Obama on O'Reilly Signals the President's Fake to the Center

President Obama was interviewed live by Bill O'Reilly during the warm-up to the Super Bowl. Mr. O'Reilly heavily hyped the interview as a clash of titans, as Mr. O'Reilly still cites his sit-down with candidate Obama as one of the few times that the President faced vigorous challenge by a media member during the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election. The latest interview was not particularly news-worthy, as Mr. O'Reilly was careful to act deferential to the sitting President, while Mr. Obama was careful to come across as likable to an electorate that signaled its displeasure with the significant Democrat losses last November.

When Obama did the initial O'Reilly interview in September 4, 2008, the future President was coming off a grueling primary fight with Hillary Clinton during which Obama's handlers successfully painted him as the candidate of hope and change while she was depicted as part of the Washington establishment. A vote for Obama would be historical; a vote for Hillary would be to choose more of the same. Now, with the nomination in hand, Obama had begun the orchestrated move to the center. The American flag pin, conspicuously absent during Obama's carefully choreographed primary appeal to the Democrat base, was suddenly useful to a candidate wooing the center-right national electorate. The US flag miraculously appeared on candidate Obama's lapel.

Super Bowl 2012

Appearing on The Factor was part of the master plan to paint over Obama's steadfast liberal voting record, his public and private statements consistent with left-wing orthodoxy, and his unblemished support for "progressive" causes and association with radical elements as a community organizer and beyond. Many were deluded by Obama's center head-fake and voted him into office. However, after such job-killing, debt-producing and economy-wrecking policies as the stimulus, Obamacare, financial reform, cow-towing to the unions, domestic drilling shut-down, the EPA's war on American industry, and general unfettered spending -- liberal fantasies all -- Obama had shown himself to be the most left-leaning President in our nation's history.

Now, having implemented the devastating policies of his first two years in office and with an eye on reelection, President Obama is again faking a move to the center. When he lacked the votes to roll back the Bush tax cuts for higher income earners, Obama feigned bipartisanship by agreeing to continue the tax cuts for two more years. After the horrible Tucson shooting led to deplorable and unfounded blame-casting by the angry left, the President called for civility. Having mired small businesses and other job creators in stifling big-government regulations, Obama wrote an editorial in the Wall Street Journal criticizing regulation.

Obama's second appearance on O'Reilly's The Factor was the next step in this orchestrated head-fake to the center. But the proof lies not in what the President says, but in what he does.

The grand tax compromise will end in two years - what then? The President and his advisers have expressed their readiness to make class warfare -- those so-called "tax cuts for the rich" -- their battle cry for the 2012 election. While with one hand Mr. Obama wrote his editorial speaking of the evils of regulation, with the other hand he has been directing his army of bureaucrats to implement oppressive regulation of the Internet, financial institutions, radio airwaves and greenhouse gas emissions. While the President called for civility in the aftermath of the Tucson atrocity, he was silent when a member of his own party in Congress compared Obamacare opponents to Nazis.

For now, the administration is enjoying a poll bump-up coinciding with the Potemkin shift to the center. Those numbers will change when the public realizes that this purported move to the center, like Mr. Obama making nice with Mr. O'Reilly, is all facade.

Obama on O'Reilly Signals the President's Fake to the Center

Rick Grayson writes about politics for IntendedConsequences.com. For more Conservative Blog commentary, go to IntendedConsequences.com. Get your Credit Score Free at CreditScoreFree.net to view all 3 Credit Scores and Reports instantly and online.

Brainstorming Bowling Team Names

Creativity, originality and memorability (is there such a word?) do not just happen. Especially when it comes to making up your bowling team names. If you are you still looking for that striking (get it?) name for your bowling team then what you need is a good old fashioned brainstorming session? There are some simple rules and strategies you can follow when creating your own team name. Rule number one for a fun bowling team names session is "no name is too lame". In fact the more the team groans at any suggestion the better the name.

Rule number two is write ALL bowling team names down because you probably won't remember them tomorrow because of rule number three. This is Pythagoras' theorem of team names, where the sum of the fun is equal to the sum of the square of the other two ingredients, beer and pretzels.

Super Bowl 2012

Rule number three is "always make time for a rhyme". Start with a word related to bowling and come up with as many cute or better still raunchy rhyming words as you can. Here are a few to get your poetic juices flowing.

STRIKE, HIKE, LIKE, TYKE, PIKE, DYKE.

SPLIT, WIT, FIT, TIT, HIT, ZIT, MIT, PIT.

