Archive for May, 2006
Chile’s Bachelet focuses on social issues
11:20 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Chile|Politics · 3 Comments
23 May 2006
Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president who was elected in March and is the first woman to hold this office in South America, addressed the nation yesterday from Valparaiso to announce some of the initiatives of her administration. It’s clear that Bachelet’s focus is on effecting change in the areas of Chilean society where it is most needed. She plans to take profits from Chile’s booming copper industry and invest funds into social programs for the poor, secured pensions, education and other initiatives.However, Bachelet is being cautious about how she allocates the estimated 11 billion dollars in revenue, stating:
“Latin America’s history is full of examples of how wealth created in good times was poorly administered, and how things would end in crisis,” said President Bachelet, making special reference to Chile’s own “boom” more than a century ago when saltpeter mining in the north created tremendous wealth for the country. “The price of copper today creates an opportunity for us, but it is also a challenge,” she said.
A Recent History of English Only
10:47 am By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism|Controversia|language · Comments Off
23 May 2006
Talk about a flip-flopper, well at least when it serves him. According to an article posted on AlterNet today, President Bush has gone back and forth on the English only issue, not surprisingly, how he leans depends on what result he’s looking for.
In September 1999, then Texas Governor George Bush told an audience during the New Hampshire presidential primary, “English-only would mean to people ‘me, not you’.”
Now that Bush is facing sliding approval ratings and criticism from fellow Republicans on his postion on immigration, he’s all about English.
Top 10 Companies for Latinos
23 May 2006
Are you looking to move into a new company or maybe you just want to know where your current company stands in terms of Latinos in the higher ranks. Yesterday Diversity Inc. released its Top 10 Companies for Latinos. The rankings were based on CEO commitment commitment to hire, retain and promote top Latino talent. According to the website:
The boards of directors at the Top 10 for Latinos are on average 6.9 percent Latino, compared with 5 percent for the Top 50 and less than 2 percent nationally (Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility).
So what companies made the Top 10? The companies include telecommunications companies like Cingular Wireless, AT&T, and Verizon Communications/Wireless as well as top banks/financial institutions like HSBC, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup.
Via / DiversityInc.
“OTM” immigrants “make like Mexicans”
3:26 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Brazil|Guatemala|Immigration|mexico · 1 Comment
22 May 2006
Last week we told you that not everyone crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. is necessarily a Mexican immigrant. Via The Latin Americanist, Reuters reports on the phenomenon of “OTM” (“other than Mexican”) immigrants claiming to be Mexican in order to be deported to Mexico, rather than their home countries:
Non-Mexican Hispanics entering the United States illegally are studying up on Mexican history and geography, even learning to whistle the national anthem, to beat U.S. plans to fly them home.
Stop right there. Is this working? If so, we’ve got some dumb Border Patrol officials on the beat.
…so-called Other Than Mexican, or OTM, illegal immigrants mostly from Central America, are increasingly being flown back hundreds of miles to their home countries, which can effectively end their dream of entering the United States to earn a better life.So, many pretend to be Mexicans.
JLo depressed when she sees Ben?
2:46 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|Chismes · 3 Comments
22 May 2006
Celeb blog The Bosh reports that JLo isn’t indifferent to her ex Ben Affleck now that she’s married to Marc Anthony. In fact, it seems she gets a bit melancholy when she sees Ben and his new family:
Jennifer Lopez has confessed that seeing her ex-Ben Affleck with his family makes her depressed.The Latino star admitted the thought of Ben and Jennifer Garner and their new baby makes her sick reports Female First UK.
Jennifer told Britain’s Star magazine: “Just raising the subject depresses me.”
The Latin beauty – who has made no secret of her desire to have children with husband Marc Anthony – is reportedly pregnant. Lopez is due to give birth around Christmas, a source told America’s In Touch magazine.
JLo pregnant? How’d we miss that one?
Whether it’s true is anyone’s guess, but las malas lenguas don’t seem to quit. Some are calling her “Grey Lo” because apparently she hasn’t been keeping her dye job all that well maintained. God, give a girl a break.
