Paging through the famed record book's 60th edition one is struck by two things: first, the number of weird things people do to get themselves into the book, and second, how many records people in Latin America hold.

The Guinness Book of World Records has released its 60th edition for 2015 and leafing through the pages one is struck by two things: first, the number of weird things people do to get in the book, and second, how many records people in Latin America hold.

From the largest enchilada to the world’s highest suspension bridge to the most likes on Facebook, the region is ripe with record setters who go above and beyond the normal to have their names in the famed book.

If one country in the region – and the world, for that matter – can claim to be the epicenter of record-setters it would be Mexico. The country has for years had a national obsession for breaking obscure records, from the most people kissing simultaneously (39,897 on Valentine’s Day 2009) to the most mariachi musicians ever gathered in one place (about 549 in August 2009), it's a country infatuated with getting into the book.

Mexico, however, doesn’t always hold records that are admirable, as the case of Manuel Uribe attests to. For some the World’s Heaviest Man, peaking at 1,230 pounds, before his death at 867 pounds back in May 2014. (What do you expect however from the country that made the largest pork taco, at about 240 feet long and weighing 330,000 pounds in November 2011?)

Ambiguous records, too. Such as the country being the home of the person with the most Harry Potter memorabilia.

But other countries in the region are writing their names in the records as well, with such feats as a 664-yard long pound cake made in Colombia, the largest group of people taking part in a "full body" aerobics workout routine in a Peruvian prison yard, and the highest number of lightning strikes per square kilometer per year at Venezuela’s Catatumbo River mount, which notched an impressive 3,600 flashes per hour (or 1.2 million a year).

Colombian singer Shakira hit the record book when she became the most ‘liked’ person on Facebook in April. She also broke records when she became the first person to reach 100 million likes on Facebook.

Brazil has the record of the most murders in absolute terms and Honduras holds the record of the most murders per capita, while the Dominican Republic is known as the deadliest place to travel by road.

If as an American, you are feeling left out by failing to hold the record for the longest fruitcake in the world (Nicaragua, at 1,640 feet) or the most telescopes pointed simultaneously at the moon (2,753 telescopes in Mexico), we can rest assured that we still have the highest score on Donkey Kong (Hank Chien with 1,138,600 points), the greatest distance travelled with a pool cue balanced on your chin (5,472 feet, 9 inches by Ashrita Furman in Jamaica, New York) and the greatest recorded weight of apples collected in eight hours (15,830 pounds picked by George Adrian of Indianapolis, Indiana).

How do you like them apples, Mexico?

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2014/10/15/guinness-world-records-book-turns-60-and-latin-america-dominates-its-pages/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]

On October 31 Mary L. Yost will present two lectures on PAD in Mexico. At the General Session on Peripheral Arterial Disease, Management from Claudication to Critical Limb Ischemia, Yost will discuss “Socioeconomic Consequences of Three Mexican Epidemics: Diabetes, Peripheral Arterial Disease and Critical Limb Ischemia.”

In addition to providing estimates of the number of Mexican citizens afflicted with PAD and critical limb ischemia (CLI), the discussion highlights the unique characteristics of diabetes in Mexico. These are believed to predispose this population to developing chronic complications, including PAD. Yost will also talk about the close relationship between diabetes and CLI and provide estimates of the number of CLI-related amputations in Mexico. The lecture also includes preliminary estimates of the economic cost of PAD and emphasizes the need for Mexican cost data.

During the Merck-sponsored Academic Session on the Epidemiology of Peripheral Arterial Disease and Diabetes, she will speak on the “Diabetes Epidemic in Mexico: What is the Impact on Peripheral Arterial Disease, Critical Limb Ischemia and Amputations?”

This lecture expands on the close interrelationships among diabetes, PAD, CLI and amputation. Yost explains why PAD is one of the most expensive chronic diseases and elaborates on the costs and adverse patient outcomes of CLI-amputations.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to present our research on PAD and CLI in Mexico to this distinguished audience of international angiologists and vascular surgeons,” said Ms. Yost. “PAD has been characterized as a ‘global pandemic’. Its rapid spread reflects a combination of factors, particularly the worldwide epidemic of diabetes and the aging population. Unfortunately, Mexico is not immune to these trends.”

The XLVI National Congress of Angiology and Vascular Surgery will be held October 28-November 1, 2014 at the Hilton Hotel in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. For additional information visit: http://www.angiologiamexico.com.mx/.

