David Petraeus is the latest in the tradition of American generals who combined battlefield ability with popularity and political influence, a line that begins with George Washington himself and continues with Sherman.
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Maduro counterattacks and accuses the opposition of violating the Barbados agreement
Nicolás Maduro is not satisfied with dynamiting the partial agreements of Barbados by ordering the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) to annul the opposition primaries, which underpinned the political phenomenon that María Corina Machado represents today. The people's president has gone a step further by accusing the Unitary Platform and its own unitary leader, former political prisoner Leopoldo López and former governor Henrique Capriles, of violating the Barbados agreements.
“The extreme right, they are incorrigible. In its mischief of cheating and evil, of fraud and violence. They are anti-patriarch, the traitors come out of their pores. We signed an agreement to bring them into the fold of democracy, but they left there and now they started a campaign against the Essequibo referendum, which violates the Barbados agreements and offends the people,” Maduro shouted surrounded by the main leaders of Chavismo.
Once again the world is upside down, that unknown dimension that the revolution likes so much, which also has extensive experience when it comes to breaking agreements, even with its admired Francisco. The Pope complained about the attitude of Caracas after the 2016 and 2017 talks, which ended with Chavista leaders accusing Pietro Parolin, Francis' right-hand man, of being a fascist.. The same coined today against Machado.
On this occasion, the revolutionary strategy involves taking advantage of the nationalist sentiment around the border territory of Essequibo, in dispute with Guyana for two centuries and administered by Georgetown.. A territory forgotten by Hugo Chávez and by Maduro himself for two decades, as Guyana is a historical ally of Cuba and because it is part of the Caribbean community, to which Caracas has always turned to obtain international support.
The tables have turned after the million-dollar energy discoveries in Essequibo, which have twisted the Chavista strategy with respect to Guyana, whose president Maduro accuses of being a “wimp in the pay of Exxon Mobil,” the American oil company responsible for the gold discoveries. black. The Bolivarian Government has called a referendum for December 3 on Essequibo, when opinion in the country about the Venezuelan nature of the disputed territory is unanimous.. Something like raising a question in Spain so that citizens can vote on whether the potato omelette is Spanish or not.
“Maduro is trying to inject nationalist steroids into his re-election campaign and wants to polarize public opinion that is still in the wake of the effects of the primaries and the election of a new opposition leadership.. He wishes to unite, around his figure, one of the points on which all Venezuelans agree: the border wound that exists to the east of our territory.. Nothing like a border conflict, with a military vocation, to try to wash the face and mobilize citizens subjected to a dictatorship in its lowest hours of popularity,” emphasizes sociologist Gianni Finco, who has confirmed how Bolivarian propaganda already compares the case of Essequibo with the Argentine Malvinas.
The big question is how Washington, an ally in addition to Guyana, will react after the Chavista attack against the primaries and when it has not yet complied with what was demanded in the face of the ultimatum that ends on November 30: the rehabilitation of Machado and the release of the prisoners. politicians of American origin. Opposition sources confirmed to EL MUNDO that members of the two delegations, government and opposition, have met with US envoys in the last few hours.
“The US Government is going to be very cautious in its response. The ultimatum is relevant because it could affect the United States' willingness to grant additional concessions, which it has already discussed with Maduro.. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that if there is no progress in terms of a process for the review of disqualifications and more releases of political prisoners, possible additional concessions could be stopped, but the license for the Venezuelan oil sector would be maintained until April 2024. “, Mariano de Alba, senior advisor to the Crisis Group, warns this newspaper.
But if there is a factor of weight in this framework also immersed in world geopolitics, that is the weight of illegal immigrants in the United States.. On Tuesday, Caracas received the third flight with deportees from Texas. “The 50-60% decrease in the entry of Venezuelans into the US since the repatriation flights were agreed reduces Biden's margin of action,” notes De Alba.
It is precisely Washington's attitude, according to Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, that has pushed the Spanish Executive to opt for forgiveness for the 55 Chavistas (hierarchs, generals, torturers and collaborators) sanctioned by Europe.. Precisely one of them, the false opponent José Brito, was the one who demanded that the TSJ annul the October 22 primaries.
North Korea closes its embassy in Spain
Although North Korea and Spain established diplomatic relations in 2001, it was not until 2013 when Pyongyang opened an embassy in Madrid, in the Aravaca neighborhood.. At the head of the legation they put a veteran diplomat named Kim Hyok-chol, who ended up expelled from the country in 2017 in protest of the nuclear tests carried out by the Kim Jong-un regime.. A couple of years later, the embassy was attacked by a group of armed men who stole computers and various documents.. The turbulent history of this diplomatic mission seems to have just come to an end: North Korea has closed its embassy in Spain.
