Thursday, May 24, 2012

European socialism in all its glory

Miners on strike stand in front of a burning barricade on the A-6 motorway, on the second day of a strike to protest the government's spending cuts in the mining sector, in El Montico, near Oviedo, northern Spain, May 24, 2012. Spain's economy is contracting for the second time since late 2009 and four years of stagnation and recession have pushed unemployment above 24 percent, the highest rate in the European Union. (Reuters Pictures)

A 'to rent' the building sign hangs by a mannequin outside a closed shop in Athens on May 24, 2012. European Union leaders pledge to keep debt-wracked Greece in the eurozone as officials behind the scenes nonetheless consider contingency plans in case of an exit. (Getty Images)