The rally has legs

New record high close for the DOW today! The Christmas rally continues, my portfolio was up over 10% today, what a way to end the year! I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas rally as much as I am.

In the short-term, don't forget about the "January Effect" , statistics has proven that market gain the most in January (due to tax sellers buying back mostly), especially in the small cap/micro cap sector!

Enjoy the rally and happy 2007!

The P/E of countries

Here is a list of P/E of various countries, one thing caught my eye is that China has the highest P/E of all, which confirms that the recent run of Chinese ADR stocks is indeed a bubble. We should see a fall of Chinese stocks before 2008.

Hong Kong	17.580
Thailand	10.624
Brazil	10.942
Korea , Rep.	11.415
China	39.397
Indonesia	12.559
Russia	6.344
Italy	17.866
Malaysia	15.165
Singapore	13.776
USA	17.499
Netherlands	11.926
Taiwan	12.827
Japan	31.606
Germany	15.064
UK	18.711
France	14.518
Mexico	13.889
Canada	16.727
South Africa	11.602
Spain	15.043
Portugal	19.700
Switzerland	15.717

Merry Christmas

This year, 2006, has been an extremely good year for myself and majority of investors. Looking ahead, 2007, there will be challenges, but the United States economy is very healthy, global economical prosperity will continue, if you thought 2006 was awesome, you haven't seen nothing yet!

Trip to North III: Wonderful Hazrat Ali

Weather changes dramatically at Mazar. If there was nice summer climate (in Estonian standards) at Kunduz, then there is heavy wind. Next morning is really very cold and rainy. But it can't disturb me to arrange three pilgrimage to Hazrat Ali Shrine during next three days.
My afghan friend Waheed, whos family lives here, has been told me repeatedly about beauty of this shrine. After seeing Friday Mosque in Herart I was quite sure that mosque in Mazar can't surprise me. Of course, I was wrong again.
I have agreed with my husband's colleague Steven to walk through town at very early morning. We walk belong muddy tiny streets through awaken town and hit the mosque at the sunrise.
It is Friday and there are crowds around the garden. First we just wander around the mosque when first shy daylight is pouring the astonishing deep turquoise colour buildings. Actually, it is huge complex: various size of buildings, minarets, fountains, benches, roses and trees.
We go back in the evening with our local drivers. It is extremely cold and rainy. First we visit spot of thousands of white doves. There is legend that ordinary grey doves turn white doves during fourty days. Doves of Hazrat Ali are well groomed and loved. It is something extraordinary: to see how the afghans respect the doves.
We take off our shoes in one of the gateway house and leave them to guard's responsibility. First step on marbled square, covered with icy-cold water, is great. Although my feet reminds me current situation, the surrounding is stunning.
Hazrat Ali have been built by sultan Seljuk. Of course, it was destroyed by Thingish-Khaan. Hussain Aiqara, sultan of Timurid dynasty, rebuilt it again at 15th century.
There is local legend, that the Hazrat Ali, son-in-law of Muhammad, is buried here. (Actually he is buried at Kufa, Iran.) His body has been carried by white female camel, who fall down because of exhaustion. The place where she dropped, was body of Hazrat Ali buried.
Hazrat Ali is always full of people: pretty dressed children, woman in different coloured burkas, couples, saints, beggars, handicapped, soldiers. All people seemed to feel comfort and enjoy lovely atmosphere of this fabulous place.

Santa Clause Rally is here

Well, the widely expected Christmas rally is finally here, new high for the DOW today.

The market will be up from here until early next year.

In other news:

Japan business sentiment improves

Costco's 1Q profit up 10 percent

Fed: Moderate growth for upper Midwest

Asia: Robust Growth, Rising Risks

Great 2001 clip

Even though this was made more than 30 years ago, the special effects are still so much better than anything that's happening now. I guess this is because they are authentic: that is they're real models that have been shot, not computer generated 'perfection'. This film is a lovely piece with clips from the film and interviews with the key protagonists.

European Airlines: A Gradual Ascent

Due to demand and better oil prices, S&P says the major airlines are coming back from the disruption caused by the August terrorist plots

"European airlines should continue to benefit from rising passenger numbers, generally stable or rising yields, and a moderation in crude-oil prices in recent months to record strong improvement in operating profits in 2006. Credit quality in the sector should continue to gradually strengthen but is unlikely to improve materially given underlying cost pressures."

Market building momentum

There wasn't much of interest in this slow, tight-range, low-volume snoozefest. The bears were trying to gain an advantage all day but couldn't quite get there, on the other hand, the Bulls are also tired from recently rallies. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get back on track and have a better tape to work with. I believe the bulls are just resting and building up the upward momentum at the moment.

The Can't Lose Market

The can't lose market continues to push higher.


This morning's economic data helped relieve fears that the economy was slowing down too quickly and portfolio managers really didn't need much of an excuse to keep pressing. In addition, bottom calling in the housing market enabled that group to keep on rallying.

