Spanish Support For Alexa

Spanish Support For Alexa

Amazon , one of the world’s biggest providers of products has announced it is beta testing a Spanish language Alexa experience for residents in the United States. The program will allow Amazon to incorporate a better understanding of word choice and local humor as it has done with prior language launches in other regions. 

Manufacturers who want to build “Alexa Built-in” products for Spanish-speaking customers can also now request early access to a related Alexa Voice Services (AVS) developer preview with Bose, Facebook and Sony already on board. Developers have also been able to create skills in English in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and India; as well as in German, Japanese, French (in France and in Canada), and Portuguese (in Brazil). 

Last summer, Google Home released user support for Spanish, in addition to launching the device in Spain and Mexico which has given them the upper hand in the “smart home assistant” market. Amazon also trails Apple in terms of support for Spanish in the U.S., as Apple added support for Spanish to their offering in the market, the HomePod, in the U.S., Spain and Mexico in September 2018 which comes a bit as a surprise since Spanish is a widely spoken language in the U.S. with 53 million speakers. 

---

We hope you enjoyed learning about how Amazon is developing Spanish Support For Alexa! Looking forward to communicating with your Alexa device in Spanish? Our culturally immersive group classes will have you communicating with the newest version of Alexa in no time! Click below to learn more.

Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra

Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra

The roads of Pontevedra, Spain, once invaded by traffic and city squares, are now often filled with baby strollers and children playing. By restricting traffic and eliminating physical barriers, the city council has redesigned Pontevedra from the viewpoint of a child. 

This trend is reflected in the demographics of Pontevedra. The city has attracted young families from throughout Spain’s northwest region to settle in the city, even as Spain continues to struggle with declining birth rates.  Beginning in 2000, the population of children age 0 to 14 increased by 8% in Pontevedra and has continued to expand the pedestrian area from the center to the outskirts, liberating a total 669,000 square meters previously dominated by cars.

Car use in the inner city has dropped by 77%, and carbon emissions have dropped by 66%, according to the city council accompanied by a dropping crime rate (its lowest crime rate in a decade with 34 offenses per 1,000 citizens, and last year it reached a new low of 27).

Surprisingly, cars are not strictly banned inside the city. Residents with a private garage can bring their cars in, and traffic is open to delivery services, emergencies, and even to private drivers who need to stop by the center for a pick-up or drop-off.

“It is like building a nest,” said Carmen Fouces, Pontevedra’s culture councilor. “If you put some fluff and straws on a branch, a bird will soon make it its home.”

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how a Spanish city counsel is Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra! Ready to make your trip to the revitalized city? Our culturally immersive classes and native instructors are sure to put you on the path to fluency faster than you might think! Click below to learn more.

Google + Spanish Cuisine = A New Culinary Experience

It wasn’t too long ago that Google Arts & Culture was making headlines for it’s “Art Selfie" tool, which helps match users with their twin in works of art, however, the latest project from the platform focuses on food—Spanish food, to be exact. Google Arts & Culture launched “Spain: An Open Kitchen,” a digital exhibit that includes input from 60 different chefs and food experts and covers the artistry of Spanish food, featuring next-gen culinary stars.

If you’re looking to learn more about Spanish gastronomy, this is the go-to easy to navigate tool you need. One section, “The Flavors,” details eight different regional cuisines, formatted in gallery “exhibits” that cover the seafaring traditions of the Basque Country and how Iberian pig is the king of Andalusian meats.

There’s also a wine map, which breaks down different wine-producing regions around the country. With the 360-degree winery tours, you can pan through several different views at each location, in case you need to inspire your next trip to the vineyard. 

 There’s also the “Ferrán Adria Challenge” where "YouTube creatives and experimenters" challenge the innovative chef with a guessing game. Also, we find out some personal info about the chef, like that Adria hates peppers. Fittingly, soon after his sections, there’s the “next gen” section, which spotlights all the young Spanish chefs taking up the mantle of contemporary Spanish cuisine.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how Google + Spanish Cuisine = A New Culinary Experinece! Ready to combine your newfound knowledge of Spanish food with it’s culture and language? Our native instructors and culturally immersive classes are sure to help you make the union as seamless as possible! Click below to learn more.

