1.   As the conference comes to a close early this week, the Vatican will experience its most stinging loss to the secular world on an issue regarding the family.

2.   Baker blamed himself, but it was a stinging loss for Hernandez.

3.   Early this year, after some stinging losses before the Florida Supreme Court, Republican legislators had a few ideas about how to handle the judiciary.

4.   He suffered a stinging Senate loss in his drive for drilling in Alaska last week.

5.   If it seems confidence must be low among Mariner relievers after another stinging loss Friday night, consider the confidence of their instructor.

6.   In a stinging loss for Raytheon Co., the Pentagon chose a rival company Friday to develop the next generation of missile used in aerial dogfights.

7.   But the Chinese party suffered stinging losses in areas where ethnic Chinese Buddhist and Christian minority voters worried whether religious freedom would be hurt if the opposition alliance won.

8.   The crowd was hostile, the opposing team was desperate to rebound from a stinging loss and the game was close for two periods.

9.   Zedillo also is struggling with a deepening economic recession, and stinging losses by his long-governing party in gubernatorial elections.