25th Anniversary : The Fall of the Wall in Berlin

The fall of the Berlin Wall had begun with the building of the Wall in 1961.
 
However it took about three decades until the Wall was torn down.
Several times people in the Communist countries rised up against the Communist system but they failed.
The victims of  the uprisings against the Communist dictatorship in Berlin 1953, Budapest 1956 or Prague 1968 will never been forgotten.
In 1989 the first free labor union was founded in the communist Poland. The end of the communist system had begun.
The Soviet Union could control their satellites yet but with the new leader Gorbatshov their politics changed in 1984.
Gorbatshov's reforms, Perestroika and Glasnost should renew the stalinistic system in the Soviet Union but not replace the communist system.
The reforms in the Soviet Union also had its effects on the other communist countries, especially in Poland and Hungary.
On August 23, 1989 Hungary opened the iron curtain to Austria.

Months before East German tourists used their chance to escape to Austria from Hungary  and in September 1989 more than 13 000 East German escaped via Hungary within three days. It was the first mass exodus of East Germans after the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
Mass demonstrations against the government and the system in East Germany begun at the end of September and took until November 1989.
Erich Honecker, East Germany's head of state, had to resign on October 18, 1989.
The new governement prepared a new law to lift the travel restrictions for East German citizen.
At 06.53 pm on November 9, 1989 a member of the new East German government was asked at a press conference when the new East German travel law comes into force.
He answered: "Well, as far as I can see, ... straightaway, immediately."

Thousands of East Berliners  went to the border crossings. At Bornholmer Strasse the people demanded to open the border and at 10.30 pm the border was opened there.
 
That moment meant the end of the Berlin Wall.
Soon other border crossing points opened the gates to the West
In that night the deadly border was opened by East Germans peacefully.

50 years of Kennedy's assassination

 

Friday 22nd marks fifty years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and special coverages remembering the day which marked the life of the oncoming American people and even presidents.

As I was born six years later after that historic event and most of my readers' parents probably were at the same situation, I am not asking the typical question that most newspapers say: "Where were you on the date which Kennedy was killed?". But I can say that History and Kennedy's biography was always in my mind. I bought and read books about the American President when my classmates and friends used to buy football albums or music magazines.

News coverage from November 22, 1963, when the network first reported on the assassination are in my early memories. And also those TV and video images from Dallas Dealey Plaza, including historic readings from some of President Kennedy’s speeches.

This weekend, American History TV looks back at the assassination and its aftermath. We will take accounts from that November day, and the commemorative events from the 50th anniversary.

And my tribute for an icon of courage, idealism and image. Even in my English lessons and Latin lessons I mention JFK's assessination and compare it with Julius Caesar's.

The Queen Diamond's Jubilee: The Celebrations

Good evening, for eveyone! It was a long time since I didn't write an article, but it was against my will, as my computer was out of order for this month and I had some problems with the new software. I still have some hesitation with the new programmes. Anyway, I wanted to restart my daily or weekly article with the new celebrations on the Jubilee in London today. I already wrote an article last April, but there are new videos! Enjoy and Happy Anniversary, Queen Elizabeth! A good way to see London from a bird sight! The most colourful parade was at the Thames River The Queen in white and the princess in red!

100 years of Titanic's sink,..and Osasuna?

It’s been 100 years since the “unsinkable” HMS Titanic – considered the most luxurious ocean liner ever built – hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912 and sank in just two hours and 40 minutes, causing the deaths of 1,514 passengers. A human disaster that caused worldwide shock and horror. It is also a story that remains strongly linked to the history of love thanks to James Cameron's film. The Titanic will long be remembered as one of the biggest losses alongside other major natural and manmade catastrophes such as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and more recently 9/11 ( 11th September 2001 ), Hurricane Katrina and last year’s Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. At the time of the disaster, the market – and media – was in the early stages of using wireless telegraphy to communicate with ships at sea. With the help of inventor Marconi set up signal stations from Cornwall to Canada allowing ships crossing the Atlantic to communicate with land. The signal station in Halifax, Nova Scotia was called Cape Race. It was first to hear the news that the ship was sinking. However, other stations subsequently issued conflicting reports and this resulted in plenty of confusing information in the days following. Even up to two days later some newspapers were still reporting that Titanic had not sunk and was instead being towed to Halifax or even continuing under its own steam. Considered a prestigious risk to insure, cover for the hull alone was £1million – around £95million in today’s money. Titanic, the ship built for millionaires, was a significant insurance loss from a marine cargo.

