1.   Barrett countered that such deference to local decision-making helps explain the failure of a decade of efforts to improve the performance of U.S. youngsters in science and math.

2.   Australians worry all the time, and this high anxiety helps explain why these Olympic Games are shaping up as among the smoothest in memory.

3.   All this helps explain why Moscow has been reluctant so far to reduce exports by more than a token amount.

4.   But bank robbery remains a federal violation, which law enforcement officials say helps explain why banks remain a tempting target.

5.   Fleischer almost always says the right thing on behalf of his client, which helps explain at least in part how he has reached the pinnacle of his profession.

6.   Historical reminders like these help explain, in part, the recent outpouring of sympathy for New Yorkers from far-flung places in the world.

7.   It is a dark chapter with which he has since wrestled, and one that he feels helps explain why he does what he does.

8.   Perhaps that helps explain why more people are choosing funds with the straightforward approach of focusing on companies in their own backyards.

9.   Riley was vehement about not losing two starters in a deal for Jones, which helps explain why he refused to part with both Mashburn and P.J. Brown.

10.   St. Albans helps explains why Gore, Bayh, Ford and Jackson are so unlike their fathers.