Let's Talk 2000


March 1, 1996, Volume 2, Issue 4

The heartbeat of 2000 A.D. from cyberspace"

Topics covered in this issue:

The Millennium Doctor Speaks
News from the Field: Talk from the Forum: New Millennial Sites: Contact Information


The Millennium Doctor Speaks:

"Taking the pulse of 2000 A.D."

"It will be the time of our lives, one time...one world...one party.(tm)" This little ditty is already trademarked by a company that is working to become the brand name of 2000. In this issue of "Let's Talk 2000" you'll get a first hand look at how their marketing guru is working to bite off a big market share of the millennium. If their plan works, the consumer will be king from 1999-2001.

News from the Field:

"Here is the latest news on year 2000 efforts"

MC, INC.--THE BRAND NAME OF 2000?
For Skip Kitchens--a 43-year old Chicago marketing guru, the first man on the moon, the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the fanfare of the World's Fair are nothing in comparison to the magic of the year 2000.
To prove his point, Kitchens has been cooking up a private commercial venture, called "Millennium Celebrations, Inc.," which he claims will be "the brand name of the year 2000." Before 1995 Kitchens served as VP of development for Carlson Companies, a $10-billion conglomerate that owns the Radisson, TGIF restaurant and a host of travel agencies.
For the turn of the century, Kitchen promises a simultaneous five-day orchestrated global gala of unprecedented proportions, involving sports, culture and music. Millennium Celebrations(tm)' web site claims, "In every time zone, we'll have world-renowned entertainment bringing in the next 1,000 years, performing at the most desirable venues in the most exciting cities around the globe." http://www.rust.net/~mc2000/
"Whatever their interests, people like to share special occasions with other people." And to Kitchens, the year 2000 is the mother of all special occasions, one which should be given back to the consumers of the world.
But can an 18-month old company really bite off such a large millennial market share? The secret according to Kitchen is in the recipe. Rather than cook up special events now, Millennium Celebrations(tm) is providing corporations "global perspective, offering licenses, facilitating partnerships, and marketing opportunities."
Apparently, Millennium Celebrations(tm) unique niche has already attracted some twenty commercial sponsors which range from a voice communications giant to a worldwide resort chain, from a local car dealer in Detroit to a discount outlet in Tokyo. This summer Kitchens plans to invite cities within all 24-time zones worldwide to bid as hosts for Millennium Celebrations(tm) events, grand finale parties and coverage in a global 25-hour turn of the century broadcast.
But does "Millennium Celebrations(tm) have a future in the next millennium? Kitchens declined to speculate, but said, "It's a fun thing to pursue. What better business could anyone be in?" Source: talk2000@rmii.com

JESUS AT 2000 ON E-MAIL
Three weeks ago, HarperCollins convened "Jesus at 2000" at Oregon State University, the first national scholarly symposium on the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Christ. Now as a follow-up to this, HarperCollins has retained three of its "historical Jesus" authors to debate each other via e-mail. And they are inviting anyone to listen in to this electronic scholarly chit-chat.
The focus of "Jesus at 2000" is really the Jesus of 2,000 years ago. This is a long discussion, with a 200-year history in the modern age. But never before has that academic discussion been brought so prominently into the public arena as it has in the last decade through the often flawed, methodologically confused, and sometimes ideological work of the "Jesus Seminar."
Until the end of March, authors John Crossan and Marcus Borg are debating their views on the historical Jesus with Luke Timothy Johnson, their chief critic. To date more than 2,000 people have signed up to listen to the "Jesus at 2000" cyber-debate. For more information check out:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/jesus2000.html

Talk from the Forum:

"Here is a recap of recent conversations"

TERRORISM AND MILLENARIANISM
Jeffrey Kaplan, from Ilisagvik College, reports that "The Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence," 7:3 (Autumn 1995) has published a special issue on millenarianism and violence. Millennial scholar Michael Barkun edited the volume to includes topics such as: historical millenarianism, modern millennial violence episodes such as the Earth First! movement, the politics of the millennium, the millenarian tradition in New Zealand, and the pro-life rescue movement in the U.S.


New Millennial Sites:

"Here are new sites in cyberspace"

PATAPHYSICS OF YEAR 2000
For a French perspective on the "disappearance of history," check out this millennial article by Jean Baudrillard, originally published as part of his _L'Illusion de la fin_, Galilee: Paris, 1992.
http://english.hss.cmu.edu/ctheory/a-pataphysics_of_year.html

THE TVE MILLENNIUM PAGE: "The state of the planet in the 21st Century"
The BBC and TVE, a British television production group, are soliciting bids from the 200 of the world's outstanding film-makers on a six part environmental films series called, "Millennium." A projected 2.5 billion will view the series from 1998 to 1999.
http://www.oneworld.org/tve/millenium.html

ALT.FUTURE.MILLENNIUM: "The new millennium is the New Age"
Here is a New Age newsgroup which provides "information, documentation, and personal revelations about the coming millennium period." Participants post "new age prophecy, share what astrology and divination have to say about the years leading to the millennium, and ponder various earth changes, weird weather, pyramids or alien contacts."
Web Site: http://www.newciv.org/millennium_matters/

Contact Information:

"Your link to the third millennium"

Talk 2000 Forum Home Page: http://humnet.humberc.on.ca/talk2000.htm
Talk 2000 Newsgroup: bit.listserv.2000ad-l

Subscribe to daily Talk 2000 E-mail Forum: listproc@usc.edu
Include this command as the body of your message:
subscribe 2000ad-l <Your first & last name>

Subscribe to this "Let's Talk 2000" bi-monthly letter: talk2000@rmii.com
Include this command as the body of your message:
subscribe letstalk-l<Your first & last name>

Submissions of newsworthy items: 2000ad-l@usc.edu
Publisher & editor: talk2000@rmii.com
Jay Gary, aka The Millennium Doctor
author, The Star of 2000
(719) 636-2000 Phone
Publication keywords: groups, events, society, millennium
LET''S TALK 2000 © 1996 Bimillennial Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
LET''S TALK 2000 is a trademark of Bimillennial Press, Inc.