Word: benignantly
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...because he deals with the movie business from a position of strength--he writes things it needs--Leonard omits the contempt with which novelists traditionally drench their Hollywood horror stories. Leonard simply drops a real killer in among the rubber sharks, then sits back watchfully, his only comment a benign (or, at worst, sardonic) chuckle as his hero quietly chews them...
...officials to participate. That may eventually shed light on who is responsible. But what cannot be explained, or fathomed, is how anyone can shoot down something as harmless as a helium balloon. "This is so senseless," said Ruth Ludwig of the Balloon Federation of America. "It's the most benign thing people can do, floating around...
...city. But at least in its current form, the Net brings no visual (much less tactile) contact, and so doesn't fully gratify the social machinery in our minds. More generally the Net adds to the information overload, whose psychological effects are still unknown but certainly aren't wholly benign...
...outward appearances, Elliot is a perfectly normal middle-aged businessman. Despite an operation a decade ago for removal of a benign brain tumor the size of a small orange, he remains intelligent and seemingly rational, with a wry sense of humor. Yet his behavior makes it clear that there is something very wrong. After years of rock-solid competence, Elliot now has trouble keeping appointments and making decisions. He has squandered much of his life savings on a series of bad investments. And, strangest of all, the very fact that his behavior is self-destructive doesn't seem to bother...
What could be more benign than that boy scout of financial instruments, the municipal bond? What town has not floated an issue to build a road? What little old lady (or big mutual fund) has not heard an accountant extol "munis" as the most foolproof of investments? Lending to companies is risky: they fold overnight, leaving squabbling creditors. But municipalities don't disappear from the map; and knowing they will borrow more tomorrow, they will do anything -- even raise taxes-to avoid defaulting today...