User:Spain21

Welcome to Spain 21 - an online magazine of cultural insights for the 21st century.

In 1998, we came up with the idea of publishing a print magazine that would provide cultural insights to Spain for teachers and their students. Between the Fall of 1998 and the Fall of 2001, we printed seven issues. Each issue was sent out, free of charge, to a total of 40,000 middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. In addition, we had approximately 2,500 paid subscribers, and the number was growing. The publication was covering its costs through the many advertisers that also supported us. Then, in 2001, the tragedy of September 11 took its toll on our country. The loss of so many innocent people truly saddened us. This tragedy also had collateral consequences, and that was the economic toll it took on our country. In our case, many of our advertisers were in the field of travel and tourism. Since they were negatively impacted by this event, most were unable to commit to the advertising expenditures necessary to support our magazine. As a result, Spain 21 was forced to suspend publication. We thought that we would be able to produce an online version, but that proved difficult in light of the chaos of that time. Many years have passed, and we have finally been able to return to the idea of having an online cultural magazine about Spain; and this online version will be freely accessible to all who download www.spain21.com

Some new concepts have been added to the magazine. Although mainly in English, many of the articles have vocabulary sections attached to them giving students the opportunity to learn the appropriate words relevant to the article. To learn that a chirinquito is a stand or restaurant on the beach serving some wonderful local food and drink takes on a new meaning after one has read the article and seen the pictures that were obtained from online sources. Also, attaching youtube video links to some articles helps to bring the cultural concepts alive – it is one thing to talk about the botafumeiro in Santiago de Compostela, it is another thing to see it swinging. We have also added activity sections that will help students to think about the cultural topics.

Spain 21 will cover the gamut of Spain’s many aspects from theater to food to art to history to dance. As you can see, we have in our hearts a special affection for Spain and all its wonderful attributes, which are as bright as the sight of sunflowers swaying in the fields…as tempting as the smell of grilled fillet of sole emanating from a restaurant on the beach…as harmonious as the sounds of guitars beating vibrant chords at a flamenco show…as sweet as the taste of a fine Spanish wine sipped slowly at a sumptuous meal…as sensual as the touch of a painter’s brush on a work of art.

We invite you to join us on our journey into this marvelous country as we move with it through the twenty-first century.

Lou Dinnella Editor-in-chief Spain 21 is a division of Bravo Tours, Inc.