Mala Rodriguez, a Spanish Rapper

Here is a link to the article, audio and video of Spanish rapper Mala Rodríguez.

 I hope you like it:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/10/10/220095469/mala-rodriguez-and-the-women-of-latin-hip-hop

More Bikes and Less Cars in Europe

 A brief NPR article that discovers a new European trend to buy more bikes and less cars:


http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/24/240493422/in-most-every-european-country-bikes-are-outselling-cars?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20131027&utm_source=mostemailed

The Alternative Ranking of the Best Universities in the USA

When you ask people which is the best univerisity in the USA, they usually say "Harvard", "Yale", "Princeton", "Columbia" etc.  These are, indeed, very prestigious private schools, but they charge ridiculously high fees, which only a very wealthy elite can afford.  The Washington Monthly has come up with al alternative ranking of universities in the US, which takes into account the overall service they provide to the country:

"We rate schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country)."

They produce a general list of best schools and separate lists for the best National Universities, the best Liberal Arts Colleges, the best Community Colleges and the best Master's and Baccaluareate Colleges.  Here you have links to two of them:

General list, best education for your money: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/bangforthebuck_all_rank.php

Best national universities: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2013/national_university_rank.php

The education reform in Spain (ley Wert) is going to lay down the basis to classify students and schools according to exam results.  Exam results are important in education, but student needs are even more important, in my opinion.  The publis school network is the best system to provide all students with a fair chance in life and to create a future of properity for the country.

ESCUELA PÚBLICA: DE TODOS PARA TODOS

https://www.google.es/search?hl=es&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=643&q=escuela+de+todos+para+todos&oq=escuela+de+todos&gs_l=img.1.1.0l2j0i24l3.890.4933.0.7730.16.12.0.4.4.0.89.964.12.12.0....0...1ac.1.29.img..0.16.989.vI0Wy5_G0eM#hl=es&q=escuela+publica+de+todos+para+todos&tbm=isch

More information about Juanjo Mena

You can read here below Wikipedia's biography of Juanjo Mena, and his agent's description of his successful career all over the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanjo_Mena


http://sulivansweetland.co.uk/profile/juanjo-mena/

Juanjo Mena, an interview and the video of El Bolero de Ravel

You can download the podcast of "in Tune" by clicking on the link below, then you have to scroll down the screen to find the programme where Juanjo Mena is interviewed, it is called "Juanjo Mena on conducting at the Proms 17 JUL 2013":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/r3intune/all

The interview is fast and a bit difficult, but it only lasts 12 minutes.  I have also found a video with the actual performance of the orchestra, conducted by Juanjo Mena and a show of flamenco dancers, who drove the audience crazy, just follow this link:

http://www.contactox.net/index.php/videos-de-musica-y-mas/guillermo-symonds-qsaludos-melomanosq/10142-el-bolero-de-ravel-bbc-proms-2013


I hope you like it.  Have a nice weekend.

The Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant

Here you have a link to the article about this vegetarian restaurant in Switzerland which is still runnning:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/30/227836412/these-folks-went-vegetarian-back-when-it-was-way-uncool

Bike Activists in Madrid

Here is a link to a recent article about Madridpublished in NPR and Los Angeles Times.

 You can listen to it (there are many short interviews to Spanish people which will be easier to understand), there is a script and an article to read too:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/06/229287871/car-centric-spain-begins-to-embrace-the-bicycle?sc=tw&cc=share


I hope you enjoy it.

Obamacare

These days Health insurance is expanding to cover all Americans who were unisured before.  Here you can find a article from the Washington Post to give you an idea how it works.

 I hope you find it interesting:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-to-buy-insurance-under-obamacare-if-you-live-in-maryland/2013/09/16/84175df4-15ae-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html