KZBlog is going down (2)
After some thought, I have decided not to renew KZBLog’s lease. As you may have noticed, I don’t do a lot of posting here anymore. I don’t have time to blog regularly. Thus I am taking the site down–it does generate some ad revenue but not as much as it costs to keep it up. […]
Culture
- Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
2011-12-05 - Apples, Sure. But THC is from Kazakhstan too?
2011-10-05 - Naked Man Pot
2011-09-23
- Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
Resources
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2012-07-21 - What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
2012-07-19 - Books for Kazakh Students
2011-11-06
- Oh, CNN
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2011-07-28 - Sub Rosa Endorsement
2011-07-26 - The Naked Truth
2011-06-12
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News
- KZBlog is going down
2013-09-10 - Oh, CNN
2012-07-21 - Repentence
2012-07-15
- KZBlog is going down
Fun
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2012-07-19 - Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
2011-12-05 - House Hunters Bishkek
2011-12-02
- What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
Tourism
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2011-01-12 - Wikitravel
2010-08-07 - ALZHIR, the Soviets and Democracy
2010-07-30
- Asian Games Torch
Life in KZ
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2011-12-07 - Healthcare and the Private Sector
2011-11-30 - Naked Man Pot
2011-09-23
- Photo Gallery: Almaty Subway
Redbubble
Financial Police Believe Doskaliev is Faking (3)
The rumours were true. This Thursday, the Financial Police released a video they say was taken in secret in the hospital room of Doskaliev, at a time when he was being reported as unconscious and unable to speak (and therefore unable to answer questions). The video is of poor quality but an anonymous voice-over claims that Doskaliev moves his head and arms and gives instructions to a doctor. The video, which seems to show different time periods spliced together, shows doctors moving Doskaliev from one bed to another, which the narrator claims is proof that his condition is not serious.
Murat Zhumabay, spokesperson for the Agency for Corruption and Financial Crime, showed the video at a press conference and commented on it:
He [Doskaliev] moves and, moreover, is not connected to any kind of medical device that might be required by his condition…Originally, already in the course of verifying our investigation, we had information that Doskaliev and a number of people had planned a variety of options for avoiding criminal liability, including by traveling abroad, or through ill health. After a failed attempt to leave the territory of Kazakhstan, Doskaliev in collusion with other officials initiated the second option.
The Head of the Department for the Disclosure and Prevention of Corruption, Talgat Tatubaev further claimed that the moving of the bed and all equipment was at the request of Doskaliev for the purpose of finding any audio or video recording devices in the room.
Minister of Health Conscious (Comments Off on Minister of Health Conscious)
Still very little news about the arrest of the Minister of Health. Just the one article I could find, in Russian. I appear to be scooping all the English language news sources on this: Zhaksylyk Doskaliev regains consciousness [RU]. The Financial Police still aren’t discussing the case so as not to impede the investigation, apparently. So we still don’t know if Doskaliev has a good conscience or not.
The article is pretty short, so here’s my translation. Or rather my editing of Google Translate:
Astana. September 28. KazTAG – Arsene Bektasov. Minister of Health Zhaksylyk Doskaliev regained consciousness after stroke, an officer of the National Research Medical Center (NNMTS) told a KazTag correspondent.
“During the interrogation at the Financial Police, he had a stroke. After that, the financial police officers took him to the first hospital of Astana. But on Sunday night,Doskaliev was transferred to NNMTS, where he was diagnosed with a stroke,” said the employee of NNMTS Tuesday.
According to his chart, “the vocal apparatus was damaged, the patient was unconscious for some time.”
Currently, Doskaliev is in intensive care at NNMTS. “He is conscious, but due to the stroke, speechless,” said a health worker.
As previously reported, the financial police filed charges against Doskaliev on Sept. 21. After his stroke he still faces criminal charges of abuse of power. What and how he exceeded his authority, the Financial Police have not disclosed in the interests of the investigation.
Minister of Health Held for Questioning, Not Arrested (Comments Off on Minister of Health Held for Questioning, Not Arrested)
It seems I have been misreporting the affair surrounding Zhaksylyk Doskaliev. The Financial Police initially came to hold him for questioning, not to arrest him. As I reported yesterday, as of yet the Astana Court sees no grounds to issue an arrest warrant for the Minister of Health, and no has tried to arrest him as of yet. However, it has been reported that the Financial Police came to hold him last Saturday (21 of September) because Doskaliev had an upcoming trip to Canada to study the single-payer system and there was some concern that he might not return to Kazakhstan if he knew that he was under investigation.
Murat Zhumabay of the Agency for the Fight Against Corruption and Financial Crimes, summed up the matter of the investigation [RU]:
The investigation has established that in 2003, the Kazakh State Medical Academy was allotted a plot of land with a total area of 2.5 hectares. As rector of the Academy in 2005 and 2006, Doskaliev acting in his own interests for personal material gain and in the interests of his associate, Mr. Kenzhina, director of Astana IPA, and in violation of applicable law, signed a contract for the construction of two apartment complexes in those plots,…With a general power of attorney from Doskaliev, Kenzhin sold apartments in newly built houses at market value to individuals unrelated to the Academy, and made a profit of 1.4 billion tenge, even though the land was allocated to the Medical University of Astana for the construction of housing for teachers. For gifting this land, Doskaliev also received two apartments as illegal remuneration, given to Doskaliev’s relatives, as well as a cottage in Karaotkel [a neighborhood in Astana], which was kept by Doskaliev
Regarding his health, there are some slightly disturbing photos of him in the hospital, which zakon.kz claims they received on a disk in a plain envelope dropped off at their offices. Who took them and for what reason is unknown. Of course many people are speculating that the photos are fakes. But then no one has a clear answer for who faked them and why they would do that. However apparently he was scheduled for heart surgery yesterday but they had to call it off because he developed problems breathing making surgery impossible.
