"Friday I'm in Love" written and performed by The Cure is the second single taken from the album Wish (1992). It is among the band's most well-known songs. It was nominated for a Grammy Award and won the award for European Viewer's Choice for Best Music Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member. The Cure first began releasing music in the late 1970s with their debut album Three Imaginary Boys (1979); this, along with several early singles, placed the band as part of the post-punk and new wave music that had sprung up in the wake of the punk revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980s, the band's increasingly dark and tormented music helped form the gothic rock genre. The Cure were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world. The band is estimated to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004. The Cure have released thirteen studio albums and over thirty singles during the course of their career.
Their original 1993 video clip is a catchy way to revise the days of the week. Directed by Tim Pope, it features the band performing the song in front of various backdrops on a soundstage. Throughout the video, the band play around with various props and costumes while several extras wander about, causing chaos and ultimately trashing the set. Tim Pope makes a cameo in the beginning, riding a rocking horse and yelling out high pitched stage directions through a plastic megaphone after inhaling helium from a balloon. The final shot is of bassist Simon Gallup crouching and peering into the camera while wearing a bridal veil and holding some champagne.
And here's the lyrics to the song:
I don't care if monday's blue
tuesday's grey and wednesday too
thursday i don't care about you
it's friday I'm in love
monday you can fall apart
tuesday wednesday break my heart
thursday doesn't even start
it's friday I'm in love
saturday wait
and sunday always comes too late
but friday never hesitate...
I don't care if monday's black
tuesday wednesday heart attack
thursday never looking back
it's friday I'm in love
monday you can hold your head
tuesday wednesday stay in bed
or thursday watch the walls instead
it's friday I'm in love
saturday wait
and sunday always comes too late
but friday never hesitate...
dressed up to the eyes
it's a wonderful surprise
to see your shoes and your spirits rise
throwing out your frown
and just smiling at the sound
and as sleek as a shriek
spinning round and round
always take a big bite
it's such a gorgeous sight
to see you in the middle of the night
you can never get enough
enough of this stuff
it's friday
I'm in love
And I don't care if monday's blue
tuesday's grey and wednesday too
thursday I don't care about you
it's friday I'm in love
monday you can fall apart
tuesday wednesday break my heart
thursday doesn't even start
it's friday I'm in love
And finally, a soft, acoustic version:
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Prince William and longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton are officially engaged. The news topped every morning show.
Sorry ladies. Your man Prince William will be permanently off the market in a matter of months. He and longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton are officially engaged. The breaking news topped every morning show – and according to HLN – even the prime minister’s agenda.
CAMERON: “I was given the news in a cabinet meeting. I was passed a piece of paper and announced the news in the middle of the cabinet meeting. And there was a great cheer [that] went up and a great banging of the table.
CAMERON: “A great day for our country. A great day for the royal family. And obviously a great day for Prince William and for Kate.”
Dlisted’s Michael K says he hands it to Kate – as long as she keeps her hands off his preferred prince – Harry: “After 9 long years of polishing the royal jewels and slowly crawling towards the crown, Kate Middleton has done it! Gold diggers of the world slip on your white gloves and gracefully clap for Kate. THE CROWN DIGGER IS VICTORIOUS!”
With visions of mile-long trains and billowing shoulder pads in mind – CNN’s Richard Quest – passionately – answers the question: is this another Charles and Diana?
QUEST: “This relationship is worlds, poles, galaxies, universes apart from the relationship that existed between William’s parents. First of all, Charles and Diana had barely met.”
QUEST: “Take this relationship…they’ve known each other for years. They’re living together de facto as man and wife in North Wales at the moment.”
Also not like Charles and Di’s big day – the wedding spot. St. Paul’s is reportedly out as an option. A royal watcher tells NBC, the wedding will still be the event of 2011.
