The April 1999 AARP Bulletin came today, and it contained a "Don't worry, be happy" article about Y2K. The part I found amusing (in a disgusting sort of way) was where they said that the pharmaceutical industry expected to be ready, "but officials say that if consumers begin hoarding drugs, shortages could occur." On the next page they said that to ward off shortages of raw materials that come from foreign countries that are behind in Y2K, "drug firms are reported to be stockpiling medical ingredients that could be in short supply." See? They stockpile, but we hoard.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), March 31, 1999

Answers

Ha~

I think that's:

I have reserves you stockpile They hoard

Bruce

-- Bruce Welker (bdw@ngdc.noaa.gov), March 31, 1999.

Excellent "hoard"/"stockpile" example!

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), March 31, 1999.

Other tidbits from the AARP Bulletin:

"I think we will have a bump in the road... but it will not be crippling." Quote from Sen. Robert Bennett.

Which way is the wind blowing, Bob?

...American Red Cross says, families should have enough... food...water and prescription drugs to last for several days to a week... as if preparing for a winter storm...

Just enough until the tour bus comes for them, eh?

If people begin to hoard prescription drug, food supplies, batteries and other essentials, officials fear ensuing shortages could lead to panic buying and even greater shortages.

If there had been any leadership at all on Y2K, the issue of shortages would never have arisen.

Its benefit payment system is "100 percent compliant," Social Security Commissioner Kenneth Apfel told Congress.

Note that he only mentioned the *benefit payment system* as being compliant... very clever.

Donald Palmisano, M.D., a New Orleans surgeon and Y2K spokesman for the A.M.A... advises patients: Don't panic; don't self-diagnose; do talk to your physician about any special concerns.

Mashed potatoes on white bread couldn't be any safer than this A.M.A-lawyer-filtered statement.

Another "don't" involves money. Don't withdraw money from the bank because of Y2K fears, federal bank regulators advise. ... Money left in the bank, where deposits are federally insured up to $100,000, will be as safe when the year 2000 rolls around as it is today, official say.

Did we forget to mention that the FDIC has up to ONE HUNDRED YEARS to pay off on any claim arising from a bank failure? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.........

-- sparks (wireless@home.here), March 31, 1999.

Very, VERY unfortunate. There are many elderly people in our neighborhood who refuse to participate in Neighborhood Watch because they don't want to hear about any crime in the neighborhood--it frightens them. They don't want to hear about Y2K for the same reason. Now we have this misleading article by AARP. I know for certain they'll all wait until the end of the year to get a few groceries together and refill their prescriptions--they can afford to do it now, but they'll wait because that's how they do things.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), April 01, 1999.