Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday Bilingual News


Dear Friends:

Hello! Welcome to a new issue of the Sunday Bilingual News! The weather doesn't look great in Florida, but we have to feel glad because we don't have snow. The countries of North Europe and the northern states of the United States suffer very heavy snow storms that block routes and create problems for the drivers of cars, trucks and also trains.

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a nuevo número del Sunday Bilingual News! El tiempo no luce magnífico en la Florida, pero tenemos que sentirnos contentos porque no tenemos nieve. Los países del Norte de Europa y los estados norteños de los Estados Unidos sufren muy pesadas tormentas de nieve que bloquean rutas y crean problemas a los conductores de automóviles, camiones y también a trenes.

Here in the United States, the last week was very strong in political and economic issues, but very weak for the stocks of Wall Street. January was the worst month since February 2009 for the major indexes of the New York markets.

Aquí en los Estados Unidos, la última semana fue muy fuerte en asuntos políticos y económicos, pero muy floja para las acciones de Wall Street. Enero fue el peor mes desde febrero del 2009 para los principales índices de los mercados de Nueva York.

On Wednesday January 27, Apple introduced iPad. It is not a a new feminine product. It is a new digital tablet that looks as an overgrown iPod Touch with features from the iPhones and functions of the electronic books such as Kindle and others.

El miércoles 27 de enero, Apple introdujo iPad. No es un nuevo producto femenino. Es un nuevo tablero digital que luce como un iPod Touch sobrecrecido con características de los iPhones y funciones de los libros electrónicos tales como el Kindle y otros.

Another important subject of the week was the Toyota recall of a huge number of cars in the United States, Europe, and China for brake and gas pedal problems.

Otro asunto importante de la semana fue el aviso de Toyota a un muy grande número de automóviles en los Estados Unidos, Europa, y China por problemas de frenos y aceleradores.

In addition, the global economic elite and world celebrities are attending to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. By the way, somebody in the Swiss Alps said, if we want to solve the economic problems, we have to kill all the bankers.

Además, la élite económica mundial y celebridades del mundo están participando del Foro Mundial Económico en Davos, Suiza. De paso, alguien en los Alpes Suizos dijo, si queremos resolver los problemas económicos, tenemos que matar a todos los banqueros.

Do you have more news to share with the members of the Spanish-English Club? Haiti? Iraq? Afghanistan? The financial reports of many companies that reported their revenues and net profits during the last few days (Apple, Amazon.com, Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft...)? We have some more very interesting news.

¿Tienen más noticias para compartir con los miembros del Spanish-English Club? ¿Haití? ¿Iráq? ¿Afganistán? ¿Los informes financieros de muchas compañías que publicaron sus ventas e ingresos netos durante los últimos días (Apple, Amazon.com, Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft...)? Nosotros tenemos más noticias muy interesantes.

Electric cars without sacrifices

Automóviles eléctricos sin sacrificios

Tesla Motors announced that it has filled a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock on Wall Street. This is a young American company that designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance fully electric vehicles with advanced levels of technology. Its first production car - Tesla Roadster - goes more than 200 miles (380 km) on a single charge. Daimler from Germany, father of the famous Mercedes Benz, invested $50 million last May 2009 and it is a strategic partner of Tesla Motors.

Tesla Motors anunció que llenó la declaración de registración con el Securities and Exchange Commision para propuesta oferta inicial de su acción común en Wall Street. Esta joven compañía americana diseña, fabrica y vende vehículos totalmente eléctricos de alto rendimiento con avanzados niveles de tecnología. Su primer automóvil de producción - Tesla Roadster - anda más de 200 millas (380 kms) con una simple carga. Daimler de Alemania, el padre del famoso Mercedez Benz, invirtió 50 millones de dólares en mayo del 2009 y es un socio estratégico de Tesla Motors.

The people from Tesla Motors has the belief that an electric car need not be a driving sacrifice. They say: "We have brought the best of the automotive and technology worlds together to permanently bury the image of an electric car as a step backwards in performance, efficiency, or design". And they think the best definition of automobile is freedom of motion.

La gente de Tesla Motors tiene la creencia que un automóvil eléctrico no necesariamente es un sacrificio de manejo. Ellos dicen: "Nosotros trajimos lo mejor de los mundos de los automóviles y la tecnología juntos para permanentemente enterrar la imagen de un automóvil eléctrico como un paso atrás en rendimiento, eficiencia, y diseño." Y ellos piensan que la mejor definición de automóvil es libertad de movimiento.

Today also, we would like to recommend a visit to the sections of COMMENTS of the previous Sunday Bilingual News, particularly the last about China versus Ms Clinton, or the previous one connected with the Haiti's earthquake. You will enjoy very good comments and opinions from other members of the Club. Remember, you can write your own comments answering your friends and the opinions of other members of the Club.

Hoy también quisieramos recomendar una visita a las secciones de COMMENTS de los anteriores Sunday Bilingual News, particularmente al último acerca de China contra la Señora Clinton, o el previo conectado con el terremoto de Haití. Ustedes disfrutarán muy buenos comentarios y opiniones de otros miembros del Club. Recuerden que ustedes pueden escribir sus propios comentarios respondiendo a sus amigos o a las opiniones de otros miembros del Club.