The news was reported this Wednesday by the South Korean Yonhap news agency, which cites a North Korean diplomatic document.. The current head of the mission, commercial attaché So Yun Sok, who played the role of acting ambassador, would have been the one who announced the closure, explaining that it would be the North Korean embassy in Italy that would from now on be in charge of all matters between North Korea and Spain.
The specific reason behind this decision by Pyongyang has not been revealed, but the movement coincides with the official closure of at least four of the 53 diplomatic missions (47 embassies, three consulates and three representative offices) that the North has in abroad, including the embassies of African countries such as Angola and Uganda. Another dozen diplomatic offices will also close their shutters in the coming months.
“This spate of closures seems to show that it is no longer feasible for the North to maintain diplomatic missions, as its efforts to obtain foreign currency have stumbled due to tightening sanctions,” an official at the Ministry of Unification told South Korean media on Wednesday. South Korea.
Kim's hermetic regime, after three long years with its borders more closed than usual due to the pandemic, without the entry of a large part of the vital imports on which they depend so much, is going through the worst period of food insecurity since a famine. mass devastated the country almost 30 years ago, when the fall of the Soviet Union left them without supplies.
Although Pyongyang continues to launch ballistic missile tests and advance its nuclear program, it is unable to produce food for its 26 million inhabitants.. The Asian country also urgently needs foreign currency and cannot maintain all its delegations abroad.
The Aravaca embassy was located in a property located at number 43 Darío Aparicio Street.. The building was assaulted in February 2019 by a commando led by Adrian Hong, founder of Free Joseon, a group of activists fighting to overthrow Kim Jong-un's regime and who have been helping North Korean defectors escape for years.
Adrian's last known whereabouts was in New York, five days after the assault, when he handed over all the stolen material to the FBI.. In Spain, the judge of the National Court José de la Mata issued an international arrest warrant against the gang. Adrian ran away and no one has heard from him since.. The only detainee was a former North American marine named Christopher Philip Ahn, who is awaiting extradition to Madrid.
After several years with all kinds of rumors about whether the assault had been a CIA plan to steal information about Kim's secret missile bases and nuclear program, American journalist and best-selling author Bradley Hope, who before the assault close contact with Adrian as one of his sources on North Korea when he wrote about Asia for the Wall Street Journal, published a book about the main mission behind the plan: to simulate an assault to remove one of officials who wanted to defect with his family.
The plan, however, went wrong because an embassy worker jumped off one of the building's terraces, went out into the street and alerted the police.. Adrian and his gang escaped before the agents arrived. The deserter they wanted to rescue, according to Hope, was the person in charge, So Yun-suk, the same one who appears in the diplomatic document announcing the closure of the embassy.
Barenboim once again raises the baton for Palestinian-Israeli understanding
Who. The conductor, pianist and co-founder in 1999 of the West-Eastern Orchestra where Israeli and Arab musicians play.
That. The Argentine musician has condemned both the “barbaric terrorist acts of Hamas” and “the Israeli siege of Gaza, which constitutes a policy of collective punishment.”
Because. The musicians of his orchestra and the students of the Academy are almost all directly affected by the conflict.
When it comes to Israel and Palestine, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim has a lot to say. He has spent decades defending through music that the only path to peace “is not military action” but “humanism, justice, equality and the end of the occupation”. The events now in the Middle East, which continue with “horror and enormous concern”, have strengthened his belief more than ever.
“The situation is worsening to unimaginable limits” and “the tragedy will continue for a long time, as there are dead people, hostages, destroyed homes and devastated communities.”. We must make room for emotions such as fear, despair and anger, but the moment this leads us to deny the humanity of others, we will be lost,” warns Barenboim.. The question is: “What now? Do we surrender to this terrible violence and let our fight for peace die, or do we insist that there must and can be peace?”
He will move on. “There is no justification for Hamas' barbaric terrorist acts against civilians, as it is an outrageous crime that I fiercely condemn,” but “the Israeli siege of Gaza constitutes a policy of collective punishment and is a violation of human rights,” he maintains. this universal Jew, founder and president of the Barenboim-Said Academy, the culmination of the joint work he carried out with Palestinian intellectual Edward Said and for which he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord. “Any analysis, any moral equation we can construct, must have at its core this basic understanding: There are people on both sides.”. Humanity is universal, and recognition of this truth is the only way forward. “The suffering of innocent people is absolutely unbearable,” he says.
For Barenboim, his friendship with Said was key to understanding this conflict of more than 70 years. They helped each other to understand it better from humanism, hence “the West-Eastern Divan and its culmination in the Barenboim-Said Academy, is probably the most important activity of my life,” he maintains, referring to the creation in 1999 of the orchestra of young Israeli and Arab musicians. It may seem like a small thing, but the mere fact that Arabs and Israelis share the podium at each concert and make music together has immense value.
