To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Clinton set to declare national emergency
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 08:27:49 -0500

From: owner-bpr@philologos.org

MONDAY NOVEMBER 29 1999

PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO

Clinton set to declare national emergency
More than 50 simultaneous Y2K crises expected, stretching resources
to limit

By David M. Bresnahan © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com

President Clinton has already made plans to declare a national
emergency because of expected disruptions caused by the Y2K
computer problem, according to Federal Emergency Management
Agency documents.

A final training session followed by a mock Y2K disaster
exercise will include the actual disruptions and problems that
Y2K emergency planners believe will take place during the change
to the New Year.

Plans for the emergency declaration were made known to Federal
Emergency Management Agency officials and other federal
employees in preparation for use of the Information Coordination
Center, set up by the President's Council on the Year 2000
conversion. The plans were also given to the Senate Committee on
the Year 2000 Technology Problem.

The staff on hand at the Information Coordination Center have
been told to expect a presidential declaration of a national
emergency. FEMA staff who will run the regional emergency
operation centers have also been told the same thing.

"Should it become necessary, a presidential 'emergency,' rather
than a 'major disaster,' will be declared, and assistance will
be focused on addressing threats to life, health, safety, and
property," the Senate committee was told in a report from Lacy
E. Suiter from the Response and Recovery Directorate of FEMA.

A national emergency will be declared because FEMA officials
have concluded that there will be more than 50 simultaneous Y2K-
related disruptions throughout the country, which will stretch
the nation's local, state and national emergency resources to
the limit.

The Department of Defense is so concerned that the deputy
secretary of defense, John J. Hamre, has issued a memorandum to
commanders in the field to be very cautious about using the
military to assist civil agencies. Hamre said local requests for
help might seem appropriate, but he warned local commanders to
be cautious about using the military to help with Y2K
disruptions.

"Immediate responses that appear rational from a local
perspective, but could collectively undermine the department's
ability to execute operational missions" should be ruled out,
said Hamre.

Hamre has ordered commanders to avoid using the military for
Y2K problems unless there is a threat to life or damage to
property. The warning applies to domestic as well as
international requests for help.

The anticipation of a multitude of simultaneous problems that
would stretch the ability of the government to respond is the
driving force behind the plans for declaration of a national
emergency.

Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, told WorldNetDaily there is a very
real fear that the enemies of the United States could conduct
domestic terrorist attacks because they will expect the country
to be weakened due to the military's having to deal with Y2K
disruptions. He said there is also a possibility that cyber-
terrorism attacks might even try to sabotage computers to create
what appear to be Y2K computer failures, in order to enhance
opportunities for terrorists to conduct further attacks on U.S.
cities.

Suiter says many small, localized disruptions are expected to
occur. Response should come from local and state agencies "to
the maximum extent possible," he said. FEMA has been conducting
training for local police and fire officials in an effort to
help them be better prepared for Y2K emergencies and reduce the
need for federal assistance.

FEMA officials who attended training in each of the 10 FEMA
regions were told a major disaster declaration was ruled out
because the Y2K problems will not "involve a natural disaster,"
according to the presentation materials used and provided to
WorldNetDaily.

"A presidential 'emergency' rather than 'major disaster'
declaration will be made if Y2K consequences exceed state/local
response resources," FEMA staff and other federal agencies were
told at the regional meetings.

Peter Kind of the Information Coordination Center sent a
memorandum to staff members to guide them in preparations for
final training exercises Dec. 6 to 9. He wants the exercises to
be as real as possible, and asked for recommendations on what
Y2K problems are actually expected.

Although Suiter claims "no one knows for sure what will happen
following rollover to January 1," those who will staff the
Information Coordination Center have been asked by Kind to
submit a list of the most likely Y2K disruptions for use in the
final Y2K disaster training and exercise.

"We want to exercise the rollover sequence with special
emphasis on what could happen when, as midnight and subsequent
critical periods such as business hours, opening of financial
markets, etc., follow the timeline westward. We invite you to
help identify the high probability and high-risk items that
might occur, by time zone, both for use in the exercise and to
help prepare us all," requested Kind.

Past exercises conducted by FEMA and other emergency
organizations have always stressed that they do not know what
problems to expect when the New Year begins.

"In order to make the December exercise as realistic as
possible, we ask that you provide your ICC core staff contact
with your best estimates of possible incidents, anomalies or
other systems operation events most likely to be seen during the
Millennium Rollover (sic). Receipt of this type information by
November 24 will ensure that it will be incorporated into the
exercise scenarios when and where appropriate," said the
instructions to ICC staff.

"We are hoping for the best, but taking necessary and prudent
steps to prepare for any contingencies," said Suiter.

