有道翻译

America is the land of the free, home of the brave... the white picket fences, the 2.5 kids in every "modern family." Or so we've been led to believe.

美国，自由的沃土，勇者的家园...屋外环绕着白色尖桩篱笆，屋内奔跑着平均2-3个小孩——典型的“美国现代家庭”图景。而这些都只是我们印象中的美国。

Myth 1: America Is A Democracy

谣言1：美国是个民主国家

In the current age, America and democracy are synonymous. Little do most Americans know they don't actually live in a democracy. America was actually founded as a Constitutional Republic, as stated in the Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance. In an Economist ranking of the world's democratic countries in 2006, America didn't even crack the top 10.

当前，“美国”和“民主”似乎已成了同义词。然而绝大部分美国人不知道的是，他们生活的这个国家，并不是个民主国家。美国最初是作为一个宪法共和国而建立的，这一点在《宪法》和《效忠宣誓》中都有体现。在06年《经济学人》进行的一项全球民主国家排名中，美国甚至没有挤进前十。

Myth 2: The Founding Fathers Were Christian

谣言2：美国是由一群基督徒建立的

This is both true and false. A large number of the Founding Fathers were associated with various sects of the Christian church, like Protestantism and Lutheranism. However, many still openly opposed organized religion. Thomas Jefferson practiced Deism, which contends that reason and observation of the natural world are enough to determine the universe has a creator without the need for organized religion.

这句话半对半错。美国的开国者之中有一大批从属于基督教会的不同分支，如新教、路德教。然而，也有很多人公然反对有组织的宗教。Thomas Jefferson就信奉自然神教，该教的主张是：自然世界的推理和观察足以说明世界存在着创始者，并不需要通过组织教会来证明这一点。

Myth 3: Thanksgiving

谣言3：关于感恩节

While it's true that the occasion we now know as Thanksgiving first occurred between Pilgrims and nearby Indians, it originally was three days long and served to salute the annual harvest. (Imagine our modern version of stuffing and turkeys for three days.) For the Pilgrims, Thanksgiving was intended to be a religious holiday of fasting and prayer, but only turned to a feast after the rains came during one such period in 1623.

感恩节最初来源于清教徒和印第安人，这点是没错。不过，最初的感恩节足足有3天，是为了用来庆祝本年丰收的（想象一下用现代社会的庆祝方式胡吃海喝三天的情景……）。对于清教徒来说，感恩节是个虔诚的节日，在这段时间里人们禁食和祈祷。不过，1623年的那次感恩节下了场雨，于是节日内容转变成大快朵颐了。

Myth 4: The Native Americans were Savages

谣言4：原始印第安人都是野蛮人

Hollywood has certainly popularized the image of brutes dressed in feathers and buffalo leather, aiming to harm a good-ole tobacco spitting cowboy, but the truth of the matter is a bit more complex.

外表粗野，身着羽毛和水牛皮饰，整天和满嘴烟草的牛仔盘旋打斗……这是好莱坞塑造的经典“印第安人”形象。然而真实情况并非如此。

In the book "A People's History of the United States," author Howard Zinn quotes Christopher Columbus's first impressions of the Indians, saying "They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane.... They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."

在《美国人民的历史》一书中，作者Howard Zinn引用了哥伦布登上美洲大陆后对印第安人的第一印象，他是这么说的：“他们没有武器，也不知何为武器——我把剑拿给他们看，他们居然用手去抓剑刃，把自己给弄伤了。他们没有铁器。他们的矛是用藤条做的...他们可以做不错的仆人...我们五十个人就能彻底征服他们，想让他们做什么就做什么。”

Myth 5: It's A Free Country

谣言5：这是个自由的国度

There is a general belief that we can walk anywhere, rest anywhere or do whatever we need to do to survive. Tell that to the homeless. Although courts struck down laws against vagrancy years ago, sleeping on the streets or in public parks is still illegal, as is hitchhiking, panhandling and other "freebies" broke people need to survive.

人们普遍认为在美国，想去哪儿都可以，想睡哪儿也没人干涉，为了生存什么都能干。流浪汉们可不这么想。即使多年前法庭就已经废除了“流浪罪”，但在街道或公园里睡觉仍然是违法的，同样，搭便车、行乞等流浪汉们用来赖以生存的“免费的东西”，也都是违法的。

And there are countless laws and ordinances designed to give police officers probable cause to violate our freedoms. In June 2011, a woman in Rochester, New York was arrested simply for filming a traffic stop from her front lawn, proving that we aren't free -- even if we stay in our yards.

