with all the tourist and athletes there it must be a hay-day for the criminals.
Godfather.
Rio is not that bad, and neither is Sao Paulo. Didn't you used to live in LA? There are dangers and drawbacks to every large metropolis, that's why I avoid them all lol
Americans bastardize the names of foreign places so much that the people from those places don't even recognize the names. I keep hearing about Ree-O Day Janairo on the news lol It's Hee-O Dja-nayo. I experienced this one and Cal-Cut-Uh (actually Cal-cuttuh) when I was young, I learned a bit about foreign languages to spare myself more "typical American" embarassment lol
A bit over dramiatic. Rio is rio.
I'm not by any means an expert of pronunciations, but it really looks like cal-cut-ah is pronounced the same as cal-cuttuh. I understand emphasis, but one must account for accent and dialect.
Calcutta is harder to differentiate with writing, but verbally it is a big difference.
Rio is not Rio. Rio is He-O.
It may not be a big deal to you, but if you travel abroad much, or have international friends, people will be embarrassed for you even if you aren't yourself.
When my brother from a Brazilian mother introduces himself to Americans he says "Hi, I am Hee-cardo", and Americans (I think most feel self conscious using accents) say "nice to meet you Ree-cardo", it irks me to no end. It's one thing to get emphasis wrong, that can be difficult, but to change the opening consonant?
im embarrassed reading this... now could you please pass the Grey Poupon?
Americans bastardize the names of foreign places so much that the people from those places don't even recognize the names. I keep hearing about Ree-O Day Janairo on the news lol It's Hee-O Dja-nayo. I experienced this one and Cal-Cut-Uh (actually Cal-cuttuh) when I was young, I learned a bit about foreign languages to spare myself more "typical American" embarassment lol
I guess, although really it's just people saying place names in their own languages/accents, no? Most other countries in the world have their own why of saying "United States of America" too. I.e. the French call it Etats-Unis d'Amerique. And they don't pronounce "Canada" the same way I do either. Neither does anyone with an accent, usually.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
^^^ That is disgusting. Well, we'll see..... we've seen some pretty impressive last minute fixes for past Olympics... maybe Rio will pull it out of their asses yet... I doubt it, but maybe.
I doubt it as well, I think they've accepted the fact that they will not live up to an 80% clean up for the Olympics. It's just not going to happen, just think if they couldn't clean up their city for the FIRST Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere they will NEVER clean this city up.
While I agree with your general point, the pedant in me needs to point out this will be the third Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere after Melbourne (1956) and Sydney (2000).
London O2 Arena 2009
London Hyde Park 2010
Manchester MEN Arena 2 2012
Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 2 2012
Vienna Stadhalle 2014 London O2 Arena 1 2018 London O2 Arena 2 2018 London Hyde Park 2 2022
Americans bastardize the names of foreign places so much that the people from those places don't even recognize the names. I keep hearing about Ree-O Day Janairo on the news lol It's Hee-O Dja-nayo. I experienced this one and Cal-Cut-Uh (actually Cal-cuttuh) when I was young, I learned a bit about foreign languages to spare myself more "typical American" embarassment lol
I guess, although really it's just people saying place names in their own languages/accents, no? Most other countries in the world have their own why of saying "United States of America" too. I.e. the French call it Etats-Unis d'Amerique. And they don't pronounce "Canada" the same way I do either. Neither does anyone with an accent, usually.
Exactly, I don't see a problem with us pronouncing things as they would be pronounced in our own language using our phonetics. People's names are different, I think it's disrespectful or at least lazy not to make the effort to pronounce someone's name the way they have told you it should be pronounced.
As far as placenames go, though, I don't think Rio is going to be offended by the fact that everyone who speaks English as their first language pronounces it Ree-o...
^^^ That is disgusting. Well, we'll see..... we've seen some pretty impressive last minute fixes for past Olympics... maybe Rio will pull it out of their asses yet... I doubt it, but maybe.
I doubt it as well, I think they've accepted the fact that they will not live up to an 80% clean up for the Olympics. It's just not going to happen, just think if they couldn't clean up their city for the FIRST Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere they will NEVER clean this city up.
While I agree with your general point, the pedant in me needs to point out this will be the third Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere after Melbourne (1956) and Sydney (2000).
