news from brazil

i have been learning crazy things about brazil. oh, and for those of you on facebook, i am not really going to move to durban, south africa.

a couple of years ago, in rio, the gangsters (the militia) initiated a 24 hr hold on the entire city, to prove their strength over the police troops. they gave notice that they would shut down the city, forcing people into their homes and into stores, anywhere but on the streets. when the time came, they made that happen, taking hostage of the city. the kids couldn~t go to school, people couldn~t leave their homes or supermarkets. they were forced out of their cars and surrendered to the control of this elite force that monopolizes the favelas. they had missiles and every type of weapon you could think of. their militia was stronger than the army, and this was to show their power. after 24 hrs, they let everyone go.

this is just how things work in rio. the militia owns the favela. the police don~t. if you want cable tv, you don~t call the cable company. if a cable van is seen in front of your house, you could be killed. you call the militia, and they offer you cable for a cheaper price. some people just opt out of cable completely because they don~t want to put money back into a corrupt society. it has been reported that many drug dealers pay up to $100,000 EACH DAY to be protected by the militia and to deal drugs in the favelas and other dangerous cities throughout brazil.

another bit of news is that i am sleeping with patron, the guy who i held as a protector when i first moved here. yeah, he has been telling people we are together. i am going to tell him the next time i see him that i am pregnant with his baby and i want a pension. haha! that~s the way to play the game.

in other news,
ten men beat up a man at gay pride in sao paulo, a pen triples as a camera and usb cable, indian protest on BR101 (freeway) cutting through their fields, some in clothes, some full with indiginous head pieces. a 9 yr old girl was killed by the family rotweiller, (and this one is funny) someone went to get some stars tatooed on her face, maybe three, and she supposedly fell asleep and the tatoo artist continued to tatoo until she woke up. half of her face is covered in stars. sexual abuse is so common in households that there are prevention commercials, an artist paints an antique car on a street in the middle of sao paulo, people were arrested for false fabrication of name name brand clothes. an entire warehouse was reclaimed. there is a woman here who makes money dressing up dogs and taking photos of them for their owners, a baby was abandoned in a public bathroom, obama kills a fly during interview (you saw that right?) there is a tribute to brazilian singers from the 60~s on tv, including the late carmen miranda.