The latest indignity was the announcement a few weeks ago that the Communications Ministry had placed limits on subscriptions to 42 magazines and newspapers, including the most popular purveyors of provocative thinking, sensational exposes, and literature newly freed from the censor's vault.

INVESTING IT /Page 4/ Friendly's, the Northeast restaurant chain that is a popular purveyor of ice cream treats, is selling stock next month.

Portuguese food is popular in South Africa, and with branches in Cape Town and four other places, Vilamoura is among the most popular purveyors.

Even today, the most popular purveyors are women, some of whom have become local celebrities known, like soccer players, by their first names: Dinha, Alcira, Regina, Dadá and Lourinha, among others.

The invective traded between Bernard Tapie, a self-made businessman, and Jean-Marie Le Pen, the increasingly popular purveyor of the National Front's racist proposals, seems to have taken the place of any substantive debate in the campaign leading to elections on Sunday for the country's 26 regional governments.

Although Mr. Soprani continued to be a popular purveyor of colorful, classic sportswear, his name gradually faded from international prominence, and Mr. Modenese said the designer had business difficulties with a Japanese partner.

Panzerotti is Milanese for yummy at this popular purveyor of pizza-dough pastries stuffed with cheeses, spinach, tomato, pesto and prosciutto.

Carolee, another popular purveyor of fake pearls, also senses a change.

As one of the earliest and most popular purveyors of what came to be known as "smooth jazz", Spyro Gyra was an easy target for the jazz police as the format reached airplay ascendancy in the 1990s.