I stand corrected I wrote that slightly incorrect. What I should have written is.....this is the FIRST Olympics in South America. I hope no one gets sick and that Brazil can pull this off without any negative incidents.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Americans bastardize the names of foreign places so much that the people from those places don't even recognize the names. I keep hearing about Ree-O Day Janairo on the news lol It's Hee-O Dja-nayo. I experienced this one and Cal-Cut-Uh (actually Cal-cuttuh) when I was young, I learned a bit about foreign languages to spare myself more "typical American" embarassment lol
I guess, although really it's just people saying place names in their own languages/accents, no? Most other countries in the world have their own why of saying "United States of America" too. I.e. the French call it Etats-Unis d'Amerique. And they don't pronounce "Canada" the same way I do either. Neither does anyone with an accent, usually.
Exactly, I don't see a problem with us pronouncing things as they would be pronounced in our own language using our phonetics. People's names are different, I think it's disrespectful or at least lazy not to make the effort to pronounce someone's name the way they have told you it should be pronounced.
As far as placenames go, though, I don't think Rio is going to be offended by the fact that everyone who speaks English as their first language pronounces it Ree-o...
Unless Rio is a millennial.
will myself to find a home, a home within myself we will find a way, we will find our place
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
It is a shame that the olympic committee doesn't from what it appears place the safety and stability of the athletes of high importance. The pro athletes in golf and basketball can afford to skip the olympics, but the amateur athletes whose main goal is the olympics cannot skip the olympics regardless of whether facilities may be dangerous, the water is not drinkable, and a bug bite could impact their ability to have kids in the near term.
It is tought predict a problem like Zika but water quality, economic instability, etc is not tough to predict.
RIO DE JANEIRO — IT’S official: The Olympic Games in Rio are an unnatural disaster.
On June 17, fewer than 50 days before the start of the Games, the state of Rio de Janeiro declared a “state of public calamity.” A financial crisis is preventing the state from honoring its commitments to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the governor said. That crisis is so severe, he said, it could eventually bring about “a total collapse in public security, health, education, mobility and environmental management.” The authorities are now authorized to ration essential public services and the state is eligible for emergency funds from the federal government.
Measures like these are usually taken for an earthquake or a flood. But the Olympics are a man-made, foreseeable, preventable catastrophe.
I went to Rio recently to see how preparations for the Games are going. Spoiler: not well. The city is a huge construction site. Bricks and pipes are piled everywhere; a few workers lazily push wheelbarrows as if the Games were scheduled for 2017. Nobody knows what the construction sites will become, not even the people working on them: “It’s for the Olympics” was the unanimous reply, followed by speculation about “tents for the judging panels of volleyball or soccer, I guess.”
I asked the Rio 2016 press office for a tour, but it olympically ignored me. Almost all venues are still under construction. I managed to see part of the Barra Olympic Park, which will host many of the events, after buying a last-minute ticket to a Volleyball World League match. Although construction for the Games is progressing, it appears far from “97 percent complete,” as the organizers claimed recently.
I also saw most of the Deodoro Olympic Park, which is apparently open to anyone who wants to see it. I walked straight in and found half-built grandstands abandoned in the middle of a Friday afternoon.
The few projects that have been completed don’t inspire much confidence. In April, a newly built bike path along Rio’s seashore collapsed, killing two people.
Work on the beach volleyball arena at Copacabana stalled because the organizers failed to get the proper environmental licenses. Then the structure was damaged by waves. Workers erected a six-foot-high sand barrier to protect the site. It also protects thugs; tourists are being mugged behind it. A construction worker told me he’d seen a man stabbed there, and warned me to stay away. The robbers were so comfortable that they had left their backpacks and a beach chair nearby on the sand.
Safety is of great concern to athletes and tourists. They are right to worry. According to local news reports, drug traffickers are involved in territorial disputes in at least 20 Rio neighborhoods.
Eight years ago, the government established the Pacifying Police Units, a heavily armed force that tries to reclaim favelas from the gangs. But these units seem to have worsened the drug war rather than ended it. This year, 43 police officers have been killed in the state, and at least 238 civilians have been killed by the police. The United Nations has said it’s concerned about violence by the military police and the officers in the favelas, notably against children living on the streets. Everybody fears an increase in police violence during the Games. The country will deploy 85,000 soldiers and police officers, about twice the number used in the London 2012 Olympics.