Another rumor, which I have yet to see confirmed anywhere, is that the The Financial Police put a secret camera in his hospital room and there is a recording of Doskaliev talking to a nurse, proving allegedly showing that he is faking his illness. Again, so far this seems to be no more than a rumor. The Financial Police are apparently no longer guarding him since he is not under arrest.
Shot Through the Butt (5)
When you are sick, there’s nothing more comforting than the treatments you remember from your childhood. For Americans, probably chicken soup and resting in bed. I know many Russians in the US who go hunting for mustard and horseradish compresses when they are ill, just like mom used to make. So maybe that’s why it’s so hard to tolerate differences in medical systems when you live abroad. One thing about Kazakhstan’s medical system that I find hard to swallow (so to speak) is the giving of injections for almost any condition. It may come as a surprise to my Kazakhstani readers, that I don’t think I have ever been given medicine in an injection in my life. Vaccinations, yes. Booster shots, yes, when I was a child. Other than that, it’s been pills and tablets and liquids.
I hate shots because 1) they’re painful, 2) you have to find time to go to the doctor’s office every single day, 3) you have to pay for them every single day, bringing up the cost significantly, 4) there’s always the risk of a dirty needle, 5) there’s always the risk of an airbubble, 6) personally my veins are shot to hell after one week of injections so I look like a heroin addict, and I can barely bend my arms for another week after. Pills have none of these disadvantages.
Now, I’m not a doctor, so I’m really hoping someone with medical training can answer this question. Why do Kazakhstani doctors give so many shots and why don’t American doctors give shots? Is anyone right, or is it just two competing theories of medicine?
No Warrant for Minister’s Arrest (1)
RFE/RL reports that the Mazhilis, the lower house of Parliament took up the question of Doskaliev’s arrest. Among the issues is that the court refuses to issue a warrant for his arrest. The Financial Police held a press conference today and said the charges are from when Doskaliev was rector of Astana Medical University in 2003 and he was gifted illegally land and a house in Karaotkel. He then allegedly gave the land to relatives who sold it.
However dumped abound about why they are coming after him now. Some seem to think his arrest is linked to the recent arrest of an official in the General Prosecutor’s Office on charges of phone tapping officials and plotting high treason. Another rumor is that the hospitalization of Doskaliev is a ruse. Either they will claim he us too sick to stand trial and he will quietly disappear from public life or they will claim he is so sick that he needs to be treated abroad and he will quietly disappear from private life. Or he will say that he can’t remember anything because he has brain damage from the stroke. And he will quietly disappear from public life.
Of course these situations always lead to a lot of people talking. Any new information I’ve missed?
Eagle Hunters (1)
Looking around Redbubble, I discovered an Australian artist/graphic designer with some nice paintings of Kazakh eagle hunters. Check out Gerard Mignot‘s portfolio.
It’s also interesting to Search for Kazakhstan (NSFW) on redbubble. I seem to be the major contributor now but there are some great landscapes and also a few pictures of naked people bathing in the spring between Shimbulak and Medeu. That’s why I mark the link above as Not Safe For Work.
Minister of Health Hospitalized (4)
Still not much news about the arrest of Minister of Health Hospitalized KTK in Kazakhstan, by the Agency for the Fight Against Corruption and Financial Crimes. KTK.kz has a newsbroad cast up on their site however: Minister of Health Hospitalized (KTK)
The video is in Russian but in short it says that they have confirmed that a patient with the last name Doskaliev checked in at the Republican Clinic-Hospital. They believe that at the time of the broadcast he was unconscious. The security guards did not allow them to film inside the clinic. Many friends, including members of Parliament, support Doskaliyev as professional. The news broadcast also mentions that the Minister, in his two years in that post, paid special attention to the system of tenders and purchases, and that as of yet, there is no word from the Financial Police on this case.
EDIT: I did find one news article in Russian on this: Minister of Health Held but it doesn’t have much information besides confirming that the Minister was arrested by the Financial Police.
Sheep Head Tees (1)
What I do in my free time. A few new T-shirts meant to gently laugh at the venerable Kazakh tradition of serving sheep head at special occasions. As I said on the description, sheep brains and other bits are not actually as bad as they sound.
Click the image to see them in different colors, styles and of course to buy a lot of them!
Online Live Broadcast of Government Meeting (1)
Right now, they are live-broadcasting the government meeting with the whole cabinet of Ministers, oblast Akims, and the Prime Minister. Interesting whether there will be any glitches or not.
Click this link to tune-in: Government Meeting Broadcast online
How to Make and Eat Beshbarmak (8)
A really well-made video by a Peace Corps volunteer, Alex in Kazakhstan:
Бесбармак from Alex M. White on Vimeo.
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