Terremoto en Chile

For this week, please do a reading post, following the directions below.

Go to one of these sites to find an article:
1. http://www.bbcmundo.com
2. http://www.elpais.com
3. http://latino.msn.com

Read the article, using the following strategies:
1. Figure out the meaning of the title (and subtitles, if applicable) so you know what the article is discussing.
2. Look for cognates. (Words that look the same in English and Spanish.)
3. Guess at word meanings based on context and your knowledge of the topic being discussed.
4. If you get stuck, go to this site and paste the URL of your article in the text box and click "Read!" This will open your article in a web-reader that will provide you with translations and pronunciations as you mouse over words.

For your post, do the following:
1. Post the link to the article (use the link button right next to the italics button to create a hyperlink).
2. Write a brief summary (one or two sentences) of the article in English.
3. Give your opinion about the article in English. (100-150 words)
4. List five words you didn't know with their definitions.

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2010/02/100227_video_terremoto_sismo_chile_mr.shtml

2. The articles discusses the effects of the earthquake that hit Chile early this morning. The earthquake's magnitude was an 8.8 on the Richter scale. Authorities are currently assessing the damage and figuring out their next steps.

3. It's interesting to me how, despite the greater magnitude of this quake compared to the quake in Haiti, the devastation seems to be a lot less. I don't mean to minimize the lives lost or the damage to personal property, because it is extensive, but it doesn't appear to be as crippling as the situation in Haiti. I was reading another article where they interviewed people, and they said basically that because Chile has severe quakes on a regular basis, a lot of their buildings are prepared for high-magnitude earthquakes. The next concern appears to be the possibility of a tsunami; a warning has been issued for the entire Pacific region because of the magnitude of the earthquake. The first waves of the tsunami are expected to hit Hawaii about half an hour from now; they started evacuating coastal areas early this morning.

4. There were no words I didn't know.