Yuca Warning!!!

Pancha's Kiosk, Philippines - In a story right out of a Shakespearean play, several dozens of people in the Philippines are in critical condition for eating poisonous yuca (cassava).

Nearly 30 elementary school children in the Philippines have died after eating fried cassava balls obtained from a vendor

Yuca is a poisonous root, and proper care has to be taken to extract its cyanide-related compounds. By carefully pressing the tubercle, the dangerous liquid can be extracted. Taí­no indians fermented this milky liquid to create a dangerous liquour-like substance. This should not be tried at home.

The victims suffered severe stomach pain, then vomiting and diarrhea after eating the snack during morning recess

The most common and safe way to prevent yuca poisoning is by cooking well the yuca. Raw yuca should be avoided at all costs! The vendor claimed to have carefully cooked the yuca treats.

The vendor who sold the cassava balls insisted nothing was wrong with them and ate a few to prove the point. Now she, too, is in critical condition.

Make sure you discuss with your children the dangers of yuca treats.

The p is for pana and Papitito

I'm craving some fried Pana, (breadfruit) with a tomato sauce to dip 'em in. Delicious. It is very starchy, so it can be boiled, broiled and baked; but as most starchy foods (like plantains) they taste better deepfried. After all, fats and starches go hand in hand in the kitchen. El almidón y la manteca son panas.

The most common variety in Puerto Rico is the seedless kind. There is also a seeded variety known as Pana de Pepita. Pana de Pepita's seeds are traditionally boiled, then pan fried a bit, and eaten. Its flatulence-producing properties are legendary, and this is why the seeds carry the nickname Rompe Matrimonios ("Marriage-breakers").

Pana skin is very hard, and peeling it is a very difficult task that should be left to experienced Dones or Doñas. Also, pana grows in trees that can be more than 60' tall, and the fruit itself can be the size of a small watermelon.


My greatgrandfather, Papitito, took care of his farm until he was 86 years old (85? his documents were contradictory about his age). One day he was walking around the farm and got hit on the head by a big pana from a very tall pana tree. He was never the same again, and at this early age had to retire from his farming hobby and focus solely on his sitting-at-the-porch hobby. He only lived until he was 99 years old (98?) after this. Who knows how long this blooming life would have lasted if he had taken the safety precautions of proper pana manipulation?


There are certain safety rules that should be followed around panas or pana-prone environments to make panas fun and safe:

1) Wear safety shoes. There isn't something worse than stepping on a rotten pana and falling down, or caerse como pana.

2) Wear safety goggles. A lot of mimes (fruitflies) live in these pana areas, and can enter your eyes. Blowing air constantly also keeps them out of your mouth and nose.

3) Inspect the pana before eating it. Panas can get fermented, and those should be discarded. When in doubt, do not operate heavy machinery after consuming bad panas.

4) Do not run around the house with pana-cutting knives. Knives appropriated for pana-cutting should be very sharp, and are extremely dangerous.

5) Plan ahead. Do not consume Pana de Pepita before important social events such as weddings, graduations, baptisms or sexual intercourse.

6) Lift with your knees, not your back. Back injuries are common in the pana industry.

7) When transporting panas, keep an eye on them at all times. Do not leave them unattended, and do not carry panas for people that you don't know.

8) Wear a construction helmet. Heavy fruits that can fall from very high trees tend to convert all their potential energy into kinetic energy, and a direct hit cause permanent injury, or even death.

If you would like to know more about this magical fruit, a good start would be to contact your local chapter of The Breadfruit Institute.

water bottle jet pack

Funny internet videos are too addictive. I don't like it when people start asking "have you seen this and that video?". That's a really stupid question, I can not watch every single funny video there is.
But anyway, after seeing that Panama Canal video, I decided to watch some other videos and ended wasting 3 hours of my life. The most interesting video I saw was the Water bottle jet pack video which not only is extremely funny but also interesting. It features everyone's favorite conjugate variable, as well as a Japanese tv show.

the t is for tough and tender

In his first appearance on jala jala since "Mr T and Your Mother" Mr. T presents us with an interesting interview about his upcoming reality show 'I Pity the Fool'

"For example a lady might write to me saying she's having trouble at a car dealership, because she's the only female employee and the men are harassing her. So I'll go in and straighten things out.

