The world of professional surfing received a shock yesterday when it was announced that 32-year old Andy Irons was found dead in his hotel room in Dallas. The three-time world champion had withdrawn from the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search competition in Puerto Rico on Sunday, claiming that he had become ill while in Portugal. That illness turned out to be Dengue Fever, which is normally not a fatal disease; however, dengue hemorrhagic fever can be fatal. The extent of Irons’ illness is still unknown, as an autopsy is scheduled for today.

Irons won the Association of Surfing Professionals championships in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and he had at least 20 world championship event wins to his name, making him one of the most prolific professional surfers in American history. Irons was heading home to Hawaii to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing next week, as he was a four-time champion of the event and a favorite of his home state. Irons was also excited to see his wife, Lyndie, who is pregnant with their first son.

Kind words and some videos of the surfing great after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, we discussed how some countries like New Zealand were threatening to pull out of the Commonwealth Games because of concerns with piled up garbage, soiled mattresses, collapsing bridges and roofs, and packs of stray dogs and other various animals. I know, total p*ssies, right? Anyway, India’s government told everyone to take a chill pill and trust them to handle it. And handle it they did, because they’ve brought in monkeys to protect the athletes. Pray for Mojo? No, pray for stray dogs.

Indian officials will use the langur monkeys to ward off stray animals, since they are territorial, protective and incredibly violent. That’s great news, and maybe at some point they can send the monkeys to medical school and give them little lab coats and stethoscopes so they can help cure all the athletes who contract dengue fever from the giant piles of garbage that they have to climb over to get to their piss-soaked beds. God I wish I had gone to India for Spring Break in ’01 instead of Cabo.

Make this sound even more awesome than it already is, Los Angeles Times:

Read the rest of this entry »

When India began preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the country’s government officials boasted that they would be creating an atmosphere that would make it the greatest experience in the history of the event. The result has far exceeded their expectations to the point that countries are threatening to pull out before the event even begins because they’re just overwhelmed by the awesomeness. *receives note from Punte’s trained flamingo* Oops, my bad, they’re pulling out because people have been exposed to dengue fever.

Countries like New Zealand are on the verge of running in fear from the event and the city of New Delhi because of silly old stuff like a stadium bridge collapsing, a venue’s roof caving in, and the lack of trash pick-up in and around the athletic villages. Not to mention the possibility of contracting dengue fever, which makes people feel like their bones have been broken before eventually killing them. But don’t worry, silly countries, India thinks you’re all exaggerating.

Tell me a tale of a boy who grows up in poverty to win a small fortune and the heart of his one true love, Yahoo! News:

Read the rest of this entry »