The Good: Gender equality, the battle that has been fought for hundreds of years, is shown in many way around the world. I wanted to take today, since it is Mother’s day, to show some of the progress made in the world. Most especially, Spain is a model of gender equality in politics. Spain has often be associated with macho men and big egos, but the Prime Minister Jose Luis has made a huge change in the traditional political system.

The biggest change Luis made was creating the first majority female cabinet in Spain. Luis also hired the youngest minister in the history of Spain (a 31-year-old) as well as a Minister of Defense who is seven months pregnant (Carme Chacon). Luis opened Spain’s ministry for gender equality and as made great strides towards a more progressive government. So now, on Mother’s day, let’s celebrate a feminist male Prime Minister! Maybe the world can change…

The Bad: On a different note, Greece is facing some tough times in the world of cultural preservation. Greece, home to some of the world’s most ancient relics is taking steps to preserving them. The Acropolis Museum, situated just across from the Parthenon temple, will be opening in the early fall and will showcase the beauty of the Greek constructions from yesteryear.

The museum hopes to showcase Greek culture and show pieces that would have been destroyed by environmental toxins if left in the open. The focal point of the museum will be the frieze, or the stone carvings that ran around the inner core of the Parthenon. What was originally high above onlookers will now be placed at eye level for all to see. The only problem is the Greece does not possess the entire frieze. 46% of the original frieze is in the British Museum, where it has been for the past century. Negotiations between the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum have stalled, as neither wants to give up their portions of the frieze. Until the frieze is reunited in Greece, plaster molds will fill in the missing sections of the frieze. Let’s all hope that this wonderful carving will one day be reunited.

Readers, do you think that the frieze should be reunited? The British Museum believes it is their property, while the Acropolis Museum thinks it belongs in its home country, what do you think?