I look forward to seeing him solve things A-Team style!!!

In 1993 an 80's star was sent to the hospital by a terrible cancer he didn't deserve. This man promptly escaped from a maximum security hospital. Today, still wanted by the government, he survives as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem - if no one else can help - and if you can find him - maybe you can hire: Mr. T.

A man, a plan, a canal: Panama

According to Herodotus' Histories, The king of Egypt, Necho, started building a canal that would connect the Nile with the Red Sea (600 BC). The Persian King, Darius, after conquering Egypt decided to finish it (500 BC). He had the following inscription made to announce it:

King Darius says: I am a Persian; setting out from Persia I [1] conquered Egypt. I ordered to dig this canal from the river that is called Nile [2] and flows in Egypt, to the sea that begins in Persia. Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended.

But again, it seems like Darius never finished his Canal. The Ptolemies did, building a Canal that was 50 yards wide (250BC). It was forgotten for centuries, and its existence erased by the elements.

It wasn't until Napoleon Bonaparte that this idea was resurrected, and some evidence of the existence of the old Canal found. Napoleon's engineers wanted to build their own, new Canal, but they thought it wouldn't be possible; they erroneously concluded that the seas had a big difference in their water level that would make it too expensive and probably impossible to build. It wasn't until 1869 that it was built without any need to compensate for the erroneous water level difference. It is what is called the Suez Canal.

The Panama Canal, on the other hand, does have a pretty huge difference on the water level from one side to the other. The average water level in the Pacific Ocean has 9 inches of difference across the Panama Canal, being higher on the Atlantic side; with the tides, it can be even more. To keep one ocean from flowing onto the other and eroding the whole canal on its way a complicated system of locks is used. The best explanation I've seen of how it works is in this video. It is an ubercool timelapse video of the locks working in sequence to let the huge ships crossing.

Oh, and, the subject of this post is a cool palindrome.

Por favor, no me destacen la hermosa vaquilla

Luego de comer hoy muchas sobras de pavo, es apropiado leer las noticias de Nicaragua donde dejaron a un probre campesino con las sobras de su hermosa vaquilla.

Impactantes noticias de Nicaragua:

Destazan res mientras el propietario bailaba

SANTA TERESA, (Alberto Cano).- El señor Pedro Alberto Saborío se arrepiente mil veces de haber asistido a una fiesta en la comarca El Caliwate, ya que mientras bailaba, los cuatreros le destazaban una hermosa vaquilla en su propia casa.

Al llegar a la vivienda, según el afectado se encontró con un charco de sangre y el susto fue mayor cuando buscó la vaquilla y sólo encontró los cachos y las vísceras, porque la mejor carne se la llevaron los abigeos.

En esta zona, los campesinos igualmente están preocupados ya que según dicen los caballos están siendo robados. En algunos casos para ser destazados, y en otros porque en el parque turístico Las Vegas, los compran para alimentar a los tigres y leones, dicen varios de los afectados

Soy Boricua, tu lo sabes

There are many stereotypes about people from Puerto Rico. One of the most famous ones here is that we are really into music. Also, some people think that we are all alcoholics or drug addicts. Another common stereotype is that we are crazy and like to fight a lot. I'm not going to deny that I have used that last one to my advantage, but it still isn't a good stereotype. In the past few weeks I've met several Boricuas in random situations, and you can be a judge to see if they fit the stereotypes.

I was at the bar with the best jukebox and burgers in town, having a pre-concert meal while talking to some of my old friends from PR. This girl approaches us after recognizing our accent, and introduces herself as a boricua too. After much conversation, she tells me about her band, where she plays the drums, and I promise to go check her show sometime.

