Later, as a broker, Duffy stood on the top stair of the pit in an exchange-issued red trading jacket and filled orders.

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They are smaller where there are fireplaces or built-ins, and they are far narrower in the center, where one can just about touch a finger on a stair banister and the other on the far wall.

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Walters had a health scare in January when she suffered a cut on her forehead after falling on a stair while visiting the British ambassador's residence in Washington.

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The Jag is being offered at auction by Stair Galleries on Nov. 20.

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Three months before Katrina, she'd had surgery on her knees, but her adrenalin high obscured the fact that constant stair climbing was taking a toll.

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Since then prices have stair-stepped lower, with the market getting hit along with other commodity markets on Monday.

FORBES: FOCUS: Copper Retreat Temporary; Outlook Remains Firm