NBC CONTRIBUTOR: “Although the queen is very keen for it to be aware of the age of austerity we live in—everyone’s worried about money—I think everyone also would like a bit of fun. Everyone does like a wedding—particularly a royal wedding. It’s interesting to note they’re saying it’s going to be in London, so my belief is it will probably be at Westminster Abbey.”
Finally, an ABC report says William isn’t taking the traditional path – but after being heavy handed with Diana – Buckingham is letting it slide.
ABC REPORTER: “William is breaking with centuries of tradition by marrying Kate. British princes are supposed to marry one of their own—an aristocratic girl with a title and some land. That’s not Kate.”
ROYAL WATCHER: “This is a great moment—a real breakthrough. Kate comes from an ordinary, common family. Not Lady Kate Middleton. They’re self-made millionaires and we should all be celebrating that.”
The wedding is set for Spring or Summer 2011. So, is this a victory to bridge royalty and commoners? Or is the whole “royalty” thing -- just a little much?
Writer: Chance Seales
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Spain's President, José Luis Rguez. Zapatero, France's President, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Italy's Silvio President, Berlusconi applied for a job in Brussels. Before the interview, they were told that they must compose a sentence in English, with three main words: GREEN, PINK, and YELLOW.
Zapatero was the first one: "I wake up in the morning. I see the YELLOW sun. I see the GREEN grass, and I think to myself, I hope it will be a PINKDay."
Sarkozy was the next: "I wake up in the morning, then I eat a YELLOW banana, a GREEN pepper and in the evening I watch the PINK Panther on TV."
Finally Berlusconi said: "I wake up in the morning, I hear the phone GREEN... GREEN... GREEN..., I PINK up the phone and I say: YELLOW!
You can enjoy another superb song thanks to our music teacher, Mª José Barbosa, who has again prepared a "fill in the blanks" activity using the lyrics. These kind of exercises are a very useful aid when training your listening skills and we are sure you are going to like this song and enjoy finding the missing words.
Picture perfect _______________,
Scattered all around the ___________.
Reaching for the _______ cause, I can’t fight it any _________.
And I __________ if I ever cross your __________.
For me it happens all the _________.
It’s a __________ _________ ________, I’m all alone and I _______ you _________.
Said I wouldn’t come but I lost all _______ and ________ you _________.
And I ________ _______ how I can do without, I just __________ you ________.
Another shot of __________, can’t stop looking at the __________.
Wishing you’d come sweeping in the way you did __________.
And I ___________ if I ever cross your _________.
For me it happens all the _________.
It’s a __________ _________ ________, I’m a little drunk and I _______ you _________.
Said I wouldn’t come but I lost all _______ and ________ you _________.
And I ________ _______ how I can do without, I just __________ you ________.
Yes I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.
It’s a __________ _________ ________, I’m a little drunk and I _______ you _________.
Said I wouldn’t come but I lost all _______ and ________ you _________.
And I ________ _______ how I can do without, I just __________ you ________.
I just _________ you ______________.
Oh baby I _________ you ___________.
"Need You Now" is the title of a country pop song performed by American country music group Lady Antebellum. The song was co-written by Lady Antebellum and Josh Kear, and produced by the trio along with Paul Worley. It serves as the lead-off single and title track to their second studio album, Need You Now, which was released on January 26, 2010. The song was their debut single in the UK and Europe and was released on April 26, 2010. The lyrics describe placing a call to someone in the middle of the night due to being lonely and longing for companionship. Hillary Scott commented on the song, saying that "All three of us know what it's like to get to that point where you feel lonely enough that you make a late night phone call that you very well could regret the next day."
Lady Antebellum is a country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals), Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin) andHillary Scott (lead and background vocals). The group made its debut in 2007.
Lady Antebellum has been awarded Top New Duo or Group in 2009 by the Academy of Country Music and New Artist of the Year in 2008 by the Country Music Association. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards; and two more at the 2010 52nd Grammy Awards.Of these nominations, they took home the award for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals for "I Run to You". More recently on April 18, 2010, the group was awarded Top Vocal Group, Song of the Year ("Need You Now"), and Single of the Year ("Need You Now") at the 45th ACM Awards. Lady Antebellum recently did a collaboration with American Rock band Maroon 5 titled "Out of Goodbyes" for their album Hands All Over.