The Preservation of Video Games

Preserving media is an absolute necessity to understand the mentality and important issues in every generation. Whether it’s books or movies, each piece of media gives us a glimpse into the mind of the creators and their takes on society. This has now extended to one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the last few decades - video games.  

The National Library of Spain or BNE is dedicated to gathering Spain’s history and preserving it for years to come. Originally created three centuries ago, the National Library was to preserve printed pieces of Spanish history and culture and it has been vigilant in adapting to the new artistic ways of Spanish culture. Ana Santos, along with Javier Garcia Fernandez, proposed the:

“regulation of conservation of video games, web sites, electoral propaganda posters, and bookmarks, among other formats based on the reform of the Law on Legal Deposit of 2011” and that  “Video games will be of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the future, because they have a very important cultural value as an artistic creation.” 

This new proposal would allow the institution to adapt and conserve Spanish artistic pieces that may not have been on printed material. 

The Law of Legal Deposit in Spain was founded by Felipe V at the end of 1711 but the Library did not begin depositing pieces until 1712 and today houses almost half a million deposits.

Spanish director points out the need for reform of the law of 1985 to reflect the current reality of culture in Spain and has stressed the need for preserving Spain’s digital heritage as well as the printed. 

Let us know what you think this might bring for the future of gaming, historically for the future gamer generations. 

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The Preservation of Video Games! What effect do you think this might bring for the future of gaming? Join the conversation below!

Climate Change & Tourism

Climate Change & Tourism

Any country that relies on a tourist economy will always be subject to many factors out of it’s control. Tourism still secures the most jobs in Spain, even though the country is dealing with a higher the usual unemployment rate. Because of this, the tourism sector has been given priority to be supported in any possible way by the Spanish government. However, there is one big change facing the country that could doom the system if not addressed: Climate change.

At the moment, Spain still has to import $45 billion worth of gas and oil annually, mainly from Algeria and Saudi Arabia, but it is believed it could save a portion of that cost by investing in solar energy with it’s 3,000 hours of sunlight per year.  Energy costs are also crucial for the tourism sector, being one of the largest energy consumers and accounting for 15% of GDP. 

A lot of energy is consumed in the roughly 750 desalination plants, which pump the salt back into the ocean, thus changing the underwater landscape near the coasts to keep tourist destinations running year-round.

In the north of the country, there's mounting soil erosion along the 3715 miles of coast where 90% of all tourists spend their vacations. 

Inigo Losada, research director at the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria, warns that vacation homeowners and hotel chains will inevitably feel the effects. Diving will become less attractive for tourists if coral reefs disappear, and the danger of coastal areas being flooded will put a burden on all tourist based companies on the coastline.

Losada says German holiday homeowners in Spain should do the same. "I have no way of knowing whether we'll be able to stop climate change," he warns, indicating that in his opinion some people should already relocate to be on the safe side.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Climate Change & Tourism in Spain! Do you think the reduction of energy consumption will help the impending situation for Spain’s tourist economy? Join the conversation below!

Googling the Philippines' Independence Day

Googling the Philippines' Independence Day

With the Philippines turning 121 years old today as a nation, Google has flown the Filipino flag high.

Google’s reps have stated that “Google salutes the 121st Philippine Independence Day with a special doodle that features the Philippine flag.

On this day in 1898, the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the western Pacific Ocean named after Spanish King Philip II, finally claimed its freedom after over 300 years of colonial rule from Spain,” it adds. 

Spanish was introduced in the islands after 1565, when the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi set sail from Mexico and founded the first Spanish settlement on Cebú. Though its usage is not as widespread as before, Spanish has had a significant influence in the various local Philippine languages such as providing numerous loan wordsSpanish rule ended in 1898 with Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War. The Philippines then became a territory of the United States. . After the U.S. military overpowered the Japanese in 1945, the Treaty of Manila in 1946 established an independent Philippine Republic.

Google also continues to explain the symbolism behind the colors, stars, and eight rays of the sun on the Philippine flag.

