.Spain leads the way in organ donation
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Story Highlights
Transplant patients worldwide face shortfall of organs
Rates of organ donation among deceased vary widely around the world
Legal, cultural and organizational factors influence organ donation
Spain's transplant coordination network has helped it become global leader
Story Highlights
Transplant patients worldwide face shortfall of organs
Rates of organ donation among deceased vary widely around the world
Legal, cultural and organizational factors influence organ donation
Spain's transplant coordination network has helped it become global leader
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Earlier this week, the case of Hiroki Ando, the Japanese 11-year-old boy who was denied a heart transplant in Japan, highlighted the vast cultural divide in attitudes towards organ transplant and availability worldwide.
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Hiroki had to travel to the U.S., where he is awaiting a heart, because Japan prohibits organ transplants involving children.
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His story highlights the wide range of policies around the world regarding organ donation.
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Organ donation has saved and improved countless lives. But medical advancements have led to a rise in demand for organs that is outpacing donation rates.
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Some countries, particularly Spain, have succeeded in raising the number of organ donors, but there is still much room for improvement, according to Leo Roels, managing director of the Donor Action Foundation.
Some countries, particularly Spain, have succeeded in raising the number of organ donors, but there is still much room for improvement, according to Leo Roels, managing director of the Donor Action Foundation.
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"What we see in our experience in so many countries is that there is still a lot of potential when it comes to identifying donors," he told CNN.
"What we see in our experience in so many countries is that there is still a lot of potential when it comes to identifying donors," he told CNN.
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The Donor Action Foundation is a non-profit group that helps hospitals implement programs designed to improve their donation rates. It's active in 17 countries worldwide.
The Donor Action Foundation is a non-profit group that helps hospitals implement programs designed to improve their donation rates. It's active in 17 countries worldwide.
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Looking at deceased donors per million population -- a commonly used benchmark -- rates vary widely around the world.
Looking at deceased donors per million population -- a commonly used benchmark -- rates vary widely around the world.
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Spain leads internationally with 34 deceased donors per million population, according to figures from the International Registry of Organ Donation and Transplantation.
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Spain leads internationally with 34 deceased donors per million population, according to figures from the International Registry of Organ Donation and Transplantation.
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.Australia, on the other hand, noticeably lags countries with comparable health care systems with just 12 deceased donors per million population.
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A variety of factors impact organ donation rates, from the legal environment to training to cultural obstacles, experts said.
A variety of factors impact organ donation rates, from the legal environment to training to cultural obstacles, experts said.
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In Japan, the law prevents children from donating organs, but there is also an overall reluctance to donate organs that is rooted in Shinto and Buddhist attitudes towards death.
In Japan, the law prevents children from donating organs, but there is also an overall reluctance to donate organs that is rooted in Shinto and Buddhist attitudes towards death.
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Japan didn't legalize organ transplants from brain-dead donors until 1997, according to the Japan Organ Transplant Network, a non-governmental group.
Japan didn't legalize organ transplants from brain-dead donors until 1997, according to the Japan Organ Transplant Network, a non-governmental group.
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Although, the government is currently looking at changes to the law that could pave the way for more transplants.
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"Even among medical professionals, the support for the concept of brain death in Japan is significantly lower than in European countries," Roels said.
"Even among medical professionals, the support for the concept of brain death in Japan is significantly lower than in European countries," Roels said.
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Even in the U.S., which is one of the leading countries for organ donations, there are still some cultural obstacles and religious concerns about what constitutes death.
Even in the U.S., which is one of the leading countries for organ donations, there are still some cultural obstacles and religious concerns about what constitutes death.
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It's a mixed picture for donor rates in the U.S., according to Joel Newman of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the country's only organ transplant network.
It's a mixed picture for donor rates in the U.S., according to Joel Newman of the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the country's only organ transplant network.
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Deceased donor rates are well above levels from the late 1990s and early 2000s, but they have hit a plateau.
Deceased donor rates are well above levels from the late 1990s and early 2000s, but they have hit a plateau.
