Once upon a time not too long ago, document signage involved downloading the document, printing it off, picking up a pen with either black or blue ink and signing off at the appropriate places, scanning the document once signed, uploading it, attaching the paperwork to an email, and then finally sending off that email back in reply with your signature.

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There used to be a time, not too long ago, when traditional publishing had many benefits.

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There was a time, not too long ago, when women of a certain age were shunted to the sidelines no longer offered the plum roles or business deals.

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While he took time off, he could not sit still for too long.

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New Labour's commitment to understand what the public thought and felt came from a time, not long before, when the public were too often considered the enemy, and where it was even said that there should be "no compromise with the electorate".

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Not too long ago I spent some time with Judith Umlas, Senior Vice President at the International Institute for Learning, to talk about her most recent book Grateful Leadership, Using the Power of Acknowledgement to Engage All your People and Achieve Superior Results.

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That too is a surprise, especially in a town not famous for long time horizons or perspective.

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"It's a little worrying doing so well at the World Championships because it's too long a chunk of time to hold your peak form, but it's not enough time to come down and re-train, " he explained.

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This could bounce back quickly with economic recovery in America and, provided that cost increases from environmental measures are not too onerous, the long-haul travel on which BA's profitability depends should revive in time.

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