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Ford's North American operations had earnings of $889 million in the 4th quarter of 2011. The growth in U.S. was offset by loss of $190 million in Europe and a loss of $83 million for Asia Pacific & Africa. Results in Europe are expected to deteriorate further. Moody's Investors Service predicts a 6.2% decline in sales for the Western European countries compared to 2011. Increasing competition in the North American market led to a decline in the pre-tax per vehicle profit for the 4th quarter of 2011 to $1317, a drop from $2806 in the first quarter of 2011.

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US stock markets rebound by April 15 2026 during naval blockade of Iran.

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Ford's new 2013 Fusion model was radically redesigned to compete with the redesigned midsize Camry, and expected redesigns of the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, the VW Passat and the Chevy Malibu. Ford hopes to gain market share with the Fusion after making only a small gain in market share of one tenth of a point in 2011, compared to half a percentage point for GM and 1.3 percentage points for Chrysler. VW Passat sales doubled in the last quarter of 2011 compared to all of 2010, showing increased competition in this segment. The new Fusion was designed at Ford's design center in Cologne, Germany, where the Focus was designed. Ford is shifting responsibility for car design to Europe and keeping pickup truck and SUV design in the U.S.

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Ford may be preparing for a bigger loss in 2008 than the $2.7 billion loss in 2007. Sales of the Expedition and Explorer and the F-150 truck have dropped significantly. These sales have dropped nearly 30% through May of this year over last year for Expedition and Explorer, and dropped 19% on the F-150 truck. One anlayst says Ford has $7-9 billion after all its other obligations as a cushion so the automaker is on thin ice. GM faces similar problems.

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Useful and necessary tips on driving not taught at driving school but which should be part of that driving school training requirement. It should also be part of the program at high schools. Getting young people to have good driving habits early that save energy. Here Gil Portalatin, a 25 year veteran engineer at Ford, the Hybrid Propulsion System Applications Manager, talks about Ford's work in hybrids, the best way to conserve energy in driving regular cars, and how to drive hybrid cars. Tip 1: Don't accelerate too hard from a stop, Remember easy on the throttle and then glide. By Glide is meant releasing most of the pressure on the accelerator to use the bare minimum to maintain your speed. Tip 2: Anticipate Traffic. Watch the flow of traffic and distance to the light, then ease off the accelerator pedal to coast up to the next light. Tip 3: You won't believe how much energy it takes to go from 65mph to 75 mph. Gil knows from working in an aerodynamic lab. Its huge and to save energy just ease up on the accelerator pedal. For hybrid drivers he says many accelerate too slowly from a stop, and he advises accelerating a bit more and then lifting off the throttle to engage EV-motoring. About the Fusion hybrid. The 2010 Fusion hybrid gets 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. It beats Toyota Camry hybrid by 8mpg and 2 mpg respectively. Ford has its own unique hybrid technology, and is engineered differently with its own unique software....

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The automakers are still stuck with dependence on pickups like the Dodge Ram which provides 17% of domestic vehicle sales and the F-150 pickup truck for Ford which provides 26% of domestic vehicle sales. Even though they earn estimated $5000 to $10,000 per pickup this dependence has hurt the automakers, as they are losing money due to the neglect of the rest of their lineup. In 2008 the domestic pickup sales will decline 10% to 2 million units from 2.2 million according to Global Insight. Sales to customers now will almost entirley be to construction industry users in a bad construction market, as other customers who used pickups for general use are shifting to other vehicles.

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Ford's earnings were $2.55 billion for the first quarter of 2011, a 22% increase over the prior year.

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The Biden administration is now allowing states to use Medicaid money for meeting needs for food, nutrition to prevent chronic diseases and improve health. 

