Apparently, in Spain, photographs of Prime Minister Zapatero's daughters, Laura, 16, and Alba, 13, are not published. The Prime Minister and his wife, Sonsoles, want to keep their children out of the public eye. Zapatero is the head of government, and not the head of state. The Spanish Royal family is Spain's First Family. But imagine the PM's surprise, when he realized that a family photo taken with President and Mrs. Obama in New York, was released to the media by the State Department. The Prime Minister did not know that the President of the USA has an official photographer who records the President's official and non-official business. Official photographs are made available to the media. This was considered an official photograph. The Obamas have requested, for example, that the media not photograph their children when Sasha and Malia are not with their parents. The local media here in DC is largely respectful of this, but even the President of the United States cannot prevent a photographer snapping a photo of the children. News editors would not be able to pixielate the faces of the children, which was done to Laura and Alba in Spain. The Spanish Prime Minister did ask for the photograph to be removed from the official site, and the request was granted. The photograph did not break any US laws, so here it is for all to see. Perhaps someone tell the Zapatero girls that Goth is no longer "in." Nor is a goth ensemble appropriate for meeting world leaders. Those black velvet dresses would have looked a lot better if the boots and dark stockings were left back at the hotel. The outfits could have been enhanced by light-colored pantyhose and black ballet slippers or black pumps. The accessories could have included simple jewelery. One can only assume that the parents may have had a battle or two with their hormonal teens (which would not be unusual.) Goth is neither stylish or attractive. The overall appearance is comparable to getting up on the wrong side of the bed, and never being happy. Perhaps one day, Laura and Alba will look back on their youthful clothing indiscretion, and realize that yes, they should have listened to their mother and father. Perhaps, too, they will have discovered true elegance and style with Ralph Lauren. Mom should have taken the girls to Macy's junior department, which has a nice selection of suitable clothes. http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=28566&AdID=508334&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=16904&PageID=122690406319739&cm_re=59.2.5-_-JUNIORSMAINAD- On Sunday night, President and Mrs. Obama, and their two daughters, along with the President's half-sister and her family, went on an evening tour of the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument. Photographs of the visit, which was not official, have been published in many American newspapers. The faces of the children have not been blacked out.