31.   And it was before companies started to acknowledge, as Northern Telecom did last week, that sales on the continent would likely not meet expectations.

32.   And he thinks companies are starting to realize the need for better customer service.

33.   And many viatical companies are starting to target people with terminal illnesses other than AIDS, especially now that settlements are considered tax-free in many cases.

34.   And the company is just starting to switch on gateways that will extend the reach of its DSL service into nearly all Bay Area neighborhoods.

35.   And telecommunications companies started seeing Fairfax County as a promised land, a place with lots of wires and computer engineers, and all within miles of Capitol Hill.

36.   And the Flo-Sun companies have already started harvesting cane.

37.   And to keep up with the dot-coms, established companies also started spending like drunken miners.

38.   And when more and more companies start offering goods on line, the opportunities for theft will increase sharply.

39.   And these companies started to hire them to write custom applications, provide tech support or furnish other services.

40.   And with more marketing money on the way, analysts say, the companies could start realizing their goals.