One is always on a strange road, watching strange scenery and listening to strange music. Then one day, you will find that the things you try hard to forget are already gone.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is
a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is
unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the
market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it
favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not
just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our
prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not
out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the
choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with
perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and
the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals
still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And
so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the
grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that
America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a
future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism
and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and
enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us,
nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power
grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our
cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and
restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these
principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater
effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will
begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in
Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen
the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not
apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those
who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we
say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot
outlast us, and we will defeat you.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our
ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.
Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already
done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common
purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the
ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have
consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not
whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether
it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement
that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the
answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars
will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our
business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust
between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is
a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is
unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the
market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it
favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not
just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our
prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not
out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the
choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with
perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and
the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals
still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And
so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the
grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that
America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a
future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism
and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and
enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us,
nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power
grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our
cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and
restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these
principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater
effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will
begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in
Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen
the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not
apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those
who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we
say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot
outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a
strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and
Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn
from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of
civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more
united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that
the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our
common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in
ushering in a new era of peace.
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.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work
alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish
starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy
relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering
outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to
effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we
remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour,
patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us
today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because
they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something
greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a
generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is
ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this
nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break,
the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend
lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s
courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness
to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with
which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -
hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty
and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the
quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a
return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of
responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have
duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly
accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so
satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a
difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of
citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge
that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -
why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in
celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than
sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand
before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we
are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest
of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of
an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was
stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in
doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the
depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city
and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this
winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and
virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may
come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we
refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;
and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth
that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future
generations.
I stand here today humbled by the task before us,
grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our
ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the
generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential
oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still
waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds
and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because
of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have
remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding
documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation
of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well
understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and
hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and
irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make
hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs
shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too
many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy
strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data
and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence
across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that
the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are
real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a
short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope
over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty
grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for
far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of
Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to
reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward
that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation:
the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance
to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we
understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has
never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for
the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the
pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers,
the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in
their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and
freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions
and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the
West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord
and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
Time and again these men and women struggled and
sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better
life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;
greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the
most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive
than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and
services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our
capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting
narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely
passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin
again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not
only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build
the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our
commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place,
and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its
cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and
run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and
universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this
we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our
ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.
Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already
done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common
purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the
ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have
consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not
whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether
it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement
that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the
answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars
will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our
business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust
between a people and their
government.
Someone might be looking for you right now at this moment. Who knows, maybe it is a high school classmate, a long lost friend…
Imagine this…your long-lost friend is searching on the internet
trying to detect your online presence…but it’s extremely damn HARD for
you to be found!
Many people don’t know about these things but if you implement at least half of them I assure you are going to dramatically improve the odds of you being able to be found by anyone who is interested in getting touch.
1. Create your own specialized profile(s)!
I recommend going and registering on websites like Reunion.
After leaving your details like your first and last name your page
profile is going be be indexed by the search engines…that means it will
be HECK easier for you to be found by other people.
Now, you might be wondering…why Reunion (by the way, another site similar to Reunion is Classmates which is a pretty neat resource to create a profile too).
It’s because these websites specialize in finding people.
Sure, you can go to Facebook, Hi5, MySpace or Bebo (I also recommend
going and creating profiles there if you’re comfortable leaving your
first and last name) but those are primarily for hanging out while Reunion and Classmates are primarily for locating someone (and you can’t register on them unless you enter your first, last and maiden name…which proves my point once again).
2. Update your public record information
Here’s a huge problem with public record databases like Whitepages and Anywho…
More and more information there are pretty much outdated.
One of the first things a person who’s looking for will probably do is
go and search for you on public record websites (he’d probably search
for advice on ‘how to find a person’ before, most of these ‘advice
sites’ recommend going to public record databases first…heck if you
take a look at my website here you’ll see that even I do that ).
He may find your name but your phone number or address might be
oudated (OK, I understand some people simply don’t want to share their
address for privacy reasons and I’m not agains this).
That’s why it’s a good idea to update the public information about you.
Whitepages.com recently created a FANTASTIC service located here
on which you can add or edit your listing. After you do that, they
promise what I did in this headline: Convenience - Be found easily by
those who need to reach you. Pretty cool, eh?
This improves your chances of being found by TENFOLD by the way.
3. Create your own personal web real estate
OK, this might be a similar step to step number 1 but I want to mention some other things here.
It’s not only that your “social networking” profiles will be indexed
but potentially found by the person who’s searching for you but your
forum profiles too…and your twitter profile. All this which I call your own personal internet real estate.
