Dutch Filmmaker Frans Hofmeester spent the past 12 years seizing every single moment of his daughter Lotte with a video camera.
You can watch Lotte grow from a full-cheeked infant to a 12-year-old girl in less than three minutes, thanks to Hofmeester’s video “Lotte Time Lapse: Birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45.”
Hoffmeester filmed his daughter once a week, every week, since her birth in October 1999. As she was about to enter adolescence, he decided it was time to share this visual history of his daughter’s growth with the world.
He strung the videos together and sped them up, creating a time-lapse video of sorts that has gone viral on the Internet. In the last week it has racked up close to 2 million views on Vimeo and YouTube.
Frans Hofmeester said he decided to share the video with the world now because Lotte is entering puberty. “She’ll be changing a lot over the coming years, but primarily on the inside,” he said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned Monday after a far-right party withdrew its support for his government, a government spokesman said.
Dutch Government
The move may clear the way for early elections in the Netherlands, possibly as soon as this summer, the government said.
The resignation came after the far-right party withdrew from talks about an austerity package worth €14.2 billion, the equivalent of $18.6 billion, according to a news report reprinted on a parliamentary website.
Lawmakers are scheduled to meet Tuesday to decide how to go forward.
Queen Beatrix asked Rutte and his ministers to stay in their positions until new elections.
Rutte’s government had depended on the support of Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom, which came in third in parliamentary elections two years ago.
No party won enough seats to govern alone in 2010, so Rutte cobbled together a coalition with another center-right party.
But even that alliance did not command a majority in parliament, so they relied on the support of Wilders’ anti-Muslim party.
The Party for Freedom did not get control of any government ministries, but the coalition agreement included elements it pushed for, such as a burqa ban.
No ban has been put in place.
Wilders’ Party for Freedom defied predictions by taking 24 seats in parliament in June 2010, more than doubling the number of seats it held before the vote.
Wilders himself has been in and out of court for years, accused of inciting hatred against Muslims with his controversial film “Fitna.”
The movie, which he released online in March 2008 to international outcry, features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from the Quran in an apparent attempt to paint Islam as a threat to Western society.
Tickets for Lady Gaga’s concert in Antwerp’s Sportpaleis on 29 September sold out in just 40 minutes on Friday morning. The tickets went on sale at 10am and were sold out by 10:40. However, this isn’t a record for the eccentric American singer’s Belgian concerts.
Tickets for the first of her four Sportpaleis concerts in 2010 sold out in just a quarter of an hour. It is possible that, as in 2010, extra Belgian dates will be added to Lady Gaga’s tour. A waiting list has been opened for those that were unable to secure tickets for 29 September.
Those on the list will be given preferential treatment if tickets should become available for 29 September or Lady Gaga decides to play additional dates in Antwerp. The Antwerp concert is part of Lady Gaga’s “The born this way ball” tour.
Hello Afrocosmopolitan fashionistas, come in here and take a look at Rihanna’s astonishing dress. The multiple award-winning singer wore the glittery dress to the 2012 edition of the Brit Awards that took place at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
Rihanna sparkled in the astonishing dress from Givenchy Spring 2012. The Couture embellished halter gown has a high split at the front and has a plunging neckline that shows off her well-toned body. The singer completed the lookbook with a pair of long and brown leather opera gloves. She then accessorized the look with a pair of Solange Azagury-Partridge earrings and Givenchy Diamante peep-toes.
Rihanna looked very elegant in the astonishing dress and was all smiles as she struts on the red carpet and poses for photos.
Rihanna styled her blond hair into an up-do while the front was styled into a fringe. The up-do was separated into two parts and wrapped together in the middle. The singer’s hairstyle and colour coordinated well with her astonishing dress.
The music star’s Givenchy Diamante peep-toes is a replica of her Givenchy Diamante gold dress. The singer adorned her neck with a matching long but tiny neckpiece that coordinated with her glittery outfit and the overall look.
