21.   Diplomats at the U.S. Embassy here have been ordered to say nothing to exacerbate the situation.

22.   Doubleday has been moribund of late, a situation exacerbated by the loss of their editor in chief.

23.   Exacerbating the situation is the speed at which decisions must be made at tech firms, employment experts say.

24.   Exacerbating the situation, he said, are political forces in Jakarta angling for advantage when the weak and fumbling President Wahid leaves office.

25.   Exacerbating the situation are some recent changes in water law and allotments.

26.   Exacerbating the situation was the locale.

27.   Exacerbating the situation is the fact that many people with money and misgivings often have a difficult time sharing their feelings with others.

28.   Exacerbating the situation is the fact that the region has faced an unusually dry winter so far.

29.   Exacerbating the situation, Brian tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee less than a month after his signing.

30.   Further exacerbating the situation, Hunt predicts, will be a slowdown in capital spending as waning consumption and price competition puts profits under pressure.