1.   Some academics try to counteract this trend by trying to identify the bright sparks and arrange special seminars for them.

2.   Jewish leaders nationwide want to counteract rapid trends toward assimilation, intermarriage and unaffiliation.

3.   Labor Secretary Robert Reich has championed job training as a way to upgrade worker skills and counteract the trend toward falling wages among millions of job holders.

4.   Senate hearings are set to begin on proposed legislation to counteract this trend.

5.   The U.S. government is trying to counteract this trend by extending American legal concepts and legislation beyond its shores.