31.   With Griffey, as with Alex Rodriguez, the trend recently has been to act early on contracts instead of waiting until the final year.

32.   A magistrate and a heavy contingent of police supervised the operation, saying they were acting on on government instructions.

33.   At the same time, the Senate is very much in charge now and the president cannot act freely on such matters without prior congressional approval, he added.

34.   But Asian countries also need to follow the U.S. example and act boldly on their own to resolve their financial crises, Cohen said.

35.   Even with reservations expressed by Republicans, U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said she believed Congress would act favorably on the deal next year.

36.   Gilles Duceppe, a leader of the separatists in Parliament, urged the government to act swiftly on Quebec.

37.   However, acting independently on a tip-off, police arrested the four men before Riddle could be duped further, the statement said.

38.   The Evangelical Lutheran national assembly agreed to share clergy, sacraments and mission projects, and to act jointly on major church issues.

39.   The participating groups have long opposed prejudice, but they rarely act jointly on social issues.

40.   They agreed that NATO must remain the foundation of their collective security, but that Europe must be able to act militarily on its own, the spokesman said.