Monday´s News

Parent of American Airlines files for bankruptcy

From: http://www.ticotimes.net

 

The Texas-based carrier has multiple flights per week to Costa Rica from U.S. airports in Dallas/Ft. Worth, New York City and Miami.

DALLAS – American Airlines parent company AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, as the troubled firm tried to put its finances in order while keeping planes in the sky and passengers in seats.

“Chapter 11 reorganization is in the best interest of the company and its stakeholders,” the firm said in an early-morning statement, which also announced the departure of chairman and chief executive Gerard Arpey.

The filing will allow the Texas-based carrier, which has extensive routes within the United States and the Americas, to restructure with more legal room-for-maneuver to renegotiate or cancel service and wage contracts. American Airlines flies several times per week to Costa Rica from U.S. hubs in Dallas/Ft.Worth, New York City and Miami.

The airline said it hoped the move would help it secure “long-term viability” by improving costs, reducing its debt burden and trying to be more profitable amid rising jet fuel prices.

The airline, which serves 260 cities through a network that reaches 50 countries and territories, insisted it would continue “normal business operations.”

But that claim was slapped down by some industry analysts.

“Cuts will come: They've said everything is normal for now, but the cutting will surely start soon. They'll reduce aircraft, employees and routes,” said Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly.

“Look for American hubs like Dallas and Miami, where AA has a good competitive position, to escape relatively unscathed. Los Angeles and even Chicago, on the other hand, could be more vulnerable.”

AA said passengers will see tickets and air mileage plans honored.

The filing could have broad repercussions for the airline sector.

Rumors had swirled for months that AMR would file for bankruptcy protection, after an unusual spike in pilot retirements, with the pilots trying to sell off their own stocks in the company.

Shares in AMR have now plunged 95 percent in the last year, selling at 32 cents a share, giving the company a market value of around $105 million.

The move will fuel speculation that American Airlines is looking for a merger in an industry that has seen a swathe of consolidation in recent years and regularly suffers from oil or other shocks.

Most of the best-known US airlines have filed for bankruptcy at some point since 1978, according to data from the Air Transport Association. Most have emerged from bankruptcy with the notable exception of PanAm, which collapsed in 1991.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, U.S. Airways (twice), Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have all filed for Chapter 11 protection, which permits reorganization while under protection from creditors.

Word of the Day

Repercussion
re·per·cus·sion: \rē-pər-kə-shən, re-\
Origin: Latin repercussion-, repercussio, from repercutere to drive back, from re- + percutere to beat — more at percussion
First Known Use: 1536
Noun
1: reflection, reverberation
2 a: an action or effect given or exerted in return : a reciprocal action or effect; b: a widespread, indirect, or unforeseen effect of an act, action, or event —usually used in plural— re·per·cus·sive adjective

More Vocabulary

Bankrupt: adj. reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished; specifically : legally declared a bankrupt
Chapter 11: n. a section of the Bankruptcy Code that provides for the reorganization of an insolvent corporation under court supervision and can establish a schedule for the payment of debts and, in some cases, a new corporation that can continue to do business
Fuel: v. support, stimulate
Hub: n. an airport or city through which an airline routes most of its traffic
Parent: n. a group from which another arises and to which it usually remains subsidiary <a parent company>
Share: n. any of the equal portions into which property or invested capital is divided; specifically : any of the equal interests or rights into which the entire stock of a corporation is divided and ownership of which is regularly evidenced by one or more certificates
Stakeholder: n. a person or business that has invested money in something (such as a company)
Unscathed: adj. wholly unharmed : not injured

Love those Phrasal Verbs!

Slap down: to reject, oppose, or criticize sharply

• Public protests against the government were always promptly slapped down.

Monday´s News

Commercial flights to Cuba take off from some U.S. airports

From: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- Another chartered flight is scheduled to leave the United States for Cuba Sunday as a result of recent U.S. government moves to ease restrictions on travel to the Communist nation.

In a partnership with Delta Air Lines, Marazul, a Miami-based travel agency that specializes in travel to Cuba, has restored direct flights between select U.S. airports and Havana, Cuba, a Delta spokeswoman said Sunday.

"We are excited to get back into the market in partnership with Marazul," Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said, adding that some flights took place in October, departing from Miami.

