To understand more about the Brazilian protests please read the Editorial No, I’m not Going to the World Cup. And please, don’t go to the World Cup 2014.
Thousand of people took the streets, manifesting themselves for a society with less corruption and in search of better living conditions: health, education, safety and improvements in the transport system. Besides Sao Paulo (with 100 thousand people), Brasilia (with 30 thousand) and Rio de Janeiro (over 300 thousand), there were also big protests in other Brazilian main cities, such as Porto Alegre (RS), Novo Hamburgo (RS), Belo Horizonte (MG), Juiz de Fora (MG), Curitiba (PR), Araraquara (SP), Itapetininga (SP), Bauru (SP), Santos (SP), Maceio (AL), Cuiabá (MT), Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), Vitoria (ES), Fortaleza (CE), Belem (PA).
The Giant woke up.
What’s REALLY behind the Brazilian riots?
From CNN. Text by Phillip Vianna. Posted June 14, 2013.
The protests that have been occurring in Brazil go beyond the R$0,20 (US$0.10) raise in public transport fares.
Brazil is currently experiencing a widespread collapse of its infrastructure. There are problems with ports, airports, public transport, health and education. Brazil is not a poor country and the tax rates are extremely high. Brazilians see no reason to have such bad infrastructure when there is so much wealth that is so highly taxed. In the state capitals people spend up to four hours per day in traffic, either in their cars or on crowded public transport which is of very poor quality.
The Brazilian government has taken remedial measures to control inflation by cutting taxes and has not yet realized that the paradigm must shift to an infrastructure-focused approach. At the same time the Brazilian government is reproducing on a small scale what Argentina did some years ago: avoiding austerity and preventing the increase in the benchmark Selic base interest rate, which is leading to high inflation and low growth.
In Brasilia, over 7000 people held a protest on the Esplanade of Ministries and the National Congress, which had invaded its dome.
Other than the problem of infrastructure, there are several corruption scandals which remain without trial, and the cases being judged have been tending to end with the acquittal of the defendants. The biggest corruption scandal in Brazilian history finally ended with the conviction of the defendants and now the government is trying to reverse the trial by using maneuvers through unbelievable constitutional amendments: one, the PEC 37, which will annihilate the investigative powers of the prosecutors of the public ministry (the Brazilian equivalent of the District Attorneys), delegating the responsibility of investigation entirely to the Federal Police. Moreover, another proposal seeks to subject decisions of the Brazilian Supreme Court to the Congress – a complete violation of the three powers.
Those are, in fact, the revolts of Brazilians.
The protests are not mere isolated, unionized movements or extreme left riots, as some of the Brazilian press says. It is not a teenage rebellion. It is the uprising of the most intellectualized portion of society who wants to put a stop to these Brazilian issues. The young national mid-class, which has always been unsatisfied with the political oblivion, has now “awaken” – in the words of the protesters.
Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof. Even rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray.
Protests have been staged in major cities across the country, but Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were the focal point of Tuesday’s marches. The thousands who gathered were mostly peaceful, and the atmosphere was almost festive. But at least one small group unsuccessfully tried to force their way into a municipal building.
Police for the most part stood back, but repelled those who tried to enter the government building by bashing its windows with police barriers.
Brazilians say they are angry about high taxes, corruption, and lavish spending on the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament, among other complaints. Protests on Monday were the largest in the country in at least 20 years.
President Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday their message was being heard. “The direct message from the streets is for more citizenship, better schools, better hospitals, better health, for direct participation,” she said in a nationally televised address. “My government is trying and committed to social transformation.”
The feeling among the protesters is that they are paying into a system that is not giving them back enough in return. “It’s all about national priorities,” said Fernando Jones, a CNN iReporter who participated in protests in Rio de Janeiro. “We want health, we want education.”
Brazilians like himself find themselves asking how the government is using their taxes for its citizens, while watching as millions are spent on preparations for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. “People can’t take it anymore,” he said.
Thousands protest over rising costs of 2014 World Cup
The protests are being organized largely by university students and a group called the Free Fare Movement, which wants public transportation to be free of charge. The protests follow a week of smaller demonstrations that began in response to plans to increase fares for Brazil’s public transportation system, from 3 to 3.20 reais ($1.38 to $1.47), but have broadened into wider protests over economic and social issues plaguing the country.