Today's market analysis

As I said a couple of days ago during the small correction, that the market trend is still very bullish, morning dips are routinely being bought, a clear sign of bull market. Today the bears received a fatal blow from the market makers, the bulls won a critical battle, new high for the S&P500. We are basically all set for the widely expected Christmas rally. Get ready to receive big gifts from Santa Clause.

The New CNBC.com

"Although I enjoy making fun of CNBC as much as most people there is some utility to the network. So it is with the new website launching today, um it is CNBC.com.

I think the biggest benefit will actually come from being able to access CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia which most folks cannot do as a function of their cable company or timezone issues. There is video available of different segments from those networks. These segments tend to be four to six minutes long which allow for a real delving in to the guest's process as opposed to maybe two minutes in a segment on CNBC USA. You will also hear more about foreign stocks and markets in these videos." -- Random Roger

The new CNBC.com also has a new stock screener, a very good screener for beginners.

Saturday thoughts: “Boomer Bust?” I Don’t Think So!

"One of the stories that I’m quite frankly getting tired of reading about, even peripherally, is the “boomer bust.” The most recent example comes from Random Roger, who references a Peter Brimelow column, which references a Richard Band newsletter. ARRGHH!!!

The typical “boomer bust” argument is that as boomers retire, funding will shift from growth stocks to income investments, and possibly away from stocks altogether. The typical “no bust” argument is that people are more fit and live longer today, postponing retirement and therefore delaying the bust, or forcing them to keep money at work in growth investments.

I find the longevity issue to be arguable, and I promise to argue it – in a later post – but I also find it to be immaterial.

Think about the distribution of wealth in this country.

The vast majority of invested and invest-able assets are controlled by a tiny percentage of the population – and those folks will keep their money hard at work long past their “retirement age,” possibly through trusts and foundations, possibly just growing it aggressively so that they can die with more toys.

There are the non-fabulously-wealthy in the boomer demographic, who may switch their asset allocation. Or they may not. Many of these “pedestrian wealthy” got that way, not from stock market investing, but from owning transmission shops, rental real estate portfolios, insurance agencies, and convenience stores. Even those with stock market holdings don’t comprise a huge portion of the everyday investment flows, and as Henry points out, the up-and-coming from the BRICs will be more than happy to buy some U.S.-market growth assets from them.

So what about the rest of the boomers, the remaining 80%+ of them? Those boomers who are pitifully unprepared for retirement, of whom more than 25% have saved nothing, and 43% of whom will re-enter the workforce almost as soon as they leave it?

Can you say, “Welcome to Wal-Mart!”?

Because that is what most of the boomers will be saying in their golden years! For them to have some impact in the market, they would have to have some impact in the market, if you know what I mean. Who really gives a monkey’s tookus about their negligible investing flows? When they move their four- or five-digit IRAs from growth funds into dividend or bond funds, will it move the markets?

I don’t buy it. For the boomer bust to happen, there would have to be some large portion of the current investment flow coming from boomers that were going to start living off of their assets, and I don’t see that. Most of the wealth is in the hands of those already living off of their assets and/or businesses, and most of the boomers will be spending their retirement showing you where the lawn equipment is at the Ace Hardware, or checking your receipt as you leave through the Garden Center. The few that do switch asset allocations will be more than compensated for by the foreign inflows of capital from the maturing emerging markets.

“Boomer bust?” I don’t think so!"

--From Bill Rempel

Bullishly Bearish

The month of December is off to a shaky start.

But as I pointed out previously, early day dips are routinely being bought. This is one of the obvious signs of a bullish market.

Chasing Nickels Around Dollar Bills

• Where is goldilocks in the ISM?


• Construction spending falls


• CME housing futures indicate more home price declines are ahead


• "Everybody has their hopes and wants, and everybody hopes and wants to avoid a recession. Often, when the signal comes in strongly like it is now, there’s a human nature tendency to say, this time it’s different." - Huge Moore


• Bonds scream recession


• Rapidly increasing inflation is good for stocks?


• I wouldn't rely on these 2007 inflation projections


• Bill Gross' investment outlook


• Brett Steenbarger offers thoughts on the market's U-turn


• Michael Kahn seeks dark clouds forming in the distance ($)


• Woody Dorsey shares some red flags ($)


• ICI provides a closer look at the all-important money inflows (take note the continued drop in liquid assets (see my previous post about this kind of data. The cash deficit is now at -2.91% according to Jason Goepfert))


• Was this summer's sell-off enough to qualify for a mid-term election year low? If so, the bulls are going to love this chart


• "The new high for the Dow Jones Utility Average is both bullish and impressive." - Richard Russell


• The falling dollar is on the Economist's front cover ($)


• Historically, the market doesn't like the falling dollar


• Further dollar weakness depends on Mr. Market's interest-rate forecasts coming good


• Retail investors are increasing their exposure to the currency markets


• Elliott Wave analysis for the gold market


• The Iraq Study Group plans to recommend withdrawing nearly all U.S. combat units from Iraq by early 2008


• What 2000 years of history tells us about China's economic future


• China's hawks a $203 desktop PC


• Yep, time to look at some Russian opportunities (In fact, have you noticed the TRF)


