2014年10月30日 星期四

beaut, He’s a legend




A typology tour of some beaut barns: http://arc.ht/1fCRP69
Like repurposed industrial buildings, renovated barns have become an attractive option for homeowners seeking a rustic abode with a bit more history than you...
ARCHITIZER.COM



beaut

Line breaks: beaut
Pronunciation: /bjuːt 
  
/
informal

NOUN

1particularly fine example of something:the idea was a beaut

ADJECTIVE

Australian /NZBack to top  

進球!英國足球俚語必備指南



好球!
Back of the net! / Get in! = 精彩的進球!
You little beauty! = 絕佳的進球、傳球或結果!
Have it! = 叫喊「上啊」、「接招」
He’s a legend = 他是一名偉大的球員
On me 'ead son! = 將球踢到空中讓我可以頭槌!
Square it! = 橫向大範圍傳球
Line it! = 直線傳球
He hoofed it / leathered it / booted it = 他非常努力踢球
Man on! = 球迷大喊” Man on!”警告持球的球員有對手在他附近
It’s a game of two halves = 比賽下半場會改變結果
Supersub = 一名頂尖球員在比賽最後10分鐘站出來拯救比賽

2014年10月27日 星期一

nincompoop, poop,stop short of, dropoff, grass-roots

It was "a new form for a new novel," wrote Woolf before starting; afterwards, she felt confident "that I have found out how to begin (at 40) to say something in my own voice," and that "Either I am a great writer or a nincompoop."

'Poop & Pooches,' a Magazine Devoted to Dog-Haters, Is a Hit in Germany 


  1. Wall Street Journal ‎- 22 hours ago
    Wulf Beleites holds a copy of 'Kot&Köter,' which translates to 'Poop &Pooches,' a magazine for dog-haters. dpa/Associated Press.

Obama Sees Steep Dropoff in Cash From Major Donors

The traditional big sources of campaign funds are not delivering for President Obama’s campaign as they did four years ago, leaving the president to rely much more on grass-roots support.

 What is a dropoff
As a noun it is poop. As a verb it is obviously to drop something off.

聽到什麼"風聲" (poop)......

China stops short of pledging cash help for eurozone
stop short
1. Also, stop one short. Check abruptly, as in When we tried to cross the street, the barrier stopped us short. [Early 1300s]
2. Cause someone to stop speaking, as in I was about to tell them the date when my father stopped me short. [Late 1800s]
3. stop short of. Not go so far as to do or say something. For example, He may embroider the truth but he stops short of actually lying. This usage was first recorded in 1818.






pooch1

Line breaks: pooch



NOUN

INFORMAL

Origin

1920s: of unknown origin.


poop
n.
  1. An enclosed superstructure at the stern of a ship.
  2. A poop deck.
tr.v., pooped, poop·ing, poops.
  1. To break over the stern of (a ship).
  2. To take (a wave) over the stern.
[Middle English poupe, from Old French, from Latin puppis.]

poop2 (pūp) pronunciation
tr.v. Slang, pooped, poop·ing, poops.
To cause to become fatigued; tire: "Many people stop here, pooped by the short, steep climb" (Sierra Club Guides to the National Parks).

phrasal verb:
poop out Slang.
  1. To quit because of exhaustion: poop out of a race.
  2. To decide not to participate, especially at the last moment.
[Origin unknown.]

poop3 (pūp) pronunciation
n. Slang
Inside information: She gave me all the poop on the company party.

[Origin unknown .]

poop4 (pūp) pronunciation
n. Slang
A person regarded as very disagreeable.

[Perhaps short for NINCOMPOOP.]



nincompoop

Line breaks: nin¦com|poop
Pronunciation: /ˈnɪŋkəmpuːp
  
/



NOUN

Origin

late 17th century: perhaps from the given name Nicholasor from Nicodemus (by association with the Pharisee of this name, and his naive questioning of Christ; compare with French nicodème 'simpleton').

poop5 (pūp) pronunciation Slang.
n.
Excrement.
dog poop is a major source of water pollution on Cape Cod
German Politician Proposes DNA Poop Database

Poop patrol just got a whole lot more serious in Germany after a lawmaker
proposed a new, high-tech way of handling the hidden menace of dog poo on
city streets.