In Canada, a group of Brazilians in support of the protests in Brazil.
Protesters say they are angry about, among other things, government decisions to spend money on the World Cup and other projects instead of improving health care, education and other social programs. Brazil is building stadiums and revamping its infrastructure ahead of the World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, events that will put the world’s focus on the Latin American nation of 201 million people.
The protests have attracted international attention, and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Brazilian authorities Tuesday to show restraint in handling protesters. Last week, at least 100 people were injured and 120 arrested after violent clashes between police and protesters in Sao Paulo. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters and journalists, bringing complaints of brutality and targeting of media covering the events.
On this thursday, 20 June, more than 100 cities in Brazil were stage of more protests.
To read this Editorial in Portuguese go to the end of this post.
No, I’m not going to the World Cup!
I’m a brazilian citizen, and I love my country. I was born and I lived in Rio de Janeiro for my whole life and I don’t want a World Cup, I don’t want the Olympic Games and I don’t want in 2014 have to vote in politicians that not represent me! What I want and what all the brazilian people want (and need) are hospitals, schools, work opportunities, less corruption, less violence and better ways to have a life of dignity and safety.
Protests are legitimate. It’s not for 20 cents or less – that is the valor of the raise of the bus passages in many brazilian cities that sparked the wave of protests around the country – is much more than this. It’s for a better country. Better way of life.
It’s enough!
The Brazilian people are tired of being humiliated by politicians liars, opportunists and corrupted.
The Brazilian people are tired of seeing people dying in the queues of hospitals without receiving medical care.
The Brazilian people are tired of seeing their children without access to education.
The Brazilian people are tired of paying the highest rate of duty in the world without receiving anything in return.
The Brazilian people are tired of corrupt and hypocritical politicians who only create laws for their own benefit – do you know what is PEC 37? It is a bill that aims to remove the power of investigation from some public entities as the Public Prosecutor and therefore will protect politicians suspected of corruption from being investigated and prosecuted by the courts and this law is to be approved by the Brazilian Congress.
The Brazilian people are tired of Marco Feliciano – President of the Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives in Congress – a person racist, homophobic and prejudiced, and today he has approved the “gay cure” – a method of treatment to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals considered a crime and a violation of human rights worldwide.
The Brazilian people are tired of the violence, of not having security to go to work or go to the streets.
The Brazilian people are tired of the violence of the police forces – the police of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are the biggest killers in the world.
The Brazilian people are tired of not having jobs and don’t have a decent wage: a policeman earns R$ 900 per month (US$ 418) to risk his life. A public school teacher earns R$ 1,500 (US$ 697) to work in schools without a minimum of structure to teach their students. A doctor in the public sector earn $ 2,000 per month (US$ 930) to work for 40 hours per week in hospitals without a minimum of condition to care their patients. The Brazilian minimum wage to a worker is R$ 678 (US$ 315). The salary of a Congressman or Senator is R$ 26,700 (US$ 12,400) plus benefits. After two terms of office (8 years) he can retire and receive a salary of R$ 5,800 (US$ 2,700) per month. The cost for the World Cup is estimated at R$ 30 billion (US$ 13,9 billion). The reform of the Maracana stadium costed alone R$ 1 billion (US$ 465 million). Do you think it is fair?
The Brazilian people are tired of the precarious, inefficient and expensive public transport.
The Brazilian people are tired of the promises and lies of governments that betrayed the trust of those who elected them.
The Brazilian people are tired. The people that are on the streets are shouting they are tired of all of this.
It’s enough.
If you are Brazilian or if you agree that this situation needs to change for the benefit of the Brazilian people, please share this post, reblog, repost and help to disclose the reality until the whole planet can understand what the Brazilian people are saying on the streets.
The protests that spread to cities across the country are legitimate and peaceful protests, but the police force always tries to silence the freedom of speech and the right of the people to express their dissatisfaction with the terrible reality of the country. The Brazil is not the country of the future. Because if we do not do something now we will have no future. Only empty stadiums and people dying of starvation.
Please take a minute or two to see the photos below about the protests in many brazilian cities.
