Cubans

NEW YORK (AP) — Novelist Meg Medina is the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a selection made by the Library of Congress. Medina, a Cuban American whose books include the acclaimed middle grade novel “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” is the eighth National Ambassador. Medina, the first Hispanic ambassador, succeeds Jason Reynolds and will serve two years. She hopes to build relationships between families and libraries and host ”book talks" with kids around the country. “It’s an enormous honor to advocate for the reading and writing lives of our nation’s children and families,” Medina said in a statement Wednesday. “I realize the responsibility is critical but with the fine examples of previous ambassadors to guide me, I am eager to get started on my vision for this important work. More than anything, I want to make reading and story-sharing something that happens beyond classroom and library walls." Medina will formally begin as ambassador next week, when she … [Read more...] about Meg Medina is new ambassador for young people’s literature

The Italian movie industry after World War II was a juggernaut that competed alongside Hollywood as one of the world's leading exporters of films. Grittily poetic works such as Roberto Rossellini's "Rome, Open City" and Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" were masterpieces of neorealism that turned themes of deprivation and desperation into high art. But when Time magazine examined the might of Italian film production in 1954, it did not put Rossellini or De Sica on the cover. Instead it featured Gina Lollobrigida, a ruby-lipped bombshell encased in clinging gowns, whose presence in comedies, romances and adventures powered a rebellion against neorealism. Ms. Lollobrigida, who died Jan. 16 in Rome at 95, was for a time an international sensation with few equals. In the estimation of actor Humphrey Bogart, her allure made "Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple." Life magazine called "La Lollo" - as she was nicknamed - "the most fetching argument ever advanced for liberal … [Read more...] about Gina Lollobrigida, Italian film siren of the 1950s, dies at 95

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 WASHINGTON - House Republicans' attempt to bring a border security bill to the floor as early as this week was thwarted after backlash from more moderate Republicans, delaying not only a pledge Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made to a handful of lawmakers but also the fulfillment of a key campaign promise to a Republican base eager for tougher immigration laws. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and co-sponsored by 58 Republicans, would empower the Homeland Security secretary - currently Alejandro Mayorkas - to unilaterally bar all undocumented migrants from entering the United States through any point of entry if the secretary deems it necessary to reestablish "operational control" of the border. If immigration agencies cannot, for any reason, process undocumented migrants according to legal procedures, a similar response by the secretary would be required. If the … [Read more...] about Early rift over immigration exposes House GOP’s tough path to consensus