“The Philippine flag itself is a powerful symbol of the independence movement, with each of its colors carrying a significant meaning: blue represents truth and justice, red symbolizes patriotism, and white stands for equality,” Google says.

“The three stars at the corner represent the three main regions of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Meanwhile, the eight rays of the sun stand for the first eight provinces that went into battle against Spain."

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Googling the Philippines' Independence Day! Google has a long history of making impressive doodles for it’s search engine. Which is your favorite? Join the conversation below!

Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling

Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling

Ecuador’s government has reached a decision to allow same-sex marriage marking the 50th anniversary of the gay equality movement. 

 Five of nine judges in Ecuador’s top court on Wednesday ruled in favor of two gay couples who sued after their request to be married was denied by the country’s civil registry and is the 27th country to allow same-sex marriage with the move coming during the annual gay Pride month.

In 1998, Ecuador became one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since 2008, civil unions with all of the rights of marriage (except for adoption) have been available to same-sex couples. Additionally, transgender people under the 2016 Gender Identity Law may change their legal gender solely based on self-determination, without undergoing surgery. Ecuador is also one of the few countries in the world to have banned conversion therapy.

“Whenever there’s progress, there’s always steps backwards,” said Neela Ghoshal, senior researcher in the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.

---

We hope that you enjoyed learning about Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling! What are your thoughts on the progress concerning marriage equality in Ecuador? Join the conversation below!

Stifiling Rising Spanish Rent

Stifling Rising Spanish Rent

The effort by Spain’s Socialist government to control apartment rents is off to a rough start. Just 2 months after imposing rent-suppression measures, rents rose at a 7.5% annual pace 

The new rules for privately owned apartments in Spain were meant in part to counteract Airbnb-type rentals, but this isn’t a struggle just the Spanish are experiencing. In the United States, the government is struggling to remedy how to keep tenants from being priced out of their neighborhoods. Germany is going even further than Spain, with plans to freeze rents for 5 years and give tenants the opportunity to demand reductions.

In Spain, the new rules limit annual rent increases for five years to the inflation rate much to the distain of landlords, however after that period is over they can raise, or lower, them as they wish, in a new contract. 

“The big institutional investors are specialists, they’re opportunistic and will focus on where the outlook and conditions are most favorable,” said Joe Lovrics, who runs Citigroup Inc.’s Iberia markets desk in Madrid. “They look at these rules and say: ‘If this is permanent, we’ll look elsewhere.”’

---

What are your thoughts on the measures the Spanish government is taking. Do you believe they will successfully keep the rent prices down? Join the conversation below!

Selling Stock in Spanish Food

Selling Stock in Spanish Food

Spanish food giant, Goya, has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to discuss the possible sale of the 83-year-old company. The company has roughly $250 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and could fetch roughly $3 billion in a sale, some of the people said.

Founded by  Prudencio Unanue and Carolina Casal, both Spanish immigrants, in 1936, Goya has long stayed a family company, but the heirs have increased over the years, and divided control has led to disputes over the company’s future.

A sale could address the fragmentation of its ownership. Depending on valuation, some descendants may retain their stake, or the family could decide against a sale all together. Additionally, Goldman Sachs has allegedly reached out to potential corporate acquirers and the company has set a bidding deadline of early June for initial bids.

Sales of ethnic food in the U.S. have been rising as the millennial generation has been more willing to experiment with new cuisines as they increasingly focus on clean eating. Between 2013 and 2017, ethnic-flavored products like sauces, seasoning and exotically flavored chips grew by 20%, according to Food Navigator, citing Innova.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the owners of Goya are contemplating Selling Stock in Spanish Food! What do you believe would be the ideal move for the canned food giant? Join the conversation below!

Stolen Spanish Art

Stolen Spanish Art

After a lengthy legal battle, a California court has decided that Spanish museum can keep a painting titled “Rue Saint-Honoré, Après-midi, Effet de Pluie,” by Camille Pissarro that a German Jewish woman has stated that she was forced to sell the painting before fleeing the Nazis.

The federal court held that ownership was governed by Spanish law, which allows buyers to retain works they purchased if they did not possess “actual knowledge” the work had been stolen.