A week later I was walking downtown, and see this huge SUV truck parking. It had a small PR flag, and I stared at it for a second. As I was walking away from it, the driver of the SUV rolls down the window and yells "What the fuck is your problem?". This guy wanted to kick my ass; an activity that he could have performed without much opposition, as he was a lot bigger than me. I apologized, and said I was from Puerto Rico, and his attitude totally changed. "Sooooocioooooooo, de donde eres?" he said, after shaking my hands. We talked some, and he seemed like a cool guy now that he wasn't thinking about killing me for no reason.

Last night, at the Stretch Arm Strong concert, the lead singer was talking to us and this guy comes to him and tells him: "Dude, I saw you in Puerto Rico." WHAT? It turned out there were two other boricuas in the show beside us, and they have their own hardcore band. After multiple questions mostly around our inclinations towards alcohol and drugs, we agreed to go support his band sometime.

For the record

We were more than just a tour date.
You were more than just a song.
We sweat and sang together
and that helped us to carry on.
We were more. You were more.
For the record.

I just got back from the Stretch Arm Strong and Suicide Machines show. I'm not into hardcore, but I am a huge SAS fan, and I have been wanting to see them since the first time I heard their music several years ago. The Suicide Machines gave an awesome show, with a lot of interaction with the crowd. So, how was the SAS show? Here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

SAS packed SO much energy, and I couldn't help but to sing along all the time. Their sound was impecable, and their guitar riffs were just amazing. One of the guitar player noticed my energy and walked accross the stage just to connect fists with me. The songs that they played were among my favorites, and I had a total blast that left me voiceless. They also acknowledged how much I was into their music, and they gave the proper fan service. There weren't that many people at the show, and the stage was small, so it was very personal.

The Bad

Their set was a bit too short. I wanted to hear more songs, and I convinced the singer to play at least one more. The show being just before Turkey-Day, there weren't many people. Most of them were there to see the Suicide Machines, and didn't care about this hardcore band.

The Ugly

Some stupid drunk guy kept acting like a dumbass. SAS several times tried to calm him down from the stage, and at one point had to stop a song because the bouncer got into a fight with the drunk dumbass. Not cool at all. I think that SAS decided to cut it short in part just because of that guy.

the most wonderful time of the year

Ya se acercan las navidades y quien mejor que lo niños para recordarnos el verdadero significado de la navidad?
Cartas de niños a los reyes

Mi hermano se ha portado bien por los dos:

hola mellamo alejandra mihermano se asta portando bien;
1bebe amore
2carioqui
3un pericode verdad
4una mini niyac
5maquina de pagar
6maquina decoser

Los reyes hacen credito:

Nos hemos portado bien y un poquito mal, pero esperamos este anio portarnos mucho mejor.

Yo voy a usar la misma cajita el año que viene, pero mas vale que me traigan juguetes nuevos:

Saludos y muchas felicidades y bendiciones para ustedes los Tres Reyes Magos. Soy Anibal y tengo 6 años y mi hermano se llama Angel y tiene 4 años. Nos hemos portado muy bien para que ustedes esten bien contentos y nos traigan muchos regalos. Ya llenamos nuestras cajas con yerba para los camellos con nuestras listas de los regalitos que queremos, en especial yo quiero una guitarra y mi hermano un muñeco de power ranger. Los queremos mucho y aunque se que hoy estan ocupados espero que lean mi carta y aunque sea luego me contesten. Ya nos vamos a dormir pues queremos que ya sea mañana. Por favor que los camellos se coman la yerba sin morder la caja pues esta muy bonita y la voy a usar para la proxima vez que vengan. Mami y Papi les manadan saludos. Los queremos muchooooo.