GUTTER, FLUTTER, UTTER, MUTTER, STUTTER, PUTTER.

Now I know what you are thinking and I just have four words for you. Remember rule number one and have another beer. I guess that's eight words so it's a good thing the machine counts the pins for me.

If you want to avoid cute rhyming then you could try the strategy of picking one or two of the above words and put them together with an adjective for a little more pizzazz. Go for something with a good ring to it, or a little alliteration. Such as;

'Strikes unlimited', (or more honestly, 'strikes every now and then')
'Crazy Pin Prowlers'
'Bowling Braves'
'Soft Shoe Shakers'

OK, OK but remember rule number one! I highly recommend you explore the puns and wordplay. A good start is to think of a common phrase that happens to use one of those bowling related words in the list. Simply reuse that phrase and you automatically have a bowling team name with a double meaning. For instance, "Spare Change", "Wildcat Strikes", or "Alley Ways" are regular phrases that work well for bowling team names.

If you want to get even more experimental and want a more complex pun, you can try thinking of words, phrases, movie titles, or celebrity names that sound similar or rhyme with bowling terminology. Top of my list would be, "Spare Wars", "The Umpire Strikes Back", "Return of the Dead-eye", "The Magnificent Five". Or try swapping similar-sounding words in and out of a bowling phrase. Here are a few more ideas along those lines...

Thunder Bawl, Changing Lanes, Alley McBowl, The Mis-Splits, Bowlfinger, The Tenpin Commandments, Axis & Alleys, Split-finger Fast-bowl, The Pin Pricks The Incredibowls. Oh I could go on! Anyway, whatever bowling team you come up with the important thing is to remember rule number one and that bowling isn't real life. It's much more important than that!

Brainstorming Bowling Team Names

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about brainstorming bowling team names [http://personalizedbowlingballs.info/brainstorming-bowling-team-names/], please visit Personalized Bowling Balls [http://personalizedbowlingballs.info/] for current articles and discussions.

ACLS and the Super Bowl

Only moments into the second quarter and already the first knee injury cast a dark pallor over the team roster during the Super Bowl. Commentators frequently tossed the acronym "torn ACL" about as they discussed the injured player's status while spectators watched as he was nearly carried off the field and out of the game.

So what is with the constant barrage of acronyms used in the medical profession (and what do they all mean), you may ask? These are letters symbolizing lengthy medical terms frequently Latin in origin and most certainly difficult to pronounce. For example, ACL is 'short' for anterior cruciate ligament, aka the outside connective tissue of the knee. A torn ACL is very painful and, as those of us watching the game witnessed, will pull even the strongest out of the biggest national football game of the year.

Super Bowl 2012

Yet, the title of this article contains an additional letter within its acronym leading one to believe that ACL (the outside ligament of the knee) is different than ACLS in the title. That assumption is correct! ACLS is another acronym utilized by medical professionals to identify an advanced training and skill set for providing life support to victims of sudden cardiac injury or death. To be ACLS certified means that medical professional has been trained and possesses the lifesaving skills necessary to intervene on an advanced level. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is not the standard Basic Life Support (BLS) or CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) program taught to the general public. Medical professionals are trained in ACLS protocols for pre-hospital and inter-hospital emergencies. These skills save lives and are mandatory to provide this type of advanced care. It is with confidence, that as the patient, you can rest assured you will be in good hands should the unexpected emergency arise.

So let's say "goodbye" to this football season and wish those players who suffered a torn ACL a very speedy, successful recovery. As the leaves change color and a new season of games are played out, another host of football fanatics will be glued to the their TV sets as next season's Super Bowl gathers fans to witness the ravages of the game. Smile a little on the inside knowing, as you hear 'torn ACL' announced over the TV, that the stadium medics will be treating an injured knee and not delivering advanced BLS or CPR aka advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).

ACLS and the Super Bowl

Zack Zarrilli is a Firefighter and the owner of SureFire CPR. His company is comprised of Firefighters, Paramedics, Lifeguards, and EMTs who teach hundreds of CPR, BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, AED, and First Aid classes every year. SureFire CPR's instructors teach from their own real world experience and specialize in on-site CPR and First Aid training in all of Southern California.

Did you find the above article useful? If so, for more information or to take a class, please visit us at http://www.SureFireCPR.com or call us at 888-277-3143. SureFire CPR currently offers CPR classes in Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, San Francisco, Riverside County, and the Inland Empire.

