[YouTube - Link] Strap explosives to the business end of a long hammer and bang it hard on the ground. That’s the basic idea of this strange celebration in the town of San Juan de la Vega in Guanajuato, Mexico. Metafilter user aetg explains what’s going on: OK, so the reasons for doing s...

Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Host, Predictions and Trends, News and Gossip For this edition of American Idol , the crew traveled to New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of my favorite things about the auditions is seeing the expressions on the judges' fa...

As glorious as it was to escape Atlanta for a nice warm vacation, it was definitely jolting to come back to the cold and/or nasty of this week. If you want to relax, turn your brain off, read a bunch of books, and be warm, I can highly recommend a caribbean cruise. I was in the sun with a book whene...

HINTON, Va. -- Every morning, 26,000 white tom turkeys arrive at the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative plant in the Shenandoah Valley, where they are killed, gutted, cleaned, chilled, cut up and prepared for shipment by the end of the day. The work is hard and cold and messy, and few local res......

7/10 There is a persistent myth that using a big fly will help catch a big trout.  That fellow fly fishers is just not true. While it is true that larger trout tend to seek out larger prey, it is not always true. Trout survive by one major rule.  Energy received from the prey must be ...

6/26 The beaver dam in Lair of the Bear park had held the water flow to a steady 44 CFS for almost two weeks.  A steady flow like this for Bear Creek should mean excellent fishing.  Throwing my gear in the car, I headed out for the Creek.  Arriving at the park about 9:30, I spott...

The fabled fishery, best known for its high desert beauty, its penchant for crowds, and its fat rainbow trout, just got a makeover thanks to some heavy lifting… Although the river water was ideal in temperature and clarity for trout, fisheries biologist Marc Wethington, with the New Mexico Dep...

I spent the last ten days in Puerto Rico, visiting my buddy Jimbo. He lives in Old San Juan, which I’m told is the oldest settlement in North America. It’s a very cool old city: narrow cobblestone streets, vibrant colors, lots of neat bars and clubs, and friendly people. Jimbo has been l...

Filed under: Nightlife Vacationing in any foreign place takes a little bit of acclimating to get used to the bar scene. You have to know the right bars and locations to go to avoid being labeled as a tourist or getting ripped off. For example, my friend Ered always loves going to "Wine Bars" when we...

The most difficult aspect of daily life in Nicaragua for me is the discrepancy between rich and poor.  It is evident everywhere - the palatial homes overlooking the bay to the kids begging for money for bread.  It is exacerbated by television, which sends a message that everyone else in th...