doctorj
Hatchet Moderator
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You'll find Almaty is quite pleasant this time of year, both for the warmth and the women. Be sure to try the Soviet Champagne...
Kazakhstan
- Thread starter Garpal Gumnut
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gg, got this hot off the telex this morning.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=57984
Just wondering if you are seeking a business opportunity to capitalise on the current news of the great Kazakhstan beef substitution scandal that has hit the wires overnight. The instant pork tester would be quite a hit there.
Just wondering if this was the reason for your sudden trip to seek another fortune.
I don't know much about Kazakhstan except that there a lot of potatoes there.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=57984
Just wondering if you are seeking a business opportunity to capitalise on the current news of the great Kazakhstan beef substitution scandal that has hit the wires overnight. The instant pork tester would be quite a hit there.
Just wondering if this was the reason for your sudden trip to seek another fortune.
I don't know much about Kazakhstan except that there a lot of potatoes there.
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That cracks me up Solly..
If no reply.... three dits four dits two dits dah..
We haven't heard from GG for a while, hope all is ok with his venture in Eastern Europe. I've got a feeling that there's some movement on the Storm front soon and I am interested to hear his comment. I haven't had any tweets from him either.
I know it can be a bit of a comms black hole over there, intermittent 2G EDGE/GPRS, dodgey dial up, lines picking up stray battery and lack of DSLAM Ports. I'm not sure if his gPhone is quad band/UTMS.
Just thought he may have been trolling the 60 Metre band / 5310.0Khz, I think he backed a 'bug' I'm sure he likes to keep his CW skills current.
Gee, maybe he's been distracted by a future Mrs Gumnut...
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Awww I am sad that I only just saw this post!
I have been living in Kazakhstan for about 18months now - so think I know more than most about the place. I could have told you a bit about it!
At least you are up in Almaty CG - be thankful for that! I am living in Atyrau which isnt nearly as well facilitied as Almaty. Plus we have no mountains to enjoy, just open flat desert.
Solly - lots of potatoes, and onions, and cabage for that matter.
No, I havent met Borat yet - but his sister............
Blacky
I have been living in Kazakhstan for about 18months now - so think I know more than most about the place. I could have told you a bit about it!
At least you are up in Almaty CG - be thankful for that! I am living in Atyrau which isnt nearly as well facilitied as Almaty. Plus we have no mountains to enjoy, just open flat desert.
Solly - lots of potatoes, and onions, and cabage for that matter.
No, I havent met Borat yet - but his sister............
Blacky
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Just picked up a garbled longwave DX tramsmission from gg. I think he's having signal propagation issues with the skip off the ionosphere and may have cooked his linear amp. I might have got my dits & dahs mixed up a bit but looks like he's heading for home. I think he mentioned something about Kings, cash and what the f*ck has Abbott been up to? Not sure if there was mention of a 5th Mrs Gumnut or whether she was just a tour guide assisting in HÃ Nội.
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Re: Kazakistan
Well, surprise, surprise. I have actually been there and I can say We felt very sfae and the people were just great. As you know K got independance in the early nineties (1991) from Russia /Soviet bloc. K has massive mineral/oil reserves and the capital Almaty is very modern ,good places to eat out and when I was there 2 years ago it was not expensive. They liked US $ in those days.Very safe,IMHO.The Staan States are very historic and basically were on the 'silk-route' so trading was very well established.
As far as sightseeing goes , Drive out to The Steppes (I recall it was how spelt) massive empty countryside with herds of horses -a lot of the meat eaten there, is horse. But they have beef as well but not as much as horse.This massive area of land contains rock carvings going back '000s of years. I suggest goto the museum in Almaty and bone up on the history before you venture too far out of the city. Get someone local to take you out there and negotiate a deal - by the day. Dont pre-pay 100%, I suggest
As far as planes are concerned we went from Dubai - dep London- . The flights are very good and we travelled to other 'Staan' States on internal airlines.No probs.
