Family living
Focus
by
Multi-County
Extension Agent
Winifred McGee
Preparing for Y2K
Three winters ago, after fac
ing what seemed like a ton of
snow with only two (seemingly)
small shovels, my husband and I
decided to buy a snow blower.
Never again, we vowed,
would be be caught without the
proper preparation for such a
storm!
Looking back, buying the
snow blower was the best weath
er insurance we could have
bought—because we have had
hardly any snow since.
Undoubtedly, if we had not made
this purchase, every winter
would have met us with a big
pile of white.
While we are a little disap
pointed that we have never got
ten to try our equipment out, it
seems to be better safe than
sorry (and sore from shoveling).
That’s the way I tend to think of
the challenge of “Y2K.”
“Y2K,” or the “Millennium
Bug,” are terms used when we
talk about the Year 2000 com
puter problem. This problem
was planted years ago, with
seeds that may come to fruition
as the year ends. In a nutshell,
in the 19505, 1960 s and 1970s—
when computers were first
built—computer programmers
used two numbers instead of
four, to save space, when indicat
ing the year. For example, 1963
was abbreviated as “63” and
1991 as “91.” Many of the sys
tems that were set up back then
were supposed to be changed as
equipment was modernized, so
that computers would interpret
“00” as 2000 rather than 1900.
Unfortunately, out of habit or
because of cost cutting, many
computer programmers contin
ued to use the two number for
mat when developing newer sys
tems rather than four, making
this concern a real one for us
today. Many computers, and the
software they run, will not con
tinue to do their job when they
show 01/01/00 (January 1,2000).
Some people believe that since
they don’t own a computer, they
will not be affected - but this
concern reaches beyond just
computer hardware. Small com
puters, called microprocessors or
computer chips, run machines
such as elevators, VCRs and
common household appliances.
Banks, accountants, and doctors’
offices keep computerized
records important to all of us.
Companies that supply water
and electricity also rely on com
puters and microprocessors,
which means that all of us have
ways computers affect our daily
lives, whether we realize it or
not.
Because computers touch our
lives in many ways, it is impor
tant to know what is reasonable
to do in response to the “Y2K”
problem, and what is not. Some
people have been contacted by
people selling a service or prod
uct that is supposed to remedy
mishaps that the year 2000
might bring. Close reviews of the
claims made, or opinions of a
reliable, unbiased sources, are
helpful in protecting yourself
from fraud.
In addition, many people
have advocated stockpiling
months of water, food, cash and
medicine to prepare for potential
emergencies. While some prepa
ration for Y2K may be necessary,
in reality, if eveiyone begins to
create a stockpile, it will be peo
ple, and not computers, that will
create the shortages that are
feared.
So, what should a person do?
According to the American
Red Cross, you should prepare
for the year 2000 like you would
prepare for a severe winter
storm—by keeping a one to two
week supply of essential food,
water, and medicine. Our state
and federal governments, the
electrical power companies, and
banking institutions have been
preparing for the beginning of
next year for some time, and
those things that might happen
on the first day of 2000 should
be small, and short-lived.
Emergency management per
sonnel have reported that, of the
systems that do not work cor
rectly on January 1, 80 percent
will be back online within three
days.
In the same way a snowstorm
would cause brown-outs, Y2K
may cause some electrical, gas,
water and sewer system disrup
tion. This means preparing to
keep warm and comfortable, to
be able to cook food and have
light in our houses safely.
Just as a snow storm might
cause you to be unable to get to
a pharmacy or grocery store, or
cause the store to be closed, so
Year 2000 problems may cause
checkout scanners not to work
correctly, or delay deliveries of
medicine and food items to your
area. In such-an emergency, a
few canned or dried food
favorites, and several weeks of
your needed medication, will be
welcome, and keep things as
Cruise For Calcium
ROSEMONT, 111. This
spring and summer, a fleet of
“milk mustache mobiles” will be
rolling through 100 cities across
the country as part of the nation’s
largest grassroots campaign to
educate Americans about the
health benefits of milk, according
to Dairy Management Inc.™
which represents dairy farmers
throughout the nation.
The “Milk Mustache Mobile
100-City Cruise for Calcium” is
part of a $lB7 million integrated
milk marketing plan developed
and funded by U.S. dairy farmers
and processors to help increase
fluid milk sales.
“The national marketing plan,
together with stepped-up market
ing efforts of branded companies
to promote milk, will help build
strong demand,” says Charles
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 1, 1999-B7
close to normal as possible.
If you wish to prepare for
your “Y2K” storm, you’ll want to
review the information on the
Red Cross website, http://www.
redcross.org/, or stop in at your
county Cooperative Extension
Office to pick up a copy of the
pamphlet, “Consumers and the
Year 2000 (Y2K).” Both give a
clear checklist of steps that
everyone might take to be ready
for emergencies.
Maybe you won’t need the
precautions any more than we
seem to have needed our snow
blower—but they say “an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.” By following the guide
lines set, in preparing over the
next eight months, we’ll all be
able to welcome the new year on
January 1.
Powell, vice president of milk
marketing for Dairy Management
Inc.™.
“When the ‘Cruise for Calcium’
tour visits the region, the or
ganizations will work with local
dairy processors, schools, hospi
tals, grocery stores, and others to
help spread the word on dairy’s
health benefits,” says Powell.
“Health professionals will con
duct bone density testing for those
at risk of osteoporosis to under
score the importance of calcium as
part of a healthy diet over a life
time. We want consumers to know
there’s not a ’quick fix’ for cal
cium deficiencies and it’s nev
er too early to start drinking more
milk.”
Besides bone density testing,
the tour also will offer free blood
pressure tests.