Spanish News

In history, there are many firsts. Of course, the first thing that comes into my mind is the first man to step on the moon's surface. In the advent of digital communication technology, the first man to ever use a telephone pops up in my mind, and this man was Alexander Graham Bell. Of course, he was the inventor of this wonderful gizmo. But in Spain, there is now a Muslim bullfighting hero. Yes, and he's Mehdi Savalli.

Bullfighting in Spain is a revered sport. But I think it's probably more of a festival activity rather than an actual sport. In the bullfighting arena, men are pitted against live bulls that are strong enough to trample a damn platoon! Formerly, I thought the bullfighting festivity in Spain involved religious practice, or something, you know. But now that there's a Muslim bullfighting hero, named Mehdi Savalli, this former idea of mine just burnt up into ashes!

Mehdi Savalli, a good man, is now the first bullfighting hero that is a Muslim. In bullfighting, guts and presence of mind are necessities. This is because a weak heart and scattered brains would leave you dead in the bullfighting arena. Now would you imagine a bullfighting hero being trampled over and over again by a live bull yet win the damn contest? This man has gone through this, as much as all those who have tried their hands out on bullfighting.

The digital information age has totally got me stumped on what people these days think of a damn good trip. Back then, we just had pot, drinking binges, rock and roll, sex, etc. But now, there are designer drugs, ass-kickin' drinks, techno, and even implants - both electronic and metallic ones! Well, the clubbing crowd in the country of Spain are basically clamoring for implants over waiting in line for club access!

No doubt, these clubbers are either severely drugged, or are totally stupid! We all know that the advent of electronic chip implants are for practical purposes, but these idiots think otherwise. They would rather have a fuckin' microchip implanted somewhere in their bodies rather than wait in line for damn club access! But some clubs in Spain think this is very profitable for their business, especially with the publicity it would provide them with, you know.

The damn Baja Beach Club is offering these mindless droid-wannabes RFID chips in order for them to have VIP access. A damn membership card, that's what I have to say. It would provide anyone that has the card access to the club's VIP lounge, as well as limited credit inside the club. It would also allow these individuals to jump line queues and all.

Open source development has certainly been very useful to the countries which are quite behind the technological department. This is because it provides them with the computer programs that they need that are cost-effective and fully customizable. For instance, the Linux operating system could be modified to make use of a different language other than English. Plus, since electronic digital devices don't come cheap, shelling out cash for the programs wouldn't be an option for most people who live in the poorest regions of the world. With this, Extremadura, the poorest community in Spain, has pushed its plans of using Linux as its main operating system for public information services.

The community would be using the Debian Linux for their educational systems. Most people living in this portion of Spain don't have access to digital information, let alone the programs that are too damn high-priced for them. Without the necessary programs, they wouldn't have access to the information on the internet which could be used for educational purposes. This is why the Spanish government has distributed 80,000 CDs of the Linux OS. It would be distributed first to the schools in the region; further public distribution would be done through actual newspaper inserts. I think this is a timely move of the Spanish government since this region of their country is lagging in the field of both technology and educational accessibility.

With the proliferation of high-tech handheld gadgetry, fast internet connections, large media storage devices, free P2P client applications, etc., intellectual property rights are being revised and modified all over the world! I don't think this would do any good, but these dimwits think otherwise! Now that's what I call a fighting spirit that comes from supernatural sources! To think there are more and more volumes of information for the world to access, these dimwitted fools try their best to prevent unregulated distribution of such information! Very reasonable indeed, but I think they're all doing the damn wrong thing at the damn wrong time!

Now the Spanish government has made the necessary changes to its intellectual property provisions and laws. With these revisions, it would now be illegal to distribute intellectual property such as videos, music, books, etc. without the necessary permission of the artists and innovators. Of course, this has been what their past intellectual property provisions and laws have stated, but the revisions now also include electronic formats! This actually means that every bit of information that is electronic, digital, or anything modern is subject to the laws and provisions that govern intellectual property within the country. Such a drastic measure indeed, but I think this should've been done a coupla years back! Anyway, I wish the artists and the government alike for a substantial decrease in piracy! After all, wasn't Spain the land where the first pirates the world had known came from?