此外，还有数不清的法规和条例使警察们拥有充足的理由来干预人们的自由。2011年的6月在纽约州的罗切斯特市，一位女士仅仅因为站在自家草坪上拍摄一个停车标记而被捕——这件事证明了我们是不自由的——即使站在自己地盘里，也同样不自由。

Myth 6: The Federal Reserve Is U.S. Owned & Operated

谣言6：美联储是由美国掌控的

The Fed conducts the nation's monetary policy, but faces no regulation from the government aside from the appointment of its President and Board of Governors. Otherwise, the central bank can do what it pleases.

美联储管理着全美的货币政策，却完全不受政府约束，只受美联储主席和理事会成员指挥。要不是有这层限制，央行简直可以为所欲为了。

Recent proof comes direct from former Chairman Alan Greenspan, who stated point blank that the U.S. Government cannot do anything to influence the Fed's policy. And, more recently, according to Bloomberg News, the bank refused "to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from [the bailout] and the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral."

最近的证据来自前主席阿兰格林斯潘，他直白地点出：美国政府对美联储货币政策的影响力几乎为零。不久前，据彭博新闻社的消息，央行“拒绝公开2万亿美元紧急贷款的接受人名单，这些贷款均来自于保释金及央行持有的担保资产。”

Myth 7: The Bushes Are Texan

谣言7：布什家族是得克萨斯人

Despite deep ties to the Texas oil business, including failed ventures from G.W., the roots of the Bush family are about as Texan as, say, Connecticut. The Bush's are a northeast elite banking family, whose lineage extends back to the British crown. W's grandfather Prescott Bush was a member of Yale's elite Skull and Bones secret society, as were Bush, Sr. and W. himself. Prescott

went on to unfathomable Wall Street riches and infamy, after he was tried and charged with money laundering for the Nazis during WWII.

尽管布什家族在德州有庞大深厚的石油产业，其中也包括小布什那些失败的投资，但这个家族真正的产业根基其实是在康涅狄格州。布什家族是东北部的银行世家，可往前追溯到英国皇室。小布什的爷爷普利史考特·布什曾是耶鲁大学“骷髅会”秘密精英社团的成员之一，他的儿子、孙子也不例外。普利史考特也曾是深不可测又臭名昭著的华尔街一员，二战时被指控曾为纳粹洗钱。Viewpoint: Will Kim's death aid US ties?

发布时间：2011-12-20

文章出自：https://www.360docs.net/doc/356481542.html,

原文链接：点击查看

How world leaders react to Mr Kim's death will determine ties with the new regime

Kim Jong-il's death should not have come as a complete surprise to anyone, given his tenuous health.

But it is safe to say that the North Koreans would have very much preferred that he lived one more year, so that in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, his father, Kim Jong-il would have been on hand to pay homage to "the Great Leader".

Now that lot will fall to Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il's youngest son who has been put forward as the natural and fully prepared successor to his father.

I'm sure there is great scurrying around, particularly in Seoul and Washington, so that our responses are well co-ordinated.

That is as it should be, but my hope is that the succession process in Pyongyang will be allowed to play out.

I hope that the US will accept Kim Jong-un's succession in as gracious a manner as possible.

The first responses from Washington, Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing will be weighed very carefully by Pyongyang, and will have considerable impact on future relations with the countries concerned. When Kim Il-sung died in 1994, the rather rude remarks made by the South Korean president at that time, Kim Young-sam, soured relations for the remainder of his presidency.

In contrast, Bill Clinton's more courteous remarks paved the way for the signing of the Agreed Framework, covering North Korea's nuclear developments, late in 1994.

I think it is very positive that just a few days ago US and North Korean officials met in Beijing to discuss modalities for a resumption of American economic aid to the North.

This was a step forward, and we should attempt to build upon it.

Kim Jong-un was educated in part in Switzerland, speaks some English, and knows far more about the West than either his father or his grandfather. This is also potentially positive.

Finally, it should be recognised that the politics of South Korea are quite tumultuous, and that their presidential election comes shortly after ours.

It is quite possible that South Korea's next president may take a softer line toward the North than that of the current president, Lee Myung-bak.