The musicians of the West-Eastern Divan and the students of the Barenboim-Said Academy are almost all directly affected by the conflict. Many live in the region and others have ties to their homeland, but they do not let the message of war go unnoticed.. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a political conflict between two states over borders, water, oil or other resources.. It is a deeply human conflict between two peoples who have known suffering and persecution,” the musician clarifies.
“The Jewish people cherished a dream: a land of their own, a homeland for all Jews”. But a deeply problematic assumption arose from this dream: a land without a people for a people without a land.. The Jewish population of Palestine was only 8% at the end of World War I, while Palestinians represented 92%.. The country could hardly be described as a “land without people”, and the Palestinian population saw no reason to give up their lands.. The conflict was, therefore, inevitable, and the fronts have only hardened even more with the passing of generations,” says Barenboim, convinced that “Israelis will have security when Palestinians can feel hope, that is, justice.”
Princess Leonor, after the oath of the Constitution: "I ask the Spaniards to trust me, as I have placed my trust in Spain"
Under the portrait of Charles III, dynastic continuity offered another gesture of stability on the day of the coming of age of the Princess of Asturias. Because after the swearing in of the Constitution in the Congress of Deputies, the events were moved to the Royal Palace.
There, the Princess received the Collar of the Order of Charles III awarded to her by the Government. After her father imposed it on her, Leonor thanked her for the decoration and assured that “from today” she incorporates her motto “virtue and merit” to her status as “Princess of Asturias and Heir to the Crown.”
The young woman recalled that with the oath of the Constitution she has committed herself to democratic principles and constitutional ardor: “I have assumed a great responsibility with Spain before the Cortes Generales, which I hope to reciprocate with the greatest dignity and the best example,” she assured.
The heiress reflected that from today it is owed to all Spaniards: “I will serve at all times with respect and loyalty,” she promised.. Finally, on such an “important” day, she made a request: “I ask you to trust me, as I have placed all my trust in our future, the future of Spain,” said the Princess, in an act that ended with a new applause.
Leonor swears to “comply and enforce the Constitution” and renews the validity of the parliamentary monarchy
Already in the Gala dining room, Don Felipe wanted to remind his daughter in his words of the importance of the act they had just performed.. The Monarch recalled that it is a day “relevant for our history and full of meaning for Spain.”
“Dear Leonor, you will not be alone on your path,” said the King, who told her that in her family she will find “the most personal support” and in the Spaniards they will know how to recognize her “delivery and dedication with their encouragement and affection.”
The King has recalled that the obligation of citizens towards the youngest is to “bequeath the best of Spain that we have received from previous generations” and to Leonor's generation he has reminded that “democracy and freedom are not built in one day after day, but day after day”. The King reminded them that they will have a responsibility in the future: “That of continuing to build Spain, adapting it to a world in full transformation.”. And to this end, the King has asked them not to stop keeping in mind “the principles and values that unite us and that have united us throughout our recent history.”
The King to his daughter: “Dear Leonor, you will not be alone on your path”
Regarding Leonor, he recalled: “Her duty, as it is also mine, is to comply with and respect the Constitution and that duty prevails at all times over any other consideration.”
A solemn oath
The day started several hours earlier. At nine in the morning there were already some fans gathered behind the fences placed on the sidewalk in front of the Puerta de los Leones, in the Congress of Deputies.. It was cold, but the wait had to be worth it.. Because this October 31, the Princess of Asturias, Leonor de Borbón Ortiz, has reached the age of majority and has celebrated it, as established by the Constitution, swearing allegiance to the Magna Carta.
It was just a few minutes before eleven when the hooves of the horses of the Royal Guard could be heard escorting the two Rolls Royce Phantom IVs in which the Kings and their daughters arrived at Congress.. The public outside broke into applause and cheers when the Princess descended from the vehicle.. Leonor, hair tied in a ponytail, white jacket suit, was the protagonist. She was escorted not only by the Royal Guard, but by her most faithful squire, her sister, Infanta Doña Sofía.. In front of her, but always pending, Kings Felipe and Letizia. They marked the path for him, at the time of entry into Congress and in life. Because today Leonor was not only the protagonist of her coming of age. In her role as Heiress she has embodied the girl who, at just 18 years old, has fulfilled the solemnity of swearing in the Constitution and on her back has voluntarily shouldered the great responsibility that awaits her from here until death.
It was 36 minutes past eleven when Leonor, at the request of Francina Armengol, President of the Congress, got up from her preferred place in the gallery and went to a table covered with navy blue velvet.. Above her, the Constitution where her father swore an oath 37 years before.
