08
Oct
2009
"Three Cups of Tea" : One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time.
by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
This is an important book.......right now! It's an outsider's inside look at what schools mean to people who want to educate their children, especially their daughters, and can't. It shows first hand what Mortenson was willing to do to bring hope to isolated villages, in this case in Pakistan and Afganistan.
He found a need and found a way to fulfill that need, by building schools. Then he searched for collaborators and funds. And he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Read it.
www.threecupsoftea.com
01
Jun
2009
Camera crews and reporters were there en masse for Bill Clinton's speech at the UEM on May 22nd.
Head sets were available for simultaneous translation, but I don't see anyone wearing wearing them. Do you? Some people preferred to hear the talk in Spanish, but the great majority were listening to Clinton as he spoke in English. I assume this means that most of the press and the UEM community who were in attendance understand English and had no problem following what was being said. If you were there and didn't catch it all, or if you didn't have an invitation to the event but would like to know what Mr. Clinton had to say, check out the transcription of the speech on the UEM on-line newspaper.
http://www.uemcom.es/noticia.php?id=8158
Wendy
23
Feb
2009
Most people around the world won't remember where they were or what they were doing on February 23rd, 1981. Well, that's not entirely true. Spanish diplomats abroad remember; Spaniards living overseas remember.
Spaniards over the age of about 40 probably remember the day that members of the civil guard took over the Spanish parliament in full session. It was a Coup d'Etat, a"golpe de estado"! A camera crew was filming the session and so the Spanish population could hear and see part of what was going on.
Spain was still a fledgling democracy at the time, with a recently re-installed monarchy. And this was a military takeover. What would happen next? Shots were fired. Everyone ducked. Hours went by. Then King Juan Carlos made his statement and the crisis was over. The military would NOT support the uprising. The rest is history.
And where were you on 23/F?
If you are in your late 20s or 30s you'll probably answer, " I don't remember".
If you are under 28, you'll respond with, "I hadn't been born yet."
And those of you who DO remember? Where were YOU?
I remember. I was in a preparation for childbirth class. Yep, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and about to bring another Spaniard into the world. A TV crew was filming our exercise class for the TV show "Más Vale Prevenir". As we started to exit there was a lot of talking and whispering and shouting and running. "Military Takeover"... The film crews ran out the door. And we went home to watch TV and get ready to have our babies.
-Wendy
20
Ene
2009
YOU can create a high profile LOGO. Sol Sender did.
Sol Sender, grandson of Spain’s famous writer Ramón J. Sender Garcés, and his team at Sender LLC in Chicago presented seven or eight design options for the OBAMA campaign logo. They were asked back for the second round, and within 2 weeks their now famous “O" for OBAMA was chosen. The rest, as we say, is history.
Listen to Sol himself describe the process of creating the Obama "O"
Wendy
09
Dic
2008
I hadn't been to the Zarzuela in years and wasn’t too enthusiastic about going when a visiting friend suggested it. Having always agreeably accompanied tourists to flamenco and bull fights and zarzuelas, palaces and castles, parks and museums, parades and processions, often against my better judgment, I was all set to reject the offer. I had digressed to an occasional movie or local theater, an art exhibit or musical. But the Zarzuela….
This performance of " El Rey que Rabió": The King who got angry proved to be a delightful production, a comic Zarzuela full of social commentary and a timeless love story. The story-line hinted at Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper" and Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The music and choreography were fun; a good first Zarzuela for adults and children alike.
The show first opened on April 21st, 1891:
Music by Ruperto Chapí
Book by Miguel Ramos Carrión y Vital Aza.
Stage play by Luis Olmos
What do the King´s subjects really think of the monarchy? The king is tired of being bowed down to; he wants to be free to wander the streets, to get to know his people. He plans his escape, takes on the identity of a shepherd, and out he goes. And the fun begins.
As I was watching the show I was thinking about meeting Felipe & Letizia at the UEM recently. They chatted with many of us, breaking away from the formal interviews and joining the crowd. Over the last few months I’ve seen them on TV, on many formal occasions, meeting and greeting again and again and again. I’m sure they’d like to just disappear into the crowd, walk among the humble masses incognito: escape for a while. It must be very hard to always be on display, to follow protocol, to follow a script, to perform for the public. They’d enjoy this Zarzuela. And I think you would too.
