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Christians
encouraged to get writing
Madrid, September 12th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
A workshop entitled 'Christian
writers for the new millennium' is to be held just outside Madrid
from September 24th to 28th, organised by the Latin American
Literature Ministries and the Latin American Association of
Christian Writers (ALEC) and supported by various other organisations.
The workshop is designed for people with some writing talent
but who have not yet had the opportunity to develop it. The
longer-term aim is to raise up a new generation of Hispanic
Christian writers, to balance out Christian publications in
Spanish, more than 90% of which are currently translations from
English.
Eugenio Orellana, Chairman and founder of Latin American Literature
Ministries and International Coordinator of ALEC, says "for
the first time we can bring together a renewed Spanish perspective
and an ambitious Latin American vision to develop Christian
writing in our language." Five experts from the field of
Christian book production and three Spanish Christian leaders
will seek to help the budding writers who attend the workshop.
Earlier workshops have been held in Temuco, Chile (1999), Miami,
USA (2001 and 2002) and Quito, Ecuador (2002). Another is planned
for Cuba in November this year.
Source & Editing: ACPress.net
News
Isabel,
the 'Catholic Queen', gets a makeover
Madrid, September 12th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
There's nothing like
a bit of historical revisionism, you know, tarting it up a bit
to suit your argument. However, rewriting the whole thing is
another story - if you'll forgive the pun - and this is what
supporters of the canonisation process of Queen Isabel I of
Spain must have in mind.
In a plot which matches 'Braveheart' for its lack of historicity,
awkward little details such as the expulsion of all Jews from
Spain, the forced conversion to Catholicism of anyone who happened
not to be one, and the Spanish Inquisition for those who fell
foul of the regime, will have to be ironed out. Quite a task
awaits he who would present a sweet Isabel to the waiting world.
Isabel is best known in Spain for being the female half of the
monarchy which oversee the end of the reconquest from the Moors,
Columbus' voyage to the American continent, and the commencment
of the Inquisition. In 1496, the then Pope, Alexander VI, honoured
Isabel and her husband, King Ferdinand, with the title 'Catholic
monarchs'.
A movement honouring Isabel has gained momentum over the last
100 years and in 1958 the Archbishop of Valladolid, García
Goldaraz, appointed a 'historical commission' to investigate
the case for canonisation. Since then more than 100,000 documents
have been collected on the case. This is all now in Rome with
the so-called 'Sacred Congregation for Holy Causes'.
Some Protestant and Jewish groups have complained that a woman
responsible for so many deaths and so much evil can hardly be
elevated to the status of 'exemplary', but the truth is that
Isabel I is undergoing a makeover and, rather like the 'new'
image given to Philip II, she is being presented in a much better
light than hitherto. You see, it all depends.
Source: La Razón. Editing: ACPress.net
Brush
up your R.E. or do the year again
Madrid, September 14th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Secularised students
beware. As from the next academic year, secondary school pupils
who fail R.E. in their end-of-year exams will have to repeat
the whole school year, just as they would if they failed any
other subject, if they have a total of more than two failures.
The alternative subject to confessional R.E. classes is a general
course about religions but will not be ready until 2004-2005.
Therefore, pupils who choose one of the alternatives to R.E.
on offer this year will run less risk of repeating the school
year, as these alternatives do not count towards the end-of-year
results.
The latest Education Bill to go through Parliament, this one
includes several new measures: pupils will be required to repeat
any of the four years of the first stage of secondary education
in which they fail more than two subjects; they will have the
chance to redeem themselves with September retakes, and exams
will be marked from 0 to 10.
Source: El País. Editing:
ACPress.net
Theologians
join the criticism of compulsory R.E.
Madrid, September 14th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
The annual Congress of
the progressive Catholic group of theologians, the 'John XXIII
Association', spoke out against the changes to the teaching
of Religious Education in Spanish state schools.
Chairman Miret Magdalena complained that the changes divided
pupils into "believers and unbelievers". He added
that in a democratic country it was inappropriate to impose
Religious Education on anyone. "There should be cultural
plurality in schools and religions should be taught as such
and not confessionally. However, the (Catholic) Bishops don't
understand that, and the politicians listen to them."
