View Full Version : Sochi Olympics should be fun
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 01:34 AM
The Sochi Olympics are say to be the most expensive ever and have cost $51 billion. Journalists are arriving at unfinished hotels (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/04/journalists-at-sochi-are-live-tweeting-their-hilarious-and-gross-hotel-experiences/) with dogs wandering in and out of rooms.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfpGUmiCIAA6ty2.jpg
I wonder what Putin's cut of that $51 billion is.
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 01:45 AM
Why's he your boy?
Meticode
02-05-2014, 01:56 AM
This one had me rolling...
https://twitter.com/StacyStClair/statuses/430536725341798402
The update after water restored: https://twitter.com/StacyStClair/statuses/430550673977913344
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 01:57 AM
Steals super bowl rings, doesn't wear a shirt, poisons people, chills with fedor, all around badass. Wish he was our prez
And you're surprised a little public works corruption?
gigantes
02-05-2014, 02:21 AM
you want a dictatorship, macho?
anyway, don't forget... judo master.
http://www.csmonitor.com/var/archive/storage/images/media/images/0826-putin-judo/8542092-1-eng-US/0826-PUTIN-Judo_full_600.jpg
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 02:45 AM
what?
Putin and his friends are lining their pockets (http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-sochi-corruption-20140203,0,7720747.story#ixzz2sQYP8OnL) with money that was intended for things like hotels and roads and ski lifts. I would not want to be a ski jumper this year.
Tired of hearing reports about alleged corruption and budget overruns, some Russian citizens have given the 2014 Sochi Olympics a nickname.
Kickbacktiada.
The Games, which begin Friday, rank as the most expensive in Olympic history with an estimated cost of more than $50 billion and counting.
A recent study by a Russian watchdog group alleges that organizers paid far more than the going rate for numerous venues built in and around the Black Sea resort. One former official fled the country and has been accused of embezzlement.
"Athletes are not the only people who compete in Sochi," the Anti-Corruption Foundation report stated. "Officials and businessmen also took part in the Games and turned them into a source of income."
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 02:45 AM
I made that ski jumper joke before seeing this in that article.
Akhmed Bilalov, was in charge of building the RusSki Gorki ski jumping center, where spending had ballooned to $267 million, more than six times higher than originally estimated.
After his dismissal, Bilalov left the country and was accused of embezzlement.
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 02:54 AM
Winter Olympics are lame anyway, besides hockey.
Should be called the Rich White Kid Sporting Events.
http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Vancouver%2BMedal%2BCeremony%2BDay%2B10%2BQR-CLwC_RZql.jpg
fiddy
02-05-2014, 03:20 AM
inb4 jihadist
http://m4.netinfo.bg/media/images/10336/10336032/655-402-toaletni-sochi.jpg
no fishing in the toilet
tomSR.
02-05-2014, 03:58 AM
[B]winter or summer, Olympics suck.......only ones winning are China
Holy shit.
And yet America still always wins the most gold medals.
except for 4 years ago
don`t think there will be a repeat performance by Canada this olympics though.
fiddy
02-05-2014, 04:19 AM
Holy shit.
And yet America still always wins the most gold medals.
China abuse some of their children athletes to perform better, but still dont have the sport facilities and equipment the U.S. athletes do, thats the difference IMO.
[QUOTE=tomSR.][B]winter or summer, Olympics suck.......only ones winning are China
tomSR.
02-05-2014, 12:39 PM
Gymnastics isn't at the winter olympics fool. Besides, which country won the women's team gymnastics gold last time? That's right. But I guess when the US trains their child athletes hard it's called freedom.
you don
knickballer
02-05-2014, 01:11 PM
Eh, really don't care and the only reason people are making a big deal is because the games are played in Russia. If it was played in South Korea no one would care about the "conditions"
When driving I hear some of the stupidest shit about Socchi. One guy was talking about how there's packs of stray dogs on the streets of Socchi and that it's dangerous. Well, maybe it's because Russia doesn't kill off stray dogs....
