"Ruts" often develop when we hit these plateaus and fail to see a return on our investment.

Its temperate climate sees little snow except in the highlands and mountainous areas.

Spirit found the plateau to be surrounded by deposits of opal.

WASHINGTON - Fast food, a mainstay of American eating for decades, may have reached a plateau in the United States as the maturing baby-boom generation looks for a more varied menu.

But seven years after construction workers broke ground on the arid plateau, most of the apartments appear empty and the wide streets are almost deserted -- earning Kangbashi the tag of "ghost city".