Outcome/income

Podrías creer que "outcome" sea el antónimo de "income", pero no es así. Un "outcome" es simplemente un resultado, sea de una reunión, de un experimento o de cualquier evento. En los últimos años escucho la palabra con frecuencia en el campo médico, refiriéndose precisamente a "patient outcomes" (resultados para pacientes). Por otro lado, "income" es un término financiero para lo que una persona o una empresa ha recibido por su trabajo, inversiones, ventas etc. Todos los 15 de abril los estadounidenses tienen que entregar un informe que concilia sus pagos y deudas respecto a "income tax". El mejor "outcome" de esto es un reembolso.

¡Viva la "se" reflexiva!

Hoy voy a hablar del verbo "to budge", que escuché ayer. "To budge" es mover(se) una pequeña distancia (como unos centímetros) a pesar de resistencia. Uno podría decir "We tried to move the wardrobe, but we could't budge it.". (El peso del armario impidió que se moviera.) Se usa también figurativamente, como en "We tried to persuade him, but he wouldn't budge.". Estos dos ejemplos muestran una característica del inglés que debe molestar a los hispanohablantes que lo aprenden — se puede usar muchos de los verbos o transitivamente o relexivamente — sin cualquier marca de la diferencia. En otra palabras, es bastante raro que usemos una forma de "self" para indicar que un verbo actúa reflexivamente. Si lo hiciéramos, el segundo ejemplo del uso de "budge" sería "...but he wouldn't budge himself", pero esto suena mal. En realidad me gusta la claridad de la "se" de español. Hace rato escuché a un lingüista citar la "se" como un ejemplo de una característica de un idioma que no es necesario. Quizás no absolutamente necesario, pero todavía útil. Entonces, si alguien insiste en que dejes de usar la "se" con los verbos reflexivos, "Don't budge yourself!".

Toda la luz que no podemos ver

Hace varias semanas me contaba mi madre sobre un  libro que leía, y cómo le encantó la manera de la que el autor describió escenas y emociones, usando palabras y expresiones inesperadas pero evocadoras. Posteriormente se lo dio prestado a mi hija quien lo leyó en sólo unos pocos días y lo disfrutó también. Ahora yo he comenzado a leerlo. Se llama "Toda la luz que no podemos ver" ("All the Light We Cannot See"). Otro aspecto atractivo de él es sus capítulos cortos (aunque es bastante largo), que lo hace fácil de leer cuando tienes sólo unos pocos minutos. Mi madre e hija tuvieron razón; el libro es fascinante y el lenguaje del autor creativísimo. Trata de las vidas de dos adolescentes, una en Francia y otro en Alemania, en los años antes de y durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La joven es ciega, un hecho que es la referencia más obvia del título, pero hay una más profunda. Creo que el título se refiere a la inocencia de los jovenes de los acontecimientos de la guerra, y quizás también a la ignorancia de todas las personas en aquella época. No conozco la historia completa a estas alturas, pero me parece que convergen las trayectorias de los jovenes. Ya veremos.

All is Fiesta!!

In each country, in each village, Fiesta is celebrated of different ways. Here, in Spain, we wouldn't understand "Fiesta" without bulls. In each part of the country, Bulls are the centre of all celebration. In some parts, people drive bulls towards the city centre with horses, in other places, bulls are closed in a small square and people are playing with them.....
But the most popular Fiesta is celebrated in Pamplona. Each year, a lot of people from different countries arrived in Pamplona to enjoy some days where all freedom is allowed. Foreigners join the pamplona's citizens to celebrate what is called the most international Fiesta.
Alcohol runs and everybody likes to drink, because is a part of the madness for 9 days. Every day ( from 7 to 14 of July, at 8:00 am, ) bulls are managed by people to the Bullsring. A race full of danger where everybody likes to participate and touch the danger. Each time there are more people running. They want a picture with the bulls running on the street.

