I attended an educational symposium "Spain 1975-2010: The Present After the Future. An insider's trip to the political, economical, culture and social change that transformed a country from poverty and backwardness into modernity, and from a dictatorship to democracy. All told through the eyes and testimonies of witnesses and players of those historic changes."
The symposium was held at the New York University, King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain center in NYC on the evenings of 4/27, 4/28, and 4/30.
Some of the speakers were:
-H.E. Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Vice President of Spain
-Fernando Villalonga, Consulate General of Spain in New York.
-Alfonso Guerra, Former Vice President of Spain.
-Virgilio Zapatero, Former Minister of Labor and Parliament Relations of Spain.
-Manuel Marin, Former European Commissioner & Chief Negotiator for Spain's admission to the European Union.
-Antonio Munoz Molina,Author & KJC of Spain Center Chair in Spanish Culture and Civilization.
-Adela Gooch, Former Madrid correspondent, The Guardian and The Economist.
-Santos Julia, Professor, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
-Mauro Gullen, Professor of International Management, University of Pennsylvania USA.
-Fernando Vallespin, Catedratico de Ciencia Politica y Administration, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid.
-Elvira Lindo, Author.
-Ines Alberdi, Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women.
-Salvador Clotas, President, Fundacion Pablo Iglesias.
At the end of each evening a reception of tapas and wine. Muy bueno. Also when the Vice President H.E. Maria Tesesa Fernandez was leaving she extended her hand to me. I shook the hand of the Vice President. I started reading the Ghosts of Spain to supplement what I learned at the symposium.
It has been said that Madrid and New York are sister cities hehehe.
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Jim Costello
New York City
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