Even technology giants such as alcatel-lucent , cisco , ericsson and motorola have struggled on this unforgiving terrain , and thomson is a fraction of their size .
Independent producers such as xto have been hit not just by weak prices but also by the heavy borrowing that fuelled their exploration , which cannot easily be refinanced in today 's unforgiving credit markets .
The east coast broiled under an unforgiving sun tuesday as the temperature soared above 100 degrees in several cities , utility companies cranked out power to cool the sweating masses and the unlucky sought any oasis they could find .
By coincidence , the purchase was completed on the same day that italian bureaucrats decided it was time to stop the exodus and initiated an international investigation into the illegal traffic , to be conducted by an unforgiving prosecutor named paolo ferri .