set up (to deceive someone)

To trick someone in order to make them do something, or in order to make them seem guilty of something that they have not done.

They claimed they weren't selling drugs, they say they had been set up by the police.

set up (to start something)

To formally establish a new company, organization, system, policy,etc.

A committee has been set up to organize social events in the college.

She plans to set up her own business.

They've set up a fund for victims of the earthquake.

set up (to arrange something)

To arrange an event or an activity.

We need to set up a meeting to discuss the proposals.

The government has agreed to set up a public enquiry.

a penny for your thoughts

This means "I would like to know what you're thinking, what's on your mind"

concern

concern (WORRY) To cause anxiety to someone.

The state of my father's health concerns us greatly.

It concerns me that he hasn't been in contact.

It's no use crying over spilt milk

There is no point in complaining about something that can't be put right or changed.
Example:

"Look! The sooner you realize your money's gone, the better it will be for you."

Some facts about Fatigue

(From Medline Plus...)

Alternative Names Tiredness; Weariness; Exhaustion; Lethargy

Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.

Fatigue is different from drowsiness. In general, drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation. Drowsiness and apathy (a feeling of indifference or not caring about what happens) can be symptoms of fatigue.
Fatigue can be a normal and important response to physical exertion, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep. However, it can also be a nonspecific sign of a more serious psychological or physical disorder. When fatigue is not relieved by enough sleep, good nutrition, or a low-stress environment, it should be evaluated by your doctor. Because fatigue is a common complaint, sometimes a potentially serious cause may be overlooked.
The pattern of fatigue may help your doctor determine its underlying cause. For example, if you wake up in the morning rested but rapidly develop fatigue with activity, you may have an ongoing physical condition like an underactive thyroid. On the other hand, if you wake up with a low level of energy and have fatigue that lasts throughout the day, you may be depressed.

better safe than sorry

You say that when you think it is better not to take risks even when it seems boring or difficult to be careful.

sorry

Sorry (REGRET) You say "sorry" after you have done something bad.

Oh, I'm sorry - I didn't see you there.

Tom, I'm so sorry about last night - it was all my fault.

I forgot to call you. I'm sorry about that.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Feeling sadness, sympathy, or disappointment, especially because something unpleasant has happened or has been done.

I'm just sorry about all the trouble I've caused her.

I'm sorry (that) you had such a difficult trip.

We were both sorry to hear you've been sick again.

I feel so sorry for the children - it must be really hard for them.

To feel sad because you have a problem and you feel that it is not fair that you are suffering so much.

This guy snores all night. I feel sorry for his wife.

Stockpile

1. A large supply of some metal, chemical or which is kept ready for future use, during a shortage or a period of higher prices.

2. It is an intermediate point where ore or waste is stored to keep the process running in case there's a problem.

3. An accumulation of ore or mineral built up when demand slackens or when the treatment plant or beneficiation equipment is incomplete or temporarily unequal to handling the mine output. Any heap of material formed to create a reserve for loading or other purposes.

4. The ore accumulated at the surface when shipping is suspended.

5. Material dug and piled for future use.

Jewish

A member of a race of people whose traditional religion is Judaism.

New York has one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.

I don't blame you

I DON'T BLAME YOU (expression): Said in order to tell someone that you understand why they are doing something and that you agree with their reason for doing it.

Example:

I don't blame him for getting angry - she's behaving dreadfully.

I don't blame you for quiting the job. It was not worth the poor salary.

blame

To say or think that someone or something did something wrong or is responsible for something bad happening.

Don't blame me (= It is not my fault) if you miss the bus!

Robert blames his mother for his lack of confidence.

Robert blames his lack of confidence on his mother.

I blame myself for what happened.

lie down

To move into a position in which your body is flat, usually to sleep or to rest.

He lay down on the bed and tried to relax.

I'm so sleepy that I think I will lie down for a couple of hours.

disgusting

Extremely unpleasant or unacceptable. (pronunciation: dis'kastin)


It's disgusting that there are no schools or hospitals for these people.

Passengers were kept for hours in a disgusting waiting room.

His table manners are disgusting.

heartbeat

The regular movement or sound that the heart makes as it sends blood around your body.

A steady heartbeat.

My heart is beating for you.

drop-dead gorgeous

(informal) Extremely attractive.

He's not drop-dead gorgeous or anything, but he's quite nice.

gorgeous

Very beautiful or pleasant.

What a gorgeous dress!

The bride looked gorgeous.

The weather was so gorgeous.

We had a gorgeous view from our hotel.

