Sperotto Rimar, Mr Fochi's firm, sprouted originally because of the sustaining presence in the region of Marzotto and Lanerossi, two textile firms that some 150 years ago found in the steep hills north of Vicenza fast-flowing streams to drive their looms, and sheep to provide wool.

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It's early days still for Microsoft, and category trends are changeable, like swiftly flowing mountain streams carving new paths in the hillside.

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However, waste being left behind by some in two areas of the Cairngorms raised concerns about possibility of streams flowing into the River Nethy and Loch Avon Basin.

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In January, another team of researchers reported evidence of vast streams of gas flowing across a gap in a disk of material around a young star.

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Despite their reforms, the three sisters have stuck to the idea that chemicals and pharmaceuticals complement each other, because the cyclical fluctuations in the former are cancelled out by streams of cash flowing from the latter.

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It is because a stronger dollar signals more investment on the margin flowing into the stock and bond income streams set to create the wealth of tomorrow.

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Elsewhere, small villages that rely on frozen streams for transport are stranded by flowing water.

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