Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sunday Bilingual News


Dear Friends:

Hello! Welcome to the Sunday Bilingual News, weekly communication from the Spanish-English Club!

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos al Sunday Bilingual News, comunicación semanal del Spanish-English Club!

We are advancing across the second half of March 2010. The springtime has begun in the northern hemisphere and the fall in the south below the Equator.

Nosotros estamos avanzando a través de la segunda parte de marzo del 2010. La primavera ha comenzado en el hemisferio norte y el otoño en el sur debajo del Ecuador.

Every year, March is an important month because it is one of the key inflection points of the year. On March 31, a lot of companies end their first financial quarter of the year. Also in the northern hemisphere wild life begins to wake up. The days are longer than from December to February. Frequently, it is possible to see flowers and new green in parks and streets, despite till now the snow continues in the Rocky Mountains and other places of the northern regions.

Cada año, marzo es un importante mes porque es uno de los puntos de inflexión del año. El 31 de marzo, muchas compañías finalizan su primer trimestre financiero del año. También en el hemisferio norte, la vida silvestre comienza a despertar. Los días son más largos que desde diciembre a febrero. Frecuentemente, es posible ver flores y nuevo verde en parques y calles, a pesar que hasta ahora la nieve continúa en las Montañas Rocosas y en otros lugares de las regiones del norte.

In particular, the current March looks very complex in the political arena. During the last few days, we heard thousands of debates about the health care bill. A lot of external observers don’t understand the “process” - also many Americans - how the Congress will decide the future of health of the citizens of the country. We are learning the concepts and definitions about democracy we studied in school match little with reality.

En particular, el actual mes de marzo luce muy complejo en la arena política. Durante los últimos días, hemos escuchamos miles de debates acerca del proyecto de ley de salud. Muchos observadores externos no entienden el “proceso”, además numerosos americanos no comprenden como el Congreso decidirá sobre el futuro de la salud de los ciudadanos del país. Estamos aprendiendo que los conceptos y definiciones acerca de democracia que estudiamos en la escuela coinciden poco con la realidad.

Elsewhere, Intel Corporation announced the Science Talent Search 2010 Awards that every year the semiconductor maker gives to high-school students, one of most prestigious pre-college science competition in the country. The jury for the competition honored Erika DeBenedictis, 18, from Albuquerque, New Mexico with the top award of $100,000 for her project developing a software navigation system to help improve spacecraft travel through the solar system.

En otra orden, Intel Corporation anunció los Premios de Búsqueda de Talentos 2010 que cada año el fabricante de semiconductores da a estudiantes de la escuela secundaria, una de las competencias de ciencia más prestigiosas del país en el nivel anterior al colegio (o universidad). El jurado de la competencia honró a Erika DeBenedictis, de 18 años de edad, de Albuquerque, Nuevo México, con el premio mayor de $100.000 por su proyecto de desarrollo de la programación de un sistema de navegación para ayudar a mejorar los viajes de naves espaciales a través del sistema solar.

Like previous years, an important group of the winners of the Intel Science competition organized by Intel Foundation and the Society for Science & Public were American students who are children of immigrants from Asia: David Liu, Linda Zhou, Alice Wei Zhao, Lori Ying, Angela Yu-Yun Yeung, Lynnelle Lin Ye, Kevin Young Xu, Benjamin Chang Sun, Jane Yoonhae Suh, Katheryn Cheng Shi, Sunanda Sharma, Sarine Gayaneh Shahmirian, Arjun Ranganath Puranik, Raman Venkat Nelakant, Paul Masih Das, David Chienyun Liu, Elisa Bisi Lin, Yifan Li, Lanair Amaad Lett, Ruoyi Jiang, Otana Agape Jakpor, Peter Danming Hu, Yale Wang Fan, Yuval Yaacov Calev, Levent Alpoge, and more. What do you think about this point? While children from American families frequently complain because they think the school-work is hard, children of immigrants accept the hard work to grow in knowledge and future.

