Many economists, especially those who find themselves in the Bush administration, argue that the winner-take-all trend is fueled by other, unstoppable trends.

But despite this seemingly unstoppable trend, an increasing number of nutrition and weight experts are offering what may seem surprising advice: never mind thin - just get real and lose a little weight.

Another unstoppable trend creates a mouth-watering opportunity.

"Worldcom is at the forefront of an unstoppable trend toward very large, vertically integrated companies," said Daniel Reingold, an analyst at Merrill Lynch & Company.

Before the surgeon general officially condemned smoking in 1964, rising cigarette consumption seemed an unstoppable trend; since then, consumption per capita has fallen more than 50 percent.

It was an unstoppable trend, L'Express said, and France had better get with it.

The four-year-old organization, whose most active members have hiked more than 6,000 miles indoors, considers mall walking an unstoppable trend.

But it indicated the start of an unstoppable trend.

Rising prosperity in general has led to what seems an unstoppable trend toward steadily greater oceans of capital sloshing around the globe, and all that cash in turn creates new instability.

The Jouberts are part of what seems an unstoppable trend, spurred by South Africa's emergence from apartheid into an acceptable, even desirable stop for wealthy tourists.