He's in love with a gorgeous woman he met in Rome.

You look gorgeous in t-shirt.

eve

The period or day before an important event.

Mr Hurd was speaking to Arab journalists in London on the eve of his visit to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Christmas Eve: December 24th, the day before Christmas Day.

New Year's Eve: the last day of the year: Are you having a New Year's Eve party?

traffic jam

A large number of vehicles close together and unable to move or moving very slowly.

Roadworks have caused traffic jams throughout the city centre.

I was stuck in a traffic jam for an hour yesterday.

food, cooking

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: WATERMELON, PEACH, PARSLEY, CUCUMBER, CELERY

TABLE: UTENSILS, PLACEMAT, NAPKINS, FORK, SPOON, TEASPOON, STEAK KNIFE, TABLECLOTH

WAYS OF COOKING: ROASTED, BAKED, GRILLED, FRIED, BOILED

PARTS OF THE MENU: STARTERS, MAIN COURSE, DESSERTS

DISH: STEW

eat out

When you don't eat at home. To eat in a restaurant.

I always eat out on the weekends.

Would you like to eat ou tonight?

go by

GO BY (phrasal verb): Move fast, referred to space or time.

Examples:
You can watch the trains going by from this window.
You can't let an opportunity like that go by - it's too good to miss.
Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about her.

cut out

To stop eating or drinking something, to improve your health.

Since my heart attack, I've cut out fattening food.

The doctor told me to cut out coffee and fried food.

cut down on

To use something in smaller amounts.

The government has announced plans to cut down on defence spending by 10% next year.

I'm trying to cut down on caffeine.

Because of oil rising price, I'm going to have to cut down on a lot of things: clothes, drinks, etc.

When people cut down on tobacco, they often start eating too many sweets and put on weight.

So far so good

"SO FAR SO GOOD" (expression) Used to say that an activity has gone well until now.

Example:

"So how do you like your new job?"

"So far so good".

amazing

Extremely surprising.

This stain remover really works - it's amazing!

The new theatre is going to cost an amazing (= very large) amount of money.

(approving) This wine is really amazing (= very good).

It's amazing to think that the managing director is only 23.

It's amazing that no one else has applied for the job.

The amazing thing is that it was kept secret for so long.

What an amazing coincidence!

The Loving Husband

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker-function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen. MAN: "Hello" WOMAN: "Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?" MAN: "Yes" WOMAN: "I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $1,000. Is it OK if I buy it?" MAN: "Sure, ...go ahead if you like it that much." WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2008 models. I saw one I really liked." MAN: "How much?" WOMAN: "$60,000" MAN: "OK, but for that price I want it with all the options." WOMAN: "Great! Oh, and one more thing....the house we wanted last year is back on the market. They're asking $950,000." MAN: "Well, then go ahead and give them an offer, but just offer $900,000." WOMAN: "OK. I'll see you later! I love you!" MAN: "Bye, I love you, too." The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are looking at him in astonishment. Then he asks: "Anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

Throughput: tonnage/time

It's a rate indicating tonnage divided by an operating time unit.

Material going through a pipe from the primary crusher to the secondary crusher during a period of time. A scale weighs the material to know how much material is being crushed. This is recorded hourly by a computer.

Output relative to input. The amount passing through a system from input to output over a period of time.

When couples talk...

(from http://www.livinginperu.com/)

• A couple is lying in bed. The man says, "I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world." The woman says, "I'll miss you."
• "It's just too hot to wear clothes today," Jack says as he stepped out of the shower, "Honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?" "Probably that I married you for your money," she replied.
• He said - Since I first laid eyes on you, I've wanted to make love to you really badly. She said - Well, you succeeded.
• He said - Shall we try swapping positions tonight? She said - That's a good idea. You stand by the ironing board while I sit on the sofa and change channels.
• He said - What have you been doing with all the grocery money I gave you? She said - Turn sideways and look in the mirror.

Property in Cusco (Peru) triples in value after Machu Picchu named World Wonder

(From www.livinginperu.com)

By Israel J. Ruiz

The entire city of Cusco cheered and celebrated when it was announced that Machu Picchu had been chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.Since then, the city and its residents have been able to enjoy certain benefits, such as increased tourism and more investments in the area's infrastructure. Real estate in Cusco was also affected when the Inca Citadel was named a New Wonder of the World. The cost of property in Cusco city has doubled and in some cases tripled.For example, the spacious 40-room house that belongs to Carmen Rosa del Solar has been valued at $2 million. A fair price says the proud owner, considering it is located on Márquez Street in the historic center of Cusco. The house is approximately 1,000 square meters (10,763 square feet) and is used as an institute for teenagers preparing to apply to universities. Carmen Rosa has affirmed that it is the perfect place for companies wishing to build a hotel or a shopping center.She added that it was not likely that she would lower the price of the house per square meter, which is currently valued at $2,000.Carmen Rosa explained that the square meter (10 square feet) at Cusco's main square was valued at $4,000 per square meter.Since Machu Picchu was named a world wonder, the cost of real estate has doubled and even tripled, says Lily Quispe Charca, President of the Real Estate Agents Association in Cusco.

