The Smokers' Surcharge
5 hours ago ... And the only way for Wal-Mart employees to avoid the surcharges was to attest that their doctor said it would be medically inadvisable or ...
Nokia Clings to Mobile Top Spot
Nokia Corp. clung to top spot in the global cellphone market during the third quarter, but rival Samsung Electronics Co was catching up, data from two market research firms showed.
Trade Backsliding
ONE OF the many dangers of the global economic downturn is that it could cause countries to turn inward, with even the best of free-trade sentiments replaced by protectionist tendencies. Some taxpayers -- understandably, perhaps, but mistakenly -- believe that only money spent within their countr...
(The Washington Post)
PROGRESS AND BACKSLIDING
AUSTIN, TEX. -- Once a year, Odessa College gives away a new Ford
Mustang to a student selected from among those who have met certain
goals for attendance, course completion, academic achievement and
leadership. Giving away a car -- as the rural Texas community college
does -- is a lot flashier than just naming students to the dean's list.
That is precisely the point. The college's president, Greg Williams, is
trying to emphasize the importance of completion, not just taking
courses and hoping for the best; of encouraging students to have
specific strategies to complete a certificate or associate degree.
Williams described his strategy here at the annual meeting of the
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, one of the
largest annual gatherings each year of community college educators. The
"completion agenda" -- broadly the effort endorsed by the Obama
administration, major foundations and others to focus on degree and
certificate attainment -- was much in evidence here. Williams was among
those presidents talking about a range of efforts to grab students'
attention and change their thinking about finishing up. The article is
in Inside Higher Ed.
Political backsliding is no laughing matter
2009/12/19
In a Chinese tale from long ago, a woman promises to meet a man named Weisheng Gao beneath a bridge. He waits and waits, but the woman does not turn up. It is raining heavily and the river keeps swelling, but he refuses to leave and break his pledge. After the water subsides, passers-by find Weisheng dead, clinging to a bridge girder.
The story is called "The Faith of Weisheng." Some people extol him as an honorable man who literally gave his life to keep his promise, while others deride him as an inflexible fool.
I was reminded of this tale by the indecision of the coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Japan over what to do about the DPJ election manifesto. As if to prod the government into making up its mind, DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa urged Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday to "alter" the manifesto. The government is said to have heeded Ozawa's advice gratefully.
Ozawa requested the government maintain the same level of tax revenue as it currently receives from the tax on gasoline, including the "temporary" surcharge that it plans to finally end. If the government complies, that would in effect void the DPJ's key campaign pledge of lowering the overall gasoline tax rate.
Another request from Ozawa was to set an income cap on households eligible for receiving a DPJ-pledged child allowance.
Now that the government is expected to have a lot less cash at its disposal than projected, fulfilling all the DPJ's campaign promises will create fiscal problems. Still, the party cannot let down public expectations.
As in Weisheng's story, some people will applaud the government for honoring its manifesto to the letter, while others criticize an unrealistic decision. Political observers speculate that Ozawa may have volunteered to take responsibility for urging the party to break its promises.
Apparently, a character named Weisheng Gao also appears in "The Analects of Confucius." Someone asks to borrow vinegar from Weisheng, but he doesn't have any. Instead of saying so, Weisheng borrows vinegar from a neighbor to give to the first person. Confucius scorned Weisheng's "dishonesty," according to the book I consulted.
Back to the DPJ: Perhaps Hatoyama is too soft to admit that the government doesn't have any vinegar, so Ozawa has to do it for him.
Ozawa's honesty may win Confucius' approval, but some believe it is as if the two leaders are performing a traditional ninin-baori entertainment, in which two people don the same haori coat, one presenting the face and the other, the hands. That wouldn't be amusing at all.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 18(IHT/Asahi: December 19,2009)
總統就職典禮上，歐巴馬不但號召美國人民一起團結奮鬥，更把合作的訊息傳向國際。他說，即使是貪腐專制的政權，「只要你願意鬆手，我們也會伸出援 手」（we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist）
Q+A-Japan opposition victory at risk as leader clings on
Reuters - USA
TOKYO, March 26 (Reuters) - A decision by Japan's main opposition leader to stay in his job despite a political funding scandal is threatening his party's ...
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
對穆斯林世界，我們尋求一種新的前進方式，以共同的利益和相互尊重為基礎。那些想播植衝突並把自己社會的問題怪罪於西方的領袖，須知你的國民藉以判斷你的，是你能建立什麼，而非你能毀壞什麼。那些靠著貪腐欺騙和箝制異己保住權勢的人，須知你門站在歷史錯誤的一邊;而只要你們願意鬆手，我們就會幫忙。
sow (CAUSE)
verb [T] sowed, sown or sowed
to cause a bad emotion or condition to begin somewhere, which will grow or continue:
Now that you've sown doubts in my mind, I'll never again be sure I can trust him.
sow was found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary at the entries listed below.
cling (on) to sth phrasal verb
to try very hard to keep something:
He clung on to power for another ten years.
clench verb [T]
to close or hold something very tightly, often in a determined or angry way:
The old man clenched his fist and waved it angrily at us.
With a knife clenched in/between his teeth, he climbed up the tree to cut some coconuts.
