Las noticias de la semana en imágenes / This week's news in pictures

No preparaba un post de actualidad desde el año pasado. Muchas cosas han pasado desde entonces: en España, hemos pasado unas elecciones generales con cambio de gobierno incluido.
Como parte de los nombramientos del nuevo presidente, ha habido algunas sorpresas, nombres inesperados en cargos inesperados, etc. Las quinielas ministeriales no acertaron demasiado: Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, ex-alcalde de Madrid también conocido como 'El Faraón', no fue ministro de Defensa según cabría esperar teniendo en cuenta su pasado en la Brigada Paracaidista, sino al Ministerio de Justicia, acorde con su formación jurídica. Lo mismo se puede decir de nuestra paisana Ana Pastor, a quien todos auguraban repetir cargo al frente del Ministerio de Sanidad, pero que fue nombrada finalmente ministra de Fomento.


I haven't written a news blogpost since last year. A lot has happened since then: in Spain, we had general elections with a change of government. Among the appointments of the said government, there have been some surprises and some unexpected names in unexpected positions, etc. Ministerial predictions and bets were not too successful: Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, former mayor of Madrid a.k.a. The Pharaoh was not appointed Minister of Defense, as we all expected given his background in the Paratrooper Brigade, but Minister of Justice as explained by his legal training. The same goes for our fellow Zamorana, Ana Pastor, whom everyone expected to have a second mandate as Minister of Health but who was eventually appointed Minister of Public Works and Transport instead.

Aunque no era a quien yo tenía en mente (Gustavo de Arístegui), el nuevo ministro de Exteriores, José Manuel García-Margallo consiguió en apenas 20 días en el cargo lo que a sus antecesores en el cargo no les dio la real gana de hacer: conseguir la liberación del periodista Sebastián Martínez Ferraté, encarcelado injustamente durante dos años en Cuba tras la grabación de un reportaje para Telecinco sobre la prostitución infantil en la isla. De no haber sido por el interés mostrado por un ex-compañero del periódico El Mundo y de Javier Algarra, aún estaría pudriéndose en alguna cárcel cubana, tal y como reveló en su *primera entrevista* tras su liberación, que evidentemente, no fue a la "cadena amiga" que le dejó literalmente con el culo al aire por hacer un trabajo del que ellos se beneficiaron.

And even though he was not the person I had in mind (Gustavo de Arístegui was the one), the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo achieved in barely 20 days in office what his forerunners couldn't be bothered to do: seek the freedom of journalist Sebastián Martínez Ferraté, unlawfully imprisoned in Cuba after the broadcast of an exposé about child prostitution in the island commissioned by the Spanish Telecinco channel. Were it not for the interest taken by a former colleague at El Mundo newspaper and also by Javier Algarra, he would be still rotting in some godforsaken Cuban jail, as he declared in his *first interview*. As you can imagine, the self-proclaimed 'friendly channel' that reaped hefty benefits from his work but who left him there to fend him for himself was not the TV station chosen to give his first interview as a free man.

Por mi parte, espero que el Sr. Gallardón se ponga manos a la obra y meta en cintura a una justicia que de justa tiene poco. Y si no, que le pregunten a la familia de Sandra Palo, Marta del Castillo y tantas víctimas de la mal llamada 'Ley del Menor', en la que te puedes escudar si violas y matas a una niña minusválida u ocultas el paradero del cadáver de la que fuera 'tu amiguita del alma' para proteger al malnacido que la mató y presumiblemente violó.
A poder ser, Sr. Gallardón, procure que no nos cueste mucho.

As for myself, I hope Mr. Gallardón does his best to take our Justice in hand, being as it is the opposite of fairness. If you don't believe me, ask the family of *Sandra Palo*, *Marta del Castillo* and many of the defenseless victims left by the misnamed 'Law on Juveniles', behind which you can hide should you rape and kill a 22-year-old girl with mental disabilities or refuse to reveal the location of the body of your former 'bossom friend' in order to protect the s.o.b. of the victim's boyfriend who killed and presumably also raped her.
If it's not too much to ask, try not to make the bill too costly, Mr. Gallardón.

