Pregnant minister

Foto: Bernat Armangue / AP

Spain's Pregnant Defense Minister


When Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's new cabinet members took their oath of office before King Juan Carlos on Monday, one of them, the recently-appointed Defense Minister, stood out from the rest. Literally. Carme Chacón, 37, is not only the first woman to head Spain's armed forces. She is also seven months pregnant.

By now, no one should be surprised by Zapatero's commitment to gender equality. In his first term, he passed a sweeping law against domestic violence, legalized gay marriage, eased divorce laws, and required political parties to practice gender parity. He also appointed equal numbers of men and women to cabinet positions, and named María Teresa Fernández de la Vega as his deputy prime minister.

This time around, the prime minister, who was re-elected on March 9, appointed more women than men to his cabinet. He also created a new Equality Ministry, charged with ensuring fairness in the workplace and continuing the fight against domestic violence. "For the Socialists, gender equality has become a sign of identity," says Maribel Montaño, secretary for equality during the previous administration.

But for all the preparation, the sight of Chacón inspecting troops on her first day in office, with her rounded belly covered in a stylish maternity blouse, came as a jolt. After walking firmly past a line of erect soldiers in their dress uniforms, the minister gave a brief, adulatory speech, then led the troops in a rousing cheer of "Viva España!"

For Spanish feminists, the small shock of that moment is exactly the point. "It's an important image precisely because it conveys normality," says Marisa Sotelo, president of the Madrid' based Women's Foundation. "It serves a pedagogic function: it shows that women can be and are everywhere."

And that's not the only lesson. By appointing Chacón (who lacks military training), Zapatero may also be making a kinder, gentler statement about the armed forces. The Prime Minister has been under pressure from NATO to add to the roughly 750 Spanish troops now deployed in Afghanistan, though at the recent NATO summit in Bucharest he maintained that current levels were sufficient. Among the largely pacificist Spanish population, support for military participation in combat is weak (over 50% of Spaniards support withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan altogether). But humanitarian and peace-keeping missions are another story: a 2005 poll by the Madrid-based Center for Sociological Research puts public support for those military efforts at more than 90%. The figure of a pregnant woman — "a woman in full womanhood," as Montaño puts it — only drives home that distinction. "It shows that the army doesn't just have to fulfill this masculine role of force," she says. "It can be more feminine, more humanitarian."

Although one conservative military organization, comprised largely of retired soldiers, lambasted Zapatero's choice as a display of "contempt," the armed forces' hierarchy itself has been characteristically circumspect. "We will receive her with the same respect as her predecessors," one high-ranking officer anonymously told El País newspaper, "and perhaps a little more delicacy."

Delicacy indeed, For now, the most pressing question is what Chacón will do when she gives birth in June. Thanks to Zapatero's efforts, Spanish women are entitled to 16 weeks paid maternity leave. But can a defense minister — especially a female one — afford to take four months off? Although the Socialist government recently increased paternity leaves to 15 days, it may soon find itself under internal pressure to extend those breaks for fathers as well.

Source: Time magazine

Vocabulary Focus

* if something stands out it is noticeable; easily seen.

• She stands out from others in the class. Her English is much better.
• He is so good looking that he always stands out in a crowd.
• The bright colours really make the heading stand out.

Other phrasal verbs with stand:

if you stand up for someone you defend them

• My colleagues never stand up for me even when they know that the boss is being unfair with me.
• You should stand up for your girlfriend. Don't let them talk like that about her!

if you stand in for someone you replace them in their job/task

• Ms. Campbell will be standing in for Anne while she is on maternity leave.
• The Prime Minister is unable to deliver the speech due to illness so his deputy will stand in for him.

Phones on planes

EU allows mobile phones on airplanes

You can use your cell phone in the skies over Europe as early as this summer under new European Union rules — allowing travelers to stay in touch but also raising the cringe-inducing prospect of being stuck next to a chatterbox at 30,000 feet.