Marazul announced on its website that it has restored its direct flight between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Havana, scheduled to take off on Sunday. In December, Marazul will provide weekly flights from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Marazul announced.

Round-trip tickets can only be purchased through Marazul travel, which has chartered a Boeing 737 with crews from Delta Air Lines for its Miami-Havana flight, the travel company said.

Laughlin said loosened government restrictions on travel to Cuba has allowed Delta to re-establish the charter service with Marazul.

According to the Marazul's website, these flights are offered only to passengers who have been "duly authorized" by the U.S. government to travel to Cuba. This includes, but is not restricted to, travelers with close relatives in Cuba, official business travelers, professionals, students and other potential travelers authorized by the U.S Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

In September of 2009, OFAC announced it would ease existing restrictions on travel to Cuba, citing President Barack Obama's initiative announced the same year to "reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country."

Word of the Day

Ease: \ēz\
Origin: Middle English ese, from Anglo-French eise, aise convenience, comfort, ultimately from Latin adjacent-, adjacens neighboring — more at adjacent
First Known Use: 13th century
Noun
1: the state of being comfortable: as; a : freedom from pain or discomfort; b : freedom from care; c : freedom from labor or difficulty; d : freedom from embarrassment or constraint : naturalness <known for his charm and ease of manner>; e : an easy fit
2: relief from discomfort or obligation
3: facility, effortlessness <did it with ease>
4: an act of easing or a state of being eased
Verb
1: to free from something that pains, disquiets, or burdens <trying to ease her of her worries>
2: to make less painful : alleviate <ease his suffering>
3 a : to lessen the pressure or tension of especially by slackening, lifting, or shifting <ease a spring>; b : to maneuver gently or carefully <eased himself into the chair>; c : to moderate or reduce especially in amount or intensity <ease a flow>
4: to make less difficult <ease credit>
5 a : to put the helm of (a ship) alee; b : to let (a helm or rudder) come back a little after having been put hard over
6: to give freedom or relief
7: to move or pass slowly or easily —often used with a directional word (as over or up) <the limo eased up in front of the house>
8 a : to become less intense, vigorous, or engaged : become moderate —usually used with up or off <told her staff to ease up a little> <expected the storm to ease off> <ease up on fatty foods>; b : to apply less pressure —usually used with up or off <ease up on the accelerator>; c : to act in a less harsh manner —usually used with up or off <decided to ease off on enforcement>

More Vocabulary

Duly: adv. in a due manner or time : properly
Initiative: n. an introductory step
Restriction: n. a regulation that restricts or restrains
Select: adj. xclusively or fastidiously chosen often with regard to social, economic, or cultural characteristics

Monday´s News

Why is unity so important to Europe?

From: www.cnn.com

London (CNN) -- Europe's leaders are battling to keep the eurozone and the wider European Union together in the face of a financial crisis that threatens to split partnerships forged over more than half a century.

So why are they putting so much effort into preserving unity? And can they prevent today's debts and differences from dividing the continent for decades to come?

Why is unity so important to Europe?

The answer lies in Europe's history: The continent has historically been split by long-running conflicts that pitted neighboring countries against each other.

But despite this, the nations of Europe also share much in common, as Professor John Loughlin, of the University of Cambridge's department of politics and international studies explained.

"In the 19th century there was an idea that Europe had a natural unity, that its constituent parts shared an identity, a culture, a history," he told CNN.

"People were keen to recover this 'lost unity' which dated back to before the fragmented days of the individual nation states, to previous unions, and even to the Roman Empire."

Where did the idea of a European Union come from?

The idea of a united Europe goes back centuries, and has been proposed by everyone from William Penn -- the founder of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania -- to philosophers Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham.

French novelist and activist Victor Hugo backed the idea of a "United States of Europe" in the 19th century, looking forward to the day when the U.S. of A. and the U.S. of E. would "stretch out their hands across the sea... and join together to reap the well-being of all."

Hugo, author of "Les Miserables" and the "Hunchback of Notre Dame," predicted that: "A day will come when there will be no battlefields but markets opening to commerce and minds opening to ideas. A day will come when the bullets and bombs are replaced by votes."

However, it was not until after World War II that a European union became a realistic prospect.

Why then?

