Posted on 02/08/2014 6:09:07 AM PST by Kaslin
Sochi, site of the Winter Olympic Games, has all the markings of being a total disaster. Like Ishtar, but with a bigger body count. Though the Games have not yet begun, reporters from around the globe are beginning to descend on the so-called resort town. What has greeted them is nothing more than poorly produced modern-day relics of the Potemkin Village known as Russia.
Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair exposed the problem, and the comic relief. First, a photo of two glasses of yellow-ish/rust-ish third world "water." With the photo, a tweet from St. Clair stating:
My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, "do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous." #Sochi2014
What I wouldn't give for St. Clair to bring some of that back to the States so it could be properly examined! However, since I don't wish for reporters to be carriers of biological agents from Russia, I should hope that she does the prudent thing and leave them behind. (Just take a swab with a Q-Tip. OK? If it works for Law and Order, it should work for this!)
St. Clair brought levity to the situation, also tweeting:
Also on the bright side: I just washed my face with Evian, like I'm a Kardashian or something.
That tweet made me follow her immediately.
Other reporters were met with their own calamities. Hotels not completed, lobbies with no floors, elevators that don't work. Sidewalks with open drain pipes - literally, someone forgot to put the covers on - and curtain rods that don't stay up. And one sign that asked users to please not flush toilet paper down the toilet. You know, for health reasons.
Sure, one could say, there are problems. But the Russians will get them fixed. Why is everyone picking on them? What's that famous Russian expression again? Oh, that's right - It's just some glitches!
But it's not. It's a problem endemic of these games; That when the world is watching, Russia is unable to show a game face of competence. $51 billion has been spent on the game, and Russia couldn't finish building hotels. They can't get potable water to reporters who report - to news outlets worldwide! - what's happening at the Games.
I thought these former KGB'ers were experts at propaganda?
All that money, and security is still suspect at best. The constant specter of an attack has gone from long-shot possibility to an unfortunate and utterly frightening "place your bets!" with odds at near even. While President Obama has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shared security details with him, DCI Advisory President Steven Yates is hard pressed to believe that anything of detail or of quality has been shared. On FOX News, he declared that the Super Bowl will have far better security than will be seen in Sochi. If something happened in Sochi, Yates asks, "Would the Russians be really open to international intervention to help?"
I have wished nothing but a safe trip for the athletes, and their safe return home. And I still do. Now I add the reporters to the list, as "Dangerous Face Water" may be more terrifying, and more damaging, than luge.
I had water like that in my first apartment. It looked OK coming out of the tap but if you let it sit and warm up to room temperature it turned orange.
Ok, am I the only one that thinks that some folks are actively hoping that something happens?
I’m almost feeling sympathy for Russia because the carping, negativism, and propaganda is starting to become obnoxious and is really taking away from the Olympics.
Where were these people in 2008?
Most of these photos are obvious propaganda anyway. So does the whole campaign of bashing these Olympics. The reasons are obvious.
Russia does have a viable manned space program unlike some first world countries. Russia has a leader who is proud of his nation and doesn’t suffer fools. Russia under Putin has slowly been reasserting its authority over the nations that broke away from the Soviet state in the 1990’s through economic agreements, invasion, and energy extortion. Russia has the ability to wipe out the USA at any moment with an EMP attack.
The anti capitalist reporters critiquing the facilities at the Olympics might give some thought to why the facilities are better when built by capitalists than socialists. They might also consider that the Obama government they love could not create a secure and working website for healthcare despite 3 years and a $600 million budget.
“And one sign that asked users to please not flush toilet paper down the toilet. You know, for health reasons.”
My National Guard unit deployed to Korea in the late 80s for Operation Team Spirit. We stayed in a ‘luxury hotel’. All the toilets had those signs and not for health reasons.
The hotel collected the fecal matter and sold it to the local farmers for fertilizer. Those farmers did not want toilet paper in their fertilizer.
Yeah I see two opposing views being promoted in the media and both are crap. FOX is accusing Russia of glorifying communism while NBC and others went out and glorified communism themselves.
The reality is that the depiction of communism was part of a much wider theme on Russian history. Not including it would cause the same people to scream just as loudly. I personally thought the communism was given a rather sad and melancholy treatment.
Whatever’s happening at the guest venues doesn’t detract from the athletes’ performances or the opening ceremonies. I thought the entertainment was classical and spell binding. The scene on War and Peace was amazing.
The illuminated red/white/blue parkas simulating the waving of the Russian flag was great.
Only thing I didn’t like was the annoying techno music during the Parade of Nations.
The lighting of the flame was not as dramatic or spectacular as some previous versions.
Let’s hope and pray that the games proceed with good will and good sportsmanship and that there are no international incidents.
Can anything be all right in a country where an obnoxious ani-gay KGB-thug rules?
I'm pretty disgusted with the media, which were cheerleaders for China, but looking for everything negative to exploit in Sochi. Lester Holt is thankfully a class act and seems to be steering reporting in a better direction. JMHO
They have state-of-the-art mobile and fixed ICBMs which, no doubt, are probably the best in the world. And, how much foreign aid is it that we’re sending to them each year?
Well, Obama and Jarrett didn't like not getting the OLYMPICS in CHICAGO, for one.
you would think that when “The Powers That Be” would make sure that the location they are seriously interested in at least has PLUMBING!
My husband’s late parents had a well on their property in Florida and the water had sulfur in it. My mother-in-law used to put water in a jar and then in the fridge. I wouldn’t drink any of it because of the horrible smell it had before she put it in the fridge
>>>And, how much foreign aid is it that we’re sending to them each year?<<<
Unless you are counting LGBT groups and anti-government ‘Occupy Moscow’ crowd were are no American aid recipients in Russia.
Well... I'm pretty sure that the Obama Administration and most of the MSM hope so. They are already preparing DISASTER TEAMS. It's the only thing that will send the viewing audience for the Olympics through the roof.
We are already funding as many of the terrorist groups as we can so they can afford to travel there.
Plus, there's always the State Department's own covert Central Intelligence Agents as backups should the terrorists fail.
Let's get the facts straight, at the very least.
Putin is not 'anti-gay' (politically). That is what the MSM wants you to believe. They must 'stir the pot' or nobody will 'fill their bowl' (that sounded better in my head).
What Putin said was that he was against the promotion of homosexuality to children. He also said that he is against pedophilia, and that there are other countries that are trying to accept it legally.
And he's right. Since we are one of them, our MSM (Entertainment Industry) felt compelled to attack Putin. As someone else said on this thread, the reasons are obvious.
Olympics are a sham to distract the people.
I lost all respect for this years ago.
“Can anything be all right in a country where an obnoxious ani-gay KGB-thug rules?”
*****************************
What made you change your mind from your earlier post in October, in the link below?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3084117/posts?page=19#19
No, but they do come here and steal domestic aid, then take it back to Russia.
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