Which means that it is very difficult to detect a rational motive for the taking of real bets matched by offsetting fictional ones, because it is very difficult to see how any individual could have profited by such a stratagem.

BBC: The how but not why of UBS's losing bets

As the Syrians and Israelis have already discovered, when nothing is down on paper, it is difficult for new talks to start from where the old ones broke off.

ECONOMIST: Limiting Camp David��s damage

All these rules make it hideously difficult for new parties to break the electoral oligopoly of the existing ones.

ECONOMIST: Suck it and see

It is very difficult for victims of natural disasters to recover from the destruction of their habitats, the sudden loss of loved ones, and their shattered plans for the future.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

If a permit is revoked, it could prove a "death sentence, " in the words of one Massey lawyer, because that would make it difficult for other permits to be issued or old ones renewed.

FORBES: Magazine Article

What makes the Hines story unusual is that it concentrates on the most complex, difficult projects, the ones that require an inordinate amount of money and planning up front in exchange for a greater return later on.

FORBES: Second Empire

What makes the Hines story unusual is that the firm concentrates on the most complex, difficult projects, the ones that require an inordinate amount of money and planning up front in exchange for a greater return later on.

FORBES: Second Empire