We'll have a more in-depth post on the Sochi victory later this weekend.
From the FT:
Public-private partnerships are not new in the world of mega sporting events. But in modern Russia they can take on unusual dimensions when tackled by the full force of Russia Inc, the network of state-controlled companies and the new breed of Kremlin-loyal oligarchs. For example, Gazprom, the state-controlled energy conglomerate, is stepping up as a resort developer and has taken it upon itself to build lifts for 50km of planned pistes. Perhaps it can also try to prevent the kind of power failures that are common today.And for a logo for the event, how about this: the Gazprom flame atop the Olympic torch.
I think the question needs to be posed to you, "Are you happy that Sochi was awarded the 2014 Olympics?"
Regarding corporate involvement in the Olympics, whatever! The Olympics are one of the most commercial events in the world.
Had Yukos still been a force in Russian business I am sure Khordokovsky would have jumped at the chance to be an Olympic "Partner" ($50 million) and to support his country. See www.timothypost.com for more info.
We await your "full report" to see how you will possibly spin this one to somehow be a negative.
It would be nice if Timothy Post let readers know about his gigantic conflict of interest in defending the Sochi games and the Putin adminstration. He's trying to make money off the Kremlin by doing business in the Krasnodar region where Sochi and the games are located. So his comments serve his personal financial interests in the extreme. For him to question the biases of any other person is, therefore, quite absurd.
I've given a long list of reasons on my blog as to why the Sochi games are an utter charade, just like Russia being in the G-8. When will Russians learn that illusions get you nowhere but the ashcan of history. See my post:
http://russophobe.blogspot.com/2007/07/sochi-olympics-russias-final-fiasco.html
The list begins with the fact that Sochi is a short hike from the mountains where the Chechen terrorists are hiding and this is an open invitation to another Munich. It ends with the fact that, as shown in the postcard, Sochi is a beach resort, not a snow capital.
One can't begin to imagine the corruption that has already taken place to land the games, or how much more will occur before they conclude. Meanwhile, the rest of Russia will continue to languish in poverty whilst this already wealthy region sucks up yet more cash.
The one positive thing is that soon after Nazi Germany hosted the games, it collapsed, and the same occurred to Soviet Russia. Maybe the same thing will happen to Putin's Russia, and if so then getting the games will be the best thing that ever happened to Russia.
La Russophobe:
Yes, I am a businessman. You got a problem with that? You're always bitching about dictatorships and Socialism. Now you got a problem with capitalism. No conflict of interest my friend. Just plain old pursuit of self-interest. Am I happy that Sochi got the Olympics and that perhaps makes my investments more valuable. You betcha.
At least I have the stones to go on the record with my real name and contact info. You are a whining baby who preaches hate and spews garbage but is afraid to stand up and be acknowledged publicly.
What's your name? Kim Philby, opps I mean Zigler. Where do you live? What do you do for a living? Looks to me as if blogging is a full-time job. If so, who's paying your rent? If not, you must have a pretty sweet trust fund.
Russia is going to collapse. You really are stupid. So stupid that you didn't even register the domains www.larussophobe.com and www.russophobe.com. Smart move partner.
You are the poster boy, or are you a girl, for Western ignorance about modern Russia. Quite obviously you haven't been to Russia in a while. When was the last time you were in Russia? When was the last time you were in Sochi? Never, thought so!
Keep up your act brother because you're fooling nobody.
La Russophobe (aka Baby Dorak)
Let's think about your anonymity for a moment. Why would someone be so scared to reveal their true identity? (Pseudonyms don't count My Kim Zigler)
My guess on why you are such a wimp is one of two reasons.
First, that you are actually a well-known person and you don't want your racist hate to hurt your day job. For example, if Bob Amsterdam were actually La Russophobe then I could see why he wouldn't want to "come out of the closet" and take credit for such filth.
Secondly, La Russophobe is a hired gun and is being paid to write such predictable drivel. Were this the case, then much of La Russophobe's authenticity disappear. S/he would be just another shill.
My bet. The later of the two. I( think La Russophobe is a shill who cares very little about the topic but cares very much about the performance of his/her blog.
Have you too noticed the inordinate amount of time and thought La Russophobe spends dissecting and analyzing blog performance statistics. My goodness, get over yourself already. Unless of course those statistics are tied to your pay.
I will give you credit for one thing. You do have an amazing ability to get under people's skin- mine included. Further proof that you are a hired gun!
TIMOTHY:
Your attempt to change the subject is unsurprisingly neo-Soviet, and unsurprisingly lame. I didn't say I had a problem with your being a businessman, I said a had a problem with your pretending to objectivity when in fact you're as biased as you an get. It's your blatant hypocrisy I objected to.
But since you raised the subject, I do in fact have a problem with making a profit off dictatorship, as I would have had with someone doing so with Hitler or Stalin. I consider making profit from a dictatorial regime to be immoral and reprehensible.
Mr. Amsterdam is a lawyer. You got a problem with that? At least he has formal ethical rules to guide him and accountability. You have none.
Your Comment is the pot calling the kettle black. Who's changing the subject? Did you answer my questions about your identity. Nope, you did not.
Let me see if I can understand your convoluted logic. You say there's a correlation between one "changing the subject" and one being "neo-Soviet?" Huh? Since when? Nice try, pinhead.
Unlike you, I give FULL background information about myself on my blog. You want to contact me- there's my email and phone number. You want to see my resume- there it is on LinkedIn. You want to know about my involvement with Krasnodar- there it is on the About Me page.
I would think that anyone with half a brain could understand that I am very biased about Krasnodar. I love Krasnodar and want to see it do very well. So what? Does that make me different than anyone else? Nope.
What's this crap about making money off a dictatorship. First of all, prove that Putin's government is a dictatorship. You can't. Instead you are like a 13 year old boy and simply shout louder, call people names, and throw in a few super ad hominems for good measure. Real sophisticated meathead.
Putin has been the best thing to hit Russia in a long, long time. It is becoming real obvious that you haven't been to Russia in a long time if ever! Have you ever been to Russia? Didn't think so. You sit in Allentown and mouth-off on topics of which you have no knowledge. Let me know when you want to come to Krasnodar and I change your opinion of the place in one week.
So, when are you going to give us some background information on yourself? Come on baby, show us your stones.