Word: contend
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Some within the Administration contend that an Iraqi retreat that left Saddam's formidable war machine intact, or him in power, would be unacceptable. Once American forces are strong enough, they would welcome some rash act by Saddam, such as an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil fields with high explosives or poison gas. That would give the U.S. an excuse to try to oust him by force. Other officials argued that the blockade alone, if it succeeded in forcing Saddam to disgorge Kuwait, would be enough to fell him. Said another senior official: "One way or another...
...often shuffles along the sidewalks of his Greenwich Village neighborhood dressed in a bathrobe and slippers and babbling to himself. Vincent (Chin) Gigante, 62, looks as if he can barely attend to his own affairs, much less oversee the country's most powerful Mob family. His lawyers contend that Chin, a former glass-jawed prizefighter (hence the nickname), is mentally ill. But federal agents believe his behavior is an act designed to avoid prosecution. Recalls John Pritchard, a former FBI supervisor: "Once in 1985 I saw Gigante walk outdoors in a bathrobe. He climbed into a car, and several blocks...
...owned by Toronto's Reichmann brothers. A spokesman for O&Y confirms that Cirillo was employed as a "laborer" for eight months in 1986 at the site of the World Financial Center in Manhattan but was "laid off for lack of work." Cirillo is far from unemployed, crime fighters contend, since Gigante may be bogged down in court for some time. As Cirillo's friends down at the fish market would say, if they were talking: the underworld may soon be his oyster...
Those opposed to the development contend that the state is being, if not villainous, at least reckless. For one thing, they argue, putting power plants close to an active volcano is foolhardy. Another objection is that using the total area of cleared forest land to measure environmental damage is misleading. The roads that connect cleared areas are also destructive, since they provide avenues along which species from one area can invade another (plant seeds, for example, can stick to vehicle tires). Wao Kele O Puna may not be the most pristine forest in Hawaii, but just 10% of the state...
Roberts says he is leaving to travel and teach, but several staff members contend that he is exiting primarily because he was worn down by his ongoing tug-of-war with Knight-Ridder officials. Worried about flat circulation (522,000) and flagging advertising revenue (despite respectable pretax profits), the corporate managers tightened Roberts' purse strings. This spring he lost a page of space on weekdays and twice that amount on Sundays. He also had to report to a publisher newly appointed to oversee both the news and business operations, a combined position that Roberts vigorously opposed. The biggest challenge facing...