raft (MANY) , fair to middling, on hook

Raft of Deals for Failed Banks Puts U.S. on Hook for Billions

The FDIC is absorbing banks' risk on billions in loans to try to spur companies to pick through the wreckage of fallen rivals.

European Recession Fears Grow

European recession fears grew as Denmark became the first country to slip into a technical recession and a raft of weak data indicated others could soon follow.

HP Officejet J6480 All-in-One Inkjet Multifunction Printer: A raft of features makes this multifunction printer tempting, despite its middling performance and a few design flaws. (Melissa Riofrio)



on hook
(′ön ′hu̇k) (communications) The idle state (open loop) of a subscriber or PBX user loop.

<– Back to results

raft (MANY) Show phonetics
noun [C]
a large number or range; a lot:
a raft of data
We have designed a whole raft of measures to improve the transport system.

middling Show phonetics
adjective INFORMAL
medium or average; neither very good nor very bad:
a man of about middling height
a middling performance of 'Anthony and Cleopatra'



fair to middling INFORMAL
not very good but not bad:
"What's your French like?" "Oh, fair to middling."

canned tuna , canned laughter, canned food

The food company Dongwon said on Tuesday that it would buy the canned tuna鮪 company StarKist from the Del Monte Foods Company for about $300 million in the latest push by South Korean food makers for global expansion.

Go to Article from Reuters via The New York Times»c

<– Back to results

can (CONTAINER) Show phonetics
noun [C]
1 (UK ALSO tin) a closed metal container, especially a cylindrical one, in which some types of drink and food are sold:
a can of soup/beans

2 (UK ALSO tin) the amount of food or drink that is contained in a can:
You'll need a can of tuna for this recipe.

3 a metal container, especially one with a lid, handle and shaped opening for pouring:
an oil can
a can of paint

can Show phonetics
verb [T] -nn-
1 to put food and drink into a closed metal container without air:
He works in a factory where they can fruit.

2 MAINLY US INFORMAL to stop doing something or making noise:
Hey, can it, would you? I'm trying to sleep.

canned Show phonetics
adjective
preserved and sold in a can:
canned (UK ALSO tinned) fruit/tomatoes

cannery Show phonetics
noun [C]
a factory where food is put into cans

canned laughter noun [U] DISAPPROVING
recordings of laughter that have been added to a humorous radio or television programme when something amusing has been said or done
喬治‧歐威爾：「…要不是先前發明了罐頭食品，第一次世界大戰根本就打不起來。…怪的是，人們卻往往忽視了食物的重要性。政客、詩人、主教的塑像隨處可見，卻不見有替廚師、醃肉師父或市場菜販立像的。」大哉斯言。

canned food

Food sterilized by heat in a closed, durable container such as tin and aluminum cans, flexible aluminum foil and thermoplastic containers including squeeze tubes. Technically, the processes used are highly efficient and used universally. Problems occur rarely but their identification is an important part of food hygiene. The problems arise either with the sterilization of the container or its contents, or because the container leaks after closure, permitting infection to occur. If the contained material contains toxins when it is first added to the can they will still be there when the can is opened.

friend-of-the-court

This week, Sony asked the judge who is reviewing the proposed settlement for permission to file a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the agreement. “Sony Electronics believes it has a unique perspective on the various ways in which the settlement will foster competition, spur innovation and create efficiencies that will substantially benefit consumers,” Jennifer B. Coplan, a lawyer with Cooley Godward Kronish, wrote in a letter to the court.


friend-of-the-court

n., pl. a·mi·ci curiae (ə-mē'kē).

A party that is not involved in a particular litigation but that is allowed by the court to advise it on a matter of law directly affecting the litigation.

[Latin amīcus cūriae : amīcus, friend + cūriae, genitive of cūria, court.]

Card-sharp, card shark

Card-sharp

Meaning

Someone who is skilful at playing or manipulating cards, or one who makes a living by cheating at cards.

Origin

'Card-sharp', which is sometimes spelled either 'card sharp' or 'cardsharp', might be thought by some to be a misspelling of 'card-shark'. The latter is the more commonly used of the two synonymous phrases, especially outside the UK, which is one of the few countries to prefer card-sharp. It is sometimes suggested that one term derived from the other. There's no clear evidence to support that view, although if it is the case then it must have gone from 'sharp' to 'shark' as 'card-sharp' appears to be the older term.