视点：金正日的逝世对缓和朝美关系有帮助吗？

发布时间：2011-12-20

文章出自：译言

原文链接：点击查看

作为世界上最封闭最有个性的国家，朝鲜的举动总是让人关注。随着朝鲜最高领袖金正日的死亡，朝鲜迈入后金正日时代。朝鲜新统帅，28岁的金正恩将会采取怎样的外交策略来处理与他国的关系，特别是朝美关系，这不禁引起人们的种种猜测和质疑。请看下面的报道。

Donald P Gregg 1989-93年担任美国驻韩国大使

基于金正日糟糕的身体状况，他的死亡对朝鲜人来说本不应感到突然和惊讶。

但是，用一种较为可靠的方式来讲，朝鲜人民非常希望他能再多活一年。这样的话，他就可以在其父亲金日成100周年诞辰的2012年，亲自向“伟大的领袖”表达敬意了。

现在，这件事落到了金正恩的身上。他是金正日最小的儿子，很自然的且在充分准备的条件下被推举为其父的接班人。

我确信，世界各国都正在急于应对这一突发事件，特别是首尔和华盛顿当局。因此，我们对此事的立场还需要进一步协调。

我希望美国能够尽量以善意的姿态接受金正恩继任这一事实。

平壤当局将非常谨慎的衡量来自华盛顿、首尔、东京和北京的首次回应，这将会在很大程度上影响到朝鲜和相关国家的未来关系。

金日成1994年逝世的时候，当时的韩国总统金泳三对其恶语相向，这使其在剩余任期内与朝鲜一直关系紧张。

与此形成对比的是，比尔?克林顿善意的表态为1994年底框架协议的签订铺平了道路，协议涉及朝鲜核发展这一核心内容。

几天前的朝美官员北京会谈具有积极意义。这一会议旨在讨论美国恢复对朝鲜经济援助的相关程序问题。

这是前进的一步，我们应该努力促成这件事。

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Orange.

Love it or hate it, fiery orange is one of the hottest colors for the coming year. So shield your eyes and get ready for flaming orange dishware, furniture, overcoats, dresses, shoes, handbags and even eyeliner.

Sephora is about to bring out a limited-edition spring cosmetics line with orange eye makeup -- including orange false eyelashes made from feathers. The renaissance of orange extends to many facets of design: The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, recently installed a luxury ski lift called the Bubble Express -- with heated chairs in eye-popping orange.

Linda Warren, chief marketing officer for Talisker Mountain Inc., which owns Canyons, says the color was chosen in part because it has 'happy connotations.'

Pantone, the color-expert unit of X-Rite Inc., has seen such an uptick in requests for orange color swatches that it is set to declare the hue as Pantone's Color of the Year 2012 on Thursday. (Last

year's Color of the Year was a shade of pink called Honeysuckle.)

The specific color Pantone has chosen is called 'tangerine tango' -- a brilliant shade of reddish orange that evokes a fireball as much as fruit.

It was added to Pantone's index of 2,100 colors after the company asked retailers and designers what colors they were seeking out. A plethora of orange requests came back. That led to the Sephora line, which is a partnership dubbed 'Sephora + Pantone Universe.'

Orange offers ancillary advantages to manufacturers and retailers. It makes products stand out on cluttered store shelves. 'If you've got a bunch of products on a shelf, it can't hurt to have an orange one,' says Leatrice Eiseman, a color expert who works with Pantone.

Paint and chemical manufacturer Akzo Nobel NV chose a juicy red called 'terra cotta rose' as its 'Color of the Year' at a gathering in September. The company says it's a 'powerful mood modifier, reflecting passion, power and festivity.' Akzo Nobel's color experts say the shade reflects that the world is 'progressing into something more confident and robust' as we head into 2012.

Cheery. Festive. These colorists are focusing on orange -- and similarly bright colors such as pink and chartreuse -- for qualities seen as antidotes to economic woes and a general climate of worry.

This renaissance for orange has been a long time coming. The color was popular in the 1920s, and again in the 1960s, with a lesser renaissance in the '80s.

Those eras belie the argument made by Pantone and others that orange is a color for cheering up people during down economies. In fact, those were heady economic periods later followed by devastating crashes.

But just a few years ago, orange was 'at the bottom of the totem pole,' says Ms. Eiseman. It began to ascend in popularity just in the past year or two, after appearing on the spring runways of

influential designers like Marc Jacobs and Jil Sander's Raf Simons in September 2010.

Orange is also a popular color in Asia -- a major target market for global manufacturers. Many Buddhist monks wear orange robes, notes Danish consumer marketing analyst Martin Lindstrom, adding, 'I think we're going to see a big increase in colors that are popular in Asia.'

Orange does carry certain risks. Not only is it loud, but it could become the avocado of 2012 -- popular for a moment, but considered hideous for years after. Remember all the avocado-green appliances of the 1970s? They're so redolent of that era that they spent years serving as comic relief in period TV shows.

Susan Stone, owner of the Savannah boutique in Santa Monica, Calif., says she bought orange accents gingerly for fall and next spring. She has sold a Celine shopper bag in bright orange, for roughly $2,000. And she just received an order of orange Stella McCartney knitted sweaters. But a jacket would be 'too much of a statement,' she says.

