Hi Everyone,

Today chị Huệ posted 25 quotes in one posting. So let’s use some of these quotes for our discussion. Please tell what you feel about any of the following quotes.

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
(William Ellery Channing)

Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.
( Sigmund Freud)

When all else is lost, the future still remains. (Christian Nevell Boyee)

Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while , so that we can see Life with a clearer view again. (Alex Tan)

That’s it. Have a great day.

Hoanh

Dear CACC,

Here is the news.

Tài xế taxi hất cảnh sát lên capô suốt 5 km

Tại ngã tư Bùi Thị Xuân – Trần Nhân Tông (Hà Nội), bị yêu cầu xuất trình giấy tờ vì phạm luật, tài xế taxi bất ngờ lao thẳng, hất một cảnh sát lên capô. Sau màn lạng lách, vượt đèn đỏ dài 5km, tài xế mới chịu giảm ga.

Theo thượng tá Hoàng Thuyết, Phó phòng Cảnh sát 113 Công an Hà Nội, sáng 21/6, một taxi dừng xe sai quy định tại ngã tư Bùi Thị Xuân – Trần Nhân Tông. Thượng sĩ Trương Tuấn Anh (26 tuổi) yêu cầu lái xe xuống xe xuất trình giấy tờ. Thay vì chấp hành, tài xế đã nhấn ga đâm thẳng khiến cảnh sát này phải nhảy lên bám vào nắp capô.

“Thấy mọi người la hét, tôi nhìn lên thấy trên capô taxi một cảnh sát đang lắc lư và cố níu chiếc cần gạt nước để khỏi bị hất xuống đất. Chiếc xe lạng lách vượt đèn đỏ khiến các phương tiện dạt vào lề đường”, chị Dung, phố Trần Nhân Tông kể

Chiếc taxi đã vượt qua phố Trần Nhân Tông, Hàn Thuyên, Phan Huy Chú, Trần Quang Khải, Trần Nhật Duật… Đến bãi Phúc Xá (sau khi chạy được gần 5km) lái xe mới chịu giảm ga để cảnh sát này nhảy xuống rồi phóng mất hút. Sau chặng đường dài nằm trên capô, thượng sĩ Tuấn Anh bị xây xước nhẹ.

Công an Hà Nội đã xác định được danh tính lái xe và đang truy bắt.

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Would you like to say something about this? The news article says, “Thay vì chấp hành, tài xế đã nhấn ga đâm thẳng khiến cảnh sát này phải nhảy lên bám vào nắp capô,” but the title of the article says, “Tài xế taxi hất cảnh sát lên capô.” How do you think about that?
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TODAY’s CHALLENGE

1. Chị Huệ has 5 songs by superstar Barbara Streisand today, to be translated into Vietnamese.

2. Please translate the above news article into English.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hoành

Hi everyone,

The teacher that I remember most is my teacher in primary school in Nha Trang. That was a catholic nun in the parish school in Hà Dừa parish, Thành, 12 km West of Nha Trang. Her name sounded like Séraphin. But I am not sure how it spelled. (Séraphin is a French word for high-ranked angle, but that is a masculine term). I guess I liked her because I was her favorite student, doing well in class, not making troubles, winning inter-school competitions. And all the kids agreed that she was much nicer than the other nun, who were more ready to scold and spank you (usually with a stick on your buttocks). I have always wanted to visit her (probably in their convent in Bình Cang, between Nha Trang and Thành) but have never got a chance yet.

Who is your favorite primary-school teacher? Tell us about him/her.
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TODAY’s CHALLENGE

Please translation the following excerpt into Vietnamese.

Chúng ta phải đối diện với một cuộc đời đầy khó khăn và thử thách, đòi hỏi mồ hôi, nghị lực, và chiến đấu. Nhưng không sao, mình có tin vui cho các bạn, kể cả các bạn không thích đổ mồ hôi, hao nghi lực, hay phải chiến đấu: Bản chất kinh tế của đời sống tạo ra qui luật căn bản là những việc càng khó khăn thì càng mang lại nhiều phần thưởng. Việc càng dễ dàng thì càng nhiều người vào làm, mà càng nhiều người cạnh tranh lao động, thì giá lao động, hay phần thưởng lao động, càng thấp. Ví dụ: Làm nhân công may trên dây chuyền của hãng may thì dễ hơn làm bác sĩ—ít tốn thời giờ học ở trường, và không phải học các môn khó khăn như bác sĩ. Vì vậy, nhiều người có thể làm hãng may hơn làm bác sĩ. Giá lao động may, do đó, thấp hơn giá lao động bác sĩ. Tương tự như vậy, bán hàng rong cũng ít lời hơn là mở tiệm phở, vì hàng rong đòi hỏi ít kiến thức và vốn liếng hơn.

Thank you everyone. Have a great day!

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Do you have a good sense of humor?  If yes, write a funny caption for this picture.

Under the picture is my attempt at a funny caption (and I am not known for being humorous, so if you don’t feel it funny, too bad!)

“Hmm… it’s coming a little too fast for a sharp picture”

Now your turn. Shoot!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE

A short quote to challenge your translation skill.  Could you translate this into Vietnamese?
“Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.”
– A. Sachs

All right.  Have a nice weekend everyone.

Hoành

Hi everyone,

Below are some pictures of Kim Lien crossing tunnel in Hanoi one day after opening:

Từ chiều qua đến sáng nay, suốt chiều dài hơn 500m tường hầm phía đường Đại Cồ Việt xuôi về Kim Liên nhan nhản những nét chữ, hình họa…

Bút sáp là chất liệu chủ yếu.

Một công nhân đang dọn vệ sinh trong đường hầm cho biết, ban ngày thường có 2-3 công nhân đi nhặt rác quanh đường hầm. Những nét vẽ bậy trên tường chủ yếu được thực hiện vào tối và đêm.

Vì tường được sơn chống thấm nên rất khó tẩy rửa. Để xóa những vết vẽ đòi hỏi phải cạo đi và sơn lại.

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What do you think about that? What do you want to say about that???
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Chị Huệ has several Neil Diamond songs for everyone to translate into Vietnamese.

Have a great day!

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Below are two quotes on creativity we have posted recently on ĐCN:

“The world is but a canvas to our imaginations.”
Henry Thoreau

“Microsoft is a company that manages imagination.”
Bill Gates

What do you think about them? How do you gain new ideas, new thinking? Do you have any knowledge or experience to share with other brothers/sisters on creativity?

Have you ever done anything new, like writing a story, writing a song, writing poem, doing a social project, designing and building a house from zero, designing your áo dài, designing your website, making a new toy, etc.? If yes, could you tell everyone how you got the ideas for that work?
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Chị Loan has the California Dreaming song today. Below are the lyrics for the song. You may want to translate it into English, and post it early to help other brothers and sisters listen to the song with more understanding.

California Dreaming

~ The Mamas and The Papas

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I’ve been for a walk
On a winter’s day

I’d be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day

Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Oh, I got down on my knees
And I pretend to pray

You know the preacher likes the cold
He knows I’m gonna stay
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I’ve been for a walk
On a winter’s day

If I didnt tell her
I could leave today
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day

(California dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day
(California dreamin’)
On such a winter’s day

All right, that’t is for today. Thanks everyone.

Have a wonderful day!

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Today we have a nice article on my favorite town Nha Trang. I have mentioned once I used to live in Nha Trang when in primary school and in 6th and 7th grade in Võ Tánh (now Lý Tự Trọng). My heart is still in Nha Trang. I have never lost that love.

Cool cascades

Nha Trang on the central coast is famous for the island-strewn Nha Trang Bay with its diverse marine park around Mun Island and Southeast Asia’s longest cable car (3,320 m) over the sea.

Less well known are the many babbling brooks close by, particularly in Dien Khanh District, 10 kilometers south of Nha Trang.

The pick of the bunch would have to be Do Brook, also called Nuoc Do (Pouring water), which flows through Phuoc Trach Village at the western end of the Hoang Nguu Range.

The water streams down from high up to form a good-sized pool on the mountainside from which two creeks turn and twist their way down to one large pool apiece.