About THE SAGE GROUP

THE SAGE GROUP, a research and consulting company, specializes in atherosclerotic disease in the lower limbs, specifically PAD, CLI, intermittent claudication (IC), Acute Limb Ischemia (ALI) and ischemic DFU. The most recent research focuses on quantifying the economic and social costs of PAD, CLI and amputation. For additional information visit www.thesagegroup.us.

Contact:
THE SAGE GROUP, Atlanta
Harrington Witherspoon, 404/816-0746
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

From greenlighting movies to anchoring the most watched news program in L.A. (it's not in English), these leading execs and talent are changing Hollywood

This story first appeared in the Oct. 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

If demographic trends continue, in three or four decades, THR will be printing a list of the 25 most powerful Anglos in entertainment … and it'll be written in Spanish. For the time being, though, only a fraction of decision-makers in Hollywood are Hispanic, even though Hispanics are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the audience every year (by 2050, Latinos will make up 30 percent of the U.S. population). That makes the people on these pages all the more extraordinary: They've been able to accrue power -- defined here as the ability to impact the culture -- in an industry that doesn't always have an open-door policy toward minorities. After consulting with Latino and entertainment leaders and observers, THR ranked the top 25.

1. Nina Tassler
Chairman, CBS Entertainment
Her power only has continued to grow since her promotion from president in February. Overseeing TV's No. 1 network means that Tassler, 57, whose mother is Puerto Rican, has a huge influence over the consumption habits of a plurality of Americans (something she learned while developing the CSI and NCIS franchises more than a decade ago). She certainly started her new job right by presiding over CBS' drama-free late-night handoffs while shepherding a full summer slate and expanding emphasis on limited series and live events.

Read more CBS Chief Nina Tassler Talks Courting New 'Late Late Show' Host James Corden

2. Cesar Conde
Executive vp, NBCUniversal
Conde, 40, left Univision in 2013 to become the highest-ranking Latino at NBCUniversal, where his job is to identify international opportunities, particularly in Latin America and Asia. But he's not just jetting around the globe scouting theme park locations; he also is reassessing the company's digital strategy. "As the Latino population has grown, so too have the opportunities," he says. "The trend of Hispanics being named to top roles in this industry is just the beginning."

3. Jennifer Lopez
Actress, musician, producer and chief creative officer of NUVOtv
J.Lo's empire covers every conceivable aspect of media and entertainment, both in front of and behind the camera as well as onstage and in the boardroom. Sure, her rom-com career hasn't exactly been flourishing (whose has?), but this summer saw the American Idol judge, 45, release her eighth studio album, A.K.A., as well as the official 2014 World Cup anthem "We Are One (Ole Ola)," recorded with fellow listmaker Pitbull (No. 17). Her production company Nuyorican Productions (a nod to her Puerto Rican-by-way-of-New York roots) is behind her upcoming starring vehicle The Boy Next Door, ABC Family's groundbreaking drama The Fosters (which earned Lopez GLAAD's Vanguard Award in April) and NBC's 2015 cop drama Shades of Blue, which has nabbed a straight-to-series order from the network. Nuyorican also has a slew of shows with NUVOtv, a millennial-focused English-language Latino cable network that named her its chief creative officer in 2013 (she owns a minority stake in the company). And then, of course, there are her branded businesses, which include a fragrance line (which has grossed nearly $2 billion since its 2002 launch) and a best-selling collection of apparel, accessories and home furnishings for Kohl's. Oh, and one more job description to add to her crowded nameplate: author, when her memoir, True Love, is released in November.

Read more Barry Levinson to Direct, Exec Produce NBC's Jennifer Lopez Drama 'Shades of Blue'

4. Alfonso Cuaron
Writer-director
After Gravity's $716 million worldwide gross -- and those Oscars -- Cuaron, 52, pretty much can write his own ticket in Hollywood. But the Mexican director had some trouble getting off the launchpad; 10 years ago, he was all but broke before J.K. Rowling handpicked him to direct the third Harry Potter movie.