El Rey que Rabió is at the Teatro de la Zarzuela until January 11, 2009.
(Tickets in the upper balcony are 16 and 20 Euros)
Wendy
http://teatrodelazarzuela.mcu.es/Temporada/ActividadesDetalle.asp?dia=03&mes=12&agno=2008
14
Nov
2008
Distant past, present, and future....
"The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
-Marcus Tullius CICERO, 55 BC
Roman author, orator, & politician (106 BC - 43 BC)
Do you agree?
04
Nov
2008
Who should be the next president of the United States?
Absentee---Unofficial---Overseas--- Non-Citizen MOCK ELECTION
Here’s your big chance.
Cast your vote at the UEM LAB between Oct 1st and Nov 3rd.
Results will be tallied & announced on November 4th, election day.
THE BALLOTS ARE IN:
220 UEM students and staff cast their votes in the UEM LAB Mock Election for President of the US.
And the winner is:
DEMOCRAT:Barack OBAMA-------------------------- 149 votes: 67.7% REPUBLICAN:John MCCAIN----------------------------27 votes: 12.3%
GREEN: Cynthia MCKINNEY----------------------------15 votes: 6.8%
PEACE & FREEDOM:Ralph NADER---------------------12 votes: 5.5%
BLANK VOTES--------------------------------------------5 votes: 2.3%
Write-in with 2 or fewer votes each-------------------11 votes: 5%
Annuled----------------------------------------------------1 vote: 0%
30
Sep
2008
Sep 30, 2008
"Obama & McCain, the political entertainment": III Seminario sobre Elecciones USA 2008 en la Universidad Europea de Madrid
This morning at the UEM George Charles Edwards, Professor of Political Science at Texas A & M University and Daniel Ureña, political analyst and associate director of Mas Consulting Group spoke about the U.S. Presidential Campaign. Simultaneous translation was available and questions were taken in both English and Spanish.
Professor Edwards gave a very clear, concise, informative talk about the experience and political leanings of the two main candidates for the White House. He stated that the American people are dissatisfied with the economy, the war in Irak, the Bush administration. Both McCain and Obama say they’ll maintain a strong military, support Israel, close down the detention facilities in Guantanamo and stop torture proceedings. They agree that Iran should not be allowed to produce nuclear weapons, and both recognize that the US allies have not been treated well and should be conferred with regularly. McCain would continue the blockade of Cuba while Obama would prefer an open exchange policy. McCain, who believes in the use of force, is committed to staying in Irak “as long as it takes”. Obama, who opposed going into Irak from the offset, wants to develop a prudent withdrawal schedule and to refocus on the war on terrorism in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Professor Edwards also talked about the economy, free trade agreements, environmental protection acts, and multi-lateral support for stability in the world.
Professor Ureña described the influence of TV and the internet on politics. The coverage today is practically instantaneous and is available on line. YOUTUBE and BLOGS have replaced TIME magazine and newspapers as the prime sources of information and misinformation in US political campaigning. Ever since Eisenhower, political marketing has been on the rise. And today anyone can influence political opinion. We see caricatures of our candidates; we watch muppet newscasts; we hear popular songs turned into campaign slogans. The late night show hosts jab at the candidates and their running mates mercilessly. We know all about their personal lives and their flaws in a matter of minutes. Some of the publicity hits on the emotional such as Obama’s theme song “Yes, we can”. Others are hot, “the Obama Girl”. Sarah Palin hit the national, and yes international scene in a matter of hours when she was named McCain’s running mate, and was a household name before the week was out. Her counterpart, Biden, an experienced senator on the senate foreign relations committee is getting virtually no media attention. He may after vice presidential debates. The airwaves are saturated with US politics, and there will be more and more and more to come.
So who WILL BE the next president of the US? Will it be McCain, the oldest candidate ever to run for the presidency? Will it be Obama who talks of change?
McCain or Obama? Obama or McCain? Who is it going to be?
Stay tuned. We only have 5 more weeks to go.
Wendy
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