Now, this might be a good idea…have you heard of websites like Geocities and Weebly?
Why don’t you go create you own personal website on these resources
where you can give some ‘clues’ on how someone can get in touch with
you.
For example, if I was looking for some guy named Mike Brown who
lives in California I would be more than pleased to find that he has
his own Geocities page in which he gives me different ways on which I
can get in touch with him.
4. If you’re looking for a job go to Zoominfo
Zoominfo is a
great website where actual employers go to search for new employees. By
creating a profile there you’ll be able to be in the list of those
people.
Actually, Zooninfo is not the only site I wanted you to tell you about. The second one is Twitter. Did you know that many people were able to find a JOB using twitter after being laid off? Read one of the stories here.
And at the end I want to tell you one thing that is not actually a
‘way’ to be found but it is so profound that I actually put it in the
top list.
5. Someone is always going to try to find out something more about you online…FACE IT
If you’re looking for a new job your employer will be doing a background check on you…
If you recently finished high school or college some of your classmates will be trying to find you.
I see so many people whining about their privacy, blah, blah.
PRIVACY IS OK, BUT EXTREME PRIVACY IS A DUMB THING TO DO.
Really, is leaving your first and last name online LOSS OF YOUR
PRIVACY? Huh…
What costs you if you leave your first and last name somewhere? Someone’s gonna kidnap you? No…Tease you? Hm…NO.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a
place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of
our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our
democracy, tonight is your answer.It’s the answer told by lines that
stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never
seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the
very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time
must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
如果还有人对在美国是否凡事皆有可能这一点存疑,还有人怀疑美国奠基者的梦想在我们所处的时代是否依然鲜活,还有人质疑我们的民主制度的力量,那么今晚,
这些问题都有了答案。这是设在学校和教堂的投票站前排起的前所未见的长队给出的答案;是等了三四个小时的选民所给出的答案,其中许多人都是有生以来第一次
投票,因为他们认定这一次肯定会不一样,认为自己的声音会是这次大选有别于以往之所在。
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and
Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay,
straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to
the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue
States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
这是所有美国人民共同给出的答案--无论老少贫富,无论是民主党还是共和党,无论是黑人、白人、拉美裔、亚裔、原住民,是同性恋者还是异性恋者、残疾人还是健全人--我们从来不是“红州”和“蓝州”的对立阵营,我们是美利坚合众国这个整体,永远都是。
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so
many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to
put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the
hope of a better day.
长久以来,很多人一再受到告诫,要对我们所能取得的成绩极尽讽刺、担忧和怀疑之能事,但这个答案让这些人伸出手来把握历史,再次让它朝向美好明天的希望延伸。
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on
this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to
America.
已经过去了这么长时间,但今晚,由于我们在今天、在这场大选中、在这个具有决定性的时刻所做的,美国已经迎来了变革。
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought
long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder
for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that
most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the
service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him
and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to
working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
我刚刚接到了麦凯恩参议员极具风度的致电。他在这场大选中经过了长时间的努力奋斗,而他为自己所深爱的这个国家奋斗的时间更长、过程更艰辛。他为美国做出
了我们大多数人难以想像的牺牲,我们的生活也因这位勇敢无私的领袖所做出的贡献而变得更美好。我向他和佩林州长所取得的成绩表示祝贺,我也期待着与他们一
起在未来的岁月中为复兴这个国家的希望而共同努力。
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned
from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the
streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the
Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
我要感谢我在这次旅程中的伙伴--已当选美国副总统的拜登。他全心参与竞选活动,为普通民众代言,他们是他在斯克兰顿从小到大的伙伴,也是在他回特拉华的火车上遇到的男男女女。
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support
of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family
and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new
puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no
longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the
family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my
debt to them is beyond measure.
