News From Yalta

december 14-15

2007-12-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

yesterday i turned 28. this morning, mihkel and ibsen danced at my house. he is wearing my pants, because he fell through the ice of a stagnant pond last night.

progress komunizma

2007-08-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

progress komunizma from newsfromyalta and Vimeo.

lenin in sublet

2007-08-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

lenin from newsfromyalta and Vimeo.

squathouse blues

2007-08-09T23:50:00.001-07:00

while shooting a monologue from the cherry orchard for class two years ago in prague, this guy came up to me and my friend. my czech was bad, and he didn't make much sense anyway, but when we declined following him to his squathouse, he asked if he could sing a song on camera...

Squathouse Blues from newsfromyalta and Vimeo.

fishing with grandpa

2007-08-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

fishing with grandpa
Uploaded by newsfromyalta

nurek

2007-06-09T06:38:00.002-07:00

last sunday went to nurek, famous for its hydro-electric plant, the highest landfilled dam in the world, and a really beautiful mountain lake.

turbines

powerplant women during lunch break

negotiating our access to the lake with the guy wiht a kalashnikov

a cowboy at heart

postcarded

uzbekistan

2007-05-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

delayed by lack of internet access, TB outbreak, and a general lack of time, below are some pictures from the uzbekistan trip. the rest are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/newsfromyalta

goats eating trees in one of the town squares in bukhara

this phallace was once the tallest structure in central asia. even genghis liked it.

bukhara

kind of empty these days... talked my way in here for free.

a glimpse of our future. taken by andrea on the outskirts of khiva.

not only is this makeshift bridge over the giant amu darya river made out of floating boats being constantly reattached together, they also charge an entrance fee...

a market in some town we passed. not much to buy here...

machupichuesque remnants of a 5th century civilization.

this mosaic should fill you with righteous happiness. it reads: equality, happiness, peace, brotherhood.

having to find gas stations with gasoline higher than grade 80 added an extra element of excitement to our trip. the stations are often 300-400km apart. once we rolled up to one with 1.5liters remaining in the tank...

one of the most romantic places in bukhara - the palace of marriage certificates!

i am getting schooled in central asian history. in response i doled out filmmaking advice for this woman's aspiring son.

37C

slip-n-slide

for insomniacs

2007-05-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Goats
Uploaded by newsfromyalta

rocking the kasbah

2007-05-07T01:42:00.000-07:00

on friday we drove to farhor, a small town in the south of tajikistan 5km from afghanistan border, to conduct training...

earpopping

corporate logo

our leader, working during "coffee break"

a visiting ifc spy/journalist is interviewing the local trainers we are training. he asks his questions in english, i translate them into russian, they answer in tajik, safro translates their answers into russian, and i finally deliver in english.

the gun on the right is saying that soviet times were a lot better than now...

...and she is explaining why she prefers demokratia.

zoology

2007-04-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

a griffin (a type of eagle) is called a "bald chicken" here. a zebra is a "sailor donkey."

instant coffee

2007-04-23T02:44:00.000-07:00

instant coffee
Uploaded by newsfromyalta

the olden ways

2007-04-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

citizens of dushanbe still maintain a close relationship with nature: when an airplane flies overhead, they know whether it's the friday flight from samara landing, or the daily moscow-beiging passing over. if you drive, you need to know the precise location of every pothole on every street, unless your backseat drivers can direct you around them. when choosing a driving route, the shortest distance between destinations isn't the fastest, as you need to carefully plan your itinerary based on where you're least likely to be stopped by cops. but for some reason tajiks still haven’t figured out the connection between car accidents and running through red lights…

last night i had a dream...

2007-04-22T04:19:00.000-07:00

last night
Uploaded by newsfromyalta

handwashing laundry with BARF

2007-04-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

dushanbe night drive

2007-04-19T06:46:00.001-07:00

dushanbe driving
Uploaded by newsfromyalta

tajikistan rules

2007-04-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

in no particular order: tap water is dark brown and stains the teeth and my sweat soaked, handwashed laundry. living in the "center" i wake up at 4:30am when the roosters crow. the national airline (tajik air) is known as "tragic air". i was stopped by the cops for a bribe, and 1 somoni (30 cents) would have been sufficient. i saw group of 8 guys beating up one guy, with their girls watching. a few nights ago i tried to turn on a table lamp - it didn't work. i tried to turn on another lamp - still nothing. when i hit the ceiling light switch a lightbulb catapulted out of the chandelier, hit the floor, and didn't break. for $200/month i get a bedroom, livingroom, hallway, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, ceilings, carpets on the walls and on the floor, but no gas. 33C during the day and a view of mountains from anywhere in the city. tajikistan, tajikistan all around me...!