I am posting the following announcement to let you know of the last GW panel program of the year. I have also let C-SPAN know. Perhaps they will decide to broadcast this panel program live. If they do, I will be sure to alert the TB2000 Forum.

Thursday Evening, December 16, 1999

Free Y2K Forum

Sponsor: George Washington University Y2K Group Host: The Washington Post Company

Topic:

"It's Not Over 'Til It's Over and It Could Go On for Years: Determining Y2K and Embedded Systems Priorities ~ The Need to Continue to Prevent and Minimize Impacts Now and Into the Future."

Where: The Washington Post 9th Floor 1150 15th St. NW Washington, DC

Reception: 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Panel: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Participants in the panel will include persons who have been focused on national as well as local Y2K concerns. Invitees include:

Panelists:

~ Dr. Gerald Poje, Member, Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board

~ Dr. Gary Fisher, National Institute for Standards & Technology, Department of Commerce

~ Michael Cherry, President, Century Corporation, and co-author with Dr. Gary Fisher of a paper on embedded systems

~ Peter LaPorte, Director, District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency

~ Fred Millar, Director of Environmental and Public Safety Policy, Center for Y2K & Society and Chemical Accident Prevention Consultant (Confirmed)

~ Charles Griffiths, Washington Director, The Center for Year 2000 Community Action Plans (Confirmed)

Discussant:

~ Paula Gordon, Director of Special Projects, Research Program for Social and Organizational Learning, and Visiting Research Professor, George Washington University (http://www.gwu.edu/~y2k/keypeople/gordon) (Confirmed)

An RSVP while not required is appreciated. Please RSVP to or fax "Wafa" at 202 994 5225

For updates, see the Announcements page at http://www.gwu.edu/~y2k/keypeople/gordon beginning December 13.

Please feel free to share this announcement with your friends, family, and associates or send it to other lists.

*******************************************************************

ATTENTION MEDIA Preliminary Press Briefing

A press briefing will be held featuring selected program panelists in the Conference Room of the Research Program for Social and Organizational Learning (RPSOL).

(The RPSOL Conference Room is located at 2033 K St. NW, Suite 230. The entrance to 2033 K is around the corner from 21st and K Strs. NW.)

****************************************************************

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999

Answers

Good luck Paula!!! You're doing great!

Thankyou,

Mike

======================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), December 09, 1999.

Time to 'fess up Paula.

What are you hoping to accomplish at this late date, other than assembling a potential panel of "expert witnesses?" Hmmm?

-- fess up (we@are.watching), December 09, 1999.

I see I left out some important details concerning the press briefing that will preceed the evening panel. Here are all the details:

ATTENTION MEDIA

Press Briefing

A press briefing will be held Thursday, December 16 from 1:30 - 3:30 PM in the Conference Room of the Research Program for Social and Organizational Learning (RPSOL). It will feature selected panelists who will be participating in the evening panel.

(The RPSOL Conference Room is located at 2033 K St. NW, Suite 230. The entrance to 2033 K is around the corner from 21st and K Strs. NW.)

GW Public Affairs Office Media Contact: Matt Nehmer (202) 994 6460

ALL MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.

**********************************************************************

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999.

Dear "fess up",

I am trying to focus attention on the continuing need for a full court press regarding everything from

~ assessment, remediation, testing, workarounds and other provisions aimed at preventing and minimizing impacts of highest hazard systems, sites, plants, pipelines, facilities, etc., to

~ preparedness measures, including contingency planning as well as attention to planning for and being prepared to implement response and recovery efforts.

I am also try to focus some attention on the implications of the November 9, 1999 meeting involving the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology and a half dozen or more individuals with extensive embedded systems expertise from the private sector. As has been discussed on several threads, there were noteworthy developments in November involving a Department of Commerce press release, an article on embedded systems by Dr. Gary Fisher of NIST and Michael Cherry (President of Century Corporation) now posted on the NIST website, and statement issued by the President's Council concerning their widened perspective regarding the seriousness challenges posed by embedded systems that have yet to be met. This broadened recognition has not as yet (to my knowledge) led to any major reorientation of the Federal government's efforts. I am hoping that it will end up being a major step in that direction.

It seems increasingly clear to me that efforts focused on all these areas of concern will need to continue after the rollover since the impacts are not at apt to come all at once. I think that they will be spread out over months and even years. Needless to say, this is not the popularly held view of key people involved in the Administration's efforts or in the Congress.

I am continuing to try to raise consciousness about these concerns and particularly about the need for preparations. If C-SPAN and others cover the program, it could help jar people more out of their current mindset. It could help wake up people in Washington who are potentially in a position of providing needed leadership and resources.

