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AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CATALAN STUDIES SINCE 1979 CONNECTING NORTH AMERICA TO CATALONIA
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Hellena Cardus Publisher AICS President Fall 2013
Benvinguts! I’d like to welcome our readers to the first edition of CATALONIA, a quarterly publication by AICS (American Institute for Catalan Studies), which will discuss current topics regarding Catalan news in politics, visual arts, music, culinary trends and sports. Dr. David Cardus created AICS in Houston, Texas in the late 1970s, the first Catalan organization founded in the U.S. with the principal purpose of introducing and promoting a myriad of aspects of Catalan culture and society. Throughout the years, AICS has organized and hosted several Texas fairs and concerts promoting known Catalan artists and musicians in Texas, including Josep Carreras, Josep Tero, Toni Xucla, and many others. Castellers (human towers) have also adorned the streets of Houston, juxtaposing their splendid towers with the backdrop of Houston’s skyscrapers. AICS has also been very active in translating and publishing Catalan literary treasures including Joan Sales, Uncertain Glory, Josep Carner-Ribalta, The Catalan Nation and its People and Philip B. Taylor, Public Power in Catalunya. AICS was the first North American organization to publish a Catalan Bulletin in English, Catalonia Today, which was published 3 times a year for over 10 years and distributed to over 500 organizations in North America, including multiple libraries and universities with courses in Mediterranean studies. AICS has several ambitious projects planned for the coming year. We encourage you to become a member by going to our website AICSUSA.org, receive a complimentary copy of CATALONIA and share the experience! hcardus@cataloniamagazine.com
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CONTENTS
CATALONIA
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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AICS NEWS American Institute for Catalan Studies La Via Catalana (The Catalan Way) in Houston
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12 STARS AND STRIPES
La Via Catalana (The Catalan Way) up close in Girona, Catalonia. BY HELLENA CARDUS
15 SCORING THE MOVIE “FEM VIA”
Q&A on Jordi Guillem, Catalan music producer, composer
18 CATALONIA’S DAY “La Diada” Read Articles: “WASHINGTON AND CASANOVA” BY MIQUEL GIMENEZ , “AND NOW FRATERNITÉ” BY MAYTE DUARTE, “THE 11TH OF SEPTEMBER AS A SYMPTOM” BY JOAN MORRO
30 WILD MUSHROOM HUNTING One of Catalonia’s favorite past times 36 LA FAGEDA D’EN JORDÀ (The beech of Jordà)
Catalan poem by Joan Maragall
38 ATTITUDE AND BARCA Barça controls the game, Barça caresses the ball, Barça plays the greatest game on earth like no other…. BY XAVI SALAT I FOIX
40 A TASTE OF CATALONIA
Article: “HIDDEN TREASURES “ BY JOSEPH MINGUELL
43 CATALONIA EN CATALÀ CATALONIA MAGAZINE is published quarterly by AICS- American Institute for Catalan Studies . Contact AICSUSA.ORG Publisher Hellena Cardus hcardus@cataloniamagazine.com Editor-in-Chief Roslyn Smith rsmith@cataloniamagazine.com Creative Director Jordi Guillem jguillem@cataloniamagazine.com 2013 CATALONIA MAGAZINE. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Printed in the U.S.
Roslyn Smith Editor-in-chief Fall 2013
The first edition of CATALONIA is devoted to LA DIADA. In this edition, we introduce several talented Catalans who exemplify the true meaning of the culture. I’m confident that the magazine will reveal to the world, Catalonia, the country, at its best. I’ll never forget the first time I stepped foot on Catalan soil. I was working in Madrid singing and composing music for multiple European countries. An opportunity to record in Barcelona presented itself, and I took it eagerly. Upon arriving in Barcelona, I was struck by the initial smell; a breathtaking, romantic, slightly sweet , salt water smell. The connection I experienced during my first visit to Catalonia, inspired my relocation from the US to Barcelona, in which I lived a substantial portion of my adult life. Catalonia is a country full of innovation, endless culture, success, and overwhelming generosity. I hope you enjoy these articles and the insight to Catalonia; a modern, yet ancient, magical culture. Visca Catalunya! rsmith@cataloniamagazine.com
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AICS NEWS
CATALAN WAY VIA CATALANA On August 31, 2013, 10 am, AICS (The American Institute for Catalan Studies) organized the video shoot of the Catalan Way at NASA in Houston, Texas. Approximately 50 Catalans and Catalan supporters lined up and held hands forming part of this spectacular worldwide event, the Catalan Way, organized in Houston by AICS, as part of the huge undertaking by the ANC, to promote international awareness of the will of the Catalan people to regain their independence. Approximately seven and a half million Catalans live in Catalonia and another 400,000 live in other cities around the world. The Assemblea Nacional Catalana (Nacional Catalan Assembly) seeks the political independence of Catalonia from Spain through the establishment of a free and democratic state. The Catalan Way was videotaped in key cities around the world and then edited and published in YouTube as the Catalan Way, La Via Catalana al Mon. The event was a huge success in Houston, as it was in so many other cities around the world. VISCA CATALUNYA LLIURE!
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AICS NEWS
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AICS Vice President Jordi Guillem AICS President Hellena Cardus
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AICS 2013 Diada celebration at Kemah Boardwalk.. AICS members Kevin Hanrahan to the right . Graciela Wright and Charles Wright at the bottom .
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Catalan Stars and Stripes Fly for Independence
Catalans
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he Catalan Way, a worldwide project organized by the Assemblea Nacional Cata-
lana (The Catalan National Assembly) with the intention of linking 86 towns and villages in Catalonia over a 400 kilometer stretch along the Catalan coast in an effort to generate worldwide coverage of the Catalan people’s desire to push forward a referendum on political self-determination next year, the 300th anniversary of a military defeat which marked the beginning of three centuries of oppression. This project aims to generate international media coverage of the referendum drive, which is staunchly resisted by Spain’s central government. Pro-independence feelings have increased in recent years as the region, considered a key driver of Spain’s economy, has suffered in the country’s recession. I consider myself very fortunate to be living in these dynamic times. Fortuitously, I have been able to form part of a celebration, in Houston, Texas, organized for those Catalans living outside of Catalonia. Similarly, other Catalan Way chains where formed in over 100 cities around the world, where over 400,000 Catalans who live outside Catalonia showed their support for independence.