如果没有一个人的坚决支持,我今晚就不会站在这里,她是我过去16年来最好的朋友、是我们一家人的中坚和我一生的挚爱,更是我们国家的下一位第一夫人:米
歇尔•奥巴马(Michelle
Obama)。萨莎(Sasha)和玛丽亚(Malia),我太爱你们两个了,你们已经得到了一条新的小狗,它将与我们一起入驻白宫。虽然我的外祖母已经
不在了,但我知道她与我的亲人肯定都在看着我,因为他们,我才能拥有今天的成就。今晚,我想念他们,我知道自己欠他们的无可计量。
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David
Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of
politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what
you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
我的竞选经理大卫•普劳夫(David Plouffe)、首席策略师大卫•艾克斯罗德(David Axelrod)以及政治史上最好的竞选团队--是你们成就了今天,我永远感激你们为实现今天的成就所做出的牺牲。
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
但最重要的是,我永远不会忘记这场胜利真正的归属--它属于你们。
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start
with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in
the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and
the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
我从来不是最有希望的候选人。一开始,我们没有太多资金,也没有得到太多人的支持。我们的竞选活动并非诞生于华盛顿的高门华第之内,而是始于得梅因、康科德、查尔斯顿这些地方的普通民众家中。
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little
savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty
dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who
rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes
and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep;
from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching
heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of
Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two
centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the
people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
我们的竞选活动能有今天的规模,是因为辛勤工作的人们从自己的微薄积蓄中拿出钱来,捐出一笔又一笔5美元、10美元、20美元。而竞选活动的声势越来越大
则是源自那些年轻人,他们拒绝接受认为他们这代人冷漠的荒诞说法;他们离开家、离开亲人,从事报酬微薄、极其辛苦的工作;同时也源自那些已经不算年轻的人
们,他们冒着严寒酷暑,敲开陌生人的家门进行竞选宣传;更源自数百万的美国民众,他们自动自发地组织起来,证明了在两百多年以后,民有、民治、民享的政府
并未从地球上消失。这是你们的胜利。
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you
didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of
the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the
challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime –
two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking
up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk
their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake
after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the
mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college.
There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools
to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
我知道你们的所做所为并不只是为了赢得大选,我也知道你们做这一切并不是为了我。你们这样做是因为你们明白摆在面前的任务有多艰巨。因为即便我们今晚欢呼
庆祝,我们也知道明天将面临我们一生之中最为艰巨的挑战---两场战争、一个面临危险的星球,还有百年来最严重的金融危机。今晚站在此地,我们知道伊拉克
的沙漠里和阿富汗的群山中还有勇敢的美国士兵醒来,甘冒生命危险保护着我们。会有在孩子熟睡后仍难以入眠的父母,担心如何偿还按揭月供、付医药费或是存够
钱送孩子上大学。我们亟待开发新能源、创造新的工作机会;我们需要修建新学校,还要应对众多威胁、修复与许多盟国的关系。
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get
there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been
more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you –
we as a people will get there.
前方的道路会十分漫长艰辛。我们可能无法在一年甚至一届任期之内实现上述目标,但我从未像今晚这样满怀希望,相信我们会实现。我向你们承诺---我们作为一个整体将会达成目标。
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t
agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know
that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest
with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially
when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of
remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for
two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick,
calloused hand by calloused hand.
我们会遭遇挫折和不成功的开端。对于我作为总统所做的每项决定和政策,会有许多人持有异议,我们也知道政府并不能解决所有问题。但我会向你们坦陈我们所面
临的挑战。我会聆听你们的意见,尤其是在我们意见相左之时。最重要的是,我会请求你们参与重建这个国家,以美国221年来从未改变的唯一方式---一砖一
瓦而成、胼手胝足相续。
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not
end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek
– it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot
happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without
you.
21个月前那个寒冬所开始的一切不应该在今天这个秋夜结束。今天的选举胜利并不是我们所寻求的改变---这只是我们进行改变的机会。而且如果我们仍然按照旧有方式行事,我们所寻求的改变不可能出现。没有你们,也不可能有这种改变。
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and
responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder
and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that
if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a
thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we
rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
因此,让我们发扬新的爱国精神,树立新的服务意识和责任感,让我们每个人下定决心全情投入、更加努力地工作,并彼此关爱。让我们铭记这场金融危机带来的教训:我们不可能在金融以外的领域备受煎熬的同时拥有繁荣兴旺的华尔街---在这个国家,我们患难与共。
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship
and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so
long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first
carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party
founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and
national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic
Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of
humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our
progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We
are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must
not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support
I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your
voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
让我们抵制重走老路的诱惑,避免重新回到令美国政治长期深受毒害的党派纷争和由此引发的遗憾和不成熟表现。让我们牢记,正是伊利诺伊州的一名男子首次将共
和党的大旗扛到了白宫。共和党是建立在自强自立、个人自由以及全民团结的价值观上,这也是我们所有人都珍视的价值。虽然民主党今天晚上赢得了巨大的胜利,
但我们是以谦卑的态度和弥合阻碍我们进步的分歧的决心赢得这场胜利的。林肯在向远比我们眼下分歧更大的国家发表讲话时说,我们不是敌人,而是朋友……虽然
激情可能褪去,但是这不会割断我们感情上的联系。对于那些现在并不支持我的美国人,我想说,或许我没有赢得你们的选票,但是我听到了你们的声音,我需要你
们的帮助,而且我也将是你们的总统。
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from
parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the
forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our
destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To
those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who
seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have
wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved
once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the
might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring
power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding
hope.