Although emergency planners may be planning for the worst,
their Y2K preparation materials provided to the public do not
suggest that the general public take the same precautions. The
Federal Emergency and Management Agency and Red Cross Y2K
disaster planning guides recommend preparations that, in effect,
advise the public to have a 72-hour kit similar to what would be
needed for a winter storm.

The Information Coordination Center is scheduled to be staffed
24 hours a day beginning Dec. 28 and continuing at least until
Jan. 7. Plans include an option to extend the date if the
national emergency continues. Virtually all federal employees,
including FBI and members of the military, have had vacation
time canceled to enable them to be ready for action if needed.
Civil agencies all across the country have issued similar
restrictions for police, fire and other vital services to be on
call or on duty.

"The emergency management community may be facing a potential
disruption scenario that it has not dealt with before:
simultaneous disruptions in all 50 States and six territories
that may require federal emergency declarations. In addition, we
may have numerous weather-related major disaster declarations to
address during this time frame," explained Suiter.

John Koskinen, head of the President's Council on the Year 2000
Conversion, is concerned there may be problems caused
inadvertently. He is warning people not to pick up the phone
just after the start of the New Year and make a call "just to
see if it works." He said too many attempts to make calls all at
the same time would shut down the entire phone system.

He also warned that the public may be fooled by normal failures
and think they are caused by the Y2K computer bug. ATM cash
machines, phone service and electric services all have localized
failures on a regular basis. One of those types of failures may
happen right on Jan. 1 and create a mistaken belief that a Y2K
failure has occurred when it really has not.

"The presumption is to blame all failures on Y2K that weekend,"
Koskinen said, and Bennett agreed. He said the public must help
to reduce the demand on the system at a difficult time.

WorldNetDaily has learned that a computer hacker was able to
alter the website run by the Commerce Department recently. A
message was displayed that said: "Run for your lives! Hit your
computer's power button and never turn it on again." The hacker
was reported to be making a statement about potential Y2K
problems and trying to illustrate weaknesses in the government
computer system that would permit a computer terrorist access to
government systems. The hacker identified himself only as
"Comdex0r."

Koskinen said there are many such attacks on government
computers all the time. He said hackers will be easily detected
during the Y2K rollover period because there will be tighter
security at that time. Koskinen asked "recreational hackers" to
stay away during the date change rather than complicate what is
anticipated to be a difficult time for government agencies.
"This is not the best time to do that," Koskinen said.

David M. Bresnahan is an investigative journalist for
WorldNetDaily.com

© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_bresnahan/19991129_xex_clinton_se
t_.shtml

----------

Further links of interest:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_bresnahan/19991129_xex_emergency_ag.shtml

"Emergency agency expects the worst Y2K could
be more than government can handle"

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Crowning the Pyramid
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 08:41:39 -0500

From: owner-bpr@philologos.org

Al-Ahram Weekly
25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999
Issue No. 457
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Crowning the pyramid
By Nevine El-Aref

Against a backdrop of allegations of a Zionist link, the Giza
plateau is a hive of activity, with the Ministry of Culture and
the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) busy preparing for the
millennium celebrations - the highlight of which will be the
capping of the pyramid of Khufu. But, with the event lying just
around the corner, some fundamental matters need addressing, not
least of which is how to get the multitude of expected visitors
onto the plateau and how to place the nine-metre-high, gold-
plated capstone atop the lofty monument.

Full story:
http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/1999/457/tr1.htm

_________________________
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Kibbutz puts salty water to good use
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 13:41:32 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

  [And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast
  say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he
  that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a
  voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for
  a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou
  hurt not the oil and the wine.--Revelation 6:5,6]

KIBBUTZ PUTS SALTY WATER TO GOOD USE

The drought continues. Only 10% of the year's average annual
rainfall has fallen so far, and the level of the Sea of Galilee is
213.21 meters below sea level, or 21 centimeters lower than the
government-set red line. In the Negev's Kibbutz Revivim, however,
a heretofore untapped natural reservoir of salt water is being used
to raise quality crops of tomatoes, melons, and olives. Uri Yogev
of Revivim told Arutz-7 today that the water is about three times
more salty than normal drinking water in Israel - though less salty
than ocean water. "Though not many agricultural products can
thrive on this water," said Yogev, "our olives this year have reached
record levels - we expected a half-ton per dunam (quarter-acre),
and instead we harvested two tons. We are conducting studies, at
Ben Gurion University, as to how the salinity of the water affects
the fruit - but so far we see no connection between the taste and
the water that is used. We have received only praise for the quality
of our olive oil."

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Monday, November 29, 1999 / Kislev 20, 5760

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