http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com Welcome to our new weblog. On this site you will find an archive of articles and information, as well as news and feedback on a broad spectrum of topics. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:59:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/claudio-caniggia-coaches-costa-del-sol-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=claudio-caniggia-coaches-costa-del-sol-kids http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/claudio-caniggia-coaches-costa-del-sol-kids/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:20:45 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=845 Argentinean football great, Claudio Caniggia, has lent more than just his name to an initiative to bring the fun, exercise and discipline of football to a broad cross-section of the Costa del Sol’s youth. His Master Class football clinics, organised together with promotions specialist Rami Morante, are a non-profit initiative aimed at broadening the scope and involving youngsters who may otherwise not be able to attend football coaching schools of this kind. By offering their services for free and working closely with the Estepona Town Hall, who provide the fine facilities of the Estadio Municipal Francisco Muñoz Pérez, Claudio and his team are able to charge just 20 euros per child, and the result is that his heavily subscribed Master Classes are attended by a delightful mix of children from a wide variety of nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds. In giving of their time and passion so generously, Claudio Caniggia, Rami Morante and the others are spearheading a social collaboration with the broader community that they would like to see evolve into an ongoing project with a more profound impact. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/claudio-caniggia-coaches-costa-del-sol-kids/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/boy-george/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boy-george http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/boy-george/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 19:10:15 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=725 Each year, over two million people buy an item of clothing or an accessory in one of the more than 2,000 Armani outlets in countries all over the world, generating revenues in excess of $700 million. This is the profile of a company that has enjoyed continued growth since it was established in 1975 and still shows no signs of slowing down. Loyal to a philosophy of design that has produced his trademark style of simple yet refined elegance, Giorgio Armani has not only weathered the vicissitudes of time, he has thrived on them. The secret of this remarkable success is the clean design that gives his creations a timeless quality, which transcends fashions and fads—the surest mark of a master. As a young man, Giorgio Armani gave up his medical studies when he realised that he had a greater affinity for design. After several detours, he found his true vocation in the hectic and exciting world of the Milan fashion industry, where his first notable design, now almost 35 years ago, was a button for a jacket by Nino Cerruti, his erstwhile employer. Displaying a unique personal touch at a very early stage in his career, Armani plunged wholeheartedly into the unknown, breaking new ground and shirking no challenge in the process.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/boy-george/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cerveza-sin-por-favor-the-future-of-nablabs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cerveza-sin-por-favor-the-future-of-nablabs http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cerveza-sin-por-favor-the-future-of-nablabs/#comments Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:14:40 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=665 No- and low-alcohol beers have been gaining some traction of late in several markets but there’s one country where NABLABs have been embraced by consumers like no other. Michel Cruz reports from Spain on the rise of low alcohol refreshment. In many ways the Spanish beer market is much like that of the rest of [...]]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cerveza-sin-por-favor-the-future-of-nablabs/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-green-fairy-flutters-its-wings-again/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-green-fairy-flutters-its-wings-again http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-green-fairy-flutters-its-wings-again/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:59:49 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=624 Absinthe, the drink forever associated with bohemian Paris and its catalogue of late 19th century artists, poets and dangerous-living bons vivants, is at the heart of a fascinating revival. It was a time of mystery and experimentation with Paris at its very heart. Sherlock Holmes was pursuing his imaginary nemesis Moriarty through the streets of East London just as Inspector Juve stalked the alleyways near the Place Pigale in search of the equally imagined but nonetheless formidable Fantomas. In nearby streets the poets, artists and would-be revolutionaries of the day met to plot, set the world to rights or simply to get drunk together.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-green-fairy-flutters-its-wings-again/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-maoist-experiment-lives-on-%e2%80%a6/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-maoist-experiment-lives-on-%25e2%2580%25a6 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-maoist-experiment-lives-on-%e2%80%a6/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:34:51 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=421 Is revolution dead, confined to the annals of history? Just when you thought that die-hard Communist states like Cuba and North Korea are isolated relics to a past which is already beginning to seem distant, and that the future holds no prospect for the kind of liberal humanitarian ideals that blossomed in the 1960’s and 1970’s, a place like Marinaleda pops up out of nowhere. Located among the gentle undulations of the endless olive groves of southern Spain, this little village is a unique example of a Maoist commune that has not only survived, but continues to flourish. Up until twenty years ago, Marinaleda was a typical sleepy Andalusian village, where nothing much happened and the poverty-stricken population carved a meagre existence out of seasonal work, picking olives on the vast estates of the landed gentry much as their folk had done for generation upon generation. It all changed when Sánchez Gordillo, a former schoolteacher, was elected mayor in 1980.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-maoist-experiment-lives-on-%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-ethnic-diversity-of-andalucia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-ethnic-diversity-of-andalucia http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-ethnic-diversity-of-andalucia/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:16:16 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=147 In a sea of faces, Andalusians provide a fascinating diversity of looks and origins that bear living testimony to the region’s turbulent past as a much-invaded corner of Europe. Since the earliest times, conquerors, refugees, soldiers, mercenaries, merchants and adventurers have been adding to the rich and diverse mix of ingredients from which the Andalusians have been moulded. It takes just a stroll on the streets of Andalucía to realise that this is one of those fascinating contact zones, an area enriched by the heady mix of cultures, traditions and genes yet bound by a common sense of identity. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/social-issues/the-ethnic-diversity-of-andalucia/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/copywriting/cork-vs-plastic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cork-vs-plastic http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/copywriting/cork-vs-plastic/#comments Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:13:50 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/copywriting/cork-vs-plastic/ For centuries, in fact for about as long as people can remember, wine has been sealed with cork stoppers. So close is this link that you can’t really think of the one without the other, and indeed, the humble cork is a wondrous thing. Wholly natural, it is flexible and durable, forming an excellent seal to a bottle, yet one that allows itself to be extracted with relative ease. What’s more, it forms the basis of a noble, age-old industry that has become a part of the physical landscape and human fabric of countries like Spain and Portugal.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/copywriting/cork-vs-plastic/feed/ 1 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/marbella-style-property/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=marbella-style-property http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/marbella-style-property/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:10:24 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/marbella-style-property/ We all know Marbella's image has been somewhat tarnished since its heyday and its subsequent revival in the late 90's. Corruption, money laundering, never-ending mass construction that turns large parts of the area into Bolivian-style open cast mines, the constant presence of a jungle of construction cranes, fleets of construction vehicles that pound the surface out of the roads, planning debacles and a rise in both prices and crime have had their effect]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/marbella-style-property/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/global-warningclimate-change/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=global-warningclimate-change http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/global-warningclimate-change/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:43:36 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/global-warningclimate-change/ Pollution, global warming and climatic change have been a source of debate for as long as most of us can remember. Recent events suggest that we may not have the luxury of debating about such issues for much longer.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/global-warningclimate-change/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cordoba-andalucia-agriculture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cordoba-andalucia-agriculture http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cordoba-andalucia-agriculture/#comments Mon, 14 May 2007 07:16:00 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cordoba-andalucia-agriculture/ The fertile Guadalquivir valley, which occupies the heart of the province of Cordoba, has been a prized agricultural region since classical times. In reality it is a mildly eroded floodplain with gently rolling hills that extend for miles, covered in a patchwork of colours and patterns created by the many crops that its fertile soils nurture. Thanks to the richness of this land, and indeed the vast expanses of orchards and olive groves that extend beyond its periphery, the white villages and towns that dot this landscape have developed a proud agricultural heritage and a reputation for producing some of the finest produce in the country. In recent times, the region has faced the uncertainties of European agriculture by focusing increasingly on organic production. Unlike the countries of Northern Europe, however, the Cordoban producers regard this not as a trendy new form of production, but rather as a return to age old traditions.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/cordoba-andalucia-agriculture/feed/ 0