Holden,
Thank you for your words and the news from Brazil. It is you, Hentrich and Silenus, Ibra and others who write excellent posts. I just scribble things you already know and experience every day. Of course everyday life in India is very different from here. The numbers, just in population, are overwhelming. Even life in the U.S. where most here want to follow the so-called American way of life is very different.
Your sentence in English: “If one wishes to extinguish this fire called life then one must not pour gasoline into it.” is worth remembering at all times.
In two weeks more or less we have another celebration called Día del Padre or Father´s Day. Another good day for business specially now that the economic situation is getting worse.
The real criminals, so to speak, are in the government here, there and everywhere. They should be called the organized crime. We have paramilitary and parapolice forces. But we forget the parapoliticians.
Yesterday I heard on the radio that a 30-year old girl, pregnant with twins, and already a mother of two, was robbed and later gunned down three times in her neck. They cannot operate her in the hospital because of the risk of losing the twins. They stole her money, more or less 900 U.S. dollars and her phone. The rumors are that the two sicarios (assassins) were hired by her male partner to kill her. But they failed and later were arrested. Supposedly one of the sicarios is his brother. A radio reporter called these two macaques and complained that the police did not kill them right away. A really creepy business. One tragedy among millions.
About the riots in Brazilian prisons, well, I heard a little about it. Here the main state prison, Tacumbú, can only house 1,000 inmates but it has 4,000 inmates. It is considered to be the most dangerous prison in this continent.
I read something about Edshu, the trickster god of the Yoruba in West Africa. Once Edshu, saw two farmers plowing the fields. He then decided to play a trick on them. Wearing a hat that showed red, white, green, and black color on each side, the front, and the back, he walked towards the fields. Later the two farmers told that they saw a stranger with the hat. One farmer said the hat had been red, while the other said it had been white. Soon the farmers got into an argument, which turned into a brawl. The people separated them and took them before the village headman. The headman could not resolve the conflict. At that point, Edshu joined the crowd and revealed his identity. He admitted to playing tricks on the farmers and said, “Spreading strife is my greatest joy.” Yes, this is what Edshu does with humans.
Stay safe and sound.