1.   Somewhere-Maybe in the smoke-filled rooms of the Knickerbocker Club-there was a collective Decision to raise the stakes.

2.   The erosion of investment grade credits, though, would raise the stakes for banks.

3.   Realizing they were negotiating, Jendry raised the stakes and offered a piece of pineapple.

4.   De Gaulle could only survive by continually raising the stakes over issues that were crucial to his position but not so crucial to the British or Americans.

5.   Already, New Jersey, a fierce competitor for New York City business, has begun to raise the stakes in the competition.

6.   Analysts said the entry of Perkin-Elmer shakes up the industry and raises the stakes for both the government-led Human Genome Project and the commercial efforts.

7.   And household debt is up while health insurance coverage is down, raising the stakes for people who do leave their jobs.

8.   And China is raising the stakes unilaterally, holding the crew contrary to international law and apparently stripping the spy plane like a Mercedes abandoned on a dark road.

9.   And a rave review raises the stakes.

10.   And now, the Delawares are raising the stakes.