31.   The decision appears less likely to generate the intense opposition it did last year on Capitol Hill, when lawmakers sought unsuccessfully to overturn it.

32.   The decision appears to be the first instance in Japan in which a copyright has been granted for letters.

33.   The decision appears to have caused a rift between Cohen and Greenfield, who was described as unhappy with the involvement of Unilever.

34.   The decision appears to have stunned the governor.

35.   The decision does not appear to rest on the fact that James Dale is a scouting leader.

36.   The decision also appeared to give prosecutors some leeway to get around that strict date.

37.   The decision appeared to be one more indication that the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has effectively abandoned plans to reopen the incinerator in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn.

38.   The decision appeared to have been made suddenly.

39.   The decision appeared to signal that as long as President Ernesto Samper remained in office, Colombia would remain on the United States list of pariah nations.

40.   The decision appears to be a maneuver intended to release USC from potential legal liability, according to sources.