Divergence is an expansive process, with the idea being to stretch the mind in order to come up with new ideas.

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Before you chalk that up to being based on the wrong continent (beleaguered Europe) keep in mind that over the same stretch a Euro stock index is up more than 8%.

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Though it may seem a stretch to suggest that the mind of a dreamer could be read in this way, it is not.

ECONOMIST: Reading the brain

Disney routinely brought in actors to help the animators, but their bodies and faces seldom matched up to the ones Mr Johnston had in his mind, with their flowing capacity to squash, stretch and rebound.

ECONOMIST: Ollie Johnston | The

In the popular mind they became huge beasts, invisibly inhabiting any murky stretch of water.

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Which is not bad, if you don't mind being cooped up in a boat for weeks at a stretch.

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Scotland might be up for buying new ships, but if the UK has 13 such frigates in mind, an independent Scottish navy is unlikely to be able to afford more than two, perhaps three at a stretch.

BBC: Shipyards on the slipway