Turning Ashes into Activism: SoHo Reclaims its Artistic Tradition »
With museums, galleries and all other forms of live entertainment unavailable, the remarkable SoHo Social Impact and Art to Heart were an act of creativity that brought a breath of (masked) fresh air. SoHo once again belonged to the artists, who transformed raw plywood boards into an astonishing open-air art gallery, healing the psyche of the shattered neighborhood and lifted the human spirit.
Messages of BLM and Hope Smashed by Opportunists and Greed »
The two SoHo plywood mural art projects, SoHo Social Impact and Art to Heart, were a creative response to the vandalism and loss of property that occurred in that NYC downtown neighborhood in early June. However, those murals, with messages of hope, healing, beauty and Black Lives Matter, have themselves been looted. Transcendent and transient. . .
GUIDEPOST LOVES GOOD NEWS: The EU Approves its Own Marshall Plan* Following the Devastating Corona Pandemic! »
European Commission President Charles Michel: “This is a good deal. This is a strong deal. And most importantly, this is the right deal for Europe. We negotiated about money. But, of course, it is about a lot more than money. It is about workers and families, their jobs, their health and their well-being. I believe this agreement will be seen as a pivotal moment in Europe’s journey, but it will also launch us into the future. That is the magic of the European project”
SPAIN TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT THE EU’s “MARSHALL PLAN” AND FINDS IT BRILLIANT! »
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: The Agreement in Brussels of the Coronavirus Recovery Plan marks “one of the most brilliant pages ever written in EU history.” It is “a historic agreement for the economic recovery of our country [i.e., Spain], not only in offering a response to the COVID-19 crisis, but also to the transformations needed.” The Agreement is 95% satisfactory for Spain and 100% for the whole of the EU.
A STATESIDE STORY: FEDERAL AGENTS QUELL RIOTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON; CONSIDERED FOR OTHER CITIES »
After nearly 3 months of nightly protests and rioting in the streets of Portland, Oregon, President Donald Trump dispatched Federal Agents to guard the Federal Court House in Portland, and has considered sending agents to other US cities suffering from rioting, although the Democrat-run cities have protested the “authoritarian” move.The protests which started with the police-instigated death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement has devolved into nightly mass hysteria and mayhem, with Federal Agents using pepper spray and tear gas liberally, and the arrest of many. And Portland is normally a quiet, backwater town.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “OF DONKEYS AND ELEPHANTS, The Time When Spain Sent a Donkey to Washington – George, That Is,” 19 December 1980 »
A reprint of Eric Beerman’s article in GUIDEPOST on the eve of Ronald Reagan’s induction to the U.S. Presidency in January 1981. The historical event takes Mr Beerman back to the time when George Washington was a gentleman farmer at Mount Vernon just after the American Revolution. The general asked for the famed Spanish donkey which he got but only after some protracted exercise in cloak-and-dagger diplomacy.
THE PICAREQUE SPANISH & THE PANDEMIC FACE MASK »
The Spanish is nothing if not picaresque. It’s there in the underpinnings of his national icons. However, the latest survey by the Sociological Research Center shows that not only do most Spaniards believe the measures adopted by the government to contain the corona pandemic were necessary; now that the lockdown has been lifted, they want the authorities to impose stricter controls, including a re-imposition of confinement, where needed. A near-perfect
unanimity of deeds and sentiments, and quite a departure from what one would normally expect from the highly individualistic picaros.
FINDING DON QUIXOTE »
I had given up finding my favorite Street Performer Don Quixote. I was afraid he had gone the way of the many other performers, not to be found again. But to my surprise, on one of my last days in Madrid I rounded the corner and there he was. Tall, handsome, and lance in hand, waiting for people to take his picture. I have always loved finding him.
BUSKERS BOWL ‘EM OVER IN SPAIN! »
Face masks and vertical social distancing, and other amazing feats!
AMERICAN CLUB OF MADRID ANNOUNCES NEW MEMBER-TO-MEMBER FORUM »
Whether you are looking for other members that share interests , including meet-ups, forming outing groups, creating special events, buy/sell goods or services, or sharing tips, the American Club of Madrid forum is your place to connect with other members.