What do you think of Rihanna’s astonishing dress? Do you think it is as beautiful as we think and something that you would like to add to your all collection? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Take a peep at the Afrocosmopolitan Youtube channel and subscribe to it so you can get our video updates as soon as they are uploaded. You can also follow and like our Facebook Page. We are also on Twitter, on Pinterest, as well as on YouTube. We cannot wait to connect with you and start interacting on another level. In the meantime, feed your eyes with various African celebrity styles and update your wardrobe with some of the looks.
Hello Afrocosmopolitan fashionistas, come in here and take a look at your Nollywood girl, Edube Nwagbo wearing a pink Herve Leger dress. Ebube was all smile as she poses for the camera while wearing her designer dress.
Over the years, many Nollywood actresses and other Nigerian celebrities have upped their fashion game. Gone are the days a majority of them used to rock mass-produced Aba made products or pieces made by cut and nail tailors. Today, the majority of them are either rocking pieces from the top and well known international fashion brands or those from reputable Nigerian and other African designers.
In case you have not noticed, in the last couple of years, there has been tremendous growth in the number of Nigerian and African designers who are making creative and beautiful pieces that meet international standards and have endeared many fashionistas to African fashion and the ankara African print fabric.
The Nigerian actress wore the pink body-hugging dress and completed the look with a pair of blue shoes and statement bangles. Her dark and curly long hair was styled into a side part as she shows off some legs in the attire. The Nollywood actress’ nails were painted in blue and coordinated with her blue pumps.
The Nigerian actress’s finger was adorned in a blue ring that matches perfectly with her blue shoes.
Above, Katy Perry is seen wearing the same pink Herve Leger dress. She completed the look by wearing a pair of matching glittering shoes while showing off her well-toned legs.
What do you think of Ebube Nwagbo’s pink Herve Leger dress? Do you like the way she rocked it? What about Katy Perry? Between the two celebrities, who do you think rocked this dress better?
Take a peep at the Afrocosmopolitan Youtube channel and subscribe to it so you can get our video updates as soon as they are uploaded. You can also follow Afrocosmopolitan on Instagram and like our Facebook Page. We are also on Twitter, on Pinterest, as well as on YouTube. We cannot wait to connect with you and start interacting on another level. In the meantime, feed your eyes with various African celebrity styles and update your wardrobe with some of the looks.
As elections approach in Greece, politicians argue that immigrants are behind higher crime rates and public health problems. But rights groups say the campaign rhetoric is a cheap ploy to win votes.
Detention Centers
The so-called Integration Law, proposed by Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisohoidis, raised a furor by calling for illegal immigrants to be held in former military bases until deportation.
Chrisochoidis, a member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement party, was opposed to the plan as a member of the opposition in 2009, but he has now won the approval of the Greek parliament.
He called for 30 facilities to hold refugees, which would officially be called “closed hospitality centers,” and suggested using 250 million euros ($328 million) of EU funding for border protection to build the centers.
“Whoever [illegally] enters the country will be given hospitality and will be immediately asked to return home,” Chrisohoidis said at a news conference at the end of March. “Unless they are refugees … in which case they have a sacred right to asylum.”
According to officials, some 100,000 people were arrested for illegal entry or residence in Greece in 2011 and authorities are processing about 30,000 asylum requests.
Appealing to voters
Opposition parties and human rights organizations have criticized the plan and compared the proposed facilities to prisons. Mohammadi Yunus, director of an Afghan community group in Athens and member of an umbrella group of Greek refugee organizations, dismissed the plan as an old campaign ploy.
“I have lived in Greece since 2001, and every time elections get underway the complaint about immigrants start,” Yunus said.
While he said immigration is an important topic in Greece, he added that applying current laws would bring better results than raids and arrests. “Greek asylum laws are among the best in Europe, but they do not get used,” he said.
The Greek bureacracy can sometimes take as long as five years to decide on an application for asylum.
Immigrants become scapegoats
With an early general election likely to be set for May 6, various campaigns have blamed immigrants for an increase in crime.
Three right-wing parties, polling at about 5 percent and with good chances of winning parliamentary seats, have raised the loudest anti-immigrant voices. A party needs at least three percent of the vote to enter Greek parliament.
