Back home....

I woke up with a terrible headache. I drank some minerla water and felt myself better. Then, we all dressed up and went to Anjela's new house. According to the Korean tradition, the bride had to cook a rice cereal for her mother-in-law. And judging by this, her mother-in-law would tell how good and skillful she will be. We ate some of this cereal with chinese sticks. After some time we all went to Guloston and from there we got on the minibus and returned safe and sound to Tashkent. I was so tired that I decided to take some nap, but couldn't. I tried ot do some of my translation, I managed to translate some 3 pages and then decided to watch the telly. My new friend from Yangiyer, Elya, called me and we talked for a while. She said that she's coming to Tashkent on Sunday. Well, I have to tell that I like her a lot, but still don't know what should I do. I know that she also likes me, it was unexpected, I met her only yesterday and we're kinda like each other a lot. Well, time'll tell, tomorrow I have to finish tihs damn translation and get back to my normal state, because I am still very tired. This is it for today folx...

Korean wedding

Today is my best friend, Anjela's, wedding and I was invited, that is why I called Umid and we decided to meet in the morning.
Early in the morning I met with Umid and Gulya, we caught a taxy and went till the Sobir Rahimov metro station. From there we got on the minibus, which was to take us to Guliston in Syrdaryo Region. Anjela's other friend, Elena, also joined us and we went en route to Yangiyer, where Anjela lives. In two hours time we were already in place. We met with her parents and immediately started our preparations for the bridegroom's arrival.
According to the Korean tradition, he arrives at 10-11 o'clock, with his small entourage, friends and relatives. But before entering to get the bride, he has to face some challenges. The interesting thing that we have no idea about this traditions, but since Umid got all the details from the internet, we prepared everything. So, the bridegroom has arrived and the first obstacle on his way were colored bands, which were blocking his way and to continue his friend had to cut these bands with scissors and at the same time describe the bridegroom's best qualities. It was really funny, especially when there was a repition bridegroom had to pay some sort of a fine. After this he had to answer some 20 questions about his future wife and her mother. If he fails, he has to pay a fine.
The next challenge is to find a correct answer to the question: "What is the reason of your marrying to Anjela". We prepared some coloued balloons with paper answers in each of them. He had to find a correct answer, by blowing balloons. For each wrong answer, he had to pay. Finally he found the right answer: "Because I love her".
The next one was to put in a huge basket the most precious gift for the bride. The bridegroom just stepped on it and this was the right answer. Then he had to foce his way to get into the house, not by force, but by trying to persuade the bride's brother to let him in. And her brothers were demanding some green bucks, instead he gave them 200 som of the same green coloring, since they asked that they want some green cash. After this his way was blocked again, her brothers again were on his way and wanted him to draw the bride's nameon the floor with money. Finally, he persuaded them and this time he had to undergo the last challenge. He had to find a bride, he had to find her exact place of hiding, otherwise he would have to pay for the wrong guess. Anyway, he found her and we all congratulated them and then we all sat together.
At the table, an elder from the bridegroom's side acquainted us with his relatives and an elder man from the bride's side did the same. Then we all drank for their health.
After this small ceremony we all went to the registry office in Guliston. We got on the white Volgas with flowers and headed to Guliston. So, when we arrived, we had to wait for a while, because there were others too. When our turn came we all went in and watched a ceremony of marriage. Then we all went back to our cars and drank some champagne for the health of our newly-weds. After this we went to put some flowers to the monument of bereaved mother and took some pictures there.
From there we went to the bridegroom's house and there continued our celebration. But there also were some obstacles on the way of the bride's enetering his home. So, the bride's elder relative stopped a car with the bride some 20 metres away from the bridegroom's house. This time he told them that the car ran out of petrol and told them to bring some fuel. The bridegroom's side immediately brought small table with a vodka and cognac, it was kind of fuel. The bride's relative drank a little glass of vodka and said that this petrol was of low quality and they need something really good. So, he was offered a glass of cognac and tasting it, he said that this one will do fine, but this fule will be enough for 10 metres only. After 10 metres he again told a driver to stop the car and this time the bridegroom's relatives and friends had to push her car until his house. Finally, she was there, but before stepping out the bridegroom's mother had to dance and only after this the bride could go out. Here again, she had to put her foot on the sack of rice and then only she could put her foot on the floor. The bridegroom, or I think I better call him a husband, since they were already oficially registered as husband and wife, anyway, her husband to her on his arms and went up to his flat. We sat for some time, until the beginning of the wedding in his house and then we all went to the wedding.
I saw that Mr Byers and her other colleagues also arrived. So, we all went it. We took our places and the ceremony started. For about an hour all the relatives from the both sides were invited to the scene to congratulate the newly-weds. We also congratulated them. the funny thing was that the wedding was full of Uzbek music too, not only Russian or European music, but our national music and it was very cool.
By the way, there were also some elemetns of the game during the wedding. Some gilrs were invited to the scene and asked to do the belly dance and to collect the money from the guests. The girl, who collected the biggest sum, was a winner. Also, there was a hide and seek type of a game, someone had to hide the bride's shoe, in this case it was Umid, and all the people had to bye her shoe from him. He went around the guests, offering them a drink and collecting the money and then he gave all the money to the newly-weds. Well, the rest of the wedding was usual, singing and dancing. Also, in the end, the bride sang a song in Korean for her husband's mother, he did the same, but before her and devoted this song to her. It was so romantic and beautiful. Well, this is all I can tell about the wedding. As for me, I danced and drank for the helath of the newly-weds!!!
(I'll try to post some pics, the moment I get them!!!)

