Weekly Bilingual News

Dear Friends:

Hello! Welcome to a new online communication of the Spanish-English Club through the Weekly Bilingual News!

The current issue continues with the style we began to outline in the previous Weekly Bilingual News, focusing key issues through several comments we posted in important online publications during the last few days. All are interesting subjects for your debate and bilingual conversation. The Vocabulary included will help you.

EGYPT VERSUS U.S. JOBS - WSJ Journal Community question: "Jobs, deficit: What should be the higher priority for Congress and President Obama?" (Feb. 6, 2011) On Friday February 5, the US Labor Department posted the Job January Report. The news was not relevant for the press and the Government didn't make a lot of efforts to explain its figures.
WSJ Journal Community Answer: "It is painful to recognize that the first week of February showed that the White House is more interested in the new jobs for the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and other anti-American groups than the employment panorama of the United States where the survey of businesses found only a net gain of 36,000 jobs on January despite the unemployment rate declined to 9 percent." Domingo A. Trassens

SNOW: BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS - WSJ Journal Community question: "Business owners, what's your strategy for dealing with big snow storms?" (Feb. 5, 2011) This question was part of the analysis of the problems the last snowstorms created for companies and businesses in the United States.

WSJ Journal Community Answer: "The companies cannot stop their activities and cancel their business compromises for bad weather conditions. The owners of the companies have to define their own strategies depending of the kind of business. In some cases, they have to define emergency plans that will allow their employees to do the work in their homes. In other cases, they have to provide tools and clothes to support external operations with the minimum of difficulties for their workers." Domingo A. Trassens

EGYPTIAN PICTURES: GOVERNMENT TRANSITION – Wall Street Journal article: "Egypt's Prime Minister Meets With Protest Leaders". (Feb. 5, 2011) This article analyzes the Egyptian crisis and the reactions of members of the government of this Arab country to facilitate a peaceful political change.
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "Intelligent play! It is good that members of the Egyptian government meet protesters trying to reduce pressure. Maybe this way could make easier the transition process." Domingo A. Trassens

CHINA EYES U.S. DEFENSE – Wall Street Journal Article: "China Eyes U.S. Defense Contracts." (Feb. 3, 2011) This article analyzes the Chinese efforts to gain U.S. Defense contracts..
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "From my point of view, U.S. Defense has to block all the attempts of Chinese companies to enter the circle of its providers." Domingo A. Trassens - 4 Recommendations.

EGYPT: FALL OF MUBARAK REGIME – Wall Street Journal Article: "Regime Seeks an Exit for Mubarak." (Feb. 3, 2011) This article comments on the pressure of the United States and other countries to find a peaceful exit for President Mubarak.
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "In the international arena, everybody "dreams" a new future for Egypt, but only the Egyptians can define the future for their nation. External hands could complicate more the complex current panorama. Some years ago, when I visited Egypt, I learned the Egyptians are afraid of the influence of the western countries in their internal issues." Domingo A. Trassens - 2 Recommendations

ARAB WORLD IN FLAMES – Wall Street Journal Article: "Hundred Join Antigovernment Protests in Jordan" (Feb. 3, 2011) This article remarks in the Arab world the chaos and protests are spreading across different countries with different regimes and history.
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "The spreading of the antigovernment protests across the Arab world is a danger sickness with an unclear end. It is not a democracy movement like we know in the western countries." Domingo A. Trassens

ISRAEL GAS PIPELINE – Wall Street Journal Article: "Israel Worries About Gas Pipeline" (Feb. 3, 2011) This article analyzes the worries of Israel if the new Egyptian regime moves against its neighbor.
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "In my opinion, Israel has to develop a plan mulling the worst-case scenario because radical Islamist groups put religion before business." Domingo A. Trassens.

APPLE VERSUS CLASSIC PUBLISHERS – Wall Street Journal Article: "Apple to Tighten Control on Content" (Feb. 2, 2011) This article comments the fears of the classic publishers of publications and magazines in front of the new functions of iPad and the growing of iTunes store.
WSJ Journal Community Comment: "Digital devices like iPad will grow with more and more digital content and iTunes could help. For this reason the efforts of Apple to improve the horizons of its products are right. Of course, iTunes will contribute to push down the classic publishing business." Domingo A. Trassens.

The main indexes of Wall Street closed the week in the negative territory. Dow Jones Industrial Average went down 48.14 points or 0.41% to 11823.70. Nasdaq Composite fell 2.65 points, or 0.10% in the same period, to close at 2686.89.

In summary, the week was very intense in the segment of international news. Egypt and the Arab World were at the top of all the headlines of newspapers and TV. In a second step, the U.S. Job Report of January produced poor and ambiguous comments.

Other issues of the week was the health care reform that last year President Obama pushed forward and current reactions of politicians and common people who disagree with the implementation of the new health care legislation.

The snow and bad weather in the north of the country and Europe produced many problems with negative consequences for the economy and transportation.

Best regards,

Domingo

Domingo A. Trassens
Spanish-English Club
Electronic mail: domingo.trassens@gmail.com
URL: http://spaengclub.blogspot.com/


Questions - Preguntas:

1) From your point of view, what was the worst news for the week?

1) Desde vuestro punto de vista, ¿cuál fue la peor noticia de la semana?

2) And what was the best news from the week?

2) ¿Y cuál fue la mejor noticia de la semana?

Vocabulary - Vocabulario:

 - ambiguous = ambigüo
- antigovernment = antigubernamental
- contract = contrato
- Egypt = Egipto
- Egyptian = egipcio/a
- eye = mirar de soslayo, mirar, ojear
- Jordan = Jordania
- pipeline = cañería -protest = protesta
- scenario = escenario
- snowstorm = tormenta de nieve
- strategy = estrategia
- worries = preocupaciones, temores

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