Word: direness
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...impending crisis was not officially acknowledged until last December, after a government-commissioned study by British consultants warning of dire water and power shortages was leaked to the press. The sense of urgency increased last month when officials decided to save water by adding an extra week to the dam's annual 21-day maintenance period, when water flow is sharply reduced. The results downstream were dramatic: parts of the Nile's muddy bottom in Cairo were exposed for the first time, and tourist boats cruising between Aswan and Luxor suddenly confronted midstream sandbars, making passage impossible...
That week, the commissioner of youth and high-school hockey in Massachusetts had issued dire warnings about the prevalence of misconduct by youth hockey players. In the following week, the commissioner's suspicions seemed to have been well-founded. Twenty two-game suspensions and two one year suspensions were doled out in one seven-day period, matching the number of suspensions that had been handed out in the first half of the season...
...enter into negotiations with any country that has a pattern of unfair trading practices with us. If, after six months, no agreement has been reached then the president may apply industry-specific sanctions against that country. If, however, it is determined that such sanctions would have a dire effect on that country's economy then the president has the option of taking no action...
...have stashed away substantial mileage are understandably concerned and may use their bonuses soon. The airlines, on the other hand, have a reason to welcome IRS intervention. If imposing taxes on the bonuses cuts down on their use, then the frequent-flyer plans would no longer be such a dire threat to the carriers' bottom lines...
...usual in dire times, U.S. fans adopted a Canadian. She was Karen ("No Mercy") Percy -- or so one Calgary sportswriter insisted -- a blond 21-year- old who stands a solid eleventh in World Cup rankings. She ran early and fast through stiff, changeable wind in the downhill. Among the stars who failed to touch her time were the glamorous Swiss rivals Maria Walliser, who finished fourth, and Michela Figini, Sarajevo's downhill winner, an ignominious ninth...