TresSugar

Oh Snap! You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato Fight!

TresSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Revelers enjoy themselves at the world's biggest tomato fight at La Tomatina festival in Bunol, Spain. More than 45,000 people from all over the world descended on the small town in Valencia to participate in the La Tomatina festival where over 100 tons of rotten and overripe tomatoes were thrown this year. Does this look like fun to you?

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Is Nudity a Persuasive Method of Activism?

TresSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:00:00 -0700

A naked person might make you either look twice or cover your eyes; but activists in Spain hope it will persuade you to join their cause against bull fighting. Over the weekend, anti-bull fighting demonstrators in Madrid dressed themselves up in not much more than fake blood. They were trying to raise awareness about the animal cruelty involved with bullfighting.

Going naked or using sexy women to bring attention to neglected causes isn't new. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) routinely uses human flesh to get out its animal rights message; they even orchestrated a Running of the Nudes to protest the infamous running of the bulls in Spain.

Do you think nudity gets people to pay attention to important causes, or does it come off as a distracting gimmick?

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Women Dressed in Flamenco Splash Spain With Color

TresSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Each April the residents of Seville, Spain, celebrate the Feria de Abril festival. The fiesta began as a livestock fair in 1847, and today it marks the beginning of the bullfighting season.

Throughout the week, Sevillanas parade through the city adorned in larger-than-life traditional clothes. I think a lot of people in America would feel too self-conscious to get all decked out like this. Lucky Seville that they have a tradition that gives them an excuse to!

The flamenco dresses are gorgeous, and no two are the same. I'm dying for a reason to wear one! Take a peek. Source

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Enchanté? Carla Bruni Meets Her Match in Spain

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:00 -0700

It's no secret we're obsessed with all things French at TrèsSugar, and France's first lady, Carla Bruni, is no exception. But while she may be our favorite, the Daily Mail claims she was bested yesterday by Princess Letizia of Spain in style and beauty.

Carla accompanied President Nicolas Sarkozy to Spain to placate rumors that Spanish tempers ran high after a gaffe-y Sarkozy said Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was "not very smart." What better way to reach peace than to bring two beautiful faces from each country together?

I will insert an obligatory line about how both women are beautiful in their own right because, well, they are, but that takes me away from a problem I want to discuss. Beautiful women - Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni, and now Princess Letizia - are used to distract us from the political issues at hand. You know, like how President Sarkozy said something mean about the Spanish premier. Mon dieu!

Anyway, since the Daily Mail started it, I am going to finish. With a superior integration of the beauty-pageant-like sash and fortunate absence of a tiara, Carla reigns.

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Should Spain Move Forward With Indicting the "Bush Six?"

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:00:26 -0700

Top officials from the Bush administration might not want to travel to Spain any time soon.

A high-level Spanish court has moved toward indicting six former officials, including former Attorney General Roberto Gonzales, for authorizing the torture of five Spanish citizens at Guantanamo Bay prison.

Every country has a right to enforce international law, and this case involves the alleged torture of Spanish citizens. In fact, countries party to 1984 Convention Against Torture (which includes the US and Spain) are obliged to investigate torture cases, especially when a citizen has been abused.

Still, some say the Spanish court is intruding into American affairs. What do you think?

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Thousands March Against Looser Abortion Laws in Spain

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:44 -0700

Over 100,000 to 500,000 people (depending who you believe) marched in Spain Sunday to demonstrate against government laws that would increase access to abortion. As part of one protest, children danced while singing "Thank you mommy for letting me live."

Since 1985, when Spain decriminalized abortion, women can only receive abortions in special cases: up to 12 weeks into pregnancy in the case of rape; up to 22 weeks in the case of malformation of fetus; at any point if it represented a threat to physical or mental health of the woman. The Church greatly influenced these laws in the traditionally Catholic country.