Hope this helps
SH ( sorry I am a newbie to this forum but I hope to have allayed any fears you have.)
Well, surprise, surprise. I have actually been there and I can say We felt very sfae and the people were just great. As you know K got independance in the early nineties (1991) from Russia /Soviet bloc. K has massive mineral/oil reserves and the capital Almaty is very modern ,good places to eat out and when I was there 2 years ago it was not expensive. They liked US $ in those days.Very safe,IMHO.The Staan States are very historic and basically were on the 'silk-route' so trading was very well established.
As far as sightseeing goes , Drive out to The Steppes (I recall it was how spelt) massive empty countryside with herds of horses -a lot of the meat eaten there, is horse. But they have beef as well but not as much as horse.This massive area of land contains rock carvings going back '000s of years. I suggest goto the museum in Almaty and bone up on the history before you venture too far out of the city. Get someone local to take you out there and negotiate a deal - by the day. Dont pre-pay 100%, I suggest
As far as planes are concerned we went from Dubai - dep London- . The flights are very good and we travelled to other 'Staan' States on internal airlines.No probs.
Hope this helps
SH ( sorry I am a newbie to this forum but I hope to have allayed any fears you have.)
Garpal Gumnut
Ross Island Hotel
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What times in which we live.
I posted the above in late April.
The market has been very naughty for the long siders and funnymentalists since I've been away, and my only move prior to leaving was to go long the $US, which proved fortunate.
It is good to be home.
I didn't get to the CVN drillings. In fact I didn't leave Bangkok airport on the two occasions I passed through. An old newspaper I grabbed in a shabby Qantas lounge yesterday showed CVN at 33c.
I did meet some interesting folk on my travels, particularly in Almaty, a haven for the freeloading and greedy in an otherwise dangerous politically correct world.
Is the ole Kev07 still Prime Minister?
Or just pretending.
gg
gg
Dona Ferentes
Abrió la caja, vio al gatito, y sonrió
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a view:
China is pushing Russia out of Kazakhstan's uranium sector — Russia is gradually losing its influence in Central Asia. A Chinese state company has bought Rosatom's shares in a Kazakh uranium mining operation, and plans to acquire others. As the world’s largest uranium producer, Kazakhstan accounts for 43% of global supply.
Traditionally, Russia controlled the transport routes for Kazakh uranium to Europe, but sanctions have pushed Astana to seek alternatives. China, the second-largest nuclear energy producer with the fastest-growing civilian reactor fleet, offers both demand and a sanctions-free transit route.
In the vast Kazakh steppes, the power struggle between Moscow and Beijing is far from new. But with Russia diminished, Kazakhstan is choosing China—and the shift looks irreversible.Historically, as a former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan maintained close economic and security ties with Russia. Cooperation seemed stronger than ever when Russian-led CSTO troops intervened to suppress protests in Kazakhstan in January 2022.
However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has drastically altered the balance. Sanctions have made Russia’s economy far less competitive, leaving China as the dominant economic partner. Last year, China overtook Russia as Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade reaching $41 billion. Even Kazakhstan's brief role as a hub for sanctions avoidance wasn’t enough to bridge the growing economic gap.Russia has lost its credibility as a regional security provider. The war exposed Moscow’s military vulnerabilities, and other neighbors have grown wary of aligning too closely with a regime that harbors colonial ambitions. This has made cooperation with China far more appealing.
The optics reflect this shift. At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally welcomed Xi Jinping at the airport—an honor not extended to his long-time CSTO ally, Vladimir Putin. Tokayev, fluent in Chinese and a former diplomat to Beijing, clearly understands where Kazakhstan’s future lies.
China and Kazakhstan are now expanding cooperation in critical sectors like logistics. Positioned as a key hub for China-Europe trade, Kazakhstan benefits from Beijing’s push to improve transit infrastructure across the region.The uranium deal underscores the scale of change. Russia’s economic and geopolitical decline has forced it to cede ground to China, potentially in exchange for Beijing’s tacit support of its war effort. Either way, China emerges as the clear winner—strengthening its hold over Central Asia while extracting economic and strategic benefits from Russia’s weakening position..
