Tag Archives: french

How does Mexico treat its illegals?

By Larry Elder We can't infringe upon the right of people to move freely within our territory,” said Mexican President Vicente Fox during President George W. Bush's recent visit. Earlier, Fox said he stood by the statement he previously made to the BBC: “I dare say that in 10 years, the U.S. will be begging, will be pleading with Mexico to send it workers.” Does Mexico practice what it preaches? First, Mexico put its military and police forces on its porous, zigzagged, mountainous, crime-ridden southern border with Guatemala. Chiapas – the South Carolina-sized southern Mexican state that shares the longest border with Guatemala – is Mexico's poorest, most illiterate state. About Chiapas, one United Nations human rights commissioner said, “Mexico is one of the countries where illegal immigrants are highly vulnerable to human rights violations and become victims of degrading sexual exploitation and slavery-like practices, and are denied access to education and health care.” Typically, when Mexican authorities catch illegal aliens, they place them overnight in a detention center, then bus or fly them back to their country of origin. Despite the fact that Mexico militarized its border and deported 203,128 illegal immigrants in 2004, many illegals get through by bribing corrupt military and police. Do Mexicans appreciate the way America has allowed so many poor, Mexican illegals to enter the United States? No. According to a recent Zogby poll, 73 percent of Mexicans call Americans “racist”! When asked whether the United States' wealth comes from freedom and “plenty of opportunity to work,” 70 percent of Americans agreed, while only 22 percent of Mexicans agreed. Sixty-two percent of Mexicans said America became wealthy because “it exploits others' wealth.” While Americans, according to the poll, see Mexicans as hard-working (78 percent), Mexicans think of Americans as racist, intolerant and not very hard-working. Racist? Mexico should look in the mirror. According to the Houston Chronicle's Rachel Graves, around the turn of the 17th century, Mexico imported more African slaves than anywhere else in the New World. As a result, tens of thousands of blacks (no one knows for sure – the Mexican census does not recognize them) live in Mexico, mostly in destitute villages in its poorest states. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 blacks live in Costa Chica. How do they fare? According to the Houston Chronicle, many are illiterate, struggling to get a decent education for their children from government schools. One Costa Chica missionary says, “The kids here are considered by their teachers to be largely unteachable.” When stopped by the police, Mexican blacks are often instructed to sing the Mexican national anthem to prove their citizenship! If so many Mexicans consider Americans racist, why do polls show that nearly half of Mexico's inhabitants say that their lives would improve if they could work here illegally? Intolerant? America legally accepts about 1 million immigrants per year, with perhaps as many as 12 million people living here illegally, about half of whom come from Mexico. Many estimate that 500,000 or more people enter the country illegally every year. California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is Hispanic. So is the man who holds the powerful position of speaker of the California Assembly. Los Angeles, America's second-largest city, has a Hispanic mayor, and of the 54 members of California's congressional delegation, nine are Hispanic. The former governor of California once proposed granting driver's licenses to illegals. And in California, under some circumstances, an illegal alien can apply for the cheaper in-state college tuition. Many predict the Hispanic governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, former Clinton Cabinet member, will run for president. Not very hard-working? According to the International Labor Organization, Americans work more than almost anybody in the developed world, including Japan. The average American worked 1,824 hours in 2004, compared with the Spanish at 1,799 and the French at 1,441 hours. The Dutch put in even less – working 25 percent fewer hours than Americans. President Bush, against the wishes of many in his own party as well of half of all Americans, makes the reasonable case for a guest worker program that would allow or provide some sort of legal status for those living here illegally. Latino “activists” do that cause harm by staging protests and waving the Mexican flag and demanding their “rights.” For example, Juan Jose Gutierrez of Latino Movement USA says, “We think that the right thing to do is to grant full rights, full equality, under the laws in the Constitution of the United States, to all immigrants, period.” Americans raise legitimate concerns about the competition illegals pose to unskilled labor, and that illegals cut in front of people already waiting in line to get in the country legally. Americans resent expenditures for illegals on education and health care, and problems posed by some who commit additional crime in America. Illegals' attitude of entitlement helps to explain the growing anger Americans feel toward illegal aliens. Students leaving high schools, waving Mexican flags and chanting “Si se puede” do their “cause” – no favor. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49620 added by: nowherefast

Lindsay Lohan — Parlez-Vous Party Time?

Filed under: Lindsay Lohan , Celebrity Justice Lindsay Lohan should’ve spent the last few nights trying to get her ass back to the U.S. — here’s what she was doing instead … TMZ obtained several photos showing LiLo fully immersing herself in the French party scene within the last few nights. Hope… Read more

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Lindsay Lohan — Parlez-Vous Party Time?

Should Lindsay Lohan Pull a Polanski?

A judge in L.A. today issued a warrant for Lindsay Lohan’s arrest when the starlet failed to show for a mandatory “DUI progress-report hearing.” By now Lohan’s excuse is relatively well-known: She was visiting Cannes and, er, her passport was stolen. Her team says she’s spent the last few days working with the State Department to get a replacement (the U.S. Embassy in France denies this ), while French authorities say she never even reported the original stolen in the first place. As a result of the warrant, says the U.S. Customs Agency, Lohan will be arrested when attempting to reenter the country. Which of course raises the question: Why even bother coming home?