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"People in their own lifetime, even if they have positive feelings about organ donation, don't make a commitment," he said. "They don't fill out donor cards or have a conversation with their family."
"People in their own lifetime, even if they have positive feelings about organ donation, don't make a commitment," he said. "They don't fill out donor cards or have a conversation with their family."
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Countries like Spain, Belgium and Norway have passed "presumed consent" laws where individuals are automatically considered an organ donor unless they opt out.
Countries like Spain, Belgium and Norway have passed "presumed consent" laws where individuals are automatically considered an organ donor unless they opt out.
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While these laws have helped improve rates of organ donation, success in countries like world leader Spain has largely been attributed to the organizational measures it has implemented.
While these laws have helped improve rates of organ donation, success in countries like world leader Spain has largely been attributed to the organizational measures it has implemented.
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Spain established a nationwide transplant co-ordination network in 1989 to help doctors and transplant coordinators to identify potential donors.
Spain established a nationwide transplant co-ordination network in 1989 to help doctors and transplant coordinators to identify potential donors.
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The so-called Spanish Model has achieved results such that its organizational measures have been recommended by the World Health Organization.
The so-called Spanish Model has achieved results such that its organizational measures have been recommended by the World Health Organization.
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The UK is one country emulating aspects of the Spanish system. It's in the process of overhauling its transplant network in a bid to improve its effectiveness.
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The percentage of potential donors who actually donate organs -- a measure of the efficiency of a transplant network -- is around 50 percent in the UK, according to Chris Rudge, the UK's national clinical director for transplantation.
The percentage of potential donors who actually donate organs -- a measure of the efficiency of a transplant network -- is around 50 percent in the UK, according to Chris Rudge, the UK's national clinical director for transplantation.
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By comparison, the Spanish system has a so-called conversion rate of 80 percent to 85 percent and the U.S. is targeting around 75 percent, he said.
By comparison, the Spanish system has a so-called conversion rate of 80 percent to 85 percent and the U.S. is targeting around 75 percent, he said.
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"What we're trying to do in this country is change the attitude toward organ donation. At the moment it's unusual, and we want to make it usual," Rudge told CNN.
"What we're trying to do in this country is change the attitude toward organ donation. At the moment it's unusual, and we want to make it usual," Rudge told CNN.
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In the aims of getting more families to give consent, the UK is more than doubling the number of transplant coordinators in its hospitals to 250. Hospitals in the UK are required to obtain consent for organ donation from individuals or families.
In the aims of getting more families to give consent, the UK is more than doubling the number of transplant coordinators in its hospitals to 250. Hospitals in the UK are required to obtain consent for organ donation from individuals or families.
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These coordinators, who will receive specialized training to work with families and handle ethical issues, will team up with senior doctors in intensive care units of hospitals to identify potential donors. The framework for the collaborative program should be in place by April of next year.
These coordinators, who will receive specialized training to work with families and handle ethical issues, will team up with senior doctors in intensive care units of hospitals to identify potential donors. The framework for the collaborative program should be in place by April of next year.
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The presence of transplant coordinators is important, but it's just one of many measures that need to be taken in order to get a grip on the organ shortfall problem, Roels noted.
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"There is a need to combine factors like training, education and better identification. It's a combination of these factors that will improve donor rates further," he said.
"There is a need to combine factors like training, education and better identification. It's a combination of these factors that will improve donor rates further," he said.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 10:24 PM,
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Jobless Rate Crisis In Spain
Friday, April 24, 2009
Spain's jobless rate soars above 17 percent
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Story Highlights
Spain's jobless rate rises sharply to 17.36 percent in the first quarter
More than 4 million people now out of work, government says
It's the first time Spain's jobless total has exceeded 4 million
Spain's jobless rate rises sharply to 17.36 percent in the first quarter
More than 4 million people now out of work, government says
It's the first time Spain's jobless total has exceeded 4 million
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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spain's jobless rate rose sharply, to 17.36 percent in the first quarter, with more than 4 million people out of work, the government said Friday.
