Reporters Tweet About The Horrific Hotel Conditions In Sochi, Russia

While Sochi, Russia is ramping up for the 2014 Winter Olympics, it's still dealing with mega problems of the preparation kind.

Aside from the terrorist threats, the city is just not ready for the hordes of visitors arriving, including the bevy of foreign journalists there to report on the games.  They have set Twitter afire with all sorts of horror stories about the half built accommodations: from broken elevators to broken mains (so no water for the guests), no heating (in the middle of winter), or in the case of one reporter- signs telling guests not to use the toilet for toilet paper. Yes, they have provided a bin to deposit said soiled t.p. but- ick!

For pictures and more tweets, click here.

Then there's the bizarre bathroom rules, courtesy of Sebastien Toutant, Canadian snowboarder. And yes, that's a fishing line in the 3rd row. Okay.

And apparently, they don't even have enough pillows for the athletes.

Oops.

Wonder how Vladimir Putin feels about all of this.

One Of Geico's Voice Over Actors Fired Over Calling Tea Party Members Retarded

First of all, I want to say that not all of us actors are stupid, although admittedly plenty are. And very few are indispensable. Actors are a dime a dozen and when talent rarely factors into the casting process, it's incumbent upon us to mind our Ps & Qs. That's why it's always best to keep your politics to yourself, because you never know which side of the fence those in the position to hire (or fire) you are sitting.

One of the voices of Geico (not the Gecko), Lance Baxter (aka D.C. Douglas) learned the hard way that it's not best to mix politics and work, especially when you are the voice of a well-known, nationwide insurance company. When you represent a product, even if it's just your voice, you're the face (or voice, in this case) of that company, and anything you do reflects on said company. You certainly don't want to make them look bad, and you definitely do not go around acting badly without suffering the consequences. Not necessarily because the company disagrees with your actions, but there are enough people in this country who might and they'll have your ass. Baxter obviously is unaware of that fact or didn't care when he left a nasty message on Freedomworks' voicemail. FreedomWorks, one of the voices of the Tea Party Movement, has had its fair share of hate from bomb threats to racist diatribe including the message from Baxter. In his voicemail, Baxter matter-of-factly tells the FreedomWorks people he's doing a paper and wanted to know "the percentage of people that are mentally retarded who are working for FreedomWorks and who are following it." He then goes on to ask they will "spin it when one of your members does actually kill somebody, wondering if you've got a PR spinning routine planned for that or are you just gonna take it when it happens."

Now this is where Baxter really falls into the 'stupid actor' category: the man actually leaves his name and phone number on the message. If you want to be politically active, or voice your grievances in our business (if you're that pissed) you don't leave a name and number on a voice mail for the whole world to have access to. Anyone could pick up the phone, and leave an equally nasty message for him, though I wouldn't recommend it.

Anyway, as a result of his impetuous actions (or the outrage by Tea Partiers who more than likely flooded the corporate offices with complaints) Geico fired Baxter, and are already re-casting.

At least he admitted what he did was asinine:

"I called as a private citizen to make a complaint," explains Mr. Douglas. "Racism and homophobia are my Achilles heal, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions."

Mr. Douglas believes his connection to GEICO, a company already on FreedomWorks' boycott list for pulling their ads from Glenn Beck's show, is the main reason he was targeted so forcefully. "Even though I left the message during the week of March 23, the harassing calls didn't hit until April 14, the morning after I posted about my GEICO campaign on my Facebook page."

Interesting comment. Maybe this whole thing was payback for Geico pulling their ads for Glenn Beck, but that's the beauty of this country, it goes both ways. Sad he doesn't see that. And to have lost a job based on some racial and homophobic comments no-one has been able to prove. Very stupid. I think from now on he might just keep his gripes out of a public forum, as all smart actors should

Pork Is Not A Veggie: Royal Mail Staffers Served Pork In Their Veggie Meal- Understandably Pissed

I'm a vegetarian and am very conscious about what I eat. When I am out, I will always ask if a particular food item has any animal products and I expect the server/chef to be honest with me. And no, fish and chicken are not vegetables, as so many people seem to think. Nor is a broth made from the flesh of an animal to be considered okay for non-meat eaters. And a vegetable dish that contains ham is NOT a vegetarian option, simply because the bulk of it is vegetable. I'm not sure why some people think that as long as it doesn't have chunks of meat, then it should be considered vegetarian. It's not, beleive me.

So when I read an article in the Birmingham mail about some Muslim Royal Mail workers who were incensed that the veggie option at their holiday celebration contained pork,
I could sympathize. For once.

Staff at Birmingham’s Aston sorting office were treated to a festive buffet for their efforts throughout the year.

But the gesture backfired when Muslim workers realised the scotch eggs contained pork.

The party food favourite was one of the options available to vegetarians and those from religious backgrounds who were unable to eat meat.