Frequent shootouts near the Olympic arenas and on routes to them are also a concern: 76 people have been hit by stray bullets in Rio so far this year; 21 of them have died. On June 19, more than 20 men carrying assault rifles and hand grenades stormed the city’s largest public hospital to free an alleged drug kingpin in police custody, leaving one person dead and two hurt.
And the 500,000 people expected to visit for the Games should be worried about how easily they could wander into dangerous areas: There’s a dearth of signs and tourist information on the streets and on public transportation. A native Brazilian, I spent half an hour at the central train station just trying to figure out where to catch a bus to the Olympic Park — and I’d looked it up beforehand. The information booth inside the station was empty. Outside, few of the bus stops displayed information about which lines went where. I resorted to asking popcorn vendors and passers-by for directions. I’m glad I speak Portuguese.
HOW did everything get so messed up? Money is one problem. “The state is bankrupt,” Francisco Dornelles, the interim Rio governor, admitted in an interview with a magazine two weeks ago.
The incumbent governor, who has lymphoma, is on sick leave. Just before Christmas, he declared a “health system emergency” as hospitals closed units and money ran out for equipment, supplies and salaries. Months later, the state started delaying civil servants’ salaries and pension checks. Teachers have gone on strike and students have occupied dozens of schools in protest. The state already owes $21 billion to Brazil’s federal government and $10 billion to public banks and international lenders. A budget shortfall of $5.5 billion is projected for this year. An $860 million loan has already been granted to help cover the cost of security at the Games.
The fiscal disaster could be attributed to many factors, including a national economic crisis — but the huge expansion of the government payroll and reckless spending for the Olympics are likely causes.
However, the mayor of the capital, Eduardo Paes, claimed that City Hall is in good financial shape and that the fiscal situation would not affect Olympic preparations.
So if it’s not only money, maybe the problem is also politics. Brazil is, of course, having a major political crisis. The president, Dilma Rousseff, was forced to step aside on May 12 because of allegations that she manipulated the state budget. The political turmoil has paralyzed the country and frozen the economy. Decisions on important reforms and infrastructure projects are being delayed, and the uncertainty has discouraged investment. But Leonardo Picciani, who took over as sports minister after Ms. Rousseff’s suspension, asserts that the Games will be “fantastic.” Almost everything was ready by the time he took up his post, he claims.
Mr. Picciani has also tried to minimize concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, declaring that all the proper preventive measures are in place. That hasn’t stopped athletes like Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, from announcing that they’re skipping the Olympics because of Zika. In an open letter last month, 150 prominent doctors, bioethicists and scientists from around the world asked for the Olympics to be moved or postponed because of the Zika epidemic.
In Brazil, these concerns are generally greeted with scorn. First, August is the middle of winter here, so the weather will be drier and cooler, meaning fewer mosquitoes. Second — and more important — the virus seems like a relatively minor problem: According to one calculation, in Rio a woman is more than 10 times more likely to be raped than catch Zika. (Men are more likely to be shot to death.)
All these projects had one thing in common: Regular citizens were excluded from the decision-making. The government has used the coming Games to speed up certain development projects — not all of them the public’s priorities. The mayor joked about it in a 2012 TV interview: “The Olympics pretext is awesome; I need to use it as an excuse for everything,” he said. “Now all that I need to do, I will do for the Olympics. Some things could be really related to the Games, others have nothing to do with them.”
The favela Providência is a good example of what’s wrong with the mayor’s approach. The residents there asked for water and basic sanitation. Instead, they got a $22 million gondola, primarily for tourists. Similarly, six stations were built on a subway line that connects wealthy beachside neighborhoods to Jardim Oceânico, a station (sort of) near the Olympic Park. But most of Rio’s residents would have preferred to see the construction of a different line that connects the city center to the less-ritzy municipalities of Niterói and São Gonçalo, where many working people live, a project that would have cost half the price.