Comparative form: "er" or "more" .....

Definition

• We use -er for short words (1 syllable):
  

cheap / cheaper, large / larger , fast / faster, thin / thinner

• We also use -er for 2-syllable words ending in "y" (-y / -ier):
  

lucky / luckier, easy / easier, early / earlier, pretty / prettier

• We use more for longer words (2 syllables or more):

more modern, more serious, more expensive, more comfortable, more interesting

• Some irregular forms:
  

good /well...better, bad / badly...worse, far...farther

• We use more for adverbs ending in "ly":

more slowly, more seriously, more quietly, more carefully

• You can use -er or more with some 2-syllable adjectives such as:

quiet, clever, narrow, shallow, simple

Examples

Is it cheaper to go by car or by plain?

You're more patient than me.

Can you walk a bit faster?

The exam was more difficult than we expected.

I'd like to have a bigger car.

Can you walk a bit more slowly?

Last night I went to bed earlier than usual.

I'd like to have a more reliable car.

Exercises

Complete using a comparative form:

1. It's too noisy here. Can we go somewhere ........... ?
   
   
2. This coffee is very weak. I like it a bit ............



3. The hotel was surprisingly cheap. I expected to be ...................



4. The weather is too cold in this country. I'd like to live somewhere ................



5. My job is a bit boring sometimes. I'd like to do something ..................



6. I was surprised how easy it was to use this computer. I thought it would be ..................



7. Your work isn't very good. I'm sure you can do ..................



8. Don't worry. The situation isn't so bad. It could be .................



9. I was surprised we got here so quickly. I expected the trip to take ....................



10. You're talking very loudly. Can you speak a bit ..............?



11. You hardly ever call me. Why don't you call me ................?



12. You're standing too close to the camera. Can you move a bit ................. away?



13. You were a bit depressed yesterday but you look .................. today.

Complete using one of the following: big, interested, crowded, peaceful, simple, thin (use than if necessary)

1. You look .................. Have you lost weight?


2. I want a ............... apartment. We don't have enough space here.


3. There were a lot of people on the bus. It was .............. usual.


4. I like living in the countryside. It's ................. living in a city.


5. He doesn't study very hard. He's more ................ in having a good time.


6. The instructions were very complicated. They could have been ............
   

Think out of the box

(From http://www.canadaone.com/)

Exactly what is 'Thinking Outside the Box'?
By Ed Bernacki

A reason I often hear for the need for innovation training is to get "our team to think outside the box."

This may come from the person at the top who feels that the quality of solutions or ideas is not great. This stems from frustration. It also comes from people working in teams who feel that the contribution of others is not helping find new and original solutions to the challenges they face.
If you have ever been in this situation, you will know how hard it is to deal with. Perhaps it is best to start with what this term actually means.
I don't know of an official definition for "out of the box" thinking, but here is my perspective starting with "in the box" thinking.
Inside The BoxThinking inside the box means accepting the status quo. For example, Charles H. Duell, Director of the US Patent Office, said, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." That was in 1899: clearly he was in the box!
In-the-box thinkers find it difficult to recognize the quality of an idea. An idea is an idea. A solution is a solution. In fact, they can be quite pigheaded when it comes to valuing an idea. They rarely invest time to turn a mediocre solution into a great solution.
More importantly, in-the-box thinkers are skillful at killing ideas. They are masters of the creativity killer attitude such as "that'll never work" or "it's too risky." The best in-the-box thinkers are unaware that they drain the enthusiasm and passion of innovative thinkers while they kill their innovative ideas.
They also believe that every problem needs only one solution; therefore, finding more than one possible solution is a waste of time. They often say, "There is no time for creative solutions. We just need THE solution."
Even great creative people can become in-the-box thinkers when they stop trying. Apathy and indifference can turn an innovator into an in-the-box thinker.
In only one case is in-the-box thinking necessary. This comes from a cartoon: a man talks to his cat and points to the kitty litter box. He says, "Never ever think outside the box!"
Outside the BoxThinking outside the box requires different attributes that include:

Willingness to take new perspectives to day-to-day work.
Openness to do different things and to do things differently.
Focusing on the value of finding new ideas and acting on them.
Striving to create value in new ways.
Listening to others.
Supporting and respecting others when they come up with new ideas.

