Army Ants

Just remember: when surrounded by army ants, attempt to stand still so they don't notice you.

Follies of the Mad Men #76

[From The Saturday Evening Post for October 10 1953. Two scans, top and bottom.]

Nothing like aligning your product with a civilization that practiced human sacrifice. The Incas weren't the Aztecs, but as Wikipedia reminds us: "There is [sic] archaeological discoveries supporting the presence of sacrifice within Inca society according to Reinhard and Ceruti: 'Archaeological evidence found on distant mountain summits has established that the burial of offerings was a common practice among the Incas and that human sacrifice took place at several of the sites.The excellent preservation of the bodies and other material in the cold and dry environment of the high Andes provides revealing details about the rituals that were performed at these ceremonial complexes.'"

And did they actually make the best ink ever? I can't find any reference to such an accomplishment.

Wanted:  Fernando Botero Model!

You might have been following this recent case of a stolen baby. I suggest the police interrogate famous Colombian artist Botero. Surely the suspect has previously modeled for Botero at some point.

Workplace Tragedy

Beware the Worm Lizard!

Every day the news brings me reports of some horrible locale outside my safe and beloved New England, where people are subject to floods, volcanoes, earthquakes--and "worm lizards"...?!?

Yes, it's not bad enough that the poor citizens of a certain region in Brazil have to battle flooding, they also have to contend with the evil Worm Lizard!

You can read about their troubles here. The key sentence:

Like 218,000 others across a swath of northern Brazil three times the size of Alaska, the neighbors have fled the worst rainfall and flooding in decades, braving newly formed rivers teeming with anacondas, alligators and legless reptiles known as "worm lizards" whose bite is excruciating.

Weekend in Havana

Can you sing as fast as Carmen Miranda does in this tune, "Rebola a Bola," from WEEKEND IN HAVANA?

I found the Portuguese lyrics and had Google translate them. The eccentric result is to be found after the jump: original line in Portuguese followed by English "translation."



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Sister Mayo

Does the world need the hybrid music of Sister Mayo, blending a squeaky anime voice with Latin American rhythms?

Decide for yourself.


Love Tropicana - Sister MAYO

World’s Most Dangerous Road

For those who did not get enough excitement with the "King's Path" post, here is the Yungas Road.

Shamans in Peru

Time to look at some curanderos. The best part comes after the three-minute mark.

Would you buy a car from this dealer?

This Brazilian auto dealer has a rather unfortunate name. (Warning: NSFW language!) I would have thought that, even in Brazil, they would recognize that term.

It appears that in Brazil some people have the F-word as their last name. Take, for instance, the example of Dr. Reinhardt Adolfo F***, who is a Professor of Geology at the University of Brazil. It must be a bit awkward whenever they travel to an English-speaking country: "Welcome to America, Mr. F***!"

All original content in posts is Copyright © 2008 by the author of the post, either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.