All three pools have white sandy bottoms and are surrounded by boulders and small cliffs sharing the space with green grass and trees.

The locals like to relate the myth of a huge eaglewood tree that grew there and emitted an instantly recognizable fragrance that permeated the area.

Oddly enough, any would-be timber thief who got close to the tree became oblivious to the perfume and assumed they’d made a mistake. Thus did the tree protect itself and its precious timber.

It didn’t hurt that there were two large snakes living among the boughs as a second line of defense.

The local deity is called Thien Y A Na and is much revered by the local inhabitants. In days of yore, she would often stop by Do Brook to rest and enjoy the cool breeze.

Three peals of thunder always heralded her approach. She arrived in true spirit fashion, as a long and broad patch of blue light like a strip of silk that flew from

Nui Chua Island or Ba Island and gently touched down.

Her temple can be found a little way below one of the lower pools.

The cascading waters of Do Brook are great for swimming and skylarking, and the fresh air and lovely scenery make it an ideal picnic spot.

Reported by Diem Thu

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Do you live in Nha Trang? If not, have you ever been in Nha Trang? In any event, how do feel about Nha Trang?
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Chị Huệ has the lyrics of five songs by Elaine Paige. Please translate any of them into English.

That’s it for today. Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Wish everyone a good day. It has been raining a lot lately in Washington. The rain keeps the air cool and the soil moist. The grass is growing fast and the deer appear more often in my back yard.

It is a beautiful day. ĐCN admin Hiển has been in my home since Saturday. He drove from Connecticut for some business in Washington, and also to hang out with me. We had great time, except for the food part. Phượng, my wife, was gone on Saturday and back late Sunday, and I was not so crazy about cooking, so Hien and I survived on whatever leftovers we could find in the refrigerator. Sunday night Phuong was back and cooked a great quick dinner (she is a very good cook), and we all were so happy. Finally some serious food! Hieen has left this morning for his work in Washington and is now, as I write this message, probably on the road back to Connecticut.

OK, here is an interesting news item for today’s discussion.

Lawmaker grills deputy PM on bauxite projects

The National Assembly heated up Saturday when a representative asked a deputy prime minister why the government had not submitted a major bauxite mining project to the legislature for ratification.

In November 2007, the government approved a two-project initiative to mine bauxite and extract alumina in the Central Highlands provinces of Lam Dong and Dak Nong through 2015. The projects envisaged extension through 2025.

On Thursday, deputy Nguyen Dang Trung had pointed out that the Ministry of Industry and Trade had divided the projects into smaller ones of less than VND20 trillion (US$1.12 billion) to bypass the assembly’s approval process. The national plan for bauxite mining includes 12 projects all linked to each other, Trung added.

According to a National Assembly resolution passed in 2006, only key national investment projects valued at VND20 trillion or above required approval of the legislature.

On Thursday, the Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang had shrugged off the allegation that project planners had tried to bypass the legislative body by saying the projects were all independent and unrelated.

Saturday, representative Duong Trung Quoc asked Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung if the projects had been separated into smaller ones.

Hung dodged the question by saying it was best that the projects were implemented separately.

The government had conducted comprehensive feasibility studies for each project and they were set up in accordance with the law, he added.

“The bauxite plan has been the party and government’s policy for the last decade, aiming for the socioeconomic development of the Central Highlands, both in the short and long term,” Hung told the session.

Outsourcing?

Hung also defended the projects against allegations that they would be used to employ foreign laborers instead of Vietnamese.

He said the projects have employed 667 foreigners, including 663 Chinese laborers and 4 Australian experts.

A Vietnamese firm, not a joint venture, is the main investor of the two projects, said Hung.

In April, the Politburo, the decision-making body of the Central Communist Party, instructed the Vietnam Coal and Minerals Group (Vinacomin), the main investor, not to sell stakes to foreign partners.

Chinese Aluminum International Engineering Co. (Chalieco) was contracted to build an alumina extraction plant at the Tan Rai project in Lam Dong Province.

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OK. What do you think about this bauxite project in Central Highland?
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ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: “TH”
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DAILY CHALLENGE

Please translate the above news article(about Central Highland bauxite project), or only a part of the article, into Vietnamese.

