As a way of asserting that his medical studies (a concession to his physician father) were in vain, Berlioz threw himself out the window of a dissecting lab.

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Congress can show that it understands this problem by asserting its intent to provide: (a) necessary funds through Dec. 31, 1999 to prevent the premature reversion of U.S. facilities before then and (b) adequate funds thereafter to maintain a continuing presence, one that will have the support of the Panamanian people.

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Moreover, I am asserting my readiness to submit, at a later time, an (additional) request to change any other clauses referred to me by the constitutional committee, according to the needs and justifications it sees fit.

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And in January, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) admitted that it had made a mistake in asserting that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035.

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But late last month U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven overturned his most important conviction that of delivering cocaine and in so doing took a giant step in re-asserting one of the fundamental (but often under-recognized) principles assuring the liberty of Americans: the notion that the criminal justice system can punish us only if it can be proven that we knowingly and hence intentionally committed a crime.

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Yet he simultaneously claimed a huge retrospective dividend for himself from the privatised utilities (the windfall tax), asserting that this would have no impact on investment by these firms.

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