As of August 6, 2010, the song is the 19th most downloaded song in history, moving 4,028,000 copies, and is the 2nd most downloaded country song in history, trailing only behind Taylor Swift's "Love Story".
A music video was shot for the song, directed by Dave McClister. In the video the song has an extended piano intro, and features all members of the group acting out scenes related to the storyline. The video begins in a hallway of a hotel where Kelley is sitting against a wall and Scott is in her room, with Haywood playing the piano. Kelley goes to a cafe and has a drink, where Haywood arrives at with his love interest. Scott then leaves her room and hails a taxi. Kelley leaves the cafe and goes outside to walk to a costume ball, which Scott is also traveling to. When they arrive at the ball, they both see their love interests wearing masks and they embrace them. Haywood soon arrives at the ball with his love interest. The video ends with all three members embracing their love interests. The video was filmed in Toronto, Ontario.
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
The FDA is proposing requiring cigarette companies to incorporate graphic images on cigarette packs beginning in 2012.
The FDA is getting radical, at least that’s the burning argument on the street. WEAU reports there’s a new set of graphic images the FDA wants to put on cigarette packs. It hopes to discourage smokers from lighting up.
MARY RINZEL: “A man with a hole in his throat. A woman with cancer. A cemetary. A dead man. Some realistic, some cartoonish. Any one a possibility for future cigarette packaging.”
ALLISON MILLER: “It really helps to drive home an ugly, but realistic message that is how deadly smoking can be and how dangerous it is.”
...but how graphic is too graphic? Chicago’s WBBM spoke with a woman on the street who was fuming to give the FDA her piece of mind.
VINCE GERASOLE: “This is what they want to mandate.”
NANCY SAVAGE: “Oh, hell no.”
VINCE GERASOLE: “As you can see, they had some smokers fuming.”
NANCY SAVAGE: “This should not be on cigarettes.”
VINCE GERASOLE: “Why not?”
NANCY SAVAGE: “Because people have the right to smoke, and this is portraying it as you’re gonna get cancer automatically. That’s not true.”
...but Seer Press News disagrees -- laying out the stats for cigarette deaths: “Tobacco use and the many diseases it can cause are blamed for at least 443,000 deaths in the United States every year, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.”
The Washington Post made the changes seem inevitable: “The FDA will gather public comment...and select nine [images]...after reviewing the scientific literature... Beginning Oct. 22, 2012, any cigarette makers that do not put the new warnings on their packaging will not be allowed to sell their brands in the United States.”
And of course, the ladies of The View blew their own smoke on the issue. One host hoped the labels would prevent teens from starting in the first place, but says they will likely have little effect on those already hooked: “It’s an addiction, and I think they should be spending money also on better ways of being able to stop. I mean, I know someone very close to me who was allergic to the patch. They’ve got to find better ways in the cigarette companies to spend the money on finding the ways to break the addiction.”
What do you think? Is the FDA on fire? Or is the idea even worth the lighter to burn it up?
Writer: Christine Slusser
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Our Music teacher at Labor School, Mª José Barbosa, has prepared an exercise for you to fill in the blanks. Watch the video, enjoy the song and then try and write the missing words below. Hope you enjoy it!
