tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93318412026-01-30T14:24:20.132+02:00It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1144562563280550482006-04-09T08:44:00.000+03:002006-04-09T09:48:30.693+03:00

You get what you pay for with Blogspot, which is a lot of technical problems, lost posts and limited features, so we've packed up the whole operation and moved over to Typepad. All you have to do is click here and change your bookmark or update your RSS with the new link. You subscribe-by-email folks hopefully will have to do nothing. Don't forget to update your links!Expect some ugliness and

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1144342731091698372006-04-06T19:33:00.000+03:002006-04-06T19:58:53.900+03:00

Long before Issaquah, Washington became a place where bands came from, it was hardly more than a single exit off I-90 where mullet-headed kids drove camaros and smoked weed at the bus stop.Accordingly, its architectural landmarks have remained largely underappreciated, until today, when BoingBoing featured the beloved XXX Rootbeer sign in a post about internet censorship that I didn't really

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143895738322339122006-04-01T15:43:00.000+03:002006-04-01T15:48:58.416+03:00

So it turns out that this week's solar eclipse was not, in fact, responsible for yesterday's earthquakes in Iran, sez the AZ Seismological Department.I feel adrift. I've often said that if you can't believe the Azerbaijan government, who can you trust? If those earthquakes were not caused by the eclipse, what could possibly have caused them? Mixing watermelon and water?

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143784803136926712006-03-31T05:54:00.000+03:002006-03-31T09:00:03.163+03:00

I was preparing a catty post about the AZ Seismological Department warning about eclipse-induced earthquakes and look what happens! Earthquakes in Iran!Boy. Would I have ever felt bad about mocking that.

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143699038822058562006-03-30T05:58:00.000+03:002006-03-30T09:10:39.130+03:00

Via Coming Anarchy, Xinjiang's latest pop sensation go to YouTube to see a video from an unnamed pop group from Xinjiang made of up three Uyghur girls from Uzbekistan. What they lack in production values, rhythm and, uh, talent, they make up for in musical influences. You can hear Indian, Chinese and maybe even Persian/Turko pop (one of my goals in Azerbaijan was to learn how to distinguish

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143561768653133112006-03-28T18:41:00.000+03:002006-03-28T19:08:08.216+03:00

"All save one of Baku's votes got subtracted" due to a "server crash?" Is this for real?* Don't fuck with Azerbaijan, man. You don't want to end up like Armenia. Oh, wait....Get in there and VOTE*You know, if Azerbaijan was a more technologically advanced place, I would wonder...

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143482289249828882006-03-27T20:44:00.000+03:002006-03-27T22:17:31.223+03:00

If you're a Carpetblogger demographic, you probably think of places like Wellington, NZ only in terms of whether Azal flies there non-stop, whether there are good malls with decent shoe stores or the availability of a quality lunchtime V&T at a bargain basement price.That's why you should visit Gridskipper and strike a blow against "ironic hair metal and low-fi electro" music scenes, Maori

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143301362874600082006-03-25T16:49:00.000+02:002006-03-25T17:51:42.490+02:00

Took place today as we hooked up the CABLE MODEM in our apartment. Welcome to the wired world! Data wants to flow freely, and this means more photos uploaded and more music downloaded. What once took 45 minutes now takes two.So here are some photos of people and things that made my life in Baku easier, more pleasant or funnier.My favorite sign in Baku. Ruslan, carpetdealer to the stars, and Ramin

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143294699406087312006-03-25T15:40:00.000+02:002006-03-25T15:51:39.466+02:00

There's a special club for dictators who get 70%+ of the vote. They gotta stick together. Maybe Ilham can give Alex a few tips on how to crush peaceful protests with water cannons and dogs and stay friends with the west. Maybe find some oil under Polatsk?On a different, but related topic: If Lukashenka is Europe's last dictator, where does that leave Ilham? Not a dictator or not in Europe?

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143219770079551142006-03-24T18:52:00.000+02:002006-03-24T19:02:50.123+02:00

from Turkmenistan (and other parts of Central Asia), check out photographer Chris Herwig's site. Chris travelled through Turkmenistan with us this time last year and Registan reminded me to check in at his site. I was totally blown away. I am appalled and embarrassed to admit I was on the same trip, based on the photographs. Of course, he didn't take the vomitorium back to Baku. If you want to

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143035965354094432006-03-21T17:17:00.000+02:002006-03-22T15:59:25.516+02:00

Carpetblogger's return to Baku to liberate the Producer and the Carpetdogs failed. However, since liberation was not the trip's only agenda, it wasn't a complete failure. There was a lot of swine (since beef is rarely an option, all forms of lamb/mutton/haggid absolutely off the table and the poultry population decimated by "starvation," what choice did we have?), twice as much wine and more than

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143042032703307562006-03-21T16:32:00.000+02:002006-03-22T17:51:19.556+02:00

Baku has every kind of bar, as long as it's English, Scottish or Irish. Finnegans, arguably Baku's most popular bar, falls firmly into the latter category. I don't think it's one of these pre-fab Irish bars in a box, though it might be and serves the same purpose. The gold standard for local watering holes, it's probably the first place you go when you come to town and the last place you hit

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1143037845168899892006-03-21T16:05:00.000+02:002006-03-22T16:30:45.290+02:00

The new YAM coins are being recalled, so you're gonna want to get one for your collections.The reason: No dates on them.Do you think I make this shit up? 'Cause I don't.

