From: snidely.too@gmail.com   
      
   hymie! presented the following explanation :   
   > In our last episode, the evil Dr. Lacto had captured our hero,   
   >   Howard , who said:   
   >> hymie!  wrote   
   >>   
   >>> We saw something similar in the eastern United States ... in the   
   >>> spring? It's probably a combination of the two -- concerns about   
   >>> shortages lead to panic buying, and panic buying leads to shortages.   
   >>> You're right that they're two different things, but IMHO it's very   
   >>> wrong to say that it's strictly one xor the other   
   >>   
   >> For gasoline it's even less complicated -- you can buy twenty extra   
   >> rolls of toilet paper, but there is simply no way for almost anyone to   
   >> buy twenty extra gallons of gas,   
   >   
   > You're not familiar with those red cans that store gasoline for home use,   
   > such as lawn mowers?  Based on changing / breaking safety features,   
   > I own at least three of them.   
   >   
   > From what I remember in the news stories, many people were not being nearly   
   > so careful in what they were storing their gasoline in.   
      
      
   Also, instead of postponing your trip to Albany for a few days, you get   
   in line to get gas (and probably have the engine running much of the   
   time you're in line).   
      
   /dps   
      
   --   
   Killing a mouse was hardly a Nobel Prize-worthy exercise, and Lawrence   
   went apopleptic when he learned a lousy rodent had peed away all his   
   precious heavy water.   
   _The Disappearing Spoon_, Sam Kean   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)