Como años previos, un importante grupo de los ganadores de la competencia de Intel Ciencia organizada por la Fundación Intel y la Sociedad para la Ciencia y el Público fueron estudiantes americanos que son hijos de inmigrantes del Asia: David Liu, Linda Zhou, Alice Wei Zhao, Lori Ying, Angela Yu-Yun Yeung, Lynnelle Lin Ye, Kevin Young Xu, Benjamin Chang Sun, Jane Yoonhae Suh, Katheryn Cheng Shi, Sunanda Sharma, Sarine Gayaneh Shahmirian, Arjun Ranganath Puranik, Raman Venkat Nelakant, Paul Masih Das, David Chienyun Liu, Elisa Bisi Lin, Yifan Li, Lanair Amaad Lett, Ruoyi Jiang, Otana Agape Jakpor, Peter Danming Hu, Yale Wang Fan, Yuval Yaacov Calev, Levent Alpoge, John Vincenzo Capodilupo, y más. ¿Qué piensan acerca de este punto? Mientras hijos de familias americanas frecuentemente piensan que el trabajo de la escuela es duro, hijos de inmigrantes aceptan el trabajo duro para crecer en conocimiento y futuro.

Wall Street’ markets closed Friday session with the most important indexes in negative territory. But for the week, Dow Jones Industrials Average, Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500, and NYSE Composite ended slightly higher than a week ago. Dow Jones Industrial advanced 1.10% during the five days of the week to close at 10,741.98 points. Nasdaq Composite gained 0.29% to end at 2,374.41 in the same period.

Los mercados de Wall Street cerraron la sesión del viernes con los índices más importantes en territorio negativo. Pero por la semana, Dow Jones Industrials Average, Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500, y NYSE Composite finalizaron ligeramente más alto que una semana atrás. Dow Jones Industrials avanzó 1,10% durante los cinco días de la semana para cerrar en 10.741,98 puntos. Nasdaq Composite ganó 0,29% para terminar en 2.374,41 en el mismo período.

Please, we would like you to also share your news and comments. From your point of view, what were the most important subjects from the last few days?

Por favor, nosotros desearíamos que ustedes también compartan vuestras noticias y comentarios. Desde vuestro punto de vista, ¿cuál es la mejor noticia de los últimos días? ¿Y cuál es el peor tema de toda la semana?

Toads walking to their love ponds
Sapos caminando hacia sus charcas del amor

Today we have some pictures published by a German newspaper a week ago about the toads that walk to their love ponds during the month of March, in the beginning of the springtime. These pictures show toads from different parts of the world, but the most surprising is a march of toads across a Chinese road walking to a nearby pond to breed.

Hoy tenemos algunas fotografías publicadas por un diario alemán una semana atrás acerca de los sapos que caminan a sus charcas del amor durante el mes de marzo, en el comienzo de la primavera. Estas fotos muestran sapos de diferentes partes del mundo, pero lo más sorprendente es una marcha de sapos a través de un camino chino caminando hacia la charca cercana para procrear.

According to the writer of the article, this phenomenon it is not exclusive for China, despite the current invasions of Chinese toads crossing the roads are higher than in many other regions. The German paper says some countries close their roads to allow the safe passage of the toads during their breeding period.

De acuerdo con el escritor del artículo, este fenómeno no es exclusivo de la China, a pesar que las actuales invasiones de sapos chinos cruzando caminos es mayor que en muchas otras regiones. El diario alemán dice que algunos países cierran sus rutas para permitir un pasaje seguro de los sapos durante su período de procreación.

The picture from China shows bicycles and cars driving in between the toads and of course, killing a lot of these animals. The journalist comments that during the last few years the invasions of toads in China on March are increasing maybe as consequence of the earthquake that hit some territories of this country two years ago.

La fotografía de la China muestra bicicletas y automóviles manejando entre los sapos y por supuesto, matando a muchos de estos animales. El periodista comenta que durante los últimos años, las invasiones de sapos en la China en marzo se han incrementado quizás como consecuencia del terremoto que golpeó algunos territorios de este país dos años atrás.

