But any attempt to swing the balance from humanitarian aid to development aid comes against the imperative of saving the starving today.

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The market for top high school talent is a national marketplace, and you never know when one key signing or transfer could swing the balance of power.

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The balance may swing back slightly next year, but the mix is threatened on a number of fronts in the longer term, raising doubts as to whether margins will return to their previous levels over the next few years.

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For Mr Lieberman, a swing vote if ever there was one, probably holds the balance of power.

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This, too, failed to produce any additional yardage, but I did strain my back more regularly and would often lose my balance embarrassingly at the finish of a swing.

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But in the Medtronic case, Justice Anthony Kennedy, a swing vote, seemed to lean toward letting government regulators, instead of civil juries, balance the risks and rewards of medical devices.

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The balance between gathering evidence for an arrest and acting promptly to disrupt a dangerous-looking plot will swing firmly towards the latter during the Olympics.

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