Party time

After the work we all want to some restaurant called "Nefertity" to celebrate our Team Leader's and former colleague, Said's birthdays. This place was really cosy, designed in Egyptian style. Well, our local coordiantor was also with us, but since no one likes him it was quite unpleasant to sit with him. Anyway, we danced a lot and said lots of toasts. Of course, I wasn't totally relaxed, because I had to go to Anjela's wedding in Syrdaryo tomorrow. I didn't stayed until the end of the party and went back home with Muzaffar. I need to get some sleep, because I have to wake up early tomorrow. Well, that's it!!!

New Trojan swaps porn for Koran

A new Trojan horse program circulating around the Internet this week appears to be on a moral mission to stamp out adult Web sites, according to security research firm Sophos (Profile, Products, Articles) PLC.
Instead of snooping for sensitive financial information or secretly taking control of an infected computer, the Trojan, called Yusufali-A, monitors Web surfing habits. When it spots an objectionable term such as "sex" or "exhibition," in the browser's title bar, it hides the Web site and instead pops up a message taken from the Koran, said Gregg Mastoras, a senior security analyst with Sophos.
"Allah knows how ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes," reads part of the message, Mastoras said.
If the user does not quit the offending Web site, the Trojan will eventually displays a message reading "Oh! NO i'm in the Cage" and force the computer to log-out.
Trojan horse programs are similar to viruses in that both contain malicious software that is installed on the user's computer. But Trojans, unlike viruses, do not try to spread to other computers once installed.
Other than chastising adult Web site surfers, Yusufali-A appears to cause no serious harm to infected systems, Mastoras said. Users must be running the Windows operating system and click on an e-mail attachment to become infected with the program, he added.
While Yusufali-A is unremarkable from a technical perspective, its moral tone sets it apart from other malicious software, Mastoras said. "It's remarkable to me because it's not really trying to steal any money or confidential information."
Sophos has not received many reports of users being affected by Yusufali-A, which is blocked by up-to-date antivirus software, Mastoras said. Infected users can removed the Trojan by following steps posted here: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/trojyusufalia.html
Mastoras said he had no idea why the Trojan was written, or what the "i'm in the Cage" reference might mean. "One thing I never do is try to imagine what's in a virus writer's head," he said.