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Nearly half of the 4 million lost their jobs in the past year, the National Statistics Institute said.
It's the first time that Spain's jobless total has exceeded 4 million, economist Carlos Maravall told CNN.
It's the first time that Spain's jobless total has exceeded 4 million, economist Carlos Maravall told CNN.
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The numbers did not surprise economists, who have been tracking steady increases of monthly jobless raw numbers from the government. But Spain's official jobless rate is revised only every quarter.
The numbers did not surprise economists, who have been tracking steady increases of monthly jobless raw numbers from the government. But Spain's official jobless rate is revised only every quarter.
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Spain's previous rate of 13.9 percent, issued early this year for the fourth quarter of 2008, was already the highest in the European Union.
Spain's previous rate of 13.9 percent, issued early this year for the fourth quarter of 2008, was already the highest in the European Union.
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When Spain's jobless figure earlier topped 3 million, officials predicted it would not make 4 million.
When Spain's jobless figure earlier topped 3 million, officials predicted it would not make 4 million.
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Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero recently shuffled his Cabinet, replacing the finance minister and others in a move to boost the economy.
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Zapatero predicts that public works subsidies distributed across the country will soon produce tens of thousands of jobs.
Zapatero predicts that public works subsidies distributed across the country will soon produce tens of thousands of jobs.
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Spain's once-booming construction industry has been battered by the global economic crisis. But the latest government report shows more jobs were lost in the last quarter in the services sector, another pillar of the economy.
Spain's once-booming construction industry has been battered by the global economic crisis. But the latest government report shows more jobs were lost in the last quarter in the services sector, another pillar of the economy.
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The number of temporary workers declined in Spain, the government said. But economists say that's because companies lay off those workers first. It costs a business in Spain about three times more to lay off a full-time employee.
The number of temporary workers declined in Spain, the government said. But economists say that's because companies lay off those workers first. It costs a business in Spain about three times more to lay off a full-time employee.
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Increased unemployment was seen across all sectors and across the country, with the urban areas around Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia hit hard, the government said.
Increased unemployment was seen across all sectors and across the country, with the urban areas around Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia hit hard, the government said.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 2:22 PM,
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Verdasco the hero as Spain lift Davis Cup
Story Highlights
Spain win Davis Cup as Fernando Verdasco beats Jose Acasuso
Verdasco comes from two sets to one down to give Spain unassailable 3-1 lead
Acasuso came in as a replacement for the injured Juan Martin Del Potro
Spain claim the cup despite being without injured world number one Rafael Nadal
Spain win Davis Cup as Fernando Verdasco beats Jose Acasuso
Verdasco comes from two sets to one down to give Spain unassailable 3-1 lead
Acasuso came in as a replacement for the injured Juan Martin Del Potro
Spain claim the cup despite being without injured world number one Rafael Nadal
(CNN) -- Fernando Verdasco clinched the Davis Cup for Spain with a thrilling five-set victory over Argentina's Jose Acasuso in Mar Del Plata on Sunday.
Verdasco's 6-3 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory in the first reverse singles gave Spain an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Acasuso, a late replacement for the injured Juan Martin Del Petro, put up a brave fight and led two sets to one before Verdasco, himself coming in for David Ferrer, fought back.
He played a brave fourth set, breaking Acasuso to lead 4-2 and winning four of the last five games.
The Spaniard then dominated the deciding set, winning the first four games and cruising to victory.
After wrapping up his win in a shade under four hours, Verdasco dropped to the ground in celebration and was mobbed by his jubilant teammates "It's the most exciting victory of my life," Verdasco said. "Playing for my country, against the best players, it's a dream," he told Associated Press.
It completed a remarkable comeback for Spain, who went into the final without injured world number one Rafael Nadal and fell 1-0 behind when a below-par Ferrer was beaten by David Nalbandian in the opening singles.
Del Potro injured his right thigh in a four-set loss to Feliciano Lopez on Friday which drew Spain level.
