11.   As things stand now, Missouri remains a swing state that could go for either Bush or Democrat Al Gore.

12.   As things stand now, the safest way to murder somebody in New York is to get tanked up and run that person down with your car.

13.   As things stand now, there is almost no way to combat the looting.

14.   As things stand now, Tyson and Lewis are not on a collision course, because each man has an exclusive contract with rival cable networks.

15.   As things stand, New York has the most complex court system in the nation.

16.   As things stand, officials understandably see dogs as a nuisance, because the animals damage landscapes that have been expensively restored and groomed.

17.   As things now stand, both Bush and Cheney are publicly in a state of denial.

18.   As things stand now, bond lending and borrowing must be channeled through a handful of specialized firms known as stock exchange money brokers.

19.   As things stand now, Bosanski Petrovac will become a Muslim town.

20.   As things stand now, bugs, weeds, weather and human error have not yet robbed Rothermel of hopes for one of his better crops.