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Photo by Hellena Cardus
On September 11th 2013, our National Day, I was also able to take part of a much larger initiative organized by the ANC in Catalonia. Close to 2 million people formed a human chain covering a 400 km (250 mile) stretch from one corner of northern Catalonia (bordering Pyrenees) to the south, bordering the Ebro River.
The world’s largest flag
Photo by Hellena Cardus
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I was stationed in Riudellots de la Selva, in the northern province of Girona where, amongst the 400 participants in that location, we displayed our Star and Stripes, the largest Catalan Flag, in the world! The air was filled with magnificent, peaceful energy with Catalans linked together chanting cries of self-determination, statehood and freedom!
Photo by Hellena Cardus
We held hands, forming a human chain, La Via Catalana, to show our commitment to peacefully fight for our nation’s self-determination, to become the next state within Europe. As part of the ANC initiative, a documentary of the Via Catalan has been produced and will be projected in movie screens in Catalonia and in cities around the world. This “Yellow Carpet Event” will occur in mid-Oct.
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Q&A
Q&A: Jordi Guillem ON SCORING THE MOVIE
“FEM VIA”
Jordi Guillem is a Catalan, multi-platinum selling producer and composer, with numerous gold certifications and award nominations. He also has produced a great deal of songs for TV and Radio commercials. He has produced, composed and recorded for major record labels and TV networks like Sony, Universal, Universal Latin, NBC, Univision, Telemundo and TV3 of Catalonia, among others. His discography is endless. Jordi owns Exito Music record label and currently resides in Houston, Texas, where he produced and composed the soundtrack for the spectacular movie about the Catalan Way “FEM VIA”.
Q:
How did you come to make the film score for Fem Via?
A:
Last year the ANC contacted me to participate in the audiovisual part of the record-breaking Diada. I arranged the song Tots Junts Vencerem (We shall Overcome) that was heard throughout the streets of Barcelona. This year the ANC contacted me again, and asked me to compose a custom song to serve as the theme song for their movie. I composed “Visca Catalunya”. I sent it to them, and it turned out to be exactly what they were looking for, they then directly asked for the entire soundtrack.
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Q: How long did you have from start to finish to complete your compositions
being the
movie was produced so fast?
A: It was a great challenge. The entire production team for the movie were under a lot of pressure since everything was extremely time sensitive. I was basically locked in my recording studio for about three days straight.
Q: Where were you at the time of this movie production? A: I was in Houston, Texas and I did everything remotely from my studio.
I was in connection with the production team in Barcelona 24h a day because of the seven hour difference between us. We communicated a lot through Facetime. Which was an exceptionally useful tool to have, a human connection to Barcelona kept me going through moments when I would find myself dosing off on top of my piano. (Laughter)
Q: How did it feel to see how massive
La Via Catalana became from Houston?
A: It made
me feel part of a great cause. It was a great honor, and I’m very proud of my people and extremely impressed by the logistic capabilities of my country. The desire the people had to make a dream come true from the smallest to the oldest, and I was privileged enough to put musical notes to all the footage from the Via and I would say it was the most impacting, images that I’ve seen in my entire life.
Q: What are your three favorite moments of the movie? A: The part that shows Catalonia’s ethnic diversity and different generations bonding together for the exact same cause. That is a clear example of our culture. The speech from Carme Forcadell, and finally, the moment where the church bells ring simultaneously throughout Catalonia at 17:14 on the dot (the moment at which everyone began to hold hands)
Q:
How did you get inspired in such little time?
A:
As a Catalan growing up and learning about my history from grandparents and parents, remembering their stories about oppression and bad treatment that my people have endured for centuries, it would have been difficult not to have been inspired quickly.
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The Government of Catalonia GENCAT.CAT
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For two years in a row Catalonia has held record-breaking demonstrations for independence. September 11, 2012, close to 2 million took to the streets and during this year’s September 11 over 1.5 million held hands with hopes that one day, very soon they can come to know what freedom really feels like.
LA DIADA SEPTEMBER 11th
In words with images, Catalans, Mayte Daurte, Joan Morro, and Miquel Gimenez elucidate its true meaning
AND NOW FRATERNITÉ By
Mayte Duarte
Taking a look back, we realize that September 11th is a national holiday in Catalonia . This very same date in the U.S.A. have a common understanding that leads to a heart to heart connection. And it’s nothing more than the both coveted and forgotten Fraternité (fraternity) from the great eighteenth-century revolutionary called "Liberté, égalité, fraternité." A century in which some states achieve their independence and others lose it. Sometimes I wonder what unites us men, women, people and cultures. .. What makes us recognize each other? .