From the pictures I saw and from what I read Socchi seems to be a beautiful city. Very lavished city, tourist city and apparently the "Monaco" of Russia.
Norcaliblunt
02-05-2014, 01:19 PM
Whatever, the Atlanta games were bombed.
knickballer
02-05-2014, 01:22 PM
Whatever, the Atlanta games were bombed.
gotta admit i lol'ed for w/e reason
Putin and his friends are lining their pockets (http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-sochi-corruption-20140203,0,7720747.story#ixzz2sQYP8OnL) with money that was intended for things like hotels and roads and ski lifts. I would not want to be a ski jumper this year.
How is that any different from how lobbying in the US goes?
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 02:27 PM
Eh, really don't care and the only reason people are making a big deal is because the games are played in Russia. If it was played in South Korea no one would care about the "conditions"
When driving I hear some of the stupidest shit about Socchi. One guy was talking about how there's packs of stray dogs on the streets of Socchi and that it's dangerous. Well, maybe it's because Russia doesn't kill off stray dogs....
From the pictures I saw and from what I read Socchi seems to be a beautiful city. Very lavished city, tourist city and apparently the "Monaco" of Russia.
Um, the Olympics were held in South Korea fairly recently and other than some boxing issues and steriod issues they went off without a hitch.
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 02:27 PM
How is that any different from how lobbying in the US goes?
A ****ing lot.
Eh, really don't care and the only reason people are making a big deal is because the games are played in Russia. If it was played in South Korea no one would care about the "conditions"
When driving I hear some of the stupidest shit about Socchi. One guy was talking about how there's packs of stray dogs on the streets of Socchi and that it's dangerous. Well, maybe it's because Russia doesn't kill off stray dogs....
From the pictures I saw and from what I read Socchi seems to be a beautiful city. Very lavished city, tourist city and apparently the "Monaco" of Russia.
South Korea has had the Olympics, and a little before that the World Cup, and none of this was talked about because none of it occured.
NY just had the Super Bowl and there's a ton of criticism, for weather that occured earlier in the week, for no Javits center, for a lack of activities centrailzed. Sometimes you get criticized becuase you don't live up to expectations, not because you are "foreign".
A ****ing lot.
First of all no evidence that corruption has occurred has been presented. Why the price is more than the budget of 12 billion is because Russia is trying to market Sochi as a summer vacation spot where they are building more than just arenas but also roads, railways, hotels and much more . The ski jumpin place sounds sketchy with the price tag jumping to six time the price but embezzlement happen all over the world (I do not think I have to remind you of wall street) and as you can read the person overseeing the project was also fired and had to leave the country because he was probably going to jail
Lobbying was the wrong word.
Although there is no evidence of corruption I am sure some of it is happening, not the figures that has been told (25-30 billion) but with so much money on the line it is bound to happen. I am sure it would happen in every country.
rufuspaul
02-05-2014, 04:12 PM
The Sochi Olympics are say to be the most expensive ever and have cost $51 billion. Journalists are arriving at unfinished hotels (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/04/journalists-at-sochi-are-live-tweeting-their-hilarious-and-gross-hotel-experiences/) with dogs wandering in and out of rooms.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfpGUmiCIAA6ty2.jpg
I wonder what Putin's cut of that $51 billion is.
It cracks me up how people are so grossed out by this. It's probably a composting toilet, which are common in areas that have a high water table (so your shit doesn't seep out into say the Black Sea). "I have to throw my toilet paper in the trash?!? It's the end of life as we know it!!!).
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 04:21 PM
First of all no evidence that corruption has occurred has been presented. Why the price is more than the budget of 12 billion is because Russia is trying to market Sochi as a summer vacation spot where they are building more than just arenas but also roads, railways, hotels and much more.