The DW-WORLD Article
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=ew0cyjI44va89pI3
intr.v., pooped, poop·ing, poops.
To defecate.
From Poop Jokes To Obscure References, Spam Attacks On Google ...
Washington Post - United States
The apparent spam attacks on Google continue. Among the top results appearing briefly in among the top ten search terms highlighted on Google Trends (before ...
[Possibly from obsolete poop, to break wind, from Middle English poupen, to blow a horn, toot, of imitative origin.]

poop3

━━ n. 〔米俗〕 情報, 内幕, 真相.SLANG
information:
Did you get the poop on all the candidates?
poop sheet 〔米〕 情報リスト, データ表.
poop (TIRED)
verb US INFORMAL
be pooped to be very tired:
I'm pooped! I must get some sleep.

  1. To quit because of exhaustion: poop out of a race.
  2. To decide not to participate, especially at the last moment.
nin·com·poop ( nĭn'kəm-pūp', nĭng'-) pronunciation
n.
A silly, foolish, or stupid person.

━━ v. 〔米話〕 疲れさせる, へとへとになる; 故障する ((out)).
pooped (out) 疲れきって.
POOP
. - 船尾楼, 船尾, 船尾楼甲板
v. - 船尾を打つ, 船尾にうける
Mark Mardell 10/11/05
11 October 2005

organ harvest/trafficking, slice,“rectal exams”, cashew,



Guo Bin, a six-year-old boy from Shanxi province, in northern China, thought the sky had gone permanently dark when he woke up, one day this summer, bloody-faced and crying near his parents’ home. “We originally thought he...
NEWYORKER.COM


China is still taking organs from people it executes, but says it will begin to rely solely on voluntary organ donation by the end of the year.
IBTIMES.COM|由 MICHELLE FLORCRUZ 上傳



2012.11 China Accelerates Plan to Phase Out Prisoner Organ Harvesting
Wall Street Journal (blog)
China plans to launch a national voluntary organ donation system early next year in a bid to fulfill growing transplant lists and phase out its long-criticized reliance on organs from executed prisoners. The country's Ministry of Health has ...

Europe Fears Rising Greek Cost
Negotiators for banks and governments are working to complete a promised debt restructuring for Greece that will slice in half what the nation owes its private bondholders.



The accusations linking Mr. Hurd to improper spending resonate because he had built up a culture of severe financial accountability at H.P. A former H.P. executive said that Mr. Hurd’s meetings were known internally as “rectal exams” because of the fierce questioning.
“If you put up a slide with lower financial forecasts, he would spot it right away,” the executive said, requesting anonymity because he still deals with H.P. “Then, he would demand that you fix the situation.”




Stories abound of Mr. Hurd’s slicing into marketing costs and making employees fight for every dollar in the budget (although Mr. Hurd often found marketing money to sponsor tennis events, uniting his love of the sport with H.P.).

Farmers in Ghana put their hopes on fair trade cashews

Africa produces about 40 percent of the global cashew crop. Some
smaller-scale farmers in Ghana are taking cashew farming a step further -
and pinning their hopes on fair trade practices to improve their lives.

The DW-WORLD.DE Article
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=ew71xbI44va89pI6

Cashews ready for harvest in Kollam,

Cashew nuts, salted
rec·tum (rĕk'təm) pronunciation

n., pl., -tums, or -ta (-tə).
The terminal portion of the large intestine, extending from the sigmoid colon to the anal canal.

[Middle English, from Latin (intestīnum) rēctum, straight (intestine), neuter of rēctus.]

rectal
adj.



slice
v.tr.
  1. To cut or divide into slices: slice a loaf of bread.
  2. To cut from a larger piece: slice off a piece of salami.
  3. To cut through or across with or as if with a knife: The harvester sliced the field.
  4. To divide into portions or shares; parcel out.
  5. To spread, work at, or clear away with a bladed tool such as a slice bar.
  6. Sports. To hit (a ball) with a slice.



harvest
[名][C][U]1 収穫, 取り入れ, 採取;(魚・アザラシなどの)捕獲. ⇒CROP[類語] an early harvest早い収穫.2 収穫期, 刈り入れ時.3 収穫量, 産出高, 収穫...

