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
- Oh, CNN
2012-07-21 - What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
2012-07-19 - Books for Kazakh Students
2011-11-06
- Oh, CNN
Politics
- Image
2011-07-28 - Sub Rosa Endorsement
2011-07-26 - The Naked Truth
2011-06-12
- Image
News
- KZBlog is going down
2013-09-10 - Oh, CNN
2012-07-21 - Repentence
2012-07-15
- KZBlog is going down
Fun
- What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
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
- Asian Games Torch
2011-01-12 - Wikitravel
2010-08-07 - ALZHIR, the Soviets and Democracy
2010-07-30
- Asian Games Torch
Life in KZ
- Photo Gallery: Almaty Subway
2011-12-07 - Healthcare and the Private Sector
2011-11-30 - Naked Man Pot
2011-09-23
- Photo Gallery: Almaty Subway
Redbubble
65 Year Old Acrobat (Comments Off on 65 Year Old Acrobat)
Another shot of Astana Day. In the park, a group of Uzbeks set up a little circus which is my second favorite part of Astana Day. They’re usually there at other times over the summer too, so you may not have missed them. Pretty good for traveling carnival workers. They make their money by asking for donations periodically, and I’ve noticed that the audience thins out nicely whenever they make their pitch.
Riding Back Saddle (Comments Off on Riding Back Saddle)
Another shot from this year’s celebration of Astana Day. This trick riding looks impressive but is also an important set of skills in battle and hunting. From this position, the rider can avoid enemy arrows or swords and also lean back far enough to pick up a fallen colleague or lost weapon from the ground without slowing from a gallop. When Alexander the Great met the Saka people, he was deeply impressed by these sorts of demonstrations of horse-riding skills.
Medvedev Twitter Makes Some Noise (Comments Off on Medvedev Twitter Makes Some Noise)
Some of you may have heard this by now, but President Medvedev of Russia wrote a Happy Birthday congratulations to Nazarbayev on his Twitter feed:
Interesting that they provide an English-language translation of his feed, suggesting that either the feed is more for foreigners or that he wishes to appear hip and cool by speaking English. Also interesting since not long ago, an opposition candidate for the Russian Presidency was berated by Putin for making statements English, proving that he worked for Western forces. (I note that the Russian feed is updated faster).
Some commentators are saying that Medvedev’s willingness to write in Kazakh provides a sort of reassurance that Russia recognizes Kazakhstan as an independent country and an independent people, not as an ex-Soviet state that got away. And others say this will provide a good example for those who want Kazakhstani to speak Kazakh. If Medvedev can do it, anyone can!
Nothing Happened (Comments Off on Nothing Happened)
So despite the rumors, another Astana Day/President’s Birthday passed and 1) Nazarbayev did not step down or announce his plans to do so, 2) Massimov, the Prime Minister, was not dismissed, 3) No ministers were fired or radical new reforms to the government announced.
The two most exciting things to happen were the opening of Khan Shatyr and the official beginning of the Customs Union. So I wonder if you readers have insight into why there were so many rumors that on the President’s 70th birthday, something major would be announced. And when is the next target of rumors? Constitution Day? New Year’s?
Happy Astana Day (Comments Off on Happy Astana Day)
Dzhigitkovka or perhaps Kyzkovka? at the Central Park in Astana on the 6th of July, which is both Astana Day and the birthday of Nursultan Nazarybayev.
The Pagans Are Coming (Comments Off on The Pagans Are Coming)
The World Forum of Spiritual Culture, which I assume is not to confused with the Congress of World Religions, has inviteda pagan representative for the first time. Patrick McCollum, who is director chaplaincy at Cherry Hill Seminary, is a follower of Wicca, a pagan nature-based religion, and the first Wiccan chaplain to be recognized by the US government. He is also likely the first pagan or Wiccan to be invited to participate in a major religious conference in Kazakhstan.
While Kazakhstan is famous for hosting three Congresses of World Religion and bringing together representatives of various sects of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Taoism, even Zoroastrianism, I do not believe that there have ever been any pagans or animists, despite Kazakhstan’s own shamanic roots. So this should be very interesting. In my experience, new and alternative religions have not taken a strong foothold in Kazakhstan’s society the way they have in Western countries. While there are self-proclaimed witches or magicians, they tend to be seen not as a religion per se but as practitioners of magic or fortune tellers (or frauds). So it will be interesting to see how Kazakhstani take the participation of Mr. McCollum.
Jimmy Carter, Prince Charles, Al Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan have all been invited. The goal of the Forum is “to find a solution to the systemic crisis of the modern civilization by realizing the priority of spirituality and culture above all other public values.”
Not So Royal Behaviour (Comments Off on Not So Royal Behaviour)
ChrisM has a post up on the Royal Betting Sports Bar in King’s Hotel in Astana. Worth reading if you want to avoid the bait-and-switch/squeeze the foreigners scams that some cafes and restaurants put up here.
Peace in Kygryzstan (Comments Off on Peace in Kygryzstan)
A PSA being run on CNN and other international channels. It’s in Russian but basically the people are holding signs showing their various ethnicities. And they are saying things like, “My children were born here” and “I develop science in Kyrgyzstan.” It’s a nice message and though I gather it’s designed more to prevent the world from thinking of Kyrgyzstan as a country of ethnic tension, maybe it will also get through to people living in Kyrgyzstan.
Via NewEurasia
Tweet (Comments Off on Tweet)
RT @abdimom: Crisis-management crowdsourcing platform was launched in Kyrgyzstan to map and share information http://alturl.com/ir5z #savekg
Tweet (Comments Off on Tweet)
Don’t read Ted Rail’s article. Just read this taking apart of it. http://bit.ly/defBeH
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