[Zardoz]

This story paints it in sort of a negative light, but I think it's one of the coolest things about living here:

Not at home with English

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n California, "welcome" is more of an international affair than ever -- with nearly 43% of residents speaking a language other than English at home, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The trend was even more pronounced in Los Angeles, where more than 53% of residents speak another language at home.

Spanish is by far the most common, but Californians also converse in Korean, Thai, Russian, Hmong, Armenian and dozens of other languages.

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', ' ')There's never been anything like it, ever

[Plantagenet]

Genesis 11:1-9:
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel (confusion)...

[lateStarter]

Zardoz,

I'll have to do a bit of research to confirm it, but I think London may give LA a good run for its money wrt this topic. Having been there recently several times for several days at a time, each time staying in a different area of the city and travelling extensively, I was very impressed by the diversity of the population. And while they may speak the mother tongue at home, virtually all of the people I met under 30, no matter where their parents came from, all spoke decent English.

I also got the impression that while welcoming people from other cultures, the Brits were 'strongly' leaning towards requirements that everyone must learn to speak English.

[Ferretlover]

Mexico President Felipe Calderon: Mexico’s Borders Extend Past The Rio Grande
MEXICO CITY — President Felipe Calderon blasted U.S. immigration policies on Sunday and promised to fight harder to protect the rights of Mexicans in the U.S., saying “Mexico does not end at its borders.” …
“… He also reached out to the millions of Mexicans living in the United States, many illegally, saying: “Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico.” …

Hola!

Mexico asserts its 'nation' extends into United States
Some Plan 'Reconquest' of 'Stolen' Lands
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, support for the United States has poured in from around the world, but the response from Mexico has been decidedly lukewarm. A Gallup poll reported that 78% of Mexicans oppose contributing troops to a multinational coalition, and we have seen no indication that Mexico will modify its oil policy of acting like a member of OPEC.
While there is no evidence that the 9/11 terrorists entered over the Mexican border, the trial in El Paso of an Iraqi smuggler produced evidence that he alone brought more than 1,000 Middle East illegals into the United States via that route. Border Patrol agents have confirmed the increase inillegal aliens coming from the Middle East across our southern border, and the fact that Arabs pay up to $50,000 each for a "coyote" to smuggle them into the United States. … Mexicans obviously have no thought of invading the Southwest withtroops, so their hope is reconquista by migration, both legal and illegal. According to Mario Obledo, founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, "California is going to be a Hispanic state and anyone who doesn't like it should leave." …
Indian givers!

[Plantagenet]

One out of 10 Mexicans is currently living illegally in the USA.