Sports Programming In DIRECTV

DIRECTV is the leader in Sports Programming that contributes many sports packages to their subscribers. NFL SUNDAY TICKET, NASCAR HotPass, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, MLB EXTRA INNINGS, NBA League Pass, NHL CENTER ICE, MLS Direct Kick, CricketTicket, Setanta Sports, NCAA MEGA MARCH, Sports Pack, Golf, Tennis, UFC and WWE are the sports packages present in DIRECTV.

NFL SUNDAY TICKET

Nfl 2012

Subscribers can enjoy football like never before in NFL SUNDAY TICKET that is available only on DIRECTV. Subscribers can watch up to 14 games every Sunday with real time scores, in-depth stats and player - tracking. Up to 18 players in real time can be tracked on the screen. Live Big play alerts for players will be given every time when players perform game changing play.

Multi and single game score boards will be displayed on the same screen. The scores can be displayed quarter by quarter in the scoring plays. Subscribers can check the stats of the top performers and also the top three players in each team in rushing, passing and receiving with the help of Player Stats. The team stats comprises of first downs conversions, rushing and passing yards. Subscribers can view the performance of the team with real time division by division standings accompanied by wild card race information.

Supercharge NFL SUNDAY TICKET with SuperFan, benefits every game in crystal clear HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound that delivers up to 14 NFL games on Sunday and telecasts Sunday games live on your mobile phone and computer. In Game Mix channel, subscribers can view up to 8 live games on a single screen and also televises 30 minute commercial free replays of entire games. The Red Zone Channel delivers final yards of every scoring.

DIRECTV SUPERCAST allows subscribers to watch NFL SUNDAY TICKET games on the computer. Subscribers can view the scores and game status for the completed and in-progress games, Acquire Game and player stats right away for each game. They can enjoy every NFL SUNDAY TICKET game with Red Zone Channel and switch from one game to the another at any time.

SUPERCAST MOBILE allows subscribers to view NFL SUNDAY TICKET games on the mobile phone. SUPERCAST Mobile is free to all SuperFan subscribers that provides all features of SUPERCAST Computer Application such as Highlights, Streaming Video, Scores and Stats.

NASCAR Hotpass

Subscribers can experience all races with excitement that is accessible only on DIRECTV and its free to all subscribers of DIRECTV. In NASCAR Hotpass subscribers can feel every turn, every lap with four dedicated driver channel that is available in HD.

The Four dedicated driver channel centers on one Driver throughout the race. Subscribers can watch multiple camera angles, inside and out from the driver's in-car camera on one screen and also broadcast network audio and the driver's team radio. All the four channels will be broadcasted in HD. Every thunderous turn, near-miss wall scrape will keep subscribers on the edge of the seat every second by DIRECTV HD. NASCAR Hotpass is available to all subscribers of DIRECTV for free of cost.

ESPN GamePlan

ESPN GamePlan is the college football on TV where subscribers can view up to 12 college football games from eight major conferences and watch up to 150 key rivalries and match ups even if subscribers live out of the area.

Atlantic coast, Big East, Big 12, Mid American, Pacific-10, Southeastern, Western Athletic and Sun Belt are the main conferences of ESPN GamePlan.

ESPN FULL COURT

The ESPN FULL COURT will provide up to 30 college basketball games a week including key match - ups from the top conferences. Subscribers are able to follow the team as they battle for conference titles no matter where subscribers live. Atlantic coast, Big East, Big 12, Colonial Athletic, Mid American, Metro Atlantic, Pacific-10, Southeastern, Western Athletic and Sun Belt are the main conferences of ESPN FULL COURT.

MLB EXTRA INNINGS

Subscribers can follow their home team throughout the season in MLB EXTRA INNINGS with up to 80 games a week that comprises of 40 games a week in striking crystal clear HD and eight games can be tuned on a single screen and one can be selected to view full screen.

NBA LEAGUE PASS In NBA LEAGUE PASS, subscribers are able to follow their favorite teams with up to 40 games per week, in that eight games will be displayed in the night. Subscribers can experience up to 20 of these games per week in stunning HD clarity.

NBA TV offers the best basketball coverage, award winning original series and live events. It also displays live games, latest scores, in depth analysis or Interviews. It is easy to go with NBA LEAGUE PASS STATS CENTRAL that affords real time updates, scores and stats of all game. NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND gives access to live games online.

NHL CENTER ICE Subscribers can watch up to 40 games a week and select play off games from NHL CENTER ICE. They can look out the ice spray in crystal clear HD. The Dual feed feature in NHL CENTER ICE allows subscribers to listen to the opposing team's commentary.