Source. El Periódico.
Editing: ACPress.net
Where
have the Spanish values gone?
Madrid, September 14th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Values of conformity,
such as religious, family and national identity are fast disappearing
among Spanish young people, in stark contrast to the rest of
Western Europe, where they are growing.
The survey, carried out every five years in over 60 countries,
shows that Spanish youngsters have followed the European pattern
as far as an increase in so-called 'values of emancipation'
are concerned. Protecting the environment concerns 60%, while
33% express concern about economic growth and job creation.
Nearly 80% consider that men should not have any advantages
over women in getting a job, but 52% feel employers should give
preference to national workers over immigrants.
A third say women "need to have children" and almost
two-thirds disagree with the view that marriage is outdated.
As for attending a weekly religious activity, the overall average
in the 60 plus countries surveyed is 18%, but a mere 5.8% in
Spain.
Source: Agencias. Editing: ACPress.net
Time to listen to Noah?
Madrid, September 15th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Noone believed Noah and
maybe few will heed the warnings this time either, but some
experts are predicting torrential rain after the heatwave this
summer.
However, even if they are proved right, it does not solve the
problem of potential flooding as they do not know when or where
exactly the rain will fall. A similar problem faces metereologists
when it comes to analysing 21st century weather in general.
It is estimated that by the end of this century, the average
surface temperature on Earth will have increased by between
1.4 and 5.8 degrees Centigrade, and that floods and droughts
will be much more frequent. Such estimates are based on models,
but they do not say whether they will happen, for instance,
in the north or south of the Iberian peninsula.
How can more precise information be gleaned? Through the use
of regional rather than planetary models. They are younger than
their global counterparts, but they are starting to produce
results. One of the preliminary conclusions from this summer
is that it will be considered cool in comparison with that of
the year 2080, when the recording of 48 degrees in Madrid will
not be considered newsworthy.
Source: El País. Editing: ACPress.net
One
in every five babies is illegitimate
Barcelona, September 15th,
2003 (ACPress.net).
Couples who live together
without marrying are increasing rapidly in number in Spain,
despite having as yet no legal standing, and one in five of
all births belong in this sector.
Figures released show that whereas in 1975 only one in every
50 births was outside wedlock, by 2001 it was up to one in five.
In little more than 25 years, the proportion of children born
to unmarried parents has risen almost tenfold from just 2% to
19.5%. The fastest rise has been since 1996 when live-in couples
(or single parents) accounted for 11.7%.
It is of little comfort that despite this meteoric rise, Spain
remains below the European Union average. In 1999, 27.2% of
all children born in the EU were born to unmarried mothers.
The further north one goes, the higher the proportion; in Sweden,
55% of children are born in illegitimacy, while Italy and Greece
have similar figures to those in Spain.
Women are also having their children later. In 1975 the average
age for a woman to have her first child was 28.7 but by 2001
this was up to 30.9 years old. People are also waiting longer
after marrying before they have their first child. In 1992,
41% of married couples had a child within two years of the wedding.
By the year 2000, this was down to 28.3%.
Source: El Periódico.
Editing: ACPress.net
Large depression hanging
over Spain
Madrid, September 15th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
The World Health Organisation
(WHS) predicts that depression will be the second greatest cause
of disability by 2020, and the biggest single cause in people
being off work.
There are around two million people in Spain who suffer from
depression, and between 20% and 25% of the population will suffer
from it at least once in their lives. Even professional sportsmen
and women have been seen to become depressed or anxious, and
the ailment affects people in all walks of life. Pre-competition
anxiety is common among top-class athletes.
The National Health Service, 'Sanidad', spends approximately
25 million euros a year on medicines to treat depression. The
problem is often masked by such complaints as insomnia, anorexia,
anxiety or just feeling down. Its causes include organic and
psychological changes in a person, due to such factors as the
loss of a loved one, retirement, loneliness, divorce and social
isolation, which can push someone into a depressed state.
Source: El Mundo. Editing:
ACPress.net
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