Spain's current government wants to increase legal protections for abortion providers and seekers, while also allowing girls 16 or older to get an abortion without parental consent. Many doctors refuse abortion in Spain for ethical reasons or out of fear of legal prosecution.

In addition to impacting the lives of Spanish women, the outcome of this latest abortion battle will test the influence of the Catholic Church in Spain.

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All Abort? Dutch Nonprofit Bypasses Abortion Laws With Boat

LibertySugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:15:02 -0700

I've heard of underage drinking and avoiding taxes over international waters, but circumventing abortion laws is a new one. Women on Waves sails to countries where abortion is illegal and provides early-term abortions - legally, thanks to Dutch law, which the ship sails under.

Always a gracious guest, Women on Waves never shows up sans an invite from local women's organizations. And it's latest venture in Spain is no exception. At the request of 33 local organizations, it dropped anchor at a port in Valencia, Spain.

With government initiatives to increase protection for women and doctors performing abortions, it's not surprising Women on Waves chose Spain. Its goal is not simply to provide abortions when they would be otherwise prohibited but also to garner support for legalizing abortion. While Spain decriminalized it in 1985, it's only available in limited cases - up to 12 weeks after rape; up to 22 weeks if the fetus is malformed; and at any time if the women's physical or mental health is jeopardized.

If you ask me this boat doesn't look much safer than a back-room abortion, but I haven't seen the inside. How would you feel if it docked off the US coast?

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Quiz Nation! Columbus Day's Different Meanings

LibertySugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:15:37 -0700

The second Monday in October historically has been celebrated as Columbus Day in the US. But not every place in the country, or the rest of the world, marks Columbus's arrival to the new world the same way due to unsettled feelings about celebrating a historical figure attributed with the suffering of native people.

In South Dakota, the day is called Native American Day. In cities like Boston, New York, and San Francisco, the Italian-American community celebrates their native son with an Italian heritage parade. Find out what you know about the historical event marked today!

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Castells Competition Builds Human Castles in the Sky

LibertySugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:00:29 -0700

If you thought the gravity defying feats your college cheerleading squad performed were awe-inspiring, we can probably agree the 22nd Tarragona Castells Competition in Tarragona, Spain was breathtaking.

The annual human towers or castells (a Catalonian word that means "castles") event took place this weekend, drawing spectators from across the globe and some very nimble participants.

The competition is a bit of a cultural phenomenon - the tradition originated at the end of the 18th century in Valls, Tarragona, when rival groups of people called colles turned creating different kinds of human towers into a competitive sport, according to Castellers de Barcelona.

The last person to climb the whole tower is the anxaneta, a young girl or boy who, on arriving at the very summit raises his or her arm and salutes the public. This is the highlight of the event and the crowing moment for the castell.

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Front Page: Senate to Vote on Bailout, Chinese Gymnasts Win Age Fight, Spain Arrests 121 For Child Porn

CitizenSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:53:42 -0700

Senate to Vote on Bailout:
Senate leaders have scheduled a vote today on the $700 billion bailout proposal after adding tax breaks and a higher insured bank deposits limit in an attempt to win House approval and send the bill to President Bush by the end of the week. Senator Harry Reid said, “It has been determined, in our judgment, this is the best thing to move forward," when he announced the unexpected move.

Chinese Gymnasts Win Age Fight:
International gymnastics officials closed a five week investigation in to the ages of the Chinese gymnasts competing at the Beijing Olympics, ruling that documentation rules that the gymnasts were old enough to compete. The scrutiny has not yet cleared gymnasts who won the team bronze in Sydney eight years ago saying, "The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory.''
Spain Arrests 121 For Child Porn:
In what's described as Spain's largest operation against child internet porn, Spain's authorities say they have arrested 121 people and millions of images. Police say two of those arrested were using their own children to make pornography. The sting involved 800 officers, 210 searches, and 347 hard drives seized. The raids bring the number of people arrest for child porn in Spain in the past five years to 1,200.

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