São Paulo: Inspired by the movement “occupy wall street” people took the streets of several cities in Brazil to protest against the increase in bus fares and against the terrible social and economic situation of the country.
São paulo: “Stop the robbery or we stop the Brazil” – Brazil is one of the countries with more scandals of corruption in the policy, but on behalf of impunity no one politician was arrested until today.
Since the protests began, the Governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, treated the same as “police cases”: The police were instructed to suppress all manifestations with extreme violence, even attacking journalists.
Protesters demanding the end of the police violence against the people’s right to freedom of speech in a state that calls itself as “democratic”.
“Protesting is not a crime. São Paulo we’re together”: Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday in a growing protest that is tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.
Protests against the fare increase of public transport in São Paulo.
Rio de Janeiro: a hundred thousand people take the streets to protest against the terrible political and social situation of the country.
Thousands of people shut down a major street in Belo Horizonte during protest organized through social networks.
Unprepared and poorly led the police reprove with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets a manifestation until then peaceful.
Rio de Janeiro: police arrest a young who protested against the increase in bus fares.
Protesters with masks of the movie “V for Vendetta”: “Fifa World Cup = R$ 28 billion; Olympic Games = R$ 26 billion; corruption = R$ 50 billion; minimum wage = R$ 678, and you still think it’s for 20 cents?”
Brasilia: Hundred of protesters around the National Congress. Never had so many honest people in the Congress, demoralized after repeated corruption scandals.
Brasília: another shot of the Congress took by the people.
“Does not change in the urn. It changes in the streets”. “Come to the streets”.
In Brasilia, police used pepper gas to disperse protesters, also reaching media professionals.
Maria Hortência Brito, 19, is pregnant and participated in the protest held in Belém.
Protests against the fare increase of public transport in Curitiba.
Protesters climb on the roof of the National Congress. The protest is against spending in the Cup, corruption and improvements in public transport, health and education.
Maceió, Alagoas state: “Education. Health. Safety. I want.”
In Rio de Janeiro, a young woman holds a placard against abuse of the police force, and wear a mask and goggles to protect herself from possible rubber bullets and tear gas: “Police your oath is for the country and not for the rulers”.
A man displays a poster with the image of the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, as a Nazi.
Rio de Janeiro: Police attack protesters with pepper spray.
A Young woman displays poster with the photo of Giuliana Vallone, reporter from the journal “Folha de S. Paulo”, hit by a rubber bullet shot from the São Paulo Military Police.
Rio de Janeiro: protester wears a mask of “V for Vendetta” in front of the Municipal Theater.
São Paulo.
Brasília, National Congress.
Rio de janeiro: The demonstrations that were peaceful turned violent because of truculence and unpreparedness of the police in dealing with this kind of situation.
Attacked by tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray, protesters retaliated by throwing stones at the police.
What was a peaceful movement turned to an urban warfare scenario. This is not the country we want. This is not the police we need.
Please, take only more minutes to watch the video below and you will understand what we want. We don’t want a World Cup. We just want a better country to us and our children.
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Please shared the photo below and the video pasting this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApBgNQgKPU?feature=player_embedded on your website, social network, blog or send to email to your family and friends. Help to reveal the terrible truth about the World Cup 2014 and the lies of the Brazilian government.
Peace and thanks for your attention.
mkenobi.
PORTUGUESE VERSION
BRASIL, O PAÍS DA COPA DO MUNDO…
To read this Editorial in English, please click here.
Não, eu não vou à Copa do Mundo!
Sou um cidadão brasileiro, e eu amo meu país. Nasci e vivi no Rio de Janeiro por toda a minha vida e eu não quero uma Copa do Mundo, eu não quero Jogos Olímpicos e eu não quero em 2014 ter de votar em políticos que não me representam! O que eu quero e o que todo o povo brasileiro quer (e precisa) são hospitais, escolas, oportunidades de trabalho, menos corrupção, menos violência e melhores condições para ter uma vida digna e segura.
Os protestos são legítimos. Não é por 20 centavos ou menos – que é o valor do aumento das passagens de ônibus em muitas cidades brasileiras que deflagraram a onda de protestos ao redor do país – é muito mais do que isso. É por um país melhor. Uma melhor condição de vida.
Já chega!