All right, have a wonderful time. Enjoy your day!

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Here is an interesting news items for today for our discussion.

Testing begins to save legendary Vietnam turtle

A technician checks equipment on a lake inside the presidential palace in Hanoi on Thursday.
Researchers have begun testing mechanical “SediTurtles” they say will protect a legendary Vietnamese turtle while cleaning the historical lake in which the creature lives.

Experts showed off the German-developed sediment-eating machines this week as part of preparations before an expected cleanup of Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Vietnam’s capital.

Nestled in the center of rapidly urbanizing Hanoi, the so-called Lake of the Returned Sword is home to an elusive turtle which symbolizes Vietnam’s centuries-old struggle for independence.

In a story that is taught to all Vietnamese school children, the 15th century leader Le Loi used a magical sword to drive out Chinese invaders and founded the dynasty named after him.

Le Loi later became emperor and one day went boating on the lake. A turtle appeared, took his sacred sword and dove to the bottom, keeping the weapon safe for the next time Vietnam may have to defend its freedom, the story says.

Occasional sightings of a giant soft-shell turtle draw large crowds, and photographs and amateur video clips attest to the claim that at least one turtle indeed still lives in the lake.

Reported sightings of the turtle, a symbol of eternity, are deemed auspicious, especially when they coincide with major national events.

The site’s historical importance therefore requires a delicate clean-up operation, and the joint team of Vietnamese and German experts have been planning how to clean the turtle’s home with minimum risk to the creature.

Leonhard Fechter, of Berlin’s Herbst Umwelttechnik GmbH, said he knows people care about the turtle, so his company made the SediTurtle with a “soft” technology that will not harm the animal.

“We are sure we won’t touch the turtle,” he said as he demonstrated the devices at a fish pond on the grounds of the former home of Vietnam’s first president Ho Chi Minh.

We have only one turtle left in Ho Guom. So the giant turtles will be extinct after this old man/lady dies? Is there any research to see if there are more than one turtle?
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VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH REPORT — What Modern America Expects of Its Dads

“‘Fathers are now expected to not only be providers but also caregivers for their kids,’ says one expert.
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Please translate the above news article or the following poem into English.

I, Too, Sing America

by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–

I, too, am America.

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That’t it for today. Have fun. Good day, everyone. 🙂

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Here are two new articles for discussion over the weekend.
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Half of foreign workers in Vietnam are illegal: minister

Nearly half of the foreign workers in the country are employed illegally. They enter the country as tourists or to visit relatives and stay on, the labor minister said Thursday.

In remarks made Thursday while taking the floor to answer questions at the ongoing National Assembly (NA)’s session, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, said only about 50 percent of foreign workers in Vietnam are licensed to work in the country.

Her observation elicited concerns from NA deputies that the large presence of illegal foreign workers could worsen the unemployment situation in the country.

She noted that the movement of workers among countries is indispensable in the context of international economic integration, but added Vietnamese regulations only permit skilled foreign workers, experts and those having experience in business and production management to work in the country.

The ministry will deal with the cases of foreigners illegally working in Vietnam on the basis of respecting the country’s laws and bilateral cooperation with other countries, she said.

Ngan said Vietnam will not extend visas for illegal workers, will facilitate their return home and strengthen immigration management.

“I admit my responsibility in managing laborers,” she said. “The three ministries [the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] will have to coordinate with us to solve the issue of illegal foreign workers and to amend laws and decrees in the field.”

Do we have lots of these “illegal foreign workers”? Do they really hurt the Vietnamese labor force? ik think foreigners are useful to the country. Đất lành chim đậu. Do we really have to kick them out?
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Police advise charges in Japan ODA graft case

The Ministry of Public police have recommended “abuse of power” charges against two former officials in charge of Ho Chi Minh City’s biggest infrastructure project.

Huynh Ngoc Si, former head of the East-West Highway and Water Environment project, and his ex-deputy Le Qua, are facing charges of wrongdoing in leasing and spending rent collected for a house in HCMC’s District 3 leased to Tokyo-based Pacific Consultants International (PCI) from August 2001 to November 2002, the police said Thursday.