Yeah, Sochi doesn't have snow. The snow is 30 miles away on a mountain.
The road from Sochi to the snow is the most expensive road in the world. $300 million a mile. Meaning you could pave the entire road in Beluga caviar. So some of the questions on Sochi should be asked not just of Putin, but of the IOC.
Here's the report by a Russian opposition leader (http://www.interpretermag.com/winter-olympics-in-the-sub-tropics-corruption-and-abuse-in-sochi/).
Here's info on a film on the games, it features a Russian businessman who fled to London, after being threatened for revealing corruption. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10469999/The-film-Russia-tried-to-block-The-threats-and-corruption-behind-Sochi-Olympics.html)
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 04:27 PM
It cracks me up how people are so grossed out by this. It's probably a composting toilet, which are common in areas that have a high water table (so your shit doesn't seep out into say the Black Sea). "I have to throw my toilet paper in the trash?!? It's the end of life as we know it!!!).
I dunno man, there's a lot weird things going on with Sochi toilets. (http://deadspin.com/a-users-guide-to-the-bizarre-toilets-of-sochi-1516518904)
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19erej9yxj2abjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BegNuF2CIAA6v9V.jpg
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19erb7cv7e3b8jpg/ku-xlarge.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BebIZxLCYAEtuwL.jpg
rufuspaul
02-05-2014, 05:17 PM
I dunno man, there's a lot weird things going on with Sochi toilets.[/URL]
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BebIZxLCYAEtuwL.jpg
The couple that shits together stays together. All I'm sayin.
Godzuki
02-05-2014, 05:46 PM
the thing that doesn't make any of this that outrageous where people are fuming mad is because the sponsors pay for it all. its not like tax payers, or some olympic fund every country puts in is paying for it, its the big company sponsors getting raped.
i hope it causes a huge backlash against the IoC tho.
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 05:49 PM
the thing that doesn't make any of this that outrageous where people are fuming mad is because the sponsors pay for it all. its not like tax payers, or some olympic fund every country puts in is paying for it, its the big company sponsors getting raped.
Nope.
Godzuki
02-05-2014, 05:58 PM
Nope.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_pays_for_Olympics?#slide=2
i actually looked it up a few weeks ago after hearing about all of the costs and corruption. unless wiki is wrong but thats all i could really find as a answer to who pays for it.
tomSR.
02-05-2014, 06:05 PM
those toilets
:lol :roll:
Norcaliblunt
02-05-2014, 06:25 PM
Atlanta got bombed, by Americans.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_pays_for_Olympics?#slide=2
i actually looked it up a few weeks ago after hearing about all of the costs and corruption. unless wiki is wrong but thats all i could really find as a answer to who pays for it.
No the winter olympics is not bringing in 50 billion dollars from sponsors or anywhere, The money paid by sponsor is used for prize money, referees, security and such. These money are straight out of the tax money.
But Sochi is a place with subtropical weather meaning it barley snows, so hosting it there was a huge mistake but Russia did it to show the world how beautiful Sochi is. They are trying to make it the new summer vacation spot. Sochi is close enough to spend a week or two at for most European countries. So they are not only building for the olympics but also for the future.
So it is a calculated investment if all goes as planned.
knickballer
02-05-2014, 07:25 PM
No the winter olympics is not bringing in 50 billion dollars from sponsors or anywhere, The money paid by sponsor is used for prize money, referees, security and such. These money are straight out of the tax money.
But Sochi is a place with subtropical weather meaning it barley snows, so hosting it there was a huge mistake but Russia did it to show the world how beautiful Sochi is. They are trying to make it the new summer vacation spot. Sochi is close enough to spend a week or two at for most European countries. So they are not only building for the olympics but also for the future.
So it is a calculated investment if all goes as planned.
Yep. Like I said before Socchi is touted as the "Monaco" of Russia and it looks like a great place. They are also hosting the grand prix formula(or w/e it's called) and the city is going to be one of the host venues for the FIFA 2018 WC.
