Commentators seem to agree that Shumenov still has a lot to learn (In general, US trainers say that Kazakh fighters hit well but need to work on dodging and weaving), but he is a contender and well on his way to being a world champion.

Shumenov also holds the advantage over Contador and Golubev of being a born-and-bred Kazakhstany!

from http://www.letourdefrance.com

As everyone knows by now, Alberto Contador won the Tour de France! It was a great race between him and Andy Schleck. And teammate Alexandre Vinokourov won the 13th stage, so it was a great Tour de France for Kazakhstan! Also, for all the talk about how Armstrong was 38 years old and therefore we couldn’t expect a great performance from him, Vinokourov is 36 and he came in 16th overall! Not bad.

In other Kazakhstan sports news, Andrey Golubev recently won the ATP Hamburg tennis tournament, beating Davydenko who won it last year and was seeded at #1. Personally I think that our athletes are the best way to promote the brand image of Kazakhstan. Granted, we sort of bought Contador and Golubev, but our own Kazakhstany trainers and athletes and managers were part of that victory and hopefully, these champions are teaching our own boys how to win.

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!

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?

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.”

Via NewEurasia

If this isn’t enough a teaser, nothing is:

I just had the most terrifying experience of my life. I’m going to let you know so you can get a small picture of what it is like where I live. And I am only letting you know because I am now out of the conflict.

Go to Chris’ post for the rest.

Bought this at Ramstor the other day. It’s a pack of Gillette razor blades for the Mach 3 razor. Now I know that consumer protection is very important, and I’m grateful that items are being labeled with safety information but whoever put this particular warning label on wasn’t very bright. In case you can’t read the text, of the warning label, it says:

Safe Handling Instructions
This product was prepared from inspected and passed meat and/or poultry. Some food products may contain bacteria that could cause illness if the product is mishandled or cooked improperly. For your protection follow these safe handling instructions.

Keep refrigerated or frozen. Thaw in refrigerator or microwave.

Keep meat and poultry separate from other foods. Wash working surfaces, containers, cutting boards, utensils and hands after touching meat or poultry.
Cook thoroughly.

Keep hot foods hot. Refrigerate leftovers immediately or discard.

All very reassuring when I buy meat and see this label. On my razor blades not so good. For one thing, meat doesn’t keep a sharp edge very well. For another, I don’t have time to thaw my razor blades every morning and then cook them before using. Let alone to wash my face after shaving!

What do you readers think of this law and the method of its passing?

I was interested to note that Sembol, although it’s a construction firm, runs the Rixos hotel, the city stadium and the new Congress Hall. That’s more than a few big projects given over to foreign management.

As for the new indoor city, I do wish they could pave all the roads in Astana, put sidewalks in everywhere, fix the water and electricity systems so they don’t break down so often, improve the road system (anyone whose been stuck in traffic these past few days knows that in a lot of parts of Astana, there’s only one road that goes to certain places), and clean up all the garbage. Then, if there’s time and money left over, they can get to prestige projects. Especially as I remember a friend of mine coming to Astana a few years ago and saying that she had seen models of this indoor city on the minimap in Bayterek. All of my friends, Kazakh and foreign, said, “A giant indoor city? No, that’s ridiculous. Who needs it? Why would anyone want that? What a waste of money. You must have misunderstood.”

So, gentle readers, do you want an indoor city?