The original owner, Lilly Cassirer, had been forced to sell the painting to a Nazi art appraiser in 1939 for the equivalent of $360 which eventually made it’s way to the Madrid museum as part of the collection acquired by Spain from Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. In 1958, she received financial compensation from the German government for the loss of her painting. But as part of the settlement, she did not waive her right to seek its return.

In its ruling this week, the California court found that Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza paid “fair market value” when he acquired the Pissarro painting for $300,000 in 1976 but should have done more to take it’s connection to Nazi looting.

Overall, the court found, “there is no evidence that the baron made any inquiries regarding the painting’s provenance or conducted any investigation of the painting’s provenance before purchasing it.” The Pissarro painting has been on display in Madrid since 1992 and  now ranks among the most visited places in the Spanish capital.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the dispute over Stolen Spanish Art! Who do you believe is the rightful owner of “Rue Saint-Honoré, Après-midi, Effet de Pluie?” Join the conversation below!

Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches

Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches

Popular Spanish tourist beaches in Majorca and Ibiza may become no smoking zones from this summer if a new proposal from the Balearic Government goes into effect. 

The government is asking town councils across the islands to consider introducing a voluntary ban on smoking that would include every beach to safeguard the environment. Health officials have stated that tourists would benefit from smoke-free zones and it would help with the massive problem of cigarette butts which currently litter the sand and get washed out into the sea, harming wildlife.

Extremely drastic measures aren’t being taken regarding punishment as smokers will not be prosecuted under the new proposal. The government states that the idea is to promote a healthier lifestyle and avoid the risk of children accidentally swallowing cigarette butts while playing in sea or sand.

The government is asking town councils across the islands to consider introducing a voluntary ban on smoking that would include every beach to safeguard the environment. Health officials have stated that tourists would benefit from smoke-free zones and it would help with the massive problem of cigarette butts which currently litter the sand and get washed out into the sea, harming wildlife.

Extremely drastic measures aren’t being taken regarding punishment as smokers will not be prosecuted under the new proposal. The government states that the idea is to promote a healthier lifestyle and avoid the risk of children accidentally swallowing cigarette butts while playing in sea or sand.

Thailand has already provided a template for smokeless success – last year they banned cigarettes at 24 separate seaside beauty spots, and extended the laws further in the March. 

 According to 2018 figures collected by NGO Ocean Conservancy, roughly 60 million cigarette butts have been collected from the seas since the mid-Eighties, far outstripping the numbers of coffee cups or plastic straws.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the Spanish government is Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches! Do you think this ban is going to help clean up the beaches / reduce the environmental impact of the tourist season? Join the conversation below!

Rising Viewership For Spanish Music

Rising Viewership For Spanish Music

This year has been a massive one for Spanish language music, particularly in the realm of pop culture. The 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards saw an 11% increase in viewership from 2018 and saw Telemundo pushed to No. 1 in Spanish-language prime time. The awards ceremony, which featured performances by Ozuna, Anuel AA, Karol G, Marc Anthony, and others outperformed the combined delivery of all Spanish-language broadcast networks.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards grew out of the Billboard Music Awards program from Billboard magazine and are the Latin music industry’s longest running award. The first award ceremony began in 1994 with notable winners including  Enrique Iglesias who has won 47 awards and Shakira with 41 awards. Since 1999, the awards ceremony has been broadcast on the television network Telemundo, where it became the network's highest-rated music special. 

In the United States, the viewership increase stretched beyond just Spanish language programming - specifically in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Houston. On social media, the awards show ranked as the most social non-sports program of the day across all broadcast and cable networks and generated over 1.7 million global actions and  19 million global views on social platforms.

Finalists and winners of the Billboard Latin Music Awards are determined by sales, streaming, radio airplay and social data that informs Billboard's weekly charts during a one-year period from the rankings dated February 3, 2018 through this year's January 26 charts.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the Rising Viewership For Spanish Music! Want to broaden your foreign music library? Check out our official Spotify playlist below!

