I arrived in Rio de Janiero yesterday and was a bit nervous given the discussions in the media regarding the recent outbreak of violence but after spending the past 24 hours here, I have to say that the media has made this story far worse than it was. The Brazilian media took this story and turned it into a 24 hour event that got all media coverage all the time. And of course the international press picked up the stories and ran with it as well. Here in the Zona Sul (Copa, Ipanema, etc..) all is normal. A few extra police officers on the street but nothing strange. I believe in the y