As we left the ring together, my childhood hero spoke softly, gently, almost purring.

NPR: Boxer Muhammad Ali Turns 65

He said it gently, almost lovingly, like a caring father, one I was about to lose.

NEWYORKER: Hand on the Shoulder

Niagara's landfills are spectacular: mountains of made land, rising out of the earth, gently breathing their methane, almost beautiful in their grassy silence.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Inventing Niagara'

For a city dweller it sounds almost idyllic, though Rawles -- a gently spoken and affable man -- insists it's a lot of hard work.

CNN: Survivalists get ready for meltdown

An introduction, complete with finger cymbals and (almost) a cappella vocals, slides seamlessly into a gently driving, plaintive folk melody.

NPR: The Dry Spells: Mystical, Wounded Whimsy

Mr. Parker gently shooed aside his bulldog Betty Jane (he's almost as impassioned about dogs as he is wine) and offered some semiconvincing assurances.

WSJ: Drinking With Robert M. Parker Jr. | On Wine