Voices en Español

It’s January 1, the first day of a new year. What better time to look back at the year just ended.

The Associated Press put together a list of notable quotes from 2007. Some of them you probably already know but others maybe be new to you.

“¿Por qué no te callas?” — King Juan Carlos to Hugo Chávez during a summit in Chile. Without a doubt, the phrase of the year.

“El único tema en la campaña electoral (en Estados Unidos) es saber quién es el más bravucón, el más macho, para ser más antimexicano” — Felipe Calderón, president of Mexico, talking about the 2008 presidential election in the United States.

“Es una victoria de mierda.“ — Hugo Chávez, again. His reaction to the opposition in Venezuela successfully getting the votes for a referendum seeking constitutional reforms.

“(El presidente George W.) Bush ha instrumentado poderosas y costosas superestructuras de inteligencia… que llevan la guerra, la injusticia, el hambre y la muerte a cualquier parte del planeta” — Fidel Castro, recuperating from an illness.

“Magnífico, ahora sí voy a trabajar menos“ — Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel and part-time leader of Cuba. He said this after his sick brother finally appeared on tv to show the world that yes, he was indeed still alive.

“Tal vez a Judith le falta un apatukamiento” — Nicanor Duarte, president of Paraguay, about Judith Andrawsko, his minister of social work. The word “apatukamiento” supposedly means to get laid in the indigenous guaraní language. ^sarcasm on^What a classy guy.^sarcasm off

“Dios no existe y si existe no sirve para un carajo” — Colombian writer Fernando Vallejo doesn’t hold back in an interview promoting his latest book, “The Whore of Babylon.” (La puta de Babilonia).