Costa Rica experts say virgin sacrifice would ease volcanic activity


(PNS reporting from HEREDIA, COSTA RICA) Eruptions from the Turrialba Volcano continued Thursday, spewing even more ash into the air.

The explosions are the most recent in the increasingly violent activity from the volcano. Scientists are warning that if preventative measures are not taken soon, the entire central valley will become covered by pigpen-levels of ash.

Mas…Costa Rica experts say virgin sacrifice would ease volcanic activity

New on Entrepodcast: WePupy – AirBnB for bathroom sharing (audio)

harrygrayIn this week’s Episode #74 of Entrepod, the podcast for wannabe entrepreneurs, host Adam Buckholtz (photo) speaks with Bay Area entrepreneur Genesee Flashpan.

She’s flushed with pride about WePupy — a new app that wipes “the sharing economy” and sanitizes it for your protection.

When you have to go, you have to go, and WePupy makes it easy to leave your cares behind at carefully curated facilities near you.

Mas…New on Entrepodcast: WePupy – AirBnB for bathroom sharing (audio)

Los Supercivicos: Satirical super hero citizens of Mexico City (audio)

Supercivicos-600x380Los Supercivicos, Mexico’s City’s self-appointed superhero vigilantes, wield the wicked sword of satire as they fight for truth, justice and the Mexican Way.

Zakiya Gibbons reports for NPR’s LatinoUSA:

Alex Marin y Kall and Arturo Hernández are redefining crime-fighting in Mexico City with their comedy group, Los Supercívicos. Armed with comedy and a camera, the duo hits the streets to shame wrongdoers into good behavior They draw crowds by dressing up as anything from cowboys to nuns, and they improvise “happenings” to call attention to the offender. People even turn to Los Supercívicos for rescue when the authorities won’t help. While it seems all fun and games, Marin y Kall and Hernández are pursuing the serious goal of promoting civic awareness—in Mexico City and beyond.

Mas…Los Supercivicos: Satirical super hero citizens of Mexico City (audio)

Let’s get one thing straight: No human being is ‘illegal’

immigrationmarch600“Could the president grant deferred removal to every unlawfully present alien in the United States right now?”

That’s how Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts referred to individuals lacking the proper documents to be in the country during a recent hearing on DAPA (Deferred Action for parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents).

“Alien” is the legal term to describe these individuals, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor also referred to them as “undocumented immigrants.” She objected to the phrase “illegal immigrants”, which she considers too harsh. Justice Sonia Sotomayor even explained that “illegal immigrants” associates them with “drug addicts, thieves, and murderers.”

Mas…Let’s get one thing straight: No human being is ‘illegal’

Potty protestors crazier than Michele Bachmann on bath salts (video)


Liberal Redneck Trae Crowder is sortly over hearin’ people carry on about their personal beliefs as it relates to civil rights [NSFW language]:

Nobody’s trying to take your rights. We’re just trying to keep you from doing that to other people. I know you’re a white person in America, so I can see why you’d think this, but telling other people how to live is not a right you have.

You can catch Crowder on tour with the Well Red Comedy crew. Here’s the schedule.

Looks legit: How to make fish tacos (one-minute video)


Summer’s coming, that means beach weather, and that means seafood, like the Baja California favorite, fish tacos. Did you know that the great majority of “native” videos on Facebook are viewed without sound? This is one of those new-fangled recipe videos you can watch without sound, although you’ll miss the perky music. The recipe is pretty good, too.

Here’s the recipe from the Web Restaurant Store (they made the video):

Mas…Looks legit: How to make fish tacos (one-minute video)

Native American population almost back to pre-Columbian levels

nativeamericanpopulationSamuel W. Bennett’s GET DATA website features charts/graphs and infographics about current events, sports, news, culture, and history. We thought this log-scale graph of the native (in red, of course) and white population in the U.S. was fascinating, sad, and maybe, just maybe, encouraging.

His description:

After disease and war decimated the Native American population from an estimated pre-Columbian 5 million to a low of a few hundred thousand in the late 1800s, the American Native American population has recently approached the pre-Columbian population. The…figure shows that the population of American Native Americans from 1492 to present.

His chart that ranks Tolerance, Racism and Xenophobia in the United States shows we’re lots more tolerant than some other countries, but still have big-ass problems with gays, immigrants and “foreign languages,” not that this is news to us.

Mas…Native American population almost back to pre-Columbian levels

Weeping Virgin Mary statue in Fresno draws the faithful (video)


The statue of La Virgen de Guadalupe in Maria Cardena’s living room in the central California city of Fresno appears to weeping, and she thinks it’s a miracle.

Joe Ybarra reports for KFSN:

A statue of the Virgin Mary in Fresno appears to be weeping. The family who owns the statue calls it a miracle and said it’s been happening for a while.

To the faithful, Maria Cardenas said the statue of the Virgin Mary is a blessing. Tears seem to well up in her right eye and stream down her face to her chin.

Cardenas said it’s beautiful the way she looks right now. Every tear, she said, is nothing short of a miracle. So she collects them in a glass and shares them with those who find their way to this home.

Mas…Weeping Virgin Mary statue in Fresno draws the faithful (video)

Can a Day of the Dead skull blowing bubbles sell more burritos? (video)


Kingston University (UK) Product and Furniture Design students Milo and Hannah conducted a controlled experiment to see if a motorized remote-controlled Dia de los Muertos sugar skull that also blows bubbles could drum up more business for a local burrito stand, Mighty Burrito & Co. You won’t believe what happened next! (Día De Las Burbujas = Day of the Bubbles.)

Mas…Can a Day of the Dead skull blowing bubbles sell more burritos? (video)

The Offenders: A new comic strip that ticks everyone off (toon)

pbfThe Perry Bible Fellowship ran weekly in many newspapers between 2004 and 2007, including The New York Press, The Baltimore City Paper, and The Guardian in the U.K. During that time, it also won the Ignatz, Harvey, and Eisner awards. In 2007, I stopped doing the comic strip on a weekly basis. It now updates wheneverly Nicholas Gurewitch

Mas…The Offenders: A new comic strip that ticks everyone off (toon)

Los Cenzontles reimagine the Jimi Hendrix classic ‘Little Wing’ (video)


Los Cenzontles (The Mockingbirds) and Jimi Hendrix? Wassup with that?

From the group’s YouTube page:

Los Cenzontles perform the Jimi Hendrix classic Little Wing with traditional Mexican instruments and Medieval vielle. The 5th single of its album “Covers”. featuring Latin covers by artists including Randy Newman,, David Bowie, ELO, Bob Dylan, The Killers, Robert Palmer, The Pogues & Sixto Rodriguez.

Mas…Los Cenzontles reimagine the Jimi Hendrix classic ‘Little Wing’ (video)