PBS高端访谈:新型工业会缓解密西西比的精神贫困?

 　　JOHN LARSON: Just a look at Main Street in Columbus, Mississippi and you can sense why Travel and Leisure voted it one of “America's Great Main Streets”.

　　But it hasn't always been this way.

　　As these images taken over the years by Columbus's own renowned¹ photographer Birney Imes suggest, Mississippi has endured challenges throughout its history.

　　Unemployment, still 15 percent in some parts, including some of the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation. An unlikely place, you'd think, for an economic recovery.

　　And yet, at 516 Main Street, that's precisely² the story.

　　The Columbus Commercial Dispatch is the last, family owned daily newspaper in Mississippi. The headline on this afternoon? A Japanese tire company will be opening a new plant west of town.

　　Yokohama Tire will employ 500 people, and possibly up to 2,000 if all goes according to plan.

　　Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.

　　PHIL BRYANT, MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR: These are manufacturing jobs. And so hopefully, they are those type that will be transferred from one generation to the next.

　　JOHN LARSON: The tire plant is just the latest in what is now called “The Golden Triangle” — a shining example of new manufacturing growth in an area that not too long ago was just the opposite.

　　Plant after manufacturing plant had closed here in the late 90's. And then in 2007, the area's largest employer for decades – Sara Lee – closed its food processing plant.

　　Yet, the area's rebirth was already underway. Severstal: a Russian steel maker³ built its $900-million dollar plant here, followed by Paccar: the American builder of truck engines. And, when Airbus decided⁴ to build helicopters here, many felt it launched a new era.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS, CEO OF GOLDEN TRIANGLE DEVELOPMENT LINK: I jokingly tell people that all of a sudden people started walking upright. They started thinking– “Hey, you know, we build stuff that flies.”

　　JOHN LARSON: At 1102 Main Street, Joe Max Higgins runs the Link – the development group credited with attracting more than 5-billion dollars in new investment to the triangle. Higgins is the area's larger than life salesman – and you can get a sense how that happened.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: Live every second like your ass⁵ is on fire.

　　JOHN LARSON: In other words, go for it.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: All the time. And– and– and– and so that– that– that's– that's typically how we look at this stuff. My license⁶ plate on my– on my– my vehicle says, “2EQLAST.”

　　JOHN LARSON: So second equals last.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: Every time. In this business, if you come in second, you might as well not have participated.

　　JOHN LARSON: To come in first with Yokohama, Higgin's group helped coordinate⁷ a state effort offering $130-million dollars in incentives⁸. It bought the land, developed the site and built a new access road.

　　When Yokohama raised concerns about the reliability⁹ of the local workforce¹⁰, Joe Higgins made an emotional plea to its top officer.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: I said, “This is a community who– that's heart was cut out when Sara Lee left.”

　　I said, “You could be the phoenix¹¹ rising up from the ash by building this new facility here. And you could replace Sara Lee as the community's hope.” And he looked at me and he said, “I want to see this Sara Lee.”

　　JOHN LARSON: So Higgins took Yokohama's chairman up in a helicopter.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: We did two and a half times around the– around Sara Lee. I let him look out the window.

　　JOHN LARSON: You're looking down at destroyed plants.

　　JOE MAX HIGGINS: Looks like a bomb hit it. Okay? And two and a half times. He looked up at me and he nodded. I kinda think back that that might have been the day that might have been the day, the second that we were picked.

　　JOHN LARSON: Yokohama and other manufacturers were also drawn¹² to the area's industrial mega sites, pre-approved and ready for contraction¹³, as well as non-union labor¹⁴, and universities, including the local community college.

　　The community college had a record of training its students for the high-tech¹⁵ factory work. For training purposes, Airbus provides the students with helicopter components¹⁶. Paccar offers truck engines.

　　East Mississippi Community College's Dr. Raj Shaunak.

　　JOHN LARSON: What do you say to the line that we've all heard for decades now, that American manufacturing is either dead or it's dying?

　　DR. RAJ SHAUNAK, COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSOR: Modern manufacturing in America, but especially in the golden triangle of Mississippi, is not disappearing,

　　JOHN LARSON: How much does the area gets out, for all the incentives it gives industry?