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Should Lindsay Lohan Pull a Polanski?

Michelle Williams Sports Pixie Cut for Blue Valentine

Michelle Williams, an American actress who rose to stardom after her stint in teen series Dawson’s Creek, joins other Hollywood actresses who now sports the pixie cut fever. Among the actresses are Jessica Stroup, Renée Zellweger, and Hayden Panettiere. Williams is currently at Cannes promoting her film Blue Valentine, a romance-drama film who was directed by Derek Ciafrance. She showed off a freshly cropped, blonde pixie with long side-swept bangs at the French film festival today. Williams wore short hair before. She had famously chopped her locks into a dramatic Mia Farrow-esque do in 2007, the 29-year-old’s new lighter, brighter neck-baring style is a marked change from the honey-colored, collarbone-grazing waves that she’s been sporting recently. The indie film darling is reportedly in talks to play Marilyn Monroe. Could this be an indication that she would play Monroe? Michelle Williams Sports Pixie Cut for Blue Valentine is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading

Supermodel Carmen Kass Hot Photos

Carmen Kass was born in Tallinn, Estonia[ and grew up in Mäo village, near Paide, the capital of Järva Count] Carmen Kass moved to Paris at the age of eighteen and soon received exposure by appearing on the covers of French and American Vogue, Australian Elle, UK Image, Madame Figaro, and French Numéro. Her career was launched by Anna Wintour and by 1999, Kass was walking the runway for designers such as Shiatzy Chen ,Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Dolce

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Supermodel Carmen Kass Hot Photos

‘Robin Hood’: Ye Olde Bait-And-Switch, By Kurt Loder

Russell Crowe in search of Sherwood Forest. By Kurt Loder Russell Crowe in “Robin Hood” Photo: Universal Pictures Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” is brilliant, in a way. Faced with the fact that filmmakers have been cranking out pictures about the scalawag of Sherwood Forest for more than a hundred years now, the director and his writers must have pondered at length how to put a unique spin on the oft-told tale. Their brainstorm: Don’t tell it. Scott’s movie, very oddily, is actually a prequel — a sort of origin story for a better Robin Hood movie that doesn’t exist. Maybe brilliant isn’t the word. So Robin Hood fans hoping for some of the dash and wit of the classic films that starred Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn should set their expectation meters to Off. The simple pleasure of a few acrobatic hours with Robin and his Merry Men — and the Sheriff of Nottingham, chubby Friar Tuck, evil Prince John and the lovely Maid Marion — is not forthcoming. True, there is a Sheriff of Nottingham loitering around the edges of the action; and also some men called Little John, Will Scarlet and Allan A’Dayle, although they’re not very merry. Mark Addy’s mead-sipping Friar Tuck is a fairly lively character, but Prince John, played here by Oscar Isaac, is an unthreatening buffoon, and Marion, played by Cate Blanchett, is hardly the elegant beauty of lore — at one point we get a closeup of her washing clots of mud off her bare feet. Russell Crowe, in his fifth collaboration with Scott, dispenses with Robin’s traditional tights and feathered cap, which is not a great loss; but he also dispenses with the character’s traditional high spirits, which is. In fact, the Robin cobbled together by writers Brian Helgeland, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris isn’t even the jaunty rogue nobleman of earlier versions of the story; here, he’s just a glum yeoman called Robin Longstride, a loyal archer in the service of good King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). As the movie opens, in 1199, Richard and his weary men are returning from the latest Crusade in the Holy Lands. They’re plundering their way through France en route to England, where Richard’s conniving brother, Prince John, has his eye on the royal crown. John is planning to dump his current princess and marry sultry young Isabella of Angoul

