Letters To People Unlikely to Resond - More Sochi

Dear Alarmist Media
(you know who you are...)
Will you knock off the "ZOMG Sochi are teh Worst Olympics Evar - Everyonez gonna die!" crap?

 When Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair, who is covering the Winter Olympics for the newspaper, arrived at her hotel, she was informed that there was a problem with the water and it had been shut off.
Then hotel staff delivered an ominous warning: “Do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous.”

 Yeah-
There are problems with plumbing in new buildings.
Happens in the US too.

And guess what happens when you try to talk to people (under pressure) trying to do a good job and English isn't their native language?
Messages get lost in translation. Duh.

Hey Stacy- I'll bet you dimes to doughnuts that I can find 10 hotels in Chicago that have shittier water than the water in my hotel...


I know, "If it bleeds, it leads", but for crying out loud- it's not like we (people working here) were expecting it to be perfect. It's a farking work in progress.
Give them a chance.

My nephew-in-law sent me a link to an article on Deadspin.com about the horrors in Sochi.  Staying In Sochi Is A Hilarious Adventure (article on Dogs, Water, new hotel issues and toilet paper flushing.)

He asked: "Has this been your experience?" 

I couldn't give a one-word answer...
(Hell, I can never give one-word answers.)

Well...
    There is quite a bit of stuff in that article...
    Here's a few things from my experience:

    1. Dogs. Lots of feral dogs everywhere, including inside the Olympic sites. They are friendly and hungry. Being feral dogs, they go where they want, and they fight, get hit by cars, etc. Lots of them limp or are otherwise injured.

    2. My hotel room is good. Clean water, AC/Heat, WiFi, etc.

    3. Other people in my hotel complex (other buildings) are not so lucky. Sketchy water, no hot water on some mornings, non-existent wifi, etc.

    4. My only concern (and it has me more worried than possible terrorist attack) is that hotel security locks (deadbolt, keyed) the exit door of the emergency stairwell at 10pm, and unlock it at 6am.
So... if there is a fire the security guy will have to run and open the doors.
Guess how likely THAT is...
My plan in case of fire: Out to balcony, over railing. I'm on the 2nd floor- no problem.

    5. Plumbing. Same issues occurred in Torino, Athens, and now Sochi...
The plumbing and sewer systems in many Euro countries are not able to handle the amount of TP that Americans typically flush. The paper blocks the system and then there is a backup.
    In Athens in 2004, this happened in Compound 4 outside swimming and diving- a literal Shitcano erupted right outside the NBC dining tent. On this past Saturday, the exact same thing happened at the SkiJump venue- the sewer system overflowed INTO the dining tent in the broadcast compound.
    Rule of thumb in Euro countries- if there is a trashcan INSIDE the stall/near the toilet, do not flush the bog paper.

    Photo from SpongeMark:

I really like this one. The Engrish level is awesome.
'Hope for understanding', indeed!

    6. Open manholes.
    Yes. Watch your step. (I already covered this)
    Carry a flashlight if you're out after dark.
    Be alert when driving.

For Chrisssakes, step it back to DefCon3, will ya?
You're scaring our friends and families back home.

TY&FY

TBG

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE