Sochi Gets Ready for the 2018 Olympics...

Recently, I written a couple of posts (here and here) about potential problems at the Sochi Olympics, ranging from the humorous with double-toilet stalls to the serious over terrorism threats.  The issues have continued.

It started when reading the Chicago Tribune.  One of their reporters, Stacy St. Clair, has additionally been sending out Tweets.  One was was certainly eye-catching, and it later turned to go viral.  That's not surprising.  What she wrote was -- "

Yes, you're reading that right.  It's not that you shouldn't drink the water -- but don't even freaking use it on your face!!  Because "it contains something very dangerous."

And lest you think that was hyperbole, here is the photo she took when the water did come on.  It's this picture she tweeted which helped make her Tweet get almost 1,200 retweets.

No, those aren't urine samples.

That's not a glass of tea.  Or flat beer.  Or apple juice.  That is...water.  Would you even consider drinking it?  Then again, would you even need the concierge's admonition and wash your face with it?

On Pardon the Interruption Tuesday, Tony Kornheiser mentioned press reports of other "issues."  Things like hotels with no lightbulbs, no locks on the doors, no shower curtains and no laundry facilities.  The Games start on Thursday.  It just doesn't seem like they really are quite ready yet.

A friend who is covering the games wrote me that Sochi looks like one giant construction site with creaking inefficiency, still trying to finish things.  Though it feels safe..."in a Russian sort of way."  Their group took a trip past a charming town, though it had the eerie feel of a Potemkin village.  What was also strange seeing a huge ski resort that was being built for all the rich Russians -- however, since they couldn't finish it (obviously, working to get the Olympic facilities completed took priority), all the rich Russians have gone elsewhere, generally to Switzerland.  There is, however, a Louis Vuitton store there -- at least it has the name on the store, but it's still waiting got get drywall, not to mention Louis Vuitton bags.

Well, we'll see.  If the games go off well, if none of this affects the athletes, it won't matter much.  But...well, we'll see.

I suspect there will be a lot of bathing in vodka...