Feb
04
Spain of late has become a land where immigrants’ dreams go to die, at least since the financial crisis began to unfold. Many migrants from Latin America and North Africa, who had left their homes in search of a better life in Spain, have had to return home in anguish. But one immigrant group is …
Dec
13
Blast you Wikileaks. Just when it appeared Spain and the United States had found a way to maintain a steady and relatively strong alliance, the release by Wikileaks of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables has revealed an apparent imbalance in the relationship that could cause future problems. In various cables released on Wikileaks.org the U.S. appears …
Dec
06
Today is Constitution Day, a national holiday in Spain. Spaniards are celebrating 32 years under the current constitution, which was written in 1978 by a constitutional assembly that convened following the death of General Francisco Franco. Many Spaniards were looking forward to this week as a mini-vacation week preceding the Christmas holidays. In Spain, Wednesday …
Nov
29
As much as I try to accentuate the positive here on Spainiacs, one can’t write about Spain these days without addressing the country’s miserable and depressing economy. It’s only getting worse. Can Spain recover without a bailout? And if not, what does that mean for Europe? Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, facing roughly 20% …
Nov
21
There wasn’t much substantive news coming out of Spain last week. But there’s nothing to spice up a slow news cycle like a little controversy. In death, Franco likely elicits more emotion from Spaniards than he did when he was alive. Read here for the latest battle over his memory, and specifically in this case, …
Nov
13
Martin Sheen is starring in his son Emilio Estevez’s new movie The Way, which explores one man’s pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostela. Sheen was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez, the son of immigrant parents, Mary Ann Phelan of County Tipperary in Ireland and Francisco Estévez of Galicia, Spain. Sheen said about the filming of The …
Nov
06
In James Michener‘s portrait of Spain, Iberia, he quotes several Spaniards who explain that they’re “bastards” to govern, especially compared to Anglo populations. It’s a temperament the nation’s insects appear to share, at least among ants. Read the article here. In more substantive news this week… Society Spain proposes ‘egalitarian’ way of passing on surnames …
Oct
30
Spain’s best-selling author Arturo Pérez-Reverte took to Twitter to call the country’s departing foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos a ‘piece of crap’ for crying as he stepped down from his government post. Pérez-Reverte deflected subsequent criticism and marveled at the new Twitter followers he gained in the process. “Two thousand new followers in 24 hours …
Oct
27
Paul the Octopus, Oracle of Oberhause, died Monday in the Sea Life Aquarium in Germany. He was two years old. Beyond just predicting this year’s World Cup results, his selections seemed to become more of an anointing of the winners. He was cheered in Spain and reviled elsewhere. Professional gamblers wept bitter tears. His life …
Oct
26
The poor siesta. It’s now a circus sideshow. You may have seen the recent coverage of the first ever siesta championship, which was held in a mall in Madrid. A 62-year-old veteran siesta-taker from Ecuador took home the gold in a comical event that probably fell short of its intended goal: to help save the …
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