Page 39 - link magazine

See us on the net @ www.swindonlink.com The Link Maqazine • April 1999 39
Millennium Thoughts ACER CARE SERVICES

(Pa rt of East Wiltshire Health Care NHS Trust) W LLS
Bugs & digits. How important are they? CHEERFUL, CARING TEAM
Gina Dennis looks at how numbers are ge tting in the way of a critical Professionally drawn by
WORKERS REQUIRED
issue. And she points out, for those planning a millennium baby The Andrews
to support people with
on 1 January, 9 April is the best day to conceive.
learning disabilities in all aspects Partnership
In the midst of the cur- conception of a millen- of daily living. Residential Homes
rent millennial obses- nium baby, a new aspect situated in West Swindon
sion, it may be interest- of millennial hype being (01793) 642245
Earn from £4.65 - £6.00 per hour.
ing to pause and ask unleashed. A professionally prepared
what the millennium is Even if the year 2000 is For further information will can avoid delay and
and if life has been re- an illusion of base-ten contact one of the Managers on distress for your family
duced to a numbers thinking', most experts (01793) 881660 or 881658
game. believe there will be at Or call (01672) 517602 From £25.00 inc.
A debate is raging as least some disruption. for an application form. Home visit service from £35.00 inc.
to whether the new mil- Predictions range from
lennium actually begins minor inconveniences to
on 1 January 2000 or 1 major social collapse, SWINDON BC The person who changed AD
January 2001. The system of num- apocalyptic revelations and warn- History is changing
bering which gives rise to this de- ings of the end of the world. The FAMILY CHURCH peoples lives Today
bate is based around the birth of Red Cross advice is to put aside o ^Evange flc
Jesus Christ. Neither represents about a week's worth of food and Live with integrity S -Worstey Road''/(
D
the true 2000th anniversary of the water, just in case. It may also be Love wholeheartedly
birth as the calendar has been tam- wise to be prepared to go without Trust God in all things
pered with so many times that the electricity for a couple of days, SUNDAYS 10.30AM ^ m m m n
dates we are using are merely a though most current predictions Lz, m m mo
convention. seem to be that this is unlikely. AT THE LINK CENTRE building with people
(Community Suite)
And, although it is the calendar Travel will almost certainly be a Come and join us
commonly used by much of the nightmare, though not necessarily PINEHURST PEOPLE'S Sunday at 10am & 6.30pm
world, many religions have their because of computer glitches. The CENTRE For further information of
own calendar, for which next Janu- millennium is being billed as one other meetings ring: 873050
ary has no particular significance. of the biggest travel events in his- All ages of children & teens cared for or call at the Church office
Numbers also form the basis of tory. The truth is, no one is really Information: Call Brian on 849731
the 'Millennium Bug', which has sure what will happen as midnight in association with Jesus said: "I have come that YOU might
led to predictions of confusion and strikes on the last day of 1999. The NEW FRONTIERS INTERNATIONAL have LIFE and have it in its fulness"
disaster. The problem is a simple future is fact-free.
technical issue that stems from the There are numerous web-sites
long tradition in computer pro- dedicated to different aspects of
gramming of abbreviating years the millennium. A useful starting iiLOCAL CHURCHESI
to two digits. In 2000, computers point is www.year2000.com
could become confused -'00' could
As seen outside Freshbrook Church All Saints' Lydiard Millicent - 10:30am to
mean either 2000 or 1900.
Revd Peter Knight: 772417 (for the Village & Roughmoor)
There are also concerns that com-
Holy Trinity Shaw -10:30amRevdAndrewHetherington:770568
puters may have difficulty with
two other dates, 9April, which is (the Church is at Shaw Village Centre)
the 99th day of the 99th year of the St Ma ry's Lydiard Tregoze - 9:00am, 10:30am y o
century, and 9 September, the 9th Revd Ann Mackenzie: 870244 a a
day of the 9th month of the 99th Toothill Church - 10:45am Revd Mark Roper: 692620
year. 999 had a particular use by (also Free Church minister for the parish)
programmers. If computers are Westlea Church - 10:00am Revd Peter Walker: 872932 W m
susceptible to the Millennium Bug, (this Church meets in Westlea School Hall, Langstone Way)
they may show some early signs of
confusion on those dates. The Parish of West Swindon and the Lydiards
By a curious coincidence, 9 April Baptist • Church of England • Methodist • United Reformed Church
is also the date suggested for the