Via / The Bosh
Bush even less popular among Latinos
1:35 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics · Comments Off
22 May 2006
Thought he was unpopular before? Latino approval ratings are down for Bush and his party, according to the non-partisan Latino Coalition:
A poll of U.S. Latino voters finds the immigration reform debate has given the Democratic Party a three to one edge over Republicans.
The poll of 800 Hispanic voters conducted by the nonpartisan Latino Coalition showed the Democratic Party a 50 percent to 17 percent favorite in handling the divisive immigration issue.
The margin was narrower for President George W. Bush, giving Democrats a 45 to 22 percent advantage.
The Washington Post reports the poll shows gains the Republican Party made in the Hispanic voting bloc have largely been eroded by hard-line talk on illegal immigration.
Add to that growing discontent among his base and in-fighting within his party and things aren’t looking too good for Dubya, whose approval ratings are at their lowest, 31%. As if that weren’t bad enough, ratings in Bush-friendly Florida are pretty bad as well: 61% of Floridians disapprove of how Bush is handling his job.
Via / UPI.com and Hispanic Tips
Private Companies Love an Immigration Crackdown
11:54 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Immigration|Justice · Comments Off
22 May 2006
It’s not just law and order Republicans who will gain with tougher immigration policies. Those that fund them, big corporations, are keeping their fingers crossed that tight immigration polices will keep them living large. According to an article on AlterNet today:
The United States Marshals Service, for example, is now soliciting bids from private companies to build, own, and operate a 2,800-bed detention facility near Laredo. The “superjail,” as it has come to be called, will serve the federal criminal court in downtown Laredo, which is loaded up with immigration-related cases in what the Marshals Service calls an “emergency [detention] situation.” The $100-million superjail is expected to be one of the largest private detention centers in the nation, and will join a growing chain of county and local jails and private detention facilities all over Texas that coordinate with federal agencies to hold immigrants — some destined for trials or hearings, others for deportation.
Via / AlterNet
Beto Cuevas Goes Solo Not in English Only
8:52 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Music · 2 Comments
22 May 2006
I have a thing for Chilenos and an even bigger cosita for Chilean rockeros. Rockeros la Ley broke my heart with their “break” but it looks like there is something to look forward to yet. Beto Cuevas, vocalist for the band, is set to release a solo album next year, 2007. The album, is said to contain tracks in three different languages, English, Spanish, and French because we don’t need no stinkin’ English only.
Via / Rockero.com
The White House has trouble with “English”
8:40 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · language|Politics · 2 Comments
19 May 2006
Lots of buzz around the topic of the English as the official language of the U.S. On the Reuters news website, Alberto Gonzales’s explaining away of the issue is classified under the heading “World Crises”:
President George W. Bush has long opposed making English the country’s national language, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Friday, a day after the Senate voted to do so, but the White House said later Gonzales had got caught in a “linguistic snare.”The Senate vote came in an amendment to proposed legislation overhauling U.S. immigration law and directed the government to “preserve and enhance” the role of English. Opponents said it could affect the status of some multilingual services offered by government organizations.
Adding to the confusion, the Senate also adopted a softer amendment calling English the “unifying language” of the United States. Senators take both versions into negotiations over a final bill with the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gonzales is quick to defend Dubya by saying:
“The president has never supported making English the national language,” Gonzales said after meeting with state and local officials in Texas to discuss cooperation on enforcement of immigration laws.
He said Bush has instead long supported a concept called “English-Plus,” believing that it was good to be proficient in more than one language.Later on Friday, the White House weighed in to clarify Gonzales’ remarks, saying the president does not believe in English as an “official” language.
Apparently the “little mix up” stemmed from confusion around the terms “national language” and “official language”, according to Reuters.
Related:
Via / Reuters
Fidel Denies Wealth
11:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Cuba|Money · 2 Comments
19 May 2006
Cuban president Fidel Castro took to the television to deny a Forbes Magazine report which lists him in:
…7th place in a group of 10 world leaders with “lofty positions and vast fortunes.” The magazine estimated Castro’s personal wealth to be $900 million.
Earlier this week Fidel Castro appeared on the government’s daily public affairs program Mesa Redonda and said:
All this makes me sick. Why should I defend myself against this rubbish? If they can prove I have an account abroad … containing even one dollar I will resign my post.
Forbes Magazine admits in the article that the estimate is more art than science.
Via / Yahoo
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