... bitter ... change ... infused ... contest ... plunges ... vowed ... cynics ... illusion ... euphoric ... demonize ... change ... capture ... base ... spoiler ... interwoven ... swayed in the cool breeze ... vigorously ... hampering ... female support ... vigorous sniping ... a mere manager ... heading into the crush ... lay to rest any doubts ... change ... a pathway to citizenship ... detoured from straight talk ... change ... decidedly gentle sparring ... able fiscal stewards ... bland, fairly polite ... all lulled into a very false sense of security ... the succulent telenovela that is the 2008 presidential race ... touchy-feely ... relatively brainy ... change ... elaborately synchronized twists, leaps and spins ... it is the females who are the born politicians ... occasional displays of populist umbrage ... change ... making friendly overtures ... nothing more than costly malarky ... change agent ... flamboyant self-importance ... ingratiatingly twee ...

The metropolis it depicts is one in which money is the measure of all value, and in which every human relationship can be reduced to a transaction, a deal.

To gain control over runaway costs, the movie industry is increasingly striving for a one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to the types of films it churns out and the megawatt marketing campaigns that accompany them. But while the studios once tailored their product to the tastes of American audiences and tweaked it for the international crowd, the reverse is becoming the norm.

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is; the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” To Mr. Jobs, this statistic dooms everyone in the book business to inevitable failure. Happily, however, 27 percent read 15 or more books.

American officials said the visit was prompted by an increasing sense of urgency at the highest levels of the United States government that Al Qaeda and the Taliban are intensifying efforts to destabilize the Pakistani government.

The citizens like Ms. Yang who marched on People’s Square are wary of calling their event and the antitrain movement a protest. Most even shy from the word “march,” preferring to speak instead of a “collective walk” to the square.

“A wonderful example of what some observers of politics call ‘inside-outside’ -- when the protester works with those in authority who are sympathetic, behind the scenes, to achieve the desired goal and where those in authority, who are sympathetic, work with the protester on tactics that they believe would be helpful to the cause.”

What accounts for this need to pay public tribute?