Loyal readers will note that I changed the logo. I also took away my commentaries on links leaving you the reader to figure out what these things are. My link list was just getting too long with all those descriptions. I am also thinking of revamping the site a little more, and I would love feedback on these changes and anything else about the layout that you don’t like. Or things you really like. I have nothing specific in mind so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

For the past two weeks, there has been quite a bit of coverage on TV and in the print media about the increases in prices of bread in Central Asia. This week, in Kazakhstan the issue came to a head and was brought to the government’s attention. Some report that in Shimkent a leposhka (flat Uzbek bread) which used to cost 35 tenge or about 25 cents can cost up to 100 tenge or 80 cents. Already the Communist Party, Ak Zhol, Auyl and Rukhaniyat (all opposition parties), as well as the Social Democratic Party have released statements calling on the government to intervene. The leader of the Trade Union Federation also weighed in saying that in general, increases in food and utility prices have outstripped inflation, and that further the government underreports the rate of inflation.

I know the Western reader is wondering how the price of bread could possibly be a serious problem. The Western reader has never been to a cafeteria here where people pile 4 or 5 slices of bread onto their tray. Where construction workers buy shopping carts full of bread loaves to lunch on. Where most snack food consists of some variation on meat-filled pastries. Let us not forget that beshbarmak, the national dish served at almost every celebration or formal dinner, consists of wheat-noodles. In short, bread is a staple food in Kazakhstan, eaten with every meal and eaten by some in substitute of a meal. It is also the sort of thing that people find hard to accept as being expensive. Therefore sharp rises in prices impacts people strongly and also will be hard to explain away. It is precisely the sort of thing that could lead to serious protests against the government, overturning the official claim that the economy is strong and people live comfortably. (more…)