Then something happened that has not happened in the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders' dingy arena, in 11 very long years.

WSJ: Islanders Even It Up

Accusations are levelled not in the ceremonious rigor of a court but in a dingy office, with the irate plaintiffs standing up and leaning over the desk of a judge, the better to hammer home their case.

NEWYORKER: Tehran Tales

Yet, visitors to Beijing do not have to go too far off the beaten path to find dingy alleyways lined by what remains of the old courtyard homes that exist in clusters, like islands on the verge of being swallowed by the tidal wave of new China.

CNN: April 10, 2012 -- Updated 1353 GMT (2153 HKT)