Word: spikes
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...Those involved in the wedding business had long ago seen a dramatic spike in nuptials planned for July 7. Inquiries for that date began to materialize in 2005 or earlier, more than a year before the usual six to 12 months it takes to book a wedding. The average number of weddings registered on the website The Knot for any Saturday in July is about 12,000, but for 7/7/07 the number tripled to 38,000. "It will be the biggest wedding day ever," says Carley Roney, editor in chief of The Knot. "Even more than the millennium." It certainly...
Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, the new spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, argues that the latest statistics don't represent a long-term trend. "It will periodically spike up, like we saw with violence in May," says Bergner, who stressed that the overall level of violence in Baghdad has lowered since January. Nevertheless, he says, "that doesn't mean it's going to be a steady, downward trajectory." Progress, Bergner explains, will continue to appear uneven for some time...
...unusually brutal spring in Iraq. With at least 220 dead, April and May combined for the bloodiest two-month stretch for U.S. forces since the war began. The spike in casualties is the result of the troop "surge," chiefly into hostile parts of Baghdad, a move opposed by a number of senior generals before it was announced last winter. Now President George W. Bush is under mounting pressure from members of his party to prove the effectiveness of the surge by summer's end or risk having his allies turn on the policy. The fear, G.O.P. officials privately admit...
...going to work, one thing is clear: It is becoming increasingly costly in terms of American blood. As May comes to a close, the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq measured over a two-month period has reached an all-time high. Military officials had predicted such a spike as General David Petraeus began to flow close to 30,000 more U.S. troops into greater Baghdad, stationing many in small outposts dotted across the region. Unfortunately, it's one prediction that the brass got right: At least 220 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since...
...return is hit out of bounds, a point is scored. There are three players per side, though variations exist. But the game's telegenic oomph (and there's plenty) comes from sustained volleys, deadly serves-the hard plastic ball reaches speeds up to 100 km/h-and the cartwheel spike, a power move of agility and aggression where a player backflips into the air to strike the ball with his foot (the court is only covered with thin matting, so landing without injury requires practice). A defender usually leaps up to block a spike, resulting in a dramatic acrobatic showdown-on nearly...