Dear Abby: Regarding the question from Mrs. Dodd from Washington state about the correct abbreviation for the year 2000:
Obviously, Oct. 10, 2000, will be abbreviated 10-10-00.If the material is of such importance that it will influence history 100 years later, it would not be abbreviated anyway.
Furthermore, anyone who cannot determine the date within 100 years obviously does not have sufficient intelligence to need it.
- Jim P., Canada
Dear Jim p.: I received more suggestions than I can handle. Read on:
Dear Abby: Re: The question of how to abbreviate the year 2000: Since 1000 is "M," wouldn't "MM" be proper for 2000 - for example, "01-01-MM?" Or perhaps "M2" or "2M"?
- Myrtle Johnson, Minneapolis
Dear Abby: I am a payroll administrator for a company that employs a large percentage of Hispanics. We require proper documentation when they are hired. In some cases, the document from the Department of Immigration will have an expiration date. Example: Expiration date: 11-02-02. This is the abbreviation for Nov. 2, 2002.
- Lorna Lutz, Dallas
Dear Abby: The U.S. Passport Agency has resolved the year 2000. A 10-year passport issued in 1990 expires in "00."
- Ahead of Schedule in Cincy
Dear Abby: In a recent column, you wrote that several calendar manufacturers had yet to come up with a way to abbreviate the year 2000.
Since the letter "M" is also a Roman numeral for the number 1,000, why not simply use "2M" to represent the year 2000 on a temporary basis?
Undoubtedly, someone will come up with another solution before 3M.
- Bill Smarsh, San Francisco
Dear Abby: Referring to the problem of how to write the dates during the year 2000 and later, there is only one practical answer: Sept. 11, 2000, would be "09/11/00." Sept. 11, 2001, would be "09/11/01."
On Sept. 11, 9999, people will be wondering what to do next year.
- John Jenkins, Mandeville, La.
Dear Abby: Here's the easiest solution to abbreviate the year 2000. In this age of computers, "K" is universally accepted as the equivalent of 1,000 - so, the abbreviation of Sept. 1, 2000, would be "9/1/2K."
- Kirit N. Shah, Piedmont, Calif.