements.html

-- Sally Strackbein (sally@y2kkitchen.com), November 14, 1999.

Sally Strackbein mentioned the programs on Y2K scheduled at GW University on November 19 and 23. The detailed agenda is as follows. Please note that this is the latest update as of Monday, November 15. Everyone is welcome. There is no registration fee. Please tell your friends and associates.

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GW UNIVERSITY NOVEMBER Y2K CONFERENCE SERIES AGENDA "The Y2K and Embedded Systems Crisis: Continuing Pre-Rollover Concerns and Imperatives"

The George Washington University

Washington, DC

Remaining Programs: November 19 and 23, 1999

Sponsored by The George Washington University Y2K Group of the Research Program for Social and Organizational Learning (RPSOL), Department of Management Science, School of Business and Public Management, The George Washington University

This Conference Series is free and open to the public and the media. While no registration is required, please RSVP if possible for planning purposes to waz@gwu.edu Thank you.

Please feel free to forward this to your associates.

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Friday, November 19

103 Funger Hall, 23rd & G Streets, NW

4:10 - 4:30 PM Keynote Speech: Topic to be announced  Member of Congress Invited

_____________________________________________________________________

4:30  6 PM Panel: "Update on Y2K-Related Health Care System and Health Care Concerns"

Presenters: Paul Albergo, Managing Editor, Health Care Policy Report, Bureau of National Affairs

Margaret Anderson, Director of Policy, Center for Y2K and Society

______________________________________________________________________

6  7:00 PM Video Presentation: "Y2K Health and Quality of Life Issues  What More Needs to be Done?" Video of panel discussion from July Y2K Conference at GWU.

______________________________________________________________________

[Optional Dinner Break from 6:00 to 7:00 PM during video presentation]

______________________________________________________________________

7 - 9:30 PM Panel: "Y2K and Food Concerns"

Moderator: Stuart Umpleby, Professor of Management Science and Director, RPSOL, GWU Panelists: Sally Strackbein, Y2K Kitchen (http://www.y2kkitchen.com) and Vice President, The Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K)

Representative, Giant Food (Invited)

Jay Golter, Acting President, The Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K)

Food Industry Representatives (TBA)

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Tuesday, November 23

Two concurrent sessions

Session A: 103 Funger Hall, 23rd & G Streets, NW

Session B: 108 Funger Hall, 23rd & G Streets, NW

______________________________________________________________________

Session A (103 Funger Hall)

7:10 - 10 PM Panel: "Family and Community Preparedness, Including Attention to Preparedness Concerns for Poor and Underserved Populations"

Moderator: Philip Bogdonoff, Center for Y2K and Society

Panelists: Jay Golter, Acting President, Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K) (Invited)

David Gershon, Director, Global Action Plan (Invited)

Sally Strackbein, Y2K Kitchen (http://www.y2kkitchen.com) and Vice President, The Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K)

Ray Strackbein, Information Systems Consultant, Reston, VA

Representative: National Congress for Community Economic Development (Invited) Faith Community Representative (TBA)

_____________________________________________________________________

Session B (108 Funger Hall)

7:30 -10 PM Panel: "National and Global Initiatives Aimed at Minimizing Impacts: Exploration of Alternatives in the Light of Political and Organizational Constraints"

Moderator: Paula Gordon, Director of Special Projects, RPSOL, GWU

Panelists: Dr. Lawrence de Bivort, Director, Global Y2K Consortium

Norman Dean, Director, Center for Y2K and Society

Stuart Umpleby, Professor of Management Science and Director, RPSOL, GWU

Dr. Robert Alloway, Director, National Leadership Task Force on Y2K (Invited)

Margaret Anderson, Director for Policy, Center for Y2K and Society

Jim Moody, CEO and President, InterAction

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Watch the Announcements page at http://www.gwu.edu/~y2k/keypeople/gordon for further updates.

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List of Conference Series Speakers and Panel Participants

~ Dr. Robert Alloway, Director, National Leadership Task Force on Y2K

~ Norman Dean, Director, Center for Y2K & Society

~ Mark Frautschi, Center for Y2K & Society

~ Ray Strackbein, Information Systems Consultant, Reston, VA

~ Philip Bogdonoff, Center for Y2K & Society

~ Sally Strackbein, Y2K Kitchen (http://www.y2kkitchen.com) and Vice President, The Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K)

~ Margaret Anderson, Director of Policy, Center for Y2K Society

~ Paul Gunter, Nuclear Information Resource Service;

~ David Gershon, Director, Global Action Plan (invited)

~ Dr. Lawrence de Bivort, Director, Global Y2K Consortium

~ Paul Albergo, Managing Editor, Health Care Policy Report , Bureau of National Affairs

~ Jay Golter, Acting President, Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group (NOVA Y2K)

~ Jim Moody, CEO & President, InterAction

~ Stuart Umpleby, Director, RPSOL, and Professor, Department of Management Science, George Washington University

~ Paula Gordon, Director of Special Projects, RPSOL, and Visiting Research Professor, Department of Management Science, George Washington University (Conference Organizer)

********************************************************************** **With thanks to the Nathan Cummings Foundation for its support in 1999 of our Y2K efforts**

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-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), November 15, 1999.