ODA has, at best, a patchy record.

Yet compliance has been patchy at best.

A DNS block, followed by a patchy IPS block, then who knows what.

Egypt has always relied on munificent benefactors to sustain its patchy state and economy.

Until recently, the record on evaluating responses to humanitarian emergencies has been patchy at best.

Patchy Internet connections are a major hurdle, as are the frequent power outages that Libyans face.

Among other things, pastoral nomadism permits societies to exploit the variable and patchy resources of the steppe.

What about inflation targeting? Here, too, the record since 1980 has been patchy, despite the huge deflationary pressure exerted by low wage competition from Asia.

Not surprisingly, these states typically have weak conflict management institutions patchy law enforcement, limited adherence to democratic principles, and few meaningful checks and balances on the government.

This includes addressing China s patchy arrangements for income security, as well as its unevenly distributed provision of social services, such as health and education, in particular, in rural areas.

Though the evidence that monetary stimulus produces increased investment and a business upturn is patchy, its effects on financial markets and asset prices are very easy to document quickly.

Although data regarding honour killings is patchy, according to the Women's Affairs Technical Committee 33 women were killed in the name of honour in 2002, the majority of whom were under the age of 18.

To be sure, they find that implementation has been patchy, with a gap between items whose follow up was assigned to strong international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, and those merely calling for coordination among national authorities.