When she was a young __________
She used to play with ___________
I was her best __________
We were inseparately
We loved to ride our _________
Playin’ hide and seek
Sneeking all the ___________
Dancing in the __________
I look back at the time
Now I realise
She loved to play with fire
I should have seen it in ________ _________
I should have seen it in ________ _________
Deep inside, you ________ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ ________
Deep inside, you _______ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ _______
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
She fell in love for the first _________
He was older than her
Then he made her do __________
First she wouldn’t tell
She left everything ___________
Couldn’t find a ___________
Running through the ___________
Loosing all her faith
She throws away the pain
Turning off her lies
But still he makes her see like everything’s alright
Like everything’s alright
Deep inside, you ________ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ ________
Deep inside, you _______ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ _______
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Deep inside, you ________ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ ________
Deep inside, you _______ ________ ________
Don’t let your hopes, ______ _______ _______
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Oceana Mahlmann (born 1982) is a German singer of both ethnic German and Afro-Martiniquais descent. She has musical roots in soul, reggae, hip-hop and funk. In March 2010, she finished sixth in the Polish version of "Dancing with the Stars", with dance partner Przemyslaw Juszkiewicz. In May 2010, she hosted the TV show ARTE Lounge on the European channel Arte. That same month, the singer signed with Ultra Records and released her first single "Cry Cry" from Love Supply.
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only
ESO 1 Students: After your Listening Test for Unit 1 we noticed you could not remember the alphabet in English very clearly. Now, after your Listening Test for Unit 2, it is crystal clear you have not worked on it, so... we are repeating this post for you.
A couple of useful videos to learn it once and forever:
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Her Royal Highness is on Facebook, but you can't friend her. You can only "like" her.
How would you like be friends with the Queen? Correction, you can’t be friends with the Queen, but you can “like” her. The British monarch now has a Facebook page.
So what happens if you “like” her? New York’s News 12 has the details on exactly what you’ll find: “Britain’s Queen has launched a series of official pages offering the website’s 500 million users daily updates on her engagements, the royal household has said. The 84-year-old British Monarch will be featured in videos, photos, news items. Users can leave messages or comments for Buckingham palace on the site and find out details of royal events close to their home.”
And who knew the Queen could cause such frenzy on the web – The U.K.’s Telegraph says people were waiting for exactly 8 AM when the page went up to “like” the monarch: “There will be a public list of friends of the page, prompting a race to become the first to press the ‘like’ button on Monday morning.”
So the Queen has a public page for everyone to see. But the anchors on Fox Business joke about what she might have on her private page – and who she might be friends with if she were accepting friends:
ANCHOR 1 - “Has the queen reached out and befriended others? Who do you think she would?”
ANCHOR 2 - “I don’t know if she has yet or not. I’m sure Prince Charles has his own Facebook page”
ANCHOR 1 - “And then does she have a private page and a public page? Can you imagine the pictures on the private page?”
ANCHOR 2 - “They will put pictures on there –“
ANCHOR 1 - “But the public page.”
ANCHOR 2 - “Yeah well of course. Of course there’s not private page with the Queen.”
HRH has been creating something of an image makeover in the last couple of years – A writer for CNET says that started after Helen Mirren played her in the critically acclaimed movie “The Queen”. Since then, she’s been trying to reach out to the lowly masses: “I fancy, though, that the queen's advisers ought to loosen her reins just a little. The queen's deep fondness for horses and other farm animals surely makes her a prime candidate for FarmVille. Please imagine the astonishment among the populace to discover that Britain's queen is looking after her donkeys just as well as you are.”
But The Stir is a little critical of the set-up, saying the page is pretty much a love-fest toward the monarch with no room for criticism or any kind of negative public opinion: “… her ’about me’ warns ‘Please note that any offensive comments will be deleted.’… With no sign that Facebook will add a dislike button anytime soon… it's one place where her royal majesty can continue to receive all the thumbs up she needs to make her feel like a queen...”
So what do you think of this latest technology venture? Will you like the Queen?
Writer: Alyssa Caverley
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Vanna only got to touch ONE letter – in a Wheel of Fortune shocker. A seven word, 27-letter puzzle. And one very lucky contestant. Here’s a look courtesy of The Post-Ledger and Sony.
BURKE: “L.”
SAJAK: “Uh, one ‘L.’”
BURKE: “Can I solve? “
(Audience laughter)
SAJAK: “Okay.”
BURKE: “It is a prize puzzle.”
SAJAK: “Yeah.”
