Posted on 03/29/2009 6:14:43 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The G20 summit in London will take place in a different universe from Charleroi, a Belgian city in the heart of Europe but cast into the economic wilderness for decades.
Once at the centre of Belgium's "pays noir" coal and industry belt, Charleroi, is surrounded by a post-industrial landscape of slagheaps and derelict factories. It faces the latest global recession having never recovered from the last two.
The city in the Walloon, French-speaking region of southern Belgium is openly acknowledged by many of its inhabitants to be the most depressing place in Europe.
In recent times, Charleroi, whose people are known as "Carolos", has become notorious as the home of the paedophile serial killer, Marc Dutroux.
Last week, the city council finally decided to demolish his "house of horror", where abducted victims were kept in dungeons before being killed, and replace it with a memorial flower garden.
Another Carolo, Muriel Degauque, became the world's first white, female suicide bomber when she blew herself up in Baghdad in 2005.
Menawhile, Charleroi's solidly Left-wing council has become a byword for corruption, losing two Socialist mayors to various scandals in the last two years.
Some enterprising Carolos now offer "urban safaris" through the sheer hideousness of their city, now billed as "ugliest city in the world" by a recent opinion poll in neighbouring Holland.
"Hop in our van for an urban safari and discover the place where Magritte's mother committed suicide, the house of the infamous Dutroux, the most depressing street in all of Belgium, climb on a terril (waste coal pile) and visit an authentic abandoned metal factory," offers one tour company.
These events, which are booked up for the next month, are a rare example of economic success. Nicolas Buissart, a Carolo studying art in Antwerp, launched the guided tours to
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I’m sure Obama’s south side, Richmond CA, Gary Il, Detroit, Oakland, etc can give it a run for its money.
Search & Replace: Charleroi->Detroit, Belgian->Michigan, Europe->America.
Result: Nothing else in article needs to change.
There's your problem right there.
You’ll need a .50 caliber machinegun turret on the van for the Detroit visit.
You might still be out gunned there.
Charleroi Belgium sounds a lot like Charleroi PA which still hasn’t recovered from the closing of the mills and still has double digit unemployment a quarter century afterwards.
Olive Thomas born Oliveretta Elaine Duffy. Ziegfeld Follies Girl and Silent Film Star, the original Flapper girl. (ie. The Flapper 1920). She was billed as "Everybody's Sweetheart". She was married to Jack Pickford and died tragically of accidental self-induced poisoning by Mercury Bichloride at the age of 25 while on vacation in Paris, the first of many fatal Hollywood scandals of the 1920s.
Craig McCracken, animator and creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
John K. Tener, Major League Baseball player and former Republican governor of Pennsylvania from 1911 to 1915
Frank Mascara, former Democratic member of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003
Hardie Albright, actor
Lisa Kirk, actress-singer
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, a former Charleroi resident, and so-called "DC Madame"
Mitchell Paige, WWII Medal of Honor recipient
Shirley Jones, actress The Partrige Family, and The Music Man
Barbara Bosson, actress Hill Street Blues; Hooperman; Cop Rock
Ron Hughes, scout and executive with NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions
Natalie Raitano,actress, most known for her role on syndicated television show V.I.P. with Pamela Anderson.
I always thought that Shirley Jones was from Smithton, not Charleroi.
Napoleon’s jump off point for the Waterloo campaign.
Charleroi sounds like the Detroit of Europe
Well, Charleroi, Pennsylvania is no day at the beach either.
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