• U.S. nuclear firms eye Indian market


• Jon Markman sees opportunity in plastics


• Morningstar's Democrat-proof health-care stocks


• The drug store chains can't catch a break


• Making the case for USG


• SAC Capital goes long Casual Male (CMRG) ($)


• Lots of chatter these days about Mr. Softee


• George Soros' sells biotech, buys tech and retail. See his top holdings


• A quick performance check on the Dow & S&P 500 stocks


• Most overbought and oversold S&P 500 stocks


• Stocks down more than 20% over the past year and also have a five-star Motley Fool CAPS rating


• The Stockopoly Plan looks for frequent dividend income


• S&P's latest screen looks for top-to-bottom winners


• Large caps with low a p/e


• The top 10 performers (1996 - 2005)


• What are your best practices as a trader?


• Michael Sincere's 10 common trading errors


• Always try to admit your mistakes early and often


• Are you a trading idiot?


• WileyTrader shares his thoughts about using the TRIN


• The end-of-the month phenomena


• Investing well requires more than ratio analysis, but it can help


• Victor Niederhoffer's reading list has some unusual suggestions


• The Money Men


• Finding valuable financial lessons in everyday conversations


• A nice look at the hedge fund industry


• You can't judge a hedge-fund index by its coverage


• Some more new ETFs


• As usual, Roy Weitz shares his interesting finds in the mutual fund industry


• Five steps to fiscal fitness


• Yikes! Did you know that the average annual interest rate on payday loans runs about 400%?


• Some large-scale personal data thefts are being buried by the mainstream press


• Have you been SMiShed yet?


• The Feds condemn electronic voting


• Pick up the tab by texting


• Profit and questions on prostate cancer therapy


• Better oversight of 401(k) plans urged


• Right on cue - regulations are hampering capital markets, CEOs say


• The coming crackdown on CEOs (I wouldn't count on it)


• Want to be a venture capitalist? Take Guy Kawasaki's aptitude test


• I wonder how many economists are paying attention to the virtual world headlines


• Deals, Deals, Deals!


• Sign of the times - the new Dealmaker magazine


• The Vigilant Investor's podcast


• Economists, turned bloggers, are drawing fans


• Free stock alerts by phone (I suggest using a throwaway number first)


• What is slowing your computer?


• Google's browser sync


• Google's mobile strategy in a nutshell


• Forget about Friday the 13th! Just be careful on Monday the 27th


• College kid tries to sell his future on eBay


• Funny stuff - have you ever dialed 9-1-1 for yourself?


• Backscatter!


• Too many Americans are failing at being good


• "The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

-- Kirk Report

Blind Man Trading

Today's performance was better than I expected. I don't know why I say that because even a blind man can see that the morning dips are routinely getting bought.

Sector rotation was the theme and the homebuilders (see XHB) are today's big winner (up +4%). Other bullish contenders were found in precious metals, healthcare, and energy. In case you are curious (or a closet indexer), for the month of November the Dow rose +1.2%, the S&P 500 gained +1.6% and the Nasdaq rallied +2.7%.

See you in December.

-- Kirk Report

Last Day of November

Mixed reports from retailers, higher-than expected inflation and rising jobless claims top this morning's headlines. Once again the combination of higher oil and gold prices and a weak dollar are back in play.

Upside movers in premarket trading are DRRX, DGIN, SNPS, HEPH, APTM, HOTT, MEDX, LTXX, ORCT, PSUN, BEAS, and ECMV. Downside movers are SCSS, RNIN, ZOLT, TIVO, BEBE, NPSN, CTDC, ARNA, GYMB, TGEN, and RYAAY. Premarket indications point to a relatively flat open and the help wanted index and NAPM-Chicago reports will be released at 10:AM.

The S&P 500 has risen +1.6% in November and is currently headed toward its sixth straight monthly gain which is the longest stretch of advances since August 2003. In addition, according to Stock Trader's Almanac, there have only been four down Decembers in the last 14 midterm election years. While the last trading day of November tends to be a weak one historically, December usually starts off strong. While historical tendencies have been useless tells this year, that certainly won't stop folks from being aware of them. Have a good one!

-- Kirk Report

Europe May Bear Burden of Dollar's Swoon

Global investors are keying in on the surprising rout of the dollar in recent trading sessions. On Nov. 27, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 158.46 points, or 1.3%, in its most severe decline since July. Part of the reason (disappointing sales by Wal-Mart played a role, too) has been the dour outlook for the dollar, which could weigh down U.S. stocks for some time to come. The greenback has fallen to its lowest levels since March, 2005, when compared to a basket of major currencies.

Yet the biggest loser in any major realignment of the dollar likely will be the Europeans. It is the euro that has appreciated most dramatically against the dollar. It's up 10.9% vs. the greenback on the year. Key Asia currencies such as the yen, up 1.5% vs. the dollar this year, and the Chinese yuan (which trades in a narrow band against the U.S. and other foreign currencies) haven't moved much at all. The Korean won, up about 8.5% vs. the dollar, is the big exception.

