"We had an unfortunate confluence of events which caused the Secretary to suffer some public embarrassment," Mr. Hinson said in an interview last week.

To Phil, the accident had been an unfortunate confluence of Ellie not watching where she was going and eighty-year-old Clarie insisting on driving her ancient DeSoto years after her license should have been lifted.

He cited what he called "an unfortunate confluence of events and circumstances" that led to Ms. Spruill's death, but added that he did not think there had been an "inordinate number" of mistakes.

Between June and July, there is likely to be an unfortunate confluence of pollen sources - grass and trees - contributing to the problem at the same time.

It's a very unfortunate confluence of events: the drought, a boom in land clearing, which never had very good oversight, and now less money to focus on what goes on out in the field.

Adam called their salsa assignment a "bad luck of the draw" and an "unfortunate confluence of events" that "exposed all of your weaknesses."

"I do genuinely believe it's an unfortunate confluence," Mr. Judge said in a telephone interview yesterday from London.

But there's an unfortunate confluence of events, a new, divided Government in Mexico, no Treasury Secretary in the United States and the Republicans taking over Congress next month.

Indeed, the unfortunate confluence of these developments, she says, effectively undermines the old article of faith that every generation will do better than the one that preceded it.

Based on Racine's 1673 drama "Mithridate," the opera is about the King of Pontus's struggle to sort through an unfortunate confluence of political and domestic problems.