Announcing the guidelines Monday, EU officials said they expect several Europe-based airlines to move within the next few months to launch services, effectively making the 27-nation bloc the first region in the world to scrap bans on the use of cell phones in the sky.

They insisted that the new rules would not heighten the risk of terrorism or interfere with flight instruments, explaining the system, relying on European GSM technology, has been thoroughly tested and safeguards will be enacted against the terror threat.

The United States and many other countries ban the use of cell phones and other mobile devices in the air because of concern they could disrupt a plane's instruments.

Travelers expressed fears about another kind of disruption: Noisy passengers.

"If they use a mobile phone on long distance flights, it would be an inconvenience, especially at night," said train commuter Stein Smulders, from Halle, Belgium.

Takeoff, landing, turbulence off limits

Airlines and EU officials said the security risk will be minimized because the system will not connect inflight phones directly to the ground — instead using an onboard base station to link up to a satellite and then to ground networks.

"It has to go through a central onboard cellular network that can be switched off by the captain at any moment, so that enhances the security of the passengers," said EU spokesman Martin Selmayr.

He added that for safety and security concerns the phone services will not be available during takeoff, landing or during turbulence.

Francoise Humbert, from the Association of European Airlines, which represents over 30 European carriers, said the network had been "very rigorously tested" and would not interfere with the aircraft's communication and navigation systems.

The installation of base stations on the plane allows calls to directly target a satellite system, preventing mobile phones from wreaking havoc with flight instruments or ground networks by sending out signals indiscriminately.

Mobile phone users will be allowed to turn their phones on after the plane reaches 10,000 feet, when other electronic devices such as portable music players and laptops are permitted.

Monday's decision was welcomed by airlines — some of which like Air France-KLM have already launched a trial of in-flight phone services on some European routes.

Alison Duquette, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, said the United States has no immediate plans to remove its ban.

Etiquette an issue

The new freedoms pose new pricing and etiquette questions.

Selmayr said EU regulators would be keeping a close eye on the airlines and phone operators to make sure they set fair rates for the service. But he acknowledged that making a call at 10,000 feet will be more pricey than those made on the ground.

"We understand there is an additional cost because you need to route these services via the onboard cellular network and there is some investment that has to be made," Selmayr said. He did not give any cost comparisons.

British Midland Airways Ltd., also known as bmi; Portugal's TAP, and low-cost airline Ryanair are also planning to offer services later this year.

Dubai-based Emirates Airlines introduced its in-flight phone services last month on its Dubai to Casablanca route, but limits the number of calls passengers can make and bars calls during night flights.

The EU also urged airlines to set in-flight etiquette rules to ensure a balance between those wanting to make calls and others who in need of a few hours of quiet-time.

Lufthansa to sit out

German airline Lufthansa said Monday it does not plan to introduce the service because a majority of its customers saw no need for phone calls during flights. Surveys have shown that a large majority of customers were against it, Lufthansa spokesman Jan Baerwalde said.

"People don't want to be disturbed," Baerwalde said.

Lufthansa will, however, look at providing fast Internet access on its planes, a service it already offered from 2004 until the end of 2006. The airline is currently looking for a new service partner to reintroduce the service.

The Association of European Airlines said airlines would inevitably set conditions on use to avoid in-flight flare ups between passengers.

"There will be conditions of course because other passengers should not be inconvenienced by this possibility so there will be guidelines," said spokeswoman Francoise Humbert.

Such rules were welcomed by travelers in Rome.

"I think it can be helpful if it will be fairly ruled, avoiding abuses," said Antonio Bilancia, a traveler in Rome.

Source: msnbc.msn

Vocabulary Practice:

You will notice that there is not a direct link between the vocabulary in green and the dictionary. Try to guess the meaning of the expressions and then put(some of) them (in the correct form) into the following sentences. You can check your answers by going to Cambridge Advanced Dictionary and looking up the words there.

1. They're considering _________ the tax and raising the money in other ways.
2. Lawyers will ____ the parents to take further legal action.
3. Violence _________ again last night.
4. The train was packed with _________.
5. Your sister's a real __________!
6. These scandals will not _______ the organization's reputation/image.
7. The incident led to him being ______ from the country.
8. It's a bit ______ but the food is wonderful.