Spain holds the image of being among the nations of the world that continue to practice and thus, enrich its customs and culture despite the modern information age. But there are certain things you just can't change in human nature, specifically the way people tend to gossip over who's who and who's not, what's up and what's not, etc. Well, I think this may very well be the origins of show business!

Public talk has been around since the time Moses told the people of Egypt what God had told him. It has not escaped politics, show business, the music industry, and yes, royalty! With this, there is a spreading rumor which was confirmed by Spain's royal family. Yes, the princess is indeed pregnant, and is expecting to give birth early next year! Thus, the princess' baby would be a formidable contender of the royal crown since there are proposed changes on how the royal crown is passed on by the present Spanish government. The issue on crown passing to be tackled (and thus, changed by the present Spanish government) is the inequality the custom holds which state that male descendants would have more of a fighting chance for the royal crown over female descendants.

We have all heard of these myths, legends, and truly incredible stories of dragons, one-eyed giants, fairies, sea monsters, etc. But the stories that we now view as truly interesting are those which involve extra terrestial life, the Lochness monster, the possibility of time travel, great lost cities, continents, and the like. Yes, even in this modern information age! But, I think the technology that we now have could actually help in our quest for the greater truths behind these mysteries.

Well, recent satellite images of Spain's southern plains have stirred the interests of most scientists around the planet. Some of these scientists claim to have the actual photos which would aid them in the long awaited discovery of that great lost continent well documented in mythology and mystery books. It seems that these satellite images present what is left of that great lost continent we all know as Atlantis. Yes, and these images actually support what Plato, that great Greek philosopher, claims to have seen.

Most of us think that Atlantis, that lost continent, is generally an urban legend. The continent was named because it was believed to have sunk underwater due to an immense flood, no different from the Great Flood that engulfed the whole planet back in biblical times. It seems to me that scientists, even back then, have actually believed this continent to have actually existed! No wonder the world seems to be so full of crap and gold which we just can't seem to fully separate with all the misinformation, you know!

We've glorified Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz and Benicio del Torro in their recent shot to Hollywood fame and their glide on the prestigious carpet walk for the Academy Awards presentation. People sees more and more of the gifted Spanish breeds. Out to the open skies and into the universe, Miguel "Michael" Lopez Alegria waves with Spanish pride on a NASA aerospace mission.

On May 30, 1958, Michael was born in Madrid, Spain. He took after his father's relevevantleague and took up systems engineering at the US Naval Academy where he also acquired a science master's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1988. He became a US Navy aviator, a flight instructor in Florida and a pilot commander in Spain where he was launched to flying missions from Mediterranean Sea to the Central America.

In March, 1992, the American space agency, NASA, recruited him as an astronaut. After a year of rigid training, he took on his first journey to the space as flight engineer and mission specialist on the Columbia space shuttle, travelling 256 times around the Earth and over 6 million miles. On his next space adventure, he takes his first space walk to install a docking node on the International Space Station.

Although he's working for an American agency (NASA), he flourishes with the heart of a Spanish pride. And what's more amazing more than just to see Spanish people dominating international scene but hight atop the globe. Plus, Michael is quite a hottie like Banderas!

When you say Spanish, they say its tasty, spicy, hot, hot, hot! Whether you're talking about Spanish delicacies or Spanish actors, both will precede the same reputation. Hollywood embraced Spanish actors with a sure-shot to fame.

Antonio Banderas, who recently played a part as a ballroom instructor for the movie "Take the Lead", is one of the sexiest men hailed in Hollywood today. He takes on the title as a Latin hunk. But this Latin hunk who decides to take the rather sophisticated character in the movie, all the more exemplifies the enigmatic charm of Spanish men. On top of his league, Antonio is only among ground shakers in movie flicks.

Penelope Cruz, who once captured the heart of Tom Cruise, can be considered a female counterpart. Sexy, flamboyant and endowed, her witty and natural spins landed her different roles in various films while the general audience welcomed her enticing persona even with a slight tilt in the English accent. Truly, it is the pride and joy of Spain to have their local actors recognized to global fame.

Not to mention other equally-talented actor such as Benicio del Torro, whose acting chops were acclaimed by critics, as well as Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, who received an Academy Award, the international film opens up to a budding Spanish culture bandwagon. More than its majestic heritage, Spain is the motherland of ardor and talent!

