Sunday, January 17, 2010

Sunday Bilingual News


Dear Friends:

Hello! Welcome to a new Sunday Bilingual News! 2010 didn't begin with early vacations. The second week of January was particularly intense with a mosaic of news of different colors and signs. Did you read the newspapers or watch TV?

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a un nuevo Sunday Bilingual News! 2010 no comenzó con vacaciones tempranas. La segunda semana de enero fue particularmente intensa con un mosaico de noticias de diferentes colores y signos. ¿Leyeron los diarios o miraron televisión?

The week began with a good subject. In Detroit, Michigan, the North American International Auto Show 2010 opened its door in the Cobo Center with the enthusiasm of car makers who are pushing a lot of initiatives to rebuild their business. Ford said it is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on its electric vehicle plan and creating 1,000 new jobs. Other manufacturers are working in the development of hybrid cars. Everybody thinks green technologies are the future for the automobile.

La semana comenzó con un buen tema. En Detroit, Michigan, el North American International Auto Show 2010 abrió sus puertas en el Centro de Convenciones Cobo con el entusiasmo de los fabricantes de automóviles quienes están empujando muchas iniciativas para reconstruir sus negocios. Ford dijo que está invirtiendo cientos de millones de dólares en su plan del vehículo eléctrico y creando 1.000 nuevas posiciones de trabajo. Otros fabricantes están trabajando en el desarrollo de automóviles híbridos. Todos piensan que las tecnologías verdes son el futuro del automóvil.

But on Tuesday January 12, the Haiti's earthquake shocked all the people who know about the series of dramas this country lived through its history, in particular since the dictatorship period of the Duvalier era.

Pero el martes 12 de enero, el terremoto de Haití conmovió a toda la gente que conoce acerca de la serie de dramas este país vivió a través de su historia, en particular desde el período de dictadura de la era Duvalier.

Also the week, President Obama announced his plan to tax big banks of the country. The news produced negative reactions in the financial sector.

También en la semana, el Presidente Obama anunció su plan de gravar con impuestos a los grandes bancos del país. La noticia produjo reacciones negativas en el sector financiero.

The US companies that closed their last financial quarter on December 2009 began this week to inform Wall Street analysts and investors their revenues and net incomes. On Thursday January 14, Intel Corporation, semiconductor leader of PC microprocessors, posted a net income up 875% compared year over year and also its revenues grew compared with the same period of 2008. Elsewhere, Gartner Group published its study of PCs shipped worldwide and domestically during October-December 2009 with a growth of 22.10% of unit shipments across the world compared with the fourth quarter of 2008. Both reports showed the technology industry began its recovery after a big decline during the second half of 2008 and the beginning of 2009.

Las compañías de los Estados Unidos que cierran su trimestre financiero en diciembre del 2009 comenzaron esta semana a informar a los analistas e inversores de Wall Street sus ventas e ingresos netos. El jueves 14 de enero, Intel Corporation, líder de semiconductores de los microprocesadores para PCs, informó que sus ingresos netos subieron 875% comparados año tras año y que también sus ventas crecieron comparadas con el mismo período del 2008. Por otro lado, Gartner Group publicó su estudio de PCs despachados a nivel mundial y nacional durante octubre-diciembre 2009 con un crecimiento de 22,10% en las unidades despachadas a través del mundo en comparación con el cuarto trimestre 2008. Ambos informes mostraron que la industria de la tecnología comenzó su recupero después de una gran declinación durante la segunda mitad del 2008 y comienzos del 2009.

In Massachusetts, a special election to fill the Senator Edward Kennedy's seat created a lot of political comments and expectations. On Tuesday, this state will vote for their new Senator since Kennedy died on August 25, 2009.

En Massachusetts, una elección especial que ocupará el asiento del Senador Edward Kennedy creó muchos comentarios políticos y expectativas. El martes, este estado votará por su nuevo Senador desde que Kennedy murió el 25 de agosto del 2009.

From your point of view, what was the main subject of the last few days? We think the new Haiti's tragedy is something to rethink why a 7.0-magnitude earthquake with the epicenter 16 miles offshore west Port-au-Prince devastated the country in one level that is more than pathetic. On 1989, an earthquake of similar magnitude in the area of San Francisco, California only killed sixty-three people.

Desde vuestro punto de vista, ¿cuál fue el principal tema de los últimos días? Nosotros pensamos que la nueva tragedia de Haití es algo para repensar porqué un terremoto de 7.0 de magnitud con epicentro a 16 millas fuera de la costa al oeste de Puerto Príncipe devastó el país en una nivel que es más que patético. En 1989, un terremoto de similar magnitud en el área de San Francisco, California, sólo mató a 63 personas.


Behind the Rubble of Haiti

Detrás de los escombros de Haití

We have to observe the rubble of the Haitian's earthquake why also the government and hospital buildings collapsed. This drama requires a deep analysis from different perspectives: social, political, economical, and also from the side of the health care systems of the capital of Haiti, its security, and the construction of the city in an mountainous area without the right building codes.

Nosotros tenemos que observar los escombros del terremoto haitiano porque también los edificios del gobierno y hospitales se derrumbaron. Este drama requiere un profundo análisis desde diferentes perspectivas: social, política, económica, y también desde el lado de los sistemas de salud de la capital de Haití, de su seguridad, y de la construcción de la ciudad en un área montañosa sin códigos de edificación adecuados.

