Southwestern+Europe

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=__Austin Beauregard__=

__**Spain Goes On the Offense Against Basque Party Leaders [[image:ETA.jpg width="201" height="222" align="left" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA"]]**__
Spanish authorities recently arrested ten members of the Basque separatist movement's banned political wing, Batasuna. They have been connected with the terrorist group Eta, which has been responsible for more than 820 deaths while trying to create an independent Basque homeland in Spain. Eta has been described has a terrorist group by Spain, France, the United States and the European Union as a whole. Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said he would not let the party re-establish itself.

=__Gay Matador?__=

In Madrid, matador Joselito Ortega decided to advertise and energy drink aimed at gays on his cape. Although he advertises this drink, he is not gay himself but is just trying to make money. The company in charge of "Gay Up", Grupo Banus Pi, is also in charge of the management of Ortega's career. Ortega told CNN that he was, "glad to be the first person (in bullfighting) whom the gay community will take as an icon." He himself thinks that times are changing and that we need to modernize, and that advertizing should present a larger part of the industry.

How the rest of the Spanish or European world will take this ad is questionable. However, Spain is one of the few countries in Europe to recognize same sex marriage.



 
 * __Population__ **
 * || **Portugal ** || ===Spain===   || ==Moncao==   || ==Italy==   || ==Vatican City==   || **Greece **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">  ||
 * **<span style="background: blue; color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Population **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> || <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10,627,250 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">45,929,476 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">33,000 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">60,114,021 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">800  ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">11,257,285 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||
 * <span style="background: blue; color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">==Population Growth Rate== <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> || <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.275% <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.072% <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.394% <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.047% <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   ||  <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">0.003% <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">   || <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> 0.127%  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> In 2001 Portugal decided to decriminalize drugs, leading most journalists to believe that Lisbon would become a place for drug tourists. However, drug use, drug sharing have gone down and drug treatment <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">has gone up. Here are some statistics: <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">95% of people cited for drug misdemeanors have been Portuguese, rather than foreigners.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">__Portugal's new drug policy__ **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">

<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The police turn 7,500 people a year over to commissions instead of taking them to jail. <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The number of addicts registered in drug-substitution programmes has risen from 6,000 in 1999 to over 24,000 in 2008. <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This has also led to a decrease in the spread of HIV by drug sharing, and drug addicts only account for 20% of Portugal's HIV cases. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> This has been the complete opposite from what people expected. They have made it so addicts aren't afraid of seeking help, because now they won't be in as much trouble for possessing and using. This has been a success and according to Glen Greenwald, "decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal", which "in numerous categories are now among the lowest in the European Union".