This week has been a bit hectic on my part because of the impending end of the quarter, or at least that is the only reason I can think of. Anyways, I haven't really had much time to do anything or learn about anything that interested me, so I am going to write about something that I heard about a week or so ago and has now surfaced in media world.

European nations have cracked down on tax evaders recently in a new hope to earn a little bit of money and gain some wiggle room for the country. The US government as well as many other countries in Europe, including Germany, have demanded that the Swiss banks release a list of all the people who have bank accounts in their system. The banks, who were known for their secrecy, finally complied, and in 2010 Christine Lagarde released a list including 2059 Greeks. Many other countries have used these lists to root out the evaders. Greece has not.

For some reason, probably due to widespread corruption in the government, they have abstained from searching for people, the country itself didn't make to big of deal about it since the media also was kept on the down low. Finally after a couple months Kostas Vaxevanis, an editor for Hot Doc, a big investigative journal in Greece, discovered the list and released it in his magazine. The article has created a big scandal in the Greek atmosphere.

The publication of the list has raised questions as to why the government has moved to act on the list and bring in the evaders. Currently there is a search going on to discover who has seen the document and why nothing has been done. Maybe, by the end of this the government will pull out some of the corrupted government officials.

Anyway sorry that wasn't the best, like I said all I've had time for is school work and sports practice.

Spain goes to all costs to remain free of Greece's Sinking Ship

Spain goes to all costs to remain free of Greece's Sinking Ship

Spain's parliament has gone to long measures to keep the government and its investors from being forced to borrow money from the UN and the European Central bank to pay for the countries economic crisis. The European Central Bank, ECB has recently stated that they will buy an unlimited amount of any countries debt  as long as they agree to the Eurozone Bailout. The Spanish national government has begun a series of austerity measures and cuts in spend, much like Greece to decrease its debt, and therefore keep it from needing EU help, a measure that they do not want to take because they believe it will drag them down like it has to Greece. Greece, much like Spain, has a plagued economy when they first began borrowing money in an attempt to heal themselves it did nothing. The economy of Greece sucked up the first loan without any sign of health. The loans continued to stack up, paying for the previous one, causing the economy to snowball into catastrophe, pounding a sickly economy into a dying mess. Spain believes that agreeing to the Eurozone Bailout of 500 billion dollars will begin such a process in Spain.


A recent measure in Spain has wrought a much bigger uprising against it than many of its predecessors.  The Spanish Parliament recently authorized a 10 billion Euro cut in education funds, it also asked teachers to work longer hours and for schools to increase class sizes by 20%. The strikes have covered almost every university in the nation and have roped in between 20% (according to the government) and 80% (according to the unions) of teachers in Spain. They have also brought many students who believe that a cut to the school system is the wrong way to go. With unemployment among young people at over 50% what better way to spend their time that learning and preparing for a stronger generation. Many against these cuts have stated that although cuts on education may bring money now it will lead to weaker future generations who will not be able to keep the country above water. Spain must find other ways of collecting money that does not tax the welfare of the country.