Who rules in Spain? If you think it is the President, you are dead wrong. There ruling party in Spain is the ETA - a terrorist group. It is not surprising that an industrialized country such as Spain would be invaded by terrorist. There is money in terroristic activities. I mean, terrorist get to threat people and to further terrorize them, they ask financial support from those who fear them. Just where do you suppose these terrorist get their budget for their armaments? They even have headquarters where they eat sleep and contact their brothers via a fast Internet provider. Genius, huh?

ETA is a bunch of craps. Hey, I do not know just why they want to separate themselves from Spain, but the fact that many have already died due to their groundless attacks, their organization violates the rights of their fellow men to a peaceful community. The news revealed that the government, both the President and his Vice attempted to make arrangements with these hooligans. Their previous attempts failed. It was not until last week that ETA - a separatist terrorist group located in Basque - announced cease fire. Of course, the government is not that dunce to believe this declaration. It sent people to corroborate the decision of the ETA. While the people are supporting the negotiation, I just hope that Basque cities will finally find peace with Spain.

Alright, so the debate on euthanasia incidents has never been settled in Spain. I do not think it will ever be resolved in a religious country like Spain. But, for years, the issue revolved around the devastating truth that already, there are men who died under such situation. Actually, the family and friends of the 'victims' defended that their loved ones chose to put an end to their lives.

It is safe to say that the government might have overlooked the issue. But, the debate was once again brought to the public due to the death of Jorge Leon, a pentaplegic, who was found dead with the life support turned off. Add to that the very controversial movie about a man who became quadriplegic due to an accident he met in his scuba diving adventure. The story depicted his failure to appeal to the courts to undergo euthanasia in order to put an end to his sufferings. This gravely affected the perception of people on euthanasia which is banned in Spain.

Maybe, there is a reason behind the decisions of every crippled individuals to put an end to their lives. I mean, no one would want to live with their limbs useless. This only makes them feel worthless. Maybe, the only way to relieve them of their pains is through euthanasia. Maybe, Spain will later realize whom to grant the permission to cut the life off himself.

The Canarian Islands served as the bridge for African immigrants to illegally step into Spain. According to the reports, Spain is painstakingly making its move to catch these illegal immigrants so they may be deported to their places of origin. Records have already shown that there are already 1,000 illegal aliens who fled to Spain.

Apparently, the Africans were brave enough to use boats in fleeing to Spain. The said boats were the ones spotted by coastguards. Now, after merely two weeks, the maritime services alerted their staff in monitoring the Islands. The government admittedly announced that the problem is not easy to handle. There has to be a very intricate procedure that will allow Spain to lawfully disperse the African immigrants.

Presently, surveillance is being done among other entry points in Spain. Although the reason behind the fleeing of these people from Africa. Some of them came from the island of Madagascar, Angola, Mauritania, and Sahara. So far, there are 6,000 Africans in Spain, and the government is still undecided as to how must it treat the outsiders. Right now, as initial step, the government is trying to stop other boats from entering into Spain. Also, funds were allotted for the food supply of the African immigrants.

All this time, I thought I was the only one lamenting over the high prices of houses. It never occurred that even a European country like Spain would also protest on the high pricing of one of their basic needs - shelter. The news actually broke a week ago when protesters were reported to have crowded the 60 cities all over Spain. This is probably the largest protest ever conducted in Spain.

It is safe to say that they are just fighting for their rights. I mean, who would not want to live in his own house and have a quiet countryside living? Each and everyone of us must have a safe place to come home to after work. But, if the houses are very expensive, that only means that we are deprived of the opportunity to afford our beloved haven. I do not see the significance of the high prices to the economy of Spain. Besides, if the government intends to provide the needs of the people, then it must have done something about this issue. According to the report, the youth protesters were the aggressive ones to march on Barcelona, Madrid, and Bilbao to condemn the appraisals of decent houses. They said that should the government tolerate such unjustifiable house tags, then people will be living on the roadsides.

I beg that you keep an open mind with regards to the following article. I just happen to learn of the present standing of Spanish transsexuals. I think that this issue is worth featuring. Let us just assume that after reading this, you will have a deeper understanding of the third sex.