I will be the first to criticize Muslims for what I often feel is a major sense of entitlement that is wholly unjustified, but in this case if you are going to offer a meat-free option then make it meat-free. Not semi meat-free and pass it off as vegetarian. Apparently it was a "genuine mistake" and an apology and a free cup of tea was offered, but the 15 or so Muslim workers who were invited to the free Christmas buffet were angry as hell. And I can well understand their fury. There are a lot of people who don't eat meat for a variety of reasons, and vegetarian options have become standard everywhere. I would have been just as angry had I gobbled down meat in my scotch eggs.


I don't think any of us herbivores expect special treatment, I usually eat before I attend any group events, but it's always a nice gesture to have a veggie alternative, and if you are going to offer that option make sure none of the ingredients walked prior to being cooked.

"Stupid Is As Stupid Does" Or Why Smart People Do Stupid Things

I've always wondered what makes some people think that the blatantly idiotic things they do in life won't, some day, come back to bite them in their butts. Acts of stupidity, as we are well aware of, are not always the exclusive realm of those with fewer brain cells; seemingly intelligent people are as apt to err in judgment as their lesser-brained brethren. These are the folk that have me puzzled, particularly those in positions of power.

You have the politicians and religious personalities who think their sexual dalliances will conveniently remain in the shadows forever; take Bill Clinton, Sen. Larry Craig, Pastor Ted Haggard, and a host of other public figures, who have been caught, figuratively and literally, with their pants down. Then you have people like Barack Obama who thinks a 20 year affiliation with an anti-American, racist Church will somehow remain unexposed along with his questionable affiliations with Antoin Rezko and William Ayers. Add corrupt politicians like Rep. William Jennings Jefferson (who was indicted on 16 charges of corruption), who obviously thought he could get away with taking bribes without any political or personal repercussions. And then you have people like Todd Davis, CEO of Lifelock, an ID prevention company, and idiot extraordinaire, who challenged criminals to steal his identity for 2 years, as proof that the service was worth the $10.00 per month fee. He even made it easy for them by publishing his social security number in a number of commercial TV ads, and guess what? They took him up on his offer. At least 87 times, and one happened to succeed:

Attorney David Paris said he found records of other people applying for or receiving driver's licenses at least 20 times using Davis' Social Security number, though some of the applications may have been rejected because data in them didn't match what the Social Security Administration had on file.

So now people are suing him, and rightfully so.

So you have a group of smart individuals, from politicians to CEOs, doing truly stupid things in varying degrees of significance, and you have to wonder why? What possessed them to do what they did? Perhaps they aren't as bright as one would imagine, after all, or they are arrogant enough to believe that because they happen to be in positions of power they are somehow more blessed and therefore infallible or, worse yet, entitled to their questionable acts of idiocy? Or do they believe the American people are so stupid or morally vacuous (and, sadly, too many are) to think that immoral or downright stupid behaviour is forgivable or matters not?

If so, they deserve what they get.

Barack Obama and the 57 States

Guess what? At a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon, Barack Obama claimed he had visited all 57 states in 15 months, with one left to go! Ha!

And they love to criticize the Republicans who have made similar gaffes. Anyone heard mention of this?




HatTip: SnoopyTheGoon

Argentine-Venezuela Campaign Scandal Coverup: 4 arrested in Miami

In light of all the vicious name-calling and accusations heaped upon the U.S. by Hugo "Commie" Chavez and his Chavista cronies, I find the following absolutely hilarious;

Get this, on August 4th a Venezuelan-American, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, flies from Venezuela to Argentina in a private jet. On that same chartered Cessna are 7 other passengers, including one Claudio Uberti, who just so happens to be a senior Argentine government official. When they arrive in Buenos Aires, customs officials find a bag full 'o money, (about 800,000 U.S. dollars worth, no less) belonging to Antonini! The money is duly confiscated and Antonini, luckily, is allowed to fly back to South Florida, where he resides.

So, why was Antonini in possession of such a large sum of cold, hard U.S. cash? Drug money? Nope. How about attempting to influence an upcoming presidential election in Argentina! A donation courtesy of the Chavez government to the campaign coffers of Argentine candidate Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who happened to win the election on October 28, 2007. In other words, a gift from one lefty to another.

What transpires, thereafter, is straight out of some John Le Carré spy novel:

Soon after the seizure of monies in Buenos Aires, 4 Venezuelans and 1 Uruguayan national set out to convince Antonini to keep his mouth shut regarding the source (and destination) of said cash. Incidentally, 2 of those- Franklin Duran and Carlos Kauffmann- were friends and business partners of Antonini. The pressure to cover up the potential scandal, including threats to both Antonini and his children, continued up until December 11th. Those threats ended that same evening with the arrest of Duran, 40, Kauffmann, 35, Moises Maionica, 37, and Rodolfo Edgardo Wanseele Paciello, 40. Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, remains at large. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), on December 12th they were formally charged with being illegal agents of a foreign government.

Three Venezuelans and an Uruguayan national were arrested last night and appeared in federal court in Miami today on charges of acting and conspiring to act as agents of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela within the United States, without prior notification to the Attorney General of the United States, as required by law, announced Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for Justice Department’s National Security Division, R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office.

