The effort was futile: the monetary pressure wasn't eased, and collapsing trade only added to the plight of industry.

ECONOMIST: A refresher on the 1930s

To sustain the euro, the countries of southern Europe are cutting government expenditures and raising taxes in a futile effort to balance their budgets in the throes of a worsening recession.

CNN: Euro crisis invites political extremism in French vote

In a sequence that really said it all, point guard Raymond Felton found a wide-open Tyson Chandler for an alley-oop, but Chandler somehow missed the dunk, then fumbled a futile effort at a put back.

WSJ: N.Y. Knicks: The All-Star Break Is Over, Right?

The Knicks went back to their regular lineup, reinserting Pablo Prigioni, after going with a bigger group in Game 4 in a futile effort to match Indiana on the boards.

WSJ: Without Hill, Pacers fumble away chance to advance

Cambara waits for him to push the door shut, which he does with a squeak, and she watches him as he turns the wobbly handle a couple of times in a futile effort to secure it, notwithstanding its state of malfunction.

NPR: Somalia's Farah: Humanizing a Broken Place

But the drive for sanctions has been a frustrating and some say futile effort.

NPR: U.S. Intelligence Report Complicates Iran Debate