Don't know why you have Americans complaining about the cost. It's not coming from your pocket and it's probably being funded by some Russian Tycoon oligarchs.
As for the weather I'm sure it snows in the surrounding mountains. Don't think that's a problem at all.
Yeah, the toilets are weird but none of us have the luxury of staying in those lavish hotels..
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 07:34 PM
Don't know why you have Americans complaining about the cost. It's not coming from your pocket and it's probably being funded by some Russian Tycoon oligarchs.
The money is coming from the pockets of Russian taxpayers into the pockets of Russian oligarchs. One guy who is a high school friend of Putin won contracts equal to the entire cost of the last winter olympics. The photos of the toilets and the undrinkable tap water show that despite the tremendous costs, the money is not being spent on the facilities.
Lavish?
LBJ 23
02-05-2014, 07:36 PM
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BebIZxLCYAEtuwL.jpg
Perfect for Draz and his girl
knickballer
02-05-2014, 08:02 PM
The money is coming from the pockets of Russian taxpayers into the pockets of Russian oligarchs. One guy who is a high school friend of Putin won contracts equal to the entire cost of the last winter olympics. The photos of the toilets and the undrinkable tap water show that despite the tremendous costs, the money is not being spent on the facilities.
Lavish?
And our tax payer money is used to bomb children round' the world but I don't see you complaining.
Atleast the citizens of the city will get a long term benefit from the investment of this project. Tourism, new infrastructure, construction boom, etc. Plus, I don't think anyone knows how the costs are being provided for. I'm sure alot if it is coming from private investors.
ace23
02-05-2014, 08:03 PM
Perfect for Draz and his girl
:roll:
KevinNYC
02-05-2014, 11:50 PM
Atleast the citizens of the city will get a long term benefit from the investment of this project. Tourism, new infrastructure, construction boom, etc. Plus, I don't think anyone knows how the costs are being provided for. I'm sure alot if it is coming from private investors.
I bet Boss Tweed said that about his courthouse.
It's not coming from private investors. The opposition figure said it's about 96% taxpayer money.
ROCSteady
02-06-2014, 12:58 AM
It cracks me up how people are so grossed out by this. It's probably a composting toilet, which are common in areas that have a high water table (so your shit doesn't seep out into say the Black Sea). "I have to throw my toilet paper in the trash?!? It's the end of life as we know it!!!).
You really tryna downplay the disgusting notion of having multiple people's shat soiled TP just postin up in the stall, all airborne and poopy and whatnot. The combo of multiple shitty shitty butt butt stenches converging near me makes me feel ill. Waste basket isn't for poopy, just trash.
Balla_Status
02-06-2014, 04:24 AM
You really tryna downplay the disgusting notion of having multiple people's shat soiled TP just postin up in the stall, all airborne and poopy and whatnot. The combo of multiple shitty shitty butt butt stenches converging near me makes me feel ill. Waste basket isn't for poopy, just trash.
You gotta understand that not everywhere is the US. I agree with rufuspaul...have an open mind and be a little adventurous and you'll probably be alright in SoChi. America and its people are pretty sheltered from the rest of the world so it wouldn't surprise me that some would be up in arms over little things like that. Go with the flow. Laugh about it. Pack it up in your toolbox of cool stories to tell in your life.
KevinNYC
02-06-2014, 09:36 AM
http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-in-sochi-2014-2
CeltsGarlic
02-06-2014, 09:40 AM
Damn, USA really going ham on Russia lately. I wonder whats the reason, cause a lot of news we hear lately are just not really worthy.
Im pretty freaking sure the race for most gold medals will be intense as fvck.
http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-in-sochi-2014-2
This report sound so fake it is almost laughable, they uploaded malicious software? how? and how did they know they had the option to record and such. Is there any proof provided showing how they know the phone and laptops were hacked? I am seeing a "Check out the full report:" but cannot press on it.