Charles Dickens, 200 years of modernity

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the son of a clerk at the Navy Pay Office. His father, John Dickens, continually living beyond his means, was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea in 1824. 12-year-old Charles was removed from school and sent to work at a boot-blacking factory, earning six shillings a week to help support the family. This dark experience cast a shadow over the clever, sensitive boy that became a defining experience in his life, he would later write that he wondered "how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age." This childhood poverty and feelings of abandonment, although unknown to his readers until after his death, would be a heavy influence on Dickens' later views on social reform and the world he would create through his fiction. Dickens would go on to write 15 major novels and countless short stories and articles before his death on June 9, 1870. He wished to be buried, without fanfare, in a small cemetery in Rochester, but the Nation would not allow it. He was laid to rest in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, the flowers from thousands of mourners overflowing the open grave. Among the more beautiful bouquets were many simple clusters of wildflowers, wrapped in rags. This is a short biography of a genius who I could approach in my early life when I studied at school, then I read in his original language, the one I am writing now, English, and finally, I have been teaching English through his masterpiece: A Christmas Carol, for students in 4th ESO, and I also participated in a school performance at Salesianos Pamplona for a free adaptation of the same play: A Christmas Carol.

George V, 76 anniversary of his death

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George was born on 3 June 1865 in London, the second son of the Prince of Wales. When George was 18 he went into the Royal Navy, but the death of his elder brother in 1892 meant he had to leave a career he enjoyed, as he was now heir to the throne. He married his elder brother's fiancée, Princess Mary of Teck, and they had six children. In 1901, George's father became king and in May 1910, George himself became king. His reign began amid a constitutional crisis over the government's attempt to curb the power of the House of Lords. After the Liberal government obtained the king's promise to create sufficient peers to overcome Conservative opposition in the Lords (and won a second election in 1910), the Parliament Bill was passed by the Lords in 1911 without a mass creation of peers. 1911 also saw George's visit to India, the only king-emperor to make the journey. Public respect for the king increased during World War One, when he made many visits to the front line, hospitals, factories and dockyards. In 1917 anti-German feeling led him to adopt the family name of Windsor, replacing the Germanic Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. After the overthrow of the Russian Tsar in 1917, the post-war world saw the toppling of monarchies all over Europe, many of them related to the British royal family. The king's relationship with parts of the British Empire changed too. The 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and subsequent civil war resulted in the setting up of the Irish Free State in 1922, which became a dominion, while the six northern counties remained part of the United Kingdom. The Statute of Westminster of 1931 meant dominion parliaments could now pass laws without reference to United Kingdom laws. This paradoxically increased the monarchy's importance, since the dominions (no longer subordinated to one supreme parliament at Westminster) were now linked through common allegiance to the crown. India gained a measure of self-governance in 1935. In 1924, George readily accepted the first Labour government. In 1931 the international economic slump caused a political crisis in Britain. The king promoted the idea of a 'national coalition' government of Labour, Conservatives and Liberals, which was eventually formed. In 1935, the king celebrated his Silver Jubilee, an occasion of great public rejoicing. He died on 20 January 1936 and was succeeded by his son Edward.

