It was witnessing and indeed being a recipient of the brilliance of humanity that also shaped my "new" life -- and there was no better sign of this absolute brilliance than in my hospital wristband.

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"I realized what sounded good in a campaign, when I actually became the governor and would be the person who would sign a piece of legislation which could take human life -- I simply couldn't do that, " he told me.

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The short life of Tebow-mania is another sign of the strangely accelerated and disposable culture we now inhabit, even in the world of sports.

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Environmental issues have also received increasingly frank coverage in state media in a sign China's new leaders are attempting to address growing quality-of-life concerns by ordinary Chinese.

WSJ: Cadmium-Tainted Rice Found in Guangzhou

In the second room, a portion of the wall is covered with large health department posters promoting family planning, primary healthcare and immunisation - a sign of how central her work has been to her life.

BBC: Pakistan health workers targeted over Bin Laden death

Even if a company shows no sign of life, the court cannot close it for ten years without the agreement of two-thirds of creditor banks.

ECONOMIST: South Korean bankruptcy: Death, where is thy sting? | The

In the vast factory complex, the only sign of life is the hum of a petrol generator as crews work on the abandoned interior - the empty spaces of the fenced-off car park testament to the thousands who would at one time have worked there.

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