Although transsexuals are already accepted these days. It is apparent that discrimination is set against. These could be very harsh. I have a friend who went away from his family because his father could not accept him. Today, he is working in salon, doing what he loved the most, earning money, and living with his true friends. But, if given a choice, he would like to change his male name. Unfortunately, this is not allowed in our country.

On the other hand, name change is allowed in Spain. We all know that transsexuals are those who undergo operations in order to change their physical features from male to female or vice versa. With the rapid growth of the number of transsexuals in Spain, the government finally implemented a law that will allow the transsexuals to change even their identities. Identities mean documents. This privilege is given to them provided they undergo 18 months of therapy supervised by a psychiatrist. Personally, I salute the Spanish government for they are the first among the great European nations that understands the present situation of transsexuals. The law it has created only proved that it has respect to human rights.

I am afraid I must be extra careful when dealing with my company investments. You probably would think the same, and be alarmed when you get to learn of the hundreds of cases of investment frauds. Although, it is very common in some American states, it never was a surprise for me to hear same stories in Spain.

It was a news flash. Several investors crowded the streets of Madrid as they demand for compensation for their lost money. I have seldom heard of my colleagues having been victimized by fraud, and they were lucky enough to get their money back because the government entitled them to have so.

But, I was saddened with the fact that the investors in Spain would not be able to get even a cent. Problem is, the stamp company, which was in operation for three years, has been in the business illegally. This what I fear the most. I have been looking for a worthy company with whom I could invest. But, the problem is, there are intelligent business men who lurk behind the dark. I mean, several has come in my door, promising me that I will get high returns if I invest with them. Luckily I did not take the bait.

It was the fraud cases that made me stay alert of opportunists. Back to Spain, I really feel sorry for the victims. Just imagine them losing thousands of money without knowing that the company they invest in to has not been paying the allotted company taxes, and has been keeping the money in a place specially constructed for the evil deed.

It was not long ago when I have learned of the various implications of current weather conditions and lifestyle to population. I am not surprised to know that the most deprived countries are less populated than highly industrialized nations. Let us just take Spain for an example. It is among the most remarkable and rich country in Europe. Having such reputation has greatly affected the life expectancy of its people.

Recently, a case study was done by the Ministry of Health in the country. It focused on the population and the current standing of the health of the citizen. All in all, it was discovered that among the other prominent European nations, the women of Spain exhibit the longest life expectancy. The women are aged 83 and below. The study also revealed that the mortality rate in the country has lowered.

However, the population density of Spain is influenced by the lifestyle of the populace. It is apparent that Spain is home to the most delectable dishes, and these foods are the major cause of diseases such as cancer and cardiac diseases. Spanish people have also shown great inclination to diabetes. Vehicular accidents also played a part in death tolls in the country.

In an unfortunate incident last April 26, 2006, four people died when the helicopter they were riding was sent crashing into power cables in Spain. The Interior Ministry of the country announced the tragedy. The names of the victims were left undisclosed.

The individuals in the helicopter were the pilot, two workers and a line inspector. The four individuals were killed when the helicopter burned down after it crashed on the power cables near the city limits of the Torre de Cabdella located in the Lerida province, Catalonia around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The passengers on the chopper were doing inspection in the power lines of the area when the tragedy occurred.

The aircraft was chartered by REE, the electric grid company of Spain. It belonged to Helicasa, Helicopteros de Cataluna, one of the companies in Spain that is specialized in the inspection of power lines. According to a spokesman for REE, Helicasa was one of their regular subcontractors. They have done that type of work on a regular basis because it not only is it trustworthy, it also provided the fastest means to keep the installations timely.

Spain is a Christian country. Roman Catholicism is the official religion dating back to the ruling period of Ferdinand V and Isabella I. This country spread Christianity throughout the world through colonization and subjugation.

But, this Christian country will be non-Catholic in twenty years. According to the survey of the Santa Maria Foundation, it was the first time in Spain's history that majority of the younger Spaniard population said that they didn't like Catholicism. This younger generation no longer believes in Roman Catholic Church. The survey also found out that forty-nine percent of these Spaniards were no longer practicing Catholic faith. The survey also found out that almost of the younger generations were atheists, agnostic, and with different religion. The reasons for disbelief according to the survey were: the church's stand on the homosexual marriage, sexual practices, and abortion.

