2007年9月30日 星期日

Theoria

司馬賀(Herbert A Simon)約八年前贈其論文:

Economics As A Historical Science(1998, Theoria, Vol 13/2, pp.241-260)

我問他一問題

I was a little confused with Theoria because what my impression is it is a Swedish one and quarterly. Anyway, please advise the Greek message in its cover.

這或許是他的回答:

Literally, it reads: "The gods do arithmetic," which I think means,

"The gods are mathematicians." 照字面為「神明們作數學」;我以為它的意思是「神明們為數學家。」

現在可以更清楚了解這字眼:

Theoria (Greek θεωρία) is Greek for contemplation or perception of beauty as a moral faculty (OED).

Ruskin說在欣賞藝術時有兩種經驗:一個叫做Aesthesis 就是美感,即吾人對於愉快之本能的感受,一個叫做 Theoria ,就是對藝術的崇高的虔誠的認識。」(梁實秋『文學的美』)

Rangoon to Yangon

仰光】(Rangoon)



城市名。緬甸的首都。位於伊洛瓦底江三角洲東側,距海約四十公里。以紡織品、肥皂、橡膠、鋁、食品、藥品和鋼鐵等工業著稱。米的輸出也很多。水運、公路和鐵路線連接國內各地。為緬甸最大和最重要的工商業城市。
(教育部國語辭典)

WIKIPEDIA

仰光,為緬甸最大城市,原為緬甸首都2005年11月6日遷至奈比多),人口約500萬(2000年統計),位於仰光河河岸。仰光位於北緯16°48',東經96°9',而其時區是協調世界時加上六個半小時。主要出口有柚木石油棉花和各類金屬礦藏等。

1753年Alaungapaya國王建都以前,仰光只是小漁村1930年仰光受地震和引發的海嘯嚴重破壞。第二次世界大戰時在1942年3月8日日本佔領。

與其他東南亞的大城市比較,仰光相對地不太繁榮。市內建築迅速發展,大多數都是外資注入發展的(主要是新加坡中國)。市內的下城區及大仰光地區有很多連鎖住宅和商業樓宇被重建或改建。現在仰光擁有東南亞最多的前殖民地建築。在殖民地建築內的政府部分(例如高等法院市政廳、Bogyoke市場和公立醫院)也被列入重建項目。新城區和其他近郊的地區繼續非常貧窮。

仰光是兩個字「yan」和「koun」的結合,分別指「敵人」和「走出去」。



Yangon is a combination of the two words yan and koun, which mean "enemies" and "run out of" respectively. It is also translated as "end of strife". "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British corruption of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the Arakanese dialect of Burmese.

2007年9月25日 星期二

sell-by date and use-by date

2007年7月23日 星期一

有效期或保質期:"best by" date ; consume-by date; a use-by date; expiration date

今天讀到一則美國新聞
This recall only affects the products listed above with a "best by" date of APR30 2009 through MAY22 2009. The "best by" date can be found either on the top ...

才知道我過去作的詞條要加強成:"best by" date ; consume-by date; a use-by date; expiration date


(食品科技) expiration date 截止日期,失效日期 

現在常用:有效期或保質期
應用

蝦米的質量問題主要是水分、鹽分含量嚴重超過標準規定。由於蝦米的水分含量過高,致使保質期大大縮短,有的甚至需要冷藏,粗糙加工以獲取更大經濟利益是造成蝦米質量低的主要原因。還有部分產品用人工染色,使產品鮮豔好看,吸引消費者購買,是消費者的食用安全隱患。
.

Safety-Based Consume-By Date Labels Approaches and Formats

(日文)賞味期限 或消費・賞味期限

編譯館:

(食品科技)expiration date截止日期,失效日期 

(經濟學)expiration date到期日

(計量學)expirationof period of validity 有效期滿  

(電子計算機} certificate expiration 憑證過期 

certificate expiration date 憑證屆滿日期 

contract expiration date 合約過期日期 

expiration check 過期檢查 

expiration date 過期日期 

expiration date indication service 過期指示服務 

expiration of the processor time slice處理機時間片斷過期


消基會董事長程仁宏表示,除非是期限短的生鮮商品,否則賣即將過期的商品有「嚴重瑕疵」。尤其對新開的商店來說,如果販賣即將過期的商品,會讓消費者覺得有出清存貨之嫌,有損商店信譽,將失去消費者信任。雖然賣未過期商品並不違法,但如果一種商品的保存期限一年,商店把只剩十天即過期的商品拿出來賣,「明顯不合適」。一個新開的店更需要打出信譽,如此恐怕會失去消費者的心。消基會也提醒民眾一起監督,如有商店拿快過期的商品促銷,應聯合抵制。如果業者以不違法而不改善,是不尊重消費者權益,消費者應拒買。






"Overall, I don't see this as an Office killer," blogged another tester.

That's not surprising, according to an OpenOffice.org official. John McCreesh says Symphony's shortcomings are less a reflection of its OpenOffice foundation and more a result of its reliance on obsolete OpenOffice source code.

Symphony "runs like a dog and has a pretty amateurish appearance," blogged McCreesh, who is OpenOffice.org's marketing project lead, late last week during the organization's annual developer conference in Barcelona. This "does beg the question as to why a company of IBM's stature should take software well past its sell-by date, and try and pass it off as a new product."

--IBM's Symphony Hitting Wrong Notes, Reviewers Say
Early user reviews of IBM's new Lotus Symphony office software suite are unlikely to be music to IBM's ears.

