Welcome to Sochi....

[enzo1]

Photographic Proof That Sochi Is A Godforsaken Hellscape Right Now

[enzo1]

https://twitter.com/SochiProblems

[sc_rufctr]

Well at least they have fancy buses

I just hope they have NO issues with terrorists.

[A930Rocket]

My brother is there now. He's with the US Olympic committee. I've texted him to ask how things are, but haven't heard back yet.

Looks comical.

[onewhippedpuppy]

But really, is anybody surprised?

[rusnak]

In Russia, the Olympics play you...

[trekkor]

Can someone post the TV schedule?

[enzo1]

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 TV schedule - Newsday

[trekkor]

Fantastic! thanks

[aigel]

I saw an interview with the supervisor on the toilets that have no divider. He said it was the weekend, so they weren't able to finish.

That said, Russia has a lot more things wrong with it than a few wires and toilet stalls out of place. It just never has been a free and prosperous country. From the Czar to the Communist to Putin ...

G

[Baz]

They are NOT euthanizing...they are clubbing them and poisoning them. These are not random strays...these are dogs that have been abandoned by residents...they were pets before their owners dumped them outside. That's why they are so friendly. But to date, over SEVEN THOUSAND dogs have been slaughtered...because they are worried about their "image"... THE IRONY!

[aigel]

The number of stray dogs is usually directly proportional to the level of civilization of a people. You can observe this even across the US. The key is improving the political system and raising the standard of living for the people. The animals will follow. If people in the US get upset over the culling of strays in Russia, it isn't going to be terribly productive IMHO. The Russian people are the ones who let them breed and then set them loose. Not the regime.

G

[wdfifteen]

I've seen 2 CNN polls asking whether there will be a terrorist attack at Sochi. Over half of those polled say yes.
99.9% of Americans know nothing about Sochi other than what they get from the news media, so the poll data is actually a measure of how effective the news media has been at telling their story. If CNN. NBC, Fox, etc had been predicting green snow for the past two weeks and they had a poll asking Americans whether there would be green snow at Sochi the get the same result.

[Tobra]

Either that Patrick, or the people they polled had a brain in their head and the ability to make what seems to be a fairly obvious prediction.

[creaturecat]

looks great. not perfect.
I remember all the naysayers when the Olympics were held in Vancouver.

[GH85Carrera]

Do they sell tickes for these seats?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Do they sell tickes for these seats?

If the seats are sold out and you can't watch live I'm sure they'll release the DVD after the Olympics are over.

Russian Response to Sochi Problems Goes Creepily Wrong

The press arrived in Sochi this week for the Winter Olympics, and it did not go well.

Tweets, photos and full-on articles told the world of shoddy, unfinished accommodations that gave Vladimir Putin's Olympic Games a black eye before they'd even started. Russian officials remained largely mum as Sochi's unfinished construction — rooms without doorhandles, toilets that can't flush paper — became the story of the week that ends Friday with the Olympics' opening ceremony.

Then, on Thursday, a Russian official finally addressed reporters, ostensibly to set the media straight and correct the false narrative that gained so much momentum.

His response, according to The Wall Street Journal, boiled down to this: Some reporters are sabotaging Sochi's Olympics accommodations for splashy headlines. Russian officials know this because they have surveillance cameras in hotel rooms. And at least some of those surveillance cameras are focused on hotel showers.

"We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day," Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister who oversaw Russia's Olympic prep, told the Journal.

A spokesperson for Kozak later denied that hotel rooms or bathrooms in Sochi have surveillance cameras, according to the Journal. The spokesperson said Kozak was likely referring to surveillance done at hotel sites during construction.

Cameras or no cameras, Kozak's response does not come from the Public Relations Hall of Fame and it appears to have horrified Kozak's handlers. The Journal reports that an aide immediately "pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. 'We're doing a tour of the media center,' the aide said."

Indeed, Sochi's readiness for the games — or lack thereof — has become the dominant Olympics story this week. A Twitter account called @SochiProblems, which aggregates unflattering tweets and photos from people in the host city, has gained more than 82,000 followers since posting its first tweet on Feb. 4. The hashtag #SochiProblems has been mentioned more than "Team USA," "Putin" and "opening ceremony," on social media according to the social media marketing company Digimind.

We'll see if the actual sporting action that began Thursday morning can overshadow Sochi's issues outside the lines. But, for now at least, it sounds like journalists there might want to think about donning swimsuits before hopping in the shower.

[berettafan]

Welcome to ROW. Why is it news that places like this are a mess?

Let's focus on the athletes and let them have their well earned time in the spotlight.

Goodness, do you people travel outside of the US and point and laugh when you see the conditions others live in?

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by Baz

They are NOT euthanizing...they are clubbing them and poisoning them. These are not random strays...these are dogs that have been abandoned by residents...they were pets before their owners dumped them outside. That's why they are so friendly. But to date, over SEVEN THOUSAND dogs have been slaughtered...because they are worried about their "image"... THE IRONY!

Saw that comment on the link as well.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Welcome to ROW. Why is it news that places like this are a mess?

Let's focus on the athletes and let them have their well earned time in the spotlight.

Goodness, do you people travel outside of the US and point and laugh when you see the conditions others live in?

Because we have all heard how they spent 50 BILLION dollars to get to this point. It is laughable how horrible Sochi is. They have had years to get ready and this is the best they can do? It would not be news if they just went to a small city in a third world country. This is Russia's best effort?

We all hope the security works better than the toilets.