1.   Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder.

2.   He began in the basement.

3.   And although he keeps saying he regrets being in the Klan, his rhetoric still rings of racial bias.

4.   Another day, another stop in this bottom rung of steps toward The Show.

5.   Being on the bottom rung of a big, important family can be a lonely place.

6.   But class-consciousness continued to haunt Sinatra at a time when Italian-Americans knew exactly what rung of the social ladder they occupied.

7.   But her claims ring of retreat more than conviction.

8.   But it took them months before realizing they were victims of an alleged shoplifting ring of immense proportion.

9.   But in infrared light, a glowing ring of light shines through the dust.

10.   But radio, once considered the bottom rung of show biz, one step away from circus clowns, is bigger and more lucrative than ever.