2014年10月26日 星期日

利用NPR、PBS、HBS.....訪談節目學習英文聽力




英文的學習是永無止境的。今天注意到The Economist 有錯字:

The Devil's in the deterrant (sic) : countries with citizens that believe strongly in hell have lower crime rates

我1977年在英國,學校有免費的英文學習。老師主要的工作是教你認真聽一段BBC廣播,最好每個字都聽清楚。
現在網路學習資源更豐富了,或許可以自修英文聽力,譬如說,除了BBC之外,美國的NPR 訪談節目也多有"文本大要"可參考: WWW.NPR.ORG

舉個例子,請聽聽約5分鐘的訪談和參考文本:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/09/14/347727771/in-the-quest-to-make-a-difference-a-path-appears


還有高階的聽力和理解訓練,譬如說兩周一次的HBS 訪談(有聲、有文字檔):


Max Bazerman talks about the importance of noticing in this podcast, "The Business."
From post 9/11 to the Catholic Church and Penn State Football, many notable organizations have “leadership blind spots”. Professor Max Bazerman talks about the power of noticing in a leadership position and how it can enhance an organization.
HBS.EDU

In The Quest To Make A Difference, 'A Path Appears'





PBS NewsHour


TRANSCRIPT

JUDY WOODRUFF: A battle between Amazon and a publisher and some very notable authors is kicking into higher gear this week.
Jeffrey Brown has the story.
JEFFREY BROWN: It’s a fight that started last spring over the price of e-books when Amazon demanded discounts from the publisher Hachette. That was rejected, leading to Amazon’s refusal to preorder, discount or promptly deliver many Hachette titles.
The publisher’s authors took the fight public, and now they have been joined by hundreds of other writers, including Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, and Ursula Le Guin. The writers also want the Justice Department to investigate Amazon for illegal monopoly practices.
Roxana Robinson is a novelist, biographer, and president of the Authors Guild, and one of the leaders of this effort.
For the record, Amazon has not responded to several invitations to join us.
So, Roxana Robinson, what is this fight about now?  Has it become a debate whether Amazon is just too powerful today when it comes to the market for books?
ROXANA ROBINSON, President, Authors Guild: Well, there are several ways to look at it.
Yes, Amazon is incredibly powerful. It dominates the market in books of all sorts. And it is — the reason that everybody became so vocal about it was the fact that Amazon targeted writers who were completely vulnerable in this circumstance and unable to change the situation. And so Amazon took on the writers for Hachette and made it very difficult to buy their books.
So these writers have seen plunges in their sales and plunges in their income. And it’s something that they can’t do anything about. We find that unacceptable for a huge marketer who got its start selling books to target writers and make them into victims.
JEFFREY BROWN: Amazon — of course, it is a marketplace. Amazon argues it wants to lower the prices of books. It can sell more books that way. They say publishers don’t want this and want to keep the price high for themselves.
ROXANA ROBINSON: Well, here’s the thing.
Amazon has made a public claim saying that they have studies that show that if you drop the price of e-books, all e-books would sell more. They don’t show what those studies are. They don’t show any numbers. It’s not — it doesn’t make any sense. First of all, it presumes that there is an infinite demand for books, which isn’t true. If you made all the books on Amazon free, they still all wouldn’t find homes.
So people buy the books they want to buy. Secondly, it won’t change people’s reading habits. If you want to read “Moby-Dick,” you’re not going to buy a romance novel just because it’s cheap. You are going to buy “Moby-Dick.”  So it’s not — it’s not really going to change things.
What they want to do is drop the prices of e-books so they can make more sales, so they make more money. It’s not going to help a huge number, a huge proportion of the people whose books are sold through…
JEFFREY BROWN: You know, it is true, of course, that the publishers, Hachette included, are part of much larger corporations. They’re big guys too.
So I wonder, for you as an author and authors you work with, do you look at the publishers as the good guys vs. the bad guy Amazon?  Is there any good guy here?
ROXANA ROBINSON: Well, here’s the thing. Of course, Hachette is a huge company. It’s a million-dollar, billion-dollar, international company.
It’s dwarfed by Amazon, which is much larger. But the big difference is their attitude towards books and towards writers. And what publishers do is invest in books. They pay advances to writers. They recognize the fact that it may take years to write a good book for a biographer, for a writer of history. And they — they invest in the book. Amazon doesn’t do that. Amazon doesn’t do editorial tasks.
They don’t take a position on the intellectual merit of a book. So, in terms of supporting our endeavor, our intellectual property, there’s a big difference between these two companies.
JEFFREY BROWN: On the other hand, though, Amazon has created this marketplace in which books are so much cheaper for consumers, they’re so much more readily available. Millions of people clearly like that. And authors see a changing industry, right, a changing world of commerce.
ROXANA ROBINSON: Absolutely.
And Amazon has — by lowering their prices, they have driven out of business a lot of bricks-and-mortar book stores. So, there are lots of people who have no choice but to buy on Amazon. And Amazon makes it very easy. And we all have to accept the fact that most books are sold on Amazon.
But that doesn’t mean we have to accept the fact that they are targeting writers and punishing us for something that we have no control over.
JEFFREY BROWN: Have you or other writers you know been in touch with Amazon?  Have they reached out to you at all to find some kind of resolution?
ROXANA ROBINSON: Amazon has been very closed-mouth about this. They have reached out to someone I know, and I was sent a letter asking if writers would support a response that they would make — which became public. It was a deal in which Amazon and Hachette would give money to charity, but writers still wouldn’t make any money.
But they certainly have not come to any table, as far as I know. I don’t know. Both sides are being pretty — pretty quiet about this.
JEFFREY BROWN: And just very briefly, this new effort among hundreds more authors, some very prominent authors, this has become a very public matter. Is that the — is that a strategy, I guess, on the part of authors?
ROXANA ROBINSON: Well, it’s a circumstance that we find very troubling.
And, you know, there are millions and millions of readers in the United States. So we are bringing this to the public.
JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Roxana Robinson, novelist, president of the Authors Guild, thank you so much.
ROXANA ROBINSON: Thank you.

