 denote the year, which meant some software might interpret “00” as 1900. Would that glitch cause civilization’s collapse?
Thankfully, it turned out to be not such a big deal: Tech experts made the necessary updates and world’s end was postponed. But that didn’t stop a number of experts (both accredited and not) from making some dire predictions about what was about to happen on New Year’s Day 2000.
1. Prediction: Prisons doors will fling open, freeing violent criminals.
Many Y2K fears revolved around the collapse of banking institutions and a resulting loss of access to monetary resources. But for the truly paranoid, it was the idea of prisons experiencing hiccups that kept them up at night. According to a 1998 WIRED article, the thinking was that because prison doors are often electronically monitored and operated, any computer dysfunction could conceivably cause them to remain open, thereby letting violent offenders loose on the population.
One even more bizarre theory: That normal citizens cut off from basic resources as well as the electric grid might actually lay siege to the nearest prison to take advantage of their food and amenities.
Naturally, none of this transpired. As a precaution, state prison systems like the one in Colorado obtained back-up generators and invited staffers to celebrate with non-alcoholic beverages in case they were needed.
2. Prediction: Planes will fall out of the sky.
A personal computer registering the year 2000 as the year 1900 might cause games to crash or programs to sputter. But in a worst case scenario, a computer getting confused with passengers 30,000 feet in the air seemed catastrophic. Even a fleeting glitch in air traffic control operations or cockpits could spell disaster. People wondered whether planes would crash as a result of the turnover to the new millennium.
The issue with planes was of sufficient importance that then-president Bill Clinton’s Y2K “czar,” John Koskinen, made a point to board a plane headed for New York City that would have him in the air when the clock struck midnight. The idea was to reassure an anxious public that everything was fine, and sure enough, Koskinen made a safe landing.
3. Prediction: 911 could cease operating.
Imagine: It’s January 1, 2000 and your toaster has caught fire because—well, because of Y2K. You try to put it out and burn yourself in the process. Then your house catches fire. You call 911. You get a busy signal.
Incapacitated emergency lines were one scenario floated by experts, as 911 call centers run on computer switchboards. Digital databases also bring up information about the caller, which is then forwarded to personal radios of emergency responders. Even one interruption along the chain could delay or prevent urgent intervention.
All of it seemed like a recipe for disaster, as per a Bell Atlantic spokesperson who spoke to the FCC about possible Y2K problems in November 1998. Local governments were urged to address any problems with systems, while radio hardware companies like Ericsson were forced to provide reassurance their equipment would still work.
Still, by August 1999, only an estimated 37 percent of 911 call centers were Y2K-compliant, as reported by the President’s Council on the Year 2000 Conversion. Some smaller municipalities urged residents to call fire departments or police directly.
While it's possible there were isolated issues, by December virtually all call centers proclaimed they were Y2K-ready. Any issues on New Year's, public safety officials said, would likely be the result of too many people test-dialing 911 to make sure the system was working.
4. Prediction: People will be using toilet paper as currency.
One of the biggest fears surrounding Y2K was a collapse of infrastructure: utilities, stores, and ATMs might go offline, making transactions difficult. Y2K futurist Gary North recommended people stockpile toilet paper—not only in case of personal need, but on the chance they could use it as a barter item. No reports of any toilet paper-related transactions occurred.
5. Prediction: GPS satellites could fail, leaving people stranded.
Before smartphones were commonplace, consumers used GPS devices in cars, boats, and in portable form to navigate. The U.S. Department of the Interior warned that GPS satellites might malfunction, rendering the receivers useless—and campers lost in the woods.
The agency urged people to check with their device’s manufacturer to make sure it was Y2K ready.
6. Prediction: Elevators will stop working.
One place Y2K-phobes didn’t want to be on New Year’s Eve: in an elevator. Across New York City, several building managers ceased elevator operations out of concern that blackouts might prompt them to stop working. Residential buildings stopped the elevators at roughly 11:50 p.m. and held them, open, on the ground floors for about 30 minutes.
7. Prediction: We’re toast as a result of nuclear annihilation.
Like a scene out of The Day After (or Threads, for British viewers), some Y2K forecasters worried that computer problems might influence nuclear defense systems, leading to the accidental launch of weapons and mutually assured destruction. Thankfully, this was taken extremely seriously by nuclear superpowers the U.S. and Russia, who agreed to set up a joint effort to quell any nuclear misunderstandings.
It wasn’t quite what you’d like to hear from a reputable source. But thanks to DoD efforts, there was little opportunity for things to go haywire... mostly: There was a reported but unspecified glitch at a nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, then the nation’s main uranium storage site.
My doctor started me on it at 100 mg a night and it would knock me out for 18 hours. Then I went into a horrible mixed episode and was taking 800mg a night and still not sleeping. My TMS psychiatrist prescribed the 25 mg pills and told me to take a half of one very night during my very modified-for Bipolar TMS treatment and it got me through it. Now, I'm able to take 12.5 to 25 one nights or weeks I'm feeling revved up and try to sleep with just klonopin the rest of the time. Supposedly, the lower doses are actually more sedating but you don't get the antidepressant effects until you're on the higher doses as another poster mentioned. I have a love hate relationship with it because the higher doses give me muscle aches and restless leg syndrome symptoms that I have to take Cogentin for. So, at that dose, it is probably just to help you with your sleep and if you're feeling better, it could be because you're finally getting some much needed sleep.Rebate Remedy of Delray wants to help with mail-in rebatesFriday, July 17th, 2009
David Sheriden always used to hate dealing with mail-in rebates.
Filling out forms. Making sure the right items are included. Waiting for weeks or months for the check to arrive.
Realizing he probably wasn’t the only one frustrated with the mail-in rebate industry, the Delray Beach resident decided he was going to do something about it.
Which is how he and his partner, Greg Yevich, started Rebate Remedy. (more…)I've got an account on my university's library website now that classes have started and things are about to get real scholarly in here. This week I'm going to share some things I learned about **HONEY** from the article "Honey in Dermatology and Skin Care: A Review" from the *Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology*.

**Ancient Uses**

"Honey is arguably the oldest skin care ingredient currently in use." There are records of its use in cosmetics in ancient Sumer (the earliest urban civilization), Egypt, and Rome; in medieval and Renaissance Europe; and in East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It's been used as or in moisturizers, hair dyes, lip softeners, face masks, conditioners, hair treatments, toners, and cleansers for its antibacterial, anti-wrinkle, smoothing, brightening, and protecting properties.

**Cosmetic Properties**

Honey's *emollient* and *humectant* properties make it an effective moisturizer. It can keep skin youthful and slow the formation of *fine lines and wrinkles*. It's also frequently used in cleansing products for its *antibactieral* and *antifungal* properties. Honey can help regulate the skin's *mildly acidic pH*, and its *anti-irritant* properties make it effective even for sensitive skin. Finally, it can restore *hair elasticity and flexibility*, which make it an effective conditioner.During the 1980′s and 1990′s, hundreds of ordinary people from all walks of life interrupted their daily roles to become makers of images that eventually helped revolutionise South Africa. Sixty of these powerful hand-made posters will be on display in Interruptions: Posters from the Community Arts Project Archive, an exhibition at Cape Town City Hall that is part of the Cape Town Open Design Festival, from 13-23 August.
The South African ad industry has recently seen a series of takeovers and mergers of high-profile independent agencies by global communications networks - WPP and Publicis, specifically - thanks to accelerated interest in the African comms landscape and a cheap rand. Some independents are worried by the Competition Commission's seeming lack of concern regarding this acquisition spree and the increased local-market dominance.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa has released circulation statistics for