Just In Case: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Y2K Crisis
Edited by Michael Brownlee, Barbara Stahura, and Robert Yehling

Origin Press, NOW AVAILABLE 210 pages Trade paper 6" x 9" US $16.95   ISBN 1-57983-003-X "We need to state unequivocally that Y2K is indeed an event that has potentially massive and unpredictable economic, social, and geopolitical ramifications." So writes Senator Bennett in the opening chapter of Just In Case -- the authoritative introduction to the most urgent public issue of 1999.

These front line dispatches bring you face to face with a national and global emergency, providing the information you'll need to make some of the most important decisions of your life. These eighteen essays give the most reliable picture so far of Y2K's threatening downside -- as well as its surprising upside.

Senator Bennett is joined by Ed Yourdon, one of the world's leading authorities on computer programming, and Margaret Wheatley, eminent author and management consultant, in presenting an overview of the crisis.

Reporting on Y2K’s impact on electric power -- the nexus of its impact on everything else -- is industry consultant Rick Cowles, the leading national expert on this issue.

With Y2K, distinguishing fact from spin has never been more difficult. Just In Case features a seasoned roster of journalists sifting through a profusion of sources on Y2K and healthcare, government, business, and community -- as well as Y2K’s impact overseas.

The burgeoning Y2K awareness movement has generated numerous citizen activists, community organizers, and even folk heroes. These leaders are richly represented in Just In Case. Their essays guide the reader by giving the grass-roots perspective on the imperatives of outer and inner preparedness. They include:

• Jim Lord, retired naval officer and author of the first book on Y2K

• Karen Anderson, the chief spokesperson for Y2K's impact on women & families

• Shaunti Feldhahn, national spokesperson for a balanced Christian response

• Tom Atlee, social theorist and nationally-known Y2K activist

• Michael Brownlee, leader in the "inner preparedness" movement

And finally, well-known social thinkers and futurists also consider how Y2K, which impacts every facet of our lives, could also become the opportunity of our lifetimes -- a catalyst for personal and social improvements that are widely seen as desirable.

No other book offers such a comprehensive and balanced collection of renowned authorities, seasoned reporters, leading activists and nationally-recognized industry consultants exploring the most pressing problem of our time. That's why everyone must read it, and prepare -- just in case!

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Endorsements

"Just in Case is just what’s needed to prepare yourself and your community. Y2K is a vast mirror, reflecting our values and the kind of technological societies we have created. Let’s use Y2K’s lessons to rewire our technological networks to recreate local neighborliness and self-reliance, prosperous home-grown economies, and culturally richer communities. This book will guide you along the way.”
-- HAZEL HENDERSON, author of Creating Alternative Futures and The Politics of the Solar Age

“Essential reading for absolutely everyone -- and to be read now, before it’s too late.”
-- PETER RUSSELL, author of Waking Up In Time and The Global Brain Awakens

“Just in Case is one of the best, most well-rounded, informative, inspiring, and practical guides to Y2K there is. Those who read it will come away with a clear understanding of what Y2K is, why it is so serious, and most important of all, how to prepare for it in a way that engenders hope, rather than fear.”
-- DAVID SUNFELLOW, director of The Sedona Y2K Task Force and publisher of The NHNE Y2K Report (www.wild2k.com)

“If you think Y2K might be significant -- and you should -- Just in Case is a great place to get smart fast. It’s a wonderful collection of some of the best thinkers on Y2K that will tell you what Y2K is and what you can do about it.”
-- JOHN L. PETERSEN, founder and president of The Arlington Institute and author of Out of the Blue: Wild Cards and Other Big Future Surprises

“Just in Case comes just in time! Y2K represents a crucial turning point for better or for worse -- in Western civilization. Here is an eminently useful compilation of articles by technologists, social theorists and activists that spell out the technical, economic, global, social and personal ramifications. This multifarious “bug” will help us all wake up from our technological trance.”
-- RALPH METZNER, Ph.D., former academic dean, California Institute for Integral Studies, and author of The Unfolding Self

“This book doesn’t pretend that someone (i.e., the government) is going to step in and take care of you. Instead, it emphasizes personal responsibility and working within communities. The advice it gives is very down-to-earth and sensible -- preparations we should all be making anyway.”
-- VALERIE QUIGLEY, coordinator of emergency Services -- Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services in Marin County, CA

“If you wanted to give someone a good “heads-up” of the Y2K situation this would be a good book to hand them.”
-- TIM WILSON, publisher of Y2K News Magazine

Just in Case is the book to read now. If you do read it now, you will understand why.... Because we cannot imagine the predicted possibilities of Y2K, we cannot stay focused on it or on preparing for it. Just in Case will help all of us pay attention.... The Church always acts in times of distress to bring neighbors together for action. This book shows the Church that it is now time to mobilize for a danger that is hidden from many of us -- Y2K.... Just in Case may be our best resource.
-- DR. EZRA EARL JONES, General Secretary, the General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church

Just in Time is a terrific resource. Share it with your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers. Offer it as a tool to help people move from confusion to clarity and to transform apathy into concern and collective action."
-- WENDY TANOWITZ, co-coordinator, Marin Y2K Action

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Contents

Part I - The Year 2000 Crisis: The Big Picture

• Ready or Not, Y2K Is Coming, by Senator Bob Bennett

• The Story of Y2K, by Barbara Stahura

• Coming to Grips with Y2K, by Michael Brownlee

• My Y2K Outlook: A Year of Disruptions, a Decade of Depression, by Ed Yourdon

• Overseas Y2K: Facing the Global Dimension, by Byron Belitsos

Part II - Y2K and the Infrastructure Challenge

• Electricity and Y2K: Will the Lights Go Out? By Jill Bunning

• Facets of the Y2K Diamond: A Case Study of the Electric Utility Industry, by Rick Cowles

• Y2K and the vulnerability of the Healthcare System, by Caroline Nellis

• Will the Government Make the Grade? By Mel Kulbicki, Ph.D.

Part III - Personal and Community Preparedness

• Ten Steps to Making Your Home Safe for Y2K, by Karen Anderson, M.S.

• "What Should I Do About My Money?" by Jim Lord

• The Spirit of Community in the Y2K Era, by Robert Yehling

• Helping the Helpers: Preparing Community Organizations for Y2K, by Shaunti Feldhahn

Part IV - Beyond Y2K: Implications for the Future

• Seven Keys to Y2K Peace of Mind, by Karen Anderson, M.S.

• Y2K as a Doorway to Resilience and Renewal, by Tom Atlee

• The Amazing Grace of Y2K, by Margaret J. Wheatley

• Y2K: The Opportunity of Our Lifetimes, by Gordon Davidson, Danielle LaPorte, and Corinne McLaughlin

• Inner Preparedness for Y2K, by Michael Brownlee

Appendices:

• Y2K Resource Guide

• U.S. Senate Special Committee Report on the Year 2000 Technology Problem (Executive Summary)

• U.S. Senate Special Committee Report on Healthcare

Copyright © 1999. Origin Press and Integral Spirit. Email Origin Press