41.   Now the giant chemical company the EPA blames for the problem is asking a federal court judge to rule that the government should bear the cost of the cleanup.

42.   Oil companies can blame themselves.

43.   Record companies blamed the Web.

44.   Significantly, in the downbeat forecast from Yahoo, the company blamed a slower-than-expected transition from dot-com advertisers to traditional companies.

45.   Soaringhealth care costs,which companies had blamed for keeping a lid on raises,are leveling off.

46.   Some ExciteAtHome board members were said to erupt into shouting matches, as companies blamed each other for missteps.

47.   Still, in several cases where employees complained of discriminatory firing, the companies blamed the economy.

48.   The announcement comes a week after the Omaha, Neb.-based company blamed its border backlog on Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana, a railroad in Mexico known as TFM.

49.   The arbitrator said the new employees ran into problems, but the company blamed the veterans and fired them for reasons not supported by the evidence.

50.   The company blamed a decline in customer traffic and the impact of costs associated with closing three restaurants for the loss.