Tips About the San Francisco Olympic Torch March

Yesterday, my faithful sidekick B and I made a recon trip of the torch relay route. Here are some tips for you out-of-towners and locals.

1. The Embarcadero is a two way street separated by an island and trolley lines. I don't know if the center island/trolley lines will be accessible to "spectators". So if you are on southbound Embarcadero watching the relay going northbound, you may be very far away from the action (the street is very wide).

2. Given what happened in Paris today, the farther you stand from the start line, the less likely you'll see the torch pass by, as I would imagine demonstrators would try to disrupt the torch right when it gets out of SBC Park.

3. The western stretch from Beach Street to Bay Street is semi-steep. The relay will slow down here a lot. If you want to yell behind the barriers and keep pace with the relay, you should be in decent shape. The rest of the route is as flat as Kansas.

4. Be respectful to the cops. They are only doing their jobs. Give them a break.

5. Get there early. The relay starts at 1 p.m. But if you want to stand right behind the barriers, you should get to your spot by 10 a.m. at the latest.

6. Bring a sweatshirt. It will be cool. Plus, sunscreen, snacks, water, and a good book to read won't hurt either.

7. Figure out what you are going to say to the media ahead of time. Nothing hurts your cause more than incoherency or the appearance of irrationality. Those in America's Red States are expecting whacky liberals. Prove them wrong.

8. Expect the unexpected. The route may change, the start time may change, the route may be shortened, etc. Print this map as a reference.

I expect to see the following groups: Tibetan protesters, Uyghur protesters, Falun Gong people, Burmese supporters, Darfur people, torch bearers, Chinese goons in blue track suits, SFPD, media, the lone Southern Mongolia independence supporter, human rights activists, AIDS activists, Red China supporters, and a handful of Taiwan independence people. I will report back on what I see.

Have fun and be safe!

CKY

Golden Gate Welcomes Olympic Torch

Game on! Game on!



CKY

French Beat Brits In Extinghuishing Flame

The flame is out.

CKY

Londoners Welcome Olympic Torch

Man tries to grab torch.

Man tries to "extinguish" flame.

Paris and San Francisco are next.

CKY

BMW Power

Finally, F1 isn't just a two-team show anymore. After 22 races in which either Ferrari or McLaren held the pole position, Kubica in his Sauber BMW clinched the coveted spot at the Bahrain GP. In 5 1/2 hours, we'll begin to see if he can finish first.

This is not only a great accomplishment for young Kubica, a sophomore from Poland and all-around nice guy, but a great validation for the hard work of team principal Mario Theissen. Under his leadership (and the dedication of the entire crew), BMW should have a fair to decent shot of the constructor's title this season.

My prediction for the podium: 1) Kubica, 2) Massa, 3) Kimi.

CKY

What I'd Take to Make A Costco Run

But wait, you say. Those fantasy garage cars are great, but they have no luggage space. Don't you need something more practical?

Yes. For my fantasy utilitarian vehicle garage, I add the following:

Citroen H Van
Because it's odd, ugly, weird, and French.

Land Rover Defender 110
Because my driveway may be on a 60 degree incline.

Unimog
Just because.

CKY

Tamerlane's Fantasy Garage-- At Last

After three years of hard work, I have finally assembled my ultimate fantasy garage. I have only three criteria for my fleet, the cars have to be fast, beautiful, and exciting.

AC Cobra 427
Why God (if there is one) put Carroll Shelby on Earth.

Aston Martin DB5
Good enough for James Bond, good enough for me.

Aston Martin Lagonda
Bizarre beauty.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Timothy Dalton's most beautiful companion.

Bentley Turbo R
Class; urgency.

Chevrolet Camaro
What I wanted when I turned 16.

Citroen SM
A French car with an Italian engine, a marriage made in heaven and hell.

Datsun Fairlady Z
The Porsche beater, made in Japan.

Dodge Viper GTS Coupe
There is no substitute for engine displacement.

Ferrari 288 GTO
Magnum's Ferrari, with guts.

Ferrari F40
My favorite Ferrari of all time.

Ford RS200
Fast enough to bend the space-time continuum.

Ford Sierra Cosworth
I ashamedly coveted the U.S.-market Merkur XR4Ti.

Honda NSX
The reliable Ferrari.

Lamborghini 350GT
The un-Ferrari that out-Ferrari'd Ferrari.

Lamborghini Countach
The first car I learned how to draw, and continued to draw for three years.

Lamborghini LM002
The only SUV I would actually own and drive.

Lamborghini Miura
The first supercar.

Lotus Exige
Why less is more.

McLaren F1
Greatest car man ever made.

Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
The father of all super-sedans.

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Fifty years ahead of its time.

Mini Cooper
A David in a field of Goliaths.

Nissan 300ZX
The best sports car of the 1990s.

Nissan Skyline R32

The boldest and cleanest Skyline of them all.

Porsche 928
The Porsche in every 1980s movie I've watched.

Porsche 930 Turbo

The uber-Porsche of my childhood.

Porsche 959
The uber-Porsche of my teenaged years.

Porsche 993 Turbo

The uber-Porsche of my young adulthood.

Renault R5 Turbo
Incredible hatchback, from France.

TVR Tuscan
Unbelievable curves.

Special thanks to all the talented amateur and professional photogs on flickr. I got most of these pictures from them.

CKY

Who's Up for A Game of Keep Away?

Torch in Turkey. Six Uyghurs arrested. I'll bet the Chinese security guards have diplomatic immunity.

CKY

Uyghur Protest Outside Blue Mosque

Word has it the Chinese government just rounded up 70 Uyghurs in Kashgar. It is probably a pre-emptive move to thwart any "irregularities" from taking place when the Olympic torch drops by in June.

Here are some pictures of Uyghur demonstrators in Turkey. I have not heard of any demonstrations while the torch was in Kazakhstan (no surprise). I would expect more protests by Uyghurs and their allies as the torch travels to Western nations.




CKY

When Red Pigs Fly

The AMG 300SEL 6.8 was known as the "red pig". They were so powerful and went through tires so quickly, France's Matra bought them to test aircraft landing gear. 'Nuf said.



CKY