Edgar Allan Poe, 203 anniversary of his birth

Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His parents were David and Elizabeth Poe. David was born in Baltimore on July 18, 1784. Elizabeth Arnold came to the U.S. from England in 1796 and married David Poe after her first husband died in 1805. They had three children, Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie. Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar was 2 years old. She had separated from her husband and had taken her three kids with her. Henry went to live with his grandparents while Edgar was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan and Rosalie was taken in by another family. John Allan was a successful merchant, so Edgar grew up in good surroundings and went to good schools. When Poe was 6, he went to school in England for 5 years. He learned Latin and French, as well as maths and history. He later returned to school in America and continued his studies. Edgar Allan went to the University of Virginia in 1826. He was 17. Even though John Allan had plenty of money, he only gave Edgar about a third of what he needed. Although Edgar had done well in Latin and French, he started to drink heavily and quickly became in debt. He had to quit school less than a year later. Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, and had been left by John Allan. Edgar went to Boston and joined the U.S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He attained the rank of sergeant major. In 1829, Mrs. Allan died and John Allan tried to be friendly towards Edgar and signed Edgar's application to West Point. While waiting to enter West Point, Edgar lived with his grandmother and his aunt, Mrs. Clemm. Also living there was his brother, Henry, and young cousin, Virginia. In 1830, Edgar Allan entered West Point as a cadet. He didn't stay long because John Allan refused to send him any money. It is thought that Edgar purposely broke the rules and ignored his duties so he would be dismissed. In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial trouble. He sent a letter to John Allan begging for help but none came. John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will. In 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper because of a contest he won with his story, "The Manuscript Found in a Bottle". Edgar missed Mrs. Clemm and Virginia and brought them to Richmond to live with him. In 1836, Edgar married his cousin, Virginia. He was 27 and she was 13. As the editor for the Southern Literary Messenger, Poe successfully managed the paper and increased its circulation from 500 to 3500 copies. Despite this, Poe left the paper in early 1836, complaining of the poor salary. In 1837, Edgar went to New York. He wrote "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym" but he could not find any financial success. He moved to Philadelphia in 1838 where he wrote "Ligeia" and "The Haunted Palace". His first volume of short stories, "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" was published in 1839. Poe received the copyright and 20 copies of the book, but no money. Sometime in 1840, Edgar Poe joined George R. Graham as an editor for Graham's Magazine. During the two years that Poe worked for Graham's, he published his first detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and challenged readers to send in cryptograms, which he always solved. During the time Poe was editor, the circulation of the magazine rose from 5000 to 35,000 copies. Poe left Graham's in 1842 because he wanted to start his own magazine. Poe found himself without a regular job once again. He tried to start a magazine called The Stylus and failed. In 1843, he published some booklets containing a few of his short stories but they didn't sell well enough. He won a hundred dollars for his story, "The Gold Bug" and sold a few other stories to magazines but he barely had enough money to support his family. Often, Mrs. Clemm had to contribute financially. In 1844, Poe moved back to New York. Even though "The Gold Bug" had a circulation of around 300,000 copies, he could barely make a living. In 1845, Edgar Poe became an editor at The Broadway Journal. A year later, the Journal ran out of money and Poe was out of a job again. He and his family moved to a small cottage near what is now East 192nd Street. Virginia's health was fading away and Edgar was deeply distressed by it. Virginia died in 1847, 10 days after Edgar's birthday. After losing his wife, Poe collapsed from stress but gradually returned to health later that year. In June of 1849, Poe left New York and went to Philadelphia, where he visited his friend John Sartain. Poe left Philadelphia in July and came to Richmond. On September 27, Poe left Richmond for New York. He went to Philadelphia and stayed with a friend, he meant to go to New York but supposedly took the wrong train to Baltimore. On October 3, Poe was found at Gunner's Hall, a public house at 44 East Lombard Street, and was taken to the hospital. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was never able to explain exactly what happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, October 7, 1849. The mystery surrounding Poe's death has led to many myths and urban legends. The reality is that no one knows for sure what happened during the last few days of his life. Did Poe die from alcoholism? Was he mugged? Did he have rabies? A more detailed exploration of Poe's death can be found here.

Pearl Harbour, a mystery 70 years later

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta placed a wreath at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, in memory of those killed 70 years ago during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Until Sept. 11, 2001, the surprise early-morning attack on Dec. 7, 1941, stood as the most devastating enemy attack on U.S. soil.

Within hours, more than 2,400 Americans were dead. Five of the eight battleships at the U.S. Fleet's Pearl Harbor base were sunk or sinking, and the other battleships, as well as ships and Hawaii-based combat planes, were heavily damaged.


By crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Japan hoped to eliminate it as a threat to the Japanese Empire's expansion south.

What the enemy hadn’t counted on was that the Pearl Harbor attack would become a defining moment in U.S. history, rallying the American people against their attackers.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941, "a day which will live in infamy" and signed the Declaration of War against Japan the following day.

It was the start of a long, difficult war against tyranny. Nazi Germany, which already controlled a vast empire, declared war on the United States four days later.

President Barack Obama, in his National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2011 proclamation, heralded the resilience the military demonstrated in the face of the aggressive attack.

“As explosions sounded and battleships burned, brave service members fought back fiercely with everything they could find,” he said.

Panetta, speaking last week at a gala commemorating a centennial of naval aviation, called the response to the attack -- the beginning of the Pacific campaign of World War II -- one of the finest chapters of American military history.

“It was a time for bold offensive action, for daring in the face of grave risk and for innovation when it mattered most,” he said, praising the force that “fought back from that terrible attack and reclaimed the Pacific, one bloody battle of another.”

The secretary recalled how Navy Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet during the war, vowed at Midway to “greet our expected visitors with the kind of reception they deserve.”

“And so he did,” the secretary said. “Nimitz outmaneuvered the enemy fleet with only three available carriers and turned back the Japanese offensive.”

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who will take part in Pearl Harbor commemoration events today in Hawaii, shared Panetta’s admiration for the “vision and skill and courage” the U.S. military demonstrated when its homeland faced attack.They faced the adversary head-on, turning the tide of the war six months later at the Battle of Midway. Mabus noted that naval historian John Keenan has called the fight there “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.”