As part of its campaign, the neo-Nazi party Chryssi Avgi (Golden Dawn) has offered to accompany the elderly on grocery shopping trips if they feel threatened.
Yunus said crime in Athens has increased but thinks immigrants are not responsible.
“It’s true, there is a huge safety problem in the city, but it’s immigrants who suffer the most from it,” he said, adding that in some neighborhoods immigrants are afraid to go outside after dark. “People are upset that the state is not interested in the problems and immigrants end up being the scapegoats.”
Poverty, not immigrants, behind crime rise
Health Minister Andreas Loverdos, one of Greece’s more popular politicians, also blamed immigrants for health issues across the country and in a recent television interview described immigrants as a “health time bomb.” He also said immigrants spread contagious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.
Other authorities warned that some immigrants come from regions where tuberculosis and cholera are on the rise.
Tassos Koronakis, a migration expert for the left-wing opposition party Syriza, said government policies were behind Greece’s difficulties with immigration.
“When the economy was going well, the government let immigrants without valid papers enter the country to exploit them as cheap labor,” Koronakis said. “Today, they want to get rid of these people, so they talk about detention centers and health time bombs.”
Koronakis added that poverty, not immigrants, was the real cause of increased crime. “Criminal schemes are generally controlled by Greeks who stay in the background,” he said.
Fearing EU criticism
Despite making the first calls for immigrant detention centers years ago, Conservative Greek politicians have been absent in the immigration debate.
It seems that many conservatives are stifling their opinions for fear of criticism from the EU, since the country was unable to control its own borders, which happen to also be the borders of the EU.
“As the European Parliament’s rapporteur for reforms to the Schengen zone, I could not help but notice that our partners want one thing: that the people who call for help are willing and able to help themselves,” conservative Greek EU parliamentarian Giorgos Papanikolaou said.
Greece needs to put together an immigration policy that keeps close guard over the border, remains open to asylum seekers and deports illegal immigrants while integrating the people already in the country, Papanikolaou said.
“That plan has to include that the burdens that accompany dealing with refugees are spread more fairly across Europe,” Papanikolaou said.
Currently, each EU country is responsible for addressing – and paying for – its own asylum applications. But Greek politicians think they need additional EU help as their country serves as the main gateway to the 27-member bloc.
Immigrants fight evictions in Spain as many are unable to pay their mortgage due to the recession. Thousands of Spaniards who took on mortgages in the country’s pre-recession boom years are now struggling to make payments. Among them there are hundreds of immigrants who face being evicted from their homes.
The designers always set the stage for the fashion trend we follow each season. Judging from what the ready to wear outfits from Matthew Williamson has made available for this upcoming Autumn/Winter season, it is safe to say big collars, floral prints and sheers are the biggest trends we’ll be seeing on the streets and red carpet events.
Take a look at some of the ready to wear pieces you can get from Matthew Williamson and jump on the trend the right way.
Scotland has issued the first protection order to protect a victim of forced marriage, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has revealed.
The legislation, which was introduced in Scotland on 28th November 2011, is the first in the UK to make it a criminal offence to breach an Order, leading to a two year prison sentence, a fine, or both.
Ms. Sturgeon revealed the news when she visited Cardonald College in Glasgow on 16th April 2012 to mark the end of the first phase of an awareness drive to encourage greater use and understanding of the legislation.
Speaking as she visited the college, Ms. Sturgeon said: “All people in Scotland who are eligible to marry or enter into a civil partnership should have the right to do so freely without coercion.
“Scotland is leading the way in this legislation in ensuring that anyone who breaches a Protection Order – and anyone aiding or abetting them – will feel the full force of the law. We know people who refuse are often subjected to threats, assault, captivity or worse at the hands of their own family.”
She said that she has always made it “very clear that forced marriage has no place in 21st century Scotland.”
“We need to make sure that those affected by forced marriage receive the help and support they need,” she added.
As part of the awareness drive, a unique wedding dress, created by Glasgow-based Anjali’s Boutique, has been decorated with supportive messages from men and women with first-hand experience of forced marriage, together with counsellors from a range of Scottish support agencies who have provided help and guidance to those affected.