All the information leading up to their arrests was gathered by the feds. Federal prosecutors had taped various conversations between Antonini (who was wired) and Duran and Kauffmann, including one session at a Fort Lauderdale eatery.

The last meeting took place on Dec. 11, 2007, when defendants Maionica, Duran, and another individual met with Antonini to discuss
the creation of false documents in furtherance of the cover-up.

Of course, Venezuelan officials are denying any culpability, and claiming this is some nefarious U.S. plot to discredit Venezuela and all the other left-leaning countries in Latin America:

Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, speaking live on Dando y Dando, a national television program, accused the U.S. government of engaging in a ``political, psychological and media war against the progressive governments of the hemisphere.''

Madame Fernández de Kirchner concurs. Well sure, who wants to get caught with their pants around their ankles. Kirchner did win by a landslide, but that's not the point. The point is Chavez, once again, was attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

Interesting Side Notes:

1. Duran and Kauffman are very wealthy Venezuelans who own houses in Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove (exclusive areas of Miami). Duran owns a private jet. Nice socialists.

2. For all of Hugo's complaints about the U.S. dollar, what currency did he use? 800,000.00 greenbacks.

"Soon we will not talk about dollars because the dollar is falling in value and the empire of the dollar is crashing," Chavez said in comments translated into Farsi from Spanish. "Naturally, by the crash of the dollar, America's empire will crash," Chavez said at a joint news conference with Ahmadinejad.

3. Chavez is forever accusing others of interfering with his country: just prior to the recent defeat on constitutional changes , when he noticed public support was waning,

Mr. Chavez raised the possibility last week that the United States could interfere with the election. Officials in Washington repudiated his comments, but Mr. Chavez followed up by threatening to cut off oil shipments to the United States if he saw evidence of any interference.

And yet, he himself is guilty of doing just that: During the Peruvian elections in 2006, Chavez threatened to break ties with Peru if Alan Garcia won. He was backing Ollanta Humala. Garcia won, but not by a huge margin. 52.6% to 47.4% of the votes.

Chavez is the personification of hypocrisy.

Further Reading:

USDOJ Press Release
Miami Herald Article
Criminal Complaint

Hat Tip: Citizen Feathers

A good deed lands a Nigerian in jail, in Saudi Arabia

Muslims are taught that good deeds build character. In fact they

are required to perform good deeds and acts to themselves and others to promote humanity. Performing good deeds does not know social boundaries. In Islam, a Muslim is required to perform good deeds regardless of social status or ethnicity, as long as they are physically and mentally able to do so.

Well, that seems honourable enough, however, a good deed can land you in jail in Saudi Arabia.

A recent Nigerian convert to Islam, studying at the Badiya Islamic Center in Riyadh, learned the hard way, that those good deeds have major restrictions and limitations involved.

Ibrahim Mohammed Lawal decided to help his 63 year old neighbour, who he found out was sick and needed help.

So he took her to various hospitals in Riyadh, including the Riyadh Medical Complex at Shumaisy, all of which refused to treat her. It was only after the intervention of Sheikh Fawaz, director of Badiya Islamic Center, that the Badiya Hospital admitted the case. Despite the charitable act Mohammed ended up in detention, accused of immoral behavior because he was neither married nor related by blood to the elderly woman.

Speaking to Arab News on phone from his cell in the Malaz prison, Mohammed said that after the woman received treatment and after he returned to Riyadh after three days in the Western Region, he was arrested after checking up on the woman’s health. In the woman’s apartment were three other women related to her.“I was glad to note that the lady was making steady progress,” he said. “While we were chatting, there was a knock on the door. When this lady opened the door, four or five Saudis, whom I had seen outside the building before, barged in. They accused me of being alone with the woman unrelated to me and suspected my intention behind this visit to her apartment.”

so,

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice found him guilty for committing a crime: Being in the presence of a woman who is not a relative (a so-called “illegal state of seclusion”).

Not only did they arrest him, and the 3 other women, they took his laptop, money and other personal items.

He was sentenced to 50 days in prison and just wants to go back to Nigeria. I wonder if he's having second thoughts about his new-found religion!

Hat/Tip: In partibus infidelium

"10,000 people died" (in Kansas).. oops, I mean "at least 10", so says Obama

Okay, so why is it that when a Democratic politician says something like: "In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed," in reference to the terrible tornado that trashed Greensburg, KS, killing at least 12 and leaving the town in shreds, no-one says a thing? And yet, if that had popped out of the mouth of a Republican, I can guarantee you that he would have been raked over the coals for such a gaffe.

To be honest I could care less. Frankly, a slip of the tongue (which Obama claims it was) is a slip of the tongue. But what I take issue with is the double standards applied to Republicans and Democrats.

Democrats are forgiven for that kind of mistake (oh, he was just tired) and Republicans are not (oh he's just stupid).

Liberal hypocrisy at its finest, folks.