Seventy years later, Mabus said the response to the Pearl Harbor attack continues to give pride and inspiration to the fleet. It helped lay an example for today’s sailors and Marines who he said constitute “the best expeditionary fighting force – on the sea, under the sea, above the sea, on the land, over the land – that the world has ever known.”

Panetta, in a message to Pearl Harbor survivors released yesterday, thanked them for setting the standard for those who followed in their footsteps and continue to defend the United States today.

“I know you take great pride, as I do, that your legacy lives on in today’s men and women in uniform, who have borne the burden of a decade of war, and who are truly this nation’s next greatest generation,” he said. “Your example inspires those in uniform today, strengthens our nation’s moral fiber and proves that with united resolve, our country can surmount any challenge.”

Panetta thanked the Pearl Harbor survivors for ensuring the memory of their fallen comrades lives on.

Seven decades after the attack, visitors can still see evidence of the destruction. The runway at Ford Island and hangars at Hickam Air Force Base show bullet holes from the Imperial Japanese fighter planes’ barrage. Beads of oil from the sunken USS Arizona – above which stands the USS Arizona Memorial -- still trickle to the water’s surface.

Today in Pearl Harbor, survivors, military officials and others will continue commemorations that began earlier this week to reflect on the attacks 70 years ago. They will pause for a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, the exact time the attack began, to remember those lost.

Events at the National Park Service’s World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument will honor those killed and pay tribute to survivors.

The National Cemetery of the Pacific-Punchbowl will host a memorial marker ceremony for the USS Oklahoma. A band performance at the Battleship Missouri Memorial will feature Pearl Harbor survivor Allen Bodenlos directing more than 650 performers. Another memorial commemoration is scheduled at the USS Oklahoma at Ford Island.

Freddy Mercury's death's anniversary

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on Thursday September 5th 1946 on the small spice island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, were both Parsee (Persian). In 1954, at the age of eight, Freddie was shipped to St Peter's English boarding school in Panchgani, about fifty miles outside Bombay. It was there his friends began to call him Freddie, a name the family also adopted.

As St Peter's was an English school, the sports played there were typically English. Freddie loathed cricket and long-distance running, but he liked hockey, sprint and boxing. At the age of 10 he became a school champion in table tennis. Freddie was not only a good sportsman, his artistic skills were incomparable. At the age of twelve he was awarded the school trophy as Junior All-rounder. He loved art.

The principal headmaster of St Peter's had noticed Freddie's musical talent, and wrote to his parents suggesting that they might wish to pay a little extra on Freddie's school fees to enable him to study music properly. They agreed, and Freddie began to learn to play the piano. He also became a member of the school choir and took part regularly in school theatrical productions.

In 1958, five friends at St Peter's formed the school's rock'n roll band, the Hectics, where Freddie was the piano player.

In 1962, Freddie finished school, returned to Zanzibar. In 1964, many of the British and Indians, due to political unrest in Zanzibar, left their country, and migrated to England. Initially they lived with relatives in Feltham, Middlesex, until they were able to find their own small, terraced house in the area.

Freddie was seventeen, and had derided he wanted to go to art college, but needed at least one A level to ensure he could get in. In September 1964 he enrolled at the nearby Isleworth Polytechnic.

He studied hard, although he preferred the aesthetic side of school life to the more mundane academic side, and easily achieved his Art A level, leaving Isleworth in the spring of 1966. His grade A pass and his natural skill ensured that he was readily accepted by Ealing College of Art and, in September 1966, Freddie began a graphic illustrating course at that college.

After Jimi Hendrix exploded onto the scene in 1967, and Freddie became an ardent fan, he spent time sketching and drawing his hero;A fellow student at Ealing College was bass player Tim Staffell, with whom Freddie became good friends. As Tim's and Freddie's friendship became closer, Tim took him along to rehearsals of his band called Smile, with Brian May on the guitar and Roger Taylor on the drums. Freddie got on famously with Brian and Roger and loved the sound that Smile had achieved; he also had immense admiration and respect for Brian's guitar-playing. Inspired by Smile, Freddie began to experiment with music for the first time since leaving India.

Freddie left Ealing College in June 1969, with a diploma in graphic art and design, and a few commissions for adverts in local newspapers. That summer opened a stall with Roger at Kensington Market, initially selling artwork by himself and fellow Ealing students, and later Victorian or whatever clothes, new and secondhand, he could lay his hands on.

In the summer of 1969 Freddie was introduced to a Liverpool band called Ibex. Freddie first met Ibex on 13th August 1969. Everything he did on stage later in Queen, he was doing with Ibex at his first gig.

The Sour Milk Sea band offered him the job, and in late 1969 Freddie became the lead singer.