Face to face with facebook

I wasn't sure of what it was, until someone sent a link to her profile because she had a photo album there that she wanted me to see. I don't think that facebook hosts the pictures, but that was the link that I got, so, I dared to enter my name and email, and created an account, checked the pictures, and logged out. "I don't understand why 70% of the college students use this thing daily." I thought. It is so popular that even my students have asked me about my facebook thing.

Facebook is freaking scary. Do you remember friendster a few years ago? The social network where you could connect with your friends online, exchange messages, and pictures, and so on? Well, it is pretty much the same thing, but limited to your college.

A few days later, I decided to look someone up (I was trying to match the name to a face; yes, I have a horrible memory like that), so I logged in again. In the profiles, there are pictures of their friends, and I recognized a friend of this person. Very quickly this expanded into many diverging paths of [friends of]^n that grew driven by my recently discovered voyeurism. At one point I was able to find my exgirlfriend's boyfriend's profile, and that is when I realized that this was out of control.

What the hell what was happening to me? In 30 minutes I learned way too much information about too many people. It was addictive, too addictive. And I know a lot of people that check this thing daily. DAILY. I don't want to get addicted like that. So, I deactivated my account before it was too late.

I came face to face with Facebook, and it was scary. I think I'm out for good. I hope.

Rock In Peace, Link Wray

Link Wray will rock forever.

God is playing my guitar, I am with God when I play.
-Link Wray

At the age of 76 the most influential electric guitar player ever, invented the powercord and introduced distortions to rock, has gone to the place where you never have to retune your guitar.

If you don't know him, for sure, you have heard his songs. Just check out Rumble, Jack The Ripper and even the Batman Theme, and you will go "Oh, THAT guy."

He had the odd distinction that his music was banned in many radio stations, although it was purely instrumental. Why? Because it rocked too hard.

Rock In Peace, Wray, Rock In Peace.

Cómo preparar el pavo perfecto: guía ilustrada

Guía ilustrada del pavo perfecto (sangüivin 2002 - Chefs Sheplan y Phobos)

Siguiendo estos simples pasos garantizarás que este día del pavo no te sobre ni el pejcueso.




1) Empezar con ingredientes bien feos y frescos. Matarlos.







2) Adobar bien chévere por debajo del pellejo y por tos laos. Meterle cebollas por el trololó.







3) Hornear y sacar a cada ratito para revolcarlo en su propia manteca.







4) Mira que dindo quedó.




5) Jampearse el pavo con mucha gula.

my childhood

This are some of the events that I remember quite vividly from my childhood. Many of them were quite traumatic, many of them were funny, all of them are before third grade. I've compiled in an easy to read list for your reading pleasure.

I had a yellow Popeye shirt.
- It was later used by my dog 'Tandy'.

I was the master of ceremonies for the circus in my Kinder Garden graduation.
- I had a terrible cold that day.
- I wiped my nose with my sleeve.
- Everyone found that very funny.

I made a puppet out of construction paper once.
- My brother ripped its head.
- I cried very much.

I had a green scooter
- I tried to jump once with it and broke my nose.
- Don Julio told my mom.

There was a slaughter house near my house.
- I got very scared when the pigs escaped.
- I hid under the bed.

I asked for a "mazorca" in a school sale
- They gave me a "mallorca"

I spilled hot soup over me
- They scrubbed me with a potato.

As you can see, I lived a happy childhood.

Por favor, no te comas eso en la iglesia

Cuando tenía tres años aprendí que hay observaciones que no se pueden hacer en la iglesia. Mi abuela me llevaba a la iglesia del barrio desde temprana edad. Ella cuenta que una vez estaba en el proceso de la Santa Cena, y pasaron el pan (la ostia) y el vino (jugo de uva). Pregunte a mi abuela acerca de la galletita esa que le dieron, y ella me explico que eso era el cuerpo de Jesús. El pastor procedio a invitar a todos a que participen del pan, y todos proceden a comerse el pan. La ceremonía fue interrumpida por mi grito de horror, "Abuela, te comiste el cuerpo de Jesús!!!" Mientras la congregación completa reía, ella trataba de calmarme explicando que era sólo algo simbólico. Tal vez mi grito de terror ocultaba una protesta al concepto de la transmutación.