That means European exporters are losing their price competitiveness against both U.S. and Asian rivals. And France's Finance Minister Thierry Breton on Nov. 27 urged "collective vigilance" by the European Central Bank to the alarming rise of the euro vs. the dollar to 20-month highs in recent trading sessions.

Asia: Best of Both Worlds

The ECB is expected to raise a key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point next week because of inflation worries driven by the improving economic performance in the euro zone. By contrast, the Bank of Japan's key interest rate is all of 0.25% while the U.S. has left the closely watched Fed Fund rate of 5.25% untouched over the last three months. It isn't likely to move to raise rates as long as the housing slump is depressing growth in the U.S., so the euro looks like the most likely candidate to appreciate going forward.

Asia, meanwhile, is far more dependent on export growth and more likely to manage its currencies to maintain price competitiveness for its big export sector. In fact, the region by and large is pretty much enjoying the best of both worlds. The euro is trading at record high levels against the Japanese yen and the yuan is widely decried in Europe as being grossly undervalued.

As a result, big Japanese automakers such as Toyota (TM), Honda (HMC), and Nissan (NSANY) are enjoying robust sales and market-share gains in both regions. Chinese low-end exports such as textiles and toys, plus higher-end stuff like consumer electronics, are also streaming into the U.S. and Europe.

No End in Sight

Of course, a sharp and sustained crash in the dollar would be bad news for the entire world economy. When asked about big risks out there for the global economy, during a recent interview with BusinessWeek editors (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/3/06, "Paul Volcker Talks Trade at BW CEO Forum"), former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker asked, "suppose there is a crack in the dollar?"

The U.S. stock market likely would sustain severe wounds and the planet's biggest economy might even fall into recession. Right now, though, few economists are predicting economic Armageddon.

The U.S. would actually welcome an orderly dollar correction, given the country's gargantuan current-account deficit, the broadest measure of U.S. trade in goods and services. It clocked $431 billion in the first half of 2006, a figure that represents about 6.6% of U.S. gross domestic product and that isn't considered sustainable.

Dollar's Advantage

A gradual decline of the dollar would make exports—from Microsoft (MSFT) software to GM (GM) Cadillacs—more competitive in international markets, and likely wouldn't cause the U.S. economy too much grief. One big advantage of the dollar's status as the dominant international currency is that U.S. companies don't have to worry about currency risk since debt is raised in greenbacks and most major commodities transactions, such as oil, are in dollars.

Also, both Japan and South Korea have a track record of intervening heavily in global currency markets to prevent the yen and the won from appreciating too dramatically against the dollar. And Chinese financial authorities don't seem to be in a huge hurry to let the yuan float more freely against the dollar and other international currencies.

All this suggests that the Europeans could carry the burden of the current dollar adjustment. It's not a terribly fair deal, but seems the state of play for the moment.

Brian Bremner is BusinessWeek's Asia Regional Editor based in Hong Kong.

Bears Get Shot Down Again

That sure didn't take long. With today's upside move the bulls were able to dust themselves off and wipe away Monday's sell-off.


These kind of dramatic reversals will only serve to embolden the bulls and put the bears back on defense. For anyone looking for confirmation that the rally is over, today's market action quickly shot down that view. While end-of-the-month games probably helped quite a bit, unless we see a quick pullback under Monday's lows, the bulls still have firm control.

-- Kirk Report

Nice retouching

via WebMaster Republic

Howard Gossage

In a beautifully put together video, Jeffre Jackson of the OIA talks about interestingness and why it's important for a brand to be interesting. One of Jeffre's reference points is Howard Gossage whom he cites as a great influence. I thought it would be worth digging deeper into Gossage's history. Known as 'the Socrates of San Francisco', Gossage was an unlikely advertising man. With a military

Like no other

Musicovery

Josh Spear has pointed me in the direction of this excellent site. It's basically a more interactive version of Pandora. Instead of selecting an artist that you want to hear similar songs to, Musicovery allows you to select by genre and then by four different qualities: energetic, calm, positive and dark. You can also narrow the music down to a particular time period.

Wednesdays can make you feel...

THE VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW

Great website.via Noisy Decent Graphics

Trip to North II: Ellaha and her daughters

We drove seven hours from Kunduz to Mazar-e Sharif. It is a long journey, but landscape is stunning. We pass the terraces of Surkh Kotal, which was the acropolis of King Kanishka, who ruled 1900 years ago. Landscape varies from desert to oasis. After the mountain range there is an interesting narrow gorge.
While driving I am thinking about Ellaha. I met this Badakshan-born lady at the birthday party of Nirvana, daughter of my friend Waheed. I was impressed with Ellaha and her four daughters. Ellaha has been working for Swedish NGO and she has been abroad many times. Older daughter Farangis worked as an English language teacher and dreamed about the career of a lawyer.
Second time we meet in Kunduz. Ellaha is asking me to visit her house. The family seems to be glad to see me: there is plenty of food on the table and even busy husband Bahman is at home to see the guest. The walls of the hall are covered with large papers. Poetry of famous Persian poets as Umar Hajjami, Saadi or Rumi is written there. Some poems are written by landlord Bahman himself.
Bahman seems to be very interested about our life in Estonia: he looks through the book about Estonia what I bring as a present. Still I can feel melancholy in the air.
Cheerless younger daughters, as fragile gazelles, sit in the corner. I already know why the older daughter Farangis is unhuppy: she didn’t pass the test to enter the university. I try to cheer her up that there will be another possibility next year.
After husband Bahman leaves, Ellaha explains the situation. Her husband has been a chief of Kunduz province administration for a couple of years. It is a high position; he is the most important officer after governor. Ellaha and her daughters stayed at Kabul. As husband and farther, Bahman felt lonely. He asked her family to move to Kunduz as well. Ellaha had to quit her job, because of a delicate subject of gender issues.
It seems that there are not many educated people to communicate with. And there are no possibilities to practice English language. Conservatism is the most difficult to accept for the family. Ellaha says that women of only 3-4 families who doesn’t wear burkas. And citizens of Kunduz don’t like it.
I told my husband that I will never put on a burka, says Ellaha fervently. Therefore the ladies of Ellaha family prefer to stay at home. The husband of Ellaha promised her that if the ladies won’t adapt to the conditions of Kunduz, then they can move back to Kabul a year later.
The whole day while driving from Kunduz to Mazar I meditate about this family. How vast is the gap between western style family and local traditions?

Trip to North I: Kunduz

We had a wonderful trip to North: we got hot weather at Kunduz, mist at Pul-i Khumri, chilly rain at Mazar-e Sharif and snow on Salang Pass.
First we drove to Kunduz, which is known for its fertility. Although watershed of Amudarja (Oxus) River covers only 14% of the territory of Afghanistan, it gives 57% of water. Afghans can afford two crops a year at lower parts of this area. There was a proverb: “If you want to become a rich, come to Kunduz.”
Thsingish-Khan devastated Kunduz at 1220. And the area never recovered. There was a little bit of better times in the 19th century, but then another trouble emerged: malaria. The new proverb was :”If you want to die, come to Kunduz.”
The pushtus were resettled here by King Abdur Rahman in the 1930ties. The value of land was really almost nothing: people came from the South of Hindukush and refugees of Russian Revolution came from North.
I respect farmers of Kunduz: they are hard-workers. When I was there in May, it was already the time to harvest wheat. Now it is the time of autumn ploughing. Other popular crops seem to be maize, rice and cotton. Roads are swamped by camels, donkeys and men, dragging colossal bags stuffed with snow-white cotton tufts.
I drove to a little village Aqtepa with Jelle, the leader of Kunduz River Base project. First we race along the straight highway to North. At certain moment we turn to half desert and start to drive across dunes. There is nothing at the horizon but sand and clumps of thorny plants.
Aqtepa oasis is situated at the crossing of Taloqan and Kunduz Rivers. There are big old trees, plenty of canals and mudbrick walls and houses. Jelle says that during the last one and a half year the situation has improved; he can hardly recognize the village. There are lots of people in the narrow street and a row of tiny shops. There is even a mobile mast at the edge of the village.
Today an important event takes place: the water master – who is responsible for distribution of water in canals - is elected. Jelle explains that first the drinking water needs must be covered, agriculture is the next priority and only after that come other needs like energy etc.
First we reach the place where the council of farmers is gathered. It is lunch time and delicious fish from Amudarja is being served. After eating the discussion follows. Jelle is informed that former water master has been elected back: there is no competition this year. Another issue: the locals are asking for a new dam with gates to regulate the amount of water in canal.
We drive to see the place. The canal is situated on the edge of the oasis: there is magnificent view to crossing of the rivers and another view to expansible marsh. Even frogs are croaking. Jelle is promising support to the construction of building before the new vegetative season. He states his terms as well: the villagers have to monitor the condition of the dam and gather some money for repairing of the foundation.
Tadjik Turamurod, the head of the construction company, discover my Russian language competence on the way back to Kunduz,. He invites us to his office. Very soon me and Jelle, we are sitting behind the table, carrying a remarkable amount of food. Bottle of Tadijk wine can be found as well. I try to be a translator (Jelle doesn’t know Russian and Turamurod doesn’t know English), but soon I am totally confused because of crafty Tadjik wine.

New Smart Site

This is the first website we've put together since we decided to do web stuff properly. It's part of smarts Positive Driving campaign, which is all about seeing things in a different light because you're in a smart. I think it's pretty damn good. Nice use of Flash 9 but most of all it gets the benefits of the car over in a very engaging way. Smart Positive Driving