Propofol, spring for, cast out the long-governing LDP, tossed out a FCC rule

A Microsoft ad featured Lauren, who was shopping on a budget and decided not to spring for a $1,000 MacBook.

spring for

Pay another's expenses, treat, as in I'll spring for the dinner this time. [Slang; c. 1900]

cast out the long-governing LDP, tossed out a FCC rule

Japanese Opposition Wins Elections in Landslide

By MARTIN FACKLER 12:45 PM ET

For only the second time in postwar history, Japanese voters cast out the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party. The prime minister conceded defeat on Sunday.

TECHNOLOGY FCC Limits on Cable Companies Lifted

A federal appeals court tossed out a FCC rule limiting cable companies to serving no more than 30% of U.S. cable subscribers.

麥可驗屍報告一拖再拖，昨天(24日)結果終於出爐。報告中指出，麥可的血液裡含有大量強力麻醉藥「異丙酚」，而且劑量高到足以麻醉一隻大象，是 導致麥克致命主因，驗屍官也證實麥克是他殺。由於麥可的私人醫生莫瑞已經坦承有幫麥可注射異丙酚，美國警方目前也準備拘提莫瑞到案調查。

麥可驗屍報告終於出爐，根據文件內容指出，麥可血液裡含有大量的致命等級麻醉劑異丙酚，是導致麥可死亡的主因；另外也發現麥可混合使用鎮靜劑和多 種藥物。研究藥物成癮專家皮斯科指出，「他可能對這些藥物上癮，甚至濫用，這或許可以解釋為什麼他可以忍受使用足夠麻醉一隻大象的藥量。」

美國驗屍官證實麥克是他殺，懷疑和麥可私人醫師莫瑞脫不了關係。莫瑞曾向洛城警方坦承，麥可有嚴重的失眠問題，每天晚上都會幫他注射異丙酚。

先把時間拉回到6月25日麥可死亡當天，莫瑞在凌晨1點半拿10毫克安眠藥給麥克吃，半個小時後幫麥克注射2毫克鎮靜劑，之後從凌晨3點到早上七 點半，大約每隔兩小時，莫瑞就給麥可2毫克的鎮靜劑，10點40分時莫瑞聲稱在麥克強力要求下，再次替他注射異丙酚，麥克終於沉沉睡去，10點50分後莫 瑞離開麥可房間，兩分鐘後莫瑞再回到房間時，發現麥可已經沒有呼吸，從此一覺不醒。

由於莫瑞曾向警方坦承有幫麥克注射異丙酚，美國警方已經準備拘提莫瑞到案調查。CNN資深法律分析師杜賓說，「這真的相當複雜棘手，因為警方需要檢驗一堆麥可服用過的藥物，還有所有和麥可有接觸過的醫師，有可能就是一大長串吧。」

但是如何證明莫瑞就是過失殺人，還是要經歷一段繁複的調查過程，如今麥克死因確定，但剩下的一半，如何證明莫瑞是過失殺人恐怕還需要時間。(新聞來源：東森新聞記者高竹君)

Propofol

類別

• 麻醉誘導劑

名稱

• 學名：Propofol
• 商品名：Diprivan

辨識

• 包裝：200mg/20ml/Amp
• 外觀：

• 標籤：

藥理作用

• 類別：全身麻醉劑
• 作用：本藥品是非常有效的麻醉誘導劑，能使病患快速的失去知覺，也能很快速的恢復，注射時採用靜脈注射法。
• 備註
  1. 脂肪代謝不正常者要特別小心。
  2. 患有呼吸器官、腎臟等疾病、肝臟不健全的患者、血量過少或衰弱病人要特別小心。
  3. 心臟病患者也要小心使用，若使用過量會抑制心臟呼吸系統的作用。

