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.
RIBADAVIA’S MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL: HOW TO RECREATE A GLORIOUS PERIOD OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY WORTHY OF WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION »
Get into the immersive, colorful, absolutely exciting, medieval Galician Festa de Istoria: kinghts in shining armor, lovely damsels, medieval actors, handcrafts and cuisines with ccenturies of tradition behind them. . . It's a reenactment but it's redolent of history and tradition, and the whole town's labor of love. Festa de Hisoria is vying for the distinction of “Festival of International Touristic Interest” How can it not get it!
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."
STATESIDE STORIES: Trump Faces More Federal Charges »
Former US President Donald Trump was indicted last week for the fourth time on 91 federal and state charges in Fulton County, Georgia. The charges could lead to a potential maximum sentence of 717.5 years in prison. If Trump were convicted and sentenced to prison, that would not necessarily stop him from serving as president if he were reelected in 2024. He could pardon himself, although the legality of that is in question.
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?
YOUR DATE WITH THE VIRGIN OF LA PALOMA AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER 2023 »
To honor the Virgen de La Paloma, "patrona popular de los Madrileños": Religious activities, Chotis , Concerts, Shows, Contests. . . A most "castiza" fiesta in the heart of Old Madrid!
A SECOND OPINION: Wildfires Blaze in the Summer Heat »
What does one do in a wildfire situation? Evacuation orders should be followed to be sure. A home can be replaced but not a life.
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.