5. Robert Rodriguez
Writer, director, producer and founder of El Rey Network
There are Latino directors whose films have made more money (see Alfonso Cuaron). There are Latinos whose TV ventures have been more high-profile (see Guillermo del Toro). But Rodriguez, 46, is the one filmmaker on this list who thinks most like a mogul. "People have always asked me how to get to Latinos' wallets," he says. "It was never about putting more Latinos in more shows. You've got to get them here" -- he touches his heart -- "by giving them characters to fall in love with." And now the guy who pretty much invented the super low-budget indie movie (shooting his breakthrough 1992 film El Mariachi for a mere $7,000, much of which he scrounged up as a guinea pig for new pharmaceuticals like Lipitor) has launched his own English-language crossover cable TV network, El Rey, with a $72 million investment from Univision and a war chest estimated at more than $100 million. It's still early going -- El Rey (Spanish for "The King") arrived on the dial just last year. But series like From Dusk Till Dawn (spun off from Rodriguez's extra-gory vampire films) are generating big-time buzz.

Read more 'Jane the Virgin' Star Gina Rodriguez Wants to Be the Latino Meryl Streep

6. Guillermo del Toro
Writer-director-producer
When he first came to Hollywood, "everyone tried to limit me to drama or comedy with a 'Latin' slant," says del Toro, 50. "But I wanted to be free to explore my worlds the way any other filmmaker did." Mission accomplished, with such films as Pan's Labyrinth (which won three Oscars) and Pacific Rim (a sequel is in the works). Plus, he now has added a hit TV show to his resume with FX's The Strain.

7. Armando Nunez
President-CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group
A member of Leslie Moonves' inner circle for 15 years -- "pound for pound, one of the best executives in town," his boss has called him -- Nunez, 53, oversees the global and domestic distribution of one of the biggest TV content libraries in the biz.

8. Alex Garcia
Executive vp production, Legendary Entertainment
Even before his promotion this year -- he's been at the studio since 2009 -- Garcia, 37, produced movies (Godzilla and Michael Mann's upcoming cyber thriller Blackhat) with an eye toward global domination. And now, with a $250 million infusion from SoftBank, he's certainly got the resources to think big. Latinos' growing industry role "mirrors the ever expanding marketplace," says Garcia.

9. Sofia Vergara
Actress
Vergara, 42, has turned her Modern Family celebrity into a booming industry, earning $30 million in endorsements, from Diet Pepsi to Kmart. She co-founded Latin World Entertainment, which in 2012 handled 87 percent of Spanish-language endorsements in America. "[People] think I have no idea what I can deliver," she recently said, "and [that] ends up costing them more."

10. Jorge Ramos
Anchor, Univision
"He's our Walter Cronkite," says National Hispanic Media Coalition president and CEO Alex Nogales. Meaning that when Ramos, 56, talks, more than 2 million Spanish-speaking households across North America listen. In L.A., Ramos' program frequently has more viewers than the English-language newscasts.

Read more Simon Cowell Sells Latino Boy Band Reality Competition to Univision

11. Alejandro G. Inarritu
Writer-director
Though the jury still is out on Birdman (it closes the New York Film Festival on Oct. 11), there's already Oscar talk. But then there almost always is for Inarritu, 51, whose Biutiful and Amores Perros received foreign language nominations and whose Babel was nominated for best director and picture.

12. Zoe Saldana
Actress
With three Avatar sequels on the way, another Guardians of the Galaxy movie and Star Trek 3 in the works, Saldana, 36, arguably is the most successful action movie actress ever. But what she really wants to do is produce; her banner, Cinestar Productions, signed a first-look deal last year with Pantelion to develop film and TV projects for Hispanic audiences.

Read more Zoe Saldana on 'Avatar' Sequels, Marriage and Race in Hollywood

13. Emilio Azcarraga Jean
President-CEO-chair, Televisa
The 46-year-old Mexican billionaire ($3.1 billion net worth) controls 70 percent of Mexico's TV market and also has been busy up north -- with a Lionsgate joint venture and a five-year, 12-series production pact with Sony Pictures TV, not to mention his longtime relationship with Univision.

14. Eva Longoria
Actress-producer
Since Desperate Housewives ended in 2012, the Mexican-American actress, 39, has kept busy pro­ducing. Her Universal-based UnbeliEVAble Entertainment is behind the primetime soap Devious Maids, which Lifetime has renewed for a third season.

15. Alberto Ciurana and Isaac Lee
Programming and content president, Univision; president, Univision News
On five nights in the last week of September, Univision beat at least one (sometimes more) of the big networks in the 18-to-34 demographic. Much of the credit for that goes to Ciurana, 58, and Lee, 43, who run the strongest units in North America's No. 1 Spanish-language network.

