Spain
THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE: THE WHY, WHICH AND HOW OF IT »
The concept of the European Capital of Culture puts culture at the heart of European cities. It highlights the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe and celebrates the cultural features that Europeans share. To date, more than 60 cities across the EU and beyond have been designated European Capital of Culture four of which were Spanish cities.
SPAIN ACROSS THE YEARS. PART 1: Sanguinary Civil War, Ferocious Fascism, and the Dawning of a Better Life »
Here is an enthralling personal account of fascism and the Franco dictatorship by the author who was in Spain in the mid-1970s on the University of California Berkeley’s Education Abroad Program: "The last time I set foot in Spain in 1974 and 1975 fascism and the Franco dictatorship were in their last last legs. Returning 47 years later I braced myself for experiencing big changes."
SPAIN ACROSS THE YEARS. PART 2: FAULTLINES IN A VIBRANT DEMOCRACY »
Guernica, a powerful anti-war statement · Going through the battlegrounds of the Spanish Civil War where a historical walkabout could get booed · Casa Pepe, a sojourn into fascism and the Franco dictatorship · A new encounter with the Cordoba of the Three Cultures: "Relearning its exceptional period of harmony gave me hope, making my trip to Spain nothing less than epic."
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “La Chunga: A new Beginning”, 19 June 1970 »
La Chunga went through a period when the purity of her dance was seriously threatened by the criticisms of those who wanted her to be more “sophisticated”. Came the dance lessons, arrangements, costumes and make-up came. Each one marked the threat of a gradual transformation into a good but no longer “different” bailaora. . . Chunga has recently “re-appeared” at the newly inaugurated Café de Chinitas. For many who have seen her dancing there in the past two weeks, La Chunga seems to be bringing back to life the legend that once made her the hope of flamenco purists.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 101: THE GHOSTLY WINNER OF SPAIN’S GENERAL ELECTION »
For weeks now, many in and out of Spain are touting the misconception that the candidate at the top of the list of the party that garnered the largest number of votes “won” the general election. The implication being that, by rights, the top-listed candidate of the “winning” party should be invested President of the Government of Spain. True or false?
HOTTEST SUMMER ON RECORD, AND MORE TO COME! »
Without human-induced climate change, heatwaves would have been extremely rare. In China it would have been a 1-in-250-year event while maximum heat like in July 2023 would have been virtually impossible to occur in the US-Mexico region and Southern Europe, including Algeria, Greece, Italy and Spain, if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels.
THE SPANISH HORCHATA DE CHUFA, YOUR REFRESHINGest SUMMER DRINK »
The ancient tiger nut milk is arguably the REFRESHINGest non-alcoholic drink you'll ever sip while spending some time in Spain during summer, so grab a tall glass and sip away -- in a leafy park, in the horchaterías across the country but most specially in Valencia, the Land of the Chufa. . . We'll even tell you here how you might try your hand at making your own horchata.
THOSE MARVELOUS MILESTONES REACHED BY SPAIN’S COUNCIL OF THE EU PRESIDENCIES »
The historical milestones in European integration occurring during Spain's presidencies: the Economic and Monetary Union; the euro; Schengen; the Cohesion Funds, the Lisbon Treaty that gives the EU full legal personality vis-à-vis the world outside; the Treaty of Amsterdam that takes the EU further into supranationalism; the European Arrest Warrant, a face-off with transantional terrorism. . .
THE SPANISH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION SPLASHES ICONIC MONUMENTS WITH ALLEGORICAL BLUE »
Spanish buildings light up in blue, the color of the flag of the European Union, to celebrate Spain’s presidency of the EU Council. Spain is terrribly enthused and the European Commission is only too happy to fall under the spell of the irrepressible enthusiasm.
EUROPE’S SAHARA: HOW SPAIN IS TURNING INTO A DESERT »
Heatwaves are but one of climate change’s serious “offenses” responsible for the devastating droughts that go hand in hand with desertification. In the European Union, Spain is the most threatened by desertification. Thirty-one point percent of its land is affected by desertification while 20% is already desertified. One may not put all the blame on climate change, though. Human activity is a major offender. And people in the country are guilty of abusive use of natural resources..