Fabulous Murad Khane

I spend another wonderful evening, photographing at Murad Khane quarter. First time I was here, I just concentrated on architectural details. This time I try to capture the special atmosphere of this place.
The guide from Turquoise Mountain Foundation refers us (there are some other rubbernecks as well) to different households. We clamber up cranky stairs to admire the view from windows without glasses. We spy local ladies at the kitchen hut and try freshly cooked bulani’s (the stuffed pies cooked in hot oil).
It seems that typically locals don’t live on ground floor. At first house we are invited in, there is a hall without walls were our hostess is trying to scrub the mountain of dishes. The only living room is empty, just covered with cheap matting. There is a TV-set in the corner and the poster of movie Titanic give hints that there is twenty first century outside.
A young lady from other house has heard about coming guests. She is wearing a make up. Lots of bracelets are around her hands. She really seems to like posing for photos – what an uncommon view!
We visit the house of a local elder, too. There is a tiny courtyard in the middle of his house. There are lots of authentic details like wooden shutters, paneling and doors. He has marvelous children. When I look around me, it is surprising to see their handsome colorful dresses, carefully washed hair and even earrings.
One guests asks for the explanation: how can local people survive cold winter time in those uninsulated houses. In response the local men demonstrate us their tradition. In middle of the room a low wooden table is placed and covered by a bed sheet. Under the table warm stone is inserted. Family is lieing around this table: they place their feet under the table and cover themselves by the bed sheet.
And now we are ready to listen to the stories of our grandmothers and grandfathers, says the elder with a smile.

Dedicated to Kunduz

My husband has to travel to Nothern provinces, to visit local centres Kunduz and Mazar. It is not clear at the moment if we will be allowed to travel by car. Or we have to take a plane.
Dreaming about this trip, I am excited. Even local people say that you have to go to Mazar during spring-time when fields are covered by red tulips, I am quite happy to go in autumn time as well. It is a thrilling possibility to see Blue Mosque, the most famous sanctuary in Afghanistan.
My trip to Kunduz over Salang pass in springtime was something very special. Also I liked the rural atmosphere of Kunduz. I only grieved that I didn't see the irritation area that is located near of the town.
The book I liked most about this country is Love and war in Afghanistan by Alex Klaits and Gulchin Gulmamadova-Klaits. Tadjik-American couple collected the biographies in the northern provinces of Kunduz and Takhar. They collected 150 stories; 12 of them are chosen for publishing in the book.
Compering to some celebrated and carefully composed books as Kite Runner (which one is on the top of Amazon bestseller list according to Economist), this book is a real treasure. There are just life stories that are told mostly by simple men, but the tales told by former soviet army soldier or Taliban fighter as well. Is seems that there has been no way to avoid anarcy. Everyone's family was affected by different regimes.
It is a good book for understanding the history of last decades of Afhganistan. Young generation don't know how to live in traditional way, they know only violence and disorder. The memories of older generation can be quite different: some ladies wore western clothes, studied in universities or even chose their spouses. It was real tragedy for them to put on a burka as the situation became unsafe. And there are some stories of ladies who lived in very traditional way, following rigid Moslem rules.
It is a good book to understand how different is life here, comparing to European lifestyle. One story was about a young guy who was for many years attracted to one young lady. Everyone presumed their marriage. But somehow it happened that he sent some sweets (it expresses the wish to engage) to another lady. Some time later he understood that he has done the worst mistake. But it was too late: there is no possibility to withdraw from marriage. This guy has spoiled the life of the first lady (because nobody wants to marry her now), the life of second lady (because she knows that her future husband doesn't love her) and his own life as well.

Zoo story

Some days ago there were rumors going around Kabul about another “successful” operation near Kandahar: lots of civilians had been killed again. First it seemed that NATO agrees to take responsibility for couple of deaths. But now they accept officially that they have been killed 12 innocent persons. But afghans talk about 30-80 deceased.
Next morning we decide with Andres’s colleague Stephen to go to the Kabul Zoo. I am a little bit frightened about the last news. Maybe some citizens of Kabul will take revenge on us? Fortunately it seems that nobody looks angrily at us. At least not in open.
I enter the zoo with some prejudices, because I have heard sad stories about Kabul Zoo. Reality seems sunnier: the old and uglier part of zoo is in ruins. Last summer we visited Riga Zoo in Latvia. The gardens look quite similar. Lions, bears, macacos and antelopes live in a large slab of land surrounded with water. Old star of Kabul Zoo, lion Marion, is now dead. But instead there is couple of new lions. Six bears climb on stumpy logs.
I was a dedicated aquarium keeper at home. Before we arrived to Kabul I sadly gave away my old scalars. It is nice to see the new aquarium house in the zoo: the aquariums seem to be clean and tropical fish are in good condition.
It was a chaos in Riga Zoo. It seemed that every person packed some kilos of sausages in their bags to be hurled at lion. Nobody feeds animals here; they seemed to be more relaxed and follow their normal habits.
It is Friday, last day of long Eid holidays. Officially Eid lasted for three days, but nobody worked on Thursday either. There are lots of families at the zoo. It is interesting to see that some women raise their burkas to have a better look at the animals. Some patrons ask me to take photos of their children, who are smartly dressed. There is other entertaiment as well: you can buy coloured eggs to knock against each other in a sort of game. Stephen puts his skills to the test: how to drive a toy car on the mini-rally course.
One huge swing is installed as well. Stephen and our driver Massoud persuade me to try it. It is a mistake: there is no possibility to fasten itself, there are just some metal benches inside. I grab the metal edge of the swing, press my foot under the next bench and say my prayer not to fall off the swing. Fortunately the flying lasts only for a few minutes. I reel down with shivering feet.