This happening is a direct challenge to Catholic Church. It is a must that the Church initiates changes that can be adopted in the modern age and at the same time, not leaving the core values that Christianity had taught. The result is yet to be seen in the coming years.

Prime Minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero met the opposition leader of Popular Party Mariano Rajoy. It is to be remembered that these two leaders were not in good terms for years because of party politics. The meeting of these two leaders discussed the Spain government response to a ceasefire of the separatists of Basque who are called the ETA. Rajoy said that he offered his and his party support to the Prime Minister in issues dealing with the ETA separatists. The Prime Minister said that, although he gave his confidence to Rajoy, he needed time to give his trust fully to Rajoy.

During the one-on-one meeting, Rajoy said that the separatists must lay their weapons. He also urged the government not to make any concessions for the ETA. Prime Minister Zapatero also said the government is making sure that the separatist movement will come to an end. However, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, the Basque State leader said that it is better to follow the democratic process in issues relating to the Basque state.

The separatists movement for thirty-eight years demanded independence of the Basque state. The Basque State act as border in the French and Spanish territories. The ETAs' call for independence resorted to violence. It has killed 850 people over the years.

Same sex unions or gay "marriages" are being tolerated in many Western countries including Spain. But, the powerful Catholic Church, whose influence and might envelope almost half of the whole world, vehemently opposes such unions. The church even called such unions 'unjust.' It is interesting to note however, that there have been a lot of controversies confronting the Catholic Church worldwide. One of these controversies is the issue of homosexuality among Catholic clergymen and their concurrent acts of abuses and the likes.

The practice of Catholicism in Spain, being its bastion, is one of the oldest European customs. The Catholic Church in Spain is often irked by many gay protests and defines homosexuality as a plague. By this, the church elaborates that homosexuality is the fountain of some psychological problems and failures or disappointments. They are also blamed for some sexually transmitted diseases. However, pro-gay advocates in Spain do not embrace and accept such unfair treatment.

One famous Catholic Church leader said that homosexuality poses as a great obstacle to social security and family security as well. The fight for equality and freedom among the third sex members in Spain goes on. But, advocates had a taste of victory when the Spanish government allowed same sex unions granting certain right and privileges to same sex couples. At least, Spanish homosexuals enjoy a considerable advantage compared with the other homosexuals in other countries where homosexuality still remains a taboo.

Spain's 'Unjust' Marriage

Spain is popularly known as the bastion of Roman Catholicism because it is predominantly Catholic. Under this religion, the union of two people of the same sex is deemed 'unjust'. The term was coined by the powerful Roman Catholic Church.

What irked the Church was the legalization of same sex marriage or gay marriage by the Spanish government. This form of union is getting a favorable popularity throughout the European continent and is slowly changing the course of history as far as marriage is concerned. Europe followed suit after the United States and other countries in the world have legalized same sex unions. It is now as popular as online dating which is believed as the best source to find mates, especially among the third sex members. Worldwide gay festivals have also become increasingly popular around the world.

This new law in Spain takes effect once it is already entered in the government registry. It also further grants certain rights and privileges to same sex couples. These rights and privileges include the right to receive inheritances and the right to adopt children. The Catholic Church strongly condemns same sex unions because it does not help build a decent community, it poses as a grave threat to a family's bright future, and it ruins the sanctity of marriage among others. But, pro-gay advocates and activists alike believe otherwise. For them, this law will enrich society; it is pro-family and gives equal rights, protection, and privileges to all people regardless of sex.

In Madrid, Spain, the most important modern art museum, the Reina Sofia, admitted that it has lost of one of its valuable art collections. This art item is not an ordinary item that can be carried around easily; it is a 38-tonne sculpture by the renowned US artist, Richard Serra. The sculpture is titled Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi, which was commissioned in 1986 by the museum. The lost was not due to thievery but rather a matter of inventorial mistakes and negligence. The storage company entrusted to keep the art piece somehow lost track of the sculpture after years of storage.