Show 3 C2 The Salt Lake Tribune 2000: Many Institutions Slow to Fix Bug Continued from C-- HEALTH & SCIENCE Thursday January Year 2000 State by State can rework their most states are confident l agency will have reached a position of being able to enter into a year-lon- g test of all their critical systems" says Alan Smith of SAIC a prime contractor for many government agencies and commercial systems H Current estimates of how much it will cost to accomplish this work for the federal government stand at $3 87 billion The state estimate is at more than $2 billion And that doesn t include the $27 billion the federal government earmarks for technology spending each year Much of that already is being applied to the Y2K problem The Gartner Group widely regarded as the premier research firm on Year 2000 issues is standing by its projection of final costs to the federal government alone as much as $600 of $30 billion billion worldwide Including litigation some other experts say the entire mess could cost $1 trillion "I don't think anybody has a real clue how much it's going to cost to pick up the pieces for all of this" says John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists Sally Katzen is m charge of OMBs efforts to whip the other federal agencies into shape She has the power She holds the purse strings on technology development In an interview Katzen estimated that the federal government is probably less than 50 percent done with bringing its computer desystems in 24 Cabinet-leve- l Fstimdtps may not over an ststp aoencies commissions and bureaus Costs systems upgrades tnat fix year JOOu problems Source uSA TODAY research by Anthony DeBarros have been highly attentive to the Year 2000 problem The Federal Reserve Bank this week announced plans for an international conference in April to coordinate computer upgrades with those doing business with the United States "The problem is global and must be solved worldwide said Federal Reserve Bank Governor Edward Kelley Jr also may not include expenses tor 1998 Twins With Separate Fathers? It Is Possible Cycling and Impotence Jit Most critical they computer systems Despite an effort expected to cost nearly $2 billion however some systems can t be fixed before the turn of the century 1 rc Thats because bad data from a computer that hasnt been fixed can contaminate a system that has been upgraded Of greatest concern are Asian banks which are making Little progress in addressing the problem The Treasury Department is pressing banks to upgrade systems no later than December 1998 or risk losing their federal insurance protection Is it true that woman can have twins from two different fathers? Yes it is possible Here is how it works: Twins can either be identical or fraternal Identical twins come from one egg from the mother that was fertilized by one sperm from the father and for some unknown reason divided into two identical parts early in the development of the embryo Both twins have the exact same genetic material Any differences identical twins have are the result of their life experience ie different scars Identical twins are always of the same sex Fraternal twins come from two different eggs when a woman produces two eggs instead of the usual single egg at the time of ovulation If the woman has intercourse with two different men within a and relatively short time around the time of a she can conceive each twin from a different father In the past this was only recognized when the fathers were of two different races but with DNA paternity testing more such cases are detected Genetically fraternal twins are as different from each other as any brothers and sisters Some of their genes are the same others are not depending whether the genes came from the mother or the father YOUR HEALTH REGULA E BURKI Fraternal twins dont have to have the same sex I am an arid male cyclist age 47 and have noticed that my penis often feels numb after a long ride Recently I have also been having problems with sexual function Is there a connection? Bike seats are poorly designed The penile numbness you refer to is a common complaint among male cyclists and actually has a name: Alcocks syndrome The name refers to the part of the body adjacent to the bike seat (The part carrying nerves to the penis is called Alcocks canal) There is no real proof that the compression of these nerves while biking does anything except cause penile numbness and this usually resolves itself after you are done riding Some more worrisome news is that biking may also affect the blood supply to the penis and that this could predispose cyclists to problems with erections and ejaculation Irwin Goldstein a urologist at Boston University who specializes in impotence believes that compression caused by bike seats as well as injury sustained during the occasional slip off the seat and onto the top bar of the bike can result in permanent damage to penile blood vessels Bike seat manufacturers are aware of the discomfort caused to both men and women by their products and are struggling to find a suitable alternative Meanwhile Id suggest you see a urologist Impotence has many other potential causes and you should be thoroughly evaluated by a specialist If you continue to ride your bike use better padding (cither in your bike shorts or with a gel seat) and shift your weight on the seat regularly This question was answered by Steven Gauge MD a urologist in Salt Lake City Utah Regula E Burki MD FA-- C O G is a Salt Lake City gyne- cologist and past president of Utah Women Physicians Please send your questions to her co The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City UT 84110 Burki answers questions on a variety of topics and refers questions to other specialists when necessary partments and agencies into "Y2K compliance "Information technology is traditionally something that comes in over budget and behind schedule says Katzen Slippage here is not acceptable The OMB report although reserving its harshest criticism for Transportation noted that while "the agency reports demonstrate good progress in some areas overall it is clear that a vast amount of work remains Transportation has upgraded just 7 percent of its critical systems and is the only major federal agency that doesn't have a chief information officer overseeing Y2K issues Transportation offi ials declined repeated requests for interviews USA Todays survey found a clear trend Except for considerable pressure being applied on financial institutions the government has been hands-of- f in regulating industry's preparations for the Year 2000 Nuclear utilities telecommunications and health services are on their own and by most accounts moving aggressively The Nuclear Regulatory Commission while noting that there are no computerized systems involved in operating nuclear reactors has sent an "advisory to utilities warning that the Year 2000 problem is likely to effect plant security radiation detection and personnel identification We are not 100 percent sure" of what impact Year 2000 computer glitches might have says Jerry Wermiel of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation The F'ederal Communication Commission is similarly leaving the telecommunications industry to its own devices There seems to be general agreement that there will be a dial tone in 2000 but there could be complications with billing and customer services In the area of medical services the Food and Drug Administration is writing to makers of medical devices such as pacemakers to make sure their products will survive 2000 The Treasury Department and the U S financial community VVVV HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY ROSE HALL BITNER Entire Stock of - rfi A Team Logo Jackets 4 uil SALE lKJ - f "S' a RaabokLvW IV U f PsJLjLAfi SiISrMfpsI RceMIIT 3&v & m oattain Ms isstsM Vm ' Warmups for Men 44S A &FS3B&S SSsui 69!s r? a impg & Women I i on m for Boys & Girls M&elsOitiigfISS 3riteart'tiar oq tUi JBROQHS &9FBri 3 From your children and grandchildren V Glass Act will I Visit our web site at WWWgartsportSCOIT) Not all styles sizes or colors available at ail locations Some quantities Urmtea Interim markdown may have been taken Waie up to SI 0000 off our Insurance Deductible Insurance approved pricing Fast Free Mobile serv ice to your home or office Call Now for Details FREE Stale Saten Inspection Glass Act A 0wryi O A OuOY M Every Windshield1 ipjT- mmm eeiweFp Utah Full Selection Stores: Ogden City Mall 533-884I 4 f 7 Bountiful Park City Holiday Village Rock Springs 307 362 4208 Cedar City ProvoZOrem Utah Specialty Stores: 2CMI Center Price 801-58- 6 Riverdate Superstore 801 Layton Hills Mad Park City Resort Center 6687 392-854- 5 03s- 3mm flit Ife&t Sit Oratn Logan 801-22- 5 9500 8 Exp 011188 |