The rent for the house, owned by the project management, was then equivalent to US$5,000 per month.

The total rent of VND1.2 billion received from PCI, the consulting contractor on the East-West Highway and Water Environment project, was distributed among various project employees, with Qua and Si getting VND53.9 million and VND52.25 million respectively, the police said.

Qua had also earmarked VND350 million for entertaining guests without providing any invoice authorizing such spending, the police said.

The Supreme’s People Procuracy (SPP), Vietnam’s highest prosecution agency, will consider ratifying these charges.

What do you think about this case?
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

You may translate the above news articles into Vietnamese.

That’s it. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

I have a news item for today. But before that, let me remind everyone that this Daily English section is for you to study English. Many folks have been telling me one way or another that you guys want English study. So you need to do your work. And reading is not doing your work; it is doing 1/10 of your work. Writing English is 10 times more effective than reading, as far as English study is concerned. So, if you want to take your study seriously, then write.

Just write something to comment on these news articles. Whatever you write doesn’t matter. If the news article talks about nuclear war and your comment is about coconut cake, so what? You’re writing, that’s important.

“Work smarter, not harder.” We all have only 24 hours a day. We cannot increase the hours. We can only increase the efficiency of each hour. So, trust me. Study smarter, not harder. Stop reading and start writing. Trust me.

And here is the news item for today.
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Ministry announces HCMC megacity plan

Ho Chi Minh City will become a regional megacity with an area of more than 30,000 square kilometers, according to a 2020-2050 masterplan announced in Dong Nai Province Monday.

According to the Ministry of Construction’s plan, HCMC will be a key metropolis linking with other southern provinces including Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai.

Vo Van Mot, chairman of the Dong Nai Province People’s Committee, said the plan would make the city the key economic zone in Vietnam and an economic hub of Asia.

The announcement was made at a meeting between the Dong Nai People’s Committee and the Southern Urban-Rural Zoning Sub-institute.

Reported by Hoang Tuan

This sounds good. But I wonder if the City will have a good water drainage plan or as the City gets bigger the inner-city water will rise higher on the streets.

How would citizens of Saigon be sure that city officials will have a good water drainage plan before the “megacity” plan is approved? Could someone introduce a law to that effect?

I have heard enough of flooding in HCMC city in the recent days, and I wonder if the City officials are working on the issue at all, or they are sitting on their rear waiting for the water to approach.
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VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH

American History Series: The Story of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
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TODAY’S ENGLISH CHALLENGE

Chi Huệ has 4 Celine Dion songs today to translate into Vietnamese. And the above discussion article also. They all can be used to translate.

That’s it, everyone. Enjoy your day!

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Here are some news articles for our discussion today.

Internet growth corrupting the youth, say parents

The “information superhighway” is supposed to spread knowledge, but parents in poor rural communities find their children use it more for smut and video games.

It’s only 9 a.m., but groups of secondary school students between 12 and 15 years old are already huddled around computers at an Internet shop in the mostly-rural Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province.

Some of them are watching pornography, others are chatting online.

A ninth-grader from Dung Si Dien Ngoc Secondary School, who is chatting with a local girl, tells his friend that he thinks the girl is “hot” and he’ll try to seduce her. He says he thinks she’s willing to go out with him. The subtext is that he thinks she’s willing to do much more than just go out with him.

After chatting with the girl, the boy accesses a forum of students from Da Nang. “Let’s see if the city kids have more interesting things going on than around here,” he says.

Another Internet shop nearby is packed with local students all morning. Some stand outside cursing harshly because there are no free computers. Obscenities mix with sounds of gun fire, screams and blood-splattering from the online games in the shop.

The establishment’s owner says he opened the shop nearly four years ago with 20 computers, and he often stays open until 10 p.m. He is about to buy more computers to meet higher demand during the summer.

With the province’s great outdoors – terraced rice fields, green mountains and cool swimming holes – just waiting to be explored by adventurous kids on their summer break, many youngsters will opt to sit in front of the screen and surf the net instead.

