Posted on 12/20/2016 12:57:02 AM PST by elhombrelibre
MOSCOW — Dozens of people in the Siberian city of Irkutsk died after drinking cheap surrogate alcohol over the weekend, evoking memories of the poverty and social depression that came after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The tragedy was a reminder that while President Vladimir V. Putin may be taking a star turn on the world stage — dominating the war in Syria and alarming European and American leaders who fear the Kremlin is undermining democracy — Russia remains in many respects a struggling country. For all his bravado, Mr. Putin continues to wrestle with domestic economic woes, widening inequality and endemic corruption.
The economy, deeply dependent on oil revenues, was thrown into recession in 2015, after a collapse in oil prices, and is just now emerging tentatively into positive territory. The ensuing collapse of the ruble and Western economic sanctions over the Kremlin’s maneuvers in Crimea and Ukraine have hit living standards hard.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I point out the hypocrisy of using these alcohol poisonings as evidence of a failed society, by a writer who lives in a similarly failed ( or failing) society
His point being Russians are so,desperate they die to,get high - which they have done for generations of alcoholism
Ok
What does that make Americans and our society, since more of us are now dying of drug overdoses that car accidents?
the only thing offensive is calling me “offended “ for pointing this out
Fact , jack
When I was in Russia ( Far East) and saw how proud were my hosts of their local shopping store. ( similar to,a glorified 7-11 but with armed guards) I thought that if a big chain like WalMart started building in Russia it would really change their lives
Again this was in the Far East, not the big westernized cities like Moscow or st Petersburg
Would you have cared if the article were about Poland or the Czech Republic? No, you wouldn’t. You only care because the story exposes that Putin hasn’t done a good job of ending their problem with alcohol, even with $3.00/bottle for vodka (I have to tell you than because I’m sure you didn’t read the article before rushing in to stick for the shirtless despot). I freely admit the USA has many faults. I don’t want them covered up. You seem to think that our problems negate theirs, or make it where we should not be aware of them. It used to be the Left thought that way. To you, Russia is still a budding Putinista utopia, and people who point out their problems are hypocrites. That’s just weird. See the world as it is.
Unfortunately, there is no alcohol substitute.
...and Asia.
Jesus turned water into wine. Maybe Benjamin Franklin was right. “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!” And so don’t substitute anything for alcohol, just stop at your limit.
The pint is the NYT would never write this article about Czechoslovakia or Poland
Some NYT writer seized on this cluster of alcohol poisonings to blame Putin
However
The same writer would never blame obama for the 35 drug overdose deaths in Philadelphia in the past week
Or the homeless tent cities in California
Or the meth epidemic in flyover country
After all we are a real first world country
But they will blame Trump for it
I give it a week after inauguration
Wait for it
Yes, the NYT isn't likely to blame Obama for several reasons. One, they're champions of his philosophy. Two, a US president is not an autocrat, like Putin. Three, the alternative press has gone after Obama, and anyone who seeks the truth about the USA can find out. It's not a secret. Get over it. Our watch RT; they'll reinforce your views and prejudices.
Putin is a big government thug who wants to rule all facets of life in Russia. He deserves the credit when they succeed and the reports of failure when they exist.
What will it matter if the NYT goes after Trump. They're free to do so. Unless you think he cannot counter punch, don't use that as an excuse to say NYT shouldn't publish stories about Russia that don't meet your image of Putinism in execution.
Interesting-Russia (Far East). Thanks.
Yep, they were living quite the life of luxury before the Soviet Union collapsed. The author is an idiot.
“Not even in Venezuela or Zimbabwe do the people have to resort to downing a bottle of Prestone to get a buzz”.....
Guess its a lot warmer in those two countries (except for the mountains in VZ.
(Confession: I didn’t real the whole article, nor the comments here yet)
Really? Some deadly incident is an indication of the state of Russia?
What about the recent bad batch of heroine that killed a dozen in Philly? What does that say about Obama’s America?
Ridiculous over-broad brushing and ‘conclusion’.
I've wrote it above and will write it again. The USA has too many similar problems.
Our President is totally reckless, and the CIA under Brennan is supporting his recklessness.
"We can do stuff to you...Some of it we do publicly, some of it we will do in a way that they know but not everybody will". What could possibly go wrong with a statement like that?
Do you think Obama put poison in the alcohol?
Franklin never wrote that.
Running negative stories about Putin and Russia in the MSM is probably part of the retaliation as well.
Alcoholism overrides the brain. I once heard a Nobel chemist say he was watching folks in a third-world country swig on something and laugh and have fun. He asked a lady what it was they were drinking and she told him it was denatured alcohol which would make you blind. he said, being a chemist, he knew exactly how the alcohol went through the system, and finally ended up doing irreparable damage to the optic nerve - and concluded with, "But I was thirsty!"
Perfect example of what alcoholism does to one's thought process.
I think they know it.
In New York they have Purple Drank.
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