Just so everyone knows, Brazil is not some kind of paradise either

I know Amerikkka is evil and everything, but Brazil is not perfect either. They are ranked 11th on the list of countries with the greatest wealth inequalities (http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/inequality-income-expenditure.html) Rio in particular has a lot of problems with wealth disparity, crime, and poverty (for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro#Social_conditions)

Just remember that no country or city is perfect.

My point about the Afghanistan occupation is hypocrisy.

30 years ago we protested an occupation of Afghanistan. Today we are the occupiers. By our own standard we should not have an Olympics.

I was just trying to temper the points others were making about how Chicago might have been overlooked because of its high crime rate or bad transportation.

but also they are a country that has improved enormously in the last 30 years, from a very nasty military dictatorship, to a democracy at least moving in the right direction.

As you say, nowhere is perfect.

That is a stupid statement

For fuck's sake who shit in your wheaties?

I've got yer SOUR GRAPES right here! :evilgrin:

out of. And they've been doing it. Not there yet, but they are moving in the right direction.

Meanwhile, we are still locked into the old, loser, laissez faire ideologies of Ronald Reagan and cohorts.

So perhaps these games will be good way for them to show how far they have come.

over the 'Publicans we have now.....


mark

In the US, poverty is defined principally by low income. In urban South America, poverty is characterized more by substandard housing; people living on the streets, whole families living in a single room in a ´family hotel,´ people living illegally (without services) in abandoned buildings, people living in makeshift ´favelhas´or ´villas miserias,´impromptu urban towns with homemade houses made of cardboard and whatever else you can scrape up. If you´re poor and real lucky, you can get an apartment in a government-run project (here in Argentina they´re called 'monoblocks,´for their architectural style), which are noted for their lack of maintenance and appalling sanitary conditions. It´s hard to estimate the size of the poor community here in Buenos Aires (often thought of as the most affluent and middle class of South American cities), as the vast majority of these people do not have DNI (the government-issued ID number), are not born in hospitals, have no birth certificates and are not counted in the official census. The people who live in the ´villas miserias´ live in precarious houses that have no number, address or street name. These neighborhoods show up as green spaces in the tourist maps sold on the main avenues. Nevertheless, it would be hard to think that these very poor people are any less than 20% or 30% of the general population. I can only imagine what percentage of Rio de Janeiro live in similar conditions.

and he said, while it's physically very beautiful, the crime level is so high, it's very dangerous. He said you can't walk out of your hotel after dark. He was there recently and said he took a cab to a restaurant and the cab driver told him, "when you're finished DO NOT come out outside looking for me. I will come in and get you. Stay inside." Yikes.

One of guy's friends and his wife went to the beach and, because they knew crime was so high, the wife literally sat on her husband's shirt and their beach towel while he went into the ocean for a swim. As soon as he walked away a couple of guys came and literally picked the wife up, grabbed her towel, husband's clothes, all their other belongings, then put her back on the sand and left with all their stuff.

Unless they clean it up before 2016, the thieves and thugs are going to have a hayday with all the rich tourists. Of course, the same could be said for the GOP thugs in Chicago, had they gotten the bid, terrorizing people with their guns and hateful rehetoric.

In fact, many websites about traveling there offer tips like:

- Traveling in groups of three or more persons is an effective deterrent.

- Vary your routes and times, ensure that your residence is sufficiently protected (doors should be substantial and equipped with deadbolts and a peephole) and make yourself a "hard target." Instruct your family members and household help to be suspicious of individuals attempting to enter your residence.

- Do not carry or wear valuable items that will attract the attention of thieves. If you need to wear expensive jewelry or carry a camera, conceal it until you arrive at your destination.

- Be aware of the street environment and avoid contact with those who may be looking for crime targets. Seek a safer location. Go into a store, bank, or simply cross the street.

- Do not resist any robbery attempt. Death and injury often result from resistance. - Do not open your hotel room door until you positively confirm who is on the other side. Look out the peephole, or call the front desk to confirm the visitor.

- Do not walk on the beaches or in parks after dark. Assaults are common in these areas.


- Use city buses and other public transportation with caution. Many pass through high crime areas and are susceptible to robberies. Only use legitimate taxis. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=106705


Sounds like you have to be very careful traveling there...tourists stick out. But I am happy they will have the Olympics there, maybe it will help improve the city.

as the reason they lost.

Rio is in another league than Chicago in both of those areas.

had no bearing on the issue.

I wish Chicago had gotten the bid, but Rio deserved it. No South American country has ever hosted the Olympics so it's their turn. Congratulations to them.

your TV! Fox and "reason", do not mix, and might cause a brain to implode.

No one said Chicago was either. Or the other cities in the running.

Brazilians (and citizens of Rio) are happy about hosting the Olympics and the World Cup because of the improvements in quality of life and local economy that these events will bring to its citizens. These include infrastructure and security that will stay after these events are over.

I would say that Rio is a beautiful city and a great setting for the Olympic games for its natural beauty. But everybody knows it is no paradise. I am happy for them and excited that Lula is talking about improvements for the fevelas and turning them into dignified neighborhoods with all the investment that is going in.