Koop Island

A fantastic album from Swedish jazz due Koop. I implore you to buy this album. Amazon

PikaPika

Is gonna be big.

Walk around the lake

On the third day of Eid we go to walk around Quargha lake. There are four of us: the initiator of the walking Viiu, me, Andres and his colleague Stephen.
It is quite hard to reach even city limits: all streets are so crowded and the stream of cars is endless. It seems that all four million residents of Kabul are on wheels.
Last time we went to Quargha lake was in springtime. Now there is little water left : the level of water has dropped some meters. Actually, Quargha is important water reservoir for Kabul, constructed during drought years of 1999-2001. There are far too few lakes in Afghanistan – deep turquoise color has magic power to attract the residents of Kabul.
We start our walk from Kabul Golf Club. Kabul Golf Club is quite different from a normal golf club.There is no grass in the hills and the golf players are followed by their jeeps and armed bodyguards as well.
We pass main tourist area: there are lots of shelters covered by colorful fabric. Some afghans are waiting for customers near butcher stands and cold drink boxes. Even little harbor for rowing boats is situated on the shore.
Soon we can enjoy just glittering water and dark clouds coming closer over mountains. I only can see a bunch of houses in the distance and some jaded old trees hold their dramatic positions on the top of hills.
Along the shoreline there are lots of deep holes – those are mud brick “factories”. Mud is mashed to the shape of a brick and stowed into regular lines. Afterwards sun will dry the bricks; it is a very common building material for local houses.
We meet some locals: father with his curious children is walking around the lake as well. Crowd of boys wearing their new Salwar Kameez’is (traditional cloth for afghan men) are playing with glass balls. And aggressive shepherd girls who ask me money even for taking photos of goats and sheep. To punish them for their behavior, I secretly take an image of them.
After one and half hour our walk is finished. As we step over the doorstep of our house, something extraordinary starts outside. Thunderstorm and hail are coming down at the same time.

Eid mubarak - happy holidays!

Our landlord’s wife sent us some interesting homemade sweets with raisins and nuts. It is a local tradition because of the end of Ramadan. I cook a pizza and navigate slowly through the garden – because there is no city power and our garden is without lights – to their door. Our landlord seems to be satisfied with my baking. Actually, he has told me a number of times how much he likes pizza.
Today there is the first day of Eid holidays. There has been the feeling of upcoming holidays for some weeks already. Numerous ladies are shopping because there is a tradition that everyone must have new clothes for Eid. There are some other traditions as well: relatives are visiting each other, a lot of eating and gifts for poor people.
Today I go to ramble around the streets with Viiu, our friend who is working for Swedish Committee fo Afghanistan. She lives in Sweden, but she was born in Estonia. During Second World War many Estonians fled over sea in little boats. Many of those boats wrecked, but 6-month old Viiu survived. Until recently it was our only possibility to talk in Estonian: there are our military forces in Lashkar Gah, but no other civilians. Just one month ago the first Estonian diplomat arrived here, but unfortunately he was sent to the south as well.
Today the city is quiet and peaceful: shops are closed and streets are empty. First time I see that there is no sign of life even in “tourist trap” of Kabul, Chicken Street. Only some dusty carpets hang on a mud brick wall. The families wearing beautiful new clothes pack themselves into cars. Boys are running around, brandishing their new toy guns. Innocent bangs are being heard when boys are testing the maroons.
Eid Mubarak – happy holidays, we say to passing people. Almost all answer politely, too. Only beggars seem to be working hard: it is best time for asking alms.

Estalef jai-e besyar maghbul as

“Istalef is a very beautiful place”, is written in my dari language workbook published in 1977. It was a touristic place known because of it’s beauty and traditional pottery.
Story about Istalef is good enough to represent typical story of an afghan village. Once it was surrounded by lush orchards growing grapes, roses and wheat. Timuride emperor Babur wrote about its beauty and colours. Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan, used Istalef as a vacation spot.
In the 1998-2002 Taliban ruled Istalef: the trees were cut down and thousands of the villagers left their homes behind. Nowadays someone can hardly find more than ruins. But some families are beginning to return: they build up their homes and kilns, trying to continue their traditional pottery business.
I drive to Istalef with Ester and Shoshana, employees of Turquoise Mountain Foundation. Young ladies have to fulfill a hard task. They have a meeting with villagers to discuss how to find some gifted students for TMF craft school. But they are quite sure that the elder of village already have some names in the students’ list – his closest relatives...
The translator advises not to speak about the choice during the meeting. “Just concentrate on introducing the school,” suggests the afghan. In Afghanistan you must proceed very slowly, almost gingerly.
Istalef is situated in the hillsides with great wide scenery onto Somali plain. There is a hidden little teahouse in the middle of the grove. And the next moment I see something truly unusual in Afghanistan: a group of oriental tourists is stepping down the staircase along the hillsides...
Ahead there is the villagers’ meeting place: under the shed there are some carpets. Even some flowers are planted around. It is interesting to see how two fragile westerns ladies, wrapped in veils, hold speeches to a large crowd of afghan men. Their talk is politely, respectful and sustained. I think that special oral skills gained in Afghanistan are useful, especially in politics.
After school introduction, most lucrative moment arrives for the local people. Foundation gives away to every person present a bag of glaze. Some of the glazes the potters use contain lead, which is very dangerous. The foundation is trying to encourage to use lead-free glazes.
Before the guy can heave the heavy bag, he must leave his thumbprint on the list. After procedure long steam of villagers waddle towards their houses. Only some of them have a donkey.
Before we leave for Kabul, we stop at the village bazaar. Only for few dollars I buy some pottery. I really like the simple form of the bowls and vases. The deep blue or green color is very impressive, too. The experts say that basic shapes and designs of Afghan pottery have changed a little in 5,000 years. Unfortunately the materials used are low quality: it is hard to find an item without a defect.