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1142407813447756962006-03-15T06:16:00.000+02:002006-03-15T09:30:13.483+02:00

It's been a while since we've checked in on the battle between Donald Trump and Turkmenbashi for world domination, but I think we have to put another win in the 'Bashi's column. Trump has never come up with an idea so grand, so visionary as foresting the desert. Really, trees are the only thing that missing from Turkmenistan. Trust the 'Bashi to implement a plan to rectify the situation.Thanks to

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1142154443687801092006-03-12T10:48:00.000+02:002006-03-12T11:07:26.366+02:00

So you find yourself playing a gig at Art Club 44, one of Kyiv's hipper joints in which the oligarichal influence is minimal. Hailing from Seattle, you play grunge/punk accordian while channeling Tom Waites, frequently while wearing a mask and shaking a plastic bottle full of dirt. The thonged Natashas at the front of the stage writhe and remove layers of clothing, until the nuances your original

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1142152840235234502006-03-12T09:51:00.000+02:002006-03-12T10:40:40.336+02:00

It turns out that Carpetblogger and President Bush have more in common than just a desire to see democracy flower in countries with oil! We both love carpets. Thanks to SF friend and reader Gina for the link."And then there's the rug. Don't forget the rug. President Bush never does. For whatever reason, Bush seems fixated on his rug. Virtually all visitors to the Oval Office find him regaling

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1142149817025058482006-03-12T09:42:00.000+02:002006-03-12T09:50:17.166+02:00

This week's destination? Vinnitsa, a regional city in the South Central part of the country. It's place so dull and gray the photos aren't worth the bandwidth it would take to post them.

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141802656617839202006-03-08T06:12:00.000+02:002006-03-08T09:24:16.660+02:00

The Clever Minx, who apparently has increasingly limited social options, was watching Lider TV (Baku's favorite all-President, all-the-time TV station) the other night and sent an update on the government's efforts to reassure the public that they've got this whole bird flu thing completely under control. The report she saw showed guys in full protection suits throwing chickens into a pit and

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141578055298953572006-03-05T18:54:00.000+02:002006-03-08T08:40:24.660+02:00

I visited my first closed city! As home to the Uzhmash missile factory, Dnipropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine was so important to the Soviets that they closed it to foreigners. Today, not only is it the money laundering capital of Ukriane, it's a proud mine of Sovietica without irony or sentimentality. Long cold walk in DNPDnipropetrovsk's history museum is a rare breed -- apparently well-funded,

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141654692832562032006-03-05T18:50:00.000+02:002006-03-12T11:37:46.330+02:00

The Parliamentary election in Ukraine is the 26th and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a kid standing on a street corner waving a flag in the snow or a middle-aged lady sitting in a tent lazily handing out campaign lit.These sort of stunts are a heck of a lot easier than actually going out to talk to voters.Anyway, there is some interesting stuff out there and I've documented it belowMy

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141576940879190362006-03-05T18:40:00.000+02:002006-03-05T18:42:20.903+02:00

It's election time and I am collecting photos of my favorite campaign signs to post soon, but this is my favorite so far. It's in Dnipropetrovsk, in eastern Ukraine, where democracy thrives under the watchful eye of capitalism and communism.

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141036028340663812006-02-27T06:48:00.000+02:002006-02-27T12:27:08.463+02:00

I'm not a big goer-into-churches or mosques or temples unless they are truly extraordinary. Religious art is the most limited art form, IMHO, and gets boring pretty quickly. I usually want to see something really unusual. Lviv actually has some pretty nice churches -- Catholic, Armenian and Orthodox, all in a very compact area.The gloom of the Armenian chapel was pierced by this shaft of

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1141034648377395762006-02-27T06:44:00.000+02:002006-02-27T12:04:08.703+02:00

I think Lviv, with its baroque and neo-renaissance architecture and fine bakeries, is the nicest Ukrainian city. Of course, I have some Polish friends who cringe when those two words are used next to each other. Control of Lviv seesawed among Poles, Turks, Austro-Hungarians and Germans, and the Poles are still more than a little bitter over losing the city in 1944 to the Russians. It's easy to

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1140971387167488972006-02-26T18:25:00.000+02:002006-02-27T14:00:56.696+02:00

Thursday was Red Army Day, a holiday that is still acknowledged in Ukraine. The Ukies in my office organized a rather elaborate lunch to celebrate, with red wine, champagne, pizza, red caviar on toast, fruit and boxed candy. Admittedly, I found this a little hard to swallow. As I understood it, the Red Army was like the boorish uncle who showed up late to the party emptyhanded, drank all the

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9331841.post-1140512507718522892006-02-21T18:52:00.000+02:002006-02-21T17:41:40.766+02:00

So the Financial Times' FDI magazine recently published a fantasmagorical article proclaiming Baku as a "2006/2007 European City of the Future." The panel decreed:EASTERN EUROPE/WESTERN CIS:Winner: Baku, AzerbaijanRunner up: Rivne City, UkraineWith an estimated GDP of more than 12.6bn for 2005 and an economy growing at more than 10% a year, Baku is emerging as an important economic powerhouse for

Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223539404317132683noreply@blogger.com16