'Our thing is to provide quality fashions that will last a long time,' she notes. 'Orange might not be around' for long.

Interest in orange waxes and wanes more dramatically than for more soothing blues and greens. The color sneaked into Fall 2011 fashion collections, and the trickle turned to a downpour for Spring 2012. Tommy Hilfiger, Jill Stuart, and Nanette Lepore used orange in their collections -- often creating entire orange outfits.

Ms. Lepore was so set on getting a brilliant orange that she changed fabrics to a high-grade polyester because the

textile would absorb more orange dye.

'There were a lot of cottons that got thrown out because they couldn't get the saturation of the dye,' she says.

Leslee Shupe, owner of the Serenella boutique in Boston, says she went whole hog for orange for fall and spring with a store full of looks from Thakoon, Rochas, Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier and Sophie Theallet. 'Orange can be very flattering,' she says. 'It's a warm color.'

Ms. Shupe also bought bright Hawaiian prints from Joseph Altuzarra and No. 21. 'I think it's good for business,' she says.

2012年时尚界将刮起橙色风橙

色。

喜欢也好，讨厌也好，奔放的橙色都将是明年最热的色彩之一。所以，做好护眼措施，准备迎接炫目的橙色吧，你会看到橙色的餐具、家具、大衣、连衣裙、鞋子、手袋，甚至橙色眼线。

丝芙兰(Sephora)即将推出含橙色眼妆的限量版春季化妆品系列──其中包括用羽毛制成的橙色假睫毛。许多设计领域都出现了橙色风潮的回归：犹他州帕克城(Park City)的峡谷度假村(Canyons Resort)最近安装了一部叫Bubble Express的豪华滑雪缆车，配有加热座椅，颜色是亮眼的橙色。

峡谷度假村所属的Talisker Mountain Inc.公司的首席营销长琳达?沃伦(Linda Warren)说，橙色给人以“快乐的联想”，这是选择橙色的部分原因。

鉴于客户对橙色系色卡的需求大幅上升，爱色丽(X-Rite Inc.)旗下专业色彩子公司彩通(Pantone)宣布，将把橙色作为彩通2012年度代表色（去年的年度代表色是忍冬色，属于粉色系）。

彩通选择的这种色彩叫“蜜橘探戈”(tangerine tango)──是一种明亮的红调橙色，让人联想到火球和水果。

在征询了零售商和设计师对色彩的需求后，彩通将“蜜橘探戈”加入该公司包含2,100种色彩的颜色索引。橙色热潮的回归促使丝芙兰与彩通联手推出了名为“丝芙兰+彩通世界”(Sephora + Pantone Universe)的橙色系列化妆品。

橙色能助生产商和零售商一臂之力，使摆放在拥挤货架上的产品更加醒目。为彩通担任顾问的色彩专家莱丽斯?艾斯曼(Leatrice Eiseman)说，“如果货架上有一堆商品，摆放一个橙色的商品肯定没错。”

涂料和化学品生产商阿克苏诺贝尔(Akzo Nobel NV)在9月份举行的会议上将一种叫“红陶玫瑰”(terra cotta rose)的红润色彩定为“年度代表色”。该公司称，这种颜色是“强有力的情绪调节剂，体现出激情、力量和欢乐。”阿克苏诺贝尔的色彩专家说，这种颜色反映出，进入2012年后世界将“变得更自信、更强大。”

活泼。快乐。这些色彩专家们把目光投向橙色以及粉色、黄绿色等明亮的色彩，因为这些色彩所具有的特质能驱散经济阴霾以及普遍的担忧气氛。

以往曾出现过几次橙色的回归。二十世纪二十年代和六十年代都流行过橙色，二十世纪八十年代又再度掀起橙色流行风，不过规模较小。

彩通及其他方面人士认为，橙色是经济低落时让人振奋的颜色，但上述橙色流行期的特征并不符合这种说法。事实上，这些都是经济迅猛增长，随后又急转直下的时期。

艾斯曼说，就在几年前，橙色还“处于图腾柱的底部。”橙色是从一两年前开始流行起来的，马克?雅各布(Marc Jacobs)和吉尔?桑达(Jil Sander)的拉夫?西蒙(Raf Simons)等知名设计师在2010年9月份举行的春季时装秀中使用了橙色，此后橙色人气开始升温。

在全球生产商的主要目标市场亚洲，橙色也是一种流行色。丹麦消费品营销分析师马丁?林德斯特伦(Martin Lindstrom)说，许多和尚穿橙色袍子。他还说，“我认为亚洲的流行色将大幅增加。”

