500 days and counting to Y2K

There are 501 days remaining until January 1, 2000.

In anticipation of the coming problems posed by the now widely known
“Y2K” computer problem, Dr. Ed Yardeni is hosting the first of five Y2K
Action Conferences on the issue . The remaining conferences will be held
at 100 day intervals prior to the arrival of 2000.

The first conference will be broadcast live on the Internet tomorrow,
beginning at 8:15 a.m. EDT. Access and schedule information can be found
at Dr. Yardeni’s website.

Yardeni, the chief economist and global investment strategist of
Deutsche Bank Securities (North America), has been a prominent voice of
warning on the Y2K problem. He is also a widely respected market
forecaster, and is regularly consulted by the media for his insights. A
self-described alarmist (which he distinguishes from being
panic-stricken), Yardeni is now projecting that there is a 60 percent
chance that there will be a recession as a result of Y2K.

The day-long conference will address most potential problem areas in
both the public and private sectors. Representatives from government and
private business will speak.

Yardeni has developed a five-point “action agenda” for the Y2K
conference. His goals are to:
“increase global awareness of the problem.”
encourage people “to do everything possible to fix the problem
while there is still time.”
“assess the likelihood of system malfunctions and failures, and
significant disruptions to our businesses, governments and lives.”
“prepare contingency and disaster recovery plans.”
“promote a community approach to the problem.”

Yardeni has gathered an extensive list of experts for the first
Action Conference.

Keynote speakers for the conference are U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-UT,
and Rep. Constance Morella, R-MD. Both serve on Y2K committees in
Congress; Bennett as chairman and Morella as co-chairman.

Bennett also serves on the Senate Banking Committee, where he chairs
sub-committees on financial services and technology. He is perhaps the
most vocal congressman to raise the nation’s consciousness about the
Year 2000. Bennett’s speeches and press releases regarding Y2K can be
found on the Internet.

After an introductory discussion of the global Year 2000 problem, the
conference will move into a series of talks about special areas. Time
will be devoted to specific topics such as global banking, energy
systems, telecommunications, health care, government progress, corporate
disclosure, and legal and insurance issues. Experts will take 30 to 60
minutes discussing each subject.

Several high-ranking U.S. government officials are also expected to
speak, including representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Federal Communications Commission, Social Security Administration,
General Accounting Office, Department of Defense, and the Securities and
Exchange Commission.