STORY:
Matt's Millennium Stew

Today's Millennium Stew --------
Pulling a Martha, Airline Sandbags, Continental Airlines, Stay-At-Home Medallion

by Matt Markovich
Everything2000 Stewmaster

Rangers at Acadia National Park are hoping hordes of people don't try to pull a "Martha" this New Year's Eve. Martha Stewart describes her failed attempt to reach the 15-hundred-foot summit of Cadillac Mountain in her magazine. That hike was supposed to be a trial run for the real thing when this millennium comes to a close.

But park rangers point out that conditions on the mountain will be treacherous at that time of year, with ice-covered trails and life-threatening cold. The mountain is believed to be the first spot on the East Coast the sun will hit in the year 2000.

---When we are well into the next millennium and you're trying to recall the special night that indeed was "The Turn of the Century" --  what'll you have to show for it?  Nothing, unless of course you own the "Stayed Home 2000" commemorative medallion.  Don't just stay home this New Year's Eve -- stay home and be proud of it! 

The limited edition medallion commissioned by the Portland Minting Company and even has its own website ( ) with fun ideas for spending the big night at home.  It sells for $14.95 plus shipping. 

---Continental Airlines is celebrating the new millennium with its Fly 'n Win 2000 sweepstakes. Customers who purchase a ticket on the website () during a 2000 hour-period - the 1000 hours before New Year's eve and the first 1000 hours of the New Year - will automatically be entered into a drawing. Prizes include two free domestic tickets a month on Continental for a year, a Continental Airlines Vacations package for two to Cancun, Mexico; a trip for two to the 2000 U.S. Open in New York City and a Compaq laptop computer.

There will be four drawings held during the 2000-hour period, plus a daily drawing for 2,000 Continental OnePass bonus miles. The sweepstakes ends on Feb. 10, 2000.

---Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) will replace passengers and baggage with sandbags on its sole New Year's eve flight between Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo to test for Y2K problems, daily Politiken reported.

The plane will be crewed as normal, but will carry sandbags instead of passengers and baggage. The flight is designed to test the Y2K preparations and procedures in the three Nordic countries for all operational areas, including passenger check-in, baggage, air traffic control and navigation, it said.