橙色确实有一定风险。橙色不仅张扬，而且有可能成为2012版鳄梨色──风行一时，但在此后多年里却被认为很雷人。还记得二十世纪七十年代美国那些鳄梨绿的家用电器吗？它们带着浓郁的时代特征，在很多年里一直出现在历史题材电视剧的搞笑场景中。

Nanette Lepore 南妮特?莱波雷(Nanette Lepore)2012年春季系列服饰

加州圣莫尼卡(Santa Monica)的Savannah精品时装店店主苏珊?斯通(Susan Stone)说，她对今年秋季和明年春季的橙色流行趋势抱谨慎接纳的态度。她已经卖出了一个价格2,000美元左右的亮橙色赛琳(Celine)购物手袋。此外她刚接到一件斯特拉?麦卡特尼(Stella McCartney)橙色针织毛衣订单。但她说，穿一件橙色上衣“太张扬了”。

她说，“我们要提供经得起时间考验的时尚精品。橙色也许不会流行很长时间。”

与蓝色和绿色等比较柔和的颜色相比，橙色的流行更多地呈现大起大落之势。2011年秋季时尚系列中悄然出现了橙色的身影，而在2012年春季系列中，橙色开始大行其道。汤米?希尔费格(Tommy Hilfiger)、吉尔?斯图尔特(Jill Stuart)和南妮特?莱波雷(Nanette Lepore)都在服饰中使用了橙色──通常都是一整套橙色服装。

莱波雷一心要得到很正的橙色，因此她把布料换成了一种高档聚酯纤维，因为这种布料能吸收更多橙色染料。

她说，“我们扔掉了很多棉布，因为它们无法表现出染料的饱和度。”

波士顿Serenella精品时装店的店主莱斯利?舒普(Leslee Shupe)说，她投入重金为秋季和明年春季准备了大量橙色服装，她的店里满是塔库恩(Thakoon)、罗莎(Rochas)、宝缇嘉(Bottega Veneta)、托马斯?迈尔(Tomas Maier)和索菲?西娅莱(Sophie Theallet)等品牌的服装。她说，“橙色会非常讨人喜欢，是个温暖的颜色。”

舒普还购买了约瑟夫?奥图萨拉(Joseph Altuzarra)和No. 21等品牌的亮色夏威夷风印花布服饰。她说，“我认为这些会很好卖。”

Mr Obama, a word of advice for a second term

By Jared Bernstein

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Dear Mr Obama,

As you take office in January 2013, you must acknowledge that for the past year, gridlock and misguided priorities have stopped policymakers addressing our economic concerns. Americans’ faith in their institutions has never been lower – both government and companies have repeatedly let them down. Here are some insights to consider as you start your new term.

Economists warn that the Great Recession, and the incomplete policy response to it, will

result in a lost decade of weak growth and stagnant living standards for the US. But working households in America’s middle class have already lost a decade. Their r eal income fell 10 per cent between 2000 and 2010, from $61,600 to $55,300. That wasn’t just due to the recession. The decade’s expansion was a bust for them as regards jobs and incomes.

So getting America back to work must be your goal. It will require a temporary fiscal stimulus, since the private sector is still not delivering demand, and longer-term measures to avoid the fate of the expansion in the 2000s, when employment grew just 4 per cent. This pitiful performance was at the heart of the weak income growth experienced by most Americans.

In the short term, you should promote job creation measures that are as direct as possible. Tax cuts, while tempting, cannot be relied upon, as some people save the proceeds or spend them on imports. The states are still strapped and shedding too many jobs, so state fiscal relief is vital. Most Americans are sick of and scared by the dysfunctionality caused by Tea Party partisanship. They may be more ready than we realise for a pragmatic approach. Other short-term measures, such as a nationwide initiative to repair and modernise government schools, will also appeal to commonsense Americans.

Have a manufacturing policy, but don’t create false expectations. The long-term decline in manufacturing employment has been driven both by large trade deficits in manufactured goods –in part a function of Chinese currency management – and by productivity gains. Pressing China on the former is both good politics and policy; legislation that allows us to retaliate when countries prevent market-setting exchange rates will help us sell more goods abroad and so reduce our trade deficit.

But the “problem” of productivity is real. It’s smart for America to promote clean energy manufacturing, for example, as you did with advanced battery production in your first term. But don’t count on green jobs filling the employment gap.

Once the economy is back on track, we will create more service jobs. But job quality in this sector is bifurcated. We’ll need more security guards and cashiers along with computer whizzes and market analysts. The high-end folks will be fine. But you must find ways to ensure that low-end service jobs are decent. That means more training – a home health aide with training in gerontology adds more value than one with only a high school diploma.

