President Donald J. Trump's dump makes a unique Christmas gift

Every year, Catalonia in Spain comes up with the best new "caganer" (or crapper) figurines, just in time for Christmas

Photo by Michael Vadon / CC BY-SA 4.0

This centuries old tradition sees celebrities and political figures bare their behinds in figurine form to take a crap; a rather cheeky idea for inclusion in the annual Christmas nativity scene. 2016 is no exception, with the two recent U.S. presidential candidates so much in the news and the latest Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton "caganers" have now been unveiled.

No un gran moment x reivindicar la figura dl #caganer #Trump pic.twitter.com/zvJ3HHK7yd

— Xevi Alde #Tram21 (@xevialde) November 9, 2016

According to the Local, originally the tradition was started with the figures of Mary and Joseph taking the proverbial dump, which was thought to both symbolize fertility and also bring luck and riches for the upcoming year.

In modern times, the tradition continues - but in a rather tongue in cheek form - with various Spanish politicians such as Mariano Rajoy and the new president of the Catalan parliament, Carles Puigdemont heading to the shop shelves. Of course, President Barack Obama has been in the product line for some time.

Estats Units decideix avui el seu futur president. Qui arribarà a la #casablanca: #Hillary o #Trump? pic.twitter.com/vETC3G9Fl7

— Caganer (@caganers) November 8, 2016

With Trump winning the presidential race, there appears to be a range of models available, so you can probably get a different one for every member of the family.

Y el caganer del año es para .. Trump pic.twitter.com/eRNhlewkNP

— charo salas (@charkis73) November 9, 2016

80 percent say resounding ‘yes’ in Catalan independence referendum

In what is essentially a symbolic independence referendum, the Catalan people have spoken, with 80 percent voting ‘yes” to an independent Catalan state.  Meanwhile Madrid dismissed the event as a “day of political propaganda.”

This poll was organized despite the fierce opposition of Spain’s government, including a constitutional court ruling to suspend the referendum.  After weeks of intense “negotiations” with Spanish authorities, the poll went ahead anyway.  There were queues of people lining up all over Barcelona and other Catalan cities on Sunday, many cheering and applauding as the polling stations opened. 

Voters were asked two questions.  Question number one was, “Do you want Catalonia to be a state?’ For those that answered the first question affirmatively, the second asked, “Do you want that state to be independent?”  Turns out 80 percent of Catalans answered those two questions in the affirmative.

The Catalan president, Artur Mas, said that the symbolic referendum was a “total success, adding that this vote "made it very clear that we want to govern ourselves." 

While the final results will only be published at the end of the month, partial results have shown that 80.7 percent of the approximately two million people who took part ticked the “yes” box on both questions, while slightly over 10 percent voted yes to question one, and no to question two.  Of the naysayers, approximately 4.5 percent said no to both questions. 

Sour Grapes? 

According to Justice Minister Rafael Catalá, the vote was "fruitless and useless", saying that the government considered it to be a “day of political propaganda organized by pro-independence forces and devoid of any kind of democratic validity."

Apparently state prosecutors are trying to establish whether the Catalan authorities actually breached court injunctions by using schools and other public buildings as polling stations.  Their investigations are to apparently "assess the existence of criminal liability," Catalá added.

While Catalan leaders do admit the vote is symbolic with no direct legal consequence, they are hoping that the numbers involved will bolster their case with leaders in Spain and other European governments.  Mas told the media his government will now be pushing for an official referendum and that he will be seeking international support in order to convince Rajoy’s government to let it happen.

"We deserve to vote in a legal and binding referendum and this is what we are going to try to do," he added. 

Fifth of Spain’s economy 

The Catalonia region, with its distinct language and culture, is proud of its heritage and the region's strong economic situation brings in what relates to a fifth of Spain’s economy.  The riches of Catalonia are likely the strongest reason that Rajoy refuses to allow independence from austerity-ridden and economically-challenged Spain, with its budget cuts and high unemployment rates.

Of the 7.5 million people living in the region, more than two million have made their thoughts clear, and it is hoped that a more official referendum will show even higher figures on the positive side of the ballot papers in future
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Photo: CC-by-SA Kippelboy

Catalonia President signs decree calling for independence referendum (Video)

In a historic moment, sure to cause havoc in Madrid, Artur Mas, president of the Catalonia region of Spain, today signed a decree calling for an independence referendum to be held on November 9 this year.

"Like all the nations of the world, Catalonia has the right to decide its political future," said Artur Mas.

 


Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had already vowed to block this vote and has called a government meeting to be held Monday in order to provide a legal response to the announcement from Barcelona.  The Spanish government is planning to challenge the upcoming vote in the constitutional court, as they say this is an illegal and unconstitutional move.

Carme Forcadell, leader of a pro-independence group in Catalonia who has been organizing rallies in favour of the move for the past three years, said, "Today is a day to celebrate. We are very happy and satisfied that president Mas has called the referendum."

In the Catalan parliament last week, 106 MPs voted in favor of the independence referendum with only 28 voting against.

Support for the idea of economically successful Catalonia seceding from Spain has grown over the last few years due to the economic hardships caused by the various budget cuts and austerity measures imposed by the Spanish government. According to a recent poll, almost 60 percent of Catalans would vote yes for independence.

According to The Local, the Catalonian economy is larger than the entire economy of Portugal, generating 20 percent of Spain's wealth.

Catalan firefighters arrive in Scotland to support 'Yes' vote

The people of Catalonia, who are also currently fighting for independence, are in full support of Scotland's "Yes" vote for an independent country. 

Yesterday firefighters from the presently Spanish region arrived in Glasgow yesterday to enhance their show of support.

The four firemen drove to the Scottish city in a vintage 45-year-old Seat 600. painted with the colours of the Catalan separatist flag and the blue EU flag, and after their 2,000 km drive from the Catalan homeland, were greeted by a welcoming crowd of "Yes" supporters in George Square.  A photo of the tiny car can be seen here.

One of the firefighters is Pep Pladeveya from Girona in northeast Spain, who said,"We've come to help the Scots and to tell the world that we Catalans want to vote."

"We live in a dictatorship and we want to vote like in Scotland," he added, saying he and his friends would be staying in George Square and laying out candles to make the Scottish and Catalan flags.

Driver of the car, Oriol Pallares, 36, said the journey had been uncomfortable but was very important to all of them, saying , “We wanted to give our support to the people of Scotland for their independence referendum and we are really hoping for there to be a Yes result."

“It’s very important to us and our families at home because we are wanting there to be a referendum in Catalonia for us to leave Spain and be on our own."

“We show our support in Scotland because at home the Spanish government doesn’t want us to have a referendum of our own."

“The Catalonian government is pushing for there to be a referendum on the ninth of November, so if Scotland gets its own independence then it shows it can be done."

“This is very important sentiment for me as there are many people in Catalonia who want independence as we feel we are separate from Spain.”

The men drove all through Spain and France to cross from the ferry port at Calais.  Apparently on arrival at Dover, they simply followed signs for "Scotland" until they finally got to Glasgow.  On Thursday, they will continue their journey by driving through to Edinburgh.

One of the other firefighters, Llorenc Parera, 45, said it was his first time in Scotland, but it was worth the uncomfortable journey, saying, “It was really nice coming over even though we were very cramped inside the car. There is not much room, it’s very small, and 45 years old like me."

“It’s my first time coming to Scotland and it’s very beautiful here."

According to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday, moves for independence such as those in Scotland and Catalonia would be a "torpedo" to European integration. He added that if independence went through (for either region), this would only add to poverty.  It seems he and British Prime Minister David Cameron should be crying on each others shoulders these days, liberally handing around the box of Kleenex.

Voting has started and the people of Scotland (and Catalonia), along with Rajoy and Cameron, hold their collective breath.

ABC (Spanish)
Scotsman

Photo: screen capture of a video on The Scotsman's website showing other Catalan supporters visiting Edinburgh a few days ago.

Spanish nudist beach hit by spectacular waterspout (Videos)

Nude bathers got a surprise Sunday on the nudist beach near Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain when a waterspout swirled right up to the shore in a spectacular vortex of wind and water.

Bathers at the El Torn de l'Hospitalet de l'Infant nudist beach, as well as people in the surrounding area, were amazed to watch the ocean's version of a tornado, hanging between the low-hanging storm clouds and the waves, just a short distance offshore.

Waterspouts are a rare occurrence in Spain, and only form when there are especially strong winds blowing.  Those strong winds foretold a storm and a torrential downpour over the region that afternoon and evening.  Emergency services received around 288 calls from people affected by the downpour.

Several people took videos and photos of the waterspout and posted them to the social media.  Two of those videos are included below.

The first shows the waterspout at a distance to shore:



The second shows it hitting the beach:

Catalan organization fights for legal sex workers for disabled

A Catalan organization is pushing to help provide disabled people with sexual relations by providing legal "disability prostitutes."

 

Jaume Girbau was born with a congenital disease that left him in a wheelchair from a young age. He had a bad experience with a sex worker, which left him wondering why there was such a distinct lack of professional sex workers specializing in people with disabilities.

 

“She didn’t know what to do, she wasn’t prepared," Girbau told 20 minutos. After this traumatic experience, Girbau decided to start a group called "Sex Asistent Catalunya", made up of sexologists, sex counselors, therapists, and people with disabilities.

 

“We think it would be useful for there to be qualified professionals capable of providing a service to people with physical and mental disabilities,” he said. “This could be in the form of hugs, caressing, sexual massages, body exploration, games or aiding sexual relationships for couples who require it," he added.  

 

Now the group wants the Spanish government to back a motion to make sexual assistants legal. This is already reportedly the case in many countries across Europe, including Denmark. Germany, Holland and Switzerland and according to Girbau, France is debating whether to follow suit.

 

Some of these countries apparently even pay for the services with public funds.

 

The organization has started compiling teaching material, with the aim of offering professional training with an official university degree to those interested in participating. 

 

“There’s already plenty of demand,” Girbau told 20 minutos.

 

Patricia Carmona, President of Aspaym (an association for people with serious spinal injuries), is also in favor of a law which would guarantee sexuality to disabled people. 

 

“Unresolved sexual issues lead to behavioral problems,” she told 20 minutos.

 

“It should no longer be the parents or staff at the clinics who have to masturbate them. Why not have a professional do it?”

 

Carmona runs workshops and debates in which participants open up on two of modern society’s biggest taboos: sex and disability. The primary aim of the workshops is to prevent those with disabilities being treated as if they were children.

 

This brings to mind the 2012 Hollywood film "The Sessions". directed by Ben Lewin and starring Helen Hunt. The movie tells the story of a 38-year-old man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity and contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest. The movie has raised awareness for the cause of Sex Asistent Catalunya.

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/354718