16. Luis Silberwasser, Jacqueline Hernandez and Jorge Hidalgo
President, Telemundo; chief marketing officer Hispanic Enterprises and Content, NBCUni; and executive vp sports, Telemundo

Silberwasser, 49, has one mission: Overtake Univision. Hidalgo, 51, has done his part, helping nab the World Cup from 2015 to 2022, while Hernandez, 48, serves as a bridge between Telemundo and parent company NBCUni.

17. Pitbull
Musician, record producer
"I don't think I do Latin music," says the multiplatinum 33-year-old singer, who had a single (with J.Lo) named the official song of the 2014 World Cup. "Call it global music if you want."

Read more Power of Pitbull: 'Timber' Rapper Reveals Plan to Become Next Billion-Dollar Brand

18. Eugenio Derbez
Actor, writer and director
He's the most famous Latino performer that non-Hispanics have never heard of. In fact, the 52-year-old Mexican has the highest Q-rating in the U.S. among Spanish-speaking Latinos. But he finally got Hollywood's attention in 2013, when his tiny $5.5 million bachelor-and-kid comedy, Instructions Not Included (which he wrote, directed and starred in) grossed more than $44 million, overtaking Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth as North America's most successful Spanish-language film. Soon, English-speaking audiences will get to know him, too: In September, he signed a first-look deal with Pantelion Films, the Lionsgate and Grupo Televisa joint venture that distributed Instructions, to develop Spanish- and English-language movies for Latino and crossover audiences in the U.S.

19. Roberto Orci
Writer-producer
Orci, 41, has his hands in everything from Transformers and Spider-Man to Fringe and Sleepy Hollow, and is about to make his directorial debut with Star Trek 3.

20. Jose Valle, Raul Alarcon and Walter Ulloa
President, Univision Radio; president, Spanish Broadcasting System; chairman and CEO, Entravision
Together, these three men run a combined 144 Spanish-language radio stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

21. Belinda Menendez
President, NBCU International TV Distribution & Universal Networks International
Menendez speaks multiple languages (Spanish being one, of course), which comes in handy for this exec in charge of NBCU's international channels as well as global distribution of its 100,000 TV episodes and 4,000 films.

22. Shakira
Singer-songwriter
As of this writing, the 37-year-old singer, who is in the middle of a 10-year, $30 million deal with Live Nation, is the most "liked" celebrity on Facebook (104.7 million).

Read more Shakira Album Release Party: Talks New Music, Love and Having 86 Million Facebook Friends

23. Rita Tuzon
General counsel, Fox Network
Tuzon, 55, was Rupert Murdoch's mouthpiece in battles against Dish's Hopper and against former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

24. Soledad O'Brien
Journalist
Her Starfish Media Group has deals with HBO and Al Jazeera America, and its PTSD doc The War Comes Home aired on CNN in August.

25. Marla Provencio
Executive vp marketing and chief marketing officer, ABC
"Early on, within executive suites, it was a challenge to find diverse women, let alone Latina women," says Provencio, who launched Agents of SHIELD and built Thursday night into Shonda Rhimes' empire. "Today, the industry is starting to reflect the world we live in."

[readon1 url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nina-tassler-jennifer-lopez-more-738489"]Source:www.hollywoodreporter.com[/readon1]

Now available from US Labor Department - Applications are due by Friday, Nov. 7

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $1,389,000 competitive solicitation for a project to assist the government of Mexico to combat labor discrimination by supporting enforcement of the strengthened anti-discrimination provisions in Mexico's Federal Labor Law Reform of 2012.

"Countries like Mexico are making welcome progress in reforming laws to better protect workers from discrimination and harassment based on gender or sexual orientation," said Carol Pier, deputy undersecretary of labor for international affairs. "This project will support the Mexican government's efforts to more effectively enforce such non-discrimination provisions of the Mexican Federal Labor Law Reform of 2012."

The goal is to increase compliance with the expanded protections against labor discrimination under Mexican labor law, with a specific focus on combating gender discrimination, forced pregnancy testing, sexual harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The project will focus on improving enforcement of these protections by labor inspectors, increasing employer participation in government social compliance programs that incorporate best practices to combat labor discrimination, and raising public awareness of the recent legal reforms on labor discrimination.

To achieve the project's goal, the successful grantee will:
revise existing inspection methodologies and materials to reflect the 2012 legal reforms,
develop an electronic module on such labor discrimination for incorporation into the existing electronic inspection planning and tracking system,train labor inspectors,incorporate best practices for combating labor discrimination into existing social compliance programs and provide support for their expansion, and
design and implement public awareness campaigns.

