NPR 2012-02-10

 President Obama says the big mortgage settlement reached today with major banks helps turn the page on an era of recklessness. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the 26-billion-dollar deal will settle claims stemming from fraudulent foreclosures.

 

President Obama hailed what he called a landmark¹ settlement surrounded by some of the state attorneys general who helped to broker² with the deal. People who lost homes, the faulty foreclosures will be eligible³ for small cash settlements. Mr. Obama says other borrowers still in their homes could get loan reductions or lower interest rates.

 

"All told, this isn't just good for these families, it's good for their neighborhoods, it's good for their communities and it's good for our economy."

 

A billion dollars from the total will go to settle a separate claim unrelated to the robo-signing. While Mr. Obama called the settlement a big help, he warns millions of other homeowners could use additional relief, and he urged Congress to okay a major refinancing proposal that he spelled out last week. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

 

New jobless claims are among the lowest levels in four years. The Labor⁵ Department says applications fell by 15,000 last week to a seasonally⁶ adjusted 358,000, and the less volatile⁷ four-week average is also the lowest it's been since spring of 2008. This comes a week after the government reported the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%.

 

Two executives credited with revamping Ford⁸ and its finances are retiring. Lewis Booth and Derrick Kuzak reportedly are stepping down April 1st.

 

The Greek coalition⁹ government has finally agreed to a deal for a new bailout to save Greece from a messy default and a possible exit from the eurozone. But the deal has more austerity measures, and as Joanna Kakissis reports from Athens, unions are calling for strikes and protest tomorrow and Saturday.

 

Unions are protesting a 22% cut in the minimum wage which is currently about 1,000 dollars per month before taxes. They say Greeks can't take any more austerity. The labor minister agrees and has resigned over the new measures. Unemployment is now at 20% and at 48% for young people. But the government says it's either austerity or a catastrophic default and a return to the drachma, the old currency. The new bailout is about 171 billion dollars. Greece needs this deal and a separate bond swap¹⁰ that would cut the country's debt by at least 50% to stay solvent¹¹. Parliament is said to vote on the new bailout on Sunday. For NPR News, I'm Joanna Kakissis in Athens.

 

The US market seemed to be responding positively¹² with the Dow up 27 points at last check at 12,911 in trading of more than 2.5 billion shares; NASDAQ gaining 12, it's at 2,928; S&P 500 up four at 1,354.

 

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The Mississippi Supreme¹³ Court is taking up controversial pardons granted by former Governor Haley Barbour in the days before he left office. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports that issue is whether state law gives the governor absolute power to grant clemency¹⁴.

 

It might seem crazy that the inventor of the hand-held camera won't make cameras any more. But these days, Kodak moments need to be more profitable, and that means focusing more on on-line and retail-based photo printing, as well as desktop¹⁵ printing. Kodak also wants to expand its brand licensing¹⁶ program. That means other companies can put the iconic Kodak name on cameras and digital photo frames, but Kodak doesn't have to make the stuff itself. These steps are expected to save the company more than 100 million dollars annually¹⁷. But Kodak will take a 30-million-dollar charge to dump the business lines in question. Annie Baxter, NPR News.

 

Well, obviously, that was not a story about the Mississippi Supreme Court considering whether former Governor Haley Barbour's pardons of inmates¹⁸ were legal. Let's go more into that story. Attorney General Jim Hood⁴ argued today that if those who received pardons did not run required public notification ads in daily papers for 30 days or in weekly papers for five weeks, the pardons are invalid¹⁹ under the state's constitution. Victims' advocates were outraged²⁰ when inmates including murderers were pardoned, but Barbour says he stands by his decision.

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 30 points, it's at 12,914; NASDAQ gaining 13, nearly 0.5%, at 2,929.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

4 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

7 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

8 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

11 solvent   

n.溶剂；adj.有偿付能力的

参考例句：

• Gasoline is a solvent liquid which removes grease spots.汽油是一种能去掉油污的有溶解力的液体。
• A bankrupt company is not solvent.一个破产的公司是没有偿还债务的能力的。

12 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

13 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

14 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

15 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

16 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

17 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

18 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

20 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。