1.   Although the Clinton story shows few signs of receding, cable news executives acknowledge that there will come a time when Ms. Lewinsky will be old news.

2.   Although Boeing said it needs to keep the doors open to its largest single customer, executives acknowledge privately that their biggest market also could become their biggest competitor.

3.   AMD executives acknowledge that the success of Athlon is crucial to the company.

4.   And energized by the results of former initiatives, executives now acknowledge, managers became too aggressive, announcing new programs seemingly every other week.

5.   And many executives readily acknowledge that they compute while they drive.

6.   Apple executives acknowledge the challenges but say they can overcome them.

7.   At Sun Microsystems, meanwhile, executives acknowledged that the economy was weakening but said that the downturn might actually help their business, as companies shifted their spending.

8.   Auto executives have acknowledged that while consumer demand for their products remains strong, buyers want price cuts.

9.   Besides, several Hollywood executives acknowledged, the movie studios have been propping up the videotape rental business.

10.   Bombardier executives acknowledge that Embraer has cost and weight advantages that translate into lower operating costs, and they express a certain grudging respect for their upstart rival.