2007年9月23日 星期日

genetics and gene

Bateson was the first to suggest the word "genetics" (from the Greek genno, γεννώ; to give birth) to describe the study of inheritance and the science of variation in a personal letter to Alan (or Adam) Sedgwick, dated April 18, 1905. Bateson first used the term "genetics" publicly at the Third International Conference on Plant Hybridization in London in 1906, three years before Wilhelm Johannsen used the word "gene" to describe the units of hereditary information. Thus the phenomenon of phenotype was investigated earlier than genes were discovered.


William Bateson (August 8, 1861February 8, 1926) was a British geneticist. He was the first person to use the term genetics to describe the study of heredity and biological inheritance.

Beatrice Bateson. 是傳主夫人: William Bateson, F. R. S. Naturalist (1928, 1985),

這本書,在1930s就有中文本:『巴特遜傳』黃靜譯(文言),商務印書館;台北商務印書館在1971年收入人人文庫

按:Bateson.發音近「貝特遜」。有些西方文化自字眼沒弄清楚--Hercules 之jobs (p.14)和 "Rock of Ages"指基督教之"彼得" (Peter) 而非"有年代之岩石" (p.128)...

2007年9月21日 星期五

美國存託憑證(ADR)

該公司轉換發行2.4億單位美國存託憑證(ADR
Depositary Receipt

A negotiable financial instrument issued by a bank to represent a foreign company's publicly traded securities. The depositary receipt trades on a local stock exchange.

Investopedia Says:
Depositary receipts make it easier to buy shares in foreign companies because the shares of the company don't have to leave the home state.

When the depositary bank is in the U.S., the instruments are known as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). European banks issue European depositary receipts, and other banks issue global depositary receipts (GDRs).



新聞

NEC said it would be unable to file financial reports required by U.S. regulators, raising the likelihood the Japanese electronics maker's Nasdaq-traded American depositary receipts will be de-listed.

2007年9月19日 星期三

Commission closes EU bluefin tuna fishery for 2007 and uptake

歐盟禁捕藍鰭金槍魚
Bluefin tuna
未申報的捕撈導致漁業資源減少
歐盟委員會禁止年底以前在東大西洋和地中海捕撈生存受威脅的藍鰭金槍魚。

在歐盟完成了2007年的捕撈配額後,歐盟實行此舉旨在遏止過度捕撈以及魚資源減少的趨勢。

一名歐盟官員說,該禁令會進一步防止少報捕撈量,以及不均分配配額。

歐盟的這項捕撈禁令影響到塞浦路斯,希臘,馬耳他,葡萄牙和西班牙。意大利和法國已經停止了2007年度的捕撈。

近年來藍鰭金槍魚在大西洋東部和地中海的數量急劇減少,主要是因為過度捕撈。

環保組織自然基金會收集的數字表明,法國是主要的過度捕撈國家。

歐盟表示,成員國已經完成了2007年的16779.5噸的捕撈量。

在禁令發佈時仍沒有完成自己捕撈配額的國家可以根據歐盟法律將來尋求補償。

超過自己配額捕撈的國家會受到歐盟和國際的有關條例的處罰。


Commission closes EU bluefin tuna fishery for 2007

The Commission today decided to close the fishery for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean for 2007.

On the basis of the catch returns received from the Member States to date, the EU 2007 quota for bluefin tuna of 16,779.5 tonnes has been exhausted.

The Commission must therefore close the whole EU fishery. This closure concerns Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain as the other two Member States involved, Italy and France, closed their own fisheries in July and August respectively.

The Commission has noted failings in the reporting of catch data necessary to monitor the uptake of the EU quota in real time. It shortly intends to take measures against such failings.

The Commission will also come forward with measures in time for the 2008 fishery to prevent the problems experienced this year.

Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg commented: "Clearly there are problems both of over fishing a stock already threatened with collapse and of equity between the Member States concerned. As is its duty, the Commission will do all it can to address these issues urgently."

Seven EU Member States are involved in the fishery for bluefin tuna, namely Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. The EU quota of 16,779.5 tonnes was allocated by ICCAT (The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) at a meeting in Tokyo in January and divided between the Member States concerned using an agreed allocation key (see IP/07/257 and MEMO/07/85), Italy closed its fishery on 24 July and France closed its fishery on 27 August. It is apparent that the total EU quota has effectively been exhausted. The Commission must therefore close the whole fishery for EU vessels.

In the case of Member States which have not yet caught their quota, there are provisions in EU legislation to compensate the parties concerned in subsequent years. Mechanisms also exist in EU rules for deduction of over fished quota by the Member States concerned. As regards the overall EU quota, the ICCAT recovery plan contains a payback mechanism for parties which over fish. The ICCAT compliance committee meets in November, to establish final catch figures for all contracting parties for the 2007 season. Once ICCAT decides on the action to be taken on quota overshooting, the Commission will make its own proposal for payback and compensation within the EU. The Commission will seek to ensure that any Member State that is penalised by this early closure of the 2007 fishery will be compensated in future fishing possibilities.

It is vital to prevent over fishing to ensure that the recovery plan is implemented fully and effectively by all the EU Member States concerned. In particular, this will mean more timely and reliable reporting of actual catch figures by the Commission. Besides the timely adoption of the regulation which will definitively transpose the ICCAT Recovery Plan into EU law (see MEX/07/0403), the Commission will be looking at measures to ensure that the Member States respect the 'real time reporting' requirements contained in the plan, on the basis of the five-day catch report which must be completed by the masters of all fishing vessels.

The Commission will continue and extend the unannounced visits by its own inspectors to landing ports and farms, and will actively seek to improve the exchange of information between fisheries administrators both between Member States, and with other ICCAT contracting parties, in particular with regard to the transfer of tuna to fattening cages. A high priority will also be placed on the ICCAT scheme for joint international inspections at sea. Importing countries, in particular Japan, will be asked to refuse imports which are not shown to comply fully with ICCAT measures.