He was not able to recover in time for Sunday's match despite undergoing intense treatment throughout the day on Saturday.
"We didn't want to risk starting the match and then, after two or three games, have to retire because of the injury," Del Potro said. "It would have been much worse if that happened."
Lopez and Verdasco had put Spain one victory away from winning the title when they beat Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7 7-5 7-6 6-3 in the crucial doubles clash on Saturday to put their team two rubbers to one ahead.
Spain, champions in 2000 and 2004 and runners-up on three other occasions, were winning the most prestigious team title in men's tennis for the third time.
The shock result was Argentina's first Davis Cup defeat on home soil for 10 years and a big disappointment for the home fans who gave vocal support to their team.
They continued to chant "Argentina, Argentina," even after Acasuso's loss, but it was the Spanish contingent who had reason to celebrate.
Nadal, who did not travel to the final, paid tribute to the team.
"Fernando was brilliant - absolutely amazing from the fourth set," he told Spanish television and went on to praise captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario.
"Emilio has formed a tremendous group with a fabulous atmosphere at its heart," he added.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 8:01 AM,
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Car bomb injures 27 in Spanish university city
- Story Highlights
Car bomb blast at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain Thursday
NEW: 27 people injured, none seriously, hospital tells CNN
Blast days after arrests of four suspected members of separatist group ETA
Authorities accused them of forming a terrorist cell that was ready to attack.
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded Thursday in a parking lot at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, sparking a massive fire, but "luckily," no one was nearby and there were no deaths, Spain's interior minister said.
"There could have been an enormous tragedy today at the University of Navarra," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said hours after the attack in a televised address.
Hospital officials told CNN that 27 people suffered minor injuries, including one American woman and five other non-Spaniards. The Basque separatist group ETA is suspected to be behind the attack.
The car, packed with an unknown quantity of explosives, was parked in a lot near the university's library and detonated shortly after 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), Rubalcaba said.
Campus authorities shut down the entire campus shortly after the blast to search for a possible second explosive device near the science building, about a half kilometer (.3 mile) from the car bombing, according to CNN's partner station in Spain, CNN+.
No device was found and the search was called off Thursday afternoon, according to a university spokesman and a representative for the national government's main office in Navarra. Most of the campus was reopened; only the area surrounding the bomb blast remained cordoned off, they said.
Classes are expected to resume as scheduled on Friday, the university spokesman said.
The car bomb sparked a massive fire in the campus' Central Building, where about 400 students and staff were located at the time, university spokesman Jesus Diaz told CNN+. Video from the scene showed fire engulfing part of the building and thick clouds of black smoke billowing over the campus.
Authorities in Spain's Basque province of Alava received a warning call at 9:50 a.m. in the name of ETA.
The warning call to the DYA emergency services in Alava said the car bomb would strike a university campus in the city of Vitoria about an hour after the phone call, prompting emergency officials to search that campus and determine that the call was merely a false alarm, Rubalcaba said.
"So whoever planted the bomb either gave an intentionally misleading warning call or they made a mistake," he said in his televised address.
According to CNN+, the University of Navarra has been targeted by ETA six times in the past 30 years, and one faculty member said it is unclear why.
"It is not a political university," Professor Maria Teresa La Porte told CNN. "We don't understand."
"If they are looking for innocent victims, the place to find them is here," she said. "There is no way to stop them."
She said it is an open campus with students from various backgrounds -- including Basque -- where people "can come here completely freely."
The blast could be heard across the campus of the private school, which has 12,000 students -- including more than 1,000 scholars from countries outside Spain. It is also home to Spain's top-rated journalism school, which is located not too far from the blast site.
A spokeswoman for Clinica Universitaria de Navarra -- located across the street from the university -- said that 24 patients were treated for injuries ranging from glass cuts to hearing problems. Most have been released and only two are expected to remain overnight, she said.
Two other patients are being treated at Hospital Virgen del Camino, also in Pamplona, but their nationalities were not clear.