As a woman and especially as a Catalan I often find that I have to justify myself everywhere and at all times because many do not consider that there is a genuine Catalan cultural identity, and despise and ignore our collective cultural values as well as our social achievements. So it seems that what unites us the most is that we are denied, persecuted and discriminated against: in our case in particular is our common language and our freedom. There is no turning back since September 11th 1714. In the same way that Rosa Parks decided that she had had enough, or the day when JFK asked "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" or the day Barack Obama shared his "yes we can", we, Catalans have understood that sovereignty resides in the people, and that these same people share their essence and need to continue to exist. Now that we are aware of all this, we must be able to stop celebrating a lost battle, that of September 11th 1714, yet show at the same time our Catalan heritage without any complexes. We are in a sweet spot in our history, one in which we cannot just say "I was there". With strength and pride of who has nothing more to lose than himself, with ideas, goals and dreams, one can actively do something and no longer be a non-registered user of a stateless nation. We can break the chronic pessimism of which Seligman spoke (Indefensió, 1975). Abused and badly treated over two hundred and ninety-nine years we have found that most have been the victims of a lack of conviction regarding the efficiency of their own behavior in order to change the course of events. 20
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Arc de Triomf Barcelona
And this lack of control has been key to elude without worries our own responsibility towards our oppressive reality. If we are what we remember, what we dream, we should do it as what we've always been, with our Catalan cultural identity up front, as Països Catalans (Catalan Countries). And not only for the concept of the linguistic-cultural unity of the Catalan domain, documented as such for the first time in history in the work “Historia del Derecho en Cataluña, Mallorca y Valencia. Código de las Costumbres de Tortosa, I” (Madrid, 1876) of the Valencian historian of law Benvingut Oliver I Esteller, who picked the concept through the Catalan Renaissance at the late nineteenth century as a synonym of "Catalan-speaking territories." We must not forget that there is also a convergence of historical motivations besides linguistic ones. The territory of the Catalan Countries should represent the historical Principality of Catalonia, Kingdom of Majorca (Balearic Islands, Pitiüsesan, North Catalonia) and the Kingdom of Valencia (with the later additions of Villena and the region of Requena). It was in the sixties that the concept of Catalan Countries regained awareness, mainly in intellectual circles of the political and cultural opposition to the Franco dictatorship regime. With the “Transition” the concept was abruptly abandoned by the political sectors and, to avoid any political connotation, it was re-established as “Catalan-speaking territories”. And it is here that I want to take as my own the words of Francisco Ribera, on the 29thof June in the Camp Nou during the Concert per a la Llibertat (Freedom Concert): "... We have an army. An army which for three hundred years has defended us and thanks to it we have not been destroyed as a people. This army is called culture, and our soldiers are called teachers, actors, writers, scientists, researchers, and the thousands of militia volunteers from the popular culture of each town and every neighborhood. And this army is everywhere, deployed, armed and ready, everywhere in the Catalan Countries. And with this army we will make this nation free land!” Either we are all together or will cease to exist!
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The 11th of September as a Symptom Article by
Joan Morro
The 11th of September (or Catalonia’s National Holiday “Diada”) is a national holiday and also a protest that means more than simply a historical date. It is not just a national holiday among others either, because not all nations are equal, and as such Thomas Jefferson understood it when promoting the Declaration of Independence concept. The 11th of September is a symptom, in particular, a symptom of the Catalan cultural identity. That day, in 1714, Barcelona fell to Castilian troops in the service of the Bourbon monarchy. But there is more. The 11th of September marks the tragic date when a specific claim is made official: to erase forever the use of Ramon Llull and Ausiàs March language, and to deprive the Catalan culture of any official institution and own identity symbols that would allow it to survive. It is here that the Spanish Kingdom is born officially and with it the absolutism of southern Europe. This process of political transformation was part of a European conflict. Spain referred to a geographical context, equivalent to the Roman Hispania, which was comprised of different, independent crowns. Among them was the Corona Aragonesa (Aragonese Crown), where a political movement preceded the federation concept, of which the American Revolution, was a precursor. The Principality of Catalonia was a member of this Crown. The fight to control the Iberian Peninsula was the trigger for the conflict that divided Europe between the partisans of the Bourbons and the partisans of the Habsburgs. The countries of the Aragonese Crown declared their adherence to the Habsburgs while the rest of the peninsula, which represented the Bourbon cause, was all led by the Kingdom of Castile.
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Barcelona was a key goal and both sides knew it. Powers such as England and Holland offered their support, for many reasons, among them sharing the Catalan culture and a commercial and maritime spirit as well, represented by organizations such was the Consulat de Mar (Sea Consulate). Moreover, Valencia and Mallorca, where in a close relationship with Barcelona due to sharing a common history, culture and interests, came to defend the city, led by Rafel Casanova. The English and the Dutch knew that Barcelona's defeat would negatively affect their geostrategic terms. Also, Valencia and Mallorca knew that Barcelona's fall would imply their own defeat. There was no truce for the losing side. As an example of this we have the Decrets de Nova Planta, decrees which meant the imposition of Castilian laws and language in the Crown of Aragon territories. From then on, maintaining Spain`s unity while breaking apart the Països Catalans (Catalan Countries) simultaneously, had become an obsession. Spanish fascists made popular the phrase “España, antes rojaquerota” (It’s better a communist Spain than a broken Spain). Nowadays, the Spanish government offers citizens a choice on how to be attended; whether it’s in Catalan or in Valencian, which would be the same if in Canada the government offered people being attended in French or Quebecois. Everything together nourishes every single Diada. As we have claimed, the 11 th of September is a symptom. A symptom of someone who recognizes himself in the past, such was the popular defense of Barcelona, defending what is oneself yet not a property: the collective freedom. Suffice to say that the first act of commemoration of September the 11th was done during the Renaixença (Catalan Renaissance), which is the generic name of the social and artistic movement of the 19th century aimed to recover the lost roots and idiosyncrasies of the Catalan culture.
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La Diada 2012 Estacio de Franca Barcelona, Catalonia
The Diada is also a symptom of someone who prevails in his hopes despite adversity. We must remember the historical public and massive protest on the 11th of September of 1977, which gathered a million people who had suffered Franco’s dictatorship, and the popular claims which conditioned the reestablishment of Catalan institutions, such as the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonia’s government). Finally, it is the symptom of brotherhood, which unites us all. The Diada of 2012 opened the eyes of the world to Catalonia, so that they could assess the situation as an encouragement for the recognition of a people; whose only sin has been to see a diminished autonomy at the end of every great modern conflict. Moreover, the hustle and bustle, from the Diada protests produces great brotherhood spirit that can be found all over the Catalan Countries, which demand recognition as such by the international powers. But the future of this complex symptom still has to be written. Joan Morro M.S. Philosophy and specialist in crisis management.