We have to remember the toad is a batrachian, one of the members of the species of vertebrate amphibians without tail, but with cold blood. The toad has similar appearances to the frog, but toads walk on their feet where frogs jump. Also, the toads normally live in dry habitats except when they are in their breeding period.

Tenemos que recordar que el sapo es un batracio, uno de los miembros de los animales de especies de vertebrados anfibios sin cola, pero con sangre fría. El sapo tiene algunas apariencias de las ranas, pero los sapos caminan sobre sus pies donde las ranas saltan. También, los sapos normalmente viven en lugares secos excepto cuando ellos están en su período de procreación.

Toads are generally secretive animals but they come out in mass during the mating period to find breeding ponds, which are often the same ponds in which they were spawned.

Los sapos son generalmente animales sigilosos pero ellos salen en masa durante el período del aparejamiento para encontrar charcas de procreación, las cuales a menudo son las mismas charcas que ellos usan para desovar.

Both males and females travel long distances from their habitat to find each other. After they arrive at the water pond or lake, the males establish their territories in the freshwater areas by calling to other males to let them know to stay away. Depending upon appropriate water temperature the female releases her eggs in the water where the male then releases its sperm to fertilize.

Ambos, machos y hembras viajan largas distancias desde sus hábitat para encontrarse uno con el otro. Después que ellos llegan a la charca de agua o lago, los machos establecen sus territorios en áreas de agua fresca llamando a los otros machos para dejarles conocer a ellos que deben estar afuera de esas áreas. Dependiendo de la temperatura apropiada del agua, las hembras liberan sus huevos en el agua donde el macho libera su esperma para fertilizar.

In summary, this series of pictures and comments we found in the German newspaper help us to remember every March a lot of things happen that are not news for the people of the big cities because they are distant from nature. By the way, during the time we were living in the Rocky Mountains region we learned that springtime is definitively the wake up time for the wild life and it is a very important period of the biological cycle of animals and plants.

En resumen, esta serie de fotografías y comentarios que hemos encontrado en el diario alemán nos ayudan a remarcar que cada marzo muchas cosas pasan que no son noticias para la gente de las grandes ciudades porque ellos están distantes de la naturaleza. A propósito, durante el tiempo que nosotros estuvimos viviendo la región de las Montañas Rocosas aprendimos que la primavera es definitivamente el despertar de la vida silvestre y es un muy importante período de ciclo biológico de animales y plantas.

Have a nice week!


Domingo,

Dr. Domingo A. Trassens
My virtual doors always are opened for you
at my e-mail:
trassens-domingo.alberto@att.netAnd through the virtual address of the Club
http://spaengclub.blogspot.com


Questions - Preguntas:

1. From your point of view: What was the worst subject for the last week?
1. Desde vuestro punto de vista, ¿cuál fue la peor noticia de la última semana?

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


Vocabulary - Vocabulario:

- amphibian =
anfibio
- award = premio

- batrachian = batracio
- bill = proyecto de ley
- biological = biológico

- blood = sangre
- breed = reproducirse, procrear
- breeding = procreación

- citizens = ciudadanos
- competition = competencia, concurso

- democracy = democracia
- egg, eggs = huevo, huevos

- female = hembra
- frog = rana
- health = salud
- honor = honrar
- immigrant = inmigrante (In Spanish, the first “m” is change for a “n”)
- jump =
saltar
- march = marcha, marchar
- march, marches = marcha, marchas
- mate = macho

- mating = aparejamiento
- mating call = llamada del macho
- nature = naturaleza

- pond = charca, estanque
- process = proceso
- science = ciencia
- spacecraft = nave espacial

- software = programa, programación, software
- spawn = desovar, frezar, huevas
- sperm = esperma

- system = sistema
- tail = cola
- talent = talento
- toad = sapo
- vertebrate = vertebrado
- wild = silvestre
- winner = ganador, ganadora

- Americanos =
americanos, norteamericanos, estadounidenses
- Asia = Asia
- Chinese = chino, chinos, china, chinas
- China = China
- Germany = Alemania
- German = alemán, alemana

- March = marzo

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MEMBERS AND LIBRARY CORNER

Thanks Anne, Bev, Bob, Carol, Dan, Donna, Erika, Frank, Fred, Jenny, Jim, John, Judy, Lora, Marc, Marcelo, Mary, Paul, Pierre, Stephen, Sue, and Suzanne for your comments and interaction in the last week.