Cierro la parte política nacional con una reflexión sobre la crisis, haciéndome eco de la situación desesperada por la que están pasando muchas pequeñas empresas en España. La imagen, que quizá ya conozcáis, corresponde a una pancarta elaborada por el propietario de una pequeña tienda de Madrid, Té con Limón, obligado a cerrar las puertas de su establecimiento literalmente, por desesperación. Creo que ha logrado resumir muy bien el problema.

I'll put the last stop on my views on the national politics and news to focus on the economic crisis. Let me echo the desperate situation many small businesses in Spain are currently going through. The picture, which you may have seen already, corresponds to the placard created by the owner of a small store in Madrid, Té con Limón (Tea with Lemon) who will soon be forced to close down, literally out of despair. I think he managed to sum um the problem quite well.

Caption: Closeout sale out of despair.

We'd like to Thank the following for helping us:
Thanks to the Spanish two-party system.
Thanks to political corruption.
Thanks to former rulers for their fat annuities.
Thanks to the Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organisations (CEOE) for destroying employment.
Thanks to Trade Unions for not doing anything.
Thanks for increasing our taxes.
Thanks for curtailing our rights as citizens.
Thanks to Autonomous Regions, County Councils, Town/City Councils, etc.
Thanks to all politicians, for their salaries, expenses allowances and privileges.

Thanks for inyecting public money into the financial system.
Thanks for forgetting self-employed workers and small businesses.
Thanks to Greece for showing us what the future may be like.
Thanks for enabling parasitic economic models.
Thanks for forcing our children to leave Spain and emigrate.

THANKS TO ALL THE POWERFUL ÉLITE FOR MAKING US FEEL FREER BY LEAVING US WITH OUR PANTS DOWN!

Para terminar, en lo deportivo, regresó este año la Fórmula Uno con algunos viejos conocidos como AbsolutKimi Räikkönen. Alonso fue noticia durante el parón en lo personal, al anunciar su separación tras cinco años de matrimonio con Raquel del Rosario. Corrían rumores de terceras personas y efectivamente parece que el asturiano se había enamorado, perdón, en*oñado, de una rubia modelo ruso-suiza, que dudo mucho haga alarde de la discreción en su vida personal de la que Raquel ha hecho gala y que tanto aprecia el asturiano.
Algunas voces apuntan a una reconciliación entre los dos, aunque no sé yo. En cualquier caso, el tiempo lo dirá.

I'll finish this news blog with some sports, with the return of the Formula One championship and some old faces like AbsolutKimi Räikkönen. Also also made the news during the F1 break, with the announcement of his separation from Raquel del Rosario after five years of marriage. Apparently there were rumours going on for some time about a third-party and indeed it seems the Asturian had fallen in love, or lust more like, with a blonde Russian/Swiss model whom I'm afraid will not be as discreet with his personal life as Raquel has always been, a privacy Alonso so dearly craves.
Some people are already pointing to a possible reconciliation between the couple, which I'm not that sure about. Anyway, time will tell.

En lo estrictamente deportivo, como ya viene siendo habitual en Ferrari, el sábado vimos una mala clasificación seguida hoy domingo de un nuevo carrerón de Alonso. Parece que en Ferrari siguen encomendados a San Alonso y no acaban de atinar con el trabajo de Maranello. Pese a que este año parece que los RedBull no van a ir tan sobrados, más le vale a Ferrari hacer un cochazo de una vez.



Fuente / Source: Virutasdegoma.
Caption: -How do you see it? / -Fine, but if we screw it, Montezemolo will have us sweeping the factory.

Strictly speaking about the races, as seems now the usual with Ferrari, we saw a bad qualifying session on Saturday followed by yet another incredible race from Alonso on Sunday. Ferrari seems to worship St. Alonso while neglecting factory work in Maranello. Even though team RedBull doesn't appear to have such a head start this year, Ferrari had better concentrate on making a super single-seater for a change.

Que paséis una buena tarde, mañana, noche o lo que sea.
Have a nice evening, morning, night or whatever.