The Spanish Search For Lost Ships

The Spanish Search For Lost Ships

This week, archaeologists Carlos León and Beatriz Domingo and naval historian Genoveva Enríquez have combed Spain’s archives and compiled a list of 681 Spanish ships lost off the coasts of multiple Latin American countries as well as Atlantic coast of the United States since 1492.

León has stated that the objective of the project, which is sponsored by Spain’s Culture Ministry, is to help identify and protect shipwreck sites, especially those that have been lost from memory. 
“The most famous ships have been investigated,” he said, “but there’s a huge number about which we know absolutely nothing.” The researchers found that more than 90 percent of the ships sank in severe weather, about four percent ran onto reefs or had navigational problems; one percent were sunk during naval engagements with the British, Dutch, or United States; and less than one percent were sunk during pirate attacks. 

A group of Spanish academics working with the country's culture ministry to produce the study also found that in many cases the ships were carrying pearls, emeralds, and gold.

The majority of the shipwrecks, a total of 249, were identified off the coast of Cuba; 153 on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along the US coast; 66 near Panama; and another 63 around Hispaniola, currently divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic with nearly 80% of the hulls remaining to be explored.

The Spanish culture ministry said that rather than recovering valuables that may be in the shipwrecks, which would be a time-consuming and costly operation, the current aim of the research is to protect the shipwrecks from sackings or possible incidental damage, with the cooperation of the relevant countries. Each entry has a list of the ship type, the name of its captain, its armament, the number of crew members and passengers, as well as the cargo.

In addition to gold and precious stones, which conjure up images of the most famous pirate legends, many of the ships were also laden with Ming ceramics, tobacco, sugar, vanilla and cocoa, as well as slaves, artillery, books, and alleged relics from Jerusalem.

Fewer than 25 percent of these wrecks have been found to date, León added. The documents also revealed the ships headed toward the New World carried things like religious objects and stones for building churches; tons of mercury to extract gold and silver from New World ores; clothing for slaves; and weapons for putting down local rebellions. 

---

What do you think may have been created had these ships completed their route? Join the conversation below!

The Most Realistic Vegan Entree In The World

Foods For Tomorrow, a Spanish based vegan food producer, aims to change people’s perception of plant-based meat with its newest offering:  vegan chicken - Heura.

Since its 2017 launch, Foods For Tomorrow has become a hit among Spanish residents looking to reduce their meat consumption and the company’s marketing director, Bernat Añaños, has stated that the mission of Foods For Tomorrow is to “democratize the meat category.”

Photo: Foods For Tomorrow

He added, “Without options there is no freedom, so we want to set the freedom of choice in the supermarkets for our customers” and argues that that the brand’s meatless chicken could be “meat’s successor.”

Photo: ViaEmpresa

While the company’s overarching mission is to “revolutionize the food system,” according to Añaños, it first plans to expand its availability in Spain. It wants to be “a maximum of 10 km away from each customer at any one time.”

Foods for Tomorrow isn’t the only one in the game though. A competitor, NovaMeat created a 3D-printed vegan steak while the Israeli company,  JetEat is researching 3D-printing as a method of creating plant-based meat. Both of these companies have kept their processes tightly under wraps, but hopefully soon, the public will get the chance to see the fruits of their labors as JetEat founder, Eshchar Ben-Shitrit has stated that “Somewhere in the second half of 2020, our products will be rolled out more widely in restaurants and butchers who embrace the future of meat as being more than just an animal product.”

---

We hope you enjoyed learning about how Foods For Tomorrow is creating The Most Realistic Vegan Entree In The World! What are your thoughts on this revolution in the not just the Spanish, but global food industry? Join the conversation below!

The Most Fixed Sport in Europe

The Most Fixed Sport in Europe

Spanish authorities have arrested 15 people in connection with an international ring accused of fixing tennis matches which included the leaders of an Armenian gambling ring as well as 28 professional players. One of those even participated in last year’s U.S. Open. It may come as a surprise, but The European Sports Security Association, which tracks betting for bookmakers, has said tennis tops the list of sports linked to suspicious gambling.

As part of the crackdown, 11 houses were raided and police seized vehicles, firearms, credit cards, and 167,000 $191,000 in cash. Spanish player Marc Fornell-Mestres is accused of acting as the link between players and the Armenian ring that bribed them. No other names had been immediately disclosed by authorities.