----

Of the global smartphone market, Schmidt explained Google's strategy as one of mass penetration. Android currently holds around 84.7 per cent of the market, compared to Apple's 11.7 per cent. Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry OS and other operators make up around 3.6 per cent.
"The fact of the matter is you can make a small market share with a lot of profits, or you can make the same amount of money with a much larger market share, and lesser profits. We go for volume in our strategies," he said.
The rivalry between Apple and Google was more brutal than ever before, he added. "It's more brutal in the sense the margins are very tough for the operators, the handset manufacturers; and the benefits to the consumer of having these products dropping... It's always good to have more competitors, but trust me, between Apple and Google you're seeing enormous, enormous racing."
Schmidt and former senior vice president Jonathan Rosenberg gave the interview to promote their book How Google Works, covering corporate culture, strategy and innovation at the search engine.

Telegraph.co.uk
Why competition between Apple and Google is more brutal than ever
Competition between Google and Apple is more brutal than ever, and is the "defining fight of the computer industry", according to Eric Schmidt.

unitary, toast, toaster, unplug, put a sock in it,

Salisbury is located in Wiltshire
Salisbury
Salisbury
 Salisbury shown within Wiltshire
Population40,302 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSU145305
   – London 85 miles (137 km) 
Civil parishCity of Salisbury
Unitary authorityWiltshire
Ceremonial countyWiltshire
You believe in the unitary executive. You believe that if the president says something is in the national security interest of the U.S., then it is. So I am the president now, and I’m telling you that you need to put a sock in it.


put a sock in it 闭嘴

unitary

adj.
  1. Of or relating to a unit.
  2. Having the nature of a unit; whole.
  3. Based on or characterized by one or more units.
unitarily u'ni·tar'i·ly adv.


unitary

Line breaks: uni|tary
Pronunciation: /ˈjuːnɪt(ə)ri 
  
/

ADJECTIVE

1Forming a single or uniform entity:sort of unitary wholeness
1.1Relating to a system of government or organization in which the powers of theconstituent parts are vested in a central body:a unitary rather than a federal state
2Relating to a unit or units.