NHL CENTER ICE package includes Live games, Daily Highlight Shows, Up to the minute hockey news, international and vintage hockey, player profiles, interviews with 24 hour NHL coverage in both SD and HD.

MLS Direct Kick

MLS Direct Kick brings soccer action from all 15 Major League Soccer teams throughout the season. Subscribers can catch up to 130 regular season matches and opt playoff games no matters where they live to watch.

Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C.United, Kansas City Wizards, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC belongs to eastern conference of MLS Teams.

Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC belongs to western conference of MLS Teams.

CricketTicket

CricketTicket is an intensive U.S home for major international cricket events, comprising the ICC tournaments, IPL tournaments, Champions League Twenty20 and many other cricket events. CricketTicket brings an entire season of exciting matches from Australia, India and Srilanka.

Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports channel in DIRECTV displays the most soccer and rugby action around the globe. Subscribers can enjoy 24 hours access to the Barclays premier league, 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Six Nations and Super 14.

Barclays Premier League, UEFA champions League, The FA Cup, England Internationals, UEFA Cup, Carling Cup, 2010 FIFA World cup qualifiers, English Championship/ League 1 & 2, International Friendlies, Scottish Premier League, Scottish FA Cup, MUTV, Chelsea TV and 2012 Euro Qualifiers are the soccer leagues in Setanta Sports.

Heineken European Cup, Guinness English Premiership, Super 14, Tri Nations, IRB Rugby Sevens, The British & Irish Lions Tour 2009, Currie Cup, Air New Zealand Cup, The Fall Tour England International, Six Nations, Powergen Cup, Magners League, Super League and Rugby League are the Rugby Leagues in Setanta Sports and Gaelic Football & Hurling, Aussie Rules are the other Leagues.

NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS

NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS provides all games of the NCAA Division I Men's Tournament in HD. Subscribers can find NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS only on DIRECTV. In Game Mix, Up to 4 games can be viewed on a single screen and one can be selected to watch the game in full screen. Subscribers can acquire scores and real time updates from the tournament at the press of a button. They can create picks and track their progress throughout the tournament.

SPORTS PACK

SPORTS PACK in DIRECTV allows subscribers to enjoy more than 35 sports channels 24 hours a day that comprises of NBA TV, The MTN, GoLTV, MSG, YES Network and International Sports, College Sports, extreme seasonal sports - all in one fantastic pack. Subscribers can grab the games around the country with over 20 sports network. Any game can be recorded and watched later with a DIRECTV DVR. The favorite sports of subscribers can be enjoyed with HD.

NBA TV HD, TVG - The Interactive Horseracing Network, Outdoor Channel, CBS College Sports HD, The MTN, Fox Soccer Channel, GoLTV, Fox Sports en Espanol, Comcast SportsNet New England HD, Madison Square Garden, YES Network HD, New England Sports Network HD, MSG PLUS HD, SportsNet New York HD, Mid - Atlantic Sports Network HD, FSN Pittsburgh HD, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD, FSN South HD, SportSouth HD, Sun Sports HD, FSN Florida, FSN Detroit HD, FSN Ohio, FSN Cincinnati, SportsTime Ohio HD, Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD, FSN North HD, FSN Southwest HD, Altitude Sports and Entertainment HD, FSN Rocky Mountain HD, FSN Midwest HD, FSN Arizona HD, FSN Northwest HD, FSN West HD, FSN Prime Ticket HD, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and Comcast SportsNet California are the channels available in DIRECTV SPORTS PACK.

Grand Slam Golf

Subscribers can feel the Grand Slam Golf with spread out coverage on multiple channels that can be viewed in full screen or all the four at once on one screen. The bonus coverage of the PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club will be displayed on three dedicated channels. Subscribers can enjoy the coverage of three channels on a single screen or opt any one of it to tune in full screen. They can feel every swing with breathtaking clarity in HD. Subscriber can visualize the real time scores for players without missing even a stroke and keep tabs on all popular golfers throughout the tournament.

Grand Slam Tennis

The U.S open, Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon can be enjoyed by subscribers on multiple channels in full screen or all at once in a single screen. Having the most reputable Grand Slam Tournament from the All England Club is the compliment of DIRECTV. The bonus coverage of multiple matches can be viewed on separate channels or on a single channel, Wimbledon Mix Channel. With Match Guide, the scores of the matches and the real time scores of the top most players will be progressed on the court channels. Subscriber can feel the antagonism and actions in crystal clear HD.