The eastern stock of bluefin tuna (Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean) has been over fished for many years, and scientists have repeatedly warned of the danger of collapse if nothing was done to dramatically reduce the level of fishing activity. In particular, high rates of undeclared over fishing have been singled out as a key cause of the decline of the stock.

As bluefin tuna is a highly migratory species, the fisheries are managed within the framework of ICCAT. The EU is an active member of ICCAT, and played a leading role in the adoption of a new 15-year recovery plan for eastern bluefin tuna last November at the ICCAT annual meeting in Dubrovnik (see IP/06/1632).

A key achievement of that plan was the establishment of a rigorous and comprehensive new control and enforcement scheme, designed to combat over fishing, which, by definition, is illegal fishing. The Commission attaches great importance to the successful implementation of the recovery plan in general, and of the control scheme in particular, and calls on the Member States involved in the fishery to cooperate among themselves and other ICCAT parties and with the Commission to prevent the over fishing which threatens the survival of one of Europe's oldest and richest fisheries.

Details of the quotas for all the Member States which are active in this fishery can be found in the table below.

MEMBER STATE

QUOTA ALLOCATED (tonnes)
Cyprus 154.68
France 5493.65
Greece 287.23
Italy 4336.31
Malta 355.59
Portugal 523.88
Spain 5568.21
Others 60
EC 16,779.55
Overall ICCAT TAC 29,500



flak jacket and kneepad, protector

He had taken off his flak jacket but was still wearing black kneepads.

注:

flak jacket
also flak vest
防彈衣

A sleeveless jacket made of heavy fabric reinforced with metal or kevlar, worn as protection against bullets and shrapnel.


發展歷史說明Wikipedia article "Flak jacket"

In modern usage, the term flak jacket sometimes refers to contemporary bulletproof vests, or to a rib-cage protector worn by a quarterback in American football.



knee·pad ('păd') pronunciation
n. 護膝

A protective covering for the knee. Also called kneecap.

protector Show phonetics
noun [C]
1 someone who protects someone or something:
Philip II considered himself the protector of the Catholic Church.
She has a reputation for being an ardent protector of individuals' liberties.

2 a device that protects someone:
All flat jockeys are required to wear a back and chest protector.


Cannondale Recalls Road Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: 2009 Six 5, Six 6, Six Carbon 5 and Six Carbon 6 Bicycles

Units: About 1,300

Importer: Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, of Bethel, Conn.

Hazard: The bicycles fail to meet the federal safety standard for bicycles. Spoke protector discs, required on bicycles to prevent the bicycle chain from interfering or suddenly stopping the wheel, are missing from these bicycles. This poses a fall hazard to the rider.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The following Cannondale bicycles are included in the recall. "Six" is printed on the bicycle’s top tube and "Cannondale" is printed on the down tube.

Bicycle Name (2009 Models)Bicycle Model Number
Six 5 Compact9RCT5C
Six 59RCT5D
Six 5 Compact9RCT5C
Six 69RCT6D
Six 6 Triple9RCT6T
Six Carbon 59RSX5D
Six Carbon 5 Compact9RSX5C
Six Carbon 6 Compact9RSX6C

Sold at: Authorized Cannondale dealers nationwide from October 2008 through February 2009 for between $1,500 and $2,100.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled bicycles immediately and contact any authorized Cannondale bicycle dealer for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Cannondale at (800) 245-3872 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit Cannondale’s Web site at www.cannondale.com

Picture of Recalled Road Bicycle

Picture of Recalled Road Bicycles indicating where the spoke protector disc is missing (left) and the spoke protector disc (right)


---




2007年9月18日 星期二

a desperate desire

問 : 我 要 怎 樣 做 才 可 以 成 功 ?
我 : Are you desperate enough ? 假 如 你 真 的 很 想 成 功 , 你 便 應 拚 命 地 、 專 注 地 追 求 目 標 , 為 了 成 功 , 你 會 不 惜 一 切 , 做 出 非 一 般 的 努 力 , 做 出 非 一 般 的 犧 牲 。 只 要 不 是 為 了 成 功 而 不 擇 手 段 , 做 出 不 正 當 的 事 情 或 貪 圖 便 捷 , 鋌 而 走 險 , 那 麼 只 要 夠 desperate , 走 向 成 功 之 路 其 實 是 很 簡 單 的 。

成 功 其 實 是 個 簡 化 的 過 程 。 你 拚 命 追 求 成 功 , 你 便 會 行 動 得 快 , 你 便 會 做 事 專 注 , 做 起 事 來 你 便 自 然 會 想 到 有 什 麼 是 應 該 做 , 又 有 什 麼 是 不 應 該 做 的 。 這 樣 你 便 會 很 直 接 地 去 面 對 和 解 決 問 題 了 。 每 解 決 一 個 問 題 , 你 便 會 朝 成 功 邁 進 了 一 步 , 那 麼 你 便 離 開 成 功 不 遠 了 。 最 少 , 這 是 我 個 人 的 經 驗 。 Am I still desperate ? You bet 。
黎智英



desperate (SERIOUS) Show phonetics
adjective
1 very serious or bad:
desperate poverty
a desperate shortage of food/supplies
The situation is desperate - we have no food, very little water and no medical supplies.

2 very great or extreme:
The earthquake survivors are in desperate need of help.
He has a desperate desire to succeed.
INFORMAL I'm in a desperate hurry.

desperately
adverb
extremely or very much:
He was desperately ill.
She always seems to be desperately busy!
I'm not desperately keen on watching football.
He was desperately in love with her.
They desperately wanted a child.

you bet INFORMAL
used to emphasize a statement or to mean 'certainly':
"Are you coming to the party?" "You bet!"



2007年9月17日 星期一

Nagatacho area is flustered by the leader's fickle decision

Nagatacho area is flustered by the leader's fickle decision

Abe will be remembered not for his achievements, but for his frequently repeated abstract notions such as "breaking away from the postwar regime" and "a beautiful country." He talked big, but none of his words really resonated with the public. Even the manner of his exit is not something people can readily relate to.

The political community in Tokyo's Nagatacho area永田町 is flustered by the leader's fickle decision. I might parrot Hiranuma and add that Nagatacho, too, is a "complicated and bizarre place."
--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 13(IHT/Asahi: September 14,2007)

resonate 
verb [I]
1 to produce, increase or fill with sound, by vibrating (= shaking) objects which are near:
His voice resonated in the empty church.
The noise of the bell resonated through the building.
Compare resound.

2 to be filled with a particular quality:
The building resonates with historic significance.

3 to continue to have a powerful effect or value:
The significance of those great stories resonates down the centuries.

4 If an experience or memory resonates, it makes you think of another similar one:
Her experiences resonate powerfully with me, living, as I do, in a similar family situation.
參考MRI詞

fluster
verb [T]
to make someone upset and confused, especially when they are trying to do something

fluster
noun [U]
The important thing when you're cooking for a lot of people is not to get in a fluster (= a nervous state).

flustered
adjective
upset and confused:
She seemed a bit flustered.
If I look flustered it's because I'm trying to do about twenty things at once.

fickle
adjective DISAPPROVING
1 likely to change your opinion or your feelings suddenly and without a good reason:
She's so fickle - she's never been interested in the same man for more than a week!
The world of popular music is notoriously fickle.

2 describes conditions that tend to change suddenly and without warning:
Fickle winds made sailing conditions difficult.

2007年9月14日 星期五

Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides.

丁丁飆英文 本月 指出捷運大話英文
Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides.
這是各電梯等公司或安全組織都會說明的標準用法

The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation

Grasp the handrail as you step promptly onto the moving step. Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides. When riding escalators: ...
www.eesf.org/ESC_TIPS.HTM - 6k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Otis Worldwide | Escalator Safety

Grasp the handrail as you step promptly onto the moving step or walkway. •, Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides. ...


sides
也應該學一下


不過這clear 其實是相當困難的
我們必須一字一用法來學習它 (我們介紹過它 請search它)
本例

clear (NOT TOUCHING) Show phonetics
adjective
not touching something, or away from something:
Only one competitor made a clear jump of the highest fence (= jumped over it without touching it).
When we're clear of the main road, we'll stop for our picnic.

clear Show phonetics
adverb
not touching, or away from:
Stand clear of the doors, please.
Make sure you park clear of the kerb.
The children were saved from the fire only because a neighbour pulled them clear.

clearance Show phonetics
noun [C or U]
the distance or space that is needed for one thing to avoid touching another thing:
It was difficult getting the piano through the doorway because we only had a clearance of a few centimetres.
High vehicles must take an alternative route because of low clearance under the bridge.

clear Show phonetics
verb [T]
to jump or go over something without touching it:
The horse cleared the fence with inches to spare.

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

mix your spirits with spirituality!

Have a drink in a Christian pub - El Pecore in Milan

Italy is historically a Catholic country but one which is becoming increasingly secular. In today's modern globalized world, the rules and rituals of traditional religious life are losing popularity, especially in the north of the country where even shopping centres are now open on Sundays.

In the heart of Brera - one of the chicest areas in Milan, full of restaurants and bars - the Sabaoth Evangelist community has decided Italians need something more enticing than Sunday morning church services to bring them closer to God. So they've opened Italy's first Christian pub - a place where you can mix your spirits with spirituality!
chic PhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhonetic Hide phonetics
adjective
stylish and fashionable:
I like your haircut - it's very chic.
a chic restaurant

chic PhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhoneticPhonetic Hide phonetics
noun [U]
British politicians are not renowned for their chic.

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)



spirit ━━ n. (人の)精神, 気持ち; 霊魂; (the S-) 霊体 ((神・天使など)); 聖霊; 幽霊, 悪魔; (人の精神面たる)生気; 元気; (pl.) 気分, きげん; (精神面から見た)人, 人物; (人々の)気風,時代精神; (立法)精神; (時にpl.アルコール, (強い)酒; アルコール溶液.

spirituality
━━ n. 霊性.

酒喻聖賢

2007年9月13日 星期四

works, whole shebang, emotional or political baggage

A Phrase A Week
The whole shebang
Meaning
All of it; the whole thing.
Origin
This is an American phrase, from the 1920s. The first question for those of us not living in the USA, and I suspect quite a few that do, is, what's a shebang? That isn't so easy to answer. The earliest known citation of the word uses it as some form of hut or rustic dwelling. That's in Walt Whitman's Specimen Days, from Complete Poetry and Collected Prose, 1862:
"Besides the hospitals, I also go occasionally on long tours through the camps, talking with the men, &c. Sometimes at night among the groups around the fires, in their shebang enclosures of bushes."
Just a few years later, the Marysville Tribune, November 1869 printed a list of 'The Idioms of Our New West' and defined 'shebang' like this:
"'Shebang' is applied to any sort of house or office."
Soon after that, Mark Twain uses 'shebang' to refer to a form of vehicle - in Roughing It, 1872:
"Take back your money, madam. We can't allow it. You're welcome to ride here as long as you please, but this shebang's chartered, and we can't let you pay a cent."
There are various 'the whole' expressions which derive from America - 'the whole ball of wax', 'the whole nine yards', 'the whole box of dice', 'the whole shooting match', 'the whole enchilada', 'the whole kit and caboodle' etc. Whilst these by and large refer to real objects, none of them represent 'wholeness' and they have just been tacked on to 'the whole' to make catchy phrases. 'Shebang' was also used that way - and that the fact that people using it didn't know what a shebang was didn't really matter. It was simply a colourful way of saying 'thing'.
The word appears to have arrived fully-formed in the 1860s. Prior to 1862, there are no examples in print. During the 1860s there are dozens of examples in US newspapers, literature etc.
the whole shebangThat 'vehicle' usage does suggest a possible link with the name for a form of early UK sightseeing bus, i.e. charabanc (pronounced sharra-bang). This derives from the French char-à-bancs - carriage with benches. Charabancs, affectionately known to passengers as 'sharras', were a commonplace in Britain from the introduction of horse-drawn examples in the early 1800s to as late as the 1970s.
Could 'shebang' be a variant of 'sharra-bang'? Well, it's certainly possible, although the evidence to support that view is entirely circumstantial.
In June 1872, the same year that Twain was using 'shebang' to mean vehicle, the Sedalia Daily Democrat printed a piece which used the name just to mean 'thing', and this is the earliest example of 'the whole shebang':
"Well, the Democracy can flax [beat up] the whole shebang, and we hope to see our party united."
See also: the whole kit and caboodle and the whole nine yards.




其他例
Maybe pumpkins are the answer. The big orange vegetables are new to
France. So is Halloween. All Saints' Day has been recognized and
celebrated for many centuries. But Halloween is a new import from America,
along with the whole shebang of decorations, customs and commercial
opportunities that accompany it. Department store workers wore costumes in
Paris last week - stimulating interest and sales, no doubt. Even out here
in the middle of nowhere, Halloween is catching on.




Judge Michael Mukasey's legal philosophy appears in line with the White House, and unlike Alberto Gonzales, he carries little political baggage. Still, U.S. President Bush's attorney general choice may be tough to decode. (Transcript)

baggage (FEELINGS)
noun [U]
the beliefs and feelings that you have which influence how you think and behave:
We all carry a lot of emotional baggage around with us.



works
The noun works has 4 meanings:
Meaning #1: buildings for carrying on industrial labor
Synonyms: plant, industrial plant
group noun [C] plural works
an industrial building, especially one where a lot of people are employed:
a steel/car works]

Meaning #2: everything available; usually preceded by `the'

--> Synonyms: whole shebang, whole kit and caboodle, kit and caboodle,whole kit and boodle, kit and boodle, whole kit, whole caboodle, whole
works, full treatment


Meaning #3: performance of moral or religious acts
Synonym: deedsMeaning #4: the internal mechanism of a device
Synonym: workings

━━ n. 仕事, 作業, 労働; 事業; 勉強; 努力; 職(業), 勤め口; 細工, 製作(品); (普通pl.) (芸術上の)作品,
著作; やり方, 腕前; しわざ; 作用, 効果; 【物】仕事(量); (普通pl.) 土木[防御]工事; (土木による)建造物;
(pl.) ((単複両扱い)) 工場; (the ~s) (機械の)作動部分, 仕掛け, 機構; 道具; 〔話〕 (the ~s)一切合切, 全部; 【神学】(pl.) 業(わざ).

all in the [a] day's work 通常の, あたりまえの.
at work 仕事をして; 運転[作動]中で.
fall [get (down)] to work 仕事に取り掛る ((on)); 作動し出す ((to do, doing)).
give … the works 〔話〕 (人を)ひどい目にあわす; (人に)洗いざらいしゃべる; …にできるだけのことをしてやる.
go to work 仕事に出かける; 仕事に取り掛る.
gum up the works 〔話〕 活動を停止させる.
have one's work cut out (for one) 〔話〕 (特に時間を限られた)難しい仕事を引き受けている.
in the works 計画[進行]中で.
in work 職に就いて.
make hard work of (仕事を)さも大変そうにみせる.
make light work of …をさっさと済ませる.
make short work of 〔話〕 …を手早く片づける.
out of work 職を失って.
set to work 仕事に取掛る.
set [put] … to work 人を仕事に取りかからせる.
shoot the works 〔米俗〕 一か八(ばち)かやってみる.

pitcher or jug of an iced tea maker

Name of Product Recalled: IT400 Iced Tea Makers

Units: About 10,000

Importer: Back to Basics Products LLC, of West Bend, Wis. and Bluffdale, Utah

Hazard: The iced tea maker’s components can fail, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: None.

Description: The recalled Iced Tea Maker (Model #IT400) is mostly white and has a 2.5 quart glass pitcher. The recall includes only those products with a date code of CA1307 or CA1307-A. The model number is embossed on the bottom of the unit, and the date code is printed on a small white sticker, which is also on the bottom of the unit.

