Ongoing Sochi Issues Thread

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Young-Sneezy

is it just me, or does Russia look like an absolutely terrible place to be/live/visit?

Russia sucks. It's a 2nd rate country with 1 first rate city. There are no quality of life indicators that put it on par with any other G8 country.

[terminator]

How a country so afoul with human right violations wins the Olympians is beyond me

[Freeway]

I've been told that northwest Russia (basically the side closest to the Ukraine) is actually pretty nice, albeit still economically depressed compared to the rest of Europe.

[Hemi-Cuda]

The company I work for has a Russian office, and as their IT staff is completely incompetent several of our guys have to make the trip once or twice a year for various things. None have come back with good reviews of anywhere they've been outside of Moscow, and even that pales in comparison to most other large cities in Europe

[Jets4Life]

Was anyone alive to recall the details of the Munich terrorism disaster?

[JeanLucPicard]

russia and their half measures in anything they do

[skudr248]

Sochi will be awesome.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Was anyone alive to recall the details of the Munich terrorism disaster?

Could still happen, I think that's the point of the discussion. Maybe people are afraid something like that will.

And considering people know the risks this time around, while security wasn't a big issue that time, that's saying something.

[UKflames]

Originally Posted by Freeway

I've been told that northwest Russia (basically the side closest to the Ukraine) is actually pretty nice, albeit still economically depressed compared to the rest of Europe.

Please don't compare Russia to 'the rest of Europe' as it is not part of Europe.

I think you will see a lot of window dressing for these Olympics. It is just a big opportunity for Putin to ride in on a white snowmobile, with no shirt on, waving the carcass of a dead bear screaming death to all gay people whilst looking completly camp himself.

[SeeBass]

I am so sick of the short memories of the West what a joke.

Could you imagine in 02 Salt Lake if the Russians had an emergency evac team just waiting in international waters off the coast of Oregon. The americans would be insulted and see it as unjustified. Just imagine the soviet official that went on CNN and said he is worried for his peoples safety and families are staying home.
One year from 911 makes a lot more sense as a terrorist target without the aid of hindsight.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

I am so sick of the short memories of the West what a joke.

Could you imagine in 02 Salt Lake if the Russians had an emergency evac team just waiting in international waters off the coast of Oregon. The americans would be insulted and see it as unjustified. Just imagine the soviet official that went on CNN and said he is worried for his peoples safety and families are staying home.
One year from 911 makes a lot more sense as a terrorist target without the aid of hindsight.

I literally have no idea who or what you're arguing for/against.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by terminator

How a country so afoul with human right violations wins the Olympians is beyond me

I will attempt to explain.....

MONEY!!!!

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Was anyone alive to recall the details of the Munich terrorism disaster?

It was before my time, but here's a good summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre

Security was extremely lax back then. West Germany wanted them to be "The Happy Games" since they were the first Olympics in Germany since Hitler's Berlin games, so they were mindful of not wanting to look like a police state. Unfortunately, that made it very easy for the terrorists to sneak into the athletes' village.



I'm sure that won't be an issue for Sochi. Putin has never been afraid to flex his muscles (both literally and figuratively). One advantage they have is that all of the main venues are in two clusters, one in the city and one in the mountains.

This is the layout of the city cluster. All venues are within walking distance of each other. I'm sure there will be heavy security to get inside that circle.

[Cheese]

Im sure these games will be fine. Records will be broken and athletes will have fun. There will be glitches and headaches we wont see or know about hidden in the background.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Was anyone alive to recall the details of the Munich terrorism disaster?

The summary was a good one, I was about 5 when it happened, and I remember my parents watching it on the news.

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by Young-Sneezy

is it just me, or does Russia look like an absolutely terrible place to be/live/visit?

Went to Moscow and Saint Petersburg in September 2010 to visit my girlfriends sister who was working there. It sure is a cool place to visit but I felt on edge the whole time I was there. She was in a diplomats building that we couldn't say disparaging things about Russia in, because apparently all the foreign diplomats apartments are bugged by Russians and you could get into trouble.

Police on every corner, many carrying rifles, all in military uniform, were probably the scariest part of Moscow, you don't want to be stopped by them apparently, many are poor kids stuck in military service and just want to stop westerners for bribes so not to get thrown in jail for the day.

Mind you, the sights were so cool to see, and the culture was something you really have to be there to really appreciate.

Taking the train to Saint Petersburg was really when I realized how poor this country is, seeing the villages along the way, they looked straight out of 1914 still. Tiniest of tiny houses, pack horses still in the streets. As soon as we got to Saint Petersburg, I was so glad I went on that trip, cause that city is gorgeous. I haven't been to many European cities but the core of the city at least has to compare to any other large European city.

Long winded answer, but no, it wasn't a terrible place to visit, but it would be an absolute terrible place to live. The sister we were visiting for example was one block away from the Moscow subway bombings when they happened, as was lucky enough to be leaving out of the other airport in Moscow the day their airport got bombed. She couldn't leave that place quick enough when their tour was over.

[Zarley]

Why must there always be a negative media buildup before every Olympics?

eg. This talk of the NHL pulling out at the last minute due to a terrorist threat that is no more significant now than it was when they decided to go there in the first place. It's nothing more than baseless speculation by sports media idiots.

These games are Putin's baby, I can't see his regime allowing anything to go wrong security wise.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I literally have no idea who or what you're arguing for/against.

He's saying the Salt Lake City Olympics had it's own terrorist threats, and that there was far less paranoia with those games.

To be clear, I'm not agreeing with his statements, but the point he's trying to argue is pretty clear IMO.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Was anyone alive to recall the details of the Munich terrorism disaster?

Not sure if you're asking for details or just asking who remembers it.

I remember.

For some here, the Palestine Liberation Organization may just look like a group that is in some kind of land dispute.

For me, they are terrorists. They have always been terrorists. They were terrorists who shot a bunch of athletes in order to get international attention.

I was pretty young, but I'll never forget that.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by J epworth kendal

Went to Moscow and Saint Petersburg in September 2010 to visit my girlfriends sister who was working there. It sure is a cool place to visit but I felt on edge the whole time I was there. She was in a diplomats building that we couldn't say disparaging things about Russia in, because apparently all the foreign diplomats apartments are bugged by Russians and you could get into trouble.

Police on every corner, many carrying rifles, all in military uniform, were probably the scariest part of Moscow, you don't want to be stopped by them apparently, many are poor kids stuck in military service and just want to stop westerners for bribes so not to get thrown in jail for the day.

Mind you, the sights were so cool to see, and the culture was something you really have to be there to really appreciate.

Taking the train to Saint Petersburg was really when I realized how poor this country is, seeing the villages along the way, they looked straight out of 1914 still. Tiniest of tiny houses, pack horses still in the streets. As soon as we got to Saint Petersburg, I was so glad I went on that trip, cause that city is gorgeous. I haven't been to many European cities but the core of the city at least has to compare to any other large European city.

Long winded answer, but no, it wasn't a terrible place to visit, but it would be an absolute terrible place to live. The sister we were visiting for example was one block away from the Moscow subway bombings when they happened, as was lucky enough to be leaving out of the other airport in Moscow the day their airport got bombed. She couldn't leave that place quick enough when their tour was over.

Do they still have our lady of microwaves across from the U.S. Embassy. I guess it was a building with so many microwave antennae and listening devices pointed at the Americans that you could at one time fry eggs on the window stills of the building.

That was the legend anyways.