By 1945, much of Europe had been devastated by two massive wars in quick succession. Amid the rubble and ruins, politicians and the public -- exhausted by years of violence -- shared the belief that such conflict should never be allowed to happen again.

Rather than focus on trying to find a shared ideology -- the reason behind much of the earlier conflict -- politicians saw economic unity as a way of preventing future clashes.

French politician Robert Schuman, regarded as one of the founding fathers of the EU, came up with the idea of poolingcoal and steel production in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), so that the "raw ingredients" for war -- munitions -- were placed out of reach.

He hoped the ECSC, created in 1951, would mean that, "any war between France and Germany [became] not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible."

What is it?

The ECSC, which was made up of six nations (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) later evolved into the European Economic Community (EEC) -- under which the member states established a common market, and worked to harmonize their policies on everything from agriculture and fisheries to monetary policy.

Over the following decades, the EEC became the European Union, and expanded from the original six nations to today's 27 members, from Finland in the north to Malta in the south.

That enlargement has also seen many members of the former Soviet Union join up -- highlighting another of the EU's key roles.

"During the Cold War, Western Europe united to form a bloc against the Soviet Union, because there was a genuine fear that the Communists would sweep across Europe in their tanks," Loughlin said.

"After the fall of the Berlin Wall, that part of the world was extremely unstable. It had had a kind of peace, but one built on oppression, and once that collapsed there were real fears of conflict.

"The EU was very important in ensuring peace and stability in the region -- it helped countries' transition to democracy, and build economic prosperity."

Has it worked?

Loughlin says the union has succeeded in its most basic aim.

"It is still a very important aspect of European unity that there has been no major war since World War II.

"There have been smaller conflicts, in Northern Ireland and in the Basque country, and of course there was the situation in the Balkans, but in that case, the prospect of joining the EU has been a very powerful factor in preventing further wars."

It hasn't all been plain sailing though -- national differences persist, and many issues have caused divisions and debates between the member states, from the introduction of a single currency to the war in Iraq.

"Not all the tensions have gone away," said Loughlin. "Not all the conflicts have been resolved.

"The old reflexes, the old fears persist. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, for example, [President Francois] Mitterand [of France] and [Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher [of Britain] were very nervous about the prospect of a united Germany."

However, the euro crisis has provided the union with its biggest challenge yet -- and it is one that is playing on national prejudices and resentments.

"The Greeks are very upset that their whole character seems to be being called into question, that they are being portrayed as profligate, irresponsible.

"The old stereotypes are still there, and they tend to resurface at times of tension. The danger is that they can really affect the outcome of these situations, and there is just too much at stake here."

How determined are Europe's current leaders to support unity at any cost?

Earlier this year, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that Europe would never give up on the euro.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said: "We will never abandon the euro. Never! Euro spells Europe, the euro is Europe. Europe has meant 60 years of peace on our continent. We will never abandon that.

"To imagine that we might pull out of that is to ignore the fact that as people who have been at each others' throats for centuries, we now have one wish, and that is lasting peace."

However, in recent days, both France and Germany -- the two driving forces behind the euro -- have admitted that in order to ensure the currency's survival, Greece may have to withdraw.

Can European unity survive the current crisis?

"The EU was formed for three reasons: To prevent war, to bring political unity, and for economic integration. If the euro collapses -- and I suspect it won't -- all three of these dimensions would be at risk," said Loughlin.

"At this stage I think the process is probably irreversible -- there is too much at stake to allow the whole thing to unravel -- if it did it would be worse than the U.S. subprime crisis. So many countries are locked into the system; even those who aren't EU members, like Norway, have so much bound up in it.

"I suspect the EU will muddle through in the end -- but then who knows? There have been so many surprises recently, and you never really know what is around the corner."

