1.   Apparently, ancient mariners often ventured out of sight of land, contrary to the impression left by decades of work on wrecks in shallow coastal waters.

2.   But the last decade has left them especially besieged, as crack, AIDS and lengthening jail terms have sidelined more and more poor mothers.

3.   Some Africans complain that decades of isolation left South Africans ignorant about other countries and customs.

4.   The intervening decade left him a changed man.

5.   Those decades left a powerful legacy of good will.

6.   In addition to the destruction left by decades of war, the central bank was looted in the last days of the ousted Taliban regime.

7.   Reformers argue there have been enormous changes, although it will take years to correct problems left by decades of communist stagnation.