劑量

• 劑量 : 55歲以下的成年人，用藥的劑量為 2.0-2.5mg/kg，持續靜脈輸入可維持麻醉作用，注射的速度因人而異。

副作用

• 會產生全身性低血壓、暫時性窒息、心跳緩慢、嘔吐、頭痛等症狀，另外也會產生局部疼痛，血栓塞及靜脈炎。

禁忌

• 孕婦使用:懷孕期間嚴禁使用本藥劑，但可以使用於終止懷孕的手術麻醉。以Propofol導入及維持麻醉的剖腹產婦女，會有少量Propofol分泌至乳汁/初乳中。

參考資料

• MGH 臨床麻醉學
• Morgon 臨床麻醉學
• On-line Electric Help
• 資料收集者：李爾珍，更新日期：2007-01-15

beneficence of Uncle Sam

Audacia Ray, who now teaches human sexuality at Rutgers University, certainly earned her degree out in the field, having at one point paired up with a woman named Lily as a massage team offering happy endings. “Money got us hot and bothered,” she writes, and one evening, after Lily cashed a disability check from the federal government for $10,000 (she had no bank account, of course), she poured the money — “mostly $20 bills” — onto the bed. They shut off their phones, bathed together, got “very, very high” and then rolled around “naked in the cash. . . . Even now, when I think of the hottest sex we had, I think about currency stuck to her flesh.” Now there’s an image to promote the beneficence of Uncle Sam.美鈔之妙用


Uncle Sam

n.

1. The government of the United States, often personified by a representation of a tall, thin man having a white beard and wearing a blue tailcoat, red-and-white-striped trousers, and a tall hat with a band of stars: “intent on giving states greater incentive to save both their dollars and Uncle Sam's” (New York Times).
2. The American nation or its people.

[From U.S., abbr. of UNITED STATES.]

bandoleer or bandolier, composing room

The New York Times

Mechanical typesetter machines in the old composing room of The New York Times.


composing room
n.
A room where typesetting is done.

bandoleer or bandolier

A Bandoleer

A belt fitted with small pockets or loops for carrying cartridges and worn across the chest by soldiers

ill (BAD) , can ill afford (to do sth), augur/bode ill

Machinery Order Outlook Bodes Ill For Japan
New York Times
By REUTERS TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers forecast a sixth straight quarterly fall in machinery orders in July-September, suggesting they remain ...



The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide newsbox with the results of a report from the Securities and Exchange Commission's inspector general, which found that two employees traded stock in companies under investigation by the agency, violating its insider trading rules. After coming under fire for a failure to detect Bernie Madoff's gigantic Ponzi scheme, the paper calls it a "potential scandal" that the SEC can ill afford.

<– Back to results

ill (BAD) Show phonetics
adverb
1 FORMAL badly:
Hospital staff, it is claimed, were ill-prepared to deal with the severity of the injuries.
We certainly weren't ill-treated.

2 FORMAL OR OLD-FASHIONED speak ill of sb to say unkind things about someone:
I realize one shouldn't speak ill of the dead.

3 FORMAL OR OLD-FASHIONED augur/bode ill to be a sign of bad things in the future:
This weather bodes ill for the garden party tonight.

4 FORMAL OR OLD-FASHIONED can ill afford (to do sth) If you can ill afford to do something, it will cause problems for you if you do it:
We can ill afford to lose another member of staff.

ill Show phonetics
adjective [before noun] FORMAL OR OLD-FASHIONED
bad:
ill health
Did you experience any ill effects from the treatment?

ill Show phonetics
noun
1 [U] FORMAL OR OLD-FASHIONED harm:
I wish her no ill.

2 [C usually plural] a problem:
There seems to be no cure for Britain's economic/social ills.

chargers go universal, Mobile Internet, Hot Spots

2009
Phone Chargers Go Universal

A group of 17 companies, including Nokia, Samsung and Motorola, agreed to standardize cellphone chargers by 2012 so they could be interchangeable.

Universal Phone Charger to Debut in EU

European Union officials reached a deal with ten of the world's leading mobile-phone makers to introduce a universal charger for smart phones.

2008年3月23日 星期日

hot spot

Pope's Easter Message Aimed at Conflict Zones

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged peaceful solutions in the world's
hot spots including Tibet, the Middle East and Africa during his
traditional Easter message.

To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:

http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evxzcyI44va89pI1&req=l%3DevxzcwI44va89pI1

hot spot (FIGHTING) noun [C]
a place where war or other fighting is likely to happen:
The border has become a major hot spot.

hot spot (POPULAR PLACE) noun [C] INFORMAL
a popular and exciting place:
The Manhattan is one of the best hot spots in town.

universal 
adjective
existing everywhere or involving everyone:
a universal truth
Food, like sex, is a subject of almost universal interest.
The new reforms have not met with universal approval within the government.

universally
adverb

universality
noun [U] FORMAL

August 4, 2009, 3:32 pm

Mobile Internet Hot Spots: Hot or Not?

