There May Be Hope!

If anyone in America were to hear the word “recession,’ he or she would automatically know what it is all about. However, sometimes Americans fail to notice that other countries are in bad financial situations as well. Spain was in a two-year recession and has just emerged from it, with its economy growing 0.1pc over the last three months. This was confirmed by the National Statistics Institute. Spain is succeeding in restoring confidence into its economy. Also, their borrowing costs have recently been dropping as well. Spainards hope that the new data marks a definitive end to the country’s worst recession since its transition to democracy after the spectacular bursting of a decade long construction boom in 2008. 

Although Spain still has a lot ahead of them, their economic situation is looking up. Americans should stop for a minute when they are worried about the state of the country, and see that other countries have pulled through it, and we can too. What is happening in Spain gives hope to all the other countries that are struggling financially right now. 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/10414669/Spain-pulls-out-of-two-year-recession.html

Candy Explosion

As a Dietetics major, I have had experience in a food lab making various kinds of food. I have learned many processes for different things. One thing we recently learned how to make was candy. When making candy, it is easy for things to ignite in flames because boiling water is used in the process. I came across a news story about a city in Mexico, Ciudad Jaurez, where there was an explosion at a candy factory. This caught my eye since I am familiar with the candy making process. This explosion killed one person, injured over forty, and twenty other people are still missing. The explosion happened at the Dulces Blueberry factory, which is across the US border from El Paso, Texas. It took place in the early afternoon while hundreds of people were at work making candy. The explosion was on the second floor. Therefore, the floor collapsed on the people working below. One worker, Ismael Bouchet reported that several workers were talking about a bad smell of acid throughout the morning, but since they were in a new area they thought it might be normal. Unfortunately, it was not normal.

The factory is located in a free-trade zone of Ciudad Jaurez and is a part of a class of facilities commonly known as “maquiladoras” that are often criticized for both their low wages and long working hours.

There is still a search going on through the debris for the approximated twenty people that have been reported missing.

 

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/131024/one-dead-and-forty-hurt-after-mexico-candy-factory-expl

Train Crash in Spain

On July 24, there was a derailed train accident in Spain. It was one of the worst rail disasters the country has ever seen. The driver, Francisco Jose Garzon was traveling at 190 km/hr or 118 mph. He crashed going around a bend which he called “inhuman.” He and the state-owned railway firm are now on trial for this crash. This accident happened near Galician city of Santiago de Compostela. The train had eight carriages, all of which came off the tracks and slammed into a concrete wall as the train sped around the curve on the express route between Madrid and the port  city of Ferrol on the Galician coast. This accident killed 79 people and wounded about 170. Garzon admitted to becoming distracted which caused the high speed of the train. He is being charged with “79 counts of homicide and numerous offences of bodily harm committed through professional recklessness.” On the phone call that was recovered, Garzon kept saying that he hoped no one died, and “poor passengers.” Poor passengers is exactly right. May the people that were killed in this horrible accident rest in peace. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23982566

Salsa

One of my favorite things to eat is chips and salsa. That made me want to look up where this delicious food originated. It turns out that salsa is traced to ancient Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. They developed hot peppers and delectable tomatoes by working with pepper and tomato plants. Then, Mexico and Central America discovered tomatoes as well. Alonso de Molina named this “salsa” in 1571. Salsa translates to “sauce” in Spanish. This shows people that the condiment originated in the Western hemisphere’s Spanish speaking countries. Salsa consumption in America began in the 1940s in the Southwest first and then over bigger areas. Salsa companies began to emerge in the 1970s and 80s. Salsa is a common food in American homes. It is eaten with chips and other foods today, just like it was in Central America long ago. I’m glad I found out where one of my favorite foods originated. I would like to give a huge thanks to the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs for passing what is now called salsa to the rest of the world. 

 

http://www.salsamachallc.com/index.php/history-of-salsa-sauce/

Escuela Oficial de Idiomas

In Spain, there is a state-funded language school called Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (EOI). This school is unique because it is paid for by taxation just as a primary or secondary school would be. Not only is there a minimal fee, but the teaching there is held to a very high standard. EOI is unique, again, because instead of learning the language by speaking it, they put an emphasis on grammar. English students learning Spanish get the best of both worlds though because they get to learn the grammar in the classroom and hear it being spoken in daily life. Spanish students learning English do not have that luxury and sometimes complain about not having enough speaking time, but the teachers at EOI claim students underestimate the power of grammar. In the article, the school’s director, Mary Pozo, said that, “… adults can’t learn by just reproducing what they hear. It’s easy to learn to say, ‘I want to eat’. But if you want to convince a friend to lend you €100 euros. You can’t just say, ‘Give me 100 euros!’ They’ll say ‘Why?’ You need persuasion. That’s grammar.” This quote put the idea of emphasizing grammar into perspective for me and made me realize that learning grammar is equally if not more important than speaking and listening to the language. However, this high standard learning institution has been having some troubles due to the fact that it is state funded, so they are on a tight budget. There have been spending cuts in Spain, and although EOI has weathered better than other state funded programs, the teachers of the school have taken a big hit. Normally teachers at EOI take on four classes per year, but they are now expected to take on five for the same salary. There are increasingly more applicants every year. Spain would need another school of comparable size to accommodate for all of the applicants. This shows the urgency of language learning in Spain. Spain is embarrassed by its English language speaking skills.

This article interested me for three reasons:

1) It put into perspective for me how important learning grammar is. I can memorize everything I want, but to know how to construct sentences and utilize the grammar is of vital importance.

2) It shows that countries everywhere are struggling with government funded programs. This program is a prestigious one, and it is funded by the state which is undergoing budget cuts constantly.

3) It is interesting to see the urgency to learn English in Spain. They are embarrassed by their English speaking skills. If someone such as a reporter were to get on TV and attempt to speak English is ridiculed if they are anything but fluent.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/sep/24/spanish-state-funded-language-schools

Exotic Food.. Poisoning?

Since I am a nutrition major, I wanted to do my first blog on something I am learning about in my food classes so as to tie the two classes together. Many people who travel to Mexico have experienced food poisoning while they were there. Foodborne illnesses are everywhere : literally all over the world. However, when people travel to another country, they are often more likely to contract food poisoning because they are not familiar with the food. All they know is that it’s exotic and it’s good. Normally, food poisoning results in some unpleasantness in the bathroom, nausea, and possibly cramping and other symptoms. However, in 2011 along a small stretch on the US-Mexico border, there was a very rare case of food poisoning. People’s muscles were weakening and they were becoming paralyzed. The disease is called Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Seventeen of the victims were from Mexico and the other seven were from America. Health officials from both countries conducted a bi-national investigation to try to figure out what the problem could be. It is a disease that affects only about 1 in 100,000 people. Therefore, to have twenty-four cases all at once was a huge red flag. The bacteria that causes GBS is found in raw or undercooked poultry or meat, unpasteurized milk, and contaminated water. When traveling to a foreign country, explore their culture and eat their delicious food, but be cautious. Foodborne illnesses can get very serious, as this one did in Mexico in 2011.