那些彻夜关注美国大选的海外人士,从国会到皇宫,以及在这个世界被遗忘的角落里挤在收音机旁的人们,我们的经历虽然各有不同,但是我们的命运是相通的,新
的美国领袖诞生了。那些想要颠覆这个世界的人们,我们必将击败你们。那些追求和平和安全的人们,我们支持你们。那些所有怀疑美国能否继续照亮世界发展前景
的人们,今天晚上我们再次证明,我们国家真正的力量并非来自我们武器的威力或财富的规模,而是来自我们理想的持久力量:民主、自由、机会和不屈的希望。
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change.
Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us
hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
这才是美国真正的精华---美国能够改变。我们的联邦会日臻完善。我们取得的成就为我们将来能够取得的以及必须取得的成就增添了希望。
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for
generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who
cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who
stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one
thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
这次大选创造了多项“第一”,也诞生了很多将世代流传的故事。但是今天晚上令我难忘的却是在亚特兰大投票的一名妇女:安•尼克松•库波尔(Ann Nixon Cooper)。她和其他数百万排队等待投票的选民没有什么差别,除了一点:她已是106岁的高龄。
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were
no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her
couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of
the color of her skin.
她出生的那个时代奴隶制度刚刚结束;那时路上没有汽车,天上也没有飞机;当时像她这样的人由于两个原因不能投票--一是她是女性,另一个原因是她的肤色。
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her
century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the
progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who
pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
今天晚上,我想到了她在美国过去一百年间所经历的种种:心痛和希望;挣扎和进步;那些我们被告知我们办不到的世代,以及那些坚信美国信条---是的,我们能做到---的人们。
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes
dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for
the ballot. Yes we can.
曾几何时,妇女没有发言权,她们的希望化作泡影,但是安•尼克松•库波尔活了下来,看到妇女们站了起来,看到她们大声发表自己的见解,看到她们去参加大选投票。是的,我们能做到。
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the
land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs
and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
当30年代的沙尘暴和大萧条引发人们的绝望之情时,她看到一个国家用罗斯福新政、新就业机会以及对新目标的共同追求战胜恐慌。是的,我们能做到。
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world,
she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy
was saved. Yes we can.
当炸弹袭击了我们的海港、独裁专制威胁到全世界,她见证了美国一代人的伟大崛起,见证了一个民主国家被拯救。是的,我们能做到。
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham,
a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that
“We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can. 她看到蒙哥马利市公车上坚韧不拔的抗争,在伯明翰市水枪下苦苦支持的抗议群众,在塞尔马市那座桥边民权斗士们的斑斑血迹,她也听见了那位来自亚特兰大的传教士---马丁.路德金博士---曾告诉人民说:我们终将克难成功。是的,我们能做到。
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world
was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in
this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote,
because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the
darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
人类登上月球、柏林墙倒下,世界因我们的科学和想像被连接在一起。今年,就在这次选举中,她用手指触碰屏幕投下自己的选票,因为在美国生活了106年之后,经历了最好的时光和最黑暗的时刻之后,她知道美国如何能够发生变革。是的,我们能做到。
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so
much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children
should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky
to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What
progress will we have made?
美国,我们已经走过漫漫长路。我们已经历了很多。但是我们仍有很多事情要做。因此今夜,让我们自问---如果我们的孩子能够活到下个世纪;如果我们的女儿有幸活得和安一样长,他们将会看到怎样的改变?我们将会取得怎样的进步?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is
our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity
for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to
reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that
out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we
are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t,
we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a
people:Yes We Can.
现在是我们回答这个问题的机会。这是我们的时刻。这是我们的时代---让我们的人民重新就业,为我们的后代敞开机会的大门;恢复繁荣发展,推进和平事业;
让“美国梦”重新焕发光芒,再次证明这样一个基本的真理:我们是一家人;一息尚存,我们就有希望;当我们遇到嘲讽和怀疑,当有人说我们办不到的时候,我们
要以这个永恒的信条来回应他们:是的,我们能做到。
Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
感谢你们。上帝保佑你们。愿上帝保佑美利坚合众国。
大虾,谐音自大侠,形容网络高手,英文中的对应词是 knowbie,表示a knowledgeable and experienced
Internet
user.值得一提的是这两组词在各自语言中都有比较一致的相关性,中文中的“菜鸟”和“大虾”戏谑成分较重,适合以文字体现,口语中广泛流传的可能性不
大,而英文中的“newbie”和“knowbie”音节少,口语中发音简单易懂,拼写起来形象易记,含义上可以扩展到互联网外的其他场合,具备广泛的群
众基础,已经出现在各大正式媒体中了。
“灌水”和“潜水”
论坛是网络交际的重要载体,在这里创造出来的网络用语自然最多,最常见的非“灌水”和“潜水”莫属。
中文里的“灌水”一词形象生动,一些人为了获得积分在论坛里反复留言,在回别人帖子的时候没有做出交际性的评论,只是简单的表示“同意”、“支持”,内容
与主题无关,这种现象在英语(Q吧) 中叫 bump,它在论坛里是“顶”的意思:To bump a thread on an internet
forum is to post a reply in order to raise the thread's profile by
returning it to the top of the list of active threads. This is also
called "necroposting". 这种“灌水”往往被认为是一种垃圾留言(spam),被很多论坛禁止。
v. Lurking is an activity performed on Internet Forums or Chat
rooms that involves wandering the website, reading posts and never
actually posting anything.
