English Language Broadcast 2v3q57

Alegría is one of the Cirque Du Soleil's most iconic shows. It first premiered in 1994, and toured the world until 2013... For its 25th anniversary, the show was reworked and taken on tour. Alegría is currently in Spain's capital, where we had the chance to learn all about circus life, going backstage to talk to Rachel Lancaster, Alegría's artistic director, and performers Ghislain Ramage (Cyr Wheel) and Nicolai Kuntz (Synchronized Trapeze Duo). Escuchar audio

Last year, the smallest Christmas tree in Spain was only 2 centimeters tall and was put up by the neighbours association Breogan de O Piñeiriño in the northern town of Vilagarcia de Arousa, in Galicia... This year, they have gone even further and with the collaboration of the MERLN Institute in the Neetherlands, they have created the smallest 3D-printed Christmas tree in the world! It's only 10 micrometers tall and can only be seen with an electron microscope. Galician Adrián Seijas was the creator of this tiny Christmas tree. After that, we'll also be learning all about the mouth-watering Christmas treats traditional to Spain, turrón and roscón de reyes! Jacobo Moreno, one of the owners of Mallorca Bakeries, will be ing us to tell us about these traditions! Escuchar audio

If you're in Spain around the Christmas holidays, you will most certainly stumble across a belén. Nativity scenes, ranging from small figurine sets of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, to live actors on a set. In today's broadcast, we chat with the director of Spain's National Museum of Decorative Arts, Sofía Rodríguez, about this tradition and the exhibition Ora y Decora. Escuchar audio

The clothing we wear, the accessores we use, the things we carry in our purses or pockets can tell a lot about ourselves, our personalities, even our hopes and desires... This is particularly true for people who have to flee from their homes, their countries, with no previous warning. The exhibition "To flee with just the clothes on your back" puts the focus on the attire refugees were wearing when they left their homelands, a starting point to learn about their stories. Curator, Victoria Calandra, welcomed us in the exhibition in the Madrilian Museo del Traje. After that, doctor in psychology, Marta Labrador Mendez analyzes the government's plan to protect minors from the risks of the internet. Escuchar audio

Mental health issues affect 1 out of 4 people in the world and in the case of Spain, between 11 and 27 percent of mental health problems can be attributed to working conditions. This is data included in the guide "Mental Health at the Workplace" published by the Valencian Mental Health Federation. It is no secret that the work environment is closely related to workers mental health. The structural and organizational conditions can cause positive or negative effects. That's why the WHO recommends taking action to prevent these issues, protect mental health in the work environment and workers. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is currently running a research project on mental health risks and prevention to develop some guidelines. Julia Filintrop in a research manager in the EU-OSHA and ed us to tell about work-related mental health issues. Escuchar audio

Fortunately, we are more and more aware of the impact of plasticand many public and private iniatives are being developed to protect the oceans. One of these is Gravity Wave, a company that works with fishermen to collect plastic and transform it into other objects. Amaia Rodriguez is their founder and CEO. Escuchar audio

The covid-19 pandemic shook up the status quo in a lot of areas, not least of all the area of education. Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Innovation's educational resarch laboratory, is collaborating with Camilo José Cela Universities here in Spain, to study how certain Spanish schools adapted to the changes... and how they're facing the future. Today we'll hear from Daniel Wilson, the main investigator of Project Zero's Learning Outside-In. Escuchar audio

10 years ago the WHO released a statement on the prevention and elimination of disrespect and abuse during facility-based childbirth. It stated that this kind of treatment violated the womens' right to respectful care, and threatend the rights to life, health, bodily integrity and freedom from discrimation. This abusive treatment during childbirth is known as "obstetric violence", and unfortunately the Spanish health system is no stranger to it. Six out ten Spanish women assure they have suffered some sort of mistreatment during their pregnancy or during labour. And the UN has already condemned Spain for the treatment received by women during this time. "Vulnerables" is a project that aims to shed some light on this issue and the consequences it has on women's physical and mental health. In this broadcast, we speak with Silvia Marte, the artist behind this project, which is currently showing in the headquarters of the Youth Institute of Madrid. Escuchar audio

For some years now, we've been hearing about of the fall of the west and the rise of the global south. At the center of this global south (or one of the centers) is China, which has long been seen as a competitor with the United States. But how much do we know about this global superpower? José Félix Valdivieso, president of the IE China Center here in Spain, is the author of China para los nuevos bárbaros (China for the new barbarians) s us to talk about what we know and what's left to learn. Escuchar audio

Four years ago, in 2020, 9470 elderly people living in long-term care homes in Madrid lost their lives in only two months. 7291 did not receive appropiate healthcare or were transferred to hospitals. The documentary "7291", released in November, aims to shed some light on the surpluss of deaths in the region during the first months of the pandemic, and explain the truth behind the so-called "protocols of shame", approved by the regional government. It follows the investigation led by the Citizen's Commission for the Truth, a commission made up of relatives and experts. Epidemiologist Viki Zunzunegui is part of this commission and ed us in Casa de la Radio to tell us about their conclussions.  Escuchar audio

Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, The Room Next Door, tackles the tricky topic of euthanasia. It has been legal in Spain since 2021, but is still the topic of some debate both here and in the rest of the world. Just last Friday, after a long debate in Parliament, UK lawmakers voted for a euthanasia bill that allows people with a terminal condition and less than six months to live to end their lives. But this is different to the laws in the Netherlands, Switzerland... and Spain. In today's broadcast, we talk to Raúl Ramos, doctor and member of the Derecho a Morir Dignamente Association (the Right to a Dignified Death Association) about the euthanasia law here in Spain and it's three years of life so far. Escuchar audio

A week ago, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israel's former defence minister -- as well as the military commander of Hamas. In their ruling, the court's judges said that there were “reasonable grounds” the three men bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity Israel-Hamas war. Allegations rejected by Israel and Hamás. As the war in the Middle East goes on, people's faith in the power of institutions such as the International Criminal Court, falters. Today we'll be talking about this loss of faith in International Law with Michelle Burgis-Kasthala, Professor of International Law at University of Edinburgh Law School, Who was in Granada, Spain, earlier this week for a Seminar titled International Law after Gaza. On this broadcast we'll also speak with Israeli professor and historian Ilan Pappe about his new book "Lobbying for zionism on both sides of the Atlantic". Escuchar audio

For two years in a row now, the Citizen's Association Soy de la Cuesta have been organizing the so-called "Book Friday", an alternative to the senseless consumism promoted by Black Friday and which aims to raise awareness about the value of small bookstores in Madrid and in many other cities in Spain. Soy de la Cuesta's founder and director, Lara Sanchez, ed us to tell about the second edition.  After that, continuing with the literary theme, we speak about "Why Beethoven?", a book on the composer by author Norman Lebrecht and which was recently translated to Spanish. Escuchar audio

Have you ever watched a movie, read a novel, played a videogame... and wondered what it would be like to be the main character? To be put in a position where you have to make your own choices? Have those choices impact and even change the story? And maybe even do things differently? Today we will be ed by Lawrence Schick, a writer and game designer who specializes in RPGs: Role Playing Games. After almost fifty years in the industry, with proyects ranging from tabletop games (such as Dungeons & Dragons) to video games (2023's game of the year, Baldur's Gate 3), he visited Madrid for the Eñe Literature Festival to talk about the quirks of his craft. Escuchar audio

Spanish is the language with the second-highest number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese. This is one of the facts we learn about in a report on the use of the Spanish worldwide, titled Spanish: a living language: the 2024 report places the number of Spanish speakers in the world at just under 600 million. Today, we speak to the report's author, David Fernández Vítores, about where Spanish is now and where it will go in the future. FOTO:  Escuchar audio

27 years after the release of the movie "Titanic" we still fantasize about travelling in the ocean liner feeling like Jack and Rose... But the story of the Titanic goes way beyond the movie. The real Titanic sank in 1912 and since then, it has become a "legend" in popular culture. Now, an exhibition here in Madrid makes you feel like you are "the king of the world", as it offers an immersive experience inside of the ship. "The legend of the Titanic" will run in Madrid until the 5th of January and we had the chance to visit it by the hand of Alfonso Seguro, head of sales and marketing in Madrid Artes Digitales. Escuchar audio

From the 20th to the 25th of November, the city of London will be hosting the fourth edition of the "Festival of queer literature in Spanish in London". This festival aims to bring Londoners, and anyone who s, closer to queer literature in Spanish and Catalan. And not only does their program include literature, but also cinema, music, dancing, and even an online podcast event. Jorge Gárriz, owner of Romancero books, the online library organizing the festival, ed us on this broadcast to tell us more about this year's edition. Escuchar audio

Three years ago, on the 19th of September of 2021, the lives of many Canarians in the island of La Palma were interrupted by a volcanic eruption that lasted 85 days. During the development of the eruption, devastating and even apocalyptic images filled our screens, but for Canarians, the destruction caused by the volcano coexisted with inspiring everyday stories of friendship and companionship and stunning images of nature at its peak. All of these contradicting feelings are represented in the documentary "An inhabitted volcano", directed by David Pantaleon and José Víctor Fuentes. José Víctor ed us on this broadcast to tell us about the filming of the documentary.  Escuchar audio

Two weeks ago, the regions of Valencia, Castilla la Mancha, and Andalucía were hit by a storm that led to massive floodings in several towns, causing severe damage in many areas and more than 200 casualties. While we prepare for another storm in the East and South of the country, we analyze these phenomena with Ernesto Rodriguez, president of the Spanish Meteorological Agency. After that, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of radio in Spain and we travel in time to the 14th of November of 1924, when the first legalised Spanish station made its first broadcast from Barcelona.  Escuchar audio

Last Tuesday, republican candidate Donald Trump was officially chosen as president of the United States, for a second time. After a campaign full of ups and downs, the results have come as a surprise for many.  On this broadcast, we analyze the electoral results with Alberto Coll, international law professor at the DePaul University.  Escuchar audio