But these jobs won’t be good enough without robust tax credits attached to earnings and guaranteed family healthcare. Again, putting that combination together is great economics and great politics. Rather than romanticising about factories of the future – when many will be run by robotics – be straight with people about the jobs they know will make up their lives, and then fight to make them good jobs.

We do not need major tax reform, however –and you’re unlikely to get it. Flat taxes, territorial taxation, even a much lower corporate rate, all have attractions but potentially will prove frustrating. Instead, clean up the current system. Your goal, along with the expiry of the high- end Bush tax cuts, should be to simplify the definition of income.

Instead, you should consider ending privileged treatment of different types of income, as was suggested by the Bowles-Simpson deficit commission. That would mean a large increase in the rate for capital gains and dividends, so maybe there’s a t rade here in terms of the top rate. But this

simplification would reduce a big distortion in the code that does little for investment, while raising considerable revenue relative to current policy.

The reality that markets fail must also guide your thinking. The likelihood of very destabilising events is higher in interconnected markets. Economists since Adam Smith have warned that markets tend to underprice risk in times of expansion. But many remain hypnotised

by the theory that unfettered markets will self-correct, even though such thinking should have been extinguished by the Great Recession. In the past lost decade, markets failed to create enough jobs, to distribute the proceeds of higher productivity fairly or to regulate financial and housing markets. The damage done by these failures threatens another lost decade, a fate the country needs your help to avoid. Your final term gives you an opportunity to do so.

The writer is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and a former memb er of Barack Obama’s economic team

如果奥巴马连任

作者：美国预算与政策优先中心高级研究员贾里德?伯恩斯坦为英国《金融时报》撰稿

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背景

英文对照评论打印电邮收藏

奥巴马先生：

当你在2013年1月连任之后，必须承认在过去一年，政治僵局和政策重心受误导，使得政策制定者未能解决我们担心的经济问题。美国民众对于政治体制的信心，从未像目前这般低落——政府和企业都一再令他们失望。在开始新任期之际，请认真思考以下见解。

经济学家们警告称，大衰退(Great Recession)、以及对其采取的并不充分的应对政策，会给美国带来经济增长疲弱、生活水平停滞不前的“失落的十年”。然而，美国中产阶级的工作家庭已经失落了十年。在2000年至2010年的十年里，他们的实际收入下降了10%，从6.16万美元降至5.53万美元。原因并不仅仅是经济衰退。那十年中的经济扩张，对他们而言，在就业和收入方面像是一场萧条。

所以，你的目标应当是让美国恢复运转。由于私营部门尚未产生需求，需要采取暂时的财政刺激。同时需要采取长期措施，才能避免21世纪前十年那样的经济出现扩张、但就业率仅上升4%的情况。这种令人惋惜的经济表现，是大多数美国人所体验到的收入增长乏力的根源。

短期内，你应当推行尽可能直接的措施，促进就业岗位的创造。尽管减税颇有吸引力，但不应太过依赖，因为一些人会把省下来的钱要么储蓄起来、要么用于购买进口商品。国内各州财政仍然拮据，裁掉了太多就业岗位，因此州一级的财政纾困至关重要。对于茶党(Tea Party)的党派偏见所导致的政治运转失灵，多数美国人都感到厌恶和畏惧。他们可能比我们所认为的更乐于接受一种务实的做法。其它短期措施，如在全国范围内对公立学校进行维修和升级，对有常识的美国人也会有吸引力。

要有一套制造业政策，但不要引发起不切实际的期待。制造业就业岗位的长期衰退源自于两个推动因素：一是制造业产品的巨大贸易逆差，这在一定程度上是中国汇率管制的后果；二是生产力提升。在前者上对中国施压，无论在政治层面、还是政策层面都不失为良方。通过立法，允许我们在一些国家不愿由市场决定汇率时进行报复，将有助于美国向海外出口更多商品，从而减少贸易逆差。

然而生产力提升的“问题”却是切实存在的。美国推动清洁能源制造业是明智之举，你在第一届任期中鼓励先进电池生产就是一个例证。不过，别指望绿色产业能够填补就业岗位的缺口。

经济回归正轨后，就能创造出更多的服务业岗位。然而服务业岗位的质量会存在巨大差异。我们既会需要更多保安和出纳员，也会需要电脑专家和市场分析师。高端就业岗位的情况将会不错，但你必须想方设法确保低端的服务业岗位也较为体面。这意味着提供更多培训——一位经过老年病学培训的家庭护工，就比一个只有高中学历的家庭护工更有价值。