En Nicaragua, un niño protestó en contra de los intereses económicos que manipulan las iglesias:

Niño se traga moneda que daría como diezmo

MASAYA, (Edwin Somarriba).- El niño Korey Narciso Alonso Martínez, de cinco años, en un descuido de sus familiares se introdujo en la boca una moneda de un córdoba, a la que saboreó como si fuera caramelo, hasta que se la tragó.

El menor llegó donde su mamá a una de las iglesias católicas de Masaya, para recibir la misa de ese día. Antes de entrar al templo, la señora le entregó a su hijo para que la entregara como diezmo.

Ambos se sentaron juntos, pero la buena mujer se concentró tanto en el mensaje del sacerdote, durante la misa celebrada el 27 de diciembre, que no se fijó cuando su vástago empezó a jugar con la moneda dentro de su boca.

El menor se tragó la moneda, la cual pasó fácilmente por la tráquea, pero se quedó atorada en el trayecto al estómago, por lo que empezó a sufrir mareos y en varias ocasiones vomitó, pero la bendita moneda no salió.

La madre, sorprendida por lo que le ocurría al niño, inmediatamente salió de misa, se dirigió a la calle y al pasar un taxi lo abordó, para trasladarse de emergencia al hospital de esta ciudad.

Los médicos no pudieron extraerle la moneda al niño, quien a estas alturas todavía la tiene alojada en la región del tórax, lo que le provoca dificultades para respirar.

Por tal razón, deberá ser sometido a una cirugía, pero la madre prefirió consultar primero con su marido, el papá del niño, quien es médico y está ubicado en un centro de salud de Boaco.

The Physics of Cornstarch

Cornstarch, or in general, fine granular materials have tons of cool physical properties. For example, while cooking, we use cornstarch as a thickening agent. Its little granules can trap water molecules, making delicious gravies with it.
But, also we can create a non-newtonian liquid, that is, where its viscosite changes if you let if flow or push it. With some water and cornstarch, this granular material has some weird properties. It flows like a liquid, but if you hit it really hard it feels as solid as a block.
The guys upstair made this really cool video of other properties of this non-newtonian liquid, check it out. They shake the liquid at high accelerations, where structures form. Some are stable, like holes in the liquid, others are dynamical, like fingers that grow out of it. Pretty cool, and a bit gross.

Por favor, devuelvanme la chancha

Hay preguntas de ética biomédica muy difíciles de contestar, algunas de ellas relacionadas a los cerdos. Por ejemplo, ?acaso un judío debe aceptar un transplante de valvulas de cerdo?.

En Nicaragua se dio una noticia que tiene que ver con donación de cerdos a hospitales, pero nada con preguntas éticas:

Sorprenden a roba chanchos con botín

GRANADA, (Augusto Cermeño).- Un ladrón fue sorprendido en la vía pública de la ciudad de Nandaime cuando trasladaba en un carretón cubierto con plástico negro, una hermosa chancha muerta, que se presume la mató para que no hiciera mucho ruido mientras la llevaba a su destino.

La sub comisionada Concepción Torres, al informar sobre el hecho, dijo que el sospechoso fue reportado por un cuidador del hospital de Nandaime, quien vio el misterioso carretón que cargaba un raro bulto cubierto con plástico negro.

Ante la denuncia, el oficial Ulises Gutiérrez Nicoya fue encargado de la misión, dio alcance al sospechoso que empujaba el carretón, supuestamente acompañado de otro sujeto, que ya se había esfumado. Al requisar el carretón, levantó el plástico y vio la cerda ya fallecida.

