The Raines bill must be amended or, in the judgment of some attorneys, it will contain no 【provision】 for wholesalers’ licenses in several cities of the State.

South Korea has joined Thailand, Singapore, India and other Asian nations in the 【lucrative】 business of medical tourism.

These 【debtor】 countries could be hurt by any economic weakness that might stem from the stock market declines in the industrial nations that provide markets for their commodities and manufactured goods.

That was the fear around the comics blogosphere last week when word spread of a policy change from Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s dominant 【distributor】 of English-language comic books.

In the center of the vortex is Citigroup, whose 【precipitous】 stock-market plunge sped up on Thursday, sending shock waves through the financial world.

Passage 1Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.” Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals. GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.42.Ford is trying to tide through the economic downturn without asking for government’s assistance.

Passage 1Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.” Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals. GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.43.Investors, lenders, and potential car buyers are quite confident in Ford.

Passage 1Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.” Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals. GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.44.GM and Chrysler are Ford’s competitors.

Passage 1Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.” Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals. GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.45.There is not any drawback for GM and Chrysler to ask for Government’s financial support.

Passage 1Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.” Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals. GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.46.The Chairman of Ford thinks that Ford is in a better strategic position than GM and Chrysler.