Any commercial, international, educational or nonprofit organization(s), including any faith-based, community-based or public international organization capable of successfully implementing the activities outlined in the solicitation is eligible to apply.

Applications must be submitted in English by Friday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m. EDT electronically via http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer, Reference SCA-14-25, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210.

The award will be made by Dec. 31. The funding opportunity announcement (SCA-14-25) is available online at http://www.grants.gov and http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/.

News Release
ILAB News Release: [10/14/2014]
Contact Name: Egan Reich or Chelsea Brint
Phone Number: (202) 693-4960 or x4661
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Release Number: 14-1945-NAT

Join us on Wednesday, October 22, from 4–5 p.m. EST for a Twitter party all about the best culinary destinations to travel to this winter! We'll be tweeting with a panel of experts—a diverse group of food editors, writers, photographers, and chefs—who travel the globe in the pursuit of incredible food. Take part in the conversation with the hashtag #CulinaryEscapes. RSVP using the form below for the chance to win an amazing prize: a getaway for two to Puerto Vallarta with round trip airfare from the U.S. and a three-night stay at an all-inclusive resort! Expert panelists include:

Lindsay Anderson and Dana V., bloggers, FEAST: An Edible Road Trip; @feast_on
Julia Bainbridge, food editor, Yahoo Food; @yahoofood
Javier Cabral, restaurant scout, LA Times; @theglutster
Robyn Eckhardt and David Hagerman, writer and photographer, Eating Asia; @EatingAsia
Erica Hueneke, editor in chief, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons; @destweddingmag
Stephanie Le, blogger, iamafoodblog; author of Easy Gourmet; @iamafoodblog
Shane Mitchell, contributing editor, SAVEUR; @shanegoesforth
Lauren Mowery, travel, food, and wine writer, Chasing the Vine; @chasingthevine
Bao Ong, food writer; @baohaus
Pichet Ong, pastry chef; @pichetong
Katie Parla, Rome-based food writer; co-author of Really Roman; @katieparla
Pavia Rosati, travel and food writer; founder, Fathom; @pavianyc
David Rosengarten, journalist and wine writer; @d_rosengarten
Penny de los Santos, NYC-based travel and food photographer; @pennydelosantos
Krista Simmons, food editor at LAist.com; @kristasimmons
Mike Sutter, food writer and blogger, Fed Man Walking; @fedmanwalking

GRAND PRIZE: Three (3) night stay for two at an all-inclusive property in Puerto Vallarta, including round-trip airfare from a major U.S. city

WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 4–5 p.m. EST

WHERE: Follow the conversation on Twitter using #CulinaryEscapes. Party hosted exclusively by @saveurmag along with @PVvisit.

FOLLOW: @saveurmag

PARTY HASHTAG: #CulinaryEscapes

Whether you're rocking the latest Android device from Samsung, HTC, or LG, these tips will help you get the most out of your phone or tablet.

1. Send Your Ex Straight to Voicemail

We've all got a few people we'd rather not talk to. Rather than manually screening every call, set up your phone to do the dirty work for you. Load up the culprit's contact card, select Edit, and then scroll down to Additional Info. Select "Send straight to voicemail" from the list to have every subsequent call from that person bypass your ringer entirely.

2. Screen Calls More Politely

Okay, you're not always sending people to voicemail because you can't stand them. Sometimes you're in a meeting and can't talk. Android has a way to silence a call without giving your friend the cold shoulder; you can send a custom text message to let him know you'll call back later. To create your own note, go to Phone Settings, and then Quick Responses. Next time you need to silence a call, swipe up to send your canned response.

3. Map it Out

Just because you're traveling somewhere without cell service doesn't mean you can't have Google Maps to guide. Before you head out, pull up the area where you're likely to go offline up in Maps, and then type "Ok Maps" into the search window on the page. Maps will download that particular portion of the map, making it available even in places where cell and Wi-Fi service are MIA.

4. Add Words to Your Dictionary

Tired of typing in every letter of your weird cousin's name or your group's inside-joke slang terms every time you send a text? Teach your phone new words by long pressing on a word to add it to your personal dictionary. Next time you go to type it in, your phone will suggest the word after a few letters, saving your fingers a little bit of time.