The Olympics are predicted to cost $12 billion. More than 40 percent of that will come from public funds, the rest from private lenders. But critics say that the official budget doesn’t include tax exemptions for the companies involved in organizing and hosting the event, the cost of temporary grandstands and compensation for families evicted to make way for Olympic construction.
According to a report released in November by an advocacy group that is monitoring the preparations for the Olympics, at least 4,120 families have been kicked out of their homes because of the Games. (The government disputes this number, saying that most of the displaced were moved because they lived in areas prone to flooding and landslides.) “In all cases, evictions occurred without residents’ access to information and without public discussion of the urbanization projects,” the report says. These families were often offered compensation well below their homes’ market value or, if they were lucky, new apartments in neighborhoods as far as 35 miles away.
Homeless people in Rio told me that police officers are forcing them off sidewalks and dragging them to filthy shelters to start “cleaning up” the streets before the influx of visitors. The evictions often take place at 3 a.m. with the help of police dogs and pepper spray, and sometimes horses. There are also reports that street children have been arbitrarily placed in juvenile detention centers.
Somebody will profit from the Games, but it won’t be the majority of Rio’s population. Eighty percent of the investments were made in the wealthy Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, known as Rio’s Miami. An Olympic golf course was built there, inside an Area of Environmental Protection. The city already has two big golf courses, and very few Brazilians play golf.
Two of the biggest winners of Rio 2016 will be the contractors and the landowners — particularly Carlos Carvalho, who owns at least 65 million square feet of land in and around the Barra Olympic Park and the athletes’ village. Last year he told The Guardian that he wants Barra to be cleared of poor communities. When the Games are over, the village will be converted into an area of luxury housing called “Ilha Pura” — Pure Island.
Given all of the circumstances, I wouldn't be caught dead in Rio right now. I am really curious to see how these Olympics come off, but in a really icky, guilty kind of way, like I'm one of those Nascar fans who only go to the track to see the crashes, although, of course, I am hoping that nothing really disastrous happens, like a grandstand collapsing when it's full of people or something. I assume there are enough people in the world still willing to give the trip a shot. While I'm sure some are cancelling their plans, because of Zika, but also because of all these other factors, there are plenty of less careful people who will take their places. Maybe? If I had plans to go, I would definitely cancel just because of all the corruption and the way this is all hurting the poor and the environment.
PS - GF, are you willing to change the thread title to "Olympics in Rio"? That unwarranted apostrophe is driving me nuts. Your title actually says "Olympic is in Rio".
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
its the same dangerous as every big,crowded city in the world..diodn t feel unsafe more than any other place i visit.. the only city in brazil is kinda scary of the ones i visit..was porto alegre...
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
oh and rio is frikknm fantastic beautiful place to0 hold the olympics..no question
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Dimitris (hi! ), haven't you read the articles?? There are real problems happening here! I don't think that past experiences in Rio are relevant to what's going on leading up to the Olympics.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Dimitris (hi! ), haven't you read the articles?? There are real problems happening here! I don't think that past experiences in Rio are relevant to what's going on leading up to the Olympics.
2 day before i ariive in rio a gang with guns,went on beach and rob 50 people ,back in november during the olymp[ics the security wil be unreal,,nothing of all this will be easy to happen..even the army will be on streets. u never know when things will be dangerous.,.,im pretty sure people went to orlando at that bar or at turkey airport didnt think will die from terrorist or crazy lunatics
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Dimitris (hi! ), haven't you read the articles?? There are real problems happening here! I don't think that past experiences in Rio are relevant to what's going on leading up to the Olympics.
and hi!!
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Dimitris (hi! ), haven't you read the articles?? There are real problems happening here! I don't think that past experiences in Rio are relevant to what's going on leading up to the Olympics.
2 day before i ariive in rio a gang with guns,went on beach and rob 50 people ,back in november during the olymp[ics the security wil be unreal,,nothing of all this will be easy to happen..even the army will be on streets. u never know when things will be dangerous.,.,im pretty sure people went to orlando at that bar or at turkey airport didnt think will die from terrorist or crazy lunatics
I actually haven't been focusing on personal safety unless it has to do with infrastructure collapsing on people (which sounds like a real possibility)... When it comes to security, it sounds like it will be inadequate for an occasion that is specifically considered a terrorist target (as the Olympics always are, ever since the Salt Lake City bombing I guess), and police are saying that the security is going to be inadequate.... But anyway, I'm more thinking about just the Olympics themselves being a complete disaster. Bad organization, inadequate transportation, inadequate facilities, inadequate attendance, inadequate attention to human rights, inadequate environmental protections and improvements, inadequate medical services for anyone needing them, and a financial DISASTER for Rio and Brazil.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
its the same dangerous as every big,crowded city in the world..diodn t feel unsafe more than any other place i visit.. the only city in brazil is kinda scary of the ones i visit..was porto alegre...
