Bradamante is despondent, and Alcina is left to exult over her latest conquest.

NPR: Love And Lunacy: Vivaldi's 'Orlando Furioso'

But she remains despondent and is afraid to go back to her village.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Pedophile Playground

The result of all of this is that many Serbs are pretty despondent about the future.

ECONOMIST: The Balkans after Milosevic

"What's the good of being a democracy if people are hungry and despondent and the infrastructure is not there, " Mr Achebe told the BBC in 2004, explaining his decision.

BBC: Chinua Achebe: Obituary of Nigeria's renowned author

The most despondent place in the U.K. is an hour or so west of London, in a town called Slough.

WSJ: The Really Smart Phone

But as with any challenge, the outcome is in the response: we as individuals can choose to join the doomsayers, passive bystanders, and despondent fatalists in the comfort of collective complaining, or we can choose to abandon mediocrity, see the silver lining, and act upon the opportunity to build a better future.

WHITEHOUSE: Champions of Change Blog