They never said that they were my real parents, I mean, I always knew I had this good-looking, you know, high-stepping mom, and she was like only 14 years older than me.

NPR: Etta James: Still Singing Her Song

Sydney's phone-in radio programmes, whose hosts are adept at feeding public anxieties, have been swamped by calls from people complaining that the Australian games were being taken over by high-stepping, pompom-shaking Americans.

ECONOMIST: Australia

At the same time, Hudson is stepping up investments in high-end services for the intelligence community such as cyber security, having recently hired intelligence insider Larry Prior away from ManTech International to be one of her two executive vice presidents.

FORBES: British-Based BAE Systems Shifts U.S. Strategy

Worse, our collective recent experience with the credit crisis and the ensuing recession seemed to teach that investing is by its nature a high-risk endeavor, akin to closing your eyes and stepping off the curb at rush hour.

FORBES: Q: Why Did the Investor Cross the Road?

The Spaniard took the awkward high ball on his chest before stepping inside and unleashing a left-foot volley that Mario Galinovic did well to palm over the bar.

BBC: Panathinaikos 1-1 Rangers

But stepping through the front door took you into another world - high ceilings, big bright windows and a sense of history - a third-floor home that would not look out of place in Paris.

BBC: In Moscow, history is everywhere

The fear of stepping out took me along the safe, no-risk route through high school, nursing school and into a secure hospital job.

NPR: Stepping Out of Fear