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Monarchy. Maximum solemnity for Leonor's swearing in: 19 cannon shots and first speech at the Royal Palace
Maximum solemnity for Leonor's swearing in: 19 cannon shots and first speech at the Royal Palace
“I swear to faithfully carry out my duties, to uphold and ensure that the Constitution and the laws are upheld, to respect the rights of citizens and the autonomous communities, as well as loyalty to the King.”
Less than half a minute to link your future to that of Spain. To revalidate the democratic system that citizens elected forty years ago. Leonor is dynastic continuity and monarchy, a symbol of unity and stability. And in the oath of a girl the alliance of monarchy and parliament have met again.
“Long live the Constitution, Long live Spain, Long live the King,” exclaimed Francina Armengol after adjourning the solemn session and ending the event.
And Congress forgot the absences, the deputies who decided not to be there, although they themselves swore an oath before the Constitution to take office.. And everything became emotion in a long applause where the parents could not hide their pride, nor could the Infanta Sofía, and where Leonor showed that she was aware of the relevance of her act.
The Princess looks at her father at the entrance to the Congress EFE
He has been preparing for this day for years.. In fact, since in the monarchy everything is symbols, the Golden Fleece decoration hung from the left lapel of his jacket.. This is a distinction that Felipe VI imposed on him on January 30, 2018, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.
The King, then, already began to show Doña Leonor the path she should follow.. «Receiving this Fleece implies for you some responsibilities that you will have to assume inspired by the deepest values and ideals; values that you must harbor and strengthen day by day in your heart. Because your actions – all – must be guided by the greatest sense of dignity and exemplarity, by honesty and integrity, by the capacity for renunciation and sacrifice, by the permanent spirit of improvement, and by your unreserved dedication to your country and your people,” the King explained. He then described: «You must respect others, their ideas and beliefs; and you will love culture, arts and sciences, because they give us the best human dimension to be better and help our society progress. You will be permanently guided by the Constitution, complying with it and observing it; you will serve Spain with humility and aware of your institutional position; and you will make yours all the worries and joys, all the desires and feelings of the Spanish people.
In the Royal Palace
While the events were taking place in Congress, the details were being finalized in the Royal Palace. The walls of the Gallery were decorated with tapestries of National Heritage. On the floor, the fluffy, mile-long carpet perfectly arranged. All the details of the second part of the ceremony to mark the coming of age of the Princess of Asturias were prepared an hour before the Royal Family and their guests arrived at the Palace.
After swearing in the Constitution in the Congress of Deputies and after attending a military parade, the Kings and their daughters took a tour of the Royal Palace. It was the first time that the Heiress and her sister, Infanta Sofía, participated in this type of event, in which they did not stop greeting the thousands of people gathered in the streets.
Princess Leonor greets the people who were waiting for her near the Royal Palace. REAL HOME
Twenty minutes before one o'clock, the Family arrived at the Royal Palace, whose Armory Square were formed by members of the Royal Guard to pay honors.. There were the Command and General Staff, the Spender Squad, the Music Unit, the Command and Staff of the Honors Group, the Monteros de Espinosa Company, the Royal Guard Flag and escort, the Ocean Sea Company, the Plus Squadron Ultra, the Command and Staff of the Escort Group, the Royal Battery and the Motorcycle Section
As the procession passed by, the Honors Section of the Royal Guard, located in the Plaza de la Almudena, fired a salute of twenty-one cannon shots (those corresponding to His Majesty the King), during the interpretation of the national anthem by the Music Unit of the Royal Guard.
Inside, they went to the Carlos III Hall, where the members of the three powers were waiting.. The acting Government was represented by Pedro Sánchez and the ministers who wanted to attend the meeting – all except Ione Belarra, Irene Montero and Alberto Garzón; in addition to the president of the Supreme Court and the General Council of the Judiciary.
There was one of the most emotional moments of the day.. Felipe VI and the Princess of Asturias stood up and stood under the painting of Carlos III painted by Mariano Salvador Maella. Behind them, on a table with light blue velvet, rested the Collar of the Order of Charles III and the resolution of its granting to the Heiress.
After the placement of the necklace by the King, and the words of the Heir, all the guests moved to the Throne room.. There, the Royal Family received the lunch guests in a final, shorter hand kiss, with just over a hundred people.
The Government concentrates the distribution of 3,750 new immigrants in Madrid, Extremadura and Murcia
The Government will concentrate the new distribution of immigrants who have arrived in the Canary Islands aboard cayucos in recent weeks in three communities.. Specifically, the accommodation of around 3,750 people is planned in prefabricated facilities and provisional camps located on military lands in the Carabanchel district of the capital and the town of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Cartagena (Region of Murcia) and Mérida. (Estremadura).