This isn’t Mestres’ first run in with the law either. He was suspended from professional tennis last year, according to the Tennis Integrity Unit, which said the suspension related to an investigation into "alleged breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program."

Police said the organized group bribed the players to guarantee predetermined results, and used the identities of citizens to place international bets on the matches while members of the crime ring attended the matches to ensure the players complied with the fixes.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The Most Fixed Sport in Europe! How do you believe authorities could best deal with this issue in the sporting world? Join the conversation below!

At A Loss For Art

At A Loss For Art

On the Christmas Eve of 1734, and most of the residents of the Real Alcázar de Madrid, the palace that housed the Spanish royal court, were in the chapel pews to observe midnight Mass all while on the other side of the palace, a fire had broken out in the rooms of the French painter Jean Ranc, who had been working as the Spanish royal family’s official portraitist.

It has been said that Ranc’s poor eyesight led an inability to detect the flames, and the fire bells were mistaken for the expected chimes that ushered in the holiday celebrations as well as the fact that the majority of the castle’s occupants were confined to the chapel and unable to quickly attend to the inferno immediately.

Unfortunately, the Alcázar burned down along with more than 500 works from the Spanish royal family’s art collection.

Built in the mid-ninth century, the Alcázar was present for nearly 1,000 years of Spanish history. It was originally built by Emir Mohamed, the ruler of what would become Madrid, following the Moors’ conquest of the Iberian peninsula. After the Christians regained control, they instituted the Spanish monarchy and each successive ruler put their own touch on the palace (much like the United States’ White House). In preparation for a new bout of construction, a large part of the collection that had been amassed in the previous century was relocated to another location prior to the outbreak of the fire. They were spared from the tragedy as were a good number of the paintings that hung on the Alcázar’s walls.

After the initial mayhem following the fire alarm, an effort was made to save some of the art while the blaze raged on as nearly 1,200 of the pieces were cut from their frames and tossed to the courtyard below (including famed masterpieces such as  Diego Velázquez’s “Las Meninas” and Titian’s “Equestrian Portrait of Charles V”).

Among the 500 works that were lost in the fire are some that disappeared without any trace that they ever existed while others left behind records of the great cultural loss.  One could say the silver lining of the destruction of the castle gave Spaniards an excuse to build the extravagant Royal Palace of Madrid which still stands today.

While historians continue to agree that the flame first came to life in his room, the Jean Ranc denied it until the end of his life while even going so far as to put himself forward for contention for the job of overseeing the restoration of the recovered Alcázar works in order to save his good name.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed At A Loss For Art! Ready to view the surviving pieces from the original historic castle? Our culturally immersive group classes and native instructors can prepare you for your foreign artistic experience faster than you may think. Click below to learn more!

Urbanization and the Disappearing Spanish Village

Urbanization and the Disappearing Spanish Village

Spain's countryside is dotted with small villages that are being sold after their owners abandoned them due to a massive demographic shift. For the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who made the reversal of rural depopulation a key policy issue when he came to power last year, such efforts can help stem rural desertification before it tips into crisis territory. Sanchez, who faces a general election in April, will on Friday discuss with his cabinet measures to reverse the trend.

Many foreigners and enterprising Spaniards are starting to be seen as part of the solution as they buy some of the properties, taking advantage of bargain prices. Aldeas Abandonadas, an estate agency specializing in such sales, last year sold about 40 villages, with foreign buyers accounting for 90% of the transactions. The company recently got a boost after Gwyneth Paltrow flagged one of its villages on her website as a good Christmas present.

While urbanization is emptying rural areas across large swathes of Europe, the trend is dramatic in Spain. About 53% of Spain has a population density of fewer than 12.5 inhabitants per square mile which is among the worst rates in western Europe. 

Whether it's a desire to preserve Spain's cultural history or because technology now makes it possible to work from anywhere, people are starting to trickle back, hopefully for good. 

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Urbanization and the Disappearing Spanish Village! Do you think the vast swaths of foreign investors will help revive these towns? Join the conversation below!