O povo brasileiro está cansado de ser humilhado por políticos mentirosos, oportunistas e corruptos.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de ver pessoas morrendo nas filas dos hospitais sem receber cuidados médicos.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de ver seus filhos sem acesso à educação.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de pagar os mais altos impostos do mundo sem receber nada em troca.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de políticos corruptos e hipócritas que somente criam leis em benefício próprio – você sabe o que é a PEC-37? É um projeto de lei que pretende retirar o poder de investigação de órgãos como o Ministério Público e por consequência irá proteger políticos suspeitos de corrupção de serem investigados e processados pelos tribunais e esta lei está para ser aprovada pelo Congresso brasileiro.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de Marco Feliciano – presidente da Comissão de Direitos Humanos da Câmara dos Deputados no Congresso – uma pessoa racista, homofóbica e preconceituosa que hoje aprovou a “cura gay” – um método de tratamento para converter homossexuais em heterossexuais considerado crime e uma violação aos direitos humanos em todo o mundo.
O povo brasileiro está cansado da violência, de não ter segurança para ir para o trabalho ou mesmo de sair às ruas.
O povo brasileiro está cansado da violência das forças policiais – as polícias de São Paulo e do Rio de Janeiro são as que mais matam no mundo.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de não ter empregos e de não ter um salário decente: um policial ganha R$ 900 reais por mês para arriscar a vida. Um professor de escola pública ganha R$ 1.500 para trabalhar em escolas sem um mínimo de estrutura para ensinar seus alunos. Um médico da rede pública ganha R$ 2000 por mês para trabalhar 40 horas por semana em hospitais sem um mínimo de condição para cuidar de seus pacientes. O salário mínimo brasileiro de um trabalhador é R$ 678. O salário de um Deputado ou Senador é de R$ 26.700 mais benefícios. Após dois mandatos (8 anos) ele pode se aposentar e receber um salário de R$ 5.800 por mês. O custo para a Copa do Mundo está estimado em 30 bilhões de reais.A reforma do estádio do Maracanã custou sozinha R$ 1 bilhão. Você acha isso justo?
O povo brasileiro está cansado de um transporte público precário, ineficiente e caro.
O povo brasileiro está cansado de promessas e mentiras de governantes que traíram a confiança daqueles que os elegeram.
O povo brasileiro está cansado. As pessoas que estão nas ruas estão gritando que estão cansadas de tudo isso.
Já chega.
Se você é brasileiro ou se você concorda que esta situação precisa mudar para o bem do povo brasileiro, por favor compartilha este post, reblogando, repostando e ajudando a revelar a realidade até que todo o planeta possa entender o que o povo brasileiro está dizendo nas ruas.
Os protestos que se espalharam pelas cidades ao redor do pais são protestos legítimos e pacíficos, mas as forças policiais sempre tentam silenciar a liberdade de expressão e os direitos das pessoas de expressar sua insatisfação com a terrível realidade do país. O Brasil não é o país do futuro. Porque se nós não fizermos alguma coisa agora nós não teremos futuro. Apenas estádios vazios e o povo morrendo de fome.
Por favor tire um minuto ou dois para ver as fotos sobre os protestos em muitas cidades brasileiras.
São Paulo: inspirados pelo movimento “ocupe Wall Street” as pessoas tomaram as ruas de várias cidades no Brasil para protestar contra o aumento nas passagens de ônibus e contra a terrível situação econômica e social do país.
São Paulo: “Parem com a roubalheira ou paramos o Brasil” – Brasil é um dos países com mais escândalos de corrupção na política, mas por conta da impunidade nenhum político foi preso até hoje.
Desde o início dos protestos, o Governador de São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, tratou os mesmos como “casos de polícia”. Os policiais foram orientados a reprimir todas as manifestações de forma violenta, atacando inclusive jornalistas.
Protestantes pedem o fim da violência policial contra o direito das pessoas à liberdade de expressão em um Estado que se proclama “democrático”.
“Protestar não é crime! São Paulo, nós estamos juntos”: dezenas de milhares de manifestantes marcharam pelas ruas das maiores cidades do Brasil na segunda-feira em um protesto crescente que está se tornando uma revolta generalizada contra a precariedade dos serviços públicos,a violência policial e a corrupção nos governos.