Over 40 messages of support have already been added to the dress, and they include, “Do not be afraid of taking a step forward. You are not alone. Let your flower bloom.”, “My choice and my freedom to choose” and “Stay strong, speak out, get help”.
The wedding display has toured further education establishments across Scotland to raise awareness of the issue of forced marriage amongst young people, who have added their own messages of support to the dress.
The introduction of forced marriage legislation also appears to have prompted an increase in the number of black and minority ethnic women calling an abuse helpline.
Around 50 people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds have been assisted by the Scottish forced marriage and domestic abuse helpline since the legislation came into force in Scotland on 28th November 2011.
Susan Walsh, Principal and Chief Executive, Cardonald College Glasgow said: “Forcing someone to marry can never be justified, so we are very pleased to support the Scottish Government’s campaign to help those affected by this unacceptable practice.
“Having the wedding outfits on display at Cardonald College Glasgow for a week has been an excellent way of engaging students with the issue and as an institution with a high BME population, this is something we feel is particularly relevant to our student body.”
Fashion designers and fashion show organisers are encouraged to donate funds to The Stephen Lawrence Centre in return for showcasing at the 1st annual BEFFTA THIS IS LOVE Concert.
The concert which will be held on 26th May 2012 at The Hippodrome will raise funds and awareness for The Stephen Lawrence Centre.
All designers from shoes designers, to hats, clothes, jewellery, make-up and hair and wardrope stylists are welcome to be part of this fundraising initiative to keep the Centre operational.
Top musicians from different genres will perform at the BEFFTA THIS IS LOVE concert.
The fantastic line up of stars include pop sensation of the famous band Five Star – Stedman Pearson, soulful singers Omar and Dionne Reid, and RnB singer Myco Chris, Don-E.
Urban singer/songwriter and choreographer J-SoL will be performing with his full band.
The audience at the concert will also be treated to the amazing sounds of Afro-beats star May 7ven, and girl band Shiikane.
Reggae artist Dego Ranks who has recently come from a tour in The Gambia , is preparing to perform his best tracks too. The fantastic girl band 4Flava have also joined the line up.
Singer David O who has a voice to envy, will also be performing with his band at BEFFTA THIS IS LOVE concert.
Pop sensation Aisling O’Reilly who is preparing to perform with The Wanted will also give her best performance.
A spectacular dance act with brilliant choreography is expected to open the concert followed by a short movie screening.
CEO of The Stephen Lawrence Centre Paul Anderson-Walsh, Baroness Scotland, and Lee Jasper will be some of the special guests on the night.
BEFFTA THIS IS LOVE concert will also promote anti-hate/anti-violence in UK. It has received great support from top stars including Wretch32, Wiley, Scorcher, Bashy and many others.
“The amazing Stephen Lawrence centre is an asset to the community and a centre for excellence,” said Mr. Anderson-Walsh.
BEFFTA team are grateful to top designers Linda Mirembe of LinmiR designs, Asake Oge of Asake Couture and Anrette Ngafor of KiRette couture for donating their designs to be auctioned to raise money for the Stephen Lawrence Centre.
The centre needs the community support in order to stay open.
Please buy tickets and join the worthy cause and help save the centre that is changing lives.
Tickets be bought online at http://befftathisislove.eventbrite.com/
All money raised will be donated to The Stephen Lawrence Centre.
If you wish to get involved as a volunteer or donate a product or service to be auctioned, please contact the team at: info@beffta.com
“I have lived in Greece since 2001, and every time elections get underway the complaint about immigrants start,” Yunus said.
Yunus said crime in Athens has increased but thinks immigrants are not responsible.
Other authorities warned that some immigrants come from regions where tuberculosis and cholera are on the rise.
“As the European Parliament’s rapporteur for reforms to the Schengen zone, I could not help but notice that our partners want one thing: that the people who call for help are willing and able to help themselves,” conservative Greek EU parliamentarian Giorgos Papanikolaou said.
