In a social context, it may be seen as a sign of romantic interest, or just plain creepy.
In ten years' time, it may be that it will be seen as a sad step down the road to South Africa's disintegration.
Projects like Lazika sound wonderful but it may have to be seen to be believed.
Media hype notwithstanding, the visa scandal has a deeper meaning: it may one day be seen as a turning point in Germany's war of the generations.
As the volume of information in the public domain continues to grow, it may come to be seen as rude to do a web search about your neighbour or a casual acquaintance.
But it may merely be that investors have seen no need to incur the costs of insuring their portfolios against loss.
While it may be virtually impossible to survive in office without faith in a supreme being, it remains to be seen how successful the Democratic Party's new confidence in the power of personal testimony will prove to be with a divided and volatile electorate.
It remains to be seen how successful the government will be in putting it back together again after the May election.
While the summer dreams of a Sprint merger may have faded, it remains to be seen how much damage will be done to the stock.
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If it all works, and if people actually like it, the Wellcome wing may come to be seen as the prototype for an entirely new kind of science museum a museum of the future, indeed.
That may have changed, but it remains to be seen in what way.
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Hers is undeniably a great performance, though it may well be overlooked by voters who have not seen the film.
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While the painting's unfinished nature may be seen as a weakness, it is a window into the mind of a master.
But since the two drugs work similarly and may hit the market at about the same time, many doctors and analysts say the Pfizer medicine may have the upper hand, because it will be seen as more effective.
Indeed, it may be that the whole idea of a telephone comes to be seen as an anachronism, as personal digital devices take on a bewildering range of new functions.
What is more, the prosecution of war criminals, so long as it is seen to be fair to all sides, may help to heal psychological scars left by the fighting.
Orlando Figes, professor of history at London's Birkbeck College, says Mr Putin's home city of St Petersburg may be a window on Europe, but it can also been seen as a fortress against foreign opponents.
So we absolutely have seen this issue where, A, it may be a lack of information to understand how your community is changed, that you do have free and reduced price lunch students in your school.
Det Insp Bobby Dow, the senior investigating officer, said: ''I appreciate that these people may think that they have nothing that could be of use to our inquiries, but they were in the area at this particular time and they may have seen something, however irrelevant they believe it to be, that could help us in our efforts to find Mr McMurchie's killer.
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It's an idea that may be worth exploring for those who have seen extensive combat, but the fact is that once you start making such exceptions, the floodgates will open.
"Given BP's desire to be seen to be doing the right thing, it may well suspend the dividend until after the well is plugged and the cleanup completed, " said Evolution Securities analyst Richard Griffith.
The company may need another trick or two up its sleeve if it wants to be seen as relevant in the world of social media once again.
It won't be a seen as an essential upgrade - you may remember the head-scratching about what the iPad was for when it launched in April 2010 - but it will both exploit and further engender the loyalty of Apple's army of fans.
It feels natural and can be seen as a representation of where phones may and ought to be headed, to a place where they predict and judge your intent using a higher level of intelligence than the usual impassive expectation of conventional input.
If it works, the recent bounce in Mr Brown's popularity may come to be seen as just the start of a journey back to electability.
While there may be agreement that the Code needs a major revision, it remains to be seen whether Congress and the White House have the political will to accomplish this goal.
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Be that as it may, Linden said the company will stick to offering gifts seen as broadly acceptable.
It remains to be seen whether the SEC can handle the tips the new rule may unleash in its direction.
It may be because of the Swedish way of life, but she says she has also seen the bigger picture.
That may be another reason why Chinese interest rates are divisible by nine: it is seen as an auspicious number.
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