Sold at: Bon-Ton department stores and hardware stores nationwide, the JCPenney catalog, and Internet retailers from April 2007 through July 2007 for between $40 and $50.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using and unplug the recalled iced tea makers immediately and contact Back to Basics Products to receive a free replacement product or refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, call the firm at (800) 874-4084 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday; visit the firm’s Web site at www.backtobasicsproducts.com; or e-mail the firm at IT400recall@btbproducts.com



Picture of Recalled Iced Tea Maker

2007年9月12日 星期三

prime time, toner cartridge, push and pull along toys


キヤノンが800億円を投資して新工場,トナー·カートリッジの生產を増強

佳能投資800億日元建設新厂 強化硒鼓生產

2006 Mr. Hurd, the chief executive, had wanted to talk about the transformation inside Hewlett-Packard, how it was becoming a lean Silicon Valley growth company instead of a cash cow content to thrive on the high profit margins of its ink and toner cartridges.






prime time noun [U]
in television and radio broadcasting, the time when the largest number of people are watching or listening: 黃金時段
prime time TV
The interview will be broadcast during prime time. (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

ink cartridge(墨水管)、影印機、印表機的toner cartridge(色粉盒)

toner
cartridge 
noun [C]
1 a small part with a particular purpose, used in a larger piece of equipment, which can be easily replaced with another similar part:
an ink/printer/video game cartridge

2 a small tube containing an explosive substance and a bullet for use in a gun

幼兒一玩具類push and pull along toys


注意 PUSH ALONG
push along phrasal verb OLD-FASHIONED INFORMAL
to leave:
Anyway, I'd better be pushing along now.

the father of all bombs?

新聞--什麼the father/mother of all bombs都出籠了
我們或許可以從下述英文慣用說法
俄國的英文還是"有問題的"


the mother of all sth
INFORMAL
an extreme example of something:
We got caught in the mother of all storms.


the father of sth
the man who began something or first made something important:
Freud was the father of psychiatry.




新聞:

俄羅斯國營電視台十一日公開綽號「炸彈之父」(the father of all bombs)的新型真空炸彈,俄羅斯軍方表示,這個「世界最強大的非核子炸彈」,「舉世無匹」,爆炸威力是美軍同類炸彈的四倍以上。

俄羅斯「第一頻道」播出的影片中,一架圖波列夫Tu-160戰略轟炸機在測試空地上投下一枚重達七公噸的炸彈,地面隨即出現一個巨形火球。稍後,影片也呈現爆炸現場建築物與裝甲車的殘骸。

俄國國防部武器研發單位表示,這種炸彈「攻擊力強大、成本相對便宜」,其爆破力是美國軍方綽號「炸彈之母」的「巨型空中爆炸彈」(MOAB)爆炸威力的四倍以上。一般認為,它比核子彈更能鎖定特定區域轟炸,勢必對車臣等衝突地區帶來更大威脅。

俄羅斯軍方副參謀長魯西金說,這種炸彈體積比巨型空中爆炸彈小,但是新炸彈利用奈米科技,爆炸中央溫度是巨型空中爆炸彈兩倍高,爆炸所產生的震波與高溫,殺傷力極強,「所有生物都會蒸發消失」。

一位與美國國家安全委員會關係密切的消息人士透露,美國政府對俄羅斯在「沒有顯著需要的時刻」研發這種威力強大的武器「甚感關切」。美國情報單位知道俄國正在發展新型「熱壓式武器」,但是並不知道俄國將在近期進行測試。

俄羅斯總統普亭之前恢復冷戰時代的轟炸機長程巡邏任務,已引發國際間高度關切。上星期英國空軍戰鬥機才在由北約組織巡邏的領空攔截八架俄羅斯偵察機。

英國每日郵報說,這種新炸彈將使「新冷戰」的緊張關係「戲劇性升高」。

2007年9月9日 星期日

the nanny state

《觀察家報》報道,政府打算向所有孕婦一次性發放120英鎊補貼,幫助她們在懷孕期間飲食營養均衡。

報道說,布朗首相否認這樣的措施是要把英國變成大小事都包攬的保姆政府

the nanny state UK DISAPPROVING
a government which tries to give too much advice or make too many laws about how people should live their lives, especially about eating, smoking or drinking alcohol




Pregnant women to get cash for good diet

· £120 grant to buy fruit and vegetables
· Brown rejects 'nanny state' criticism





Vision and vision statement, 20/70 vision




去年的數據顯示﹐如果東南亞國家聯盟
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 簡稱﹕東盟)的五大交易所合併﹐則會締造出全球第15大交易所﹐其規模在亞洲將僅次於東京和香港股市﹐位列第三。致力於聯合東盟經濟的2015年遠景規劃(Vision 2015)為東盟國家進一步合併資本市場、乃至各國交易所創造了一個良機。不過前路仍可謂障礙重重。



某些組織或公司在mission statement  組織、企業使命、目的書. 將某組織、企業的使命或目的、宗旨綜合而以「目的-手段-成果」等方式書寫出的大綱。又稱為Mandate(命令(書),指令(書))。這之前,還有願景說明書vision statement),其方式略似 mission statement.這兩者都可以提醒相關的人的其決策是否與既定的目的和價值觀一致,”…and we’ve had to have the courage to say they didn’t fit our vision and mission statement,” says the COO.

這「願景說明書(vision statement)」,是廣為台灣接受的翻譯。(願景)是約1990出版的學習型組織{第五項修煉 }中楊教授的創新翻譯法,它從佛教的「願」出發。

A Definition of Vision in a dictionary:一般說的視力【Silver教授 created a corrective lens that contains a fluid, so can be adjusted to fix almost any visional issue.】; 'An Image of the future we seek to create'. 遠景【商業遠景令人難過/難堪:the business vision might not be so easy to swallow。技術遠景:...president and co-CEO of Research In Motion, hosts an innovation-themed, invitation-only "Vision Series" session in the Waterloo (Ont.)-based company's 100-seat auditorium】,

參考宗教上意思:Vision與我所不知道的譯人:周士良William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet and Playwright, Dies at 73 (Jan. 30, 1939)
Yates的書A Vision (1925),大陸翻譯成{幻象} (北京:作家出版社,2006),這是不怎麼恰當的翻譯。


又譬如說,Google 公司創業的願景之一就是"全世界的電子資訊都可以統一處理"。或者在20世紀初的「無遠弗屆的電話」(AT&T)、20世紀下半葉的「anytime/anyplace/any……」。
有種領導人是有特異能力藉其生意/事業之願景來領導的,我們稱這種人為visionary leader,譬如說,. Ritz-Carlton旅館連鎖的主管取得2次美國國家品質獎,他選為年度的 Lean Six Sigma CEO of the Year for his vision and leadership in initiating Lean Six Sigma...quality. Under his charismatic leadership and vision, won an unprecedented two Malcolm...