All the best,

Domingo
Dr. Domingo A. Trassens
Always, my virtual doors are opened for you at my e-mail:
and the virtual address of the Club

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:

- banker, bankers = banquero, banqueros
- brake = freno
- belief = creencia
- bury = enterrar
- car = auto, automovil, carro, coche, vehículo
- celebrities = celebridades
- digital tablet = tablero digital
- electric car = automóvil eléctrico, vehículo eléctrico
- elite = élite, elite (In Spanish it is possible to write with physical accent adn without physical accent).
- features = características
- forum = foro
- gas pedal = acelerador
- huge = enorme, muy grande
- index, indexes = índice, índices
- kill = matar
- overgrown = sobrecrecido, crecido en exceso
- recall = llamada, aviso
- somebody = alguien
- solve = resolver, solucionar
- stock, stocks = acción, acciones
- strong = fuerte
- tablet = tablero
- weak = flojo, floja, débil

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MEMBERS AND LIBRARY CORNER

Thanks Anne, Bev, Bob, Carl, Dan, Erika, Gaby, Jenny, John, Judy, Marcelo, Mary, Paul, Patty, Pierre, Rich, Stephen, Suzanne, Tom for your comments and interaction.

Would you like an electric car without a driving sacrifice? ¿Le gustaría un automóvil eléctrico sin sacrificos de manejo?
(We publish this picture by courtesy of Tesla Motors).

23 comments:

Anne said...

This car looks fabulous. I want one! Este automovil luce fabuloso. Yo quiero uno! Anne

Anonymous said...

I don't have any appetite for killing all the bankers (and their lawyer friends) but I would like to see them put to some humbling real work, like flipping burgers or sweeping streets or working in a car wash, cleaning the new Tesla. Carl

Jenny said...

Carl, Your observation is terrific. We have to push the bankers into the mess of the real world. Congratulations! Jenny

Erika said...

Every issue of Sunday Bilingual News is a new deep analysis of present-day subjects. With you, we don't need to watch TV news. Erika

Suzanne said...

About the World Economic Forum in Davos, the people is angry with the greed of the bankers everywhere. Suzanne

John said...

Bankers don't have feelings for the people. They only think how make more money. Los banqueros no sienten nada por la gente. Ellos solamente piensan como hacer mas dinero. John

Marcelo said...

Es cierto. Cuando vamos al banco a pedir dinero, antes de mirarnos la cara, miran nuestro bolsillo. Si no tenemos nada en el bolsillo, pues no nos dan nada de dinero. Marcelo

Antony said...

Personally, I think the rich people and owners of companies, including the bankers, have to realize that in end, all will lose if the economy doesn't recover soon. Every time an ecoystem crashes, the first who die are the weakest members of the system, but after that also the big dinosaurs die too. You don't need to be very smart to understand this rule of the economy. Thanks Antony

Dan said...

All of you, Antony, Carl... are right. We really don't want to kill the bankers, but everybody has to think a little similar to Antony. When the collapse is huge also the big dinosaurs and the young brilliant celebrities of the finance and banks fall. This happened a lot of times across the History of the last century. Also this happened in Germany before Hitler...But the world is full of rich people and powerful leaders that only see two inches from their eyes. Dan

Lora said...

Today all are talking about the bankers. Why do you not enjoy driving a little this beautiful electric car? At least in the imagination. Al menos en la imaginacion. What do you think? Que piensan ustedes? Lora

Patty said...

I like this car, but for me it is enough to drive my Mercedes 1997. Patty

Rich said...

From me, it is enough to drive my old Lincoln. I am happy that I never bought a Toyota. Rich

Tom said...

Rich, good for you that you didn't buy a Toyota. I am very upset with all the problems of the recall, the time I will lose, and the uncertainty... Sometimes, when you go to the doctor, you are healthy.. and after the visit you die two months later. Tom

Jose said...

I am another victim of Toyota. Yo soy otra victima de Toyota. Jose

Carol said...

I am happy because I am a Toyota's customer but I drive an old Corolla. No recall! No problems! It is an old car but it always drives me everywhere. Carol

Stephanie said...

Changing the subject, I don't like the name of the new digital tablet from Apple (iPad). This is not a name for a computer. Stephanie

Marc said...

For me, the name is not the most important issue. We have see iPad when it comes to the market. Till now, Apple was succeeded with iPod and iPhone, but now there are more good competitors. Marc

February 4, 2010 3:06 PM

Stephen said...

I think the iPad will be great, but I prefer the functions of phone, computer, and e-books in different devices. Stephen

George said...

My case is different. I cannot have 3 or 4 devices: a music player, a phone, a computer... I like the idea to integrate all the functions in only one, like iPad. George

Judy said...

Till now I don't have opinion about iPad of Apple. I would like to know more about this device... Thank you. Judy

Anonymous said...

Los miembros del Spanish Club podrían haber ayudado a estas personas de Apple en la designación del nuevo dispositivo, si sólo se les habían pedido.
Conozco algunas personas que piensan que 'caral' y 'carol' significan lo mismo. Para ellos, el iPod y iPad serán lo mismo, también.
¿Nos estamos quedando sin palabras?

The members of the Spanish Club could have assisted these people from Apple in the naming of the new device, if only they had asked.
I know people who think 'caral' is the same as 'carol'. To them iPod and iPad will be the same.
Are we running out of words?

B

Fred said...

I don't know who is "B", but he/she made a very good comment. After iPod, the name iPad looks more of the same. Fred

Suzanne said...

We received your pre-Sunday Bilingual News of today Feb 7. You always have new subjects. Thanks
Suzanne