Blane Trauger spent $1,000 last year on Y2K survival gear. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        So this is how it feels to live beyond the end of civilization as we know it?

        Last year, Mason resident Blane Trauger was one of many Americans caught up in all the Y2K computer-bug talk. Doomsayers spent months predicting power outages, banking failures, even rioting in the streets based on the idea that computers would be unable to distinguish 2000 from 1900.

        Concerns were real enough that governments and corporations spent billions reprogramming or replacing computer systems. In fact, many employers or dered staff to skip New Year's Eve parties to hold midnight Y2K vigils.

        Mr. Trauger wanted to be prepared, at least for a few days of trouble. So he attended a Y2K survival show and spent about $1,000 for a new generator, a kerosene heater, batteries, bottled water and a cord of wood.

RING IN MILLENNIUM

Public plans for New Year's Eve events appear muted in comparison with last year. In Newport, an estimated 22,000 people turned out last year for a daylong celebration of the first ringing of the World Peace Bell. This year, the bell will be part of two smaller ceremonies.   The bell will ring about 4 p.m. Saturday as part of an interfaith world peace service that starts at 2:30 p.m. It will ring 12 times at midnight.   People are encouraged to gather at the bell, but no special entertainment is planned for the midnight event, said Joe Bride, a spokesman for the Millennium Monument Co.

        “I got a lot of grief from people. My wife says I went crazy, but really I didn't. None of the stuff I got is going to waste,” Mr. Trauger said.

        He used stockpiled gasoline to run his lawn mower. His family has been drinking the water and enjoying the fireplace. During a recent storm-related power outage, Mr. Trauger said he was glad to have the generator, even though he wound up not using it.

        Now, the true dawn of the millennium approaches — and nobody is getting worked up.

        Even before last year's bash, some people tried in vain to remind the public that 2000 is actually the last year of the old millennium, not the first year of the new.

        David Rinck of West Har rison, Ind., wrote a letter to the Enquirer (published Jan. 4) noting that the “Chicken Littles” who predicted a millennium apocalypse in 2000 got their predictions and the year wrong.
       

2001 no big deal

               The FBI, which had extra staff on hand at three Cincinnati-area command centers last year, has no reason to treat this New Year's Eve as anything unusual, said spokesman Ed Boldt.

        Cincinnati police also plan normal staffing levels. “It's normally a busy day for us, but it will be just business as usual,” said department spokesman Lt. Ray Ruberg.

        The media, which hyped 2000 with a blitz of round-the-planet television coverage and reams of commemorative special sections, has spilled little ink on the coming of 2001.

        This year, New Year's Eve party planners who cashed in on last year's celebrations are forecast ing a flop.

        “Things are a lot slower,” said Amy Pescovitz, owner of Party Planners, an event coordinating company in Blue Ash. “Going into last year, people were extremely organized. We were hiring entertainers, ordering party favors and planning parties up to a year in advance. We put millennium-themed items out in our store as early as August and everything sold out.”

        Last year, Hilvers Catering booked New Year's Eve parties at three banquet halls. This year, it has one event planned.

        “Last year, there was more anticipation than actual results. A lot of parties got about half the turnout they expected. From what I see, this year will be a real dud,” said co-owner Earl Hilvers.

        Last year, fears that the Y2K bug would trigger a run on cash had banks nationwide scrambling to keep automated-teller machines full. This year, there is no Y2001 bug to worry about, so things are back to normal.

        “We were able to take our normal holidays. That's a sign. Last year, my colleagues were all here until the wee hours,” said Jennifer Bishop, a spokeswoman for Fifth Third Bank.
       

Checking our math

               This Christmas, Mr. Rinck's greeting cards contained a touch of I-told-you-so. He wrote: “Peace on Earth to men of goodwill now in the new millennium, which starts Jan. 1!”

        John Breiner of Bridgetown, who also wrote a letter (Nov. 19, 1999) criticizing the public's willingness to ignore basic math, said he has been wondering about the silence preceding the true millennium.

        “I think it's kind of funny,” he said. “I thought it was a lot of hype last year. And now this year, there's nothing.”

        A comment like that makes a person wonder.

        What if the world really was coming to an end and everybody missed the date by a year?

        Would YOU be prepared?
       

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