The announcement was made this Tuesday by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá, in the information meeting of at least four hours that he held by videoconference with representatives of the main cities, the president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), María José Pelayo, and with the counselors with powers in social policies to address this unprecedented crisis since 2006. In the month of October alone, more than 13,000 arrivals have been recorded on the coasts of the archipelago.
The forecast is that Madrid will welcome 1,220 immigrants at the Arteaga General Headquarters in Carabanchel next week and another 1,134 at the Primo de Rivera Barracks in Alcalá de Henares within two weeks.. The president of the community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has accused the Government of turning the Canary Islands “into a corridor for the mafias” that profit from migration, which, she has warned, know that “the season is open in Spain.”
In addition, another 800 people will be transferred to an unspecified center in Mérida, whose first phase is already underway, and 600 more to the old Naval Hospital in Cartagena starting next Monday.. In the Ministry of Inclusion they specified that “the search and conditioning work for new spaces continues” in collaboration with Defense that “shortly will result in new available places.”
The urgency of the municipalities and the autonomies that this Tuesday expressed their concern in the videoconference with Escrivá is justified mainly by the constant trickle of boats that arrive, day after day, to the Canary coasts. Yesterday there were 212 immigrants rescued in two cayucos, all near the island of El Hierro, all in good health after having spent about 10 days at sea before being towed to the port of La Restinga.
“Expulsion order”
Sources present at the meeting indicate that the minister explained that unaccompanied minors will stay on the islands, unless their social services cannot care for them, while adults will be transferred to the Peninsula with “an expulsion order.”. The interlocutors of this newspaper showed their reluctance that this document is actually a “letter of return”, which, they point out, “allows the settlement in Spain after two years.”
Although total figures were not provided for the number of immigrants who have been relocated in this crisis, in Catalonia alone since October 14 it amounts to 1,376. The Generalitat has demanded a “clear quota system for distribution between the different territories” and “co-decision” with those that have “the greatest volume of reception.”
The communities, especially those of the PP, continue to demand that the minister call a sectoral immigration conference to address the crisis and be able to make decisions – since this Tuesday's meeting was merely informative – a forum that has not been held for five years. even though it should be done twice a year. The commitment of Escrivá's team is to call it soon.
In-Season Tournament or the new and strange European Cup that begins in the NBA
The desire to create a European-style Cup in the NBA had been coming for a long time. A tournament with which to reward another winning team in addition to the one that takes the ring at the end of June, with the incentive that this represents for fans and players, as a way to break the monotony of the very long and sometimes not very competitive season regular. And, furthermore, as a counterpoint to that increasingly declining show called All Star. So this week, after 77 years of history in the best basketball league in the world, what has been called the In-Season Tournament opens.. So far everything is perfect. But if it comes to finding out how the NBA Cup is resolved, grab a pen and paper.
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Nothing to do, at the moment, with the usual and successful European-style format, invented years ago by the ACB (and copied by the rest of the continental leagues), in which the eight best teams from the first round of the competition meet a weekend in February in a city to quickly determine the Cup champion, del Rey in Spain. As a first point of clarification, we must bear in mind that all the games in the NBA tournament are also part of the league's own season.. That is, they are not exclusive. All except the final, which will be held on December 9 at the T Mobile in Las Vegas.
A few weeks ago, in a meeting with a small group of media taking advantage of the Dallas Mavericks' visit to Madrid, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, Adam Silver's right-hand man, spoke about how the League itself is trying to explain the new concept in the American mentality. , even to those who will be protagonists of it. «There are many groups with which we have had to talk and the players are a critical part. We have learned a lot from them.. 25% of our players were born outside the United States and have played in systems with many competitions per year. “They spoke with the rest of their teammates to explain the benefits,” said the leader, who acknowledged having to “educate the fans.”
The first task is to make everyone notice that these regular season matches that begin this Friday have a double value and a “special meaning.”. That your result also counts for the In-Season Tournament. “These games are going to be presented differently,” Tatum said.. And for this, technology: each of the 30 NBA courts will be personalized, with three lanes and with vibrant and striking colors. In the central circle you can see a large NBA Cup, as well as other details that will help the most clueless fan.. It is also possible that the franchises wear different kits.
Every Tuesday and Friday until November 28 (except on the 7th due to the elections in the United States), the 30 NBA teams, divided into six groups (three per conference) according to the number of victories last year, will play the four matches of the first phase (by draw to play two at home and two as visitors) from which the eight qualifiers will emerge (the six best in each group plus the two best seconds in each conference) to meet in the quarterfinals, November 4 and 5. The four winners will travel to Las Vegas where the semifinals and final (Final Four format) will be played, all in a single match.