Those being treated at Clinica Universitaria de Navarra included 18 Spaniards and six others with the following nationalities: American woman from California, age 20; Italian woman, age 28; Portuguese woman, age 23; Chilean woman, age 25; Peruvian man, age 28 and Philippines man, age 34.
Thursday's explosion came just days after Spanish police arrested four suspected ETA members early Tuesday. Authorities accused them of forming a terrorist cell that was ready to attack, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Three of the suspects were arrested in or near the city of Pamplona, in Spain's northern Navarra region, which has Basque roots and was to be the base for the alleged cell, the statement said.
The fourth suspect was arrested in the city of Valencia, on Spain's eastern coast.
Police seized two revolvers and ammunition; various timers that might be used for bombs; detonating cord; items that might be used to make a bomb attached to the underside of vehicles; various substances that might be used to make explosives; and computer documentation, the ministry said.
All four suspects -- three men and a woman -- were born in Pamplona and range in age from 26 to 29, the ministry said.
ETA is blamed for more than 800 killings in its four-decade-long fight for Basque independence. The European Union and the United States list ETA as a terrorist group.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 1:36 PM,
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Story Highlights
Many killed by forces loyal to General Franco during 1936-39 Civil War
Lorca family opposed plans to disturb mass grave where poet is buried
Other descendants wished to exhume their loved ones and bury them properly
Many killed by forces loyal to General Franco during 1936-39 Civil War
Lorca family opposed plans to disturb mass grave where poet is buried
Other descendants wished to exhume their loved ones and bury them properly
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Relatives of the poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, executed in 1936 by fascists during the Spanish Civil War, will not try to block a judge's order to exhume his remains from a mass grave, a niece of the poet told CNN Thursday.
.The family, however, prefers that the site remains undisturbed, she said.
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For years, the issue of whether to exhume Lorca's remains has pitted descendants of the world-famous poet against relatives of two other men -- a teacher and a bullfighter -- also executed and thought to have been dumped in a mass grave with Lorca.
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The families of those two men want to exhume their loved ones and bury them properly.
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They petitioned a Spanish judge earlier this month. The judge agreed to study their case as part of a broader effort that could mean exhuming the remains of potentially thousands of Spaniards still in mass graves.
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Many were killed by right-wing forces loyal to General Francisco Franco, who won the three-year long Civil War, which began in 1936. Franco went on to rule Spain with an iron fist until his death in 1975.
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For years, the Lorca descendants have argued that Lorca -- whose poems and plays are widely studied at universities, including his "Poet in New York" -- should not be exhumed, mainly so that he would not be seen as more important than the many other Civil War victims thought to be in nearby mass graves.
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But one of his nieces, Laura Garcia Lorca, told CNN on Thursday, "We will not oppose a decision of the judge."
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Six nieces and nephews of Lorca agree with the position, she said. Their stance was first reported on Thursday by Spanish newspaper El Pais.
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The judge, Baltasar Garzon, has not yet decided what to do about the site at a village near Granada in Lorca's native southern Spain.
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"This is one of the happiest days of my life," said Irish author, Ian Gibson, who is a leading scholar on Lorca. "The (Lorca) family sensibly changed position. Lorca is the most famous victim of the Civil War. It's a huge step in the right direction."
"This is one of the happiest days of my life," said Irish author, Ian Gibson, who is a leading scholar on Lorca. "The (Lorca) family sensibly changed position. Lorca is the most famous victim of the Civil War. It's a huge step in the right direction."
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Gibson added, "I think Lorca can be a symbol for reconciliation of the Civil War."
Gibson added, "I think Lorca can be a symbol for reconciliation of the Civil War."
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Laura Garcia Lorca said the family would prefer to leave the poet's remains where they are, even after a potential exhumation, so that "the figure of Lorca could serve to protect the site" in memory of all who were executed there and put into mass graves.
Laura Garcia Lorca said the family would prefer to leave the poet's remains where they are, even after a potential exhumation, so that "the figure of Lorca could serve to protect the site" in memory of all who were executed there and put into mass graves.