然而，如果不针对家庭收入和受到保障的家庭医疗服务给予有力的税收优惠，那么这些就业岗位就不够好。另外，将这些举措结合在一起，无论在经济上还是政治上都有不错的效用。不要对未来的工厂有什么浪漫的假想——未来的工厂会依靠机器人技术运转——而是要与民众开门见山地讨论就业问题，他们知道工作会在未来生活中占很大位置。与此同时，要努力为民众创造良好的就业岗位。

不过，我们并不需要什么重大的税收改革，何况重大改革似乎也不容易做到。单一税率、发生地纳税(territorial taxation)、甚至大幅降低企业所得税率，尽管都颇有吸引力，却都可能产生令人失望的结果。与此相反，应当清理现有的体制。你的目标，除了布什时代实施的高收入阶层税收优惠到期之外，还应该简化“收入”的定义。

就像鲍尔斯-辛普森(Bowles-Simpson)赤字委员会所提议的那样，你应该考虑停止对不同类型的收入给予的特权性对待。那将意味着大幅提高资本利得和股息的所得税率，或许因此要在最高税率上有所让步。不过，这样的简化能够减少目前对投资着眼甚少的税法典中存在的巨大扭曲，而且还能筹集与当前政策相关的大量收入。

市场失败的现实，也必须指引我们的思索。在互相关联的市场上，发生十分破坏稳定的事件的可能性更大。自亚当?斯密(Adam Smith)以来，许多经济学家都曾警告称，在经济扩张时期，市场倾向于对风险做出过低的估价。但许多人仍沉迷于不受监管的市场能够自我纠正的理论，尽管这种想法早就应该被大衰退(Great Recession)所打消。在过去那个失落的十年里，市场未能创造出足够的就业岗位，未能公平地分配生产力提升带来的收益，也未能监管金融和住房市场。这些问题造成的损害，或许会导致下一个失落的十年，美国需要你的帮助才能避免这种命运。而你的最后一个任期，为你提供了一个避免这种命运的机遇。

注：作者是美国预算与政策优先中心(Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)高级研究员，曾在巴拉克?奥巴马(Barack Obama)的经济团队供职。

The Power of Silence

发布时间：2011-12-20

文章出自：https://www.360docs.net/doc/356481542.html,

原文链接：点击查看

Silence has an energy to it like no other source. It has the power to get people to think and to act, it can help slow the mind down, and it is a powerful ally in the likes of counseling and life coaching. The trouble with silence is that many people feel the need to fill the void of silence with needless chatter, with TV, with Music, with noise of some kind. Silence can be disconcerting and can make

people feel uncomfortable and alone, that?s why the world is filled with TV?s th at have been left on when nobody is watching it, for background noise.

We turn our thoughts and focus inwards and gain the power we need to refuel our minds. Our ego is temporarily switched off or at least made to be quiet for a bit, and we start to see the real world as it should be. Our thoughts get in the way of our reality sometimes and we don?t see the beauty of the world around us. When there is silence there is time for introspection and to allow your true self to speak, not the ego, not the conscious mind but the true self connected to the flow of energy around us.

1. During arguments. One of the best times to use the power of silence is during an argument is to stay silent. The ego will be trying to force its way out of you and finish the argument but you are the controller, not the ego. When someone is shouting at you, looking for an argument or just picking on you can literally take all the power away from them and keep all your energy by simply looking at them and saying absolutely nothing. This is extremely difficult to do but very powerful.

2. Gossiping. When there is a crowd of people in the workplace there are gossipers who speak about other people. The thing with gossiping is that it is contagious. When we don?t like someone and someone else s tarts speaking about them we naturally tend to voice our opinion, I?ve done it lots of times and have to stop myself.

Try and stop yourself from catching the virus of gossiping and use the power of silent whenever it occurs. If you are a gossiper yourself and people around start to notice that you are …not your usual self?, don?t give an explanation just leave saying you?ve got work to do or whatever, pretty soon you?ll be out of the gossiping loop.

3. When someone is talking. Silence is a great tool for co unselors if used in the right way. It?s also great when listening to friends and family.

Just let people talk and listen to them and use your facial expressions and movements to acknowledge that you are listening. This can be a tough thing to do but extremely powerful for both you, as the listener, and the talker.

You will find that as you practice this, more people come to talk to you as you will be known as a listener. Obviously there are times to speak during the conversation, however when you do, make s ure it is to paraphrase what the talker is saying or asking questions to get more information, don?t make it about yourself.

When people want to know more about you they will ask you questions, this is the time to talk about yourself but always have the listener be part of the conversation.