Protestos contra o aumento das passagens no transporte público em São Paulo.
Rio de Janeiro: cem mil pessoas tomam as ruas para protestar contra a terrível situação social e política do país.
Centenas de pessoas fecham a maior avenida de Belo Horizonte durante protesto organizado através das redes sociais.
Despreparada e mal comandada a polícia repreende com gás lacrimogênio, spray de pimenta e balas de borracha uma manifestação até então pacífica.
Rio de Janeiro: polícia prende um jovem que protestava contra o aumento das passagens de ônibus.
Manifestantes com máscaras do filme “V de Vingança”: “Copa Fifa = R$ 28 bilhões, Olimpíada = R$ 26 bilhões; corrupção = R$ 50 bilhões; salário mínimo = 678 reais; e você ainda acha que é por R$ 0,20?”
Brasília: Centenas de manifestantes em volta do Congresso Nacional. Nunca teve tanta gente honesta no Congresso, desmoralizado após repetidos escândalos de corrupção.
Brasília: outra foto do Congresso tomado pelo povo.
“Não muda na urna. Muda na rua!!”. “Vem pra rua”.
Em Brasília, polícia usou gás de pimenta para dispersar os manifestantes, também atingindo profissionais da imprensa.
Maria Hortência Brito, 19 anos, está grávida e participou no protesto em Belém.
Protestos contra o aumento nos transportes públicos de Curitiba.
Manifestantes sobem no teto do Congresso Nacional. O protesto é contra os gastos com a Copa, a corrupção e a precariedade no transporte público, saúde e educação.
Maceió, estado de Alagoas: “Educação. Saúde. Segurança. Eu quero!”
No Rio de Janeiro, uma jovem segura um cartaz contra o abuso da força policial, e veste uma máscara e óculos para se proteger de possíveis balas de borracha e gás lacrimogênio: “Polícia, seu juramento é pra a pátria e não para os governantes”.
Um homem exibe um poster com a imagem do governador do estado do Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, como nazista.
Rio de Janeiro: Polícia ataca manifestantes com spray de pimenta.
Uma jovem exibe um poster com a foto de Giuliana Vallone, repórter do jornal “Folha de São Paulo”, atingida por uma bala de borracha disparada pela polícia militar de São Paulo.
Rio de Janeiro: manifestante veste uma máscara de “V de Vingança” em frente ao Teatro Municipal.
São Paulo.
Brasília, Congresso Nacional.
Rio de Janeiro: as manifestações que eram pacíficas se tornaram violentas por conta da truculência e do despreparo da polícia em lidar com esse tipo de situação.
Atacada por gás lacrimogênio, balas de borracha e spray de pimenta, os manifestantes reagiram atirando pedras nos policiais.
O que era um movimento pacífico se converteu em um cenário de guerrilha urbana. Este não é o país que nós queremos. Esta não é a polícia que nós precisamos.
Por favor, tire mais alguns minutos para assistir o vídeo abaixo e você irá entender o que nós queremos. Nós não queremos uma Copa do Mundo. Nós só queremos um país melhor para nós e nossos filhos.
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Por favor, compartilhe a foto abaixo e o vídeo copiando o link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApBgNQgKPU?feature=player_embedded em seu site, rede social, blog ou envie por email para sua família e amigos. Ajude a revelar a terrível verdade sobre a Copa do Mundo 2014 e as mentiras do Governo brasileiro.
“Grease” is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser (the same director of the cult “The Blue Lagoon”) and produced by Paramount Pictures. It is based on Warren Casey’s and Jim Jacobs’s 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers, Danny and Sandy, in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway and Kelly Ward. Well, it’s hard to believe but “Grease” turns 35 this week.
The movie was originally released to theaters on June 16, 1978 and was an immediate box office success. Follow some facts about “Grease”:
1. Singer Olivia Newton-John, cast at Travolta’s urging, had done little acting before this film. She appeared in the 1970 film “Toomorrow”, a bizarre science fiction musical that pre-dated her initial chart success with 1971’s “If Not for You”. Cast with Newton-John and three male leads in an attempt by Don Kirshner to create another “Monkees”, the film was never released commercially. This led Newton-John to demand a screen test for “Grease” to avoid another career setback. The screen test was done with the drive-in movie scene. To adapted her australian accent to the movie, the name of her character Sandy Dumbrowski was changed to Sandy Olsson, a foreign-exchange student from Australia.