　　In the Steel Mill's case, local efforts provided $12 million dollars in land, infrastructure¹⁷ and tax breaks. The county now receives more than 2 million a year in revenues, which will soon grow to five million every year. So the investment will more than pay off in the long run.

　　JOHN LARSON: The area's rebirth, however, is only one of the stories we encountered on Main Street. We were in town the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Day.

　　JOHN LARSON: The gathering¹⁸ took place on the courthouse steps within a few feet of a Civil War monument honoring those who defended the ‘Values of the Confederacy'.

　　KAMAL KARIEEM: Mississippi is still a very segregated¹⁹ society. A lot of people like to put blinders on and act like it does not exist.

　　JOHN LARSON: Kamal Karriem is a local preacher who helped organize the event.

　　KAMAL KARIEEM: In Mississippi there is a psychosis of poverty. In other words, I've been poor for so long, until I think that that's the way that it's supposed to be.

　　JOHN LARSON: The counties around Columbus include some of the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation.

　　In some areas, one-third of the people live in poverty. The Columbus public school system has been largely abandoned by its white residents.

　　40 percent of the city is white, yet only 10 percent of the city's school system is white. Mississippi public schools are poorly funded and the worst performing schools in the nation.

　　KAMAL KAREEM: This school district traditionally has always had a failing grade, a D. This is what we have to overcome. Not just in education. But in every aspect of life, we have to overcome the psychosis of poverty.

　　JOHN LARSON: Which begs the question, to what extent will the area's poor benefit from the new manufacturing? Manufacturing taxes supply more than a quarter of the county's school budget, but they contribute only a fraction to the city's struggling school system.

　　Cedric Brownlee and his wife Sharika both worked at Sara Lee until the plant closed.

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE, LOCAL RESIDENT: All of a sudden, it was gone, you know? It was, like, “Wow, you know?” It was devastating²⁰ for the community. There were a lot of people who really didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring.

　　JOHN LARSON: While both worked minimum wage jobs, Cedric enrolled²¹ at East Mississippi Community College. He worked hard — earning several certifications.

　　Seven years after losing his job at Sara Lee, he was finally hired. A full-time²² job, with benefits, at PACCAR the truck engine plant. He now earns 15 dollars an hour, double his minimum wage jobs.

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE: We came a long way, you know. Now, here we are. We are livin' better than we ever lived.

　　JOHN LARSON: Same for Genice Allen, who doubled her pay when she landed a job as an engineering specialist at Airbus, and the company is now paying for her to pursue a business degree.

　　GENICE ALLEN, AIRBUS EMPLOYEE: And it happened for me. So, I'm very thankful for the opportunity.

　　JOHN LARSON: Before we finish our story, meet Yusef Karriem, Kamal Karim's son. He sang that night at the courthouse.

　　A high school senior, Yusef washes dishes at his family's soul food restaurant. Listen to him sing for a moment.

　　As we show a few more images from photographer, Birney Imes.

　　Most everyone we met on Main Street says any discussion of the town's future must remember the past.

　　Before we left Main Street, we learned that 5 out of the first 11 Yokohama's hires are African American.

　　Young Yusef will not be one of them, because he plans to attend college to become a biology teacher, and then a public school administrator²³.

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE: It was tough, not knowin' when change was gonna come.

　　JOHN LARSON: And as for Cedric Brownlee, who after years of struggle was hired at the truck plant? The manufacturing boom has already changed his life. He and his wife have bought their first house, and last year took their first vacation.

　　JOHN LARSON: You mean, literally²⁴, your first vacation?

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE: Our first vacation.

　　JOHN LARSON: Since when?

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE: Since forever, you know. You know, it– it was our first vacation—

　　JOHN LARSON: How'd that feel?

　　CEDRIC BROWNLEE: It– it f– it feel– wonderful.

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

6 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

7 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

8 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

10 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

11 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

14 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。

15 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

16 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

17 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

18 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

19 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

20 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

21 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

23 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

24 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。