1.   There will also be close, searched boats, blocked streets and all the other inconveniences of a major political convention.

2.   Before its recent downtown revival and upbeat remake as a major convention site, this city spent some years indulging self-abnegation in its advertising.

3.   A top labor union economist debates one of the leading labor historians on the week before organized labor holds its major convention.

4.   Now wives have major convention roles, delivering gooey paeans to their husbands, about how lovable and trustworthy they are.

5.   Pullen contended that the city must expand Civic Plaza, giving it enough room for major national conventions, to guarantee enough business for three hotels.

6.   Sagging ratings prompted TV networks to drop gavel-to-gavel coverage of the major conventions this year.

7.   Spring is also a major convention season in New Orleans.

8.   Speakout.com continued its experiment with MSNBC, offering Web surfers the opportunity to rate the impact of the major convention speeches as they were being delivered.

9.   The city also joined Phoenix in wooing big-name regional and national events, such as the NCAA Final Four and major conventions and trade shows.