1.   Antitrust and telecommunications attorneys have said such a combination would face near-insurmountable regulatory and antitrust hurdles.

2.   As Alcatel and Lucent intensify their merger talks, investors and industry analysts seem to have oddly divergent views about the merits of such a combination.

3.   Asked if such a combination might prove ironically effective against Notre Dame, quarterback James Brown smiled.

4.   But some analysts said that if such a combination made sense before the Octel acquisition, it became virtually imperative afterward.

5.   But such a combination is not unthinkable.

6.   But some health-benefits consultants called such a combination part of a consolidation trend that is unsettling for many Americans in managed-care plans.

7.   Four years ago, such a combination would have made no sense.

8.   Hall officials said the mother-daughter team is the first such combination to be honored.

9.   In rejecting the two previous approaches by Lloyds, Abbey National argued that such a combination would not pass muster with antitrust regulators.

10.   Industry analysts said the prospect of such a combination would send other airlines scrambling for merger partners to avoid becoming second- or third-tier competitors.