Signaling a shift in the political strategies of antinuclear groups, demonstrations outside of Indian Point have diminished both in fervor and frequency in recent years, in part because it has become more difficult to find people willing to take time off from busy work and family schedules to demonstrate, Ms. Hickernell said.
But global communication and access to other points of view has diminished that.
As a result, the public space for reaching common ground, a basic starting point for a functioning democracy, has diminished.
Local coverage has diminished to the point that campaign ads outnumber campaign stories by four to one.
And now they are vowing to rebuild their shattered party, whose power has diminished to the point of near irrelevance in the Empire State.
The Republican Party, which just three years ago held the governor's seat and a feisty minority in both houses, has diminished to the point of near irrelevance.
The opposition, which a year ago included the then-Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, and was strong enough to block a somewhat weaker proposal, has diminished to a point where it is almost as feeble as the arguments it tries to muster.
Ms. Constant's voice has diminished to the point that she was unable to infuse much vigor into a martial anthem about French partisans and was barely able to keep up with the accelerating tempo of Jacques Brel's "Carousel".
By way of distinguishing the cases in hand from some which are cited by the appellants it is enough to observe that here the company has ceased to exercise the privilege, conferred by its charter, of maintaining and operating the road as a common carrier, and this because the available traffic has diminished to a point where further operation is economically impossible.
While the "counseling and caring" Dr. Emanuel recommends can provide comfort to the terminally ill patient, they cannot change the reality of a patient whose quality of life has diminished to the point where each day is another round of frustration and pain, be it physical or emotional.