5. Watch Your Data

Avoid overage fees on your data plan by monitoring how much you use throughout the month. Go into Settings and then Data Usage to view not only a breakdown of how much data you've used, but also what apps are the biggest culprits. If you find yourself cutting it close month after month, you can set an alert to tell you when you're getting close to your limit—or program your phone to stop using cellular data altogether when you've hit your monthly cap.

6. Prevent Premature Loading

We love tabbed browsing. What we don't love is when we don't need the info in all the tabs you have open but they preload anyway, which can do some decidedly not awesome things to your data plan. Restrict Chrome so it preloads websites only when it's connected to Wi-Fi: Go into its Settings menu (accessible by pressing the three dots beside the address bar of a loaded webpage) and selecting Bandwidth Management. From there, uncheck the box beside preload webpages to prevent them from loading on their own.

7. Put Your Name on It

One day you leave your phone behind, but you get lucky—a good Samaritan finds it and wants to return it to you. But how will they know whom it belongs to? Android will let you put your name, email address, and an alternate phone number on your lock screen so that someone who picks up the device will know it's yours, but won't have access to any of the other info on your phone. To add your details, go into the Settings menu on your phone and then select Security, Screen Security, and then Owner Info.

8. Simplify Calls

Sometimes navigating through your contacts list to make a call is a bit more effort than you're looking to give. So add a speed dial button to your home screen to make it easy to call your mom, or, you know, that pizza place down the street. To add a number, press and hold on your home screen where you'd like to add it. A menu will pop up. From there, select Shortcuts and then Contact. Scroll down to select the number you want to add.

9. Become a Hard Drive

Need to transport a few files? Your Android phone can double as a portable hard drive. Connect your phone to your computer using your USB cable (the same one you use to charge it every night). The phone will ask if you want to enable it as a USB storage device. Say yes, and it will show up on your desktop just like any other hard drive, ready to hold any files you need to transport elsewhere.

10. Hide Your Kid's Mess

Tired of your kid's games filling up the homepage on your Nexus 7? If you're sharing your tablet with others, you can create an individual profile for each person where they can store their favorite apps and content. To create a profile on your device for someone new, go into the Settings menu and then select "Users" followed by "Add user or profile." On-screen instructions will guide you through adding a new account with its own apps to your device, or granting restricted access to your personal content for someone new.

[readon1 url="http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tips/10-things-you-didnt-know-your-android-phone-could-do-17058622"]Source:www.popularmechanics.com[/readon1]

Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Kaman is a veteran NBA big man who’s also got a new reality web series coming out this Friday called “Exploring Kaman.” In the show Kaman goes fishing in Mexico, looking for the elusive blue and black marlin. He also shoots a .50-caliber gun at abandoned cars.

Kaman hopped on the phone with For The Win to talk about the show and the upcoming NBA season.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever shot?

For me, it’s always been stuff back home in Michigan. I’ve shot hogs, armadillo, deer, elk. I just shot a mule deer up in Oregon. One thing I want to do is a bear hunt.

But pretty much stuff like that back home. I don’t get much time though, because basketball starts back in October and that’s when hunting season starts. So I haven’t really shot the cool things that I wanted to shoot in my life.

So shooting a bear is the dream?

Bear, Alaskan moose would be sweet, a caribou, a musk ox, there’s so many cool hunts you could do. Potentially, like, a lion. That would be awesome, too.

It’s so hard with the seasons and the timings. I mean getting tags for something like that is an interesting adventure in itself. I think it’s $60,000 to kill a lion.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

What’s the most awesome fish in the ocean?

The marlin. The blue marlin and the black marlin. I mean, for me, they’re just so hard. They’re an elusive animal. Seeing them and getting one, man. I’ve caught some before, but it’s not easy.

What’s the lamest fish in the ocean?

Bait fish. Little pieces of ceviche you just rip out of the water. We’ll put ten or twenty hooks on a line, and then pull it in and there will be all these stupid fish on all the hooks. Like a greenback mackerel, those are the easy ones. Sardines, those are easy. There will be schools of hundreds of thousands of these fish, and you’ll pull a line up and every hook is full. Those are lame. Those are the bait fish.

Have you ever shot a gun at fish?

I have with my spearfishing gun, but that’s underwater. You don’t want to shoot from the top, because that’s hard. It’s possible, though. Hmmm. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about that, actually.

But down in Mexico it’s super illegal to have a gun on the boat. Period. Any type of gun, doesn’t matter what it is. They’ll take you to jail, and it’s really crazy like that down in Mexico. You don’t want to be caught with that.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Why do you like fishing in Mexico so much?

