Daily Headlines: February 7, 2014

* Uruguay: Members of Uruguay’s ruling party and a Dutch NGO have nominated President Jose Mujica for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his support of decriminalizing marijuana use.

* Costa Rica: Is the Super Bowl to blame for the low turnout of Costa Rican expat voters to last Sunday’s elections?

* Bolivia: Meteorologists predicted that more rain would continue to hit heavily flooded areas of northern Bolivia where the inclement weather has killed at least thirty-eight people.

* Puerto Rico: Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla criticized Standard & Poor’s decision to lower Puerto Rico’s bond status to “junk” levels despite his claims that officials were “committed to taking correct and sensible actions to rebuild” the commonwealth.

Video Source – AFP via YouTube

Online Sources- LAHT; Reuters; Tico Times; The Latin Americanist; Huffington Post

Cardinals Super Bowl loss is Nicaraguans win

On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers captured their sixth Super Bowl crown after a thrilling 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals. While both teams played brilliantly the true winners may be Nicaraguan children.

Much like last year, clothes printing the losing team as Super Bowl champions will be donated to charities for distribution in Central America. Dozens of Nicaraguan children will soon be wearing t-shirts and caps emblazoned with "Super Bowl XLIII Champions" and the Arizona Cardinals logo.

Those clothes should go well with the 2007 BCS National Champion Ohio State University t-shirts:

Because (the Cardinals) lost, licensing agreements forbid Roberts from ever selling the shirts in the United States.

So, he's giving them to charity. One Life at a Time, a non-profit started by Roberts' neighbor, will distribute the clothes to needy schoolchildren in Honduras and Nicaragua. The group did the same thing with about 600 BCS National Champion T-shirts branded with the Ohio State University Buckeyes' logo, printed before the 2007 game at University of Phoenix Stadium. The team was defeated in that year's bowl game by the University of Florida Gators.

Image- azcentral.com
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times, azcentral.com

Today’s Video: The Media Day circus

Yesterday was Super Bowl media day in Tampa, Florida. Sports reporters were there lobbing questions at members of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. Also appearing where some characters more interested in getting attention.

Voluptuous Mexican actress Ines Gomez Mont was there measuring player’s biceps and comparing them to her own…ahem…features. (This stunt was tame compared to last year when she wore a wedding dress and pretended to be Mrs. Tom Brady.)

Some players received salsa lessons while others chest bumped with a busty “reporter”. But one of the most hair-raising (pun intended) appearances was that of Telemundo’s Joel Bengoa dressed in drag:

Doing his best — and we use that term lightly — Scarlett Johansson imitation, Bengoa teetered in his heels en route to present several players with boxes of chocolates.

"I'm from `fairy godmother land' and you need me to win the big game," he purred to Arizona safety Aaron Francisco.

Francisco was a good sport.

"They told me it was going to be crazy, but I just thought it was going to be a lot of media," Francisco said. "Then that he-she gave me candy and I figured out what they were talking about. I think it was some Mexican dude in a dress, and he tried to get me to talk Spanish. But I'm from Hawaii, so I just played along."

Below is video of Bengoa (and others) at Media Day:

Question Joel: does the curtain match the drapes?
Online Sources- YouTube, MSNBC, AP, Vanguardia, Deadspin

Patriots Loss is Nicaragua's Win?

So the New England Patriots didn't win the Superbowl and the NY Giants did. Old news. But where to failed attempts at glory go to die? On the backs of poor Latin Americans of course (how fitting). The "championship" shirts and hats that the New England Patriots players were set to wear had they won the Super Bowl wound up on the backs of about 290 poor Nicaraguan young people. The gear proclaims that the Patriots beat the Giants to complete an undefeated season. Of course the reality is that the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14. So the NFL donated the unused gear to World Vision charity who went to a school in the San Gregorio neighborhood in the town of Diriamba. Most of the shirts were extra extra large, made to fit players, not children.

Sources: Univision and NY Post

Daily Headlines: February 7, 2008

* One man’s trash is another man’s treasure…in Nicaragua.

* Growing opposition to Salvadoran soldiers fighting in Iraq may lead to a major troop reduction according to President Tony Saca.

* Over 1450 people have been evacuated from the area around Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano after it exploded yesterday.

* Colombian singer Shakira will auction off over forty pieces of clothing worn during a 2007 tour with proceeds going to her Bare Feet Foundation.

Sources-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reuters, AFP, The Press Association

Image- ITN