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But Nieves Galindo, granddaughter of the teacher, Dioscoro Galindo, whose remains are thought to be lying with Lorca's, told CNN, "It's a shame it's gotten to this point. We've been trying for 10 years. It could have been done without all this."
But Nieves Galindo, granddaughter of the teacher, Dioscoro Galindo, whose remains are thought to be lying with Lorca's, told CNN, "It's a shame it's gotten to this point. We've been trying for 10 years. It could have been done without all this."
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Galindo said if the judge eventually orders to exhumation, the Lorca family would have "no other choice" but to accept it.
Galindo said if the judge eventually orders to exhumation, the Lorca family would have "no other choice" but to accept it.
The Galindo family wants to bury the teacher in the cemetery of the nearby village of Pulianas, where he last taught before being executed.
Spanish parliament last year, led by the Socialist government, passed a law condemning Franco's dictatorship and calling on town halls to fund initiatives to unearth mass graves.
It also sought to honor Roman Catholic clergy and others executed by the losing side in the war, the forces loyal to the leftist Republican government.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 1:59 PM,
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Terror suspect transferred from Belgium to Spain
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Story Highlights
Algerian suspect, Khaled Abidi, released by Belgian authorities to Spanish police
Abidi was listed as a leader in Spain of group recruiting for al Qaeda in Iraq
Arrested in 2004 by Algerian authorities for allegedly belonging to a terrorist group
Algerian suspect, Khaled Abidi, released by Belgian authorities to Spanish police
Abidi was listed as a leader in Spain of group recruiting for al Qaeda in Iraq
Arrested in 2004 by Algerian authorities for allegedly belonging to a terrorist group
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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spanish police Friday transferred a suspected leader of an al Qaeda-linked group from Belgium to Madrid, where he was indicted last year for alleged Islamic terrorist activities, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
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The Algerian suspect, Khaled Abidi, was released by Belgian authorities to Spanish police. He is charged with being a member of an Islamic terrorist group.
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Abidi was listed in a Spanish indictment last year as a leader in Spain of Ansar al-Islam, which is suspected of recruiting Moroccans and Algerians to fight for al Qaeda in Iraq, according to a copy of the indictment viewed by CNN.
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A total of 32 suspects were named in the indictment last year, and Abidi was among six who were at large at the time. The court issued arrest warrants for them.
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Before being taken into custody in Belgium, Abidi was arrested in 2004 and held for a time by Algerian authorities for allegedly belonging to a terrorist group.
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The authorities also suspect him of serving as a link between terrorists in Spain and Syria, the ministry statement said.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 10:05 PM,
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Did You Know That...
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Did you know that... the greatest authority on cardiovascular research in the U.S. is a Spanish scientist?
Dr. Valentín Fuster has been carrying out research at several US hospitals for more than twenty years. He currently leads the heart research team at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and is the president of the World Heart Federation, a former member of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Advisory Council, and a past president of the American Heart Association. He is also the President of the scientific advisory committee at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research. (Published in Alba, October 19-25, 2007)
Did you know that... the first European woman who gave birth in the US came from Spain?
The first son of Europeans who was born in the US was the son of a Spanish woman who was traveling in the Vázquez de Coronado expedition in 1540. A few years later, in 1566, Martín de Argüelles came to the world in Saint Augustine, Florida, twenty one years before Virginia Dare did in the English colony of Roanoke, Virginia. (Published in Alba, June 29-July 5, 2007)
Did you know that... four Spanish films have won an Oscar for best foreign language film?
The first Spanish film to win an Oscar for best foreign language film was To Begin Again, directed by José Luis Garci, in 1982. After that, winners included Belle Epoque, by Fernando Trueba, in 1993; All About My Mother, by Pedro Almodóvar, in 1999; and The Sea Inside, by Alejandro Amenábar, in 2004. La venganza, by Juan A. Bardem, was the first Spanish nominee for the same award, in 1958. (Published in Alba, June 22-28, 2007)
Did you know that... a Spaniard named the Alcatraz island, famous for the prison founded there?