And on December 9, the first winner of the In-Season Tourment will be announced, the first to lift a trophy other than the famous Larry O'Brien.. It remains to be seen with what intensity the players will face it and the franchises will get involved, but, for now, the NBA's incentive is also economic.. Each player on the winning team will take home 500,000 dollars, 200,000 for the finalists, 100,000 for playing in the semifinals and half, 50,000 for losing in the quarterfinals.. There will also be an award for the MVP and an All-Tournament Team.
«New traditions take time. But, in all sports, we are seeing innovations, and now is the time for this NBA seasonal tournament,” confessed Adam Silver, about a concept they had been working on for 15 years.. «We thought it was a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it fits perfectly with our game, he admitted.
Silvia Vásquez-Lavado, climbing Everest to escape sexual abuse and alcoholism: "The mountain cured me"
In 2016, Silvia Vásquez-Lavado became the first Peruvian to climb Everest, a milestone for mountaineering in South America, and in 2018 she completed the Seven Summits, the ascent of the highest mountains on each continent.. Her book In the Shadow of the Mountain has been translated into a dozen languages, including Spanish, El embrace of the mountain (Planeta 2023), and will soon become a film with Selena Gómez as the protagonist. Today the mountaineer lives from the conferences she gives around the world, runs her own NGO called Courageous Girls and is especially known in the United States, where she previously worked as a director of multinationals such as eBay and Paypal.. All that shines at the top. But… What was in the chasm?
«My story is a vulnerable story, a very intimate story. It is a story of survival,” he confesses to EL MUNDO in a telephone conversation from San Francisco, where he lives, and the narrative begins..
Vásquez-Lavado suffered sexual abuse from the ages of six to nine by an acquaintance of his family in Lima and in the following decades, although he went to study at Millersville University in Pennsylvania with a Fulbright scholarship, although he achieved success among Silicon Valley companies with positions of responsibility, the trauma of that violence haunted him. Alcoholism threatened his professional career and even his life, with several hospital admissions.. Until he stepped on the mountain.
What happened? It was medicine for me. In a vision [of ayahuasca, which he used as part of his psychological therapy] I saw the mountains and a girl who took me to walk through them.. At that time I had no interest in the mountains, but I decided to go trekking to Everest Base Camp.. That was 18 years ago and today the mountain still continues to teach me.
In 2005, at the age of 41 and after his first trip to the foot of the highest mountain in the world, Vásquez-Lavado embarked on a career as a mountaineer that took him to Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Vinson before returning to Everest in 2016 and trampling its summit. «I did it for myself and with a lot of respect for the mountains. Everest is a relic, we must respect it. At that time I had no intention of telling my story, of explaining myself in public, quite the opposite,” Vásquez-Lavado admits about his writing process..
The writing process
Suddenly, in 2020, during confinement, he found himself facing the harshest loneliness and, with his stability and sobriety at stake, he put his heart into it: he wrote his biography. «The pain, the shame, the fear…. I experienced very strong emotions in the writing process. I have not seen a mountain higher than that. I had the support of my therapist, but it was still a very painful process. Luckily, afterwards I felt a liberation, a lightness, a reconciliation with myself. Today I see the book as a blessing,” says the mountaineer.
In the book he narrates very difficult episodes, especially from childhood. Many women thank me for explaining it this way. There are abuse survivors who tell me that my current life gives them hope for their own situations. The book is complicated when I tell about my childhood, but I also talk about my addiction in a strong way and I have received comments about it. Many professionals see themselves reflected. I worked very hard, I had many goals, but I also destroyed myself and at that time, going in and out of clinics, my book would have helped me a lot. The shame he felt, so strong, would have subsided.
Today Vásquez-Lavado, who in recent years has overcome a brain tumor, plans to return to Everest accompanied by a young Nepalese woman she met in 2016 and, if possible, with a chain that begins at Nuptse and ends at Lhotse, the Triple Crown. As he travels the world thanks to the success of his book, he prepares his ego for the popularity that the film will bring him and continues giving lectures and more lectures. He is at the top years after knowing the chasm.
Alcaraz crashes against Safiullin in Paris-Bercy
Carlos Alcaraz, very imprecise under the roof of the Palais Omnisports, fell to Roman Safiullin in the second round of the Paris Masters 1000, which complicates his fight for world number one against Novak Djokovic. This is the first defeat of the course for Alcaraz in his first match in a tournament and with it he jeopardizes a good part of his chances of finishing the year at the top of the ranking.. [Narrative and statistics (6-3, 6-4)]
Alcaraz's last defeat in a Masters 1000 debut dated back to August 2022, when he lost to Tommy Paul in Montreal (6-3, 4-6, 6-3).