What do you say to that?
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Students burdened by study fees
17:03′ 09/06/2009 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – Fees for finals exams unexpectedly raised to 500,000, fines imposed if students pay tuition fees late – students are fed up with the spontaneous and high fees set by universities.

When returning to school to prepare for repeating the final exams, T and his friends at the HCM City Food Industry College were surprised when they read the college’s notice which stipulated a surprisingly high fee for the exams.

The notice said that the students of some training courses who failed the final exams last year have to pay the fee of 500,000 to repeat the final exams. Meanwhile, the fee for sitting for the final exams was 300,000 dong only in previous years.

The college stated that this would be the last exam it organised for the said students. If students do not register to sit for the exams, the college will not be responsible for any claims the students make later.

Explaining the sharp increase in the final exam fee, Doan Le Ngoc Phi Lan, who leads the training division of the college, said that the fee was set based on the regulation on internal spending which went into effect on March 1, 2009.

Lan said that the sum of money was set after the college calculated necessary expenses such as goods price increases and increases in pay of lecturers.

What do you think about the exam fees? Should school have exam fees to begin with? What is the logic for it? What if a student doesn’t have money for the exam? Is there any way for him to obtain a fee waiver from the school?

If the fee is legitimate (by common sense), then what should be a reasonable amount for the fee? How to calculate it reasonably? Is the way to calculate as described in the article good enough?
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YESTERDAY’S CHALLENGE

Thanks, all, for translating the three Phil Collins songs. Chi Hue is a little busy but she will comment on your work when she get a chance.
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

We have two new articles for discussion up there, and the transcript of the WCAG 2.0 theme song video. These are good for translation exercise. Anyone wants to give it a shot?

That’s it for now. Have a great day, everyone.

Hoanh

Hi everyone,

Here are some news items for today’s discussion.

Nation’s groundwater drained dry by out-of-control well drilling

Underground water levels have decreased remarkably over the last decade due to the reckless drilling of wells for agricultural, household and industrial use, experts warn.

A recent report by the Center for Water Resources Technology and Assessment, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, says groundwater levels are 10 meters lower in Ho Chi Minh City, and six meters lower in Hanoi than they were 10 years ago.

Professor Ngo Dinh Tuan from Hanoi Water Resources University warned that groundwater levels in the Central Highlands were sinking due to the over-irrigation of crops, mainly coffee.

A study done at the university also found that groundwater levels in the Mekong Delta had fallen to 10 meters over the last decade and could run completely dry over the next five years.

“Without proper planning, Ho Chi Minh City’s groundwater could be all used up in only 30 years,” said Huynh Le Khoa from city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Can Tho University professor Le Anh Tuan added that pollution could ruin the groundwater even before it dries out as local authorities have not kept a vigilant eye on open abandoned wells, which act as open veins through which pollution flows into groundwater.

I wonder why do people need to drill wells in the city. Does the article talk about farmers in the outskirts of the city using wells to grow vegetable, or city dwellers drilling wells for home use?

Shouldn’t we have some water management plans and regulations that also cover well drilling?
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US, Vietnam discuss peacekeeping, counterterrorism

on Jun 8, 9:00 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States and Vietnam held talks on cooperating in peacekeeping and other military affairs, taking another step to reconcile from their war, officials said.

Greg Delawie, acting assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, and Pham Binh Minh, Vietnam’s vice minister of foreign affairs, took up a range of topics during annual talks, the State Department said.

The dialogue “confirmed the increasingly robust bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam,” a joint statement said.

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I have always wanted to see Vietnam and the US cooperate on military matters, because that is the highest level of cooperation. This fits well in the improvement of the Vietnam-US relationship which I started to promote at the end of the 1980’s.
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Return to the no-game world

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly two months after the first 8-week computer game rehabilitation course closed, Pham Le Long, a 13-year-old game addict, and nearly 20 other gamers have escaped from their addiction to return to the real world.

“I only surf the web for around one hour a week to seek information and email my friends. I gave up games!” affirmed Long, who lived with computer games day and night before he attended the rehabilitation course held by the Southern Teenage Centre.

