Gambling In Turkmenistan

F1 Outsider recently sent me a news link discussing Turkmenistan's plan to open a Las Vegas/Dubai-esque casino beach resort near the port town of Turkmenbashi. Coincidentally, Putin just shut down all Russian casinos and banished them to The Sticks, i.e. Kaliningrad, Azov, Altai, and the North Korean border.


Turkmenistan is a closed and charmingly repressive society. Entry for foreigners is almost impossible. A 2005 film, put out by Journeyman Pictures, fantastically captures the late ruler of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. The narcissism and sycophancy are beyond belief.

International Ramifications of Han-Uyghur Fighting

If you think the recent violence in Xinjiang is a local, domestic issue, think again. First, Turkey is strengthening its ethnic and geopolitical ties with its Central Asian Turkic brothers by calling the recent violence genocide and royally pissing off the Chinese by granting exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer a visa to visit Turkey.

Moreover, Uyghurs in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are keeping a low profile. They are afraid that if their protests are too loud, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz governments will crack down on them in order to win favor from the Chinese government.

In what may be the most terrifying development, Al Qaeda in Algeria has announced that it will target Chinese workers in North Africa.

There is no question that independence for Xinjiang is out of the question. What the Uyghurs and Chinese central government need to do is sit down like adults and work out a compromise in which China continues to have territorial sovereignty over the region; the Uyghurs are given a lot more autonomy; and Han migration is greatly curtailed, if not reversed.

Photo courtesy Jeffrey Hays

Concours d'LeMons

Tired of seeing a dozen Lamborghini 350GTs in pristine condition lined up in a row?

Rather see a UAZ 452 than a Lamborghini LM002?

Confused about which Concorso Italiano is the real deal?

Sick of one of the Concorso Italianos spamming you every day with updates like "Ferrari Club of Southwestern Idaho Officially Endorses Us As the 'Real' Concorso Italiano"?

Then you should go to Concours d'Lemons.


This write-up on their home page says it all:

"Brought to you by the same miscreants behind the 24 Hours of LeMons and Billetproof, Concours d'LeMons lowers the tone for the Monterey Weekend. Tired of paying $150 to see 150 identical Ferraris? Concours d'LeMons costs 20 bucks and has 20 Pacers and Pintos. Bored with the same old collector-car canon? Our Warsaw Pact Class should be shot from a cannon.

From mint-condition shag vans to Honey Bees, Bricklins, Skodas, and Edsels, Concours d'LeMons is all about stuff that you haven't seen every damn August! The fact that we actually know our cars suck is just gravy. Lots of free parking means no shuttles out to East Jabib. Optional "Small-Wiener Corral" so your Maybach won't have to sit near a Yugo. Easy back-road directions to bypass Laguna's grand Cluster-F.

Monterey County-Mandated Warning: No wine, cheese, straw boaters, silicone-augmented cougars, or watercolors of pre-war Grand Prix races are sold at this venue.

Formula One Mid-Season Review

The 2009 season is half over. Webber won his first race ever. Button and Brawn GP don't look so invincible anymore. Here is my take:

1. Brawn GP (112 points). Button is still favored to win the championship, barely. Vettel has a decent shot of overtaking Button in points. As long as the weather in the remaining venues is warm or hot, then Brawn should be okay. As Vettel gets closer to Button, it will become increasingly less likely for Button and Brawn to "give" Barrichello a token win. Button will stay with Brawn next season. So will old timer Barrichello.

2. Red Bull (92.5). As I write this, I'm growing more confident that Red Bull will win the constructor's title. They are on a hot streak and Brawn is slowly fading. Who knows, Mark Webber may win another one this season.

3. Toyota (34.5). The only thing I can predict about Toyota is that it will be unpredictable.

4. Ferrari (32). With Kimi scoring only 10 points so far, I predict that he will retire at the end of the season and go to rallying full time. Massa, the loyal soldier, will stay on. Neither driver will wow anyone for the rest of the season.

5. Williams (20.5). Both Rosberg and Nakajima are clearly talented but their average cars don't help.

6. McLaren (14). McLaren needs to forget about 2009 and focus on 2010. I feel bad for the engineers.

7. Renault (13). Renault may surge, just like Alonso did in the second half of last season. Look for Piquet to bow out of F1 and Alonso to go to Ferrari to replace Kimi next season.

8. BMW (8). With Heidfeld finishing ahead of Kubica in 6 out of 9 races, it should be Kubica that should be worried about his future at BMW. But alas, I have a feeling that Heidfeld will move to Renault or one of the new start-ups next season. The only good thing to come out of today's win for Webber is that Heidfeld's records for most number of points without a win and most number of podiums without a win are no longer under threat. Plus, he continues to hold the record for most completed races (29 and counting). Go Quick Nick!

9. Toro Rosso (5). Bourdais probably drove his last race today. A shame.

10. Force India (0). Too bad about Sutil today. There is Twitter activity of Sutil rounding up a posse and going to Kimi's yacht for a beat down.

Kashgar Teeming With Chinese Troops

Police Brutality In China Against Uyghurs

Austin A30

I was in Richmond this morning when I drove past an auto junk yard. Lined up next to the street, stacked one on top of another, were Lincoln Continentals with suicide doors, an Alfa Romeo GTV, a Jaguar XJ-S, etc. I had to stop as I am looking for a Citroen chevron emblem to decorate my Honda (inspired by Jalopnik's Murilee Martin). There were no French cars in the yard, but there were many rare cars in stock. My favorite is this Austin A30, the first I had ever seen in person. It has to be the smallest four door saloon I've ever seen.

The yard is at the intersection of Richmond Parkway and Gertrude.

Cars of Waltz With Bashir

The realism of this animated movie is supported by a huge cast of accurately rendered cars.

VW Microbus

Volga and Mercedes