I think this is definitely different than lots of other big cities. No way a gang is going to go on the beach/major tourist area in the USA, Canada or Europe and rob 50 people in broad day light .
its the same dangerous as every big,crowded city in the world..diodn t feel unsafe more than any other place i visit.. the only city in brazil is kinda scary of the ones i visit..was porto alegre...
I think this is definitely different than lots of other big cities. No way a gang is going to go on the beach/major tourist area in the USA, Canada or Europe and rob 50 people in broad day light .
That's true too. And what did that article say? That something like 76 people have been hit just by STRAY bullets this year so far, so in the past 6 months??! That is a LOT worse than most other major cities around the world.
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Chicago is lucky Obama's bid failed for this Olympics.
King Obummer had nothing to do w/ Chicago's failed effort in getting that $ drain known as the Olympics. It was That crook Democrat Mayor Daley that wanted this to end his legacy and make his friends even more Rich with all the city contracts that would have been delt out in the city that works...pay to play baby, pay to play. Daley spent a couple 100 mil trying to get the Olympics so some of his cronies made some dough, but not the mother load thank God.
Not sure why it had to be mentioned that Mayor Daley is a Democrat. If history has proven anything it's that there's crooks in all politcal parties.
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
We already know that Rio is a place wrought with corruption, surrounded by poisonous water, and held up by crumbling infrastructure. But, now we've learned that it's also a place where the police might not even be able to protect you from the city's rampant crime.
With the Olympic games less than a month away, Rio police are speaking out in protest of the government. Claiming they haven't been paid in months, a group of officers stood outside of the Rio airport holding a sign that read: "Welcome to Hell. Police and firefighters don't get paid, whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe."
Last week, Rio de Janeiro state, which controls the military police force, took an $850 million bailout to pay officers their bonuses and overtime. The funds are expected to be distributed this week, but police say that's not enough.
"You encounter a drug trafficker armed with lots of ammunition and you only have only 20 bullets," an anonymous police officer told CNN. "It is absurd."
Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and in May, 40 people were killed by on-duty officers—more than twice than during the same time last year.
Nearly 85,000 police and soldiers will be deployed during the games August 5-21, which are expected to draw 350,000 to 500,000 tourists to the city of 12 million people. Meanwhile, as Rio attempts to pull through its worst recession in decades, police helicopters and patrol cars have been grounded, as forces struggle to pay for basic supplies like toilet paper and pens.
"How are people going to feel protected in a city without security?" Gov. Francisco Dornelles told Rio's O Globo newspaper. "We can have a great Olympics, but if some steps aren't taken, it can be a big failure."
Meanwhile, amid concerns about the Zika virus in Rio, Jason Day, the world No. 1 golfer, withdrew from the games last week, along with Rory McIlroy. On top of that, for more than a year, scientists have reported the major health risks with competing in Rio's filthy waterways. And just last week, scientists discovered a drug-resistant bacteria growing on Rio's beaches where Olympic sailors are scheduled to compete. Athletes have already claimed the filthy water has caused skin infections during training.
Spate of crime Rio has been rocked by a spate of negative headlines in recent weeks, including an Australian Paralympic athlete who was robbed at gunpoint, reports of 20 armed men breaking into a municipal hospital to free a drug kingpin, and a doctor killed by random gunfire on the main artery connecting the airport to the city.
Several international TV crews, including two German broadcasters, which had a truck with more than $400,000 worth of equipment hijacked at gunpoint, have also been robbed. The Justice Ministry said 85,000 additional officers, including police from other states and military personnel, will be arriving to the city in late July and patrolling throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "(During the Games) the army, the navy, everyone is going to be here," Paes said. "Fortunately the state will not be responsible for security during that period."
