1.   In everything from athletic ability to popularity appearance, brains, and clothes, children rank themselves against others.

2.   For the first time the study offers a comparison of how Los Angeles ranks against other cities of its size.

3.   So ask yourself where quick Internet access ranks against the other telecommunications costs in your life.

4.   Ranked against the anti-bat campaigners are thousands of enthusiasts in dozens of local bat groups and the nationwide Bat Conservation Trust.

5.   Ranked against the oil lobby, however, are insurance companies who are pressing for urgent action to combat climate change.