Word of the Day

Forge
forge: \fȯrj\
Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fabrica, from fabr-, faber smith
First Known Use: 13th century
Noun
1: a furnace or a shop with its furnace where metal is heated and wrought : smithy
2: a workshop where wrought iron is produced or where iron is made malleable
Verb
3 a : to form (as metal) by heating and hammering; b: to form (metal) by a mechanical or hydraulic press with or without heat
4: to make or imitate falsely especially with intent to defraud: counterfeit <forge a document> <forge a signature>
5: to form or bring into being especially by an expenditure of effort <working to forge party unity>
6: to work at a forge
7: to commit forgery
8 : to move forward slowly and steadily <the ship forged ahead through heavy seas>
9: to move with a sudden increase of speed and power <forged into the lead> <forged ahead in marketing the product>

More Vocabulary

Battle: v. struggle
Constituent: adj. serving to form, compose, or make up a unit or whole : component
Ideology: n. a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture
Irreversible: adj. not reversible
Outcome: n. something that follows as a result or consequence
Pit: v. to set into opposition or rivalry —usually used with against
Pool: v. to combine (as resources) in a common pool or effort
Subprime: adj. having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers

Idiomas & Phrases

At each other’s throats: fighting, arguing or competing ruthlessly

• Since the announcement of the vacancy for the director’s position everyone has been at each other’s throats!

Plain sailing: Easy going; straightforward, unobstructed progress

• The first few months were difficult, but I think it's plain sailing from here on.

Love those Phrase Verbs

Muddle through: to achieve a certain degree of success but without much skill, polish, experience, or direction

• None of us knew much about staging a variety show, so we just had to muddle through.

Monday´s News

Instructions:

Click on the video below.
Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)
Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.

QUESTIONS:

1. How long has Liz either "been with a guy or breaking up with a guy"? _______________________.
For the past 15 years
Since she was 15
15 times

2. Liz's friend thinks Liz will miss her _______________________.
friends and family
job
city

3. Liz wants to _______________________.
increase her ability to work harder
recover her appetite for life
find the perfect spaghetti recipe

4. Liz thinks that Italy is a place where she will be able to _______________________.
get excited about life again
relax
go on a diet

5. Liz's friend thinks that Liz ________________________.
should go back to college
should go talk with a college kid
is behaving in an immature way

Answers to last week´s clip:

1. According to the black cat, how often does Bolt (the dog) leave the movie set?
Never

2. Are the cats really evil?
  No, they're just pretending to be evil to have fun with Bolt

3. Who is the cats' boss?
The "green eyed man"

4. The black cat thinks that Bolt's message to the "green eyed man" _____________________.
  is too long

5. What does the term "she's a goner" mean?
She's doomed

Monday's News

Listening comprehension

Instructions:

Click on the video below.
Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)
Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.

QUESTIONS:

1. According to the black cat, how often does Bolt (the dog) leave the movie set?

 Two times a week
  Never
  Once a month

 2. Are the cats really evil?

  No, they're just pretending to be evil to have fun with Bolt
  Yes
  The skinny one is evil, but the fat one isn't

3. Who is the cats' boss?

 The "green man"
  The "green eyed man"
  Bolt

4. The black cat thinks that Bolt's message to the "green eyed man" _____________________.

   is too long
  is not very nice
  is not necessary

5. What does the term "she's a goner" mean?

  She is not around
  She is not reliable
  She's doomed


Answer to last week's video:

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?

'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,

Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.

<>()<>

So I took what's mine by eternal right.

Took your soul out into the night.

It may be over but it won't stop there,

I am here for you if you'd only care.

<>()<>

You touched my heart you touched my soul.

You changed my life and all my goals.

And love is blind and that I knew when,

My heart was blinded by you.

<>()<>

I've kissed your lips and held your head.

Shared your dreams and shared your bed.

I know you well, I know your smell.

I've been addicted to you.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

<>()<>

I am a dreamer but when I wake,

You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.

And as you move on, remember me,

Remember us and all we used to be

<>()<>

I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.

I've watched you sleeping for a while.

I'd be the father of your child.

I'd spend a lifetime with you.

<>()<>

I know your fears and you know mine.

We've had our doubts but now we're fine,

And I love you, I swear that's true.

I cannot live without you.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

<>()<>

And I still hold your hand in mine.

In mine when I'm asleep.

And I will bare my soul in time,

When I'm kneeling at your feet.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

<>()<>

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.

I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow

And love is blind and that I ................(11-know) when

Monday's News

Simple Past v Present Perfect v Past Perfect

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate tense

Did I disappoint you, or let you down?

Should I be feeling guilty, or let the judges frown?

‘Cause I …………….(1-see) the end before we’d begun,

Yes I …………….(2-see) you …………….(3-blind)

And I …………….(4-know) I …………….(5-win).

<>()<>

So I …………….(6-take) what’s mine by eternal right.