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Washington and Casanova By Miquel Gimenez “By losing the war, Catalonia was considered "conquered land" and its local laws and constitutions were cancelled -which were laws originating from the Middle Ages and with a profound social and historical significance. Catalan, as an official language was forbidden, Barcelona’s University was closed”
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When we evoke the spirit of the North American Revolution, to many people the image of George Washington crossing the Delaware comes to mind, proud, standing up on the boat with an epic pose. It is the icon that represents, in my opinion, that spirit of freedom that marked a special mention in the history of mankind as would the French Revolution or the Allied victory in World War II. Washington and freedom are two concepts that go together in the mind of every U.S. citizen. In the same way that for a Catalan the image of Minister Rafel de Casanova embraced to the standard of Santa Eulàlia, having fallen wounded by a Bourbonic bullet on the siege of Barcelona in 1714, represents our yearning to be free.
By losing the war, Catalonia was considered "conquered land" and its local laws and constitutions were cancelled -which were laws originating from the Middle Ages and with a profound social and historical significance. Catalan, as an official language was forbidden, Barcelona’s University was closed, Catalan secular institutions annihilated, even getting to the point that Catalans were only allowed to have a knife per family, such knife always supposed to be tied up with a chain to the kitchen table. This was the fear of the invading Spaniards, fear that the flame of freedom -the same flame that nowadays still burns sizzling in the Fossar de les Moreres in the heart of Barcelona, in honor of our fallen homeland heroes- would revive.
This is a fact that may surprise those who are not Catalan, but the National holiday every September 11th commemorates a loss, a defeat, a wound... Rafel Casanova falls and, with him, freedom and way of life for an entire nation which must undergo three centuries of unfair taxes, of domination and denial of its identity. In that war of succession to the crown of Spain, Catalonia took part and allied with the Archduke Charles, who opposed the French successor to the Phillipe of Bourbon throne . A bold gesture, just like all that end badly. But the fighting spirit to keep Catalonia’s personality was there, and perhaps could not have been otherwise.
Why do we talk about homelands, of freedom and of honor? This is the common ground between Washington and Casanova, between Washington and General Moragues, between the Boston Tea Party patriots and the ones who lined up with the troops from the Coronela Regiment entrenched and ready to repel the attack from the Duke of Berwick troops. Coronela’s troops were all simple men, town people, village artisans, farmers, men of industry and trade, none were privileged people, because they were all the same, the body of a people who wanted to be free.
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It should not be difficult then for a North American to understand what the National Holiday of Catalonia represents. They, like us Catalans, know that freedom comes at a price and that is not easy to gain it. They, like us Catalans, know that nations are, above all, the people who reside there. They, like us Catalans, know that we are not the product of chance, and that we have an obligation to those who have preceded us in time. So we both share the desire to have a place under the sun where to live and be free, without tyrants or impositions. A country where justice is equal for all, and people decide what they want. A government of the people, made to serve the people. This is the meaning of our claim, that of a millennial Catalonia that looks to the fu28 CATALONIA
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ture with confidence and the will to be a country again. Now, for the moment however, Catalonia is a region of Spain, but in the words of Master Pau Casals before the General Assembly of the UN,
"Catalonia has been the greatest nation in the world, with the first democratic parliament in history". With this background it should not be difficult to understand what we Catalans want, what we celebrate, to what we aspire. Because, ultimately, if Washington and Casanova had met each other, surely they would have been friends. Both were loyal patriots to their country. Miquel Gimenez, Journalist and Writer Translated by: Francesc Beltran
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DISCOVER THE DRAGONS OF CATALONIA
ONE OF CATALONIA’S OLDEST TRADITIONS
Wild mushroom hunting is something the Catalan people take very seriously. Catalans have hunted mushrooms for hundreds of years. And have done so with great enthusiasm and pride. It is considered a sport by many. There was even a reality show in Catalonia about wild mushroom hunting. Yearly, the hunt begins around September and lasts through December. The “boletaires ” Catalan for mushroom hunters, search high and low for these precious jewels. They can be found in very dark forests, up alongside a lofty mountain, and many other places. Great mushroom findings are all over Catalonia. The Bergueda region is especially home to many different species. El Cami dels Bons Homes (The trail of the good men) is a favorite area for many hunters. Some ask what’s all the commotion about? Well, it’s very simple. First off, the hunters have an optimal experience with nature. They get to consume these beauties at no cost. Wild mushrooms can fetch from around 9 to 40 Euros a kilo. The hunters have the choice to sell them to local chefs and markets or keep them for themselves and their families.
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Rossinyol (Chanterelle) Cep (Penny Bun)
Arigany ( Morel) Cama-Sec (Scotch Bonnet)
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The possibilities to cook with wild mushrooms are countless. A very popular and basic way to cook them is by lightly pan searing them with parsley, garlic, a little bit of salt, pepper and extravirgin olive oil. The traditional Catalan Fricando dish, that’s made with beef, red wine, onions, garlic, tomato and wild mushrooms is also an excellent choice. Wild mushrooms are not only exceedingly tasty, but very nutritious. The health benefits from wild mushrooms are absolutely astonishing. They are about 90% water and are particularly low in calories. They are rich in zinc, vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Their fiber content is high, depending on each different type of mushroom. Wild mushrooms consist of amino acids our bodies need for overall good health. There are more than forty edible species of wild mushrooms throughout Catalonia. Here is a list of a few popular ones. Cama-sec de bosc, carrereta, (Scotch Bonnet) Marasmius Oreades In season during the spring, summer, fall Rossinyol, Chanterelle Cantharellus Cibarius In season during all four seasons Cep (Penny Bun) Boletus edulis In season during summer, and fall Rovello (Saffron milk cups) Lactarius sanguifluus In season during the fall 32
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HEALTH AND SCIENCE
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH THE DANIEL BRAVO– ANDREU PRIVAT FOUNDATION
FIRST CALL OUT TO MEDICAL RESEARCHERS FROM CATALONIA
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women worldwide. Every year, an estimated 17 million people die from this disease, and this number is increasing every year. The Daniel Bravo– Andreu Private foundation in located in Catalonia and is making a big impact in cardiovascular research. They are focusing on preventive care from this terrible disease. They are finding better care for patients. The Daniel Bravo– Andreu provides complete support to CVD researchers. They have created several grants for Catalan researchers. They help Catalan researchers to connect and join forces with honored American and European research projects.