Uzbek-Born Teenager Crowned Miss England

An Uzbek-born teenager on Saturday night became the first ever Muslim girl to be crowned Miss England and will compete in the Miss World in China in December, news agencies reported Sunday.
Hammasa Kohistani, 18, was born in Tashkent, central Uzbekistan, after her parents were forced to flee Afghanistan.
She said she was delighted but surprised to learn she was the winner and hoped she would not be the last Muslim girl to receive the honor, AFP reported.
“When they announced that I had won I thought I had misheard... it took a second to sink in,” said Kohistani, dressed in an ivory white chiffon and silk ball gown designed and made by her mother.
Asked about being the first Muslim Miss England, Kohistani said: “I’m making history and I’m very happy. Hopefully I won’t be the last.”
The brunette, who speaks six languages including Russian, Persian and French, looked ecstatic as the crown was placed on her head before a cheering crowd in Liverpool’s Olympia Theatre. She was selected from a group of 40 entrants following the two-day competition. The student, who was known as Miss Maya after the Asian fashion house which sponsored her, has also been offered a part in a forthcoming Bollywood movie.
The competition winner secures a place in the Miss World final in China in December which offers a $100,000 prize.
Kohistani and Sarah Mendly, 23, a biochemistry graduate who had already been named Miss Nottingham, were among four Muslims among the 20 finalists — a fact that has annoyed some senior Islamic clerics, AFP added.
The contest comes against the backdrop of attacks by Islamist suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters in London in July, raising tensions in Britain, which counts a 1.6 million Muslim minority.
Well, I am really happy for her and am very proud. I wish you good luck Hammasa Kohistani!!!

Uzbek writer speaks of the East and West, negative sides of globalization, freedom of speech & mass media

I just translated an interesting article, which was written by the People’s writer of Uzbekistan, Otkir Hoshimov, and published in one of the regional newspapers of Fergana Valley. I think that it would be of interest to you. Please leave your comments if you disagree or agree with what writer says!!!

