It has been a sobering time for his government as 18 soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this month.

VOA: standard.2009.07.22

"A very sobering statistic is that for every one person that we put on therapy, two to three people get newly infected."

VOA: standard.2010.07.17

On the need for a second economic stimulus measure, Gibbs would only point to recent statistics, including unemployment numbers, saying they provide "a sobering reminder" of the many economic challenges Americans face.

VOA: standard.2009.03.10

As sobering a thought as it may be, the root of the problem lies with the entire mobile ecosystem.

FORBES: Dear Mobile Industry: Time To Step It Up On Security

Mr. LAMBERTH: It was quite a sobering start for a new attorney general.

NPR: Judge Remembers Time on Top Secret Bench

All this prompted a sobering warning at a recent conference in Denver from Kelly Matthews, chief economist of Utah's First Security Corporation.

ECONOMIST: The West: Shudders from Asia | The