Archive for October 21st, 2009
Found on Cannabis Culture
Many residents of some of Rio de Janeiro’s worst slums are fleeing their homes to escape a drug war that has left part of the Brazilian city in ruins, and killed a dozen people.
Smoke rose from the smoldering wreckage of a police helicopter shot down by drug gangs Saturday, while eight buses burned and gunfire filled the air in the slum of Morro dos Macacos.
Police say the fighting broke out early Saturday when one of the city’s three main drug gangs invaded the area in an attempt to expand its territory.
Ten suspected gang members were killed in subsequent gunbattles with police. Several people were injured.
Two police officers riding in the helicopter were killed. Police say the aircraft exploded on a football field after the pilot tried to make an emergency landing with the aircraft in flames. Four people on the helicopter managed to escape the flames.
Hundreds of police officers were sent into the area to end the fighting.
The outbreak of violence comes just weeks after Rio won the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Rio has long been known for its high crime and murder rates, and has more than 1,000 slums or shantytowns, known as favelas.
Body in a trolley: the brutal reality of Rio’s drug
by Ed Harris, London Evening Standard
A woman carrying a child walks unconcerned past a trolley containing the dumped, hooded body of a man, the victim of bloody drugs battles sweeping through Rio de Janeiro’s slums.
Brazil’s president today promised to deal with traffickers after a weekend of chaos in Rio which claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
The latest violence came two weeks after the city won the 2016 Olympics, adding to fears that Brazil would be unable to guarantee the safety of competitors and visitors to both the Games and the 2014 football World Cup.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: “We’ll do anything it takes and make all necessary sacrifices so we can clean up the mess these people are imposing on Brazil.”
Police said the death toll from weekend clashes between gangs had risen to 21 after more bodies were found in the Morro dos Macacos (Monkey Hill) slum, where gangs also shot down a police helicopter, killing three officers.
Mr da Silva said the government will provide emergency funding to fight the gangs that control many of Rio’s 1,000 slums.
He said: “It will take time to resolve the problems. When you have a conflict of this magnitude, the innocent
Does anyone see the irony in this?
On Monday, former President George W. Bush will be the “special guest speaker” at the “Get Motivated! Business Seminar” in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the event’s Web site.
“Attend This Dynamic Seminar to INCREASE Your Productivity and Income!” the Web site says.
Other listed speakers include Gen. Colin Powell, who will discuss leadership, former football player Terry Bradshaw
(speaking on competitiveness), former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (perseverance), and a trio of motivational speakers – Zig Ziglar, Dr. Robert Schuller, and Tamara Lowe.
Lowe, the Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Get Motivated! Seminars, told Hotsheet that Mr. Bush is the sixth former president to speak at one of the organization’s seminars. Former presidents Clinton, Bush Sr., Reagan, Ford, and Carter spoke as well, she said, and other speakers have included Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Speakers are “generally compensated” for their remarks, Lowe said, though some wave their honorarium or donate it to charity. She said she is contractually forbidden from discussing Mr. Bush’s compensation or that of the other speakers.
There is a write-up accompanying each speaker on the Get Motivated! Web site, with the exception of Mr. Bush; Bradshaw, for example, will tackle how to “Turn Workplace Stress into Gridiron Success,” while Ziglar will discuss “How to Happily Live Life on Life’s Terms.”
A representative for Mr. Bush could not immediately be reached to confirm the former president’s involvement and shed light on what he will discuss. Lowe said she expected him to talk about “the challenges of 9/11 and American safety and security in the age that we live in.”
She said past presidents had talked about their experience and challenges in the White House and offered insights on current events.
Tickets for the all-day event, to be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena, go for $4.95. (It is also possible to “Send Your Entire Office for Only $19 – Not Per Person But Per Office”)
Lowe said that between 10,000 and 50,000 people attend each “Get Motivated!” seminar. Typically on sale at the event are motivational CDs such as the ones listed here.
“Your life will be changed and you will leave refreshed, ready to rise to the top of the pack and achieve your dreams,” the Web site says. “Everyone who’s anyone will be there! Will you?”
Lowe said the event is designed to “give the average American the opportunity to be able to experience the really amazing story of being face to face with the greatest leaders and achievers on the planet.”
She added that it allows attendees to “kind of get the download” on “how they got to the top.”
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