Amazing picture. Danger and fun together. Being the focus of the picture. Showing the picture to the rest of the world. ........ It was just a moment. The photographer took the picture in a moment where the danger was a reality. Nothing happened. It was, as I told before, just a moment. Danger and fun. The blond man, looks like if he were enjoying of that moment, but probably he was suffering. But he has a souvenir of these days of Fiesta. Where all is allowed. Ernest Hemingway wrote about this Fiesta and everybody wants to life what he wrote in his book : FIESTA.

There are a lot of responsible people running or managing bulls towards the Bullsring. They are very serious, and they hate this kind of people that runs with alcohol's effects. It's a public Fiesta and everybody can take part of it. All is Fiesta!

When God Shuts a Door, He Opens a Window.

There are a item of news that has gone around the world, a nice story that gets the heart. Returning to the Greece topic, a 77-year-old elder after queuing in four banks in order to draw his 120-euro pension and find that he couldn't, directly he went down to the ground and started to cry of helplessness, later he was helped stand up while going on crying.
This picture went around the world and an Australian citizen saw it and recognized him, this man on the ground was the friend of his father in the past, then he did everything he could to locate him and to help him. Isn't it incredible?

América la hermosa

Una de mis favoritas canciones de la patria:

América la hermosa

O hermosa por cielos espaciosos
Por olas ambarinas de grano
Por majestades montañeras de púrpura
Encima de la llanura fructífera

¡América! ¡América!
Qué Dios le conceda su gracia
Y corone a sus buenos con hermandad
Desde mar hasta mar brillante.

O hermosa por pies de peregrinos
Cuyo estrés austero y apasionado
Construyó una carretera para libertad
A través de la tierra salvaje

¡América! ¡América!
Qué Dios remende cada defecto suyo
Asegure su alma con dominio propio
Su libertad en ley.

Letras en inglés

Accursed dead end II

After having read the last post on this blog, I only can tell that all that it shows is true.

Everybody knows, that Society is changing in all aspects. After long time where Governments had a high authority, where corruption was hidden, and where the arrival to take the power was the most important target, now things are changing. We have great holes made by the greed of people who were used to working on their own. Now, It's time to close that holes fulling them of prosperity for the population.
Greece, is a country where fulling that holes will be a hard task. Greece is part of The European Community.
The European Community is a good tool for the development not only for the Europe but also for the economy of the countries members.
This institution has enlisted to help not only Greece, but also to all countries with serious economic difficulties, eg: Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy.....
Greece never must defy the European aid. Europe has a big problema with Greece. Greece is very important to the development of Europe, and all countries are necessaries to achieve the European dream.
Europe and all european member have been very sensitive with the greek problem.
I know that it is unfair to accept all european restrictions in their own country, but I know it is necessary to achieve a future wellbeing.
Politicians must work only for their own country not for their own personal target. If they worked with this mentality, all would be different, better ...

Accursed Dead End

We can unlimitedly talk about Greek economic crisis, about solidarity, about European project, about democracy, etcetera, but after spending long time philosophizing, the creditors are coming and they want their money. that's just, it is.

The time is just over to make nice ideologies, it is not possible to speak about a new model of Europe with the invoices on the table.

On the other hand, the Greek economy is totally artificial, 90% of helps received has been destined to pay their debt, not to cover needs of people, besides Greek deficit is increasing along last years.

However, they can still count the European help if they accept reforms in their economy which have to do the restrictions in early retirement, minimal salary, taxes and military expenditures in order to be equated with the rest of European countries. But they don't accept, here is just the problem.
In my opinion, US is not comparable because a situation of different pensions or early retirement would be unbearable for them, in spite of there are states richer than others.

The days for the current goverment of Greece are numered, they got themselves into  trouble setting up a referendum about to accept the Troika conditions.

It is a really a dead end, if "the yes" successes, then they have to resign, on the contrary, if "the no" successes, then the government will have no money to pay public salaries and pensions, so it would provoke the fall of the government.

Convening a referendum or looking for help from Putin are simply elements to try to negotiate desperately, but to defy Europe is the worse solution.
It will continue...