Yesterday afternoon and again this morning, I witnessed panic buying in Sydney's shops. Champagne, party hats and whistles and every type of gourmet food was stripped off supermarket shelves.In Coles (a WalMArt type supermarket) stacks of candles on special were ignored. I surreptitiously put another dozen packets in my basket, and got a few odd looks.

Around the harbour, crowds are building rapidly and there's a buzz in the air. As trains won't be running from 11-45pm for a couple of hours, getting home will be fun for the expected 1.7 million people. Hotels are advising guests that lifts won't operate 11-45pm to 1-15am. The weather is overcast with the promise of showers. Right now, there's a strong gusty wind building.

And soon, Bill will be slurping expensive French fizz with our own, much cherished icon Kerry, on the latter's punt under the harbour bridge. Here's the rumour: business will be the order of the day. Bill knows that Judge Thomas Jacksons' ruling that Microsoft is a monopoly, means that Microsoft is dead in the water. The many companies that have had 'interesting encounters' with Microsoft over the years will have their revenge in the courts and send it broke; the Justice Department will finish the job by breaking it up. Broken and broke. That's the future for Microsoft. Watch its shares in January/February.

A few days ago, Ed Yourdon joked on one of these threads that maybe Bill was in Australia to make an offer for the country. Hey! That's not funny!! Close, but not funny. Let's face it, Kerry virtually runs the show now. There isn't much that our spineless pollies won't do, overtly or covertly for him when he flicks his fingers. Bill & Kerry together will make a formidable team. Expect an announcement early in the NY. And don't be surprised if Kerry's barge picks up one or two VIP's from the Kirribilli House wharf.

At the conclusion of the $5 million fireworks display over Sydney harbour,as Y2K problems and faults start to kick in, and the masses, the sheeple, stagger around in a drink/drug induced haze, a giant word will light up across the length of the Bridge. "ETERNITY".

Y2K will bring that event closer for many of us.

-- Engine running (Here@wego.com), December 30, 1999

Answers

Engine running:

Thanks. Good post. All news is welcome.

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 31, 1999.

They'll panic at 4 hours before midnight (chuckle). We had an Australian TV crew at the house today to get our ideas about preparing for Y2K.

Knowing how little time there would be after the piece airs, the only thing I could think to tell people to do was to fill every container they had with water, including pots, pans and teacups.

At least it's not cold there now.

www.y2kkitchen.com

-- Sally Strackbein (sally@y2kkitchen.com), December 31, 1999.

You don't suppose that Bill is planning on moving MS to Kerri's back yard, do you? The US monopoly laws would no longer apply. Hmmmmmm!

-- Lobo (atthelair@yahoo.com), December 31, 1999.

Sheeple being sheeple, they probably won't panic in earnest until they see problems happening in front of them, after rollover. Then it could escalate into a drunken free for all.

-- Powder (Powder47keg@aol.com), December 31, 1999.

Bill Gates' home is less than ten miles from our home. As a matter of fact, we've seen him out and about more than once.

It was just reported on our local news that a very large party is being held at his home later today for 100 of his friends and family, and HE IS IN WASHINGTON STATE.

-- Redmond, WA Resident (Cantsay@cantsay.com), December 31, 1999.

Photographed in Sydney, 31/12/99. FYI

-- Engine running (Here@wego.com), January 07, 2000.