21.   Congressional auditors revealed recently that the agency spent nearly that much in often ineffectual efforts to upgrade the system.

22.   Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars this year to upgrade its system, AOL acknowledged that it has had trouble coping with a crushing load of e-mail.

23.   Dulles, Va.-based AOL acknowledged it did not anticipate the flood of new users and is racing to upgrade its systems to meet demand.

24.   Enron might have to lay off half the employees and spend heavily to upgrade systems, said Richard Smith of Deutsche Morgan Grenfell in London.

25.   Eroded hillsides will be rebuilt, shorelines will be girdled to hold them in place, the storm drain system will be upgraded.

26.   Federal agencies and Congress have attempted to upgrade the system.

27.   Furthermore, officials in cities that have already upgraded their systems believe the program would subsidize less diligent cities.

28.   Gates told the group he believed the cable industry had been slow to upgrade its systems.

29.   He blames a debt recapitalization that Kroger underwent several years ago that wiped out its equity and left it with little extra cash to upgrade its systems.

30.   He also said that delays will continue unless the air traffic control system is upgraded and additional runways are built.