The "Train of Death" is the common name for a train in Mexico that heads north to Mexico City which is a common method for illegal immigrants from Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala use as part of their trip to the US. An article in Nigerian Tribune has an article about this including a photo. (Yes, really, Nigerian Tribune.)

A short AP article which appeared in boston.com includes the following:

Venezuela’s president says Honduras and Guatemala have been included in the Petrocaribe program, under which his country provides oil and natural gas on preferential terms.

It seems that most of the lawyer horror stories are related to real estate purchases and sales. There are also other real estate related ripoffs such as the utility bills not being up to date. This makes me think the idea of a real estate closing agent in Nicaragua would be a good thing.

In at least the states of California and Washington, these folks are state licensed. Their use is optional but, in my experience, well worth their cost. Let me explain what they do.

Well, a White House fact sheet titled United States Support for Central American citizen security pretty much suggests that.

This fact sheet is a result of the meeting that just took place. While most of it is the usual, one item stands out to me. It seems to be inspired by efforts in Central America, led by Guatemala, to characterize the drug problem as one of US consumption rather than Central American transport.

Bees or lack thereof in the US and in Europe are in the news right now. Europe has just put a 2-year ban on various pesticides that appear to be killing bees. In the US, there seems to be only talk. I have seen no information on whether the US problem is spreading to the south. Thus, a longer version of the question would include "or, will it in the future?"

A brief NPR radio broadcast:

http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/the_history_of_coffee_and_how_it_tran...

http://www.openculture.com/2012/07/the_vertue_of_the_coffee_drink_london...

Off thread,, but I may never drink another coke. Some things are sacred:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAUDHxDYMMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0PMq4XGtZ4

In a rather fact-free article, the latest acquisition is the Chinese did it. That is, the decision granting a lot of ocean previously owned by Colombia to Nicaragua was a scam on the part of China.

The article appears on the ABC/Univision site. The material seems to be derived from an article which appeared in Colombia reporting on what two Colombian ex-government officials claim. Then, toss in a stock image of someone's patrol boat just for effect.

There are a lot of people, myself included, who would like to avoid GMO food. The labeling wars continue at the state level in the US but that is not going to fix things in Nicaragua. That got me wondering if there was a cheap/easy way to detect GMOs.

I am not talking about looking for trace quantities of anything. I am thinking that if you could easily test that quintal of corn or soybeans you have, it would be a good thing.

from a link Susan sent me some time back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbgr74yNM7M

"It's been said that listening to John Cage's music is like chewing sand . . ."

I don't know what relevance this has for Nicaragua, but it gives ME the opportunity to use eclectic and electric in the same sentence.. I was getting tired of all the Toth posts, especially after I learned that he was only there for less than 90 days.

http://www.openculture.com/2011/11/posters_from_occupy_wall_street.html

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/places-to-visit-while-they-re-still-cheap-...

A short AP article talks about a proposal to create a natural gas pipeline from Mexico to Panama. The suggested goal would be to make the region more self-sufficient. One of the places where this article appeard in in the Washington Post.

Or, more accurately, to Guatemala. Telefonica, Movistar's Spanish parent company just announced that is is selling 40% of it's assets in Central America to CMI, a Guatemala-based business. An article in Domain-B has the details.

CMI is one of the most important business groups in Latin America. It was established in 1920 and is a family-owned multinational corporation. It operates in 19 countries on three continents, and manages a selective and diversified portfolio of businesses.

I have now seen two articles about a Gringo with legal problems in Nicaragua. Whether this person is innocent or guilty I don't know but it, once again, inspires some thought about a general problem.

This particular case is covered a couple of TV blurbs, this one from the FOX TV station in San Antonio. The story is summarized as:

Family members are trying everything they can to get a San Antonio businessman released from a Central American jail.

One of the problems brought up here is that qualified workers leave Nicaragua making it hard to start/run a business. It's a real issue but not just for Nicaragua. Another country with this problem is Ecaudor.