It will be interesting to see whether this gets mentioned in local news reporting.

So commences an article from freelance journalist Michael J. Totten who is in Georgia reporting on the conflict.  This long article is worth reading.  It gives the sense of actually being there, of travelling to Tbilisi from Baku and then finding your way to Russian occupied Georgia and dealing with angry Soviet Russian troops.  He reports on stories of how Russian troops are lowly paid, how some are reported to be found begging on the streets, and of the soldier who lost parts of his body to gangrene after ritualized abuse by the comrades in his unit.

Empty highway on the road to Gori, Central Georgia (from the article).  Shortly after this photo it gets very scarey.

This is part travelogue, part war-diary, which I found engaging as it’s telling a story that I’m not reading anywhere else.  It’s the first time I’ve actually donated money to a freelance journalist.

And for your edification here is an analysis (a link in the comments after the above article) of the battle.  From the responses it’s not the definitive version of truth, but it’s written by someone with good knowledge.

This is an interactive map of the conflict and here are some images they’ve put together.

some graffiti engraved by a Roman soldier (Azerbaijan was the outer reaches of the Roman Empire) and the mud volcanoes.  The mud volcanoes quietly burp cold mud and methane.  Over the generations they have thrown up thousands of tons of mud but each opening is from a few cms to a metre wide. The larger openings are atop 2 or 3 metre mounds. One story is that many years ago the mud volcano did explode killing a shepherd.

Self-restraint is not a strong trait of 13/14y.o. boys as two of them decided to jump into a mud volcano with one of the school’s GPS hand-held devices. They were up to their shoulders in mud, the GPS was lost but thankfully, they were able to get out.  Needless to say the staff were beside themselves with disbelief, frustration and anger.  The boys apparently had no sense of how dangerous their action was, and probably figured that if they were suspended their school year would simply end earlier.  On returning to school the boys and girls went in separate buses with those in question down to their jocks.  It remains to be seen what action will be taken.

In addition two girls lost another GPS but wouldn’t own up to it.  It seems like the whole year will bear the cost.

We each ordered two small dishes which we shared. There were dishes of eggplants, dried tomatoes, pine-nuts and lots more wonderful things. One of them in English was clumsily translated “Lamb Balls”. They turned out to be some sort of cross between mushrooms and chicken. Some time during the night we asked each other what we were eating, figuring that these were the Lamb Balls, so Chee Wan asked a waiter. He politely told us that they were lambs’ genitals, as no doubt you’ve already guessed. Strangely, when we were finished eating there were a few Lamb’s Balls left on the plates, even though we both agreed they were very good.

I count six days of classes to go. Ah the break will be good.

I walked to school again this morning on a new route after studying Google Earth. I didn’t quite make it however as I accepted a lift from Michael and Jim’s taxi again. I wasn’t expecting them on that new route. I therefore still have not walked the quick route that I gather requires quite some distance walking along the edge of a rubbish tip. The rubbish gets offloaded on the edge of the valley next to school and every now and again is ignited, filling the valley with the smell of burning plastic.

01 April 2008 [12:40] – Today.Az

Elchin Behbudov, chairman of Azerbaijani committee against torture, met with imprisoned editor-in-chief of the Gundelik Azerbaijan newspaper, who is on hunger strike.

The due announcement was made by a source from the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety. He said the reporter is kept in a separate ward of the medical center of correctional ward No 12. “He is determined to hold the action until his health affords it. I asked him to stop the hunger strike, but he refused to do it”, Behbudov said. According to the defender, while speaking to the head of sanitary part of the correctional facility, that in case Fatullayev’s health is endangered, he will be fed by force. It should be noted that on March 26 editor-in-chief of Gundelik Azerbaijan newspaper Eynulla Fatullayev, sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment, went on hunger strike demanding to release imprisoned reporters. /Day.Az/

Western countries have voiced concern over the recent attack on a reporter with Azerbaijan’s opposition daily Azadlig.
US Amb. Anne Derse who visited the injured journalist on Friday stressed that violence against journalists was unacceptable. “We are shocked and appalled by this heinous crime.  Our hearts go out to the young man and his family.”
Agil Khalil was stabbed in the chest by two unidentified men as he left the editorial office on Thursday night. His editor said his injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Khalil said he had been followed for several days and maintained the attack was instigated by officials over his exposing articles.
Derse said this attack and other violent attacks against journalists had created “a climate of fear” in an apparent effort to silence critical voices in Azerbaijan.
“I know that all freedom-loving Azerbaijanis share our outrage and dismay at this cowardly deed, and agree that it is unacceptable.
“Immediate action to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this and other crimes will make clear that Azerbaijan is reversing this climate of fear and upholding the rule of law and freedom of speech,” the ambassador said.
The journalist was previously the target of a physical attack on February 22 when individuals illegally felling trees in an olive garden in the 6th microdistrict of Baku spotted him filming them. The assailants then broke his finger. Bystanders came to his rescue. The journalist said two persons had attacked him.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media on Monday condemned the attack on the Azadlig journalist and urged the government to investigate.
“I welcome the Presidential Administration’s pledge to bring Agil Khalil’s attackers to justice,” Miklos Haraszti said. “Action is necessary not only for the sake of justice in this case but also in order to investigate whether the attack was part of a campaign against Azadlig, which is one of the few remaining independent newspapers in Azerbaijan.”
“Lack of successful governmental investigation in cases of violence against journalists encourages the repetition of such crimes,” Haraszti said.
First secretary of the German embassy in Azerbaijan Robert Zessner, who also called on the journalist, said each attack on a journalist in the country created the enviornment of mistrust and posed obstacles for the activity of local media.
Head of the President’s Office socio-political department, Ali Hasanov, said Azerbaijani authorities considered the attack on the Azadlig reporter an ordinary crime.
“The government’s position on the incident is unequivocal. This is a regular crime, and regardless of who committed it, law enforcement agencies will find and prosecute the culprits,” Hasanov said.
“At the same time, given the fact that a journalist was targeted, we consider this a provocation against the authorities, as in all countries, attacks and other pressure on journalists are taken seriously and damage that country’s image. In this sense, we are taking into account that a presidential election will be held this year, and no matter what the motive behind this crime was, it repsresents a provocation against Azerbaijani authorities. We hope that those who committed the crime will be found and receive due punishment soon.”
The Interior Ministry spokesman Sadig Gozalov said a criminal case had been started on charges of inflicting light damages to one’s health. The case is overseen by the country’s interior minister and prosecutor-general.

Check it out as a way to make loans through local agencies to people who are attempting to become self-sufficient.

Various bits of trivia:

• One internet site today said that 49% of the Azeri population live below the poverty line.
• Through studying children’s lifestyles at school we learnt that street children in Baku are increasing in number.  We also learnt that during the Soviet days people didn’t fall through the cracks like they do now.

Please click on the link and view their website to get inspired with what is possible. At repayment you have the choice to reloan to another person who is working to escape poverty. I made a couple of small loans to Azerbaijani rural people.