The November 23 panel that was broadcast by C-SPAN is likely to be available for some time in the C-SPAN archives. This video is proving helpful in opening some eyes. If C-SPAN broadcasts the panel program on December 16, more people will be exposed to these perpectives and, I hope, more will be helped. It is obviously far better to get adjusted now to the possibilities of what could be heading our way and take whatever actions possible, than to wait until significant problems begin to occur. Action will need to continue even after such problems begin to occur, but getting things done is likely to become far more difficult, challenging, and costly.

As for ever being an expert witness, that is not a role that interests me at all. My immediate and longterm goal is to do what can be done to minimize the losses that are likely to be incurred, particularly the losses that could have the most detrimental effects locally, nationally and globally, and to try to address proactively as well as reactively needs for response and recovery efforts.

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999.

I agree w/ "fess-up". There is nothing that can be done on the "meta" level. I'll be out at Korean supermarket today for another sack of rice. I'm bleaching out the 2 liter pepsi bottles I collected over the last year. Beyond that, what's the point? If we change policy, we add confusion (and Kosky is confused enough now). If we make changes to code, we'll break it even worse.

Let's kick back, grab a bag of chips and watch the end of this game. This is the adventure of a life time.

-- cory (kiyoinc@ibm.XOUT.net), December 09, 1999.

Paula- I really appreciated the C-Span November coverage...Any way we can help "nudge" them into covering this one?

-- Brian Bretzke (bretzke@tir.com), December 09, 1999.

Dr. Gordon, I appreciate your work. Keep it up! Any idea when you will post additional material on Part 6 of your white paper?

Joseph Holbrook -- Miami, FL

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), December 09, 1999.

Just right, Cory. The time for discussion is at an end. Now it's time to top-off, adjust your hunker, watch and wait. The waiting is the hardest part for most people.

T-minus 24...23...22...21...20...

Godspeed

-- Pinkrock (aphotonboy@aol.com), December 09, 1999.

Depending upon one's definition of "fun", it is clear there will be "entertainment" for all for some time to come on all sizes of systems. Many thanks to you, Paula. Given some of the public sector problems in Ohio, Nebraska, and Alabama, here we go...

I was on a consulting gig a couple of days ago in Silicon Valley (marketing work, not tech), and the group just charged ahead with those January to do deadline dates. I almost said something, and then thought "what's the point?"

As Cory says, its time to keep the gas tank filled, start the last minute to do list and hole up and watch.

-- Nancy (wellsnl@hotmail.com), December 09, 1999.

I suggest that at this late a date we change the venue of your meeting to "Y2K Crimes Tribunal"

-- a (a@a.a), December 09, 1999.

We applaud Dr. Gordon for her continuing courage and organizational abilities.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 09, 1999.

Paula, Thanks for presenting some coherence within the academic and organizational community. Leadership has been scant, it's nice to see some.

Appreciatively,

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 09, 1999.

It is too late now and it was too late a year ago to do anything about the predicament we are in. We are all waiting for that one major event to happen to get the herd moving. We're in this together, nationally and globally whether we like it or not. Those that think it's hype and over blown will be getting on the BIG WHITE BUS soon. Thanks Paula for your efforts, you fought a good fight.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), December 09, 1999.

To Joseph Holbrook,

Thanks to you and others for the kind words.

The rest of Part 6 of my White Paper is almost ready. It deals with a range of factors that can contribute to fiascoes and catastrophes, including things like social pressure, wishful thinking, groupthink, cynicism, absence of a sense of responsibility, lack of will, inertia, failure to act, and a tendency for statesmanship and concern for the public good to be overshadowed by narrow political and/or self-serving motivations and concerns.

There is a Will Rogers quote that you might enjoy that I will likely use in Part 6. It is to the effect: What good is it if you are able to see clearly down the railroad tracks if you are sitting on them?

Regards,

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999.

Dear Bardou,

I thank you for your comments, but I have just begun to fight.

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999.

Paula, you are an amazing asset to the cause.

I've often thought that The Rendon Group (Admin's chosen spin contract recipients) should be on your list, too.

-- lisa (lisa@work.now), December 09, 1999.

Dear Brian Bretzke,

You wrote:

"Paula- I really appreciated the C-Span November coverage...Any way we can help 'nudge' them into covering this one?"

Thanks for your note.

Here are a couple of ways that I know of:

~ e-mail Viewer Services at ( Marjorie Amey is the Director of Viewer Services.)

~ e-mail Brad McGuire at ot

~ e-mail on-line@c-span.org

Perhaps MSNBC would also be interested. A producer there is

A CNN producer is Mike Ahlers.

Please remember that the panel at GW on National and Global Initiatives that was broadcast by C-SPAN on November 23 can still be seen online in the C-SPAN archives: http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/cspan.csp?command=dschedul e

Thanks so much,

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), December 09, 1999.

Keep up work!

-- jj (4@8.8), December 10, 1999.