Uzbek writer speaks of globalization, freedom of speech, mass media

Every mankind leaves its trace in the history. For instance, we called the XX century, a century of space, a century of cybernetics. We called it a century of man’s reaching the Moon… There is a deep truth in all these words. And we are describing the XXI century as a “century of information science and news, a century of globalization”. There is also deep truth in these words. Nowadays, two worlds in a real sense of the word have become very close to each other. That is, the news about an event that took place in a remote corner of Australia will spread around the world in five minutes. God forbid, if an earthquake takes place in the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the news about this will appear on the Internet in front of a college student in Tashkent within ten minutes. Apart from this, another process, the process of globalization, which is bringing the world together, is gathering strength. Universal monetary unit, universal system of protection, coordinated economy, a unified system of implementing scientific achievements, and the system of Internet, which connects seven continents…
It is quite a useful process. A process, which serves the progress of the mankind and unifies the governments on the path of common goal…
It is so, but what if the globalization causes some problems regarding such issues as national uniqueness and national value? For instance, what if one nation’s customs and traditions, and outlook, which have already taken shape, seems “strange” and “alien” to another nation? For example, I do not know exact translation of such Uzbek words, as “faith”, “conscience”, “tact”, “sin” and “sense of shame” in European languages.
To summarize, the huge wave of the XXI century – a globalization - is entering our life with force and yields its own fruits. Electronic mass media outlets, Internet cafes, discos, video - bars, strip clubs (fortunately, these yet have not taken roots here), soap operas, whose heroes appear every minute on the screen…
By the way, let us talk about the soap operas. Why, such films as “The winter sonata” and “The tale of the autumn” [South Korean soap operas], which were made in accordance with the Eastern etiquette and describe the human’s complex fate astound our spectators and take a place in our hearts? The reason for this is simple. The viewer sees in these films, situations that are close to his spiritual world. At the same time, there are quite superficial and silly movies, and if they are being watched side by side by the father-in-law and daughter-in-law, by the mother-in-law and son-in-law, and by the brother and sister, the level of tact between them would slowly get thinner and finally disappear. Let alone the adults, the children also watch obscene behaviour of a man and a woman on the TV and without even reaching the age of maturity they become shameless. If “intelligent” adults are watching indifferently such entertainments in front of them, then there is no big deal if “unintelligent” kid is watching them too. Today, the child is going to watch a love soap opera and tomorrow without even becoming mature they would secretly go to the video-bars and watch obscene movies. He will start from smoking the cigarette, then move to the drugs and finally will become drug addicted. As a result, one can see that nothing like dignity and pride remains. In the end, a strong boy and beautiful girl will first lose their human face and then their life… The parents will have nothing else to do but to pray. And they do not know that the roots of this tragedy go back to the times when their 10-year-old son or 9-year-old daughter were watching on the TV people kissing and were told via the TV that it is not shameful to fall in love today with one person and tomorrow with another. Without knowing this, they wanted to taste as soon as possible these “mysterious” things…
It is natural that the globalization will not leave aside the mass media outlets. Nowadays, the TV set has become not in a figurative, but in a real sense the looking glass of the world. A person who has got a dish aerial can easily watch hundreds of channels. If he wants he may watch a comedy, a tragedy, an action film, or an erotic movie… Is there a guarantee that a gown up boy or a girl is not watching these things secretly from the parents?
Nowadays, there are around 1000 mass media outlets functioning in Uzbekistan. According to the law, any legal entity or individual possesses the right to publish a newspaper and magazine and to establish a television and radio channel. This is also a fruit of the independence and a sign of freedom of opinion and freedom of speech. However, there are such things that might be common for some foreign mass media outlets, but for our readers and viewers these may be concepts, which would trample our values and dishonour our spirituality. One may give dozens of examples of this. Unfortunately, things describing way of living of the ‘”Westerners”, but which are completely strange for us are also being shown on our mass media. When normal newspapers of huge circulation are printing out article of some shameless woman, called “Being a co‑wife to my daughter’s husband”, and another newspaper publishes a “life story” of an “experienced” prostitute’s “turning into a virgin girl”, this can only be called as an attempt to cripple the national self-consciousness?! What will readers learn from such articles? To what paths will they lead the young people?
Of course, a freedom of speech is a good and necessary thing. But is this right when a freedom granted to someone is used to influence the other’s consciousness, to make nervous thousands of newspaper readers and to disrespect our values?
I remember what one journalist has said during a big meeting. “When a journalist will be able to say whatever he wants at any time and via any mass media, then it truly will be a freedom of speech!” Let us dwell on this. What does it means? Is not it demanding an unlimited right? So, is he a God, that he possesses an unlimited right? “If he is able to tell the truth”, one can understands this. But, what does it means to “say whatever one wants”? What if he said whatever he wanted at any time and via any newspaper or television and radio and defamed an innocent person, which was in reality a made-up libel? What if it is a tension, which is being fueled in order to put one nation against another, to promote the terrorism and in general to provoke an anxiety within the whole society? After all, he wants to say whatever he wants not among a circle of friends or in the café, but via the newspaper with a circulation of thousand copies, via the TV, which is being watched by millions of viewers, and via the Internet that can be accessed from any part of the world! Is not this an embodiment of the saying, which says that words once spoken you can never recall?
Of course, it would be mistake to conceive the globalization as some kind of “alien” concept for us. Globalization is a process, which is taking place around the world and which cannot be turned back. Along with the other countries it is also very necessary and quite useful process for Uzbekistan. However, this should not be a one-way process. Globalization does not mean losing a national identity. The world civilization is considered to be beautiful and rich with distinctive traditions, culture and spiritual values of various nations. Each of these nations has the right to live and to prosper. Nowadays the basis of globalization is made up of Western standards. It is unjust that some country or countries proceeding from their own mentality are “putting into action” the globalization of some nation or nations in other countries. This is the reason for my saying this. Of course, there is a need for the globalization. There is a need for the Internet. There is a need for an exchange of information. All of these are important! However, all of these should not be at the expense of the one side taking place of another and forgetting about one’s own traditions and values! Our history is as ancient as the other nations are. Our traditions are as valuable to us as traditions of other nations to themselves! We are not the infants, who always imitate the others! The whole point is in this! Otherwise, there is a possibility that this process might be useful on the one part, and on another might cause a serious damage. That is, it is possible that our centuries old values might be damaged, the people might turn into a “crowd”, which lost it roots, and the nation might turn into something shapeless, which lost its face. The only solution to prevent this from happening is to protect our values with all our might, and if necessary to show it to the whole wide world, without depreciating the values of others.