The match was full of inaccuracies on both sides, although the Russian almost always dictated the rhythm, aggressive with the serve, confident when the first ones came in, setting a rhythm to which Alcaraz joined uncomfortably, against the current, unable to break the cadence. Safiullin missed and hit, a slow player, but with lethal strikes, who saw how the ball accompanied him just as in the first round against Alexandre Muller.
Alcaraz, with the titles of Indian Wells and Madrid in the Masters 1000 field, has reached the end of the course and if last week he skipped the appointment with Basel due to physical problems, he arrived in the French capital warning that he did not feel fit. one hundred by one hundred.
Failing and without arguments
The latest results had already set off alarm bells and the worst omens were confirmed in a match that, on paper, they should have won, but in which they were not able to leave their mark.. The Russian was playing the lottery and Alcaraz was barely able to respond to his barrages, failing and without arguments to trigger doubts in the rival camp.
And he began by leading in both sets, immediately breaking the serve of his opponent, who reacted quickly in both cases, recovered it immediately and returned the blow each time, leaving the Murcian without the ability to react.
Alcaraz begins to write at the 1,000 Masters in Paris the same black legend that persecuted Rafa Nadal for years. In 2021, he left crying after his defeat against Hugo Gaston, who managed to overcome a 5-0 loss to the joy of an out-of-control audience.. Last year, abdominal problems forced him to retire in the quarterfinals against Holger Rune, the eventual champion.
The dreams of greatness of the Regional clubs: "We are from the village, but here everyone is going crazy"
Almost eight years have had to pass since that fateful night of Real Madrid in Cádiz, with improper alignment of Denis Cherishev, for Rafa Benítez to direct again in the Copa del Rey. The veteran coach will guide Celta today against Turégano CF, a rival that plays in the sixth division of Spanish football, with an annual budget of 70,000 euros, approximately what he earns in a week. For its part, the Segovian club, pride of a town of 978 inhabitants, will mobilize 3,500 fans to the La Albuera stadium, in the provincial capital.. And the illusion of Turégano CF, like that of the other 15 modest teams that face First Division rivals, is not weighed with money.
«Our footballers do not get paid. Only when there is something in the box are they paid for the training mileage expense,” explains Luis Peromingo, president of Turégano, a club with 400 members.. Today, each of them will pay 10 euros for their location. The rest, until the capacity is full, will pay 20. These are figures in line with the simple nature of the team, promoted to Regional in June 2019, accustomed to playing on a field that does not now meet the minimum requirements demanded by the Federation.. From there the 35 km transfer to Segovia. A more than usual journey for Paco Maroto, his coach, who combines the board with his work as an official in the Provincial Council.
“My job in the last few hours has been to take the edge off the issue and convince my players to enjoy the game and not get stiff,” says the coach, aware that neither he nor his players can completely ignore the wave of affection that they have received for three weeks at home and at work. «Of course I have reviewed videos of Celta's last game in Girona. And out of respect for the people who follow us, we are going to try to compete, to try to tickle them,” Maroto advances.
Turégano, land of cereal and pig farms, will experience a massive displacement to the capital today. “I hope someone stays to watch,” Maroto jokes, before adopting a more solemn tone.. «Since we eliminated Santurtzi in the previous round I never thought that this would reach such a dimension, but the way in which the Cup puts modest football on the map is very beautiful. We know that the lights are going to go off on Thursday, but living this moment is beautiful. “I tell the kids to enjoy it, because they may not experience it again in their entire lives.”
30 hours from Bari
That same feeling of facing an unrepeatable experience was felt a few weeks ago by Diego Orihuela, Atlético de Lugones footballer.. A final year student of Teaching, the young winger found out about his team's classification in Bari, where he is studying an Erasmus. «I connected to an internet radio. My colleagues were also informing me through a WhatsApp group.. Shortly after the referee whistled, I already had the idea of how to square it so I could come,” Orihuela details.. Since then, his journey consisted of six hours by bus from Bari to Rome, a night sleeping on the floor of the Fiumicino airport, a stopover in Palma de Mallorca, where he still had to wait 11 hours and the long-awaited landing in Oviedo, last Saturday at eleven at night.
«In total, 30 hours since I left home, with 110 euros for the flight, plus another 25 for the buses. In short, a somewhat bizarre experience,” he concedes, with a smile.. «In addition, the coach never told me that he was going to give me minutes. I suppose that the rest of my colleagues who work daily deserve it more than me,” concludes Orihuela, who only played in the first three days of the league.