In April 1970 Tim Staffell decided to leave Smile, and Freddie join them as lead singer. Freddie decided to change the name of the band to Queen, he also changed his last name to Mercury.

The further biography of Freddie Mercury is to considerable degree a story of Queen.

In 1970 Freddie met Mary Austin. They lived together for seven years and remained good friends until his death.

In 1971 John Deacon joined the band and Queen were complete. Freddie designed the band's logo using their birth signs: two fairies for him (Virgo), two lions for Roger and John (Leo) and a crab for Brian (Cancer). Freddie was the author of the first Queen song that entered the British charts (Seven Seas Of Rhye), the first big hit (Killer Queen) and the most famous Queen song that was on the top of charts for 9 weeks (Bohemian Rhapsody). Freddie has always been considered the front-man of the band.


On October 7th, 1979 Freddie performed with the Royal Ballet. He had never done any ballet before, but it was something he had always wanted to try. The songs he had chosen to perform to were Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Songs were played by the orchestra with Freddie doing live vocals.

In 1980 Freddie changed his image. He cut his hair and grew a moustache.

At the end of 1982 Queen all agreed they wanted to take break from each other. They announced they wouldn't be touring throughout 1983.
In 1983 Freddie attended a performance of Verdi's Un Ballo In Maschera at the Royal Opera House sometime in May. It was the first time when he saw Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballé.



July 13, 1985 was a special day for Queen and Freddie. It was the day of their memorable performance at Live Aid, a tremendous show at Wembley Stadium in front of 72,000 people. Live Aid was also broadcast to over one billion people worldwide. Queen secured their place in history, as every media person, journalist, fan and critic unanimously agreed: Queen stole the show.

The early part of 1987 was very quiet for Queen, so Freddie took the opportunity to go into Townhouse Studios to do some solo work. It resulted in a remake of the classic Platters' song The Great Pretender. The single was released on February 23rd.

In March 1987 Freddie flew to Barcelona to meet Montserrat Caballé. He gave her a cassette with two or four songs. The Spanish opera diva liked these songs and even performed one of them at London's Covent Garden. Freddie was delighted. In early April, Freddie began work on the album he agreed to record with Montserrat Caballé.

At the end of May the island of Ibiza staged a huge festival at the outrageous Ku Club. Freddie agreed to be a guest of honour and closed the event with Montserrat Caballé singing the song he had written for her and her home city, Barcelona.

On October 8th, 1988 Freddie and Montserrat appeared at the huge open air La Nit festival in Barcelona. They performed three tracks from their forthcoming album - How Can I Go On, The Golden Boy and Barcelona, accompanied by Mike Moran on piano. The long-awaited album, Barcelona, finally come out on October 10th.

October 8th was the last time Freddie Mercury performed on stage. At the time, he was terribly ill with AIDS, although he didn't want people to know about it. He announced that fact the day before he died. Being ill he continued to compose and record songs and even took part in making videos. In my opinion, I'm Going Slightly Mad video is his masterpiece.

On November 24th, 1991 Freddie died peacefully at his home in London of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia.

On April 20th, 1992 a tribute concert in Freddie's memory was held at Wembley Stadium, and many famous rock stars took part in it. But the best tribute to Freddie was the album Made In Heaven, released on November 6th, 1995 by the three remaining members of Queen. We can hear the last songs that Freddie composed and recorded.

Thank you Freddie. We love you.

Miguel Indurain, 25 years later

This is a collection of Indurain's career's photos Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the birth of a new cycling star: Miguel Indurain Larraya. He was born in Villava, Navarra on 16th July 1964 and a day like today he won the Tour of the Future ( Tour del Porvenir ), which is considered the most important stage cycling race for young cyclists. Cyclists like Iñaki Gaston, Carlos Hernández, Eduardo Gonzalez Salvador, Guillermo Arenas, Alvaro Fernandez and Hernandez Ubeda were mates at that winner team. At that time nobody expected that that tall crampy cyclist would become a five-Tour winner, two Giro-winner, Olympic Gold medalist, World Champion,.. and the idol of many people in Navarra. He was 20 when he won that tour. I was 15 and studying at the institute and started cycling with my friend Jose Ramon, who was also a young cyclist at the Villaves Cycling Club ( Club Ciclista Villavés ) , and I can say that these men are special when they are on the bike, as you have to learn to suffer and recover from the worst moment of their lives. I think that José Miguel Echeverria, Eusebio Unzue and Francis Lafarge deserve our admiration as they foresaw a future winner when other people thought that Miguel Indurain should change his hobby, cycling, for basketball or athletics as he was very tall and well-built. Indurain was considered a very heavy-weight man for a mountain stage at the Tour, but his lungs and heart made a powerful motor for his legs. Reynolds was that Navarrian cycling team, as a famous sport radio speaker, Jose Maria Garcia, used to say when an old Arroyo and those young Julian Gorospe and mature Perico Delgado were the stars and we gathered around Paseo Sarasate at the stands of Caritas ( La Tombola ) to get an autograph of our idols. I got the signatures of all the cyclists of that previous year in 1985, after Delgado's victory in La Vuelta, and one which I keep is Miguel Indurain's. Before he became famous, Miguel Indurain thought that his future was in his parents' farm and to become a farmer. But his effort and the confidence of other people on him made us enjoy cycling in the 90's. He had to leave his studies of mechanics to dedicate his efforts to cycling. Most cyclist don't have a very brilliant career and they always regret leaving their studies at university or post-obligatory. Therefore, they usually recommend children to study hard at schools. They are very good expert on what effort means!!! Later, in the summer of 1991 Miguel Indurain will show how his effort came true and got his first Tour, but that is another story I will tell you one day!! Thanks Miguel, SIR MIGUEL INDURAIN ( as he would have been awarded if he had been born in England, sure! ) .