Out-of-the box thinking requires an openness to new ways of seeing the world and a willingness to explore. Out-of-the box thinkers know that new ideas need nurturing and support. They also know that having an idea is good but acting on it is more important. Results are what count.

Things are difficult before they're easy...

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

(From The New York Times...)


By JANET RAE-DUPREE
Published: May 4, 2008
HABITS are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative connotation.
So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.
Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.
But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.
“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider.’ ” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”
All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware, she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty, however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought. “This breaks the major rule in the American belief system — that anyone can do anything,” explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book “This Year I Will...” and Ms. Markova’s business partner. “That’s a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters mediocrity. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.”
This is where developing new habits comes in. If you’re an analytical or procedural thinker, you learn in different ways than someone who is inherently innovative or collaborative. Figure out what has worked for you when you’ve learned in the past, and you can draw your own map for developing additional skills and behaviors for the future.
“I apprentice myself to someone when I want to learn something new or develop a new habit,” Ms. Ryan says. “Other people read a book about it or take a course. If you have a pathway to learning, use it because that’s going to be easier than creating an entirely new pathway in your brain.”
Ms. Ryan and Ms. Markova have found what they call three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs.
“Getting into the stretch zone is good for you,” Ms. Ryan says in “This Year I Will... .” “It helps keep your brain healthy. It turns out that unless we continue to learn new things, which challenges our brains to create new pathways, they literally begin to atrophy, which may result in dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Continuously stretching ourselves will even help us lose weight, according to one study. Researchers who asked folks to do something different every day — listen to a new radio station, for instance — found that they lost and kept off weight. No one is sure why, but scientists speculate that getting out of routines makes us more aware in general.”
She recommends practicing a Japanese technique called kaizen, which calls for tiny, continuous improvements.
“Whenever we initiate change, even a positive one, we activate fear in our emotional brain,” Ms. Ryan notes in her book. “If the fear is big enough, the fight-or-flight response will go off and we’ll run from what we’re trying to do. The small steps in kaizen don’t set off fight or flight, but rather keep us in the thinking brain, where we have access to our creativity and playfulness.”
Simultaneously, take a look at how colleagues approach challenges, Ms. Markova suggests. We tend to believe that those who think the way we do are smarter than those who don’t. That can be fatal in business, particularly for executives who surround themselves with like-thinkers. If seniority and promotion are based on similarity to those at the top, chances are strong that the company lacks intellectual diversity.
“Try lacing your hands together,” Ms. Markova says. “You habitually do it one way. Now try doing it with the other thumb on top. Feels awkward, doesn’t it? That’s the valuable moment we call confusion, when we fuse the old with the new.”
AFTER the churn of confusion, she says, the brain begins organizing the new input, ultimately creating new synaptic connections if the process is repeated enough.
But if, during creation of that new habit, the “Great Decider” steps in to protest against taking the unfamiliar path, “you get convergence and we keep doing the same thing over and over again,” she says.
“You cannot have innovation,” she adds, “unless you are willing and able to move through the unknown and go from curiosity to wonder.”

Janet Rae-Dupree writes about science and emerging technology in Silicon Valley.

20,000 Jobs Lost as in 4th Month of Decline

(From The NewYork Times...)


By PETER S. GOODMAN and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: May 3, 2008

