1.   But it was not long before the optimism began to dim.

2.   But just as the morning sunshine inevitably surrenders to the afternoon smog in Mexico City, optimism began a slow but perceptible retreat.

3.   Indications are the drought is over for Hall Racing, and the optimism begins with rookie driving ace Gil de Ferran.

4.   Sipping from a cup of hot water and lemon, he talks about how his new-found optimism has begun to surface in his work.

5.   That optimism began to fade after World War I, when the Western powers carved up the remains of the Ottoman empire into nation-states.

6.   The optimism about peace began, ironically, with a death.

7.   But optimism has begun to wilt as the guerrillas have failed to publicly announce an end to the war.