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Things to Do in Madrid in One Day

Madrid could be a one-size fits all destination. Food lover? Art lover? Sports fanatic? Whatever it is that strikes your fancy, here is a list of some things to do that are possible to achieve in just one day alone.

One definite should be Plaza Mayor. What used to be a mecca for bull-fighting now hosts some of the greatest soccer matches you’ll probably ever see. Aside from the talent the country is know, it also won the latest World Cup tournament.

Food is one of the finer things that Madrid has to offer, what is better than some tapas and wine, right? Well if you’re looking to enjoy those things without spending too much money, there are many discreet sidewalk cafes that have some delicious Tapas.

Art lovers can rejoice while you’re stuffing your face too! Take a trip over to the El Prado Museum. There is a wide variety of artistic offerings at the museum, including the works of Goya.

If art can’t fill the void left in your soul, maybe some good old fashioned shopping can! Puerta de Sol is the perfect space to get some affordable, quick, shopping done. One final stop on your one day extravaganza through Madrid should be a trip over to Mercado de San Miguel.

It’s the perfect place to wrap your day up. You can indulge in some treats, do some shopping or relax and have a drink.

Did I miss anything? Please to my Madrid list in the comments below!…

Valentine’s Day – About Love, Or Just Commercialism?

Approximately six weeks after the beginning of each new year, one day is set aside for couples to declare their love for each other. Originally known as St. Valentines Day, we now celebrate Valentine’s Day in much the same way as we have often come to commemorate and celebrate many other holidays. For this holiday, as has also occurred for such holidays as Christmas and to a lesser degree Easter, the solemn expression of devotion has yielded most of its “power” to the commercial exploitation of that feeling.

If someone truly loves another, is there really, or should there really be the need to have one day to celebrate that love? What began as a small romantic idea, has become a major industry.

Restaurants enjoy some of their best business in celebration of that holiday. Bakeries bake dedicated cakes, cookies and pastries in shapes such as hearts, cupids, etc. It is one of the best greeting card holidays, because while people will often send E-Cards instead of birthday or holiday/ Seasons Greetings cards, it is not considered “romantic” to send a Valentine’s Day E-Card.

Florists get a much needed influx of business during a somewhat off season in the dead of winter. Obviously, there are more roses sold during this period than all other times of the year, often at substantially marked up prices. Somehow, because many years ago, some smart marketer thought of the clever idea of creating heart or flower shaped boxes, for many “romantics,” chocolate has become the gift of choice.

Perhaps no industry has been as big a beneficiary of this holiday’s increased commercial appeal than is the jewelry business. Statistically, more men propose on Valentine’s Day than any other day of the year, and thus there is a substantial influx in the number of diamonds sold. A recent walk through the mall showed a huge line of men waiting to purchase something from “Pandora,” because this brand has so actively connected both its name and its product line with romance. The jewelry chain, “Kay’s,” even runs an advertisement all year, and has coined a slogan that “Every kiss begins with Kay.”

In our fast paced, guilt prone, society, where many of us do not spend a sufficient amount of time telling those that we love how much we care, or get some “caught up” with our many day to day activities and commitments for our time, is there no wonder that a “small” holiday dedicated to a loved one, become a major commercial vehicle? Maybe not only in America, but certainly predominantly here!…

Midnight Shopping – The New Normal

Associated Press reporters out of Fredericksburg, Va. reported that, ” a month, just after midnight, the beeping checkout scanners at a Wal-Mart just off Interstate 95 come alive in a chorus of financial and at grocery stores across the country, the chimes come just after food stamps and other monthly government benefits drop into the accounts of shoppers who have rationed things like milk, ground beef and toilet paper and can finally stock up again.”

The report refers to those who are shopping just prior to the midnight hour when their food stamp rations will be deposited electronically onto debit cards for the next month. The entire scenario sounds much like the food rationing lines of decades past – only based on the high-tech, electronic system of the 21st century. Problem is, hunger in 2010 is the same as hunger in the 1900’s.

Some shoppers have children in tow and others leave them sleeping at home – alone – in this midnight hour. Empty stomachs await midnight treats. Sounds like Christmas. But it’s not Christmas at all. In fact, it is far from a holiday.

One father stated to the reporter that, “The kids are sleeping, so we go do what we’ve gotta do. Money is tight,” And they needed the food stamps because, “his job as a restaurant server doesn’t quite cover expenses for their five children.” “We try to get here between 10:30 and 11 because we know we’ve got a lot of stuff to get. That way by 12 o’clock we’re at the line cashing out and done,” he said.

This is not a third world country. This is happening now in the United States. The jobless rate is stuck at 9.6%, one and two parent households (41 million total) are shopping with food stamps at midnight on the last day of the month, children are going to bed hungry, 1 in 7 Americans are now living in poverty, and Richard Hastings, macro and consumer strategist with Global Hunter Securities. “This is going to be like this for many years to come.” And further stated that this is “the new normal”.

And yet, with all of this doom and gloom, people still refuse to look for alternative sources of income. These same people continue to turn up their noses at home based business opportunities that are working to assist Americans by supplementing their household income. I even personally spoke to someone who would not consider a home business because it would interfere with their unemployment benefits; even though the potential was clearly there for her to exceed what the benefits were paying. Does this mean that there simply is no hope for the majority, because they refuse to recognize there has been a paradigm shift in this country. It is, in fact, the very same shift that has taken people out of food lines and ‘shifted’ them to electronic debit cards. E-commerce is not the future – it is the ‘now’. And it will be the strong, those with a vision and the creative who will survive this storm. And for those who continue to dismiss the possibilities, I wonder; don’t they have a responsibility to show their children a new and different way – as well as feeding them in the midnight hour? What could they learn by watching their parent(s) turn their circumstances around by turning themselves around?…

Nike Shoes – An Historical Landmark in the Sporting World

Ask any kid today; he or she would say “Nike” if you tell them “shoes.” Nike has become a synonym itself for the word shoes. No wonder it did, for it has a long success behind it. The name of the company is fully justified and can never be called a misnomer for in Greek Nike is the goddess of victory. The company has its headquarters today in the Portland metropolitan area and has about a revenue excess of about $20billion (USD) today.

In 1967, Nike was the first product that was sold by the company (then called by its founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight as Blue Ribbon Sports Inc) and it was a soccer cleat. The famous waffle soles and air soles were created by the Nike Company and was commercialised by them for the first time in the world in 1972 and 1979 respectively and the company earned a huge profit for the shoes made the athletes happier. This gave the company the idea to go public in 1980.

In 1984, the company’s prestigious Air Jordans were created after an agreement that was signed by the then Super Start of NBA, Michael Jordan. That was the first time ever, a range of shoes was created for basketball alone or rather for Michael Jordan alone. Later this brand swept the market clean of other shoes. Apart from the Jordans, the company also released another elite class of sport shoes called Air Force 1 later.

From 1988 to 1996, many developments pushed the company higher. A store called Nike Town was established in Oregon (presently the Head Quarters) in 1990, just after the famous tagline “Just Do it” was created in 1988. Now, it is a large enterprise that manufactures all types of sports apparel after many acquisitions and expansions and is the favourite brand for millions.…