4. When the house is empty. The silence of the home can be quite disturbing to some people as there is a natural need to fill the void of silence. We turn on the radio, play some music, call friends or family, or turn on the TV to fill this void. Having a completely silent home when you are alone does not mean you are alone it simply means you are recharging your mind and giving it some downtime.

Silence helps us to work through, in our minds, the events of the day or project what we want to happen during the day ahead. I am a night owl and also a morning lark. I love the silence when I know everyone is safe and tucked up in bed and I can write or work on the computer. At the weekends I go to bed with my wife to talk about days events or our plans and just have a laugh or whatever. My wife, who loves her sleep, has gone to sleep I kiss her goodnight and get up for a few hours to write as this is the time I am most inspired. I am also the first person up in the morning which means I have another 2 hours to write or work on my online projects.

I know it?s harder when you are alone, however silent time can be used to think about the life you want and work out ways to get it.

5. Quiet reflection. This is a fantastic way to connect with world in a way that is not possible when you are surrounded by hubbub noise. 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the evening simply focusing on your breath can do wonders for both mind and body. I truly believe that with practice quiet reflection can help us reach a level of deep inner calm.

The state of silence is a way of reaching another part of your mind not possible when going about your daily routine. This other part of your mind is connected in every way to the world around you and with practice you can tap into this knowledge.

沉默的力量

发布时间：2011-12-20

文章出自：译言

原文链接：点击查看

沉默有一种其他来源没有的力量。它有一种使人们思考并且付诸行动的力量，它可以使人们的大脑冷静下来，它像是一种对生活咨询和指导的能量来源。

沉默有一种其他来源没有的力量。它有一种使人们思考并且付诸行动的力量，它可以使人们的大脑冷静下来，它像是一种对生活咨询和指导的能量来源。

关于沉默的一点问题是很多人觉得有必要用好不意义的聊天、看电视、听音乐这些方法来避免沉默。沉默让人变得不安，让人觉得孤独和不舒服，所以即使没有人看电视，电视也会是开着的，就是为了要有背景声音。

当沉默出现时，会发生什么？

我们更关心我们内心的感受，重新获得大脑所需的能量。我们的自我意识暂时被关掉，至少程度减少了一些，我们开始看到现实世界原本的样子。我们的思想有时会阻碍我们看清现实，这使我们忽视了我们所置身的这个美丽的世界。沉默的出现使我们有时间自省，也可以唤醒真实的你，不是自我意识，不是清醒的头脑，而是那个和我们周围的一切所联系在一起的那个真实的你自己。

5个使用沉默的方法

1、在吵架时。一个最佳的时间来使用沉默就是在一个争吵的过程中。你的自我意识会在这个时候试图出现并且结束这次争吵，但是你是掌控者，并不是你的自我意思。当一个人在对你叫喊时，想要挑起争吵时，你只要看着他们的眼睛，不说任何话就可以简单的把他们的焰气浇灭。这很难做到，但确实很有效。

2、传播流言蜚语。在单位有一群人在八卦他人的私事时可以利用沉默来应对。传播的这些流言蜚语是会蔓延的。当他人在谈论我们不喜欢的人时，我们自己会忍不住发表自己的观点，我以前也这样做过很多次，但是我必须停止。

试图让自己不要和他人一样传播流言蜚语，当它发生时，利用沉默来应对。如果你自己也是个传播流言的人，当你停止这样做时，周围的人会发现你不是“平常的那个你”了，不要对他们解释，只需要对他们说你有工作要做或者别的什么借口，很快你就会退出传播流言的这个圈子了。

3、当有人在说话时。对心理医生来说，如果使用得当，沉默会是一个很好的工具。倾听朋友和家人的倾诉也是一件很好的事。

让他人说话，你来倾听，并且使用你的面部表情和动作来告诉他们你在听。这也许不是件容易的事，但对你们，一个倾诉者和一个倾听者来说都是好事。

当你这样做了一段时间后，你会发现很多人会来找你倾诉，很快你就会被他人认为是一位很好的倾听者。很显然，在对话时也有说话的机会，但是当你在说话时，注意是围绕说话的人的主题或是问问题来更加了解主题，不要让你自己成为谈话的主角。

一个人会问你更多的问题来进一步了解你，这是谈论你自己的时间，但是要时刻注意使听者也成为这个谈话的参与者。

4、当房子里没有人的时候。家里的沉默对一些人来说是一种困扰，他们需要声音来填充沉默。我们打开收音机，播放音乐，给朋友或家人打电话，或是打开电视机来填补沉默。当你独自一人在家时，完全的安静并不能证明你很孤独，只能说明你在思考问题，给自己的大脑放松的机会。