1.   Aspiring member countries in Eastern Europe have tended to make considerably lower estimates, arguing that they will have to upgrade their militaries anyway.

2.   Auction officials said they spent numerous lunches and dinners persuading consignors to accept the lower estimates.

3.   But even the lower estimate makes this spill nearly three times the size of the one from the Exxon Valdez.

4.   Dr. Margaret Tucker of the National Cancer Institute favors the lower estimate.

5.   He began to lower estimates of his net worth significantly as he negotiated with First Interstate Bank to get out from under his loan guarantees.

6.   He did not say how the number had been calculated, and many police officials had a considerably lower estimate.

7.   However, some traders said the news should not have been a major surprise to the market because the lower estimates had been circulating in the trade.

8.   Instead, the difference arises because Bush makes a much lower estimate of what Congress will spend than do the Office of Management and Budget and Gore.

9.   Lower estimates of the inflation rate for July are helping to push down interest rates, bolstering stocks, Tagle said.

10.   Other analysts who follow Disney said they had no plans to lower estimates.