職稱:John Cachat, Chairman and Chief Vision Officer,

Organizations sometimes summarize goals and objectives into a mission statement and / or a vision statement:
A vision statement describes in graphic terms where the goal-setters want to see themselves in the future. It may describe how they see events unfolding over 10 or 20 years if everything goes exactly as hoped.
  • A definition of Mission in a dictionary: purpose, reason for being; also, an inner calling to pursue an activity or perform a service.
Many people mistake vision statement for mission statement. The Vision describes a future identity and the Mission describes how it will be achieved. A Mission statement may define the purpose or broader goal for being in existence or in the business. It serves as an ongoing guide without time frame. The mission can remain the same for decades if crafted well. Vision is more specific in terms of objective and future state. Vision is related to some form of achievement if successful.
For example, "We help transport goods and people efficiently and cost effectively without damaging environment" is a mission statement. Ford's brief but powerful slogan "Quality is Job 1" could count as a mission statement. "We will be one amongst the top three transporters of goods and people in North America by 2010" is a vision statement. It is very concrete and unambiguous goal.

這是yahoo! answer的問答
對我有點幫助

What is 20/70 vision?




Its a measure of you visual acuity. 20/20 vision means you are seeing at 20 feet what a person with normal vision would see at 20 feet, and your vision is perfect. 20/70 means that what you are seeing at 20 feet is what a person with normal vision would see at 70 feet. The higher the second number, the worse your vision. Example a person with normal 20/20 vision can read a clock on a wall 20 feet away, but for you that same clock looks like it's 70 feet away and is unreadable.



Low Vision
Low vision is the loss of sight that is not correctible with prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. This type of vision loss does not include complete blindness, because there is still some sight and it can sometimes be improved with the use of visual aids.

Low vision includes different degrees of sight loss, from blind spots, poor night vision, and problems with glare to an almost complete loss of sight. The American Optometric Association defines low vision as two categories:

"Partially sighted": the person has visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200 with conventional prescription lenses.
"Legally blind": the person has visual acuity no better than 20/200 with conventional correction and/or a restricted field of vision less than 20 degrees wide.
The ratio measurement of vision describes visual acuity, or the sharpness of vision, at 20 feet from an object. For example, having 20/70 vision means that you must be at 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 70 feet.

Anyone can be affected by low vision because it results from a variety of conditions and injuries. Because of age-related disorders like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts, low vision is more common in adults over age 45, and even more common in adults over age 75. For example, one in six adults over age 45 has low vision; one in four adults over age 75 has low vision.

The most common types of low vision include:

Loss of central vision: There is a blind spot in the center of one’s vision.
Loss of peripheral (side) vision: Inability to see anything to either side, above or below eye level. Central vision, however remains intact.
Night blindness: The inability to see in poorly lit areas such as a theater, as well as outside at night
Blurred vision: Objects both near and far appear out of focus.
Hazy vision: The entire field of vision appears to be covered with a film or glare.
What causes low vision?
There may be one or more causes of low vision. These are usually the result of disorders or injuries affecting the eye or a disorder such as diabetes that affects the entire body. Some of the most common causes of low vision include age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, and cataracts. Low vision may also result from cancer of the eye, albinism, or a brain injury. If you have these disorders or are at risk for them, you are also at greater risk for low vision.

How is low vision diagnosed?
An eye exam by your eye care specialist can diagnose low vision. You should make an appointment with your eye doctor if your vision difficulties are preventing you from daily activities like travel, cooking, work, and school. The tests the eye doctor will perform include the use of lighting, magnifiers, and special charts to help test visual acuity, depth perception, and visual field.

Can low vision be treated?
Some sight disorders, like diabetic retinopathy, can be treated to restore or maintain vision. When this is not possible, low vision is permanent. However, many people with low vision find visual aids helpful. Popular low vision aids include:

Telescopic glasses
Lenses that filter light
Magnifying glasses
Hand magnifiers
Closed-circuit television
Reading prisms
Non-optical aids designed for people with low vision are also very helpful. Some popular non-optical devices include:

Text reading software
Check guides
High contrast clocks and watches
Talking watches and clocks
Large print publications
Clocks, phones, and watches with enlarged numbers
Visual aids improve both sight and the quality of life for many people. Talk to your doctor about where to purchase visual aids.

Can low vision be prevented?

Low vision may be preventable for patients with diabetes and reversible for those whose vision loss is caused by cataracts.

2007年9月6日 星期四

The arrest warrant issued for a fund-raiser

The arrest warrant issued for Norman Hsu, who skipped a California court hearing, is the latest twist in the Democratic fund-raiser's rise from bankruptcy to the top echelons of political finance.

