Rio Gets Olympics?

When I first read this, I thought, "Wow, isn't Rio one of the deadliest cities in the world, with an absurdly high murder rate?"

Well, this article suggests that currently, in terms of murders per 100,000 people, Rio ranks below Detroit (and also New Orleans if you read the fine print, which notes that the murder statistics are based on the pre-Katrina population--but since New Orleans now has a lower population and still has a lot of murders, it's rate should be higher).

Now, having fewer murders per capita than Detroit may not be saying much, but it does suggest that Rio isn't as outlandish as it might appear at first blush.

Also humorous that good 'ol power broker Juan Antonio Samaranch made a personal and very obvious appeal to push Madrid into the final round of voting. Madrid Train Bombings, anyone?

The Olympic Committee, totally above board and honest in its deliberations. (Not that Chicago has a lot of room to complain about dirty politics.)