Rivalry gone too far?

Hamilton saddened by racist abuse

Formula One star Lewis Hamilton says he has been left saddened after being subjected to racist abuse in Spain.

The 23-year-old Briton was taunted by spectators during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

"The truth is I feel somewhat sad," he said. "I love this country, especially the city of Barcelona. The people in Spain have always been very warm."

The McLaren driver has become a hate figure in Spain because of his rivalry with former team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The former world champion complained last season that McLaren were favouring Hamilton and fell out with the Mercedes-powered team when they refused to grant him special status. He now drives for Renault.

The Briton, who eventually finished second to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the title race, said he hoped Spanish fans of F1 would understand his rivalry with the favourite.

"The only thing that I have done is to try to give the best of myself and try to win the championship," he told sportlifepress.com.

"At no point have I tried to deliberately prejudice Fernando but the fight has been very tough and my image in Spain has been severely damaged."

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) says Spanish circuits risk punishment as a result of the incident.

"We are surprised and disappointed at the abuse," stated an FIA spokesman.

"This is a clear breach of FIA principles and any repetition will result in serious sanctions."

Reports in a number of Spanish papers said Hamilton was booed and insulted whenever he made his way from the team motor home and into the pits on Saturday for pre-season testing at the Barcelona circuit.

"It is not right the way he is being treated," McLaren test team manager Indy Lall was quoted as saying.

BBC Radio 5 Live's Formula One commentator David Croft explained that some of those present to watch the testing had gone to great lengths to upset the British driver.

"There were about 55,000 fans present over the three days of testing," said Croft.

"(Some) were chanting nasty stuff and booing him when he made his way from the garage to the McLaren area at the back. We've never seen that at Formula One events.

"The officials at the circuit drafted in extra security guards to the stands and put some fences around the team area."

Spain will host two Grands Prix this year, the Spanish race in April at Circuit de Catalunya and the European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia in August.

Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit and Jerez are also used for pre-season testing.

Although the FIA did not spell out the sanctions, either circuit could lose its place in the championship if local organisers fail to deal with any further incidents of racist behaviour.

"We would like to make a plea to the fans to behave correctly," circuit director Ramon Pradera was quoted as saying in La Vanguardia newspaper.

"No type of offensive behaviour can be tolerated."

Gerry Sutcliffe, sports minister for the British government, has demanded the FIA take action to prevent a repeat of the "sickening" racist abuse suffered by Hamilton.

Following racist abuse suffered by English footballers in Spain in recent years, Sutcliffe believes strong action is required now.

"Racism should not be tolerated and this is not the first time British sportsmen have been racially abused in Spain," he said.

"This brings in question whether the Grand Prix should be held at this track.

"I am going to write to the FIA to ask what action they are going to take in response to this.
"I am also going to write to the Spanish Sports Minister to express our ongoing concern about racism suffered by our sportsmen."

The McLaren team said they were disappointed with the reaction of some spectators at the Barcelona track.

A statement read: "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have raced and tested on Spanish circuits for many years. Everyone connected with the team regards Spain and the Spanish people with great affection, Lewis included."

The Spanish Motorsports Federation (RFEDA) issued a stinging condemnation of fans who abused Hamilton and declared its "absolute repulsion" at the incidents in Barcelona.

"The Federation wants to show its absolute repulsion at these incomprehensible incidents and demonstrate its support and solidarity for the McLaren team and especially their driver Lewis Hamilton," said a statement.

"This type of idiots that are confusing sporting rivalry with violence should be aware that the Federation has a zero-tolerance approach to this issue."

The statement said the abuse came from a small and unrepresentative group of spectators present.

It commended circuit organisers for removing offensive banners and said the RFEDA had asked them to strengthen measures to avoid similar incidents in future.

McLaren's next test will be at the southern Spanish circuit of Jerez from 12-14 February.

