Medieval Europe chalked them up as a generally evil power, heralding everything from crop failure to dynastic collapse to a fresh outbreak of the Black Death.
Over four days, from Aug. 14 to 17, the convention would build gradually from heralding Mr. Clinton's record and policies to the highlights of Mr. Gore's biography to a climax on Thursday, when Mr. Gore would be nominated.
Barack Obama, far from heralding a left-wing renaissance, emerges as the incarnation of boring, Brookings-style incrementalism.
The war in Libya, far from heralding a new era of European activism, has once again highlighted the limits of Europe's military power, as Robert Gates pointed out today in his valedictory speech in Brussels.
Grand words, but Mr Lansley, far from heralding a generational shift, looks exhausted and is feeling the pressure of a series of media briefings which suggested that he is not good at selling his health reforms to the public.
"By heralding measure after measure to stop people entering Britain, the Home Office has given life to racists," says Bill Morris.
Now, some are heralding new signs of life, including the return of a few pharmaceutical superpowers.
While Nick Clegg has shied away from publicly heralding policy victories over the Tories, Hughes reels off things which he believes would "certainly" not have happened had the Lib Dems not been in power: the re-linking of pensions to earnings; the raising of the income tax threshold for low earners; a capital gains tax rise; more power to local councils; and, probably, the bank levy.
They were seen as heralding Singapore's liberation from Japan's oppressive rule, though civilians were generally careful to hide this belief from Japanese occupation personnel.
It was a cool remix: the time is invoked in dialogue every few minutes, and you appreciate more deeply the way that, at 6 45 P.M., a New Wave beat sneakily penetrates the clamor of a party scene from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," heralding the subsequent clip — a gallery scene from "Basquiat".