In summary, the Haitian drama is not only corpses and wounded everywhere, and buildings destroyed. It is more. It is an extreme poverty. It is the negligence of its leaders from generations to generations. It is a history of violence and natural catastrophes. It is the lack of dignity for human beings in a scale without comparison in the western hemisphere.

En resumen, el drama haitiano no es sólo cadáveres y heridos por todas partes, y edificios destruidos. Es mucho más. Es una extrema pobreza. Es la negligencia de sus líderes por generaciones de generaciones. Es una historia catástrofes naturales. Es la falta de dignidad para seres humanos en una escala que no tiene comparación en el hemisferio occidental.

We have to lift all the rubble of this country in ruin and try to count how many children for decades and decades cried while starving, how many women suffered rape, how many gangs killed each other for food, fun, or perversion, how many politicians turned their heads to the wrong side for corruption or incompetence, or only very low ambitions.

Nosotros tenemos que levantar todos los escombros de este país en ruina, y tratar de contar cuántos chicos por décadas y décadas lloraron mientras pasaban hambre; cuántas mujeres sufrieron violación; cuántas pandillas se mataron los unos a los otros por comida, diversión , o perversión; cuántos políticos dieron vuelta sus cabezas para el lado equivocado por corrupción o incompetencia, o solo por muy bajas ambiciones.

Definitively, Haiti is a drama in a dimension that hit all of us, to all the members of the western hemisphere because despite the efforts of its own citizens and other countries, every time the natural disasters produced additional collapses, the emergencies didn't give the government the intelligence to see behind the scene for the required and needed solutions.

Definitivamente, Haití es un drama en una dimensión que nos golpea a todos nosotros, a todos los miembros del hemisferio occidental porque a pesar de los esfuerzos de sus propios ciudadanos y de otros países, cada vez que los desastres naturales produjeron adicionales colapsos, las emergencias no dieron al gobierno la inteligencia para ver detrás de la escena por las soluciones requeridas y necesitadas.

All the best,

Domingo

Dr. Domingo A. Trassens Always,
my virtual doors are opened for you at my e-mail:
trassens-domingo.alberto@att.net
and the virtual address of the Club
http://spaengclub.blogspot.com


Questions - Preguntas:

1. Could you like to describe the worst news for the last week from your point of view?
1. ¿Podría describir cuál fue la peor noticia de la última semana desde vuestro punto de vista?

2. And what was the best news from the last week?
2. ¿Y cuál fue la mejor noticia de la última semana?

Vocabulary - Vocabulario:


- code, codes = código, codigos
- corpse = cadáver
- dictatorship = dictadura
- disaster = desastre
- earthquake = terremoto
- gang = pandilla, banda
- hemisphere = hemisferio (In Spanish the "h" always is silent)
- incompetence = incompetencia
- lack = falta
- poverty = pobreza
- rubble = escombros
- ruin =
ruina, ruinas

- starving = pasando hambre
- tax = gravar con impuesto

- Haiti = Haití ) (In Spanish, physical accent in the first "í")

- Haitian = haitiano, haitiana, haitianos, haitianos
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MEMBERS AND LIBRARY CORNER

Thanks Anne, Antony, Bev, Bob, Carl, Dan, Donna, George, Erika, Jim, Joseph, Marcelo, Mary, Patty, Rich, Susy, Suzanne, Tom for your comments and interaction.





This is northwest peninsula of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave. It is possible to see the ground is mountainous. The earthquake's epicenter was in the southwest of the Gulf of Gonave. Haiti is a mountainous country with small plains. The image is courtesy of NASA from the CIA's database.

15 comments:

Erika said...

I agree with the focus of the analysis. We have to see behind the rubble of the Haitian earthquake. Estoy de acuerdo con el foco del analisis. Nosotros tenemos que mirar por detras del terremoto haitiano. Erika

Marcelo said...

Haiti es un pais con problemas muy serios. Haiti is a country with very serious problems. Marcelo

Donna said...

I agree the Haiti drama has a long history. Estoy de acuerdo, el drama de Haiti tiene una larga historia. Donna

Dan said...

But do you believe the donations of today will really solve the Haitian problems? Dan

Fred said...

I think we have to help the people of Haiti but I am skeptical about the donations. Fred

Jim said...

Okay, and how we can help? We cannot change the mentality of the Haitian politicians. This is very difficult job. Jim

Tom said...

I prefer to talk about cars. All the people are talking about Haiti. I read this year the Auto Show in Detroit showed an important change in the trends of the industry. Everybody is engaged in research new technologies. Tom

Susy said...

The trends of the automobile industry are changing, but if our salaries continue low we will see the new cars only in the car dealers from outside. Susy

Suzanne said...

When I share my food or my things with somebody who needs food or assistance I don't think two times, directly I act... Suzanne

Mary said...

This is not the first time the international community is helping Haiti. Where are the dollars they received before? How they used all the money they received in different opportunities? Why also the majority of government buildings collapsed too? Something is wrong in this country. The problem is more than earthquakes and hurricanes. Mary

Mary said...

Chaos is something familiar to the history of Haiti. Caos es algo familiar con la historia de Haiti. No surprise! No sorpresa! Mary

George said...

If Haitians want our help, they have to help us to help them. George

Marcelo said...

The news from Haiti are better than before. Las noticias desde Haiti son mejores que antes. Marcelo

Suzanne said...

Last week the most important news was terrible bad. Do we have a good news for this Sunday? Suzanne

Carol said...

I feel sorry for the Haitians but this drama is a new excuse to make other businesses. In the Church, school, supemarket, and also in my apartment building different organizations come asking for money and money... Carol