By Saul Hansell

Will your next cellphone be without a microphone, keyboard or screen?
It may well, argued Daniel R. Hesse, the chief executive of Sprint Nextel, when I spoke to him after the embattled wireless carrier announced its second-quarter earnings last week. He said that an increasing number of customers were going to use mobile hot spots — tiny devices that connect any nearby gadget equipped with Wi-Fi to the Internet using a cellular data network. (In May, David Pogue reviewed one of the first of these hot spots, Novatel’s MiFi 2200, calling the concept a “jaw-dropper.”)
As devices like digital cameras and portable game machines seek to communicate with the world over the Internet, Mr. Hesse argues, this sort of hot spot is better than trying to put a cellphone connection on each gadget or accepting the one-device limit of a wireless data card for a laptop.
“If it’s your iTouch or MP3 player or your netbook or your PC or whatever it might be, even your BlackBerry phone, it can use Wi-Fi to connect to the mobile hot spot to connect to our 3G network,” Mr. Hesse said. “You won’t need a separate bill for each and every device.”
Mr. Hesse said that there were already 425 million computers and other gadgets with Wi-Fi connections.
The one bill you do have won’t be small, however. Sprint charges $99, after rebate, for the Novatel device and $59.99 a month for up to 5 gigabytes of usage. Verizon Wireless offers the same device with a range of price plans.
Mr. Hesse said the hot spot, MiFi, is selling well, but he expected the concept to take off as Sprint introduces its faster 4G network in conjunction with its Clearwire affiliate.
He imagines that people will put the hot spots “in the coffee-cup holder of the car.” He added, “As you go down the road, everybody is connected.”
This isn’t entirely fanciful. J. Wilson, who reviewed the Verizon version of the device on Amazon.com, is already taking it on the road:

It’s surprising how easy it is to connect when traveling in an RV (I’m retired, so I find myself in many geographical locations, when connecting …) and this gadget has provided me with Wi-Fi connection in the Grand Canyon’s RV Trailer Village, in the mountains above Boulder, Co, and at the border of Glacier Nat’l Park (at the portal of West Glacier, East of Whitefish).

And on my commuter bus ride to New Jersey, my laptop is picking up hot spots called MiFi, implying that people are already throwing these gadgets in their purses or briefcases so they can surf on the road.
This sort of mobile hot spot clearly has some uses. It’s great for groups of business travelers. And even some families that travel with more than one laptop might well lust after one. I’m not convinced this is a mainstream product, though. It’s expensive and adds yet another gadget in your life to recharge. I wonder whether you would rather simply carry a cellphone that can connect — by way of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth — to your camera, game machine and so on. But I do think more and more people will want some version of what David Pogue called the “personal Wi-Fi bubble.”
Still, Sprint, which is still losing customers rapidly, needs every weapon it can muster to generate excitement.
What do you think? Would you pay for a portable Internet hot spot so that any gadget you own can go online?

chalkmark, check mark

Chalkmarks on Stone

chalk mark 用粉筆做記號

A tick (known as a check mark or check in American English) is a mark (✓, ✔, ☑, etc.) used to indicate the concept "yes", for example "yes; this has been verified" or, "yes; that is the correct answer". Its opposite is the x mark, although the x mark can also be positive (most notably on election ballot papers).

As a verb, to tick (off) or to check (off) means to add such a mark. It is quite common, especially on printed forms, printed documents, and computers (see check box), for there to be squares in which to place ticks.

In some European countries^{[citation needed]} (e.g., Finland and Sweden), the tick can be used as an error mark and indicates "no" rather than "yes". In East Asia, an "O Mark" (in the appearance of a circle, unicode symbol "◯"), also known as "丸印" marujirushi, is used instead of a tick to mean "yes".

A rainbow-colored tick was also used for the Amiga logo during the Commodore era of the Amiga (1985–1994).

Unicode

Unicode provides various related symbols, including:

Symbol	Unicode Codepoint (Hex)	Name
✓	U+2713	CHECK MARK (tick)
✔	U+2714	HEAVY CHECK MARK (bold tick)
☐	U+2610	BALLOT BOX (square)
☑	U+2611	BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK (square with tick)

See also

• X mark
• Tally marks