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Wow! I am happy to see that they have a program to help game addicts!! Good. I love it. These kids should spend time reading Đọt Chuối Non instead.
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YESTERDAY’S ENGLISH CHALLENGE

Thanks chi Kiêm Yến cho the good translation. You have a great way of using Vietnamese language!

Some minor notes:

“To enforce” a law means to execute the law, to arrest violators of the law; it means “thi hành”. “Ban hành” means to promulgate or to issue.

“He requested the Chinese side stop operations.” This is a good example of the use of subjunctive: “The Chinese side stop operations.” (“stop” has no S at the end).

Subjunctive is use to express a request, a wish, a hope… something that is not a fact yet.
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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Chị Huệ has the lyrics of three songs by Phil Collins in today’s Nhạc Xanh. Translating these lyrics into Vietnamese is a part of our daily challenge. So please feel free to translate and post them either in the page for the songs or in this English Challenge page. And chi Hue will take care of reviewing, commenting on, and doing whatever she wishes with, your comments.

Thank you everyone. Have a wonderful day.

Hoành

Hi everyone,

Here is the news for today.
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Government urges China to quit VN waters –

Ha Noi — The foreign ministry has called the Chinese embassy in Ha Noi urging China to cease operations at sea that interfere with Vietnamese fishermen.

“The Chinese side has recently enforced an order to ban fishing in a number of areas, including some in the East Sea under Viet Nam’s sovereignty, and has increased patrols to seize fishing vessels operating in those areas,” ministry spokesman Le Dung told reporters in Ha Noi yesterday.

On Thursday, deputy foreign minister Ho Xuan Son contacted Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Sun Quoqiang about the situation which, he said, has been interfering with the normal activities of Vietnamese fishermen in their traditional fishing fields.

Dung said that Son told the Chinese ambassador that “this has caused indignation among the public, bringing no benefit to bilateral relations,” and he requested the Chinese side stop operations that prevent Vietnamese fishermen from going about their daily business in marine areas under Vietnamese sovereignty.

The Chinese ambassador promised to report Viet Nam’s concerns to his country’s leadership, Dung said. — VNS

What should we say to our big brother? Let’s talk? Let’s go to court?
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Mekong residents donate land to build new schools

(08-06-2009)

CA MAU — More than 40 families in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ca Mau have donated nearly 100,000sq. m of land to build schools in Cai Nuoc District.

The donations will be used for schools and teacher housing.

Over the last 10 years, 49 families in the province’s U Minh District have donated about 82,000sq.m of land for the public service.

Local resident Cao Thuan Phong donated 12,000sq.m of his family farm to build Khanh Lam High School.

Nguyen Van Viet, a poor farmer in the Cuu Long Delta province of Vinh Long, has offered 303.8 sq. m of land to build a clean water supply station and the station’s 40 metre entrance road. — VNS

Wow! This is so wonderful. What do we say to that?
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VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Putting a Price on the Cost of Forced Labor

This report is in writing. To listen as you read, click on “MP3 – Stream (MP3)” on the right column.
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FLASHCARDS FOR ENGLISH

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TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Below is the news article we have above for our discussion. Please translate it into Vietnamese.

Government urges China to quit VN waters –

Ha Noi — The foreign ministry has called the Chinese embassy in Ha Noi urging China to cease operations at sea that interfere with Vietnamese fishermen.

“The Chinese side has recently enforced an order to ban fishing in a number of areas, including some in the East Sea under Viet Nam’s sovereignty, and has increased patrols to seize fishing vessels operating in those areas,” ministry spokesman Le Dung told reporters in Ha Noi yesterday.

On Thursday, deputy foreign minister Ho Xuan Son contacted Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Sun Quoqiang about the situation which, he said, has been interfering with the normal activities of Vietnamese fishermen in their traditional fishing fields.

Dung said that Son told the Chinese ambassador that “this has caused indignation among the public, bringing no benefit to bilateral relations,” and he requested the Chinese side stop operations that prevent Vietnamese fishermen from going about their daily business in marine areas under Vietnamese sovereignty.

The Chinese ambassador promised to report Viet Nam’s concerns to his country’s leadership, Dung said. — VNS

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That’s it, everyone. Let’s have fun together. No stress.

Have a great day!

Hoành