Comments
Godfather.
London Hyde Park 2010
Manchester MEN Arena 2 2012
Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 2 2012
Vienna Stadhalle 2014
London O2 Arena 1 2018
London O2 Arena 2 2018
London Hyde Park 2 2022
As far as placenames go, though, I don't think Rio is going to be offended by the fact that everyone who speaks English as their first language pronounces it Ree-o...
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
we will find a way, we will find our place
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/sports/olympics/rio-drug-testing-lab-is-suspended-by-wada.html?_r=0
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
It is tought predict a problem like Zika but water quality, economic instability, etc is not tough to predict.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article86728937.html
Not just the dismembered body, but the rest of the article as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/opinion/sunday/brazils-olympic-catastrophe.html?ref=sports&_r=0
RIO DE JANEIRO — IT’S official: The Olympic Games in Rio are an unnatural disaster.
On June 17, fewer than 50 days before the start of the Games, the state of Rio de Janeiro declared a “state of public calamity.” A financial crisis is preventing the state from honoring its commitments to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the governor said. That crisis is so severe, he said, it could eventually bring about “a total collapse in public security, health, education, mobility and environmental management.” The authorities are now authorized to ration essential public services and the state is eligible for emergency funds from the federal government.
Measures like these are usually taken for an earthquake or a flood. But the Olympics are a man-made, foreseeable, preventable catastrophe.
I went to Rio recently to see how preparations for the Games are going. Spoiler: not well. The city is a huge construction site. Bricks and pipes are piled everywhere; a few workers lazily push wheelbarrows as if the Games were scheduled for 2017. Nobody knows what the construction sites will become, not even the people working on them: “It’s for the Olympics” was the unanimous reply, followed by speculation about “tents for the judging panels of volleyball or soccer, I guess.”
I asked the Rio 2016 press office for a tour, but it olympically ignored me. Almost all venues are still under construction. I managed to see part of the Barra Olympic Park, which will host many of the events, after buying a last-minute ticket to a Volleyball World League match. Although construction for the Games is progressing, it appears far from “97 percent complete,” as the organizers claimed recently.
I also saw most of the Deodoro Olympic Park, which is apparently open to anyone who wants to see it. I walked straight in and found half-built grandstands abandoned in the middle of a Friday afternoon.
The few projects that have been completed don’t inspire much confidence. In April, a newly built bike path along Rio’s seashore collapsed, killing two people.
Work on the beach volleyball arena at Copacabana stalled because the organizers failed to get the proper environmental licenses. Then the structure was damaged by waves. Workers erected a six-foot-high sand barrier to protect the site. It also protects thugs; tourists are being mugged behind it. A construction worker told me he’d seen a man stabbed there, and warned me to stay away. The robbers were so comfortable that they had left their backpacks and a beach chair nearby on the sand.
Safety is of great concern to athletes and tourists. They are right to worry. According to local news reports, drug traffickers are involved in territorial disputes in at least 20 Rio neighborhoods.
Eight years ago, the government established the Pacifying Police Units, a heavily armed force that tries to reclaim favelas from the gangs. But these units seem to have worsened the drug war rather than ended it. This year, 43 police officers have been killed in the state, and at least 238 civilians have been killed by the police. The United Nations has said it’s concerned about violence by the military police and the officers in the favelas, notably against children living on the streets. Everybody fears an increase in police violence during the Games. The country will deploy 85,000 soldiers and police officers, about twice the number used in the London 2012 Olympics.
Frequent shootouts near the Olympic arenas and on routes to them are also a concern: 76 people have been hit by stray bullets in Rio so far this year; 21 of them have died. On June 19, more than 20 men carrying assault rifles and hand grenades stormed the city’s largest public hospital to free an alleged drug kingpin in police custody, leaving one person dead and two hurt.
And the 500,000 people expected to visit for the Games should be worried about how easily they could wander into dangerous areas: There’s a dearth of signs and tourist information on the streets and on public transportation. A native Brazilian, I spent half an hour at the central train station just trying to figure out where to catch a bus to the Olympic Park — and I’d looked it up beforehand. The information booth inside the station was empty. Outside, few of the bus stops displayed information about which lines went where. I resorted to asking popcorn vendors and passers-by for directions. I’m glad I speak Portuguese.