11-S Remebrance after 10 years

There are more photos in this link Today is a very special for everyone in the world. It's the 10th anniversary of the masacre at the Twin Towers in New York and many things have changed since then. Where were you when it happened? I was at my parents' as I was working in a school in Pamplona, not Salesians, and I went back to have lunch with my mum, actually, my father was still alive! I went into the living room and the tv was on. The first plane had just crashed and Ana Blanco, the tv news presenter, who is still in TVE1, said that "it might have been an accident of a private plane". My family and I had the quickest lunch in years and stuck our faces on the telly. As time was going ahead, horror started invading our eyes and mind. The Invicible United States of America was being attacked and everybody knew that revenge would be a question of time ( remember Irak and Afganistan ). On the other hand, we must remember that Human Beings were killed that day and had never decidded to attack any people or country in Asia. Maybe, most of them had ever voted Bush or their background was Muslim! The world is not the same any longer, and history always teaches good lessons to those who want to learn. This is my little remembrance for all them!

50 years of Beach Boys in the radios

Hi, dear Red Salesians followers! Now that we are in the summer and most of us are on holidays, there are some things that remind us of lovely summer moments in the past.

One of those things is the sound of the Beach Boys music. When they started I wasn't even an idea for my parents as they had just met when they studied in the university.

Then, when the music came into my house through my elder sisters they used to listen to Spanish music of the late seventies or early eighties like Miguel Bosé, Mecano or Nino Bravo, whose names are also heard nowadays.

For me, The Beach Boys remind me a most recent summer of the 2000's. The only summer I spent in the USA, in California, and I met my cousin Miguel there at the University of Snata Cruz while I was working as a monitor for Spanish students of English.

Anyway, long life for their songs which I love and refresh my good memories!









P.D. : I hope you enjoy these videos, overall the last one which wants to be an image of the desired or dreamed holidays!!!

Coca-Cola is 125 years old

THE HISTORY OF COCA COLA

COCA COLA TO TEACH THE WORLD HOW TO SING

REASONS TO BELIEVE IN A BETTER WORLD

THE LAST COMMERCIAL

TODAY IS MOTHER'S DAY ( eveywhere except in Spain that it was last Sunday )

COCA COLA AND SANFERMINES

THE FIRST 3D COMMERCIAL OF COCA COLA

COCA-COLA AND CHRISTMAS

COCA-COLA AND FOOTBALL IN LAST WORLD CUP 2010,...REMEMBER???


AND PINGUINS ALWAYS HELP

The Beatles, 50th anniversary

Beatles fans gather in Liverpool today for a celebration of 50 years since the Fab Four played their debut gig at the city's Cavern Club.

John, Paul, George and Ringo first took to the stage of the famous Mathew Street venue during a lunchtime session on Tuesday February 9 1961.

Over the following two years they made a total of 292 appearances until their final performance on August 3 1963 - as Beatlemania took off around the world.

The original Cavern was demolished in the 1970s to make way for a shopping centre but a replica club stands nearby which will be the focus of tomorrow's events.

Cavern City Tours, the owner of the current venue, has organised a day of tribute events and Liverpool City Council will be unveiling a major revamp of Mathew Street.

The plans include a new memorial in the form of a ceiling of light, dubbed Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, to be installed running the full length of the street.

Improvements will also be carried out to the John Lennon statue and Arthur Dooley's sculpture Four Lads Who Shook The World.