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Maria Corina Machado's  attempts to return to Venezuela following the earthquake in June 2026. Marco Rubio is sympathetic to her wish to return but thinks this may not be the right time and delay elections even further. US has raised the question with Venezuelan government leader Delcy Rodriguez about Machado's return. The intent is to make a transition, but before this can be done the conditions have to be created for a stable government in the interests of the Venezuelan people after many years of Chavismo and the structures he has left behind that could create risks if not covered properly. In that sense Delcy Rodriguez is part of the transition. Rubio told the US Senate at a hearing in Congress that people forget it is only 6 months since the arrest of Maduro and transfer to the US on Jan 1, 2026, and that in that time the US has ensured that all Venezuelan oil sales are made to benefit the Venezuelan people's needs by being deposited into aVenezuelan bank Account at Treasury without the siphoning off of funds that happened before. This is not an insignificant point, it is basic to Venezuela's economic recovery after its disastrous experience with Chavismo and mismanagement of the economy. For the first time Venezuela can export without sanctions which means higher oil sales, and for the first time American oil companies are encouraged and taking interest in investing in modernizing the oil industry in Venezuela. Chavismo itself shows that democracy is not always the instant answer to all questions, that the conditions for democracy need to be established or it will be destroyed and conditions can get worse. This is true today because Venezuela's democratic parties and institutions were destroyed by Hugo Chavez and the country could descend into chaos because of the militias he has created- it will take time to create the right conditions. Rubio and DJT understand this. What people forget is that the US can leave the Middle East but it cannot leave the Western hemisphere and the conditions in the Western hemisphere in the American continent have to be secured so that the US and Latin America can ensure the prosperity of the continent learning from past mistakes. Mistakes under previous administrations that allowed a drift into chaotic environments which led to migration of one third of the Venezuelan people about 7 million to the US and Colombia, other countries, and in Mexico a problem with growth of drug cartels affecting good governance destroying US borders. The Monroe Doctrine served a purpose by keeping out colonial powers from the Americas in the 1820's to the 1950's to benefit the Americas, letting it fade led to today's problems that are much worse than some of the smaller errors in US policy that can be corrected keeping the US overall benevolent disposition towards all of the Latin American nations for economic progress and shared prosperity. ...

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Cyclosporiasis outbreak in Michigan and midwest tied to Taylor Farms sourcing iceberg lettuce from Mexico. One solution is to source agricultural produce from locally grown suppliers and farms in each state which removes transportation costs, removes the fuel burnt for transportation causing pollution, and gets fresh produce to markets sooner.

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WSJ Editorial Board on the closure of Hormuz and US efforts to strike Iranian coastal missile sites to open it after Iran's IRGC rejected the terms of the Memorandum to open Hormuz. What purpose did the Memorandum serve? DJT let JD Vance come up with a negotiated settlement -accepting efforts of Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar  to mediate a way out to open Hormuz- to make some concessions such as ending Iran sanctions, and opening oil markets to Iranian oil exports, ending the naval blockade, putting nuclear weapons development for negotiations during the 90 day period after the ceasefire.  The IRGC military inside Iran accepted it under pressure from the elected president Pezeshkian and Turkey, Pakistan. Yet its approach has been to accept one day and the following day issue statements contradicting this the next day. Some of the clauses were kept deliberately vague on the insistence of IRGC or worded in a way that IRGC could point to their interpretation and reject efforts for a ceasefire  and opening Hormuz. In the light of this experience 2 conclusions were reached by the US- the IRGC makes decisions for Iran not the elected president Pezeshkian and IRGC does not want to open Hormuz except by charging tolls as away to finance its missile operations. In this kind of a situation how does the US respond effectively without getting into a land conflict that distracts US from its domestic goals of building a strong economy, cost of living action, and rebuilding US infrastructure? This Editorial says Schumer's effort to block defense bills does not serve the national interest. Schumer's point to exercise caution to focus on domestic goals of rebuilding the US economy serves the Nation well, yet continuously blocking the president to gain in the midterms is not a good strategy. Lyrarc points out that the best way is for the US to continue the naval blockade if Iran won't allow Hormuz to be opened to all ships without tolls. And step two would be to find enough alternative sources of oil to make up for the 20 million barrels from Hormuz. Some of this could come from reducing use of oil and gas which China has done by importing less oil from 12.5 million barrels a day to 8.5 million barrels a day, effectively doing without the 4 million barrels a day it got from Hormuz. By doing this the US can avoid the effort to open Hormuz through alternative sources of oil supplies,  avoid being drawn into a prolonged conflict it does not need. Achieving its objectives on nuclear and Hormuz in a different way exercizing patience and using wisdom alongside strength. That course means the US would work with the European Union, UK, China, India, oil companies and other oil producing regions to forgo Hormuz oil as Lyrarc has proposed as the most effective answer to threats about Hormuz, and continuing the naval blockade.  ...