The Campaign for Real Beauty

Interesting video from the Campaign for Real Beauty:

Paint vs Paint

Which do you prefer, sony's super budget follow up to Balls or Orange's slightly simpler take?Sony:Orange:

Minutiae of living

When we came back to Afghanistan, we had long list of necessary equipment for dark and cold wintertime. We started out with looking for generator, inverter and stoves as urgently needed items. And our list ends with things for entertainment like guitar, Sat-TV and exercise machine.
And, of course, we started from the easiest end. We bought the only exercise machine what seems to be too strong enough not to crumble the first day. And we got satellite-TV: for four dollars per month we can see channels as BBC, CNN, Discovery etc.
We bought the radiotelephone too. Now there is possibility to have dial-up internet connection using Afghan Telecom. Connection seems to be tricky: I need to move the radiotelephone quite a lot because of the poor signal caused by metal mosquito net in the front of the windows.
Far more serious is electricity business. We bought a little inverter (700 W) with one battery (100Ah), which is enough to keep my laptop and telephone working during daytime.
There is city power for some hours in the evening and in the early morning around two o’clock (because Moslems have to eat before sunrise during Ramadan). Our landlord supplies our house with the electricity during the remaining evening hours in the late evenings. He has a inverter with ten batteries which are powerful enough to have lights. But we can switch on our refrigerator or water heater only when there is city power.
We don’t like the generators – not us, but our landlord as well. But is seems there is no choice. There is less and less electricity with every day and soon there will be no possibility to charge our inverters.
Yesterday we visited Kim to see her alternative solar energy system. She has two solar panels on the roof (a 75 W) connected with batteries (7*100 Ah) and a 2-KW inverter. She has the transformer which switches automatically between solar or city or generator power. The system is good enough to provide lighs and refrigerator. Only the water heater can’t be run by this solar power.
We liked the solar system a lot, but the cost is too high, ca 4000 dollars. For the unstable country like Afghanistan there is always the question of balance.

English

From George Orwell’s six elementaryrules (Politics and the English language, 1946).1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figureof speech which you are used to seeing in print.2. Never use a long word when a short onewill do.3. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cutit out.4. Never use the passive when you can usethe active.5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific wordor a jargon

English

From George Orwell’s six elementaryrules (Politics and the English language, 1946).1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figureof speech which you are used to seeing in print.2. Never use a long word when a short onewill do.3. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cutit out.4. Never use the passive when you can usethe active.5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific wordor a jargon

Stealing the beauty

Yesterday I spent some hours photographing the students of calligraphy and woodworking classes at the Turquoise Mountain Foundation. Actually, it is my first job in Afghanistan.
While my husband Andres has been working as an IT-expert on an animal health project, I spent months before I understood that is not easy to get a job that meets my qualifications. First of all, I am not an English native-speaker. Also I don’t speak Dari and Pushtu, the official languages of Afghanistan. Secondly, I have worked as a journalist and editor in printed media. But here is more need for radio specialists, because illiteracy is so high.
Some days ago I met Rory Stewart, head of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation. Former diplomat Rory walked 6,000 miles across Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal during 2000-2002. His book about Afghanistan, The Places In Between is highly recommended.
Our meeting takes place in an old part of Kabul city where foundation just started to renovate the whole quarter, Murad Khane. Rory is trying to persuade the owners of some 30 surviving buildings to accept free restoration. The remaining sites would then be rebuilt in traditional style.
At the moment the garbage is being removed from the streets. It is a titanic work – the level of the streets has been lowered up to 2 meters... I try to listen Rory, but I am too amazed about atmosphere. I just stand and admire: the yard of Great Serai and the House of Peacocks are most artistic I have seen in Afghanistan yet.
After visiting Murad Khane, Rory invited me to his office situating in the 18th Century Royal Fort in the Parwan quarter of Kabul. This fort is one of the last surviving traditional forts or qal’a within the city of Kabul. The calligraphy and woodwork schools run by foundation are currently located around the fort, too.
I show to Rory my work: the photographs of Afghanistan and some magazines. After short conversation Rory offers me a job: to take photos once a week about restoration work in Murad Khane quarter, and to photograph the students of the handicraft schools as well. I leave the fort, really pleased.