Why The Spanish Are Losing Sleep

Why The Spanish Are Losing Sleep

Spaniards sleep about 53 minutes less than the European average, but does this mean they are overworked? Not exactly. Well, at least not quite yet.  In many small Spanish towns, most citizens still take a mid day siesta which is born from the unbearable afternoon climate in the country of Spain.

However, few people in cities can take a siesta which is creating a transition from a culture that affords themselves siestas to one that doesn’t. While it may not be a massive change for those who work indoors (thanks to air conditioning, it is those who work in construction or in the realm of agriculture to work in the heat of the afternoon, but the mounting pressure to scrap the split work day is because of its impact on work-life balance, not because people are worried they’re not getting enough sleep.

The other factor that affects Spaniards’ sleeping habits is that the country is in the “wrong” time zone. Geographically, Spain should be on Greenwich Mean Time, but in 1942, Francisco Franco switched the nation to European Central Time in solidarity with Adolf Hitler, and oddly none of his successors made plans to change it back.

In due course the clocks may change, but for Spaniards, family and social life will always take priority. If enjoying a family dinner or a drink with friends means missing an hour’s sleep, you probably won’t find too many to complain. 

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Why The Spanish Are Losing Sleep! What are your thoughts on the barriers to sleep that the Spanish are navigating daily? Would changing the time zone help matter? Join the conversation below!

From MS Paint to Mary Poppins

We all have ideas of what we expect “grandmas” to spend their time doing. Among these would be: knitting, gardening, and maybe even painting. However, there is one Spanish grandmother that is making digital waves in the art world. 87-year-old Concha Garcia Zaera enjoys a hobby that’s rather unusually among her friends. She creates masterpieces by utilizing Microsoft Paint which she discovered after her children gave her a computer.

Photo: Instagram

Before Zaera was an MS Paint artist, she created pictures using a more traditional approach. She recently told Radio Valencia that she had previously taken classes in oil painting but that their strong smell prevented her from practicing at home.

Photo: Instagram

Zaera told El Mundo. “I began painting little things: first, a house, the next day I’d add a mountain… Step by step, I was adding details, and in the end, the result was a very pretty thing.”

After posting her works on Facebook to a very limited audience, one of her granddaughters suggested that she should use Instagram instead. It has paid off quite a bit as she has garnered not only a whopping 189.9k Followers, but a contract with Disney to paint a piece for the new movie, “Mary Poppins Returns."

Photo: Instagram

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing how Concha Garcia Zaera has gone From MS Paint to Mary Poppins. What’s your favorite of her masterful digital creations? Join the conversation below!

Showcasing The Movida Madrileña

Showcasing The Movida Madrileña

For anyone that would consider themselves a fan of French art, a groundbreaking new exhibition about counter-culture during the Spanish transition to democracy previewed this month at a contemporary art museum in Madrid.

Photo: Antonio Mercero, La cabina, 1972. Image courtesy of RTVE

The exhibition, titled "The Poetics of Democracy: Images and Counter-Images from the Spanish Transition,” draws from an event that took place in 1976 at the Venice Biennale - also known as the Red Biennale - when organizers used the event as a platform to showcase art oppressed by Spain's former military dictator Francisco Franco as a way of reshaping the historical narrative of Spain's art scene since the regime took hold in 1936.

In 1968, global youth and art movements radically transformed the world and a counter-culture emerged in Spain as a parallel narrative to the official one.  During this cultural revolution, a network of creatives across Madrid garnered enough momentum to push an organized movement through not only collectives but media including magazines, radio shows, and even graffiti art. This paved the way for the "Movida Madrileña," a cultural movement that started after Franco's death in 1975 that represented the emergence of a new Spanish identity characterized by freedom of expression, transgression of the taboos imposed by the Franco regime, and drug usage.

   The exhibition showcases images across various disciplines that bring Spain's counterculture of the 1970s out of the shadows and runs at the Reina Sofia from Dec. 5-Nov. 25.

---

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the Venice Biennale is Showcasing The Movida Madrileña! Want to pay the exhibit a visit in person? Be sure to check out our culturally immersive group classes before you book your tickets! Click below to learn more.