21.   The United States has yet to bomb Taloqan, but this is where Northern Alliance fighters hope they will have a final showdown with their foe.

22.   The ultimate goal of both sides this week is to soften up its opponents for the final showdown.

23.   The winner could have a slight mental edge should there be a fourth and final showdown in Atlanta three weeks hence.

24.   They know exactly how to give the movie its bigger-than-life tone, playing every scene as if it were the final showdown.

25.   Yeltsin responded to the defeat by signaling that he planned to renominate Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister, demanding a third and final showdown over the appointment.

26.   Both teams will enter the final showdown short-handed.

27.   China may also want to hold off on any final showdown until Taiwanese elect a new leader.

28.   Eyewitnesses say thousands of Taliban fighters are amassing outside the Afghan capital for a final showdown against Rabbani, whose forces control the entire city.

29.   In many ways, the debate represents a final health care showdown of the congressional session.

30.   It indicated that the Bosnian Serbs were heading for a final showdown, which could end in either a deep territorial split or an armed conflict.