21-CENTURY PANEM ET CIRCENSES:

Ever since ancient Rome, emperors and kings have relied on bread and games to keep their people content.
Nowadays, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain, is having a hard time satisfying the public’s economic demands as he struggles to reduce a mountain of debt and unemployment that has soared to 20 percent.

So he is putting his hopes in the World Cup that begins in South Africa this week, where Spain is one of the two favorites to win.