TEST - PRUEBA

Today, we are designing a new TEST for all of you linked with the pictures published by a German newspaper a week ago about the march of toads to theie love ponds. What do you think about the marches of toads across roads during the breeding period?

Hoy, hemos diseñado una nueva PRUEBA para todos ustedes acerca de las fotografías publicadas por un diario alemán una semana atrás acerca de la marcha de sapos a sus charcas del amor.¿Qué piensan ustedes acerca de las marchas de sapos a través de los caminos durante el período de procreación?

Remember, you can always write your own comments and opinions in the COMMENTS’ section of the Sunday Bilingual News online.






These photos are courtesy of Wiesbaden Daily News, Germany.



15 comments:

Judy said...

Your story of today has different meanings. You are playing with us to learn more than Spanish... Judy

Erika said...

Today you wrote a love story. Good! Erika

George said...

The march of the toads remembers me other mass migrations of animals. I think in the nature there are a lot of intelligence... La marcha de los sapos me recuerda otras migraciones masivas de animales. Yo pienso que en la naturaleza hay mucha inteligencia... George

Marcelo said...

I never understood the differences between toads and frogs. Yo nunca entendi las diferencias entre sapos y ranas. Marcelo

Suzanne said...

You way to teach biology in a bilingual session is very original. Su manera de ensenar biologia en una sesion bilingue es muy original. Suzanne

Anonymous said...

For all those in this "Sunday Bilingual News" who have no ideas about EU-Toads:
A little bit enlightenments...
Toads and frogs are amphibians.
The differences between toads and frogs in Europe are:
1. Frogs are green, jumping always, croaking only and have a flat skin
2. Toads are brown, never jump (only on special cases, but in general “no” , they only squeak and they have a dry and corny skin.
3. Outside of Europe for example in Middle and South of American also in West- Indian the “aga” toad is eating frogs. In North American the “Bufo marinus” a cane toads is hunting and eating frogs only.
In this days in Europe a lot of children helping the Toads crossing the roads by collecting them and carry all safe over to the other side of the street.

Long time ago in Europe there are many stories written about frogs for example by Gebr.Grimm a fairy tale called “Der Froschkönig” a princess had to kiss a frog afterwards the frog turned into a prince.
So as you can plainly see, the frog has definitely become somewhat of a symbol for many different things in many different cultures. Wether there is a frog appearing in a tv show singing his heart out, or he is falling from the sky, the frog is definetely a huge part of our children’s stories, and a great asset to a lot of our favorite movies and stories, while…
the poor and ugly TOADS, never kisses, and always have to carry the frog on their bags.

Joe said...

This is the first time I hear about the Intel Science Award. I like to know American students research about innovative subjects in the high school and after that compete with others for science awards. Joe

Frank said...

I like to read Sunday Bilingual News every week because you always write about interesting subjects that increase our bilingual experience. Frank

Rich said...

Your bilingual biology class was excellent. Congratulations! Rich

Stephanie said...

I think we have to protect the nature. It is good idea to close the roads when toads in mass walk across them. Stephanie

Anne said...

I don't like the toads but I think they have right to live...Anne

Fred said...

I don't like the toads but I like your story. No me gustan los sapos pero me gusta su historia. Fred

Sue said...

You always put your soul in your stories. Sue

Stephen said...

For me, the frogs are more friendly than the toads. Para me, las ranas son mas simpaticas que los sapos. Stephen

Anonymous said...

Los sapos! - Muy interesante.
¿Come la gente en la China los sapos?
Bev