She broke with establishment convention by hob-nobbing with film stars such as Bob Hope and Charlton Heston.

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In January 2010 5 months after leaving the Apple board Schmidt was hob-nobbing in Davos with other elites.

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But after decades of over-dependence on Russia for diplomatic and military support, hob-nobbing with America can help India broaden its horizons and balance the growing regional weight of China.

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Instead, they want the voters to concentrate on his more recent past - brokering the IRA ceasefire, negotiating the Good Friday Agreement, chuckling with Ian Paisley, hob-nobbing with Barack Obama.

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Many Malaysians will see you as someone who lives in an ivory tower, hob-nobbing with the hoi-polloi and out of touch with the realities of what is happening in Malaysia.

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But he was at his happiest when he was pushing the boundaries of conventional animation, working alongside avant-garde stars such as Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine, hob-nobbing with the Beatles and, later, becoming an inspiration for a young Terry Gilliam.

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