Mr. Bankoff cited failed attempts to preserve modern buildings such as 2 Columbus Circle and the Paterson Silks Building on Union Square.

Oil expert Matthew Simmons maintained that a nuclear explosion was the only way BP could permanently seal the well and cited successful Soviet attempts to seal off runaway gas wells with nuclear blasts.

That memorandum, from the department's inspector general's office, cited repeated attempts by the Federal Railroad Administration, dating back to the mid 1990's, to bring CSX's tracks up to standard.

He also cites attempts by Islamist sympathizers to whitewash history books concerning Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent as another example of India's "secularism".

For the sake of balance, the story must also cite Democratic attempts to rig the 2012 playing field.

Citing Republican attempts to amend the bill on sentencing provisions, Ms. Castro said yesterday that she would have voted "probably no" on the anti-crime legislation.

However, the sale to National Communications was cancelled on January 11, 2013; the National / London consortium cited numerous attempts to close the deal with High Maintenance without success.

Samaranch said banning weight lifting might be an extreme reaction and he cited recent attempts by the federation to clean up the sport.

He cites several past attempts as evidence he will be successful, especially the case of Dog J, who was surgically altered by Wendell Hollis, "the Dog Butcher of Brooklyn", so that he could make human sounds.

Foreign-exchange dealers cited half-hearted attempts by the Bundesbank to prop up the dollar and Washington's failure to indicate how much of a further decline it would tolerate.