.
I read a book once; "Apples are from Kazakhstan " * - and it's true. It was quite informative, but, from 2007, it's probably dated.
.
Also a bunch of East Turkistan jihadists (Uighurs) turned out recently, having been honing their skills in Idlib. They appear itchy to have a crack at Uncle Xi's police state, and logically infiltration from Kazakhstan is the only viable route. Fun and games ahead?
.
*Travel writer Christopher Robbins relates a story by turns hilarious and grim as he finds Eminem-worship by a shrinking Aral Sea, hears the Kazakh John Lennon play in a dusty desert town, joins nomads hunting eagles, eats boiled sheep's head (a delicacy), and explores some of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on earth. Meet the country that gave the world apples, trousers, and possibly King Arthur
China is pushing Russia out of Kazakhstan's uranium sector — Russia is gradually losing its influence in Central Asia. A Chinese state company has bought Rosatom's shares in a Kazakh uranium mining operation, and plans to acquire others. As the world’s largest uranium producer, Kazakhstan accounts for 43% of global supply.
Traditionally, Russia controlled the transport routes for Kazakh uranium to Europe, but sanctions have pushed Astana to seek alternatives. China, the second-largest nuclear energy producer with the fastest-growing civilian reactor fleet, offers both demand and a sanctions-free transit route.
In the vast Kazakh steppes, the power struggle between Moscow and Beijing is far from new. But with Russia diminished, Kazakhstan is choosing China—and the shift looks irreversible.Historically, as a former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan maintained close economic and security ties with Russia. Cooperation seemed stronger than ever when Russian-led CSTO troops intervened to suppress protests in Kazakhstan in January 2022.
However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has drastically altered the balance. Sanctions have made Russia’s economy far less competitive, leaving China as the dominant economic partner. Last year, China overtook Russia as Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade reaching $41 billion. Even Kazakhstan's brief role as a hub for sanctions avoidance wasn’t enough to bridge the growing economic gap.Russia has lost its credibility as a regional security provider. The war exposed Moscow’s military vulnerabilities, and other neighbors have grown wary of aligning too closely with a regime that harbors colonial ambitions. This has made cooperation with China far more appealing.
The optics reflect this shift. At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally welcomed Xi Jinping at the airport—an honor not extended to his long-time CSTO ally, Vladimir Putin. Tokayev, fluent in Chinese and a former diplomat to Beijing, clearly understands where Kazakhstan’s future lies.
China and Kazakhstan are now expanding cooperation in critical sectors like logistics. Positioned as a key hub for China-Europe trade, Kazakhstan benefits from Beijing’s push to improve transit infrastructure across the region.The uranium deal underscores the scale of change. Russia’s economic and geopolitical decline has forced it to cede ground to China, potentially in exchange for Beijing’s tacit support of its war effort. Either way, China emerges as the clear winner—strengthening its hold over Central Asia while extracting economic and strategic benefits from Russia’s weakening position..
.
I read a book once; "Apples are from Kazakhstan " * - and it's true. It was quite informative, but, from 2007, it's probably dated.
.
Also a bunch of East Turkistan jihadists (Uighurs) turned out recently, having been honing their skills in Idlib. They appear itchy to have a crack at Uncle Xi's police state, and logically infiltration from Kazakhstan is the only viable route. Fun and games ahead?
.
*Travel writer Christopher Robbins relates a story by turns hilarious and grim as he finds Eminem-worship by a shrinking Aral Sea, hears the Kazakh John Lennon play in a dusty desert town, joins nomads hunting eagles, eats boiled sheep's head (a delicacy), and explores some of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on earth. Meet the country that gave the world apples, trousers, and possibly King Arthur
