Friday, April 09, 2004
Close ties between Georgetown University and the Spanish Popular Party
According to Cadena Ser, the Spanish Ministry has been financing events held in Georgetown University for the past 3 years. Apparantly in 2001 the Spanish Popular Party Government signed an agreement worth 1.200.000 Euros with Georgetown University to develope a postgraduate programme. According to Cadena Ser, The Spanish Government used public money to finance this agreement.
Since signing this agreement, according to Cadena Ser, various Spanish government ministers have been invited to Georgetown in the past 3 years. The acting Director for University Quality for Spain (Agencia de Calidad Universitaria) is one of Georgetown University's invited professors, and his wife, Antonia Martinez, who has acted as electoral advisor to the Spanish Presidency, is according to Cadena Ser, director of an online degree offered by the same University in collaboration with other universities. According to the same source, one of the Vicepresidents of the outgoing Spanish Government, Rodrigo Rato, is a member of Georgetown University's International Center of Strategic Studies.
Two days ago Georgetown University announced that Jose Maria Aznar, Spain's outgoing President, will join Georgetown University next fall as a Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership where he will lead seminars on contemporary European politics and trans-Atlantic relationships.
Since signing this agreement, according to Cadena Ser, various Spanish government ministers have been invited to Georgetown in the past 3 years. The acting Director for University Quality for Spain (Agencia de Calidad Universitaria) is one of Georgetown University's invited professors, and his wife, Antonia Martinez, who has acted as electoral advisor to the Spanish Presidency, is according to Cadena Ser, director of an online degree offered by the same University in collaboration with other universities. According to the same source, one of the Vicepresidents of the outgoing Spanish Government, Rodrigo Rato, is a member of Georgetown University's International Center of Strategic Studies.
Two days ago Georgetown University announced that Jose Maria Aznar, Spain's outgoing President, will join Georgetown University next fall as a Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership where he will lead seminars on contemporary European politics and trans-Atlantic relationships.
Bad weather in Spain affects Holy Week celebrations
The general atmosphere in Spain at the moment, still very much affected by the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Madrid and the unusually wet and windy weather dominating most of Spain this week have all contributed to Easter celebrations being much more low key than usual. Holy Week events and processions have been cancelled in some Spanish towns and cities due to bad weather, and although most years Spaniards take advantage of the Easter break to have short family holidays (this is the only time of year when as much as 80% of tourists in Spain are Spanish), this year more families have chosen to stay at home. Madrid, perhaps not surprisingly, is the worst affected traditional Easter week destination. According to the Cadena Ser, hoteliers report a 10 - 20% fall in hotel reservations. Clouds and rain are expected to dominate the weather all weekend.
Most of the news in Spain, as in the rest of the World, is dominated by recent events in Iraq. The insistence of Jose Luis Zapatero for the US to recognise its mistakes and hand over control of the crisis to the United Nations seems to many to be the only viable way of improving a situation which seems to be increasingly out of control. In the last Ser Pulsometro, 72% Spaniards said they supported Zapatero's policy on Iraq, while 15% Spaniards opposed it.
Most of the news in Spain, as in the rest of the World, is dominated by recent events in Iraq. The insistence of Jose Luis Zapatero for the US to recognise its mistakes and hand over control of the crisis to the United Nations seems to many to be the only viable way of improving a situation which seems to be increasingly out of control. In the last Ser Pulsometro, 72% Spaniards said they supported Zapatero's policy on Iraq, while 15% Spaniards opposed it.