Derivatives

unitarily

ADVERB

unitarity

Pronunciation: /-ˈtarɪti/
NOUN
[形]
1 1(個)の;単位の;分割できない,単一の
a unitary matrix
数学ユニタリ行列.
2 統一の,統一された[をめざす]
the unitary policy
統一された政策.
3 一元(論)の,帰一の.
4 政治中央集権制の,単一政府制の.
u・ni・tar・i・ly
[副]単一的に. 
Pioneer Unplugs Its TV Business
Wall Street Journal - USA
Japanese exporters are also grappling with a strong yen that eats into overseas sales. The news from Pioneer comes before Japan is set to announce ...

unplug 不再經營某事業


Wal-Mart Recalls General Electric Toasters Due to Fire and Shock Hazards

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: General Electric Toasters
Units: About 210,000
Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.
Hazard: An electrical short circuit can occur between the heating element and the bread cage, posing a fire and electrical shock hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Wal-Mart has received 140 reports of fires or sparks coming from the toasters or the toasters tripping the circuit breaker in consumers’ homes. No injuries have been reported.
Description: The recalled toasters have a chrome steel body, a black plastic base and controls with either two or four openings in the top. The GE logo is located on the front of the toasters just above the controls. Model numbers 169115 and 169116 are included in this recall. The model number is printed on the bottom of the toasters.
4-Slice2-Slice
169115169116
Sold at: Wal-Mart Stores nationwide from September 2007 through July 2008 for between $17 and $28.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled toasters and return them to any Wal-Mart for a full refund or replacement toaster.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.walmartstores.com


Picture of Recalled Toaster

Picture of Recalled Toaster

---


Black & Decker® Brand Toasters Recalled By Applica Consumer Products Inc. Due to Fire 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 and unplug the unit immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Black & Decker® brand Infrawave™ Toasters
Units: About 70,000
Distributor: Applica Consumer Products Inc., of Miramar, Fla.
Hazard: An electrical component in the toaster can overheat and ignite the circuit board, posing a fire hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: Applica has received two reports of the toasters igniting, including one report of fire that damaged a kitchen countertop and cabinets. There have been no reported injuries.

Description and Model: The recalled two-slice toaster is black with stainless steel trim and has a digital display below the toaster lever. The Black & Decker® brand name is on the top of the toaster. Model number ST2000 is printed on the rating plate on the bottom of the toaster.
Manufactured in: China
Sold at: Home improvement and discount department retailers nationwide from March 2007 through November 2007 for about $50.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled toaster, unplug it immediately, and contact Applica to receive a refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Applica at (800) 556-9439 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or log on to the firm's Web site at http://www.acprecall.com
Picture of Recalled Toaster



---
unplug
[Show phonetics]
verb [T]
to remove a plug for an electrical device from a socket

I unplugged the TV.




toast (BREAD) Show phonetics
noun [U]
sliced bread made warm, crisp and brown by being put near a high heat:
a slice of toast
I have toast and marmalade for breakfast.
I'm having beans on toast for supper.

toast Show phonetics
verb [T]
1 to make bread or other food warm, crisp and brown by putting it near a high heat:
Do you want this bread toasted?
Can I have a toasted sandwich, please?

2 INFORMAL to warm yourself or part of your body:
He's just toasting his feet by the fire.

toaster Show phonetics
noun [C]
an electric device for making toast


toasty Show phonetics
adjective MAINLY US
a white wine with a toasty (= like toast), oaky flavour

toasty, toastie Show phonetics
noun [C] UK
a sandwich that has been toasted:
a cheese/ham/tuna toasty






-->
━━ n. トースト ((焼いたパン)); (the ~) 乾杯を受ける人[対象]; 乾杯(の言葉), 祝杯.
━━ v. (パンを)トーストする, (パンが)焼ける; あぶる; (…のために)乾杯する; 火で暖める[まる]; レゲエに合わせて話したり歌ったりする.
toast・er ━━ n. パンをトーストする人; トースター.
toaster oven オーブントースター.
toast・ie ━━ n. 焼いたサンドイッチ.
toast・ing ━━ n. 〔米俗〕 ディスクジョッキーがレゲエに合わせて話したり歌ったりすること.
toasting fork (パン焼き用の)長柄のフォーク.
toast・master (fem. ・mistress) 乾杯の音頭をとる人; (宴会の)司会者.
toast rack (卓上用の)トースト立て.
toast・y ━━ a. トーストのような; 暖かくて快適な.

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