HOW did everything get so messed up? Money is one problem. “The state is bankrupt,” Francisco Dornelles, the interim Rio governor, admitted in an interview with a magazine two weeks ago.
The incumbent governor, who has lymphoma, is on sick leave. Just before Christmas, he declared a “health system emergency” as hospitals closed units and money ran out for equipment, supplies and salaries. Months later, the state started delaying civil servants’ salaries and pension checks. Teachers have gone on strike and students have occupied dozens of schools in protest. The state already owes $21 billion to Brazil’s federal government and $10 billion to public banks and international lenders. A budget shortfall of $5.5 billion is projected for this year. An $860 million loan has already been granted to help cover the cost of security at the Games.
The fiscal disaster could be attributed to many factors, including a national economic crisis — but the huge expansion of the government payroll and reckless spending for the Olympics are likely causes.
However, the mayor of the capital, Eduardo Paes, claimed that City Hall is in good financial shape and that the fiscal situation would not affect Olympic preparations.
So if it’s not only money, maybe the problem is also politics. Brazil is, of course, having a major political crisis. The president, Dilma Rousseff, was forced to step aside on May 12 because of allegations that she manipulated the state budget. The political turmoil has paralyzed the country and frozen the economy. Decisions on important reforms and infrastructure projects are being delayed, and the uncertainty has discouraged investment. But Leonardo Picciani, who took over as sports minister after Ms. Rousseff’s suspension, asserts that the Games will be “fantastic.” Almost everything was ready by the time he took up his post, he claims.
Mr. Picciani has also tried to minimize concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, declaring that all the proper preventive measures are in place. That hasn’t stopped athletes like Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, from announcing that they’re skipping the Olympics because of Zika. In an open letter last month, 150 prominent doctors, bioethicists and scientists from around the world asked for the Olympics to be moved or postponed because of the Zika epidemic.
In Brazil, these concerns are generally greeted with scorn. First, August is the middle of winter here, so the weather will be drier and cooler, meaning fewer mosquitoes. Second — and more important — the virus seems like a relatively minor problem: According to one calculation, in Rio a woman is more than 10 times more likely to be raped than catch Zika. (Men are more likely to be shot to death.)
All these projects had one thing in common: Regular citizens were excluded from the decision-making. The government has used the coming Games to speed up certain development projects — not all of them the public’s priorities. The mayor joked about it in a 2012 TV interview: “The Olympics pretext is awesome; I need to use it as an excuse for everything,” he said. “Now all that I need to do, I will do for the Olympics. Some things could be really related to the Games, others have nothing to do with them.”
The favela Providência is a good example of what’s wrong with the mayor’s approach. The residents there asked for water and basic sanitation. Instead, they got a $22 million gondola, primarily for tourists. Similarly, six stations were built on a subway line that connects wealthy beachside neighborhoods to Jardim Oceânico, a station (sort of) near the Olympic Park. But most of Rio’s residents would have preferred to see the construction of a different line that connects the city center to the less-ritzy municipalities of Niterói and São Gonçalo, where many working people live, a project that would have cost half the price.
The Olympics are predicted to cost $12 billion. More than 40 percent of that will come from public funds, the rest from private lenders. But critics say that the official budget doesn’t include tax exemptions for the companies involved in organizing and hosting the event, the cost of temporary grandstands and compensation for families evicted to make way for Olympic construction.
According to a report released in November by an advocacy group that is monitoring the preparations for the Olympics, at least 4,120 families have been kicked out of their homes because of the Games. (The government disputes this number, saying that most of the displaced were moved because they lived in areas prone to flooding and landslides.) “In all cases, evictions occurred without residents’ access to information and without public discussion of the urbanization projects,” the report says. These families were often offered compensation well below their homes’ market value or, if they were lucky, new apartments in neighborhoods as far as 35 miles away.
Homeless people in Rio told me that police officers are forcing them off sidewalks and dragging them to filthy shelters to start “cleaning up” the streets before the influx of visitors. The evictions often take place at 3 a.m. with the help of police dogs and pepper spray, and sometimes horses. There are also reports that street children have been arbitrarily placed in juvenile detention centers.