"Get out of here, " she said through clenched teeth.
unclench
v., -clenched, -clench·ing, -clench·es. v.tr.
To loosen from a clenched position; relax: unclench one's fists.
v.intr.
To become unclenched.
back·slide (băk'slīd')
intr.v., -slid (-slĭd'), -slid·ing, -slides.
To revert to sin or wrongdoing, especially in religious practice.
backslider back'slid'er n.
━━ vi. 後戻りする, 再び堕落する; 背教者になる.
back・slider n.
The story is called "The Faith of Weisheng." Some people extol him as an honorable man who literally gave his life to keep his promise, while others deride him as an inflexible fool.
I was reminded of this tale by the indecision of the coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Japan over what to do about the DPJ election manifesto. As if to prod the government into making up its mind, DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa urged Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday to "alter" the manifesto. The government is said to have heeded Ozawa's advice gratefully.
Ozawa requested the government maintain the same level of tax revenue as it currently receives from the tax on gasoline, including the "temporary" surcharge that it plans to finally end. If the government complies, that would in effect void the DPJ's key campaign pledge of lowering the overall gasoline tax rate.
Another request from Ozawa was to set an income cap on households eligible for receiving a DPJ-pledged child allowance.
Now that the government is expected to have a lot less cash at its disposal than projected, fulfilling all the DPJ's campaign promises will create fiscal problems. Still, the party cannot let down public expectations.
As in Weisheng's story, some people will applaud the government for honoring its manifesto to the letter, while others criticize an unrealistic decision. Political observers speculate that Ozawa may have volunteered to take responsibility for urging the party to break its promises.
Apparently, a character named Weisheng Gao also appears in "The Analects of Confucius." Someone asks to borrow vinegar from Weisheng, but he doesn't have any. Instead of saying so, Weisheng borrows vinegar from a neighbor to give to the first person. Confucius scorned Weisheng's "dishonesty," according to the book I consulted.
Back to the DPJ: Perhaps Hatoyama is too soft to admit that the government doesn't have any vinegar, so Ozawa has to do it for him.
Ozawa's honesty may win Confucius' approval, but some believe it is as if the two leaders are performing a traditional ninin-baori entertainment, in which two people don the same haori coat, one presenting the face and the other, the hands. That wouldn't be amusing at all.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 18(IHT/Asahi: December 19,2009)
Swine Flu: First, Sow No Panic
sow雙關總統就職典禮上，歐巴馬不但號召美國人民一起團結奮鬥，更把合作的訊息傳向國際。他說，即使是貪腐專制的政權，「只要你願意鬆手，我們也會伸出援 手」（we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist）
Q+A-Japan opposition victory at risk as leader clings on
Reuters - USA
TOKYO, March 26 (Reuters) - A decision by Japan's main opposition leader to stay in his job despite a political funding scandal is threatening his party's ...
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
對穆斯林世界，我們尋求一種新的前進方式，以共同的利益和相互尊重為基礎。那些想播植衝突並把自己社會的問題怪罪於西方的領袖，須知你的國民藉以判斷你的，是你能建立什麼，而非你能毀壞什麼。那些靠著貪腐欺騙和箝制異己保住權勢的人，須知你門站在歷史錯誤的一邊;而只要你們願意鬆手，我們就會幫忙。
sow (CAUSE)
verb [T] sowed, sown or sowed
to cause a bad emotion or condition to begin somewhere, which will grow or continue:
Now that you've sown doubts in my mind, I'll never again be sure I can trust him.
sow was found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary at the entries listed below.
- sow (PLANT)
- sow (CAUSE)
- sow (ANIMAL)
- As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
- sow the seeds of sth
- sow your wild oats
to try very hard to keep something:
He clung on to power for another ten years.
clench verb [T]
to close or hold something very tightly, often in a determined or angry way:
The old man clenched his fist and waved it angrily at us.
With a knife clenched in/between his teeth, he climbed up the tree to cut some coconuts.
"Get out of here, " she said through clenched teeth.
unclench
v., -clenched, -clench·ing, -clench·es. v.tr.
To loosen from a clenched position; relax: unclench one's fists.
v.intr.
To become unclenched.
back·slide (băk'slīd')
intr.v., -slid (-slĭd'), -slid·ing, -slides.
To revert to sin or wrongdoing, especially in religious practice.
backslider back'slid'er n.
━━ vi. 後戻りする, 再び堕落する; 背教者になる.
back・slider n.
cling
(klĭng)
intr.v., clung (klŭng), cling·ing, clings.
- To hold fast or adhere to something, as by grasping, sticking, embracing, or entwining: clung to the rope to keep from falling; fabrics that cling to the body.
- To remain close; resist separation: We clung together in the storm.
- To remain emotionally attached; hold on: clinging to outdated customs.
A clingstone.
[Middle English clingen, from Old English clingan.]
clinger cling'er n.clingy cling'y adj.
analects[an・a・lects]
- 発音記号[ǽnəlèkts]
[名](複)
2 ごちそうの残り物［食べ残し］. （またàn・a・léc・ta）
1 則留言:
backslide Pronunciation (verb) Drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards.
Synonyms: lapse
Usage: I came out of prison a changed man, but I worried that if I began hanging out with my old gang, I might backslide.
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