very much on my wish-list

FT
Mr Ollila says he hopes policymakers today will also take the unselfish approach: “It would be very much on my wish-list for Europe. You don't look at how good you are yourself but you look at the world as a whole.”
奥利拉先生称，他希望当今的政策制定者也能采取无私手段：“这将是我对欧洲一系列期待中的重中之重。你不是着眼于自身的良好表现，而是着眼于整个世界的福祉。”

請君慎用“重中之重”

2006年6月23日 ... 近年來，在很多領導講話和一些文件和通知中，使用頻率較高的一個詞是“重中之重”。分析形勢、強調意義時，善于用“重中之重”；部署工作、強調落實時， ...

許貴元 作者文集

近年來，在很多領導講話和一些文件和通知中，使用頻率較高的一個詞是“重中之重”。分析形勢、強調意義時，善于用“重中之重”；部署工作、強調落實時，習慣用“重中之重”。因為“重中之重”用得太多了，所以群眾就難免“審美疲勞”，感覺“無所謂”了。

所謂“重中之重”，是指在“重要”事情中更“重要”的事情。換句話說，其中的“某項工作”，在全部工作或全局工作中佔據主導地位、可以左右局勢的變幻。用哲學的觀點來解釋，則是“主要矛盾”和矛盾的“主要方面”。

然而，當今有一些官僚主義者，動輒把普普通的日常工作硬是東拉西扯、振振有辭地說成是“重中之重” 。他們一本正經地“照搬照套”，而且不論在什麼會議和場合講話，似乎不強調和重復幾次“重中之重”，就顯示不出重視程度。關于這方面令人啼笑皆非的例子舉 不勝舉。就連下發的《關于開展夏季社區文娛活動》的文件通知中也這樣表述，“為了爭創全國文明城市，我們要把開展好夏季社區文娛活動，列入全年文明建設的 一項重要內容，作為當前的工作的‘重中之重’，千方百計取得新成效……”“重中之重”這個詞語，基本成了時髦的“字眼”。其實，用得過“多”、用得過“濫 ”，“重中之重”也就自然成了枯燥乏味、沒有實際內涵的普通“詞句”了。

殊不知，文風、會風連著黨風和社會風氣。到處濫用“重中之重”，會造成不應有的“模糊認識”和“思想混亂”，群眾對此也是十分反感。但願恢復“重中之重”的本來面貌，大興求真務實的作風，為創建和諧社會營造一個良好的輿論氛圍。

the Great War

那高尚的夢想︰“客觀性問題”與美國歷史學界

據朋友推薦 本書翻譯不差
不過我注意到翻譯者不知道The Story of the Great War 指的是第一次世界大戰

此the brand 表示Ford 而非"品牌"

Ford Motor Co. returned to profitability in the second quarter and showed signs of stabilizing as the company continued to win customers from its Detroit competitors.

The car maker reported a profit of $2.3 billion, though that came mainly from gains it recorded as part of efforts to restructure its debt during the quarter. Excluding those gains, Ford would have reported a loss of $424 million, still narrower than a comparable loss of $1.03 billion a year earlier and much better than Wall Street analysts were expecting.

The earnings suggest that the deep downturn in Detroit may have bottomed out and at least one member of the Big Three has figured out how to stabilize its business at a much lower sales volume.

The results also underscore the assessment of Chief Executive Alan Mulally as a rising star in an industry he entered only three years ago.

Ford remains on track to break even or make money in 2011 and has sufficient liquidity to fund its turnaround plan, Mr. Mulally, a former Boeing Co. executive, said Thursday.

Once seen as the industry's sickest company, Ford underwent a wrenching cost-cutting period. It closed plants, shed brands and laid off more than 40,000 employees. It also borrowed $23.5 billion from private lenders by mortgaging almost everything of value at the company.

In the last year, a leaner Ford was able to shun a government bailout and avoid bankruptcy, recasting itself as a U.S.-based car maker with enough new products and global reach to survive the auto-sales downturn.

A key indicator of Ford's relative success has been its increasing ability to manage cash burn, the issue that caused General Motors Co. to stumble close to insolvency. Ford used about $1 billion in cash during the second quarter, far less than the $3.7 billion in the first quarter. That left the Dearborn, Mich., company with $21 billion in gross cash in its automotive operations.

Ford's rate of cash use fell largely as a result of limited spending on buyer incentives and increased production at its North American plants.

To be sure, Ford remains saddled by massive debt and declining sales in one of the worst auto markets in recent history. And Ford doesn't expect to repeat the one-time gains from debt restructuring.

For the recent quarter, Ford reported earnings of 69 cents a share, compared with a loss of $8.67 billion, or $3.89 a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell to $27.2 billion from $38.6 billion a year earlier. Ford blamed the slump on the 33% year-over-year drop in the annualized sales rate for the U.S. vehicle market.

Nonetheless, Ford executives predicted a rosier second half of the year, saying for the first time that they expect to gain market share for 2009 in both the U.S. and Europe. Cash outflow also is expected to abate for the second half.

Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth cautioned that a slower-than-expected economic recovery or a disruption of the industry's parts supply could tamp down Ford's optimistic outlook.

The company's debt at the end of the second quarter totaled $26.1 billion. Ford's decision to decline U.S. aid or file for bankruptcy protection may have created consumer goodwill, but rival GM was able to eliminate about $40 billion in debt. Chrysler Group LLC similarly exited bankruptcy with lower financial obligations.

But Mr. Mulally said the bankruptcy reorganizations and debt reductions at Ford's rivals haven't put his company at a disadvantage. Ford reduced its own debt by $10.1 billion in the second quarter while raising $1.6 billion through new stock. At the same time, it reduced the cost of running its business by $1.8 billion.

'I think it's great cars and a very strong business' that are drawing more people to Ford, Mr. Mulally told analysts and journalists during a conference call.

According to Standard and Poor's, GM and Chrysler lost market share in the U.S. through the first six months of 2009, while Ford's rose slightly to 15.9% from 15.3%. GM's share for the first six months was 19.8%, compared to 21.5% in the same period in 2008. For Chrysler, the figure was 9.8%, down from 11.7%.

And for the first time in about three years, Ford's internal data are showing that consumer opinion about the brand is improving by a significant margin.
福特內部數據三年內首次顯示﹐消費者對品牌的看法開始大為改觀。

HC 評
此the brand 表示Ford 而非"品牌"


MATTHEW DOLAN / JEFF BENNETT