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The official trailer for Oppenheimer the movie shows the giant ball of fire it shows a grim looking scientist but does not show the the effects of the war on civilians as was shown just 8 months back in May 2023 by premier Kishida of Japan and the organizers of the G7 summit in Hiroshima at the exhibition in Hiroshima. The new exhibition at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial was visited by G7 leaders. It shows the human beings that died on that day, the survivors including children, the lives they lived, what they were doing at that moment on August 6, 1945. NHK documentary taking us through each exhibit in a walk through the exhibition was a profoundly moving experience. Yet few in the US may have seen it, and fewer even know it even exists.

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Pakistan faces soaring food prices with the severe monsoon floods damaging crops and hurting the agricultural sector. Onions are up five times in price. About 80% of the tomato crop is damaged. Imports from India could ease the situation. Under normal trade for neighboring countries India Pakistan trade would be $50 billion in 2012, according to Mr. Boskin, who helped setup the NAFTA trade agreement. Instead it was $2.7 billion in 2012 and it was about $300 million in 2020, in OEC data.  Finance Minister Ismail talked about importing tomatoes and onions and other products from India during the floods with one third of Pakistan under water and half a million homeless.

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It is true carrots are good for eyesight and to prevent macular degeneration. Sunglasses help prevent ultraviolet rays from affecting the eyes. Reading without taking your eyes off the page is not conducive to good eye health- take time out every 20 minutes to look outside for at least 20 seconds. It is a good idea to relax the eyes by looking at Nature, what is good for mental health is also good for the eyes. Move the eyes to the left the right and draw large imaginary visualization circles with the eyes, large squares, for 30 seconds as away to exercize the eyes. Closing the eyes and concentrating on an imaginary visualization candle is a form of meditation that is also good for resting the eyes. 

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The head of Ford Smart Mobility unit becomes the new CEO of Ford Motor Company succeeding Mark Fields. Under Fields Ford's share price declined by about 40% since taking over from Mr. Mulally in 2014. Tesla's share price has overtaken Ford Motor and Silicon Valley is making investments to reshape the auto business.

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Hinrichs takes position as head of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa operations. Prior to this he worked for GM for 10 uears and with aprivate equity firm in Chicago with automotive supplier operations.

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CNN reporter Cassie Spodak provides this exceptional report into the minds of New Hampshire Democratic voters who gave Bernie Sanders a 22 percent lead in the New Hampshire Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton. In October 2016 Hillary Clinton has the support of Bernie Sanders against Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. She described it as "100 percent support" in television debate. Sanders has appeared with Clinton twice, and campaigned 4 times in New Hampshire, and continually across the country. Younger New Hampshire voters still long for Sanders as their favored candidate. Older voters and some who have been motivated by Sanders to run for local office see the shaping of the Democratic Party platform as a victory for Sanders. Key planks of Sanders, taxes on the wealthy and higher incomes to pay for student tuition, infrastructure, and helping working class families, are now key parts of the Democratic platform. These voters see this as a pragmatic step and are enthusiastic in their support for Hillary Clinton. Overall Clinton now has 87 percent of Democratic voter support in New Hampshire according to a WMUR/UNH poll in mid October 2016, and she is doing well with millenials and independents nationally, a critical bloc of voters for Clinton to show nationwide support. One member of the steering committee for Sanders in New Hampshire named Dudley Dudley, reflects the opinion that has shifted the party to emerge united during and even more so in the final months of the presidential campaign of 2016- she tells the CNN reporter Spodak that she supports Hillary because "of the way she has grown, and stretched," and the way Clinton and Sanders are now campaigning together and working together. Both Clinton and Sanders deserve credit for their extraordinary ability to grow during their campaigns and during the party's way to shape the way forward. ...

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg offers some advice to young people- In a marraige she says it helps sometimes to be a bit tone deaf. To ignore that remark someone made or comment which if reacted to would only make one feel worse. Who knows it was not meant that way, and maybe did not reflect the whole way that person felt, or even was transitory, This advice she got from her mother in law. Another piece of advice was from her father in law, to stop worrying and find a way to manage, find a way to do it, for something you want to do but are not sure you can. Something she learned from her colleagues in the court including Justice Scalia, was to get over it, not to spend time thinking about comments that are made or some things that happen in the course of one's daily life that one thinks shouldn't have happened.