What in the World?

What’s going on around the world this week? Read on to find out.

South America

Rio de Janeiro’s notorious slums are trying to turn things around — by inviting tourists in. A new program, called “Rio Top Tour: Rio de Janeiro in a Different Perspective” will try to lure tourists into some of the city’s slums, while at the same time rewarding communities that have been cleared of gangs and drug cartels. The Santa Maria shantytown — with about 5,000 inhabitants — is the first community to participate in the program. Slum residents will be trained as tour guides, street signs will be posted in English, and about 30 attractions will be marketed as must-see spots within the shantytown (such as the place where Michael Jackson filmed a video, a samba school, works of local artists, and a lookout point with stunning views of Rio).

What do you think of this program? Will it be beneficial to slums and tourists alike, or will it simply be another example of tourism exploiting an area?

Preliminary drilling began Monday in the effort to free 33 trapped miners in Chile. The drill will take about a week to bore a “pilot hole” through roughly half a mile of solid rock. Then the real drilling will begin, widening the hole so that, eventually, the trapped miners can be rescued through it. That process could take up to four months, and the miners will have to work around the clock to keep the hole clear of tons of falling rock. The miners have been trapped since a mine collapse August 5, making their ordeal the longest known survival in an underground disaster. Hopefully the soon-to-be-constant work will keep them trim and in shape, because they have to stay skinny enough to fit that rescue hole. (Most Americans would just be doomed…)

Asia

In Indonesia, the Mount Sinabung volcano erupted over the weekend and Monday, spewing clouds of hot ash and smoke more than a mile into the air. The volcano last erupted in 1600 — over 400 years ago. So far, 30,000 people have been evacuated from the mountain’s slopes and surrounding area. Even though the volcano has been dormant for four centuries, Indonesia is no stranger to geothermal activity. The country is located within the so-called “Ring of Fire,” a series of volatile fault lines, and has 129 active volcanoes to keep an eye on.

The U.S.

Across the U.S., bedbugs — those little nocturnal blood suckers — are becoming more and more of a problem. Apparently that old phrase, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite,” is becoming more and more appropriate. Yuck.

Want to explore space, that final frontier? Well NASA wants to see it happen, too. On Monday, NASA announced a new, nearly-$500,000 funding plan that will help two private spaceflight firms test experimental unmanned rockets this fall and winter. California-based Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace of Texas — firms not so well known yet in the private spaceflight crowd — will receive the money  and conduct three to four test flights each this coming fall and winter.

The Caribbean

Hurricane Earl battered the Caribbean on Monday, rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 storm. If he continues along the same path, Earl could hit the U.S. east coast this week. The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to keep an eye on the storm. At the very least, Earl could kick up some dangerous rip currents.

Just For Fun

A Frenchman who climbs skyscrapers with his bare hands (and who is aptly nicknamed “Spiderman”) was arrested in Sydney, Australia, on Monday after he successfully scaled the 57-story downtown Lumiere building. The climber — who has tackled more than 70 skyscrapers around the world — is often slapped with fines and jail time for his dangerous hobby. I, personally, think it’s pretty cool.

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