BURKE: “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
SAJAK: “That’s right.”
ABC’s morning anchors couldn’t believe her luck – but still weren’t as surprised as the king of the big wheel.
FEMALE ANCHOR: “They say you can see Sajak was just completely stunned. He actually said, ‘Wait a minute. Let me get over this,’ because he didn’t know how to respond to her.”
MALE ANCHOR: “Yeah, that’s impressive. Maybe practice mixed with luck. Maybe a little bit of both. Congratulations.”
Caitlin Burke is a lifelong Wheel watcher – and applied for the show dozens of times. To hear her describe it to New Jersey’s Star Ledger, she’s been practicing for this all her life: “One day in high school classmates took turns talking about their goals. ‘Someone would say, ‘I want to be a vet,’… ‘I said, ‘I want to go on Wheel of Fortune.’"
Burke got a Caribbean trip for solving the puzzle. But Fox News’ Dana Perino isn’t particularly impressed – or clear on the game’s rules.
PERINO: “But she only won $900. How’s that possible?”
DOOCY: “She obviously got the prize.”
PERINO: “So if you solve the puzzle, you don’t get the—oh, okay, I get it. I haven’t watched it in a long time.”
DOOCY: “If you solve it, you get whatever’s on the table.”
KILMEADE: “And you always get the home game.”
PERINO: “And she gets to be on Fox and Friends.”
And while everyone else is cheering for Burke, MSNBC’s Morning Joe team thinks it’s wheely suspicious.
GEIST: “Come on (no way!)…we’ve got a Quiz Show scandal on our hands. I want a full congressional investigation.”
SCARBOROUGH: “Come on!”
BRZEZINSKI: “That does not happen.”
SCARBOROUGH: “That’s a scene from Groundhog Day.”
BRZEZINSKI: “Willy, don’t trick us. This is silly.”
Finally, we should point out one contestant went before Burke – guessing the letter “R,” but it wasn’t there. Gawker says this means she had two letters – but who cares?
“OK, so 'technically' Caitlin knew that there was no ‘R’ included (in addition to the one ‘L’ that was shown), too, but still... that was pretty damn impressive, no?’
So what do you think? Lucky break? Or was this too lucky?
Writer: Chance Seales
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a Commonwealth holiday (observed in all Commonwealth countries except Mozambique) to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.
It is observed on 11th November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918 (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice). The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7th November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war.
In the United Kingdom, although two minutes of silence are observed on 11th November itself, the main observance is on the second Sunday of November, Remembrance Sunday. Ceremonies are held at local war memorials, usually organised by local branches of the Royal British Legion – an association for ex-servicemen. Typically, poppy wreaths are laid by representatives of the Crown, the armed forces, and local civic leaders, as well as by local organisations including ex-servicemen organisations, cadet forces, the Scouts, Guides, Boys' Brigade, St John Ambulance and the Salvation Army. The start and end of the silence is often also marked by the firing of a cannon. A minute's or two minutes' silence is also frequently incorporated into church services. Further wreath-laying ceremonies are observed at most war memorials across the UK at 11 am on the 11th of November, led by the Royal British Legion. The beginning and end of the two minutes silence is often marked in large towns and cities by the firing of ceremonial cannon and many employers, and businesses invite their staff and customers to observe the two minutes silence at 11:00 am.
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" is a song by The Smiths. It appears on their third album "The Queen Is Dead" and was the lead single from the album, reaching #26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986. It was also the closing song on The Smiths' only live album, Rank.
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey (vocals) and Johnny Marr (guitar), the band also included Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. The group were signed to the independent record label Rough Trade Records, for whom they released four studio albums and several compilations, as well as numerous non-LP singles. Although they had limited commercial success outside the UK while they were still together, and never released a single that charted higher than number 10 in their home country, The Smiths won a growing following, and remain cult and commercial favourites. The band broke up in 1987 amid disagreements between Morrissey and Marr and have turned down several offers to reunite since then.