Ante tal situación, el oficial Gutiérrez procede a detener al ciudadano Antonio Chavarría Paisano, de 28 años de edad, el conductor del carretón. Al ver que no aparecía nadie a reclamar, la Policía de Nandaime decide donar la chancha al hospital, para la alimentación de los enfermos y personal.

Como a eso de la cinco de la tarde del martes recién pasado, apareció en la Policía un señor que dijo ser el dueño de la cerda, pero ya era demasiando tarde, porque en el hospital Rommel Carrasquila, ya la habían convertido en chicharrones.

Furby vs Microwave

Teens tend to have too much time in their hands, which can turn out disastrous. It is good to see some young people channeling their energy into destructive but victimless behaviour.

For the sake of science, these kids studied the effects of a microwave on a Furby. The video is pretty amusing, but the experiment will never answer the enigma that surrounds Furbies: Are they they really the spawns of a Gremlin and Satan?

Also, the same kids created this high-production value video of the Mortal Kombat theme song. More fun than grinding toenails with a mortar. If you aren't impressed by the special effects, you should at least be charmed by how much fun they had making the video.

Por favor, no me mojen los frijoles

Noticias viejas de Nicaragua:

"Alguien echó a perder mis frijoles"

ESTELI, (Máximo Rugama).- El señor Rodolfo Castillo Gómez denunció que un grupo de desconocidos le destruyeron nueve quintales de frijoles, que tenía guardados en una bodega ubicada en la terminal de buses de esta ciudad.

Según el afectado, los maleantes le rociaron agua a sus quintales de frijoles, que se pudrieron al entrar en contacto con la humedad.

Café Colao

Raphy Leavitt y la Selecta tienen un lugar especial entre mi salsa favorita. Las letras de sus canciones son de temas reales, del barrio, y hasta personales. Nadie podría olvidar "La Cuna Blanca", con su letra impactante que combina imagenes como en El Velorio de Francisco Oller, junto a las visiones que sufrió Raphy durante su coma luego del horrible accidente automovilistico que cobró la vida de su amigo. Esta canción para los pelos, definitivamente.

Pero hoy quiero comentar acerca de una canción que no había apreciado hasta hace poco.

Café Colao

Mujer de la piel morena
dame un trago de café.
Aquí te traigo mi crema,
pa' que tomes tu también.

Hierve lentalmente en la casuela
bajo el fuego intenso del fogón.
Brota el aroma, es café colao.
Café colao, café colao.

Yo lo tiro en la casuela,
bajo el fuego endemoniao.

Ven ven y mezcla de mi crema
y verás que esto es melao.

En este ambiente está cargao.

Ven acá, cosa prieta
que me gusta tu tumbao.

La canción tiene un tempo lento con un juego hermoso de cueros, pianos y trombones que resaltan la sensualidad de su letra.

Qué clase 'e canción mi pana.

Por favor, ayuden a los huelepega

Noticias de Nicaragua:

Estafan a campesino con truco del oro falso

JUIGALPA, (Auxiliadora Martínez).- Otra persona más fue estafada con el famoso truco del oro. En el mismo sector de la farmacia Sin comentario, cincuenta varas al Norte, se reporta esta otra víctima de los avispados estafadores, que escogen muy bien a sus víctimas entre éstos los de aspecto campesinos.

El pequeño productor Mario Duarte Ramírez, de 31 años de edad, originario de El Coral, dijo que cuando estaba en compañía de su esposa esperando bus para regresar a su casa, se le acercaron dos jóvenes, quienes les ofrecieron el negocio de que les vendiera un oro, pero que en garantía les dejara una motosierra que acababa de comprar y trescientos córdobas.

Al aceptar el negocio y enrumbarse hacia donde haría el negocio, Mario sintió curiosidad y abrió la cajita de fósforo en donde presuntamente llevaba el oro, llevándose tremendo susto al descubrir que lo que llevaba eran simples piedras.

