1.   And that time-honored tradition may have won the embattled government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi a momentary reprieve.

2.   Betty Boop splutters and hangs up - a momentary reprieve.

3.   -- After a momentary reprieve, the smallpox virus seems headed for destruction, after all.

4.   At the Thruway Diner in suburban New Rochelle, Jon Landers took a momentary reprieve, sipping both a cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate.