USA vs. Spain

 

   

 

http://goeurope.about.com/od/europeanmaps/l/bl-country-size-comparison-map.htm

Provinces/Counties

 

 

State government is decentralized among three tiers — statewide, county and township. Counties are administrative divisions of the state, and townships are administrative divisions of a county. Both of them exercise state government authority, localized to meet the particular needs of their jurisdictions, as provided by state law. There are 83 counties in Michigan.Cities, state universities, and villages are vested with home rule powers of varying degrees.There are two types of township in Michigan: general law township and charter. Charter township status was created by the Legislature in 1947 and grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation by a city. As of April 2001, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan.

Government/ PoliticsLepePower- Administrative levelEstatal        Zapatero

Territorial- Autonomous Communities    Andalucia...     Huelva...Local/municipality: Lepe: Alcalde...

Rochester HillsPower- Administrative level National    Barack Obama

Territorial- State: Michigan- Governor     Rick SnyderCounty: Oakland- Sheriff    Michael Bouchard Local: city/township: Rochester Hills: mayor: Bryan K. Barnett

Compare and Contrast Constitutions

Article 2  [National Unity, Regional Autonomy]The Constitution is based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards, and recognizes and guarantees the right to autonomy of the nationalities and regions which make it up and the solidarity among all of them.

 

 Article 143Section 1. In the exercise of the right to self-government recognized in Article 2 of the Constitution, bordering provinces with common historic, cultural and economic characteristics, island territories and provinces with historic regional status may accede to self-government and form Autonomous Communities in conformity with the provisions contained in this Title and in the respective Statutes.Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution defines the extent of the authority that the U.S. Congress exercises over the territory of the United States:

 

 

• New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

• The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

The power of Congress over territorial divisions that are not part of one of the states is exclusive and universal. Once the territory becomes a state of the Union, the state must consent to any changes pertaining to the jurisdiction of that state. This has been violated only once, when a rump legislature formed the State of West Virginia, seceding from Virginia, which itself had seceded from the United States in the months preceding the American Civil War.

 The central government continues to devolve powers to the regional governments, which might eventually have full responsibility for health care and education, as well as other social programs. This process is limited by the exclusive powers of the state in article 149 of the Spanish Constitution.All autonomous communities are ruled by a government elected by a unicameral legislature. The Twelfth Amendment changed the process whereby a President and a Vice President are elected. It did not change the composition of the Electoral College. It has applied to Presidential elections since 1804.

 

Article 143The autonomous communities were created progressively after the promulgation of the Spanish constitution in 1978, as the exercise to self-government of the "nationalities and regions" that constitute the Spanish nation. In the exercise of the right to self-government recognized in that article, autonomy was to be granted to:[9] • two or more adjacent provinces with common

historical, cultural and economical characteristics,• insular territories, and• a single province with a historical regional identity.

 What are some examples of these in Spain?

 

 

Important American Festivals by locationBurning Man (Black Rock City, NV, USA) Festival Types: Art, Bizarre, Performing ArtMonth: September     

To many Burning Man represents an artistic utopia, a successful study of creative co-existence. It's an eight day escape where particpants are free to express themselves almost without bounds. To quote it's organisers, "it's an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance".Whatever you make of it, it can't be argued that the Burning Man Project is brilliantly unique.

 

 

Mardi Gras - New Orleans (New Orleans, LA, USA) Festival Types: Mardi Gras, Street Parade, PartyMonth: February

Welcome to the pandemonium that is Mardi Gras in New Orleans! Envision the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and beads by the bucketful, king cake parties, masquerade balls and vibrant, animated parades all washed over by a wave of down south hospitality. Now go away, do your finances, book your ticket and get ready to revel in the hoopla at one of the world's must-see celebrations!

Southern customs/food