Mr. Rozin largely gets his ponds and dams made with the help of volunteers using very basic contour markers like an A-frame, a wooden instrument shaped like the first letter of the alphabet with a stone dangling from its pointy end, which helps map the shape of the land.
Each book has its own melodic mode, which prescribes certain notes and intervals around which melodies gravitate; a melodic motif sung in two different modes retains its basic contour but varies in the specific narrow or wide intervals used and in other details.
For the Avis building, he extracted the basic contour of these simple sheds -- the gridded box and the sloped roof -- and clad it in glossy metal and glass to create a glowing billboard for passing traffic.
But within this basic contour there could be some adjustments by Mr. Xi, according to Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Peking University, an advocate of a tougher policy by China against North Korea.
"We still believe that we have a chance to reach an agreement on the basic contours of a peaceful Palestinian state," Ms. Rice said.
Third, the Bush administration must secure a commitment from all stakeholders in a post-war Iraqi regime about the basic contours of a new constitution for governing Iraq before war begins.
Still, this outcome isn't a surprise, and the basic contours of the deal have been reported for days.
His cogent analysis suggests that, at present, all three possibilities remain live ones, although some basic contours of a likely trajectory are beginning to take shape.
The basic contours of an agreement are expected to involve Iran opening up to rigorous inspections, destroying stockpiles of 2% enriched uranium and committing to a civilian nuclear program, in return for sanctions relief, although Iran has indicated it may have new proposals.
It might be via email, or maybe a Facebook request, or perhaps a Twitter follower, or through a platform not yet invented, but the basic contours of the story won't change.