Other stars associated with the Cavern Club include Cilla Black, who was a cloakroom attendant when she was discovered by Brian Epstein, Billy J Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Undertakers and the Searchers.

The Flistones, 50th Anniversary

The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966 on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones is about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next door neighbor and best friend. It has since been re-released on both DVD and VHS. The show is 50 years old as of September 30th, 2010.

Critics and fans alike agree that the show was an animated imitation of The Honeymooners with rock puns thrown in. William Hanna admitted that "At that time "The Honeymooners" was the most popular show on the air, and for my bill, it was the funniest show on the air. The characters, I thought, were terrific. Now, that influenced greatly what we did with "The Flintstones"...."The Honeymooners" was there, and we used that as a kind of basis for the concept." However Joseph Barbera disavowed these claims in a separate interview, stating that "I don't remember mentioning "The Honeymooners" when I sold the show, but if people want to compare "The Flintstones" to "The Honeymooners," then great. It's a total compliment. "The Honeymooners" was one of the greatest shows ever written."[1] Its popularity rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern-day concerns in the Stone Age setting.

You Tube's fifth birthday

This is the extract from the website of YouTube celebrating their fifth anniversay!
When we registered the YouTube domain on February 14, 2005, we set out to create a place where anyone with a video camera and an Internet connection could share a story with the world. Five years into it, we're as committed as ever to the core beliefs and principles that guided YouTube's creation:

Video gives people a voice – From classrooms to war-torn countries, the Queen of England to the King of Pop, the Pope to the President of the United States, and the hillsides of Port au Prince to the streets of Tehran, video has the power to give rise to the most diverse set of faces and voices ever seen or heard in human history.

We succeed when our partners succeed – Our content partners run the gamut, from major Hollywood studios to aspiring filmmakers and vloggers who can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary on the turn of a dime. Content creation isn't our business; it's theirs. But breaking open access to media and distribution means delivering the world's largest global audience and the revenue models they need to succeed, as well as the tools they need to control their content.

Video evolves fast, YouTube must evolve faster – The Internet evolves at break-neck speed. We launch products quickly and constantly iterate to stay one step ahead of it. Our goal? To set the standard in online video delivery. Fast loading, high quality videos need to be able to play on any device, anywhere, anytime. And whether we're supporting 1080p, 3D, or deploying auto-speech recognition technology, we innovate with an eye toward providing the best possible experience for all of you.

Thanks for being part of the YouTube community and for shaping what the site is today. We're looking forward to celebrating our fifth anniversary throughout the year and hope you'll keep watching, keep uploading, keep sharing, keep informing, keep entertaining, and keep discovering the world through video.

Obama's first year in the White House

A year in the White House is the time Barack Obama has been so far. Since he became, a year ago, the 44th President of the United States Obama has faced a near constant stream of crises, with mixed results: The Dow Jones industrial average has gone up 33%, but the unemployment rate — now at 10% — has risen at the same pace. Obama sent more troops to Afghanistan, while planning to take home troops from Iraq. Americans still praise the President as a "strong leader" who is "honest and trustworthy," but about half of the country thinks he has been irresponsible with federal spending and not focused on their top priorities : jobs and the economy.

By far the biggest issue now facing Obama after a year in office is that his time for doing things may already be over. The surprisingly narrow Senate contest in Massachusetts on Jan. 19 seemed to arise the point: America still wants change, and Obama is not the only vehicle. On his anniversary, as Obama's aides recalibrate for the years to come, here is a look at what the President has been able to accomplish and what he still hopes to do.

Moreover, Mr Obama's most coveted legislative aim, the creation of a sort of national health service, remains elusive. The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper here of serious money, has just savaged the Bill as perhaps the worst inflicted on the American people since the era of Roosevelt. Its projected cost – $1.055 trillion over 10 years – is regarded as madness when America has a level of debt so astronomical that it (just) exceeds, per capita, that of Britain; and few outside a hard core of Obama devotees see it delivering what is needed, where it is needed.

Internationally, the lustre has worn off, too. Mr Obama might have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but the less said about that the better. The award was apparently decided in February, days after he entered the Oval Office. He gave up his missile defence system in eastern Europe: we all imagined the Russians would give something in return, but we are still waiting. More recently, he went to Copenhagen to try to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago, and failed.

The health care plans, were they to be enacted, would make this dire situation even worse. They can be funded only by higher taxes, which is no doubt fair if everyone wants such a system, but far from everyone does. And, as I have written in relation to our benighted economy, the growth that might ease the problem will only be depressed by higher taxes. The stimulus package of $787 billion has paid few dividends ("He didn't even read the Bill, he just signed it," a Republican told me): as at home, serious cuts in spending are not on the agenda. The dollar remains a reserve currency, but has been heading south.