Victor Lustig spent many years in the Alcatraz prison, established on the famous, small island in the San Francisco Bay. The first European who sailed those waters was the Spaniard Juan de Ayala commanding the San Carlos. He also made, in 1775, the first map of the area, where the Rock was named Isla de los Alcatraces (Island of the Gannets, a seabird), from which the famous prison takes its name. (Published in Época, May 25-31, 2007)
Did you know that... New Orleans’ French Quarter is actually Spanish?
Although the French Quarter, for which the city of New Orleans is world famous, was built by the French, its architecture today is Spanish. Numerous fires destroyed the French buildings, and those who carried out the reconstruction of the quarter during the time when they ruled the city, between 1763 and 1803, were Spanish. (Published in Alba, March 30-April 5, 2007)
Did you know that... the designer of the future transportation hub that will be built at Ground Zero is Spanish?
Spanish engineer and architect Santiago Calatrava has designed the future transportation hub that will be built at so-called Ground Zero in New York, the site where the Twin Towers and adjacent skyscrapers that collapsed as a result of the suicide attack once soared. The construction is not expected to be completed before 2009. (Published in Alba, February 16-22, 2007)
Did you know that... the US dollar symbol ($) is of Spanish origin?
Symbol “$” is, according to some historians, a stylization of a stamp with two ribbon-wreathed pillars of Hercules and the motto Plus Ultra. The stamp used to be written on the Spanish coins minted in the Mexican mint (columnarios), and on the gold and silver bars that were sent from the Americas to Spain. (Published in Época, January 12-18, 2007)
Did you know that... there are five places named Toledo in the US?
The places called Toledo are in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington. The first two took their name from the Spanish town of Toledo, while the other three took it from the city located in Ohio. (Published in Alba, January 12-18, 2007)
Did you know that... there are several towns named Madrid in the USA?
In the US there are three towns called Madrid, located in Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska; there is also a town called New Madrid in Missouri. (Published in Alba, December 15-21, 2006)
Did you know that... the first Spaniard who won an Oscar was Juan de la Cierva?
Juan de la Cierva, the nephew of the inventor of the autogyro, receiveda an Oscar for the invention of the Dynalens optical image motion compensator. This revolutionary system, which eliminates camera movement, vibration and out-of-focus effects, was used for the first time in the film Tora, Tora, Tora (1969), in which this Spanish engineer took part. (Published in Época, November 17-23, 2006)
Labels: Information About Spain
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 3:06 PM,
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'Most wanted' drug trafficker arrested
Story Highlights- Drug trafficker on U.S. State Department most wanted list is arrested in Spain
Spanish police say he was arrested outside luxury Madrid hotel
U.S. says he heads one of South America's most violent drugs operations
U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.
(CNN) -- Spanish police announced Friday the arrest of one of the most sought-after narcotraffickers in the world, Edgar Guillermo Vallejo Guarin, also known as "Beto the Gypsy."
Vallejo Guarin was arrested outside a luxury hotel in central Madrid with the collaboration of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Spanish Civil Guard said in a news release.
Vallejo Guarin has a long history of violence, involvement in money laundering of drug funds and corruption of high-level government officials, the release said.
Among the nations seeking him was the United States, which had offered a $5 million reward to anyone who helped bring about his capture.
He was also on the U.S. State Department's Most Wanted list.
In June 2001, he was accused in Florida of being a principal source of cocaine smuggled from Colombia into the United States throughout the 1990s.
"He is responsible for the shipment of a multitude of tons of cocaine via ship to the United States (especially the west coast of Florida and Miami) and Europe," the release said.
In addition, he is suspected of being linked to various assassinations, it said.
It said that, when he was arrested near the hotel, Vallejo Guarin was carrying false identification documentation that identified him as Jairo Gomez.
Vallejo Guarin's permanent residence was in a suburb of Barcelona, but he had been moving among a number of hotels in Europe and Venezuela in an apparent attempt to avoid arrest, the release said.
posted by Prince and Gina Parker @ 2:55 PM,
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