Results from a recent random drug test revealed that Jose Alfredo Castillo tested positive for cocaine. The 21-year-old forward from Club Bolivar adamantly declares that he is not a drug user. Instead he states that the two cups of mate de coca tea he drank prior to the match was the root cause of this positive result. Derived from the coca leaf, this tea is commonly consumed because of its medicinal properties. • more

The Altiplano bloqueo ended (temporarily) last night after campesinos & government officials came to an agreement. Which includes the government paying for economic losses sustained by campesinos & transportistas during the weeks-long bloqueo. The dirigentes campesinos warn this is only a temporary move; several issues still require negotiation. But. For  • more

Recently I came across Swapna, a graduate student at The University of Iowa. After talking to her for a while what I came to know is that she is not a regular desi graduate, who you expect to be majoring in either some engineering/medical related disciplines. She is pursuing her master’s in Special Education for Children with Learning Disabilities and Behavior disorders. Here are the excerpts of the email interview with this highly articulate yet humble woman:  • more

Buchae are Korean traditional fans often given as presents on Tano.

It’s Tano (단오) time in Korea. What’s Tano you ask? Tano, or May fifth according to the lunar calendar, has a long and storied history in Korea and is generally recognized as the beginning of summer. The actual holiday this year is June 22 according to the solar calendar and many festivals countrywide are scheduled for Tuesday. • more

As moncay has mentioned in Focus Southeastern Europe (4): Josip Broz Tito Tito is still around somehow. The fleamarket in Ljubljana provides you with a large variety of devotional articles.  • more