Then again the whole world is suveilled by NSA probably through all the smartphones so who cares.
Nick Young
02-06-2014, 09:46 AM
russia is corrupt. so is usa. this isnt news. stfu people
Jailblazers7
02-06-2014, 09:55 AM
Damn, USA really going ham on Russia lately. I wonder whats the reason, cause a lot of news we hear lately are just not really worthy.
Im pretty freaking sure the race for most gold medals will be intense as fvck.
Giving safe haven to Edward Snowden and backing up Assad in Syria certainly hasn't helped US/Russian relations.
OhNoTimNoSho
02-06-2014, 10:07 AM
I know some people living in Sochi and they're telling me the majority of this reporting is bullshit... there are plenty of hotels, water isn't brown and etc...
Don't believe everything you read. America is on a smear campaign against russia.
ALBballer
02-06-2014, 10:21 AM
Americans for the most part are sheltered. It's no surprise majority of Americans do not have an American passport and when they are abroad they are known as the complaining types "in America we do this" type of attitude.
I even heard some talk show hosts complaining about their phones being tapped in Russian and they mentioned as a journalist they would never go to Russia because of it. Umm hello, what about NSA?
Point being, Americans are finding ways to shit on Russia for the Olympics. TBH the Russians are no better and some of their stories on RussiaToday about America are just as biased.
KevinNYC
02-07-2014, 11:26 AM
This report sound so fake it is almost laughable, they uploaded malicious software? how? and how did they know they had the option to record and such. Is there any proof provided showing how they know the phone and laptops were hacked? I am seeing a "Check out the full report:" but cannot press on it.
Then again the whole world is suveilled by NSA probably through all the smartphones so who cares.
Malicious software is super easy to load onto your computer. Have you never had a your search engine changed? Or persistant popups? Tons of folks get Malwal everyday.
Just like you download a page to your computer. By attempting to connect to the internet at a public wireless hotspot. Have you ever done this? You might type in google.com, but the page you get says, this is your free wireless hotspot, you must agree to our terms of service, click here to agree ......Then when you click the button you trigger the download. This is just off the top of my head, I'm Russian hackers are about a million times more savy than I am.
Travellers to Russia are warned to turn off their wifi completely.
Then there's the fact that SORM, Russia's NSA has deep packet inspection control of all internet traffic (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/11/russia-surveillance/all/) within Russia. SORM doesn't have the NSA's foreign capabilities, but domestically, it has none of the NSA's legal restrictions AND it's required that any internet company in Russia allows SORM full access to their system.
The way it works in the US, is there is a warrant and then the telecoms segregate the data relevant to that warrant and secure FTP it to the NSA. For targets, (currently Google has less than 10,000 targeted accounts), it's full content of the accounts. The bulk capture program scoops up metadata. It's justification is based on Supreme Court ruling (http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2013/06/13/phone-records-fight-hinges-on-1979-ruling/) that this is not private info, you have already shared the number you have called with the phone company For phones this would be a list of numbers called and times, no information about what was said on the call, no geolocation data, no names connected to the other numbers. For the most part, nothing at all happens with this metadata. It becomes the giant haystack through which the NSA searches for needles. Literally even, they start with a cell phone of a foreign terrorist and they do chain linking of all the numbers he called, what gets returned is a phone number not a name. A name isn't even useful at this point, until you can analyze the numbers to see which are the most fruitful. If a domestic US number is called and they feel there's a reason to go further, they turn to the FBI. But they definitely want the list of numbers, because they want to be sure they have a complete haystack. This why when the panel looked at NSA they didn't find current abuse, they found the potential for abuse and recommended changing, but not abolishing the metadata program. By the way, the FISA court, just agreed to some of the proposed metadata changes this week. (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/06/217286/secret-court-approves-phone-surveillance.html)
This is FAR LESS intrusive than what occurs in Russia where they are doing real time searches and blocking content and have far greater access to domestic internet traffic.