The fishing is always the best where the water is warm. Mexico is so big, the coastal part stretches so far, the Pacific Coast of Mexico, whether it’s off the Baja Peninsula or all the way down toward Guatemala, it’s so vast. You’re looking for the blue water. So what happens is that the water settles down in Central America, and if they have hurricanes then it pushes the warm water all the way up to the middle or even the top of the Baja Peninsula. Cabo’s always big in October … that’s where the big fish come in, the black and blue marlin. They’re one of the most sought-after gamefish in the world.

Basically, you gotta get to where the blue water is. And the blue water is down in Mexico in the summer.

Have you ever taken any teammates fishing with you?

Nah, I’ve taken some members of the coaching staff and a few other people who work for the team, but none of my teammates have wanted to come on an adventure with me. I mean, most of them don’t know how to swim. They don’t want to go in a boat.

How did “Exploring Kaman” come into existence?

I had a fishing boat for years in L.A. when I was playing with the Clippers. The marina was really close, so I could go whenever the season was done for the Clippers. Generally we got done really early, with the exception of that one year.

It was always right on down to Mexico with the fishing boat, have myself a good break before I went back at it. Basically, I did it a couple years in a row, didn’t think about filming it or anything, but we’d do a couple Flip videos of fish we caught. But crazy stuff would happen to us in Puerto Vallarta, in Cabo, all sorts of interesting stuff.

And we thought it would be cool to film it, so I talked to some buddies back from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I’m from. They came down and filmed it, and that was probably six years ago, maybe, seven years ago. For the last three years we’ve been editing it, and it got to the point where I’m comfortable with it and I like it. So we made six episodes and we’re going to release them online starting Friday.

Was there anything you wanted to include in the show but couldn’t for whatever reason?

There was a lot of stuff. We edited it three times, took a lot of stuff out. The first two times we had some stuff in there that was pretty wild, maybe a little over the top, and I wanted to be a little conservative on the first go-around. There were a few things on there that were a little inappropriate for certain ages, and I wanted to make it for everybody.

Anything you’re willing to talk about?

I’d rather have people watch it and talk about it after. It was mostly just language things [we had to cut]. I want it to be family-friendly. I’m trying to keep it clean. There’s some stuff we just had to leave on, though, just for people to see what happened. It’s all real. No one’s acting. No one made this stuff up.

The stuff that happens, you can’t plan it. The third year we filmed, even crazier stuff happened. Boats breaking down, people not having any idea what they were doing. We had to fly in people to fix problems. It’s a toss-up. We’re serious about trying to catch these fish, but no one seriously knew what they were doing.

So without giving too much away, we had the hardest time because none of us knew what we were supposed to do. We weren’t experienced enough. The show’s about our trials and troubles, trying to work out how to catch these fish. We spent all this money and spent all this time, but we really didn’t know what we were doing. It was crazy.

Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

What does the future of “Exploring Kaman” have in store for us?

We were talking about that the other day with the producer guy we’re working with back home.

More guns? Firecrackers?

[Laughs] I don’t know. After the last filming, you know, there’s some times you want to just hang out with your friends, have some privacy, be alone. Sometimes you don’t mind if they’re filming, but it’s hard to have cameras in front of your friends all the time. For one, it gets expensive. And two, it’s crazy and my friends don’t always know what to do in front of the cameras.

I’m working on what I want to do next. I’m glad this is finished, and it’s off my back, and now I can just watch people enjoy it.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s switch over to basketball. How many games do the Blazers win this year?

Ah, you know we just started the preseason. We’ve only had three preseason games, lost two, won one. The regular season doesn’t start until the end of the month.

How are you getting along with the new teammates?

Good. We’re meshing well. Me and Steve Blake are the newbies, we’re just trying to fit in, make sure the chemistry stays where it’s at. They had a great team last year.

Have you had any conversations with Robin Lopez yet? I’m very curious what you two would talk about.

Laughs Robin is such a great guy. He’s just so interesting to a lot of people because he’s pretty quiet. But he’s very intelligent. And when you talk to him about stuff he’s very knowledgeable. I mean, I don’t know if we’ve had any in-depth conversations, mostly just talking about basketball stuff.

I’m just trying to learn what he wants me to do. Sometimes I’m going to play with him, sometimes I’m going to play with Aldridge, and sometimes those two play. It’s a mix-up, and I’m just trying to work my way into the rotation and make sure I feel comfortable with everybody. And make sure that he feels comfortable, too.