The lyrics describe the protagonist's frustration of being hounded by others for his comments, to which he replies "I was only joking", and this led Noel Gallagher to draw inspiration from this song for the Oasis track "My Big Mouth", which is about the same subject.
During the song, the protagonist compares himself to Joan of Arc as the flames rose to her Roman nose.
The high-pitched voice in the background is actually Morrissey's, but credited as Ann Coates. Ancoats is the area of Manchester from which the band originated.
And here is the lyrics to Bigmouth Strikes Again:
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth
In your head
Oh ... sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you should be
Bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
Oh ...
Bigmouth, la ... bigmouth, la ...
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the Human race
Oh, bigmouth, la ... bigmouth, la
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the Human race
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, la ... bigmouth, la ...
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the Human race
Oh ...
And now enjoy a funny, silly video about this fantastic song:
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Santiago de Compostela in Spain, with its ornate cathedral, is waiting to welcome Pope Benedict the 16th on a visit this weekend. The Pope is visiting Spain on his second trip there since becoming leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Another trip is planned for next year, such is the importance the church places on Spain, where over 70 per cent of people still describe themselves as Catholics. But only just over 14 per cent regularly attend mass. A decade of reforms on divorce, abortion and gay rights has eroded religious influence, and the church has loudly expressed its concern.
The iconic pilgrimage destination should welcome the Pontiff with open arms – but things in the rest of Spain might be different.
There has been a seismic shift in recent years – with laws allowing gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier access to abortion.
But not everyone wants to see the Pope in Spain. Some are angry that they are being forced to foot the bill.The estimated cost to the taxpayer of the Pontiff’s trip to Spain will be around 3.7 million euros.
Greeted on arrival at Lavacolla airport by the Crown Prince Philip and Princess Letizia, Pope Benedict begins his trip in Saint Jacques de Compostella. On Sunday, he will move on to Barcelona where, 128 years after construction began, he will consecrate Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia as a cathedral.
On the first day of his visit, there are plenty of voices in Spain calling for Pope Benedict XVI to go home. A number of groups were in Santiago de Compostela to protest, ranging from anti-child abuse activists to gay rights campaigners, and women’s groups.
It is the Church’s recent tortuous negotiation of sex scandals in several countries and what some claim is the Pope’s refusal to confront the problem that have raised the most anger.
“There is a rigid defence position, arguing that every reported case is attacking the clerical institution, but it actually does not, unless that clerical institution defends pederasty,” said “Iglesia Sin Abusos” co-founder Carlos Sanchez Mato.
He ran bible classes at a Madrid school when he heard allegations that children were being abused there. He and others set up “Iglesia Sin Abusos”, a secular organisation to defend children’s rights and to encourage victims to come forward and press for convictions for criminal priests.
The Pope’s presence in Spain could seem, on the surface, like just another pastoral visit. But it goes much further than that in a country that is something of a paradox.
Spain, traditionally deeply Catholic, has become in recent years under the Zapatero government, one of Europe’s most progressive and socially audacious states.
The Vatican is worried about the dechristianisation of Europe; not just in Spain but also in Italy and France. The Catholic Church fears that Zapatero’s push towards secularism may spread to Latin America.
More than 30 years after the end of Franco’s dictatorship, which made Catholicism a national religion, belief is waning. Just eight years ago, 80 percent of Spaniards considered themselves Catholic. Today, that figure has fallen to 73 percent.
The child sex abuse scandals appear not to be the main cause as Spain has recorded relatively few cases compared to other countries.
Spain today is not afraid to turn its back on the Catholic Church. In 2005 the socialist government adopted a law permitting gay marriage. Since then 20,000 same-sex marriages have taken place despite the conservative opposition’s anger. The Popular Party has promised to review this law if it returns to power, as well as a law removing restrictions on abortions.
Although there were well-attended pro-life marches across the country, the abortion law went ahead. The Vatican was incensed.
