Many months ago I got a copy of the NWC's report on "isolators" and "cascaders" to watch during the y2k season.

http://www.nwc.navy.mil/y2k/dec5.htm

At that time none of the items seemed to be occuring. Several months ago I noticed a few but didnt point them out. Today I sat down with two friends and found many more. Now there still are alot which have yet to surface (or may never surface) but we found alot in just the past few weeks. I will list them here, perhaps you have found the same or more. I put my comments in brackets where I had something to add....

+ - Transistor radio sales ( friend at Radio Shack is selling many more now than in past years.)

+ - Wave of 'expired' credit cards

+ - Computer based billing - growing increase in major errors in computer generated billing such as phone bills, bank statements, etc.

+ - If you are in Moscow look at US Dollar to Russian Ruble exchange rate (26.47 to dollar terrible, worse than 8 months ago)

+ - A surge in discussion of "contingency plans"

+ - Bank withdrawals

+ - Study commissions to deal with Y2K proliferate at the 11th hour

+ - Critical materials performance

+ - Precursors to public fear and panic (news is almost hourly on some news networks)

+ - Slow downs--increasing slow downs in computer based activities such as FedEx deliveries, just in time manufacturing deliveries, etc.

+ - Checks bounce (due to non-payment of other accounts, inability to cover other checks)

+ - Swell of actual cases of systems that failed, or even of actual cases of systems that would have failed if not remediated

+ - Y2K "urban myths"

+ - Fuel wood sales in urban areas ( customer sells home heating and gets alot of requests for info on wood heating in suburban areas which already have gas heat)

+ - International petroleum inventories (recent news / concerns)

+ - Shortages of critical medicines, spare parts, food, and survival equipment

+ - Selected commodity futures upticks

+ - Shortages of bottled water (visible in some areas)

+ - Ammunition sales

+ - Endangered nations (black listing has started)

+ - Reports of gun sales in the face of catastrophic speculation

+ - PCs drop below $500 ( dont know what this means, but yes its true)

+ - Closing of bank accounts and withdrawal of cash

+ - Credit card repayments (customer who is financial planner gets inquiries if they should pay it all off now)

+ - TV specials on Y2K

+ - Movies on Y2K

+ - Sales of safes (yes!)

+ - First aid training

+ - Compliance reporting by companies/nations

+ - People taking Christmas vacations early (yes, customers talked about this, afraid they will not get it later)

+ - Cash hoarding; rapid running up of credit card balances in late 1999

+ - Wave of early retirements among CEOs/CIOs (is it more now than before, seems like it)

+ - Rate of charitable contributions (just this morning our local news talked about how bad food banks are, dont know why, etc..)

+ - Increases in financial and other controls being established to preclude flight capital in countries around the world (intimidation techniques by banks)

+ - Many firms will stockpile inputs and inventory output during the fourth quarter of 1999 in anticipation of some disruption to normal activities after 1/1/00

+ - Governments restrict travel within borders (air travel by some goverments employees or voluntary exits)

+ - Drop in interest in December 31st 1999 celebrations (very obvious)

+ - Increase in sales of locks and security systems (yes)

+ - Vegas over/under on specific Y2K disasters

+ - A run on the US dollar against Euro forcing emerging markets pegged to dollar to "detach" (might be happening this coming week, camdessus says not to worry unless it continues..). + - U.S. Embassies abroad placed on full alert (sort of so far)

+ - Drop-off in terrorist attacks (YES! keep an eye on this)

+ - Increase in sale of water purifier pills (purifiers)

+ - Food storage (some companies noticing measurable upticks)

+ - Sales of blankets and sleeping bags (thermal underwear really moving)

+ - Decline in tourism and a rise in pilgrimage

+ - Sales of batteries (sears and home depot are seeing bigger sales)

+ - Ham radio usage (purchases, inquiries about licenses)

+ - Gardening/canning

+ - Cancellations of travel facilities at New Year period (almost daily stories)

+ - Limits on ATM withdrawals (rumoured)

+ - Trends in frequency of Y2K occurrence on front page of major papers

+ - Public versus private discourse--growing disparity between what key people say in private (rumoured)

+ - Higher Christmas 1999 spending (local merchants dont understand where the money is coming from)

+ - Rise in technology related nightmares

+ - Announcements describing graceful work-arounds in the absence of compliance.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), November 28, 1999

Answers

Very interesting! thank you.

Could you please give us a url or hotlink to the original article ?

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), November 28, 1999.

I did, its right near the top.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), November 28, 1999.

LINK

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge. of no-where), November 29, 1999.