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Friday, June 26, 2015

Mexicans bash Trump pinata, call him imbecile

from reuters

MEXICO CITY | BY DAVE GRAHAM AND MAX DE HALDEVANG

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A worker hangs a pinata depicting U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a workshop in Reynosa, Mexico, June 23, 2015.

REUTERS/DANIEL BECERRIL

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Few presidents of Mexico have managed to unite the country in the way Donald Trump did after he launched his U.S. presidential bid last week with a string of broadsides against America's southern neighbor.

"Imbecile", "racist", "absurd" and "ignorant" were some of the less vulgar words used by prominent Mexicans about Trump after the flamboyant real estate magnate described migrants from Mexico to the United States as drug-runners and rapists.

Trump's provocative comments, including a pledge to build a "great wall" on the U.S. southern border paid for by Mexico, were the latest in a series of swipes against a country where he has become more famous for controversies than boardroom success.

Mexicans rich and poor, cabinet ministers and staunch critics of the government alike trained their fire on Trump. On Thursday, the outrage prompted U.S. Spanish-language television network Univision to drop the Miss USA pageant that the Republican hopeful co-owns.

"If you look up imbecile in the dictionary, you'll see it's a synonym of Trump," Joaquin Lopez-Doriga, news anchor of key Univision shareholder Televisa and one of Mexico's most influential journalists, told his viewers on June 17, a day after Trump announced his White House bid in New York.

On Thursday, Trump said he has great respect for Mexico and loves Mexicans. He defended his more divisive remarks on the grounds that he was worried about border security, jobs in the United States and trade arrangements.

With millions of Mexicans struggling to climb the social ladder in the United States, and many more living in poverty in a Latin American nation steeped in U.S. culture, Trump's brash tirade has fed a stereotype of the rich, overbearing American.

"He's just a millionaire with nothing to do," said Vico Almaguer, a 37-year-old TV advertising producer in Mexico City.

One newspaper cartoon mocked Trump by twisting his famous hair into the shape of a Nazi swastika, while Fher Olvera, singer of popular Mexican rock band Mana, likened him to the leader of the Third Reich during a concert last week.

"I haven't heard a speech so violent and so filled with hate since Hitler," Olvera told a crowd in Los Angeles.

Trump could not immediately be reached for comment.

BUSINESS WITH MEXICO

Last week, Trump said on Twitter: "I like Mexico and love the spirit of the Mexican people."

That was not enough to placate former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who fired back with one word: "Hypocrite."

Not everyone has attacked Trump. Ximena Navarrete, Mexico's 2010 winner of the Trump-backed Miss Universe pageant, stood up for the 69-year-old, saying he had been "really kind" to her.

The son of a Scottish immigrant mother, Trump had raised Mexican hackles in February with a series of tweets following filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's best director triumph at the Oscars, the second Mexican to win in a row.

"Oscars were a great night for Mexico & why not - they are ripping off the U.S. more than almost any other nation," Trump tweeted. He then complained about Mexico's patchy justice system, before adding "Don't do business with Mexico!"

Business has proved a test for Trump in the country.

In 2009, Trump was sued by dozens of prospective investors over a failed luxury resort that he had lent his name to, on the Baja California peninsula, according to media reports. The suit was settled four years later, the reports said.

In 2007, Mexican media reported that Trump planned to invest in a resort on the Caribbean island of Cozumel, but it never happened, a spokeswoman for the state of Quintana Roo said.

Trump's most recent media foray has provided at least one Mexican with his own business opportunity: pinatas cast in the American's image.

Sporting a flange of blonde hair and a big mouth, the Trump pinatas - containers traditionally filled with sweets that are battered open at parties - were proving a hit, said their maker, Dalton Ramirez.

"This pinata especially is the one everyone wants to break," he said in the northern border city of Reynosa.

(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Tiffany Wu)

Friday, June 19, 2015

From Vick to Downey Jr.: Celebs who have bounced back

from usatoday

USA TODAY NETWORKLindsay Deutsch, USA TODAY Network8:45 p.m. EDT June 19, 2015

GTY 81664127 A POL GOV USA DC

(Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images for Meet the Press)

Embattled news anchor Brian Williams may not be considered embattled for long.

Following the NBC Nightly News personality's six-month suspension for telling inaccurate or embellished stories, which ranged from Iraq war misreports to Hurricane Katrina allegations, Williamsapologized to Matt Lauer Friday on the Today show.

"I'm sorry for what happened. I am different as a result and I expect to be held to a different standard," he somberly conceded. "This was clearly ego driven, a desire to better my role in a story I was already in."

And with that public admission behind him, Williams begins his next chapter in the public — albeit less esteemed — eye, as an anchor on MSNBC.

Williams joins a long list of celebrities who have bounced back after career-threatening mistakes. From legal quandaries to very public meltdowns, take a look at stars who've rejuvenated their careers and stayed off tabloid covers they once dominated:

USA TODAY

Brian Williams apologizes, blames his ego for telling false tales

Martha Stewart

Then: On March 5, 2004, the domestic goddess was convicted of insider trading. She served five months in a federal prison camp then had two years of supervised release. (You may notice a very Martha-esque character on Orange is the New Blackthis season.)

Now: Stewart staged quite the comeback starting in 2005, including a Kmart line, daytime TV show and, of all things, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. She was reinstated as chairman of her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, in 2012, acompany that's now close to being sold, according to the Wall Street Journal.

See, she can even joke about jail -- at Justin Bieber's expense:

Robert Downey Jr.

Then: Downey spent stints in rehab and jail between 1999 and 2001 for drug-related crimes. Lowlights include prison time for possession of cocaine, heroin and an unloaded handgun while speeding on Sunset Boulevard. Yikes.

Now: Mr. Iron Man came to Oprah with his come-to-Jesus interview in 2004, describing getting clean and sober. Now he's known for starring in high-grossing movies like The Avengers and Iron Man (and wearing sassy sunglasses indoors).

With drugs far in Downey Jr.'s past, this is perfect advice he dished at the MTV Movie Awards in March:

Michael Vick

Then: Vick started as quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 and spent six seasons with the team -- that is, until he was convicted of running an illegal dogfighting ring (of which the details are super gruesome). He served 548 days in jail and was $18 million in debt.

Now: Vick is now a free agent and played with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009-2013 and the Jets in 2014. Plus, he's nearly paid off his debt by using two-thirds of every dollar he earned to pay it off.

Drew Barrymore

Then: Barrymore was the pinnacle of a troubled child star. (But remember how cute she was in E.T.!?) By her early teens, she'd started doing drugs, and checked into rehab at 14. She kept it wild with a nude Playboy spread in 1995 -- and who could forget her flashing David Letterman?

Now: She's still in the spotlight -- just a bit more clothed. Barrymore, now 40, has had quite a career (albeit a lot of romantic comedies). She's written two books, has a makeup line, and has won a whole lot of awards.

Britney Spears

Then: The Grammy-winning teen pop princess was the pinnacle of success in the late '90s and early '00s. Then came the breakdown. In 2007, Spears shocked the world when she became addicted to drugs, shaved her head, was placed in psychiatric hold twice, lost custody of her two kids and more.

Now: Tabloid fodder seems to have finally simmered down. Spears and Iggy Azalea's summer song Pretty Girls is still ruling the radio (despite Azalea's own turmoil), and Spears has had a standing show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for more than a year.

Mark Sanford

Then: Where in the world was Mark Sanford? In June 2009, the South Carolina Governor completely dropped off the grid, saying he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He was really gallivanting in Buenos Aires with journalist Maria Belén Chapur, with whom he had been having an affair. While the process for impeachment began, Sanford was never actually removed from office.

Now: In May 2013, a disgraced Sanford returned to politics. He won the special election to fill Tim Scott's seat in the House of Representatives for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District after Scott was elected to the Senate, which leaves us with one question, WWFUS? (What would Frank Underwood say?)

Bill Clinton

Then: President Clinton sure knows how to bounce back from a scandal. He dominated the 1998 news because of his affair with 22-year-old Monica Lewinsky -- and the scandal/defense/media storm that came with it. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives (the first president that's happened to since Andrew Jackson), but was acquitted by the Senate.

Now: Clinton is considered an esteemed member of the political and philanthropic community as a founder of the Clinton Foundation. (And did we mention that he's Mr. Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton's husband?)

Reese Witherspoon

Then: Do you know who she is? Witherspoon got into hot water in 2013 after a video surfaced of the "squeaky-clean" movie star berating a police officer after being pulled over on suspicion of DUI in Atlanta. "Do you know my name? You're about to find out who I am," she famously said.

Now: Witherspoon issued an apology, and her acting career moved on. (ThisWashington Post article even argues that the arrest helped land her new jobs.) She was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Cheryl Strayed in 2014's biopic, Wild.

Marv Albert

Then: Famed sportscaster Albert was charged with forcible sodomy in 1997 (and convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery) after a woman claimed he forced her into sexual acts and bit her in a hotel room. He was sentenced to a 12-month suspended sentence, and longtime employer NBC subsequently fired him.

Now: Two years later, Albert returned to NBC as a sportscaster.

Don Imus

Then: On April 4, 2007, Imus described the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" (among other racially offensive terms) on his radio show Imus in the Morning, causing massive public and media outrage. CBS canceled his show.

Now: Later in 2007, Imus found a new home on the radio with ABC radio and a small rural cable TV channel. But as of last month, he has left the Fox Business Network.

Muslims are accusing a gymnast of showing 'the shape of her vagina' in her leotard

from msn.com

The Daily Dot

The Daily Dot

Kasia Pilat

When 21-year-old Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi competed at the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, she did it with style. Hadi nabbed gold medals in the women's floor exercise and women's team events, as well as a silver in the women's individual events and three bronze medals. Now, the young athlete is receiving heavy media attention—though it's not because of her stellar athletic performance.

According to Malay Mail Online, Muslims are taking to various social media channels to criticize Hadi for showing her “aurat” (roughly translated as genitalia and other body parts that should be covered), as well as the “shape of her vagina”—all because she competed in a leotard.

Photo via Farah Ann Abdul Hadi/Facebook

Senior Islamic cleric Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria sided with Hadi’s critics.

"Gymnastics is not for Muslim women. It is clear that exposing one's aurat and the shape of one's body is haram [forbidden in Islam],” he reportedly toldAstro Awani, the 24-hour television news and current affairs channel broadcast in Southeast Asia.

"If Muslim women want to participate in gymnastics, they have to find outfits which cover the aurat and this, in turn, might not be suitable for the sport.”

The prohibition of showing one’s aurat in Islam presents a kind of Catch-22 for gymnasts like Hadi who not only want to compete, but also manage rack up medal after medal when they do.

Though Hadi's outfit has generated controversy, she also has a fair amount of support, in the form of a Facebook page full of sympathetic messages and fan art. Hadi has also responded to her fans directly on the Facebook page, thanking them for their kindness and generosity.

Malaysia’s minister for youth and sports, Khairy Jamaluddin, also took toTwitter to express his support, suggesting that “gatal [perverted] men” avert their eyes when watching gymnastics if they don't want to be offended.

Throughout the fallout, Hadi has held her head high, remaining defiant and unwavering in her determination to compete, tweeting: “Empty cans make the most noise.” In Internet-speak, that roughly translates to “Bye, haters.”

H/T Malay Mail Online | Photo via Farah Ann Abdul Hadi/Facebook