Al verse estafado y despojado de sus pertenencias, el campesino se dirigió a la Policía a denunciar a los hábiles sujetos, quienes ya habían alzado vuelo.

El afectado pide a las autoridades hacer mayor presencia en estos puntos claves ya que en varias ocasiones estos sujetos han perjudicado a personas humildes sin que sean auxiliados por la Policía.

No hallan qué hacer con menores huelepega

OCOTAL, (Henry Vargas).- Extraoficialmente EL NUEVO DIARIO conoció que instituciones como el Ministerio de la Familia, la Comisaría de la Mujer y la Niñez y varios OGNs de esta ciudad, se consideran incompetentes para resolver los problemas que ocasionan los menores huelepega, como se les conoce, quienes oscilan entre los once y catorce años de edad, debido a los múltiples delitos que cometen.

Entre los perjudicados están el taxista Camilo Reyes, a quien le desmantelaron el tocacinta del vehículo y le robaron más de doscientos córdobas que portaba en la guantera. Igual situación le ocurrió a otro taxista que estacionó su vehículo frente a la parroquia católica, a quien le robaron una cantidad no determinada de dinero de la guantera.

También al ciudadano José Alberto Parrales Pastrana le sustrajeron trescientos dólares y que gracias a la DIC, que logró identificarlo y entrevistarse con los menores transgresores, éstos devolvieron el dinero. Otra víctima de estos menores fue la Casa de la Mujer, de donde se llevaron bastones y relojes para no videntes.

Por favor, no me roben la bicicleta 9906571

Más noticias viejas de Nicaragua!

En 3 minutos quedó a pie

OCOTAL, NUEVA SEGOVIA, (Róger Olivas).- Sólo tres minutos esperó el ciudadano Luis Alonso González Maradiaga, de 29 años, para salir del Polideportivo Solidaridad, ubicado frente al parque central de esta localidad, pero cuando regresó buscó su bicicleta chasis 9906571 valorada en 150 dólares y no la encontró, por lo que tuvo que caminar hacia su vivienda. El hecho ocurrió a las 9 y media de la mañana del 29 de junio.

Africanizadas entre guanábanas

ESTELÍ, (Máximo Rugama).- La efectiva labor de los miembros de la Dirección de Bomberos de Estelí evitó que un enjambre de abejas africanizadas afectara a los miembros de la familia del señor Edgard Suárez. El panal se había ubicado en un árbol de guanábana que se encuentra en el patio de su casa. El sargento mayor, Sergio Montoya, oficial de turno de la Dirección General de Bomberos de Estelí, informó que Suárez reside en el barrio Aristeo Benavides, de esta ciudad, donde las abejas fueron exterminadas con un mechón y diesel. Los bomberos tuvieron que impedir el acceso de personas a pie y en vehículos, para evitar que éstas fueran afectadas por las abejas africanizadas.

Mortandad de gallos de pelea y pérdidas

MATAGALPA, (Francisco Mendoza).- 20 gallos muertos y una pérdida hasta por la suma de 19 mil córdobas es la que lamenta el gallero Canuto Soza, quien habita en la comarca Wanawana, municipio de Río Blanco, quien denunció que elementos desconocido aprovecharon que la vivienda donde tiene los gallos de pelea estaba sola, para llevarse la cantidad de 18 gallos de los mejores, los que han merecido premios internacionales. Según Soza, a los ladrones no les bastó con llevarse los 18 mejores gallos, sino que mataron a otros 20 y los dejaron tirados en los lugares que estaban encerrados, por lo que el monto de las pérdida asciende a más de 19 mil córdobas.

Quick death to the evolutionists

Former presidential candidate and current religious crook, Pat Robertson, condemns towns that rejected intelligent design in their school boards.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city," [...] "God is tolerant and loving, but we can't keep sticking our finger in his eye forever," Robertson said. "If they have future problems in Dover, I recommend they call on Charles Darwin. Maybe he can help them."

A friend of mine was a broadcast engineer for Pat's radio station. He has numerous stories about fake calls (that were really made FROM and TO the station itself) were people claimed to be healed from his prayers.

Long live the Intelligent Designer

Man blinked. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely.
"Everything must have a purpose?" asked God.
"Certainly," said man.
"Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God.
And He went away.
-The Books of Bokonon

There is very little to be said about this issue:

The kids from Kansas have lost.

clowns are our friends

Last night was hilarious. I spent several hours doing research about clowns with some friends and I discovered that this can be a very respectable profession. So, in case you are interested in becoming a clown, here are two links that may be of help:

Clown Insurance

If you are performing as a clown at any public event such as parades or birthday parties, you need the security that is provided by a good entertainer's liability insurance policy.

Clown code of ethics

I will keep my acts, performance and behavior in good taste while I am in costume and make up. I will remember, at all times that I have been accepted as a member of the clown club only to provide others, principally children, with clean clown comedy entertainment.

In a related note. He may not be Buffo (The World Strongest Clown), but Apesgrapes is Northumberland's most famous midget clown!!!

"Well I don't know much about it, although my son has curiously started wetting the bed since his birthday party" - Paula McGee, Cramlington

Do you like him? Maybe you can help him with his bail.

Also, the "I hate clowns" thing is a little used already. Almost everyone I know will say that they hate clown (obviously not Buffo) but won't say why. I bet you are not as devoted as this guy.

I tried to tell the sadistic clown-man to stop the "magic" saw. Nothing was coming out. I SWEAR I saw a trickle of blood seep out from the bottom of the magic box. That's when something did come out; some cake, some ice-cream, and some 7-UP came out of me. The clown stopped sawing. Something came out of him too. To tell you the actual factuals, this was the first time everyone could swear that something came out of the assistant-lady.

the world strongest clown

He's strong, he's funny and he's a clown!!!
* plays circus music
He has a Master's degree in education, he rides a buffalo and he can rip a phone book in half.
He's the world stongest clown!!!!
Heeeeeee's BUFFO!!!

BUFFO BUFFO BUFFO!

Buffo is my new role model! I am just amazed by how incredible he is. He is not an ordinary clown he is a SUPER CLOWN!!

Yarrrr!

Pirates are cool. This time I don't mean media or software pirates, but real pirates with real boats and parrots. Well, maybe not parrots. I am a bit of a sucker for those kind of adventure books, my favorites being 20,000 leagues Under the Sea and The Confusion.

But pirates can be found in real life too.

A LUXURY cruise ship with 22 British tourists aboard survived an attack by Somali pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades yesterday as it rounded the Horn of Africa.[...]
The liner used a sonic blaster to foil the pirates. Developed by American forces to deter small boats from attacking warships, the non-lethal weapon sends out high-powered air vibrations that blow assailants off their feet. The equipment, about the size of a satellite dish, is rigged to the side of the ship.

Yarrrr!

Educación, chico, educación.

I had to ask a favor from one of the cleaning ladies in campus. I have seen her around many times, and I knew that the common language was Spanish. "De Cuba, ?y tu?" she said. She didn't had to, her accent was distinctively Cuban. After some small talk, she told me the story of her life.

She was a history Professor in Cuba, and less than a year ago came to this country. She doesn't know any English, so she has to have two jobs, and vacuuming the physics' building is one of them.

She misses teaching. Sometimes, when there isn't anyone around, she writes on the blackboards. She is obviously extremely intelligent, and it is understandable why she has problems with her boss: she can't stand doing stupid things that her stupid boss asks her to do. And then again she misses teaching, she misses her students, her watery eyes make her stop in the middle of the sentence, and then she changes the subject. I tell her what I do, how I teach and study. Education, education, education is what is important; study hard and you will get far, is her advice to me. "Educación, chico, educación." was also the advice that she left to her 14 year old son who lives in Cuba. Her tears testify that the irony doesn't escape her.