(warrant (DOCUMENT) Show phonetics
noun [C]
an official document, signed by a judge or other person in authority, which gives the police permission to search someone's home, arrest a person or take some other action:
a search warrant
Judge La Riva had issued an arrest warrant/a warrant for his arrest.
echelon Show phonetics
noun [C]
1 a particular level or group of people within an organization such as an army or company:
These salary increases will affect only the highest echelons of local government.
the upper echelons of society )


《華爾街日報》等報道,成衣富商徐諾曼(Norman Hsu)兩年來疑透過加州包姓華裔家族,向希拉里捐款四萬五千美元。但媒體追查後發現,他竟然是加州通緝逃犯---1992年曾經因為詐欺罪遭起訴卻未到案,加州政府因此發出通緝令。

2007年9月4日 星期二

Metadata and data dictionary

Wikipedia的 metadata 中文版太簡略
應讀英文版Metadata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





元數據
Metadata)為描述數據的數據(data about data),主要是描述數據屬性(property)的資訊,用來支持如指示儲存位置、歷史資料、資源尋找、文件紀錄等功能。元數據算是一種電子式目錄,為了達到編製目錄的目的,必須在描述並收藏數據的內容或特色,進而達成協助數據檢索的目的。

都柏林核心集(Dublin Core Metadata Initiative,DCMI)是元數據的一種應用,是1995年3月由國際圖書館電腦中心(OCLC)和美國國家超級計算應用中心(National Center for Supercomputing Applications,NCSA)所聯合贊助的研討會,在邀請52位來自圖書館管理員電腦專家,共同制定規格,建立一套描述網路上電子文件之特徵。


聯合目錄簡介


  1. 後設資料進階搜尋聯合目錄為了統合各學術領域資源,採用Dublin Core(都柏林核心集,DC)欄位定義,將後設資料歸納成十五個主要欄位結構: 1
    • 標題(Title) 給予資源的名稱
    • 著作者(Creator) 編輯資源內容的主要負責人
    • 主題/關鍵字(Subject & Keywords) 資源內容的標題
    • 描述(Description) 資源內容的解釋
    • 出版者(Publisher) 使資源能廣泛的使用者
    • 貢獻者(Contributor) 對於資源內容形成貢獻者
    • 日期(Date) 資源週期的事件日期
    • 資料類型(Resource Type) 資源內容的性質或類型
    • 格式(Format) 關於資源的實際或是數位的形式
    • 資料識別(Resource Identifier) 可以明確的指示出該資源
    • 來源(Source) 敘述目前資源的參考來源
    • 語言(Language) 資源所使用的語言
    • 關連(Relation) 說明相關的資源
    • 範圍(Coverage) 資源內容的廣度或範圍
    • 管理權(Rights Management) 描述資源權利相關的資訊
    這十五個欄位即是做為聯合目錄跨領域整合資料的核心欄位,使用者可不受拘束的運用這些欄位作組合查詢,以達到更準確的資料檢索。






A data dictionary is a set of metadata that contains definitions and representations of data elements. Within the context of a DBMS, a data dictionary is a read-only set of tables and views. Amongst other things, a data dictionary holds the following information:
Wikipedia article "Data dictionary".

2007年9月2日 星期日

asinine, make a fool of yourself, initial public offering (IPO)

新聞0824 2007
The initial public offering VMware, the year's best so far, was a bright spot amid gloomy market conditions. But MarketWatch notes that some analysts think that the virtualization software maker's stock, which has already soared more than 150 percent, may be burning too hot, too fast.




Quote
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." — Charlie Chaplin


...based on the asinine assumptions

asinine
ˈasɪnʌɪn/
adjective
  1. extremely stupid or foolish.
    "Lydia ignored his asinine remark"
  2. an asinine comment

  1. Utterly stupid or silly: asinine behavior.
  2. Of, relating to, or resembling an ass.
[Latin asinīnus, of an ass, from asinus, ass.]
adj. - 驢的, 愚鈍的, 驢子似的, 頑固的

adj. - 愚かな, 頑固な


make a fool of yourself
to do something that makes other people think you are silly or not to be respected:
I got a bit drunk and made a fool of myself.

make a fool of sb
to trick someone or make them appear stupid in some way

initial (BEGINNING)
adjective [before noun]
of or at the beginning:
My initial surprise was soon replaced by delight.
Initial reports say that seven people have died, though this has not yet been confirmed.

initially
adverb
at the beginning:
Initially, most people approved of the new scheme.
The damage was far more serious than initially believed.
initial public offering (IPO) 公司股票上市
( 路透東京電---日本經濟新聞周日報導,電子業大廠Sony<6758>金融部門下個月將掛牌上市,計畫募資約3,000億日圓(26億美元),這將成為日本今年最大的公開發行案.
Sony曾表示,最早將在本會計年度,將旗下負責管理集團線上金融及保險事業的Sony Financial Holdings股票公開上市.媒體先前也曾報導掛牌時間將在今年秋季.
但市場有臆測指出,基於美國次優抵押市場問題引發的近期金融市場動盪,Sony可能延後這宗首次公開發行(IPO)案.日股日經指數上月跌至一年低點,儘管在近兩周反彈,投資人仍十分審慎.
日本經濟新聞指出,與該宗發行案有關的人士認為,法人及散戶將有強勁需求,因日本暫無其他計畫中的大型公開發行案.
報導指出,Sony Financial發行將由野村證券和摩根大通證券負責,Sony Financial市價將約達1兆日圓.
日本經濟新聞稱,Sony計畫在Sony Financial下月初於東京證交所主板掛牌前,出售Sony Financial約30%的持股,並利用該筆收入強化其核心電子事業.報導指出Sony Financial也將發行新股.
此宗IPO金額約達26億美元,將是自11月Aozora銀行33億美元的IPO案以來,日本最大的IPO案,預料也將是2007年最大的公開發行案.(完)
--編譯 張若琪;審校 蔡美珍 0903 2007)

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bright spark noun [C]
1
UK a person who is lively and intelligent

2 HUMOROUS a stupid person:
Some bright spark left the door open overnight.