2. Two actors who were considered for leading roles in the film were Henry Winkler and Marie Osmond. Winkler, who was playing Fonzie on “Happy Days”, was originally chosen to play Danny, but having twice already played similarly leather-clad 1950s hoods in 1974’s “The Lords of Flatbush” as well as “Happy Days”, turned down the role for fear of being typecast. Osmond turned down the role of Sandy because she did not like the fact that Sandy had to “turn bad” to get the boy. Susan Dey and Deborah Raffin were the first choices for the role of Sandy (Dey declined the role after her manager advised against it).
3.Randal Kleiser directed John Travolta (who requested him for “Grease”) and Kelly Ward in “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” two years prior to “Grease”. Additionally, he had previously worked (as an extra) alongside Frankie Avalon in 1966’s “Fireball 500”. Frankie Avalon makes a little appearance in “Grease” as Teen Angel.
4. Scenes inside the Frosty Palace contain obvious blurring of various Coca-Cola signs. Prior to the film’s release, the producer Allan Carr had made a product-placement deal with Coca-Cola’s main competitor Pepsi (for example, a Pepsi logo can be seen in the animated opening sequence). When Carr saw the footage of the scene with Coca-Cola products and signage, he ordered director Randal Kleiser to either reshoot the scene with Pepsi products or remove the Coca-Cola logos from the scene. As reshoots were deemed too expensive and time-consuming, optical mattes were used to cover up or blur out the Coca-Cola references. The ‘blurring’ covered up trademarked menu signage and a large wall poster, but a red cooler with the logo could not be sufficiently altered so was left unchanged. According to Kleiser, “We just had to hope that Pepsi wouldn’t complain. They didn’t.” In the 2010 sing-along version, the blurred Coke poster has been digitally removed. In its place is more of the wavy wall design that surrounded it.
5. Randal Kleiser hated the opening title song, “Grease” (he thought that the cynical lyrics and disco beat were inappropriate for a film set in the 1950s). He also hated the song “You’re The One That I Want” saying it “sounded awful”, but the song is in the final musical scene, took just one afternoon to film and was filmed with the help of a traveling carnival. However, director Randal Kleiser decided the next day that additional scenes were needed for close-ups. Unfortunately the carnival had left town so set decorators were called in to build replica backgrounds, that matched the carnival ride’s construction for the close-ups.
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6. Set in high school, most of the principal cast were way past their teenage years. When filming began in June 1977, John Travolta was 23, Olivia Newton-John was 28, Stockard Channing was 33, Jeff Conaway was 26, Barry Pearl was 27, Michael Tucci was 31, Kelly Ward was 20, Didi Conn was 25; Jamie Donnelly was 30, and Annette Charles was 29. Only Dinah Manoff, Lorenzo Lamas, and Eddie Deezen, all 19, were still teenagers.
7. Several musical numbers were not used in the film. They appear, however, as jukebox tunes, or band numbers at the high school dance. Among them “Freddy, My Love”, “Those Magic Changes”, and “It’s Raining on Prom Night” all of which were performed by characters in the stage musical. “Hopelessly Devoted To You” was written and recorded after the movie had wrapped. The producers felt they needed a strong ballad and had Olivia Newton-John come back to film her singing this song. This song ended up receiving an Academy Award nomination.
8. “Greased Lightning” was supposed to be sung by Jeff Conaway’s character, Kenickie, as it is in the stage version. John Travolta used his clout to have his character sing it. The director felt it was only right to ask Conaway if it was okay. At first he refused, but he eventually gave in. Conaway, who once played Danny Zuko on Broadway, stated in an episode of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” that while filming the scene/song “Greased Lightning” he was dropped by his fellow cast members and injured his back leading to his addiction to prescription painkillers. Conaway (1.87 m) had to walk slightly stooped so that John Travolta (1.88 m) would appear taller.