E L IG IB ILT Y F O R GR ANT S
Have a university degree. Belong to a research staff at one of the universities, research centers or hospital foundations in the Catalan research system. Reside in Catalonia while applying for grant. Speak the language of the destination country and have a high level of spoken and written English.
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C ARD IOV ASCU LAR R E SE ARC H
Most recent grants awarded by The Daniel Bravo– Andreu Private Foundation
Mrs. Aida Llucià Valldeperas, Scholarship to the Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering of Columbia University (New York, USA) Mrs. Aida Llucià Valldeperas is affiliated with ICREC Research Program, Fundació Institut dInvestigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Catalonia
Mr. Felipe Bisbal Van Bylen Scholarship in attendance at the Cardiovascular Centrum ZNA Middelheim (Antwerepen, Belgium). Mr. Felipe Bisbal Van Bylen is affiliated with the Departamento de Cardiología del Instituto del Tórax del Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona.
ZNA Medical Facilities in Antwerepen, Belgium
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Racons of Catalonia
La Fageda d'en Jordà (The Beech of Jordan)
is a natural park in the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone located in Olot, Catalonia. It is filled with impressive beech trees, with an extremely quiet atmosphere. Many say it is a great getaway to take romantic walks with nature.
Do you know where the beech of Jordà is? If you go near the land of Olot, up high in a spot you’ll find a site, green and profound like no other has been found, a Green, so green like water deep down, clear and profound; the green of the beech of Jordà. The passerby, when entering this place , begins to walk pace by pace. counts every step, in the great stillness: stops, hears nothing, and becomes lost. Taken over by a sweet oblivion in the silence of that place, without thinking about fleeing now imprisoned by the beech of Jordà, prisoner of silence and greenery. Oh great company! Oh prison of liberty!
Translation of Joan Maragall’s poem “La Fageda d'en Jordà” Translation by Smith Languages
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SPORTS
By Xavi Salat i Foix
“Barça fans have grown accustomed to finesse, to a team that takes the initiative, to a team that does not relinquish the ball, to a team that bites” On this little blue marvel (or marble, as you wish) we call earth, some choose to lead and some choose to follow. Some choose to pursue their dreams and goals proactively, and some choose to wait around for life to happen. It’s not going to be me who judges either, because one decides how to face their own life however they see fit according to their circumstances and DNA, but I’ve always applauded those who create their opportunities rather than expecting some sort of planetary alignment to give them a chance.
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With that being said, allow me the boldness to make a little analogy between life and the greatest game on earth. Soccer. Because in soccer, as in life, one can choose to wait for an opportunity to score, or one can work towards creating the opportunities to score. And the latter is Barça. Any respectable soccer fan, regardless of what team they root for, will agree that Barça doesn’t wait for things to happen. They make things happen. Barça controls the game, Barça caresses the ball, Barça plays the greatest game on earth like no other. Because the key to success, again both in soccer and in life, is to control the game we play. When one controls the game, one controls the opportunities. The outcome will be what the outcome will be, that is always unpredictable, but the chances of success when one is the master of his domain are left to no one but oneself. We are not talking about controlling the outcome of our actions, but having control over the situations with which we deal. That always provides us with the upper hand, allowing us to be at the right place at the right time, hence taking advantage of what some like to call the luck factor. Barça fans have grown accustomed to finesse, to a team that takes the initiative, to a team that does not relinquish the ball, to a team that bites. To a team that aims to control every aspect of the game in order to create the opportunities needed to attain the objectives they set. A team with a go getter rather than a wait and see attitude. It all boils down to attitude, because attitude, on this little blue marvel (or marble, as you wish), is everything.
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Without leaving evidence of the
black and white used by some fantastic artists like Picasso and Kline and also photographers Miserachs, Maspons. They captured essence and beauty. They knew how to use the full range of tones in the absence of color, from white to black most immaculate, deeper through all imaginable shades of gray. But surely , the essence , the beauty, the subtle reality has been and is reflected in the breadth of colors imaginable. Who does not remember Monet, Kandinsky, Valenzuela, able to keep us lost for hours imagining landscapes, realities and fictions? We , in this country, have the privilege of the essence and color. We are privileged from our landscape, climate, environment , nature , food and wine. A whole range of possibilities is available to us, thus leads us to the reality of having a multitude of wines in all its aspects and concepts. Our white, pink, red, sparkling, sweet and indulgent wines. They are made from grapes grown in a changing climate from north to south and from east to west . Eleven denominations of origin that give rise to a range of products in a range of colors that those classics and contemporaries had wanted to paint on their palettes .
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We continue, rooted in tradition and classicism watch the domestic demand, and consumption continue to fall . Statistics showed 2013 's total wine sells in the Catalan region, in which only 30% are born and bred . And so we continue with our small wine culture, seeking excellence beyond good. We have to take pride in what we represent, and never underestimate one’s wine culture. So let's get serious. It's time to find the good . It is time to start again . It's time for support. It's time to be actors and participants in this reality of color and life around us. It's time for modest intellectual wine and " just know that I don’t know anything." It is our commitment to quality, to know, to feel, to desire . It's time for success and failure. It's time for the moment of recognition and learning. It’s time to demand.
