The Pentagon, however, maintains that landmines still serve a purpose in safeguarding lives in combat.
It may not be all neat and tidy, but even accidental viral marketing can serve a purpose.
To say men shouldn't marry career women is archaic, and doesn't serve a purpose other than invite confrontation.
Traditionally, avant-garde fashions serve a purpose independent from the rest of the fashion industry, celebrating artistic experimentation over commercialization.
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Professional ad agencies and middlemen still serve a purpose, particularly as gatekeepers.
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Stickgold believes that dreams serve a purpose for the brain, allowing it to make necessary emotional connections among new pieces of information.
Lance Armstrong-style confessionals may be overrated, but they serve a purpose.
But Professor Robin Hambleton who specialises in City Leadership at the University of the West of England insists councillors do still serve a purpose - even if the top job is now taken.
Are these motions (which are never debated, but which MPs can sign up to, to signal their support), just "parliamentary graffiti", or do they serve a purpose useful enough to justify the expense.
Here, then, puns seem to serve a purpose beyond the merely frivolous - to impart shades of meaning in an economical fashion, perhaps, or to render lessons and concepts more vivid and memorable to listeners.
Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves.
But lists like this, besides providing an ego-check, do serve a purpose: they give us the chance to put the slow weeks before the holidays to get cozy with the thesaurus button (Shift-F7 for those not in-the-know) and rework out professional paperwork before the new year comes calling.
The purpose of driving is to keep our full attention to the road and arrive safely from point A to point B, not to be dazzled and distracted by gadgets that do not truly serve a useful purpose for driving a vehicle.
It seems to serve a different purpose now, a couple of older gentlemen shuffling in and out of the library during the three hours we spend there, each staying quiet, seated alone at a small table, reading novels and history books from off the shelves.
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Avocados, with their natural fatty richness, serve a similar purpose when incorporated with other foods.
Courting the easterners in the last weeks of summer may thus serve a double purpose.
NATO's military aims were not an end in themselves but designed to serve a political purpose.
In the Davis Square neighbourhood, spots like the Burren pub serve a similar purpose for Tufts students.
In fact, he says, most negative ads serve a noble purpose: They are actually more substantive than positive ads.
Founders of hyperlocal sites say they're trying to serve a civic purpose.
In a recent interview on CNBC, my old boss, Alan Greenspan, suggested that something commonly called tax expenditures might serve such a purpose.
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What hasn't changed is that the early states in the nominating process serve a national purpose by reducing the presidential race to a human scale.
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And these devices serve a good purpose: easy and quick access to the web so that you can check emails, read and watch movies.
But all that visual and audio stimulation serve a larger purpose: To sell a product well, to project a particular image, design has to relate to society.
The inflated loss estimates make NBA owners look less wealthy than they really are, and serve a dual purpose as a bargaining strategy and public relations ploy.
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Silicon Valley can also serve a greater purpose today as Americans yearn for any good news that indicates our economic troubles will one day come to an end.
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Expensive cars, furnishings and watches, which signify status and success yet also serve a practical purpose, now tend to sell better than luxury that is merely for display.
Safety and environmental regulations can and do serve a valuable purpose but far too often regulations can serve to simply crowd out competition, which can disproportionately hurt smaller competitors.
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