Blogs

This story about how hunters attract grizzly bears reminded me of the anti-gun legislation jokes in South Park. Jimbo never is shown using junk food to lure bears into range, but who knows, he might have if given the chance.

Rarely do two areas of interest dovetail so well. Too bad the article is rather superficial. I'll do better, I promise.Uzbek gamers pick up PC skills - BBC Dec 5 2003 4:02AM ET

One of the thornier problems that is the result of having a single-digit IQ president who doesn't even know what he doesn't know is all those other nations whose leaders aren't outright dimwits or don't have one track minds.Witness Germany, right now considering lifting a ban on arms sales to China at the same time China is saber rattling to the US over Taiwanese independence and the US' continued military support to the island almost-nation.

Earth to Central Asia: Complaints of torture do not "attract foreign capital". Quite the reverse. Aid workers might be well paid in contrast to the poorer locals, but by Western standards the salaries are below average. Much easier, in fact, to ignore such human rights violations while working for a foreign oil company or security firm, for instance. Kyrgyz Torture Ban - IWPR Dec 4 2003 1:50AM ET

Interesting how you need to read all the way to the end of an article like this to see the real point: that Germany doesn't want to continue to pay any "cultural assistance" to the ethnic German community in Kazakhstan, but doesn't want them to return home, either. The line about helping them "sustain themselves" sounds like so much Lockheed Martin "welfare to work" speak.Germany's Schroeder heads to Kazakhstan to promote ties - AFP via Yahoo! Dec 4 2003 2:53AM ET

Giffen's bank, Mercator, is under investigation for possibly funnelling bribe money in Kazakhstan; meanwhile, the state oil company, KazMunaiGas, in a surprise move, rehires the firm for negotiations over the Kashagan field.

Kazakhstan rehires subject of probe - Washington Times Dec 4 2003 0:30AM ET

Incidentally, Almaty experienced an earthquake that registered 4 on the Richter scale early on Monday morning. At the epicenter, 300 kilometers east of Almaty in Western China, the quake reached 7 points on the Richter scale, killed 10, injured 30, and destroyed 700 structures. There were no victims or damage in Almaty. This was probably the strongest quake I can remember since I've lived here; it was quite noticeable and seemed to last for several seconds, but wasn't quite strong enough to cause any serious upset-- no overturned furniture or broken glasses, for instance, which has happened in earlier quakes

This is actually pretty shocking to me. But when you say that forces have detained the relatives of an opposing military leader, I don't know what else to call it except hostage-taking. Anything else is a euphemism.

U.S. detains relatives of Iraqi on wanted list -

In what has become a sort of tradition for me here (well, last three years, anyway) I substituted the usual family get-together with the Amcham Thanksgiving Dinner at the Regent hotel, and then a bit of video football on the Xbox.

U.S.: Diplomat Sees Growing Terrorism Challenge In Central Asia - Radio Free Europe Oct 30 2003 11:47PM ET