Bullfighting has declined in popularity in Catalonia but fights are still held in Barcelona
The parliament of Catalonia has voted to ban bullfighting - the first region of mainland Spain to do so.
The vote took place as the result of a petition brought to parliament, signed by 180,000 people who say the practice is barbaric and outdated.
Bullfight supporters insist that the corrida, as it is known, is an important tradition to preserve.
They also fear the vote could be the first of many in the country. The ban takes effect in January 2012.
In Wednesday's vote, 68 backed a ban, 55 voted against and nine abstained.
Barcelona's main bullring is one of the oldest in Spain, but support for the bullfight has waned. The Barcelona bullring is the only functioning one in Catalonia.
The vote was brought to the agenda by activists who argue it is cruel and unacceptable and say most spectators in Catalonia these days are tourists. The campaign was led by the animal rights lobby group Prou! (Enough!).
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford: "The emotions were very high in the debate"
Catalan nationalismThe vote was close as the two main parties in parliament took the unusual step of allowing members to cast their ballots according to their conscience.
But while the official debate is over animal rights, many believe this process is an attempt by nationalist-minded Catalans to mark their difference from the rest of Spain by rejecting one of its best known traditions.
Pro-bullfighting groups fear that a ban could spark a wave of similar campaigns across the country. They argue that threatens the livelihood of thousands of people.
The first Spanish region to ban bullfighting was the Canary Islands, in 1991.
Deep-rooted traditionA bullfight typically lasts about 20 minutes, and the bull is stabbed numerous times before the fatal blow delivered with a sword thrust between its shoulder blades.
The fighting bulls are specially bred and traditionally a corrida involves six bulls and three matadors, each of whom tackles two bulls.
In Portugal and the south of France the bull is not killed in the ring.
Bullfighting is also widespread in Latin America. The Plaza Mexico arena in Mexico City is the biggest in the world, seating up to 55,000 spectators. One of the oldest is the 18th-Century Plaza de Acho in Lima, Peru.
One of the most famous fans of bullfighting was the US writer Ernest Hemingway, who celebrated the tradition in his book Death in the Afternoon.
In Spain, bullfighting was the theme of a classic novel by Vicente Blasco Ibanez, called Blood and Sand. A famous poem by Federico Garcia Lorca was also dedicated to a bullfighter.
Supporters says the corrida is an art form that it is vital to preserve
I'm a crazy animal welfare person, but I have no problem with bull fighting, whaling, seal killing or fur.
In Australia indigenous people are allowed to kill whatever animals they want -- even if they are protected -- because it is a part of their cultural heritage.
By the same argument you could say that bullfighting and whale hunting could be sanctioned amongst the Spanish and Japanese. Just as, for the same reason, people who consume animal products every day as a part of thir cultural heritage are given a pass.
So as a people, we either value cultural heritage where it compromises moral treatment of animals or we don't -- there should not be a double standard.
That's not even consistent in Australia (as far as I'm aware, there are different laws regarding such matters depending on geography), so it's not exactly going to be consistent internationally either.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobile
How did they even let that guy go on TV, someone had to know he was drunk, on drugs, or escaped a mental hospital. I am assuming he has someone helping him on his campaign, that is probably giving him too much credit, his dog is probably his campaign manager.
A dog who chewed off his owner's big toe when he passed out after a day of drinking has been hailed a lifesaver.
'Have-a-toe-hero' Kiko, a Jack Russell terrier, apparently sensed an infection in Jerry Douthett's right big toe.
And he munched on it while his master was asleep at home in Rockford, Michigan.
A trip to the hospital confirmed Douthett's digit needed amputation and alerted doctors to the fact that he had been suffering from undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
Mr Douthett, 48, had been refusing to seek medical treatment for his infected toe for several weeks when the incident happened.
He said he had been working up the courage to see a doctor when he downed several alcoholic drinks during a night out and passed out on his bed.
He woke up to find the dog beside him and a pool of blood near his foot.
"The toe was gone," said Mr Douthett.
"He ate it. I mean, he must have eaten it, because we couldn't find it anywhere else in the house. I look down, there's blood all over, and my toe is gone."
Doctors later discovered that the infection had reached the bone and were forced to amputate what was left of the toe.
Before the surgery, Mr Douthett asked a nurse, "Is there any chance I can get whatever's left of my toe, so I can give it to Kiko as a treat?"
"He's a hero. He pretty much just ate the infection. He saved my life," Mr Douthett told Wood TV, adding he has since sworn off alcohol.
Kiko is still with the family but under observation by authorities.
"He ate it. I mean, he must have eaten it, because we couldn't find it anywhere else in the house. I look down, there's blood all over, and my toe is gone."
aspro said:Things I think I'll never say in my life:
"He ate it. I mean, he must have eaten it, because we couldn't find it anywhere else in the house. I look down, there's blood all over, and my toe is gone."
"he munched on it while his master was asleep"
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileBefore the surgery, Mr Douthett asked a nurse, "Is there any chance I can get whatever's left of my toe, so I can give it to Kiko as a treat?"
I can't believe this idiot.
Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that California’s Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage, violates the U.S. Constitution. The ruling was released on Wednesday afternoon at approximately 1:40 p.m.
The voter-approved measure, which passed in 2008, defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Judge Walker also approved a temporary stay blocking same-sex couples from marrying. Couples attempting to wed at San Francisco's City Hall were denied marriage licenses Wednesday afternoon.
http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/prop-8-ruled-unconstitutional/
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileYodariquo said:Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that California’s Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage, violates the U.S. Constitution. The ruling was released on Wednesday afternoon at approximately 1:40 p.m.
The voter-approved measure, which passed in 2008, defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Judge Walker also approved a temporary stay blocking same-sex couples from marrying. Couples attempting to wed at San Francisco's City Hall were denied marriage licenses Wednesday afternoon.
http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/prop-8-ruled-unconstitutional/
I cynically believe that this case was brought in an effort to escalate it to the Supreme Court while the balance is favoring the conservatives (before Stevens announced his retirement). This theory is based on the involvement of Ted Olsen, (who frequently goes before the Supreme Court for the conservatives and represented Bush in Bush V Gore).
aspro said:
I cynically believe that this case was brought in an effort to escalate it to the Supreme Court while the balance is favoring the conservatives (before Stevens announced his retirement). This theory is based on the involvement of Ted Olsen, (who frequently goes before the Supreme Court for the conservatives and represented Bush in Bush V Gore).
I wouldn't say it was brought for that cause -- the case was going to happen regardless. Repeatedly a ban is introduced, sent to the courts, then knocked down. The assumption of a US Supreme Court hearing is expected by most, which is actually a detriment to the detractors. It's a lost cause regardless; escalating this faster means the sooner it's a federally enforced issue instead of this disparate cases on a state-by-state basis.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileI'd prefer that no marriage be recognized by government, it's a needless classification.
It's been a bad week for me and the United States, maybe that's wearing on me -- the 14th amendment idiocy, the mosque in NY idiocy, the "oils gone, move on" idiocy.
I just don't understand people reacting in a joyous way, like we just won WW2, when this is far from being resolved.
SteelAttack said:Before the surgery, Mr Douthett asked a nurse, "Is there any chance I can get whatever's left of my toe, so I can give it to Kiko as a treat?"
We can only hope that Kiko has now developed a taste for human flesh and consumes this moron's balls to prevent him from reproducing.
Foolz said:So is he an idiot for not seeing a doctor, or for having a sense of humour?
I guess if you can see the humor in there, maybe I'm the idiot, after all.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobile