HeiressofBickworth
HeiressofBickworth's JournalFor a description of the level of corruption
surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, see Vanity Fair, February 2014 article, Putin's Run For Gold.
From the article:
"At $50 billion and counting, the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, will be the most expensive Olympic Games ever. Intended to showcase the power of Vladimir Putin's Russia, they may instead highlight its problems: organized crime, state corruption, and the terrorist threat within its borders."
"Beneath every modern Russian achievement lies a hidden story that may be more telling. In Sochi, the hidden story is about Putin, and about the small circle around him, who have profited handsomely from the construction."
"Putin has built himself two massive chalets, two helipads, a power station and two ski lifts, servicing surrounding peaks, According to UNESCO, the Russian state built a private dacha on a UNESCO site under the guise of conducting meteorological research."
According to the article, his circle of friends started in St. Petersberg and have followed him to Moscow, all the while, reaping the rewards of government contracts.
It's an interesting read.
I feel your frustration
My daughter, her husband and my granddaughter live with me. We have three cats who are pretty indifferent to each other. About two years ago, granddaughter asked me what I thought of her getting a dog. She was 18 at the time. I told her that I thought it was a bad idea, that she would be moving out at some time and probably wouldn't be able to take the dog; that with both her parents working, that leaves me at home all day to take care of a dog and, frankly, I don't want to take care of a dog.
A week later she showed me the dog she bought. It is a chiweenie which means he is a barker. A year later, just as I predicted, she moved to an apartment with two friends and of course the dog is here. My son-in-law often works at home half-days and the dog stays around him when he is here, but the rest of the time, you guessed it -- I'm taking care of the dog. When he was a puppy, he needed to go outside every 2 hours. He is now up to 4 hours. He hates to be alone so when they all leave for work at o'dark thirty, he comes in and wakes me up so he has someone to be with; he brings a toy. When they go on vacation, I'm here with him ALL the time. He likes to get up about 4:00 to potty. He barks at everything that comes down the street -- cars, people, cats and whatever his imagination provides for him to bark at. I would put up drapes or blinds across the window, but he would probably have them shredded in no time.
On the plus side, he is affectionate and now that he's no longer a puppy, he never potties in the house. I don't hate him; I tolerate him. The cats ignore him. His preferred attachments are (in order) my son-in-law, my granddaughter, my daughter, and if there is absolutely no other human in the house, me. It seems to be working, but just between DU and me, I'd really rather not have a dog.
I was not shocked to learn that Darth Cheney
is descended from a Salem witch (Susannah North Martin, hanged 1692). Seems fitting.
I, too, am descended from the very same Susannah North Martin.
That means that I am distantly related to Cheney.
I think I need a shower now...
Methamphetamine
I recently watched a documentary about the use of methamphetamines by Nazi soldiers believed to be a factor in the acts of cruelty as well as other problems resulting from drug use and lack of sleep. At the time I watched it, I wondered if there was some correlation to the acts of ISIS. If so, we should be making an effort to destroy the manufacturing and distribution of whatever drug they are taking.
Wikipedia article about Nazi drug use:
"Even though Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party rules stressed the importance of keeping fit by abstaining from drink and tobacco to keep the "Aryan race" strong and pure, his soldiers were taking chemicals to fight longer, harder and more recklessly. The German army distributed many millions of pills made from methamphetamine and a primarily cocaine-based stimulant to its front-line fighters, who were ordered to take them during battles. Medical authorities say the downside of the plan was that many soldiers became addicted to drugs and were of no use in any theatre of war...
"During World War II, drug use in the German military was widespread, and was encouraged by leadership amongst the ranks. The Nazis highly believed that altering the mindset of their population was necessary for them to perpetuate their core principles. In the military, they provided their soldiers with substantial amounts of mind-altering drugs, which they believed enhanced the soldiers' abilities to be ruthless killers, and their fighter pilots to be more daring. After it was first introduced into the market in 1938, Pervitin, a methamphetamine drug newly developed by the Berlin-based Temmler pharmaceutical company, quickly became a top seller among the German civilian population. The supposed wonder drug was brought to the attention of Otto Ranke, a military doctor and director of the Institute for General and Defense Physiology at Berlin's Academy of Military Medicine.[8] The effects of amphetamines are similar to those of the adrenaline produced by the body, triggering a heightened state of alert. In most people, the substance increases self-confidence, concentration and the willingness to take risks, while at the same time reducing sensitivity to pain, hunger and thirst, as well as reducing the need for sleep. In September 1939, Ranke tested the drug on 90 university students, and concluded that Pervitin could help the Nazi army win the war."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Nazi_Germany
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Gender: Do not displayCurrent location: Snohomish County, WA
Member since: Wed May 18, 2011, 02:12 AM
Number of posts: 2,682