…………….(7-Take) your soul out into the night.

It may be over but it won’t stop there,

I am here for you if you’d only care.

<>()<>

You …………….(8-touch) my heart you …………….(9-touch) my soul.

You …………….(10-change) my life and all my goals.

My heart …………….(12-blind) by you.

<>()<>

I’ …………….(13-kiss) your lips and …………….(14-hold) your head.

…………….(15-Share) your dreams and …………….(16-share) your bed.

I know you well, I know your smell.

I …………….(17-be) addicted to you.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You …………….(18-be) the one.

You …………….(19-be) the one for me.

<>()<>

I am a dreamer but when I wake,

You can’t break my spirit – it’s my dreams you take.

And as you move on, remember me,

Remember us and all we …………….(20-use) to be

<>()<>

I …………….(21-see) you cry, I …………….(22-see) you smile.

I …………….(23-watch) you sleeping for a while.

I’d be the father of your child.

I’d spend a lifetime with you.

<>()<>

I know your fears and you know mine.

We …………….(24-have) our doubts but now we’re fine,

And I love you, I swear that’s true.

I cannot live without you.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You …………….(25-be) the one.

You …………….(26-be) the one for me.

<>()<>

And I still hold your hand in mine.

In mine when I’m asleep.

And I will bare my soul in time,

When I’m kneeling at your feet.

<>()<>

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You …………….(27-be) the one.

You …………….(28-be) the one for me.

<>()<>

I’m so hollow, baby, I’m so hollow.

I’m so, I’m so, I’m so hollow

<>()<>

Answers to last week´s song:

FAMILY PORTRAIT (sung by Pink)

Uh, uh, some deep shit, uh, uh.

Momma please stop crying; I can’t stand the sound;

Your pain is painful and it’s tearing me down.

I hear glasses breaking, as I sit up in my bed.

I told dad you didn’t mean those nasty things you said.

You fight about money, about me and my brother

And this I come home to; this is my shelter.

It ain’t easy growing up in World War III,

Never knowing what love could be. You’ll see

I don’t want love to destroy me, like it has done to my family

Can we work it out? Can we be a family?

I promise I’ll be better, Mommy, I’ll do anything

Can we work it out? Can we be a family?

I promise I’ll be better.  Daddy please don’t leave.

Daddy please stop yelling;  I can’t stand the sound.

Make mama stop crying, ‘coz I need you around.

My mama, she loves you, no matter what she says.  It’s true

I know that she hurts you, but remember I love you, too.

I ran away today, ran from the noise, ran away.

(I) Don’t want to go back to that place, but don’t have no choice, no way.

It ain’t easy growing up in World War III,

Never knowing what love could be. Well, I’ve seen

I don’t want love to destroy me, like it did my family.

Can we work it out? Can we be a family?

I promise I’ll be better, Mommy, I’ll do anything.

Can we work it out? Can we be a family?

I promise I’ll be better; Daddy please don’t leave.

In our family portrait; we look pretty happy.

Let’s play pretend; let’s act like it comes naturally.

I don’t want to have to split the holidays;

I don’t want two addresses. I don’t want a step-brother anyways

And I don’t want my mom to have to change her last name.

In our family portrait, we look pretty happy.

We look pretty normal; let’s go back to that.

In our family portrait we look pretty happy.

Let’s play pretend – act like it comes naturally.

In our family portrait, we look pretty happy.

(Can we work it out? Can we be a family?)

We look pretty normal;  let’s go back to that.

(I promise I’ll be better, Mommy I’ll do anything)

In our family portrait, we look pretty happy

(Can we work it out? Can we be a family?)

Let’s play pretend – act like it comes so naturally.

(I promise I’ll be better, Daddy please don’t leave)

In our family portrait, we look pretty happy.

(Can we work it out? Can we be a family?)

We look pretty normal; let’s go back to that.

(I promise I’ll be better, Daddy please don’t leave)

Daddy don’t leave. (x3)

Turn around please;

Remember that the night you left you took my shining star?

Daddy don’t leave. (x3)

Don’t leave us here alone.

Mom will be nicer.

I’ll be so much better; I’ll tell my brother.

Oh, I won’t spill the milk at dinner.

I’ll be so much better; I’ll do everything right.

I’ll be your little girl forever;

I’ll go to sleep at night.