Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said the comedy festival had grown "from humble beginnings to become one of the most anticipated events on the city's cultural calendar".

BBC: Line-up announced for 2013 Glasgow Comedy Festival

But in the meantime the spirit of new beginnings is a hard one to temper.

BBC: Tunisia��s vanguard hotels

From its humble beginnings in 1996 with one staff member working with three schools, The Black Star Project employed nearly 200 people (including full- and part-time staff, interns and consultants) in 2012 and works with thousands of schools with its various programs, campaigns, and initiatives.

WHITEHOUSE: Black Star

To advance that progress we've sought new beginnings with Muslim communities around the world, one in which we engage on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect and work together to fulfill the aspirations that all people share -- to get an education, to work with dignity, to live in peace and security.

CNN: Transcript: Obama outlines steps to prevent terrorism

Whitman's beginnings were humble enough: the son of a joiner, he was one of eight children.

ECONOMIST: American poets

One presentation sought to show that humans had been altering the climate for thousands of years, ever since the beginnings of agriculture.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | US science body warns on climate