Somebody will profit from the Games, but it won’t be the majority of Rio’s population. Eighty percent of the investments were made in the wealthy Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, known as Rio’s Miami. An Olympic golf course was built there, inside an Area of Environmental Protection. The city already has two big golf courses, and very few Brazilians play golf.
Two of the biggest winners of Rio 2016 will be the contractors and the landowners — particularly Carlos Carvalho, who owns at least 65 million square feet of land in and around the Barra Olympic Park and the athletes’ village. Last year he told The Guardian that he wants Barra to be cleared of poor communities. When the Games are over, the village will be converted into an area of luxury housing called “Ilha Pura” — Pure Island.
The governor was right: It’s a calamity.
PS - GF, are you willing to change the thread title to "Olympics in Rio"? That unwarranted apostrophe is driving me nuts. Your title actually says "Olympic is in Rio".
the only city in brazil is kinda scary of the ones i visit..was porto alegre...
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
during the olymp[ics the security wil be unreal,,nothing of all this will be easy to happen..even the army will be on streets.
u never know when things will be dangerous.,.,im pretty sure people went to orlando at that bar or at turkey airport didnt think will die from terrorist or crazy lunatics
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Also Iraqi's pronounce there country E-raq.
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3673403/Sex-sessions-13-THREESOME-just-9-Disappointed-prostitutes-Rio-launch-supermarket-sale-Olympic-Games-World-Cup-flop.html
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Police to tourists: We can't protect you. Also: Superbacteria.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a46421/rio-olympics-2016-police/
We already know that Rio is a place wrought with corruption, surrounded by poisonous water, and held up by crumbling infrastructure. But, now we've learned that it's also a place where the police might not even be able to protect you from the city's rampant crime.
With the Olympic games less than a month away, Rio police are speaking out in protest of the government. Claiming they haven't been paid in months, a group of officers stood outside of the Rio airport holding a sign that read: "Welcome to Hell. Police and firefighters don't get paid, whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe."
Last week, Rio de Janeiro state, which controls the military police force, took an $850 million bailout to pay officers their bonuses and overtime. The funds are expected to be distributed this week, but police say that's not enough.
"You encounter a drug trafficker armed with lots of ammunition and you only have only 20 bullets," an anonymous police officer told CNN. "It is absurd."
Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and in May, 40 people were killed by on-duty officers—more than twice than during the same time last year.
Nearly 85,000 police and soldiers will be deployed during the games August 5-21, which are expected to draw 350,000 to 500,000 tourists to the city of 12 million people. Meanwhile, as Rio attempts to pull through its worst recession in decades, police helicopters and patrol cars have been grounded, as forces struggle to pay for basic supplies like toilet paper and pens.
"How are people going to feel protected in a city without security?" Gov. Francisco Dornelles told Rio's O Globo newspaper. "We can have a great Olympics, but if some steps aren't taken, it can be a big failure."
Meanwhile, amid concerns about the Zika virus in Rio, Jason Day, the world No. 1 golfer, withdrew from the games last week, along with Rory McIlroy. On top of that, for more than a year, scientists have reported the major health risks with competing in Rio's filthy waterways. And just last week, scientists discovered a drug-resistant bacteria growing on Rio's beaches where Olympic sailors are scheduled to compete. Athletes have already claimed the filthy water has caused skin infections during training.
But at least Michael Phelps will be there?
Rio mayor: State doing a 'terrible, horrible job' before Olympics
full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/04/americas/rio-olympics-mayor-police/index.html
Spate of crime
Rio has been rocked by a spate of negative headlines in recent weeks, including an Australian Paralympic athlete who was robbed at gunpoint, reports of 20 armed men breaking into a municipal hospital to free a drug kingpin, and a doctor killed by random gunfire on the main artery connecting the airport to the city.
Several international TV crews, including two German broadcasters, which had a truck with more than $400,000 worth of equipment hijacked at gunpoint, have also been robbed.
The Justice Ministry said 85,000 additional officers, including police from other states and military personnel, will be arriving to the city in late July and patrolling throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"(During the Games) the army, the navy, everyone is going to be here," Paes said. "Fortunately the state will not be responsible for security during that period."