Jaime Mata Miguez
Soccer is, by far, the most popular sport in Spain. In fact, it frequently named as ⌠el deporte rey■ that could be translated as ⌠the king of the sports■. Although the national team has only won one Euro cup and they have never performed astoundingly at the World cup (the highest position was got in Brazil in 1950 in which it was the fourth best team) the Spanish league is considered to be one of the most interesting in Europe (together with the Italian and the English ones) and in the whole world.
Matches between rival teams Real Madrid and Barcelona are the most popular, watched on TV by millions of people from many countries, . These two teams are the ones that have more victories in the Spanish league; Real Madrid has got it 29 times whereas 17 cups were obtained by Barcelona. (the third one is Atletico de Madrid, nine times). Moreover, they are among the only three teams that have always played in the first division, so that, they have never been relegated (Athletic be Bilbao is the other one).
This article is about last game played in which Barcelona beat Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabeu (Real Madrid▓s stadium). The score was 0-3 and it is worth mentioning Ronaldinho▓s performance. He scored two amazing goals and even the crowd from Madrid gave an ovation to him, something very unusual because of the rivalry that exists between the fans these two teams.
Nowadays, Barcelona leads Spanish league whereas Real Madrid is in third position.
ETA places five bombs on Constitution day
Eukadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) is a terrorist group that claims for the independence of the Basque Country. In fact, ETA means ⌠Euskadi and freedom■ (Euskadi is Basque Country in Basque). Actually, their broader goal is to get the independence of a region called Eukal Herria, so that, those places where people speak Basque. Such region is made up by three provinces (Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa and Alava) and an autonomous region (Navarra) that belong to Spain and some parts on the South of France (Sola, Labort y Baja Navarra) which are known as French Basque Country.
On Tuesday December 6th ETA put five bombs in five different roads around Madrid. Fortunately, there are neither casualties nor dead people because of these explosions as the devices did not seem to be effective. The terrorist group likely has chosen that day because is when the country celebrated its constitution was drew up 27 years ago. This fact was specially pestering because some people take advantage of this holiday to travel by car and traffic could not be very fluid in those spots where the bombs were placed.
Continue reading "Real Madrid-Barcelona, the Spanish league classic game"
Immigrant-loaded boat reaches Spanish southern coast
Nowadays, one of the main issues in Spain is immigration. Because of the precarious life conditions in some African regions, hundreds of immigrants try to cross the border every year to reach Spain. Some will try to get to other European countries, while others will stay in the Spanish territory.
Among the current ways to reach Spain, these three are some of the most commonly used by immigrants:
a) Sailing the distance which separates African coast and Islas Canarias (Spanish islands situated near the border in between Morocco and Western Sahara) in small rudimentary boats called ⌠pateras■.
b) Also using ⌠pateras■ through the Strait of Gibraltar or nearby routes such as the ones which end up on the coast of Granada. This is the case cited in the article, in which two on board passed away during the attempt to reach the province.
c) Crossing the border between Spain and Morocco in Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish towns located in North Africa and completely surrounded by Morocco.
One of the most negative aspects of the problem is traffickers who try to take advantage of desperate people by making them pay exorbitant prices without guaranteeing them safety or good hygienic conditions.
Spain is trying to make a large effort to control and improve this terrible situation and, since the Spanish government considers this to be a common problem, they are asking for the help of other members of the European Union.
New royal family member
Leonor, the new member of the Spanish royal family, was born on Monday, October 31st 2005. According to Spanish Constitution, she is the second one in the list to inherit the throne. Her father Felipe, crown Asturia▓s prince, is the first one in such list as he▓s the only son of the king, Juan Carlos I, and the queen, Sofia.
Monarchy has a long history. Juan Carlos, the present king, hold the Spanish crown since 1975. In that year Francisco Franco, who had been the head of the power during his dictatorship, died. Such period, which started in 1939 after a rough 3 years civil war, is called ⌠dictadura franquista■ and was characterized by the lack of some liberties. Once Francisco Franco passed away Juan Carlos I performed the establishment of democracy (the first elections of the new democratic period took place in 1977). He is also well remembered by his important help in avoiding the coup committed by a sector of the army in 1981.
Leonor▓s birth has taken up a lot of time in all the masse media all over the country as she will likely be queen some day as long as Felipe and his wife, Letizia Ortiz don▓t have a son. This rule, which gives advantage to the sons instead of the daughter in order to get the crown, is criticized by some sectors because of its sexist nature. In fact, the actual government is looking for a change in the constitution to make equal the rights of the female and male royals.
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Two presidents meet over issues of autonomy
The Spanish territory is divided in seventeen zones called autonomous regions (⌠comunidades autonomas■) and two autonomous towns, Ceuta and Melilla which are situated on the North of Africa. The Spanish Constitution was approved by referendum on December 6th 1978 and is valid for the whole country, but each autonomous region has certain exclusives competences which are not administrated by the national government in Madrid.
For instance, regions are liable for some cases happened in the part of the sea which covers up to twelve miles away from its coast, but between 12 and 200 miles the national government has the whole responsibility. That is why, in the same way, each autonomous region owns its ⌠Estatuto de Autonomia■.
The present regional government of Cataluсa, one of the regions located in the North-East corner, has drawn up a draft reform of its ⌠Estatuto■ that must be approved in Madrid to get on. This article is about the meeting between Pascual Maragall, president of Cataluсa, and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, president of Spain. Maragall has been in that post for almost one year and ten months (in the last elections he defeated Jordi Pujol, who had been president for more than twenty-three years). On the other side Zapatero got La Moncloa, the residence where presidents and his family usually live, in March 14th 2004 (three days after the most serious terrorist attack ever suffered in the country).
Both of them are members of Partido Socialista Obrero Espaсol (PSOE), the most voted left-wing party. It is expected that on November 2nd the public debate about this reform will take place in the Chamber of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados), where two hundred and fifty politicians elected each four years discuss and decide about important issues. It is supposed that Partido Popular (PP), main opposition right-wing party headed by Mariano Rajoy, votes against such draft.
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Hi,
My name is Jaime Mata Miguez and I am from La Coruсa. This town is situated on North-west coast of Spain and has a population of roughly two-hundred fifty thousand. Since 1999 I have studied in Vigo, which is 160 kilometers far away from La Coruсa, quite close to the border of Portugal.
My degree is called Marine Sciences and I still have to pass two courses to finish it. For several months I have wondered what to do once I graduate, and finally I decided to move to Biology as I have that chance since I have completed the three first years of Marine Sciences. I was a little bit undecided and doubtful because this decision will mark the rest of my life, so I hope I have taken the right one. That▓s why I am studying courses such as Cell Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Diversity at Willamette University through ISEP (International Student Exchange Program).
This is my first time in the States and also my first experience studying so far away from home for such a long time. At the beginning I though it would be harder and that I would feel homesick. However, International Office employees and Peer Advisors have done a very good job during Orientation Days to help us to meet everyone and get used to our new life in campus. Although I am just beginning to know American people I spend most of my time with the international students. It is amazing and enriching to live together with such a varied group of people.
I will try to choose interesting news articles, and discuss them as best as I can while I enjoy my stay in Salem. So far, things have worked out better than I expected; I hope to be so lucky in the future.
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