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Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by tinbad on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:05AM (#7181984)
For someone who grew up in Russia this doesn't come as a surprise at all. This is how it is when the whole world is watching, one can only imagine what everyday life is like in Russia. I remember the stories of how back in the 1980 Olympics the, normally completely empty, grocery stores in Moscow were all of a sudden filled with 'luxury' food items imported from Finland to show the rest of the world how great the country was. Meanwhile Moscow was a complete lockdown and nobody could get in or out of the city. Deja vu all over again ;)
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by larrys on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:22AM (#7182044)
Can you confirm whether the russian in the "please don't flush toilet paper" is correctly translated?

Seems to be more likely that they actually mean "paper" or "paper towels" not "toilet paper".

It is quite common to not want anything but toilet paper flushed so I'm wondering if that is what the sign actually is meaning to say.

Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by gkoberger on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:25AM (#7182057)
Having recently traveled abroad, I can confirm that a lot of hotels in areas with bad septic won't even let you flush toilet paper.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by xentronium on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:41AM (#7182101)
It does say "paper", not "toilet paper" in Russian, but most certainly they do mean toilet paper.

Bins for toilet paper used to be quite common in old buildings with bad plumbing. Also, historically, toilet paper used to be in great deficit in USSR, so torn newspapers were used for that purpose instead, causing all kind of clogs.

Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by oddx on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:28AM (#7182066)
In russian it simple "paper", not "toilet paper" [1]

[1] http://translate.google.com/#ru/en/%D0%A3%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B4%....

Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by rch on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:24AM (#7182051)
There are plenty of places around the world that have septic systems not designed to handle toilet paper. The sign is probably accurate.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by tinbad on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:25AM (#7182058)
Just went back to read it again. I must say it is quiet confusing, it says literally 'please don't throw paper in the toilet'. It doesn't specify what paper so it could be interpreted differently indeed.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by uloweb on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:39AM (#7182096)
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by erikj on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:29AM (#7182069)
It says "Please don't flush paper". Not toilet paper, not paper towels - just paper.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by prostoalex on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @01:16AM (#7182199)
That is actually quite common in Russia and not necessarily Sochi-specific. The sewage system is in consistent state of mild disrepair, and it's common for bathrooms in hotels, conference centers and restaurants to have foul-smelling bins for used toilet paper.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by imissmyjuno on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:28AM (#7182067)
it is toilet paper for certain. source: russian speaker.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by oddx on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @12:32AM (#7182080)
No, it isn't. Sign says only "paper". It isn't clear what they mean, can be interpreted differently.
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by Spooky23 on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @11:40AM (#7184732)
Part of traveling is groking the local terminology for things. In Atlanta, soda is "coke". Ohio, "pop". New York "soda".
Re:Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hotel experi... by vitalyny on Wednesday February 05, 2014 @03:46AM (#7182628)
They mean any paper, including toilet paper. This warning is common in Russia, don't ask why.