1.   Changing reader habits are also spurring the rising popularity of alternative weeklies.

2.   But the trend really took off with the advent of the CD-based Sony PlayStation home gaming unit and the rising popularity of PC CD-ROM games.

3.   Conde has maintained that it was his rising popularity and influence that triggered the Bank of Spain takeover.

4.   Demand for basketball and some other athletic shoes has been falling with the rising popularity of boots and dressier shoes.

5.   Despite the rising popularity of gas grills, for true grillers, there is no substitute for a charcoal fire.

6.   Experts point to a growing illegal drug trade, the rising popularity of gangs, and the growing availability of firearms to explain the rise.

7.   Furthermore, the steadily rising popularity of SUVs, minivans and pickups leads to greater mayhem on the roads, as insurance data show.

8.   Given the rising popularity of messaging, Sharp could be on the right track.

9.   He stirred a state caucus by taking on the issue of the rising popularity of retired Gen. Colin Powell as a leading black Republican.