长期“潜水”会导致论坛人气不足,这样的member最终会被管理员取消成员资格,但在刚刚加入某一论坛时为了了解论坛的风格和讨论的主题短时间的“潜水
”是被接受和鼓励的。
其余的一些论坛常用语如下:
帖子:post 和 thread 都可以表示论坛里的“帖子”,往往可以互换使用。
投票:poll
引用:quote
帖子置顶:sticky
头像:avatar
签名:signature
斑竹(论坛里的版主):moderator
控制面板:control panel
表情:smiley
网络亚文化中的新词
网友见面(网络中相识后在真实生活中见面):user eye-D
v. To meet someone face-to-face for the first time after having established only a written or oral relationship.
玉米(靠注册和销售域名赚钱的人):domainer
n. A person who makes a living from domain name speculation or by
purchasing popular domain names and filling the sites with advertising.
即时通讯(聊天)软件: Instant Messenger (IM)
博客圈: blogsphere
冲浪: surf
视频女:camgirl
n. A girl or young woman who broadcasts live pictures of herself
over the World Wide Web. Also: cam-girl, cam girl, Webcam girl.
垃圾邮件: spam
下载未授权音乐: songlifting
pp. Illegally downloading music. [Blend of song and shoplifting.]
—songlift v.
—songlifter n.
收听网络电台的人: streamies
noun. People who listen to Internet-based (i.e., streamed) radio or music broadcasts.
floating ad 漂浮广告
pop-up ad 登陆某网页自动弹出的广告,现在又出现了一种新型的弹出广告,在进入网页时不显示,当关闭该网页时才弹出广告,这在英语中也有一个词叫pop-under ad
Outernet 泛指互联网以外的传统媒体,如杂志、报纸、书籍、电视、电影等
noun. The traditional (i.e., non-Internet) media, including magazines, newspapers, books, television, and movies.
奥巴马胜选感言(写得真是不错,难怪美国人要激动)
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a
place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of
our founders is a live in our time; who still questions the power of
our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and
churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited
three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their
lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that
their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat
and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay,
straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to
the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue
States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by
so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve
to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward
the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did
on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come
to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He
fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and
harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America
that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the
service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him
and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to
working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned
from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the
streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the
Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding
support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our
family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle
Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned
the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s
no longer with us, I know my grandm other is watching, along with the
family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my
debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David
Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of
politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what
you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t
start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not
hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des
Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of
Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little
savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty
dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who
rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes
and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep;
from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching
heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of
Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two
centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the
people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you
didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of
the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the
challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime –
two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking
up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk
their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake
after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the
mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college.
There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools
to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not
get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been
more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you –
we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t
agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know
that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest
with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially
when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of
remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for
two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick,
calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not
end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek
– it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot
happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without
you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and
responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder
and look after not onlyourselves, but each other. Let us remember that
if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a
thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we
rise or fall as one nation; as one p
eople.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same
partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our
politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state
who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House
– a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty,
and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the
Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a
measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have
held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided
than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have
strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those
Americans whose supportI have yet to earn – I may not have won your
vote, but I hear your voices,I need your help, and I will be your
President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from
parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the
forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our
destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To
those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who
seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have
wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved
once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the
might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring
power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding
hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change.
Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us
hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told
for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who
cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who
stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one
thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there
were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her
couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of
the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her
century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the
progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who
pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.At a time when women’s
voices were silenced and theirhopes dismissed, she lived to see them
stand up and speak out and reach forthe ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the
land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs
and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the
world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a
democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in
Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a
people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a
world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year,
in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her
vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and
the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is
so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children
should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky
to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What
progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This
is our time– to put our people back to work and open doors of
opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause
of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental
truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope,
and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us
that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up
the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.