UFC

DIRECTV's Pay Per View UFC delivers the passion of world class kings of the cage like Georges St-Pierre, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and many more. The fight can be recorded in the DVR from any computer or mobile phone. Subscribers can experience every blow and the bead of soil in clear HD. The names of the contenders and the results can be viewed with the help of the Past UFC Events if the seer didn't watch the live match-ups.

WWE

WWE in DIRECTV Pay Per View delivers the power, rage and finishing moves of the wrestlers. Watch WWE Superstars and all the destruction. Grab the best of the up coming wrestlers. TripleH.John Cena, Undertaker, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton are the superstars of WWE fight to hold WWE Gold. DVR can be fixed to record WWE events from any Computer or Mobile. DIRECTV induces the most WWE events in HD. The names of the wrestlers and the results can be found out by the past events in WWE.

Sports Programming In DIRECTV

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American Steps Against Childhood Obesity

A few years back, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) came out with a four-year study entitled "Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States." It revealed that over nine-million American children between the ages of six and nineteen are overweight, approximately three times higher than it was in 1980.

Children who are obese typically grow up to be obese, especially when the parents of the child are obese as well. The CDC study has helped motivate the American people to start looking at themselves and their children, and to take steps in order to fight the growing childhood obesity problem in our nation.

Nfl 2012

Many nutrition and fitness experts have weighed (no pun intended) in on what they feel needs to be done to curtail this frightening trend of increase in American childhood obesity.

One aspect is to improve school food. Not only does school food have a direct impact, it also sends a message to kids. If fatty-foods are being sold, impressionable young children are being taught that eating these types of food is acceptable. An education-institution should be just that, not just in the classroom but the cafeteria as well. Fixing school cafeteria food would help educate kids on how unhealthy treats are things that should only be eaten on occasion.

In that same vein, another step slowly being taken is improving the health level of food in snack vending machines. The elimination of these vending machines is not the solution, but changing the snacks that are served inside them can be. The state of California has already taken steps in this direction, recently passing a bill that prohibits schools from selling high-sugar liquids out of their drink vending machines.

A third step is the emphasis of physical activity for kids. Most experts recommend kids take part in an hour of exercise a day at a minimum. Major American institutions, such as the National Football League, have initiated movements to help motivate kids to exercise. For example, the NFL runs the NFL Play 60 campaign, which is "designed to tackle childhood obesity by getting kids active through in-school, after-school, and team base programs."

The fight against childhood obesity has gotten support from some surprising sources as well. For example, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group recently announced they would "improve product labeling by listing calories more prominently on containers, vending machines and fountain equipment." PepsiCo also pledged to list calorie content on the front of its drink vending machines by the end of 2012.

With the help of schools, sponsors, and the state and federal government, America will be able to not only attack the childhood obesity issues that it currently faces, but defeat them.

American Steps Against Childhood Obesity

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Figuring Out Tax Consequences of Mortgage Debt Forgiveness

To say it has been a rough few years in the housing market is like saying there was a small party in New Orleans after the Saints won the Super Bowl. The housing bubble didn't burst. It blew up like a hydrogen bomb. Unfortunately, this has resulted in many people losing their homes through foreclosure or short sales. Both events have tax consequences.

The pure strangeness of the federal tax code has been commented on repeatedly by many people. Perhaps no where is it stranger than when considering how to handle debt that is forgiven. How so? Well, the tax code is set up in such a way that it considers the relief of debt as...income. Yes, you read that right. If I owe 0,000 on my home and short sell it for ,000 less than what I owe, I technically have a gain of ,000 on my income and must pay taxes on it.

Super Bowl 2012

Now the government has recognized that most people are in bad shape if they lose their homes. As a result, they've come up with a bit of legislation that helps people avoid the income tax consequences of mortgage debt forgiveness for the years 2007 through 2012. The legislation is known as the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007.

The process works fairly simply. You can avoid paying income tax on up to one million dollars in mortgage debt forgiven as a single individual or two million as a married couple. The debt must be applicable to your primary home. It applies to the money used to buy or build the home. It also applies to any refinance debt that was used to improve the home. Refinance money that was used for other purposes is not covered.

To claim the exemption, you need to fill out Form 982. You should also receive a 1099-C from the lender in question. Make sure you check it closely to affirm that the numbers reported are correct.

Figuring Out Tax Consequences of Mortgage Debt Forgiveness

Richard A. Chapo provides answers to questions like when did Congress start income taxes and other tax questions and topics for BusinessTaxRecovery.com.

The Controversy of Bullfighting in Barcelona

Most people associate Spain with paella, Picasso and pretty flamenco dancers, but the one thing that everybody associates with Spain is bullfighting. I was one of them until I decided to live here, and discovered that this view of the country was a very narrow one. However, is spite of that, each of these aspects of Spain are nevertheless very important aspects of its culture or cuisine.

The bullfighting in particular is typically Spanish, and if you want to experience a bullfight while you are visiting Barcelona you should do so soon, because it is rapidly dying out and shortly to be banned. From 2012 bullfighting will no longer be permitted in Greater Catalonia, including Barcelona, by order of the local parliament.

Nfl 2012

So head for the famous Plaza de Toros Monumental Barcelona while you are here, because it may be your final chance to see bullfighting in Spain. Over the last few years this tradition, which has been an important aspect of Spanish culture for centuries, has rapidly been dying and bullfights in Spain have dropped by a third in recent years. The main reason for this has been due to local government cuts affecting the funding that the activity relies upon.

La Monumental, as it is referred to in Barcelona, now holds only a dozen bullfights a year, and is now the only arena left in this part of Spain. Although bullfighting is an inherent part of the Spanish way of life, animal rights activists have campaigned hard to have it banned throughout Spain, and groups such as Equanimal have been very successful in their activities.

Although the recently-announced ban in Catalonia is believed by many to be a manifestation of the deep-rooted aspiration of Catalans to become independent from Spain, emanating largely from the way they were treated during the days of Franco, it is nevertheless perceived by Spaniards all over the country as a barbaric and cruel activity. Some believe that bullfighting is regarded as being typically Spanish, so by banning it the Catalans are seen as being different.

My own sympathies lie with the activists, and I personally have never visited a bullfight, even though I live close to La Monumental. Others disagree, regarding it as a Spanish tradition that should be maintained. This passion is exemplified by the toreros, who pass their skill down from father to son, and they enjoy celebrity status in the same way as Premiership footballers in the UK or NFL quarterbacks in the USA. They are hunted down by both the paparazzi and beautiful women, and their bravery is undeniable. The clothes they wear in battle with the bulls are designed to show off their manhood and every muscle in their body. Any ordinary man would run a mile when presented with such a suit.

Bullfighting started in La Monumental, in 1914 when its doors were first opened. Its name then was Plaza de El Sport, although that quickly changed and by 1916 was known by its current name. The architecture is a combination of Byzantine and Moor, and is prominent for its great beauty amongst the more severe office buildings and apartments on the corner of Gran Via and Marin. You can't miss its bright blue and white tiles and is a very imposing stadium, holding 19,852 people.

La Monumental has always ranked highly among the bullrings of Spain, and was regarded as one of the top three in the whole of Spain, along with Las Ventas in Madrid and Seville's La Maestranza. When it was built it added to the existing two stadia in Barcelona, La Plaza de El Torin that no longer exists, and La Plaza de las Arenas in Plaza España that is being converted to a shopping mall. This indicates a deeply ingrained love for bullfighting in Barcelona, even though it has now been banned.

Many of the aficionados visit La Monumental to see the 'corridas', as bullfights are known in Spain, simply due to the high reputation the arena has all round the world. The season lasts from April to September approximately, and when not being used for corridas, it is a venue for music concerts, rock gigs and circuses. Among its famous events were a Beatles concert in 1965 (July 3rd), a Rolling Stones gig in 1976 and other concerts involving Bob Marley, Tina Turner and many others.

If you are interested, the Bullfighting Museum of Barcelona is contained in the stadium, and is open during bullfighting season. There you will find many artifacts related to bullfighting, including the heads of some famous bulls, posters and ticket stubs, famous matador costumes, old photographs and many other interesting things connected with bullfighting such as the branding irons of some of the more famous farms.

For the less strong-stomached among you, you can always watch television and see the bulls being stuck with swords or the toreros being gored by raging bulls. Ouch!

While on vacation, you will likely need information on apartments in Barcelona, and you will also have to book early. The city is a very popular tourist destination, so book your apartments in Barcelona for your vacation as soon as you can.

The Controversy of Bullfighting in Barcelona

More details on how to book your Apartments in Barcelona are available from http://www.way2barcelona.com where you will also discover information on all the tourist attractions and other useful facts about this beautiful city of Barcelona.