Joseph Minguell is a master wine connoisseur , and sommelier. Joseph owns Sant Jaume Botelleria located in Sabadell, and manages
Our food and cuisine have earned a place of privilege and worldwide recognition, thanks to the effort and love put in the product. Furthermore, thanks to the prod- El Cim esdeveniments, of Sant Feliu del Rac贸 uct transformation in art, in perfect harmony and coupling one result being, thanks to the critical and demanding and well understanding as a means to improve, we are then able to place our wines where, when and how they deserve. This is a cry to growers , processors , distributors, consultants , winemakers , sommeliers , restaurants , schools, teachers , government , organizations and consumers. Only then , in perfect communion , we will enter the market competitiveness and begin to be worthy of what we have and, simply then we can BOTELLERIASANTJAUME.COM also say that we have what we deserve . AICSUSA.ORG
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I ARA: FRATERNITÉ
by Mayte Duarte
Fent una mirada enrere ens adonem que la diada de l’11 de setembre tant a Catalunya com als EUA té quelcom comú que ens duu a entendre’ns de cor a cor. I no és res més que la tant cobejada i oblidada Fraternité de la gran crida revolucionaria el segle XVIII “Liberté, égalité, fraternité “. Segle en el que alguns Estats assolien la seva independència i d’altres la perdien. De vegades em pregunto què ens agermana a homes, dones, pobles i cultures.. què ens fa reconèixer-nos els uns en els altres. Com a dona i com a catalana sovint em trobo que haig d’anar justificant-me arreu i en tot moment per que molts no consideren que hi hagi una autèntica identitat cultural catalana menystenint i ignorant els nostres valors culturals col·lectius així com les nostres realitzacions socials. Per tant sembla que el que més ens agermana és allò que ens és negat, perseguit i vexat: en el nostre cas particular la llengua i en comú la llibertat. Des del passat 11 de setembre no hi ha volta enrere. De la mateixa manera que Rosa Parks un dia va dir prou, en JFK va demanar “No us pregunteu què pot fer el país per vosaltres, sinó pregunteu-vos què podeu fer vosaltres pel país” o en Barack Obama va compartir el seu “yes we can”. Nosaltres, els catalans, hem assolit que la sobirania rau en el poble i que aquest poble comparteix la seva essència i necessitat de no deixar de ser. Ara que som conscients hem de ser capaços de deixar de celebrar una derrota i d’exercir alhora la nostra catalanitat desacomplexadament. Ens trobem en un moment dolç de la nostra història en el qual no tan sols podem dir “jo hi era” si no que amb la força i l’orgull de qui no té res més a perdre que a si mateix, els seus ideals, objectius i somnis, pot fer quelcom activament per no tornar a ser mai més un usuari no registrat d’una nació sense Estat. Podem trencar amb el pessimisme crònic del que ens parlava Seligman (Indefensió, 1975). Maltractats i anorreats al llarg de dos-cents noranta-nou anys ens hem trobat que la majoria ha estat víctima de la manca de convicció pel que fa a l’eficàcia de la pròpia conducta per a canviar el curs dels esdeveniments. I aquesta manca de control ha estat clau per a defugir, sense càrrecs de consciència , la pròpia responsabilitat envers a la realitat opressora.
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Si som el que recordem, el que somiem, fem-ho com el que sempre hem estat, amb la nostra identitat cultural catalana, com a Països Catalans. I no tan sols per la concepció de la unitat lingüístico-cultural del domini del català documentat com a tal per primera vegada en l’obra Historia del Derecho en Cataluña, Mallorca y Valencia. Código de las Costumbres de Tortosa, I (Madrid, 1876) del valencià Benvingut Oliver i Esteller, historiador del Dret. Recollit el concepte en el decurs de la Renaixença catalana a final del segle XIX com a sinònim de «territoris de parla catalana». Però no hi ha pas que oblidar que també hi han convergència de motivacions històriques a més de lingüístiques. El territori dels Països Catalans ha de representar als històrics Principat de Catalunya, Regne de Mallorques (Illes Balears, Pitiüses i Catalunya Nord), i Regne de València (amb els afegits posteriors de Villena i la comarca de Requena). Va ser a partir dels anys seixanta que es va reprendre la consciència del concepte de Països Catalans, majoritàriament en medis intel·lectuals i de l'oposició política i cultural al franquisme. Amb la Transició el concepte fou bruscament abandonat pels sectors políticament i per evitar qualsevol connotació política, establert com a territoris de parla catalana. I és aquí que vull fer meves les paraules d’en Francesc Ribera el vint-i-nou de juny al Camp Nou en el Concert per a la Llibertat: “...Tenim un exèrcit. Un exèrcit que fa tres-cents anys que ens defensa i que gràcies a ell no hem estat destruïts com a poble. Aquest exèrcit es diu cultura i els nostres soldats són mestres, actors, escriptors, científics, investigadors, i els milers de milicians voluntaris de la cultura popular de cada poble i de cada barri. I aquest exèrcit és arreu, desplegat, a punt i armat, arreu dels Països Catalans. I amb aquest exèrcit farem d'aquesta nació una terra lliure!” Per que o hi som tots o no hi serem!
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Mayte Duarte Llicenciada en Humanitats (UOC) la seva tesis en l’àmbit de L’antropologia social i religiosa. I el seu objecte d’estudi de Màster i Doctorat és l’homo tecnològicus: què és lo humà. Aprofita els seus coneixements acadèmics per donar aplicacions pràctiques socials, polítiques i científiques a diversos grups a Facebook que ella administra. Editora de la revista digital d’Humanitats Sàrasuati i membre del Grup International de Recerca Cultura, Història & Estat (GIRCHE) de la UB. Secretaria del Liceu Maragall de filosofia (amb seu a L’Ateneu Barcelonès). Fundadora i Presidenta de Dracmaycat (www.dracmaycat.com), Mayte Duarte entén el món de la fotografia com una eina per difondre la cultura. Des del seu projecte 1001 Nits amb originals guies visuals de cada conte, passant per blogs amb poemes visuals, Mayte emfatitza les imatges com a support d’ idees i morals a entendre si s’estudia amb cura els assajos visuals que compon amb cada peça (www.drakoteksilo.blogspot.com.es). La seva experiència inclòu treball com a Community Manager, investigació i recerca d’antropologia i la cultura catalana, amb una curiosa passió envers els dracs. La figura del Drac a Catalunya, l’ha portat a documentar i estudiar dracs d’arreu de Catalunya per difondre i exposar més i millor la imatge del Drac envers la cultura catalana. (www.lavetlladeldrac.blogspot.com.es)
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L’ONZE DE SETEMBRE COM A SÍMPTOMA by Joan Morro “En aquest sentit cal recordar la històrica manifestació de l’Onze de Setembre de 1977, la qual aplegà un milió de persones que havien patit la dictadura franquista.....”
L’Onze de Setembre és més que un dia de festa i reivindicacions i més que una data històrica. Tampoc no és tracta només d’una diada nacional entre d’altres, perquè no totes les nacions són iguals, i així ho va entendre Thomas Jefferson en projectar la Declaració d’Independència. L’Onze de Setembre és un símptoma; concretament, un símptoma de la identitat cultural catalana.
Aquell dia de 1714, que actualment és motiu per hissar senyeres i afirmar una voluntat de ser, va ser el dia en què Barcelona caigué davant les tropes castellanes al servei de la monarquia borbònica. Però n’hi ha més. L’Onze de Setembre marca tràgicament la data en què s’oficialitza la pretensió d’esborrar per sempre més l’ús de la llengua de Ramon Llull i d’Ausiàs March així com de privar a la cultura catalana de qualsevol institució i símbol propi i efectiu per fer-la perviure. Aleshores neix formalment el Regne Espanyol i amb ell l’absolutisme al Sud d’Europa. Tot aquest procés de transformació política s’emmarca en un conflicte de dimensions europees. Fins aleshores Espanya remetia a un context geogràfic, equivalent a la Hispania romana, que comprenia diferents corones. Entre elles la Corona Aragonesa, on imperava un model polític antecedent del que avui entenem per Federació, del qual la Revolució Americana en fou precursora. El Principat de Catalunya era membre d’aquesta Corona. La lluita pel control de la Península Ibèrica va ser el detonant del conflicte esmentat, que dividí els europeus entre els partidaris dels Borbons i els dels Habsburgs. Mentre que els països de la Corona d’Aragó es declararen austracistes, la resta de la península representà la causa borbònica, tot encapçalada pel Regne de Castellà.
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Barcelona era un objectiu clau i ho sabien els dos bàndols. Per això potències aleshores emergents com Anglaterra i Holanda oferiren el seu suport al Principat de Catalunya. Entre d’altres raons perquè compartien amb la cultura catalana un esperit comercial i marítim, ben representat per organismes com el Consolat de Mar, ben diferenciat de l’esperit aristocràtic i continental castellà. Tanmateix, valencians i mallorquins, agermanats en tots els sentits amb Barcelona pel fet de compartir història i cultura anaren a defensar la ciutat comandada per Rafel Casanova. Anglesos i holandesos sabien que la derrota de Barcelona els hi repercutiria en termes geoestratègics; valencians i mallorquins sabien que la derrota de Barcelona era també la seva pròpia derrota. No hi va haver treva pels vençuts. La mostra més representativa d’això són els Decrets de Nova Planta, pels quals els antics territoris de la Corona d’Aragó passaven a ser “terra conquerida” i als quals se’ls va aplicar, sense possibilitat de rèplica, les lleis de Castellà. Tot això comportà la imposició d’una llengua, la castellana, que aleshores era forastera en el si de la cultura catalana. Des d’aleshores, mantenir alhora la unitat d’Espanya i l’esquarterament dels Països Catalans ha esdevingut en obsessió. Durant la dictadura franquista s’estendrà arreu de l’Estat la sentència “España antes roja que rota” (“It’s better a Red Spain than a Broken Spain”). I, a hores d’ara, les institucions espanyoles arriben a oferir al ciutadà que triï si vol ser atès en català o en valencià, la qual cosa és tan absurda com si al Canadà oferissin ser atès en francès o en quebequès. Tot plegat nodreix cada Onze de Setembre, any rere any. Com hem anunciat, l’Onze de Setembre és un símptoma. Símptoma de qui es reconeix en un passat i en unes fites que, tot i que no hagin estat mai desitjades sinó més aviat fruit de les conjuntures polítiques, omplen d’orgull, com ara la defensa popular durant el Setge de Barcelona, tot defensant el que es propi sense arribar a ser mai una propietat: la llibertat col·lectiva. Val a dir que el primer acte de commemoració de l’Onze de Setembre no va ser efecte de l’espontaneïtat sinó que es va a dur a terme en el context de la Renaixença, que és el nom genèric que rep el moviment social i artístic del segle XIX orientat a rescabalar les arrels i la idiosincràsia de la cultura catalana. També és símptoma de qui no defalleix en les seves esperances malgrat les adversitats. En aquest sentit cal recordar la històrica manifestació de l’Onze de Setembre de 1977, la qual aplegà un milió de persones que havien patit la dictadura franquista i les crides de les quals, tot recordant la històrica data de 1714, condicionà finalment la recuperació de llibertats i d’institucions pròpies, com la Generalitat de Catalunya. 48
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Finalment, n’és el símptoma d’una voluntat que agermana, que ens agermana. D’una banda, el ressò global de la Diada de l’any 2012 va fer que ulls d’arreu del món miressin cap a Catalunya i avaluessin la situació com un alè pel reconeixement d’un poble, l’únic pecat del qual ha estat perdre la seva autonomia en acabar cada gran conflicte modern. D’altra banda, com més renouera són les manifestacions de l’Onze de Setembre, més respostes de germanor s’hi troben arreu dels Països Catalans, exigint-ne el reconeixement com a cultura oblidada per les institucions internacionals. El futur d’aquest símptoma complex encara l’hem d’escriure.
