Smoke on the Water
And no, this isn’t a paean to Dmitri Medvedev’s fave band, Deep Purple. It’s about another Russian transportation debacle–indeed, another riverboat debacle. The only thing that differentiates this story from earlier ones is that fortunately nobody died this time:
Three people were hospitalized after a massive fire engulfed a riverboat on the Moscow River early Monday morning, Interfax reported.
The 96-meter vessel, the Sergei Abramov, was docked at the Northern River Port when it erupted in flames around 4 a.m., sending guests and crew fleeing for dry land. Five were injured in the blaze, including two crew members and a firefighter.
“Erupted in flames.” “Massive fire.” More great slogans for Russian tourism promoters.
Not unusual.
“Two-storey floating restaurant Mama Zoya caught fire…”
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100708/159731167.html
Or the most intriguing mystery fire of all
“Manezh Burns”
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/moscows-famous-manezh-a-military-riding-school-built-in-news-photo/3085636
Comment by gardener1 — November 21, 2011 @ 1:46 pm
The sad thing is that those words are actually attractive compared to “gunned down in the hallway of her apartment” or “kidnapped, raped and tortured” or “arrested on bogus charges and interned in Siberia for a decade.”
And so it goes in Russia. Until, very soon, it doesn’t. “Russia” replaced USSR, what will replace Russia?
Comment by La Russophobe — November 21, 2011 @ 1:51 pm
Not unusual.
“Two-storey floating restaurant Mama Zoya caught fire after 3:00 in the morning Moscow time.”
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100708/159731167.html
Or the most intriguing fire of all,
“Manezh Building Burns In Moscow”
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/moscows-famous-manezh-a-military-riding-school-built-in-news-photo/3085636
Comment by gardener1 — November 21, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
Sorry. Please remove double post.
Comment by gardener1 — November 21, 2011 @ 2:09 pm
This from MosNews — a state-funded, though by all counts just as independent as the Moscow Times media outlet, written by editor in chief Tim Wall — a fair and balanced look at the story about Putin getting booed at a mixed martial arts fight:
http://themoscownews.com/politics/20111121/189221711.html
The days of bowing and scraping and sitting in six hour traffic jams for boyars are coming to an end, regardless of Putin staying on until 2018.
Comment by Mr. X — November 21, 2011 @ 2:35 pm
Cafe Intermezzo and Raleigh’s Bar got burned down a week ago where I live.
Berkeley, tourist death trap. Flee while you can!
Comment by Sublime Oblivion — November 21, 2011 @ 2:37 pm
Well hell, Obama or the First Lady can’t go to major sporting events without being booed. I guess now we’re even.
Comment by Mr. X — November 21, 2011 @ 3:01 pm
Oh and Professor, at least Forbes is taking Mr. Celente serious-ry:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/11/17/talk-show-host-alex-jones-guest-call-for-run-on-banks/
Celente’s view is not relegated to just fringe internet radio programming. He’s been on nearly every network news show over the last 15 years, from Oprah Winfrey to CNN. In 2009, one of Celente’s employees took his advice and switched nearly 60% of her 401k into gold. Forbes said she overreacted, but the only security to perform better than the SPDR Gold (GLD) ETF this year, for example, has been Chinese internet stocks.
Comment by Mr. X — November 21, 2011 @ 3:02 pm
SUBLIME LYING ILLTERATE INBRED TROLL:
The rate of death by fire is TEN TIMES LOWER in the USA than in Russia.
Please stop lying, and crawl back under your rock.
Comment by La Russophobe — November 21, 2011 @ 6:49 pm
MR. X: You are psychotically illterate. Obama doesn’t claim to have 60%+ approval ratings in polls. He doesn’t claim the right to be “president” for life. Putin does. Get it? Damn, you’re dumb.
Comment by La Russophobe — November 21, 2011 @ 6:50 pm
Oh I know it’s not unusual. That’s what makes it worth a post.
Cafe Intermezzo and Raleigh’s Bar got burned down a week ago where I live.
A non-industrial building burning down doesn’t matter much, provided it is designed, built, and managed in such a way that everyone can get out alive. Once everyone is out, then you may as well let it burn. So your story doesn’t mean much in itself.
Shipboard fires are a different matter entirely, especially on pleasure craft.
Comment by Tim Newman — November 21, 2011 @ 11:33 pm
Crazy Ekaterina, I don’t eat cat food to survive in Manhattan on whatever crappy pittance the Jamestown Foundation pays you to indulge in your obsession. M’k?
Comment by Mr. X — November 22, 2011 @ 3:01 am
No Mr X, but you are obviously smoking something injurious to your (admittedly small) intellect…..
Comment by Andrew — November 23, 2011 @ 4:39 am
Ah Andrew, are you sure you’re not a Phobie sock puppet and an actual Englishman living in Georgia?
Comment by Mr. X — November 23, 2011 @ 6:39 pm