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

OK, some rapid fire questions. What’s the No. 1 reason people should watch “Exploring Kaman?”

It’s funny, but it’s also sensible. We’re trying to do something serious. We aren’t acting. It’s something that you can enjoy. It’s got a lot of realism to it, and it’s got some comedy and some things you wouldn’t normally see in it.

What’s the No. 7 reason people should watch “Exploring Kaman?”

The No. 7 reason? [Laughs] I mean, if you like fishing, it’s also an interesting fishing show.

What away court has the best bench for napping purposes?

It’s gotta be the Cavaliers, huh? I’ve already tested that one out. It’s nice and soft.

Just get to chill and let them do the work for you?

Yeah, I’m like, “Uh, yeah fill it up with premium? You need me to do anything?” I’ve only lived in Michigan and California, and you gotta get out and do the work yourself. But I think it’s good, get some extra jobs for people. I think New Jersey and Oregon have it full service. You can have it in Michigan in some places, but it’s the deal here, you have no choice. And I like it. I’m married. My wife doesn’t have to pump any gas. That’s cool.

[readon1 url="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/chris-kaman-interview-reality-show"]Source:ftw.usatoday.com[/readon1]

Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are an eco-tourist’s paradise, teaming with so much biodiversity that Charles Darwin used the island’s species as the inspiration for his 1835 “Theory of Evolution.”

In 1961, the Ecuadorian government declared the islands a National Park and limited the amount of people who can live on them.

Over time, however, human settlement and tourism has upset the balance in this fragile ecosystem. Invasive species have also been a problem as animals such as cats, rats, dogs, goats and pigs have all multiplied exponentially on the islands over the years.

Hugo Arnal, director of the World Wildlife Fund in Ecuador, spoke with Americas Now about the future of the islands.

[readon1 url="http://www.cctv-america.com/2014/10/10/galapagos-islands-maintains-fragile-ecosystem"]Source:www.cctv-america.com[/readon1]

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced on Tuesday that they are donating $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation to fight Ebola.

Zuckerberg revealed the donation in a post on Facebook (of course), the site that has made him into the $33 billion man he is today.

In a status update, Zuckerberg compared the disease to Polio and HIV, noting that 8,400 people have already been infected by Ebola and that it has the potential to spread quickly.

There is no cure for Ebola yet, but the chairman for the CDC said earlier this month that he is "confident" the United States will not experience an Ebola outbreak.

Fellow tech billionaire Bill Gates announced last month that his foundation would give $50 million to fight Ebola, the largest donation that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has ever made to a humanitarian cause.

[readon1 url="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/zuckerberg-ebola_n_5982762.html"]Source:www.huffingtonpost.com[/readon1]

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of El Salvador at approximately 11:51 EDT Monday, according to the USGS.

The major earthquake was felt all across Central America from Mexico to Panama with the epicenter being located 42 miles (67 km) southwest of Jiquililo, Nicaragua.

Shortly after the earthquake occurred, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement warning that hazardous tsunami waves could impact the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
The threat of a tsunami in this area has since passed, according to the latest report from the PTWC.
A destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii and Alaska.

There has been at least one fatality from the earthquake, Reuters reports, after an electricity pole fell on a man in El Salvador.

Showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast over the next several days in cities such as San Salvador, El Salvador; Managua, Nicaragua; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

This could dampen cleanup efforts around these major cities where the earthquake caused damage.

Hundreds of thousands of football fans have converged on cities across Brazil for the World Cup. After months of building delays, protests and financial controversy, the tournament’s highly anticipated kick off is only a day away.

For Ivan Charoux and Rafael Sawaya, the action isn’t limited to the 12 Brazilian stadiums. Back in 1970, the friends took their shared love of Brazil’s soccer team on the road. They drove some 8,000 kilometers from Sao Paulo to Guadalajara, Mexico to watch the home team versus some of its greatest global opponents.

The men are now 68 and 70 years old and they decided to take another road trip– same kind of car, same route. CCTV’s Bianca Davie has more about their trip

Unofficial election results indicate that Bolivian president Evo Morales has won a third term. According to exit polls, he got about 60 percent of the vote. His closest opponent, Samuel Doria Medina, received just 25 percent. Morales addressed to his supporters gathered outside the presidential palace shortly after the numbers were released. CCTV America’s Dan Collyns reports from La Paz.