Source: BBC Sport

What is your opinion on the controversy? Do you think it is just a storm in a teacup or do you think that the British press have a valid point?

Can you think of any other well-known sporting rivalries or controversies?

Royal Cartoon Controversy

Was it lese majeste or just a good laugh? Scurrilous libel or a witty commentary on a topical issue for Spanish parents?

  A court in Spain has convicted Manel Fontdevila, cartoons editor of the popular satirical weekly magazine El Jueves, and cartoonist "Guillermo" of "damaging the prestige of the crown".

Both men received a hefty 3,000-euro (£2,100) fine.

Their offence was to have published a cartoon last July making ribald fun of the heir to the Spanish throne, and of the government's scheme to encourage women to have more babies by giving mothers a special payment for each new birth.

It was a caricature of Prince Filipe having sex with his wife, Princess Letizia, and telling her: "Do you realise that if you get pregnant, it will be the closest thing to work I've done in my life?"

'More censorship'

The cartoon is funny, but the issue raised by its banning is serious. The episode has worrying echoes of last year's frenzied and violent protests against the cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad printed in European newspapers.

Those cartoonists faced death threats, a number of people died in disturbances around the world, and the end result was a defeat for freedom of expression.

In the Spanish case, censorship of the magazine has already taken place and will not be reversed. Within hours of the cartoon's appearance Spanish judges ordered the seizure of all copies of that edition of the magazine.


This is only one of a growing number of recent cases of media censorship or self-censorship in Europe that have arisen thanks to restrictive laws or monopolistic patterns of media ownership.
Some, like the Spanish case, involve attempts to prosecute journalists for violating laws that give special protection to the most powerful and privileged figures in public life.

In Romania, a law has just been passed which exposes journalists to the risk of seven years in jail if they publish video footage taken secretly of politicians taking bribes. It follows a case in which film of a government minister accepting a secret cash payment was shown on TV, leading to his resignation.

In France, a newspaper expose written during this year's presidential election campaign, revealing that Cecilia Sarkozy - the then wife of winning candidate Nicolas Sarkozy - failed to cast her vote, was removed on orders from the newspaper's owner, a close associate of the new President.

In Turkey, the infamous Article 301 of the criminal code makes it an offence punishable by jail terms to insult the armed forces or those in positions of high office.

Criminal prosecutions

Turkish officials insist that similar laws protecting the holders of high offices of state also exist in France and other Western countries.

But a Turkish legal expert explained the difference: "It's like the laws in some American states that still ban oral sex between married couples", he said. "They exist on paper but are no longer used!"

In Turkey, hundreds of journalists have been prosecuted under Article 301 and similar laws.
Miklos Haraszti is Europe's chief enforcer of media freedom on the governments and courts of the 56 member states of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).

He says that oppressive laws against the media, intimidation and threats of dismissal, are all being used as weapons to censor the work of journalists in Eastern and Western Europe today.

The latest evidence for that harsh verdict comes from a Survey of Media Freedom in 20 European states presented to the OSCE's Representative for Media Freedom last weekend. The study, entitled Goodbye to Freedom?, was published by the independent Association of European Journalists.

'Unusable' laws

It finds that within the past year alone, journalists in 18 out of 20 European countries - including would-be models of democracy like Germany, the Netherlands and France - have faced criminal prosecution, or been jailed for breaking various laws that impede them from reporting on matters of public interest. (The two exceptions were the Czech Republic and the UK.)

Yet each year dozens of judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg overturn the convictions of journalists on libel or secrecy charges in national courts.

So is it really time for the media in Europe to say "Goodbye to Freedom"? Miklos Haraszti says simply that European governments must not pass laws, like criminal libel for journalists, which are "unusable".

The prosecution and conviction of the cartoonists who published a funny sketch of a Spanish prince to make their viewers laugh has chipped away a bit more from the fragile pillar of media freedom in Europe.

Source: BBC News

I did think about adding the cartoon, which can easily be found on the internet, on this post but I had second thoughts. Would I be fined like the two cartoonists were?


What is your opinion on the whole controversy?