Joan Morro Magíster en Filosofia i Especialista Universitari en Gestió de Crisis
Mallorca, 1985. Llicenciat en Filosofia per la Universitat de Barcelona (2008), Màster en Filosofia Pràctica per la UNED amb un treball de recerca sobre l’ontologia politica d’Spinoza (2012) i Especialista Universitari en Gestió de Crisis per l’Instituto Universitario Gutiérrez Mellado (2012). Actualment fent estudis de doctorat en el programa Ciutadana i Drets Humans de la Universitat de Barcelona, amb una tesis sobre el realisme polític dirigida pel Dr. Gonçal Mayos. Membre de GIRCHE (Grup Internacional de Recerca, Cultura, Història i Estat’) i, dins del mateix, vinculat a la línia d’investigació Geopolítica Europea: Estas, Nacions, Pobles i Cultures.
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Washington i Casanova by Miquel Giménez Quan evoquem l’esperit de la Revolució Nord Americana, a molta gent s'ens ve al cap la imatge d’en George Washington creuant el Delaware, altiu, dret a la barca, amb posat de gesta. És la icona que representa, al meu entendre, aquell esperit de llibertat que marcà un punt i a part dins la història de la humanitat com faria la Revolució Francesa o el triomf aliat a la Segona Guerra Mundial. Washington i la llibertat són dos conceptes que van units dins la ment de qualsevol ciutadà dels E.E.U.U. De la mateixa manera, per a un català, la imatge del Conseller Rafel de Casanova abraçat al Pendó de Santa Eulàlia, caient ferit per una bala borbònica al setge de Barcelona del 1714, representa el nostre anhel de ser lliures. Aquest és un fet que potser sorprèn als que no són catalans, però la Diada Nacional que celebraven cada Onze de Setembre commemora això, una pèrdua, una derrota, una ferida. Rafel de Casanova cau i, amb ell, les llibertats i la manera de viure de tota una nació que haurà de patir tres segles d’espoli, de dominació, de negació de la seva identitat. En aquella Guerra de Successió a la corona d’Espanya, Catalunya prengué part i s’arrenglerà amb l’Arxiduc Carles, que s’oposava al pretenent Felip de Borbó, francès. Un gest agosarat, com tots els que acaben malament. Però l’esperit de lluita per mantenir la personalitat pròpia hi era allà, i potser no podia haver estat d’altra manera. En perdre, Catalunya va ser considerada com a “terra conquerida”, i els seus Furs i Constitucions, lleis provinents de l’edat mitjana i amb una càrrega històrica i social profundíssima, foren anul·lades. El català, com a parla oficial, fou prohibit, la universitat barcelonesa, tancada, les institucions seculars catalanes, anorreades, fins i tot sols és permeté als catalans tenir un ganivet per família sempre que estigués lligat amb una cadena a la taula de la cuina. Aquesta era la por dels espanyols que ens envairem, por de que la flama de la llibertat, la mateixa que encara vull en dia espurneja al fossar de Les moreres, a ple centre de Barcelona, en honor dels caiguts per la nostre Pàtria, revifés. Perquè parlem de pàtries, i de llibertat, i d’honor. Aquest és el tret comú entre Washington i Casanova, entre Washington i el general Moragues, entre els patriotes del motí del te a Boston i els que s’arrengleraven a les files del Regiment de La Coronela, parapetats i prestos a refusar l’atac de les tropes del Duc de Berwick. Tots eren homes senzills, del poble, menestrals, camperols, homes d’indústria i d’oficis, cap privilegiat, car tots eren el mateix, el cos d’un poble que volia ser lliure.
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No ha de ser pas difícil d’entendre per a un nord americà el què representa la Diada Nacional de Catalunya. Ells, com nosaltres, saben que la llibertat té un preu i que no és pas fàcil guanyar-la. Ells, com nosaltres, saben que les nacions són, abans que res, les persones que hi viuen. Ells, com nosaltres, saben que no som producte de l’atzar, i que tenim una obligació amb aquells que ens han precedit al llarg dels temps. Perquè ells i nosaltres compartim l’anhel de poder tenir un lloc sota el sol on viure i ser lliures, sense tirans ni imposicions. Un país on la justícia sigui igual per a tothom, i el poble decideixi que vol. Amb un govern del poble i fet per a servir al poble. Aquest és el sentit de la nostra reivindicació, la d’una Catalunya mil·lenària que mira cap al seu futur amb confiança i amb la voluntat de voler ser ella de nou. Ara, per ara, però, Catalunya és una regió espanyola però, en paraules del Mestre Pau Casals davant l’Assemblea General de la ONU, “Catalunya va ser la nació més gran del món, amb el primer Parlament democràtic de la història”. Amb aquest bagatge no ha de ser difícil d’entendre què volem els catalans, que celebrem, a què aspirem. Perquè, fet i fet, si Washington i Casanova s’haguessin conegut, segur que hagueren estat amics. Tots dos van ser patriotes lleials al seu país.
Miquel Giménez
Guionista i tertulià de radio i televisió, periodista i escriptor, principalment en llengua catalana, però també en castellà, anglès, francès i italià. “Ha treballat al costat d’altres professionals com Raffaella Carrà, Josep Maria Bachs, Valerio Lazarov, AlfredoAmestoy, Jesús Hermida, Jordi Estadella o Josep Cuní. Com a escriptor la seva experiència inclou diaris digitals, i columnista per El Mundo, a més del seu propi blog www.escriureenveualta.blogspot.com amb temes politics I socials. Miquel Giménez és co-autor de varies llibres, a més de l’exitós “El dia que David Niven va venir a esmorzar al Paral.lel” amb dues edicions i nova sèrie de misteri de la Senyora Dolors amb el segon volum a punt de publicar-se.
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