The tie against Rayo Vallecano will be lived intensely in Lugones, a dormitory city of 17,000 inhabitants, on the outskirts of Oviedo. “These are frenetic hours, on the verge of overflowing,” acknowledges Daniel Álvarez, vice president of Atlético. «I work as a commercial agent, but since we entered the Cup I have not been able to make a single visit. The president, who runs a transport company, also spends almost 12 hours a day with the club. All for the rewarding amount of zero euros. Although you already know: scabies gladly doesn't itch..
The Atlético de Lugones changing room tunnel.
Founded in 1905, decades before Real Oviedo, Atlético Lugones is currently active in the Primera AsturFutbol, formerly Regional Preferente. It has 250 registered members, with an annual fee of 75 euros, plus another 200 subscribers, a group made up of the parents of the kids from the quarry.. Its annual budget is around 190,000 euros, although this opportunity to measure forces against Radamel Falcao or Raúl de Tomás has tightened its balance sheet even more.. «We are going to be able to use our artificial grass for the first time, but if it is not done by the City Council we would have to have gone outside. There are a multitude of logistical requirements, from the power of the lights to the conditioning of the locker rooms, not to mention the extra stands, which will cost around 12,000 euros,” says Álvarez.. Students, bank employees and electricians share a locker in their booth.. None of them have a payroll or a federation contract.. Only an aid of 100 euros per month for travel. «Whoever scores more goals earns a little more, I'm not going to lie to you. We are a youth club, like there are so many,” confesses the manager.
Working with children is much more difficult in Tardienta, a town in Huesca with 960 inhabitants, due to a strict demographic issue.. And according to data from the Aragonese Institute of Statistics, corresponding to 2022, 28.5% of its population is 65 years old or older. Six points above the average in Aragon. «We are a village team, where one year some footballers leave us and the next another come. There are four guys who hit the ball and that's it,” summarizes José Luis Herrero, president of Getafe's rival.
We finished third in the league, but our entire team left.
Life is simple in Tardienta, where the Cinca canal embraces the Monegros canal. Its neighbors, farmers and modest self-employed people, live oblivious to that hustle and bustle of half a century ago, when the railway electrification industry and a flour company attracted workers from other regions.. Since then, its population has decreased by up to half.. Today, at least, they have a doctor's office, a pharmacy, two shops, four bars…. And a team that honorably raises the banner of the modest.
«Last year was incredible. We finished third in the league, but our entire team left. The coach had already warned us that it would be his last year and we asked the players until the last minute about their intentions.. Finally, except for two, the rest left for Robres,” explains Herrero, in reference to the exodus to the neighboring town.. «The games are exhausted by the arbitration expenses and the salaries of the technicians, which are around 600 euros per month, plus the physio who is separate. “We give the boys 10 euros per point,” the manager says.. Today, after eight league days, Robres leads the table and Tardienta occupies the red lantern of Group 1 of the Aragonese Preferred Regional. With only one victory, each footballer has barely earned 50 euros.
The extra stands, in the Municipal of Chiclana.
Without a heated locker room, without a press room, without facilities for anti-doping control, without a distance of three and a half meters between the side line and the fence, the Santa Quiteria Municipal Field could not host the visit of the azulones either.. For this reason, today's duel will be played in El Alcoraz, home of SD Huesca. The transfer, barely 25 km, will be a party for the 219 club members, who will pay 10 euros at the box office, five less than a conventional location. «Since we achieved the pass, the town has been going crazy, revolutionized by so much emotion. “I have been saying for years that we are going to be late,” Herrero predicts.
A different idiosyncrasy
This wave of enthusiasm runs through the rest of the geography. From Lepe, where its San Roque crosses Girona today at noon, to Hernán Cortés, a town in Badajoz that will focus on the tie against Betis. However, in terms of enthusiasm, it is difficult to compare with what is happening in Chiclana, which celebrates its 75th anniversary by hosting Villarreal. “We have always defined ourselves as very humble, playing in the Third Division, but we are also a club with a lot of tradition,” says Juan Luis Rojo, its president.
Since its founding, names of a certain tronio have paraded through the small city of Cádiz.. “David Vidal played his last years here,” Rojo begins, referring to the former Cádiz and Logroñés coach.. The list of illustrious figures also includes Manolito, former striker for the yellow club, Jesús Casas, current Iraq coach and former assistant to Luis Enrique in the national team, and Moisés Arteaga, whose left foot fell in love with Espanyol fans.. «Both Vidal and Arteaga live here most of the year. Moisés has confirmed to us that he will watch the game live.”
On the margins of the salt flats, faith in the future must be added to the richness of the past. «Our idiosyncrasy is different. Since we started the project we decided to grow with people from the quarry. Now we have about 1,000 children,” emphasizes the manager.. To date, only three members of the first team have not trained in the youth teams. «Our rivals recruit more people from outside and have very few from home. We are going the other way around, like Athletic Bilbao,” he concludes.