1.   Good shape despite the dire forecasts still being made by much of the business world?

2.   Take the current fascination with dire forecasts, for example.

3.   The most dire forecasts say rising mercury on Earth could bring about both devastating floods and droughts.

4.   Some analysts are issuing dire economic forecasts.

5.   Analysts wondered whether Yahoo was being too pessimistic so that it could offer investors pleasant surprises later this year, at least in comparison to its dire forecasts.

6.   As the snow moved north and dire forecasts of a devastating blizzard seemed increasingly realistic, governors declared emergencies in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

7.   Rick Pitino was talking Monday about the very dire forecast for Patrick Ewing and the even direr one for the New York Knicks.

8.   Such dire forecasts may be right, but it is also possible that bold action would make a difference.

9.   The dire long-term forecasts may well prove right, but power-generation companies and their investors have their eyes on less-distant horizons.

10.   The dire long-term forecasts may well prove right.