And the Spanish government could go even further. Proposals have been in the pipelines since last December, including forbidding the crucifix in public places, a debate which is also raging in Italy.
But the government has not yet put anything before parliament, concerned perhaps not to pour oil on the fire.
Hundreds of gay rights activists kissed on the streets of Barcelona Sunday to protest Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.
“This was a peaceful protest against those views, outside Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia church. ‘What we’ve done here today is not aggressive it’s not violent; we’re not making lies out of Catholics. We’re just here kissing and showing that we’re peaceful human beings.’” (Sky News)
Marylene Carole, of Flashmob, the group that organized the protest, told Pink News that 900 Facebook users planned on attending. She notes how powerful the event really was: “It is strange that such a noble act as kissing can still be considered revolutionary today, in the 21st century. This is a battle for sexual and affective rights, based on passion rather than violence.”
The purpose of the pontiff’s visit was to consecrate Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia cathedral, which has been under construction for more than a century. But he also warned of what he called “an aggressive secularism,” overtaking the country. ITN explains: “‘The generous and indissoluble love of a man and a woman is the effective context and the foundation of human life in its gestation, birth, growth and its natural end.’ Pope Benedict attacked Spain’s abortion and gay rights legislation in a mass in Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Spain was the third country worldwide to legalize same-sex marriages, much to the chagrin to the head of the Catholic church.”
Although the visit was meant to strengthen ties between Spain and the Vatican - once one of Europe’s most staunchly Catholic countries -- the pope’s conservative message is becoming more controversial. In a report last week, Sarah Rainsford of the BBC said the church is struggling to stay relevant: “The number of baptisms is falling and the average age of the faithful is on the rise. From a position of great strength and wealth, the church in Spain is far weaker ... In the past decade, the number of people who go to mass every Sunday has fallen by half, and now more than 50 percent of Spaniards say they never set foot inside a church.”
There was a counter-demonstration. Young Catholic protesters stood outside the Sagrada Familia cathedral chanting, “God loves you, too.” Pope Benedict’s visit is projected to cost Spanish taxpayers nearly $700,000.
Writer: Alexandra Pfenninger
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
Glass is a browser add-on (so far it only works on Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, sorry) that lets you share experiences and not just content. Now, instead of sending a link, your contacts see your thoughts together with the moment that inspired them, in context, allowing you to share the experience of being there. With it you will have all the tools you need to create, check out what your contacts have created for you, and see everything on Glass from anywhere on the internet.
Similar to a virtual post-it, you can add almost anything: write notes, highlight text, and even place pictures and videos (to come soon) on top of any website and share those thoughts with only those you choose.
It is free, but up to now only people who receive invitations (invite codes) from other users or directly from Glass can join them. If any of you, Labor Students (or former students), would like an invite code send us an e-mail: we have 75 invite codes to five away!
Watch the video and learn more about Glass:
Slide Tutorial:
Feed Tutorial:
No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.
In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.
Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night (or, more casually in recent times as Fireworks Night), is an annual celebration held on the evening of 5th November to mark the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 5th November 1605, in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to destroy the Houses of Parliament in London, to assassinate James I of England and restore Catholicism to England.
In the United Kingdom, celebrations take place in towns and villages across the country in the form of both private and civic events. The festivities involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires on which 'guys' are traditionally burnt. The 'guys' are traditionally effigies of Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, although may also be effigies of local or national hate figures. It is possible that effigies were burnt on bonfires (originally 'bone - fires') at this time of year long before such celebrations were attributed to Guy Fawkes as they may actually represent the remnants of pre-Christian sacrifice rituals held around the Autumn solstice (i.e., Samhain). Although the night is celebrated in York (Fawkes' hometown) some there do not burn his effigy, most notably those from his old school. In the weeks before bonfire night, children traditionally displayed the "guy" and requested a "penny for the guy" in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks. However, this practice has diminished greatly, perhaps because it has been seen as begging, and also because children are not allowed to buy fireworks. In addition there are concerns that children might misuse the money.