KevinNYC
02-07-2014, 11:29 AM
It's not coming from private investors. The opposition figure said it's about 96% taxpayer money.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/02/most-expensive-olympics-ever-sochi-charts
For people saying they are spending $50 billion because the investment will pay off, don't really understand how long it would take to get any return on investment.
russia is corrupt. so is usa. this isnt news. stfu people
The news last week was hammering NY for it being too cold, on and on about the Super Bowl. Reporters are little babies who want things to be perfect or they whine. Why people are flying to Sochi's defense like this is a cultural thing is beyond me, i'm sure the complaints range from valid to invaild but this really isn't people bashing another country, people always nitpick the host. China did "too much", any event in the US is too spread out, everyone has not enough transporation, etc. People act like Sochi was made 2 years ago for the purpose of having sports. But that's not new...that's normal.
ROCSteady
02-07-2014, 12:00 PM
You gotta understand that not everywhere is the US. I agree with rufuspaul...have an open mind and be a little adventurous and you'll probably be alright in SoChi. America and its people are pretty sheltered from the rest of the world so it wouldn't surprise me that some would be up in arms over little things like that. Go with the flow. Laugh about it. Pack it up in your toolbox of cool stories to tell in your life.
So when you take a dump in Australia, do you sit down and breathe in multiple people's fecal matter that their aromas are just blending in the waste basket right when you walk in the stall? That shit is gross for a developed, first world country. I could accept it more if that were a stall in somewhere like Sudan, Haiti, Sri Lanka. Russia is not far removed from being a major world superpower. Nikkas spent more on this Olympics than any other in history and ppl can't even flush their excess butt waste? :biggums:
"If it's brown, flush it down." -Every first world power Ever. :lol
ROCSteady
02-07-2014, 12:52 PM
The news last week was hammering NY for it being too cold, on and on about the Super Bowl. Reporters are little babies who want things to be perfect or they whine. Why people are flying to Sochi's defense like this is a cultural thing is beyond me, i'm sure the complaints range from valid to invaild but this really isn't people bashing another country, people always nitpick the host. China did "too much", any event in the US is too spread out, everyone has not enough transporation, etc. People act like Sochi was made 2 years ago for the purpose of having sports. But that's not new...that's normal.
The media are divas who overvalue their self importance. Some of the celebrated ones are tough as nails and do whatever it takes for their job but the majority from all the news sources that get rotation at big important events expect to be pandered to. I can't even imagine their reaction to some of those people landing in and seeing the accommodations in a nation like Russia where self-importance isn't exactly a paramount ideal to display. :lol
I bet a lot of the primped media members rolled in Sochi, saw their rooms lookin like shit in the mental ward in a hospital and bein like :coleman:
KevinNYC
02-07-2014, 01:16 PM
Malicious software is super easy to load onto your computer. Have you never had a your search engine changed? Or persistant popups? Tons of folks get Malwal everyday.
The tech adviser to the NBC piece says he will publish a blog with details on it today. One thing he mentioned was this hacking could happen anywhere, not just Sochi.
So far, he has mentioned this detail. "The compromised droid was not uninitiated. It was an .apk dropped from browsing to a .RU Sochi themed nefarious site..."
KevinNYC
02-07-2014, 02:00 PM
Report that a Ukranian national hijacked (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/07/sochi-plane-hijack/5282069/) a Turkish plane and demanded to be flown to Sochi.
Pilots landed the plane in Instabul. Passengers and crew still on board. Hijacker is said to have a bomb.
The tech adviser to the NBC piece says he will publish a blog with details on it today. One thing he mentioned was this hacking could happen anywhere, not just Sochi.
So far, he has mentioned this detail. "The compromised droid was not uninitiated. It was an .apk dropped from browsing to a .RU Sochi themed nefarious site..."
Any updates?
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