The American economy lost 20,000 jobs in April, the fourth consecutive month of decline, in what many economists took as powerful evidence that the United States is almost certainly now ensnared in a recession.
But the number of jobs reported lost by the Labor Department on Friday was significantly smaller than most analysts had predicted, and the unemployment rate nudged down to 5 percent, raising hopes that the economy may not suffer as severely as once feared.
“It strongly argues that this downturn will be mild and short- lived,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “As long as businesses hold the line on their layoffs, the economy will weaken, but it won’t unravel.”
On Wall Street, investors bought into that thinking, bidding stocks up sharply in morning trading before pulling back in the afternoon, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average up 0.4 percent for the day, to close at 13,058.40, a new high for 2008.
But economists emphasized that a substantial pullback in consumer spending could yet force American companies to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers in coming months if business prospects do not improve swiftly.
The Federal Reserve increased its direct lending to financial institutions on Friday, in an effort to overcome the banks’ reluctance to lend money.
Despite the comparatively modest number of jobs lost last month, economists found clear signs of widening distress for millions of American workers.
Companies are cutting working hours, even as many avoid layoffs. The number of people working part time because of slack business or because they could not find full-time work swelled to 5.2 million in April from 4.9 million in March. In percentage terms, employees working part time involuntarily were the most since 1995.
The average weekly pay for rank-and-file workers — about 80 percent of the American work force — has risen by a mere 3 percent over the last year, to $602.56. But that increase has failed to keep pace with the rise in the cost of living, driven primarily by the soaring costs of food and energy. In inflation-adjusted terms, these weekly wages have slipped by 1.3 percent since late 2006.
“The punch line is that you don’t have to lose your job to get pinched in a recession,” said Jared Bernstein, senior economist at the labor-oriented Economic Policy Institute in Washington. “Understandably we focus on layoffs and job losses, but most people keep their jobs in a recession. People who held their jobs are losing ground both in terms of hours and hourly wages.”
The number of people on non-farm payrolls was lower in April than six months earlier. Over the last half-century, every time employment has dipped in such fashion, the economy has proved to be either in a recession or just emerging from one.
A private research organization, the National Bureau of Economic Research, determines whether a downturn qualifies as a recession, which it defines as a “significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months.”
Several economists predicted the organization would eventually conclude that the nation entered a recession late last year or early this year, though the Commerce Department has reported overall economic activity has remained slightly positive.
“It’s kind of tough when you’ve got to tell your family that a lot of things are going to change and the things we’re used to are basically going to stop,” said Howard Dempsey, a worker at a Freightliner truck factory in Cleveland, N.C., who recently learned that he would lose his job next month, along with 1,500 other people — nearly half the work force.
“It’s hard to understand how all this happened so fast, when one day we’re building 200 trucks a day and the next day we’re down to 100,” he said.
Mr. Dempsey has worked at the plant for almost a decade and is paid $22.30 an hour, plus health insurance and other benefits. Those wages allowed him to buy a house, and plan for college for his two teenage daughters, both well-accustomed to shopping as a pastime.
“Now it’s going to be window- shopping,” Mr. Dempsey said. “We’ve got to rethink college and see how we’re going to pay for that.”
The layoffs at the Freightliner plant illustrate how troubles that began in real estate have filtered through the economy. As commerce has slowed in recent months, so has growth in over-the-road shipping, and so have orders for trucks.
“Tragically, there’s no indication from our primary customers that there’s going to be a change in their demand in the foreseeable future,” said Chris Patterson, president and chief executive of Daimler Trucks North America, which owns the Freightliner plant.
With oil prices above $115 a barrel, any business connected to fuel consumption is increasingly vulnerable. This week, in Central Point, Ore., Erickson Air-Crane, which makes helicopters for commercial use, laid off 35 production and support workers, with wages ranging from $12.75 to $38.19 an hour.
Over all, 46,000 manufacturing workers were laid off last month, and 326,000 such positions have been lost over the last year, the Labor Department reported. Construction remained the focus of contraction, losing 61,000 jobs. Retailers eliminated 26,800 jobs.
Health care continued to be a rare bright spot, adding nearly 37,000 jobs. Restaurants and bars added 18,000 jobs. Professional and business services, which includes accountants, architects and management consultants, added 39,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate, a source of some reassurance, is a flawed gauge: It is based on a survey of households and includes self-employed people, but it does not count people who have given up looking for work. These so-called discouraged workers swelled to 412,000 in April from 399,000 a year earlier.
In total, the household survey offered a counterpoint to the rest of the report, finding a net increase of 362,000 people employed in April.
Economists cautioned that the household survey is notoriously volatile from month to month. Over the last year, it has shown significant declines in those working. The relatively small number of job losses in April may support a theory that the current downturn will bring relatively few layoffs because hiring in recent years has been weak, leaving many companies lean.
“Companies are finding ways to cut their costs other than cutting lots of workers,” said Ed McKelvey, a senior economist at Goldman Sachs.
In Columbus, Neb., orders at Behlen Manufacturing Company for its pre-engineered metal buildings have slowed. So far, the company, which employs 1,100 people, has avoided layoffs, Tony Raimondo, the chairman, said.
Behlen plans to build up inventory and perhaps shift workers into busier areas, like building grain silos, while waiting for better days, he said. But if trends continue, about 50 workers would be vulnerable.
“We’re on the bubble,” Mr. Raimondo said. “The odds are against us that we will get through the summer without layoffs.”