Mr Obama seems also to have made another bad mistake. Apparently shocked by the virulence of Fox News Channel's attacks on him, he has declared war on the network. We can imagine what would happen if a British head of government were to try to take on an arm of the media, and it has happened here. Many voters feel the President has diminished himself by admitting to being so bothered by Fox, which for its part has turned up the abuse. So too has Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio presenter, whom Mr Obama and his friends have made the mistake of branding the leader of the Republican Party.To use another old cliché, Mr Obama looks like a man who has made the mistake of believing his own publicity. His adherents in the media are now so defensive that they have started complaining about the rules.

Perhaps Mr Obama won last November because he was not the heir of George Bush, and for no other reason. The President starts to risk comparisons not just with Jimmy Carter, but with Lyndon Johnson, felled by a combination of a foreign war and welfare reform, and even, with his list of enemies, Richard Nixon. The problem may be one of immaturity and inexperience. If so, he had better learn fast. For, at this rate, next year's congressional elections start to look more than challenging for him.

MAN ON THE MOON-40th ANNIVERSARY

That moon landing July 20, 1969, was the first of just six times that any human being has visited the Earth's nearest celestial neighbour, and it has been 40 years since any person has been there.

In the decades since Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first touched the surface of the moon in the Eagle lander, the moment has become one of the iconic images of the 20th century.

At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, many of the visitors old enough to remember that day tell their children and grandchildren about where they were when man first set foot on the moon as they point at the Columbia spacecraft that carried the astronauts there.

But even as the memories remain clear to many and thousands view the artefacts, an entire generation has grown up without seeing humans on the Moon.

Curator Allan Needell notes that visitors respond differently to the collection depending on how old they are.

"It's always interesting to watch the older grandfathers and the fathers walking around with their kids, and basically telling their experiences," he said in an interview. "For the younger kids this is not much different really than than the Spirit of St Louis (the plane flown non-stop from New York to Paris by Charles Lindbergh) or the Wright flier. It's this historical object that they studied in seventh grade or ninth grade."

The Apollo 11 landing was the culmination of a decades-long space race between the US and the Soviet Union, which launched the first satellite and put the first man in space. Both nations pitted their Cold War drive for superiority in the battle for technological prominence. US president John F. Kennedy in 1961 responded by proclaiming the US desire to put a man on the moon within the decade.

But the accomplishment was far from certain -- a fire during a test of Apollo 1 killed three astronauts and set back the programme. Then, even as Armstrong steered his craft in for landing on the moon, things could have gone horribly wrong.

In fact, president Richard Nixon had prepared a speech to deliver in case the astronauts did not return.

As Armstrong steered the Eagle in for landing, he noticed the craft drifting and had to correct its landing site to avoid a rough patch of ground. A computer glitch also caused concern on the ground.

But the world breathed a sigh of relief as Armstrong radioed back: "Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed."

"Fortunately, there were no really harrowing parts of the flight," Armstrong said in a 2001 interview with historians. "The most difficult part from my perspective, and the one that gave me the most pause, was the final descent to landing."

"Walking around on the surface, you know, on a 10 scale, was one, and I thought that the lunar descent on a 10 scale was probably a 13."

Just hours later Armstrong stepped out of the craft onto the lunar surface, reciting the famous words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

He was followed by Aldrin, and together they focussed on testing gravity, photographing the surface and collecting rock samples. They also left behind a US flag, messages from world leaders and other artefacts.

Meanwhile, fellow crew member Michael Collins orbited the moon in the Columbia module that served as a command centre and would bring them all back to Earth. After spending the night on the surface in the Eagle, the astronauts lifted off for a rendezvous with the Columbia and their return trip.

The Eagle itself remained on the lunar surface. A similar lunar lander that was never used in space is on display in Washington and was recently restored with the replacement of degraded foil coverings.

There is a small, but vocal, group of sceptics and conspiracy theorists who have continued to insist that the moon landing never happened and was simply filmed on Earth - a point debunked by historians, astronauts and curators who hold lectures on the myths.

But even those who accept the historical record wonder why no one has returned to the moon since the 1970s. That could soon change, as NASA is working to develop the next-generation moon craft with a goal of returning astronauts to the surface by 2020.

Scientists cite the desire for continued exploration and inspiration that could come from such efforts, including using the moon as a base for eventually heading to Mars. As they move forward, they also look back for lessons from Apollo, both technological and symbolic.

For as Armstrong said decades later: "The important achievement of Apollo was a demonstration that humanity is not forever chained to this planet, and our visions go rather further than that, and our opportunities are unlimited."

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