9. In the stage play, the song “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” had a reference to Sal Mineo, who was murdered in 1976, year before film was shot. So the lyric for movie (shot in summer 1977) was changed to an Elvis Presley reference, who ironically was also dead by the time of the film’s release in 1978. The scene in Frenchy’s bedroom while Rizzo is singing the line about Elvis was actually filmed the same day that Elvis Presley died, 16 August 1977.
10. The original Broadway production opened at the Eden Theater on February 14, 1972 and ran for 3,388 performances, setting a record. Adrienne Barbeau and Barry Bostwick were in the original Broadway cast. John Travolta appeared at some time as a replacement on Broadway in the role of “Doody”. Marilu Henner, an alumna of the original Chicago production, appeared as a replacement in the role of “Marty”. Patrick Swayze and Treat Williams were both replacements as Danny Zuko. Richard Gere is also listed as an understudy to many male roles, including Danny Zuko. Gere played Zuko in the London production in 1973.
Enjoy John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John “Summer Nights”:
Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners everywhere mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2013 is: Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
A comprehensive ban of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is required under the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) for all Parties to this treaty within five years of the entry into force of the Convention for that Party. Evidence shows that comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people starting and continuing smoking. Statistics show that banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco demand and thus a tobacco control “best buy”.
Most countries lack comprehensive bans
Despite the effectiveness of comprehensive bans, only 6% of the world’s population was fully protected from exposure to the tobacco industry advertising, promotion and sponsorship tactics in 2010 (WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2011).
To help reduce tobacco use, comprehensive advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans work to counteract:
* the deceptive and misleading nature of tobacco marketing campaigns;
* the unavoidable exposure of youth to tobacco marketing;
* the failure of the tobacco industry to effectively self-regulate; and
* the ineffectiveness of partial bans.
Meanwhile, as more and more countries move to fully meet their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), tobacco industry attempts to undermine the treaty become ever more aggressive, including those to weaken public health efforts to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. For example, where jurisdictions have banned advertising of tobacco products through point-of-sale displays – known as tobacco “powerwalls” – or banned the advertising and promotional features of tobacco packaging through standardized packaging, the tobacco industry has sued governments in national courts and through international trade mechanisms. On the other hand the tobacco industry uses sponsorship and especially corporate social responsibility tactics to trick public opinion into believing in their respectability and good intentions while they manoeuver to hijack the political and legislative process.
Goals:
The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low- and middle-income countries.
The ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to protect present and future generations not only from these devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Specific objectives of the 2013 campaign are to:
* spur countries to implement WHO FCTC Article 13 and its Guidelines to comprehensively ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship such that fewer people start and continue to use tobacco; and
* drive local, national and international efforts to counteract tobacco industry efforts to undermine tobacco control, specifically industry efforts to stall or stop comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
A Star Wars X-Wing spaceship has landed on New York’s Times Square this week.
Well, not quite. It’s actually a replica of one flown in the famed movie franchise and represents the largest model ever made by Danish toy company LEGO.
The world’s largest LEGO model is on display at Times Square in New York, Made of 5,335,200 LEGO bricks. In the picture above, LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi and members of the 501st inspect the thrusters of the largest LEGO model ever built, an X-wing Starfighter in Times Square.
The Force was strong in New York as the world’s largest LEGO model – a massive X-Wing Starfighter – was unveiled in Times Square. Much to the delight of Star Wars fans, the replica is life-size and so spot-on that we think even Luke Skywalker would be fooled. 5,335,200 LEGO bricks in all went into the 45,980 pound model, which measures in at 11 feet tall and 43 feet long.
As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy building those proton torpedo launchers and laser canons piece by piece. The Starfighter replica took 32 master builders over 17,000 hours to complete. The gigantic X-Wing was first put together at the LEGO Model Shop in Kladno in the Czech Republic, and was then brought over to the states. Special care was also put into engineering the model to withstand rigorous travel and to make sure that it reached NY as well as its next destination at the LEGOLAND California Resort safely.
The model was created to commemorate “The Yoda Chronicles”, a new 3-part animated series, which will premiere on Cartoon Network on Wednesday, May 29.
In Brasilia, over 7000 people held a protest on the Esplanade of Ministries and the National Congress, which had invaded its dome. 
Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof. Even rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray.
In Canada, a group of Brazilians in support of the protests in Brazil.
All That I Love 