Well, on this beautiful morning, we are here to mark the passage of a welcome piece of legislation for our fellow Americans who are seeking work in this difficult economy.

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As at last the 20th century begins to turn, perhaps we shall see Asia mark these last rites of passage by ringing out the new, for a change, and ringing in the old.

CNN: Sign-off 1998

"Having a failed business in the US is like a rite of passage, " said Mark Simon, founder of dot.com networking company The Chemistry.

BBC: Only failures need apply

Prof Carl Devos of Ghent University said that the passage of the speech should have been dropped, while monarchy expert Prof Mark Van den Wijngaert said a comparison with the 30s was "a bridge too far".

BBC: Europe

Just after the half-hour mark, the contest sprung to life with a frantic passage of play, Lampard's first-time ball releasing Drogba, whose slight hesitation allowed Gael Givet to produce a brilliant saving tackle.

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Within a few years, Mark and his team had introduced and successfully lobbied for the passage of bills in 23 states to divest in targeted companies, and convinced 61 colleges, 27 states, and nearly two dozen cities to divest their pension plans from those companies.

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