1.   The company is blaming a downturn in orders.

2.   Hanson blamed downturns in some of its key industrial markets.

3.   President Bush blamed the downturn on the terrorist attacks and reiterated his call for legislation providing business and consumer tax cuts and unemployment benefits to laid-off workers.

4.   Scott McCloud, a graphic novelist and industry guru, blamed the downturn on too few comic book stores and too many sales pitches aimed at adults.

5.   The downturn has been blamed on dot-com companies that are backing out of projects and, in some cases, failing to pay their bills.

6.   Winchester Commodities Group has closed its brokerage arm, blaming a downturn in the metals market and adverse publicity in the wake of the Sumitomo Corp. copper scandal.

7.   Chavez blames the downturn on decades of corruption in previous governments, and is promising to concentrate on fixing the economy once re-elected.

8.   Disney executives blamed the downturn on a sluggish European economy, uncertainty over the U.S. economy and crimes against tourists in Florida.

9.   It blamed the downturn on the high price of raw materials and the economic slowdown in Europe and the United States.

10.   Jagan recently blamed the downturn on continuing obstacles to foreign investment, including customs delays and the bureaucratic obstacles faced by foreigners wanting to lease land.