1.   No critical shortages or gluts livened things up this year for traders in the futures pits at the New York Mercantile Exchange.

2.   And the emergency cash does not address the much more critical shortages of doctors and nurses.

3.   Barring unforeseen disasters, oil supplies are generally believed to be too abundant and diversified to allow critical shortages that might require rationing or long lines at gas stations.

4.   Because of the slowdown at the pumps, farmers face a critical shortage of water at the same time the summer weather is hottest.

5.   A critical shortage of teachers in California has led to the first statewide advertising campaign to recruit qualified applicants.

6.   Almost everyone interviewed agreed the city faces a critical housing shortage.

7.   Can Boston, a modest-sized city with notorious traffic jams and a critical shortage of hotel rooms, handle the pressure?

8.   For in addition to all their financial woes, hospitals are faced with a critical shortage of pharmacists.

9.   One of them escorts Youjing to Shuang Wen in the mornings and volunteers at the school, which has a critical shortage of staff members.

10.   Some business surveys portend a critical shortage of top executive talent in the next five years.