‘Robin Hood’ Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

We take you inside Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s reinvention of the folk hero. By Eric Ditzian “Robin Hood” Photo: Universal Their collaborations have taken them across the globe and through the fabric of time, from ancient Rome to French wine country to the drug-filled streets of ’70s-era New York to the hidden world of government espionage. Back and forth, back and forth Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott have gone with “Gladiator,” “A Good Year,” “American Gangster” and “Body of Lies.” For their fifth movie together, they’re headed back in time again — way back to the 12th century. It’s in this time period — a moment during which England was undergoing often violent social, political and economic upheaval — that they choose to set “Robin Hood,” a sort of origin story of the folkloric champion of the common man. MTV News has been following this project from its origins as well, bringing you development updates, casting news, trailers, clips and interviews with the cast and crew. Now that the film is due in theaters on Friday (May 14), we bring you everything you need to know about “Robin Hood” with another edition of MTV News’ big-screen cheat sheet. From ‘Nottingham’ to the ‘Hood’ Back in summer 2007, Scott had plans for a film called “Nottingham” that would feature the iconic sheriff facing off against a Robin Hood cast as the bad guy. “L.A. Confidential” writer Brian Helgeland was tapped to write the screenplay. Producer Brian Grazer called it the ” ‘Gladiator’ version of Robin Hood” and cast Crowe as the sheriff. A year later, the project took a wacky turn, when Scott told MTV News that Crowe would be playing both the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood . But wait! Months later Grazer told us that Crowe would play a version of Robin who takes over the identity of Nottingham after he dies early in the film. But … but … wait! By February 2009, the project had shifted again. It was now called “Robin Hood” and would tell its story strictly from that title character’s point of view. Got it? Crowe is Robin and he faces off against Nottingham, just as the folklore tells us. Populating Sherwood Forest With the plot specifics locked down, Scott began to build the rest of his cast. Cate Blanchett signed on to play Robin’s love interest, Maid Marion. Mark Strong was cast as one of the king’s enforcers, William Hurt came onboard as a legendary knight named the 1st Earl of Pembroke, and Danny Huston became the nefarious King John. Filming kicked off in late March 2009, and by the end of the year, the first trailer popped up online. It was filled with plenty of creepily dark forests, an eerie soundtrack and a sneak peek at some truly badass action scenes. The scope of the movie was clearly enormous. A second trailer — showcasing more action and a heady dose of storytelling — dropped online in March. We also found out the film would open the 63rd Cannes Film Festival . Meet Your New Folk Hero Before Crowe and Scott took their film to the Mediterranean, we got a look at a slew of fresh clips: the King’s ill-advised taxation scheme , Robin’s introduction of his blushing new bride , a nighttime ambush in the forest , a peek into Robin’s childhood and one wicked horse-and-sword battle scene . The director and actor also sat down with MTV News to take us inside the process of creating their fresh take on the well-known Robin Hood story. “I just wouldn’t have done it if it were a conventional take,” Crowe told us . “There’s no need for anyone in the world to see that series of clich

Cam’ron And Vado Talk Boss Of All Bosses 2.5, ‘Speakin Tongues’

‘The song is about partying, living the Harlem life,’ Vado tells Mixtape Daily of his breakthrough single. By Shaheem Reid with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes Cam’ron and Vado, “Boss Of All Bosses 2.5” Photo: Gangsta Grillz Don’t Sleep: Necessary Notables Headliners : Cam’ron and Vado Co-Starring : DJ Drama Mixtape : Boss of All Bosses 2.5 Songs We Can’t Stop Playing : “Speakin Tongues,” “I Don’t Believe N—as” (featuring Fabolous) and “Amberlamps” Essential Info : If you haven’t heard Vado’s “Speakin Tongues” yet, find the MP3 on the Net or go to the club tonight. The record is going to be a summer anthem. The Cam’ron-assisted cut could be the young Harlem spitter’s breakthrough single. “I don’t know what nobody thought,” Cam laughed last weekend in Atlanta when asked about the song. “It’s me. This is what I do for a living. But shout to Vado. It’s his record. He got the beat and all that. I was like, ‘Nah, we gotta put that out immediately.’ ” “The song is about partying, living the Harlem life. Ballin’. You already know,” Vado added. Everyone is talking about that long-awaited Diplomats reunion , which Cam and Jim Jones are still trying to work out now, but Killa isn’t waiting. He’s still focused on his new clique. “Let me break it down: We’re the U.N. That’s the name of the team,” Cam described. “The U.N. is ‘Us Now.’ We got an album coming out in August that’s gonna be stupid. Vado’s solo joint, look towards December [for that one]. But I want everybody to be focused on that U.N. album, ’cause when that comes out, it’s gonna be bananas. Stupid. This August. [‘Speakin Tongues’], this is the first single off of it.” As of now, the U.N. is officially just Killa and Vado; they have three other artists who are down with them but not signed. Cam and company have 10 videos coming to the Web in the next several days, including “Ooh Baby” “Large in the Streets” and “Stop It Five.” Vado is going to put out his solo mixtape with DJ Drama, Slime Flu, soon, and that brings us the business at hand: Boss of All Bosses 2.5. “At first, it was like the lost tapes. Tracks that were throwaways, then we added more flavor to it,” Vado explained. “What happened with the 2.5, ” Cam clarified, “we gave Drama maybe 25 songs [for Boss of All Bosses 2 ]. He was like, ‘You might as well come back with 2.5 in two weeks.’ But we were doing so much new music, we might as well call it 4.8. It’s crazy. It’s about 20 songs.” Other Heat This Week

Cannes Notebook: Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett Lead an All-Star Cast at Robin Hood Premiere

There was a lot of merrymaking—not to mention stargazing—going on as the 63rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival got under way today along the French Riviera. Kicking off…

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Cannes Notebook: Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett Lead an All-Star Cast at Robin Hood Premiere

Fashion Face-Off: Victoria Beckham vs. Rihanna

Who will prevail in a fierce fashionista showdown of Parisian proportions? We have no idea what that even means, but what we do know is that Victoria Beckham and Rihanna both look fabulous in Burberry trenches – both worn in Paris no less! The designer and wife of David Beckham was spotted in hers recently, while the touring singer wore the same, but toughened it up a bit during a visit to the French city. Who looked better in it? Take a look at the photos below and vote … Who looked better in their belted trench?

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Fashion Face-Off: Victoria Beckham vs. Rihanna