obtrusively

adv. 冒失地; 莽撞地

She is no Kate Moss, but when Australia's own slightly tarnished model, Michelle Leslie, slipped back into the country obtrusively yesterday she attracted an honour guard of police, security personnel and 40 media.

[ She may already be at end of road ]

spared

Appeal falls on deaf ears ... a dejected John Howard in Pusan after he met his Singapore counterpart to ask for Nguyen Tuong Van's life to be spared.

[ Your son dies in two weeks ]

toss

v. throw, fling, pitch; roll, rock

stagnant

adj. still, not moving or flowing (about water); brackish, foul (about water); sluggish, inactive; not advancing or developing

Our capital gains tax rules also tilt the playing field in favour of growth. Not only do capital gains attract a 50 per cent CGT discount if you hold the investment for at least a year, but you don't have to pay tax until you realise the gain, which you can realise in a year your income is low, so that at least part of the gain is taxed at a lower marginal tax rate. It's not hard to see why most investors prefer growth to income. And in recent years, the residential property market has delivered to order. But in a falling or stagnant market, income becomes more important, and there's no sign that the income on residential property justifies the investment.

[ It's got to pass the test before you invest ]

prodigal son

prodigal son : formerly rebellious son who has returned submissive and repentant (from a parable in the New Testament) ; 回頭的浪子; 悔改之罪人

THE long road home for Australia's largest lender has come to be personified by its chief of Australian operations — a prodigal son whose return has been met by great reward, and a heavy burden.

Lebanese-born Ahmed Fahour, who migrated to Australia at the age of three and went on to become a senior Wall Street strategist for Citigroup New York, left as head of Citigroup's Australasian operations to lead a renewal at National Australia Bank.

[ Investors to weigh worth of NAB's prodigal son ]

six outer-suburban corridors where the need was greatest

The Age believes a paper considered by the committee in early September identified six outer-suburban corridors where the need was greatest: Werribee, Caroline Springs, Craigieburn, Epping, Doreen and Cranbourne/Pakenham.

Mr Batchelor said there had been no major investment in the capacity of the rail network since the City Loop was built in the mid-1980s, but patronage had increased by more than 40 per cent.

set to

begin with energy; sign; 開始認真幹起來

AUSTRALIA'S building sector is heading for a soft landing but rising wage pressures have rekindled fears that inflation is set to pick up.


[ Rates on hold as building heads for a soft landing ]

be up to

be prepared to -, be ready to -; be able to -; 勝任


WITH the Government's new WorkChoices bill introduced into Parliament yesterday, it's worth asking whether managers will be up to the job.
...

According to the report, we are entering an era where career nomads are rewriting the rules of management. Watch out for more "binge careerism", where employees work non-stop for an agreed period then take the equivalent time off.

And more "swing time" work arrangements, where the week is broken into work and play segments that suit the employer and employee. Great news for those who have bargaining power and who know how to negotiate.

Less so for those who don't. Do you think managers can cope with a more flexible workplace where they actually have to negotiate?


[ WorkChoices: can managers cope? ]

farce

farce - n. satirical comedy; something ridiculous, absurdity; mockery 鬧劇, 胡鬧, 滑稽劇
lay bare - tell one's innermost thoughts or feelings, "pour one's heart out", reveal one's emotions

Below ground
■ Tunnel management aimed for 90,000 vehicles a day for the first year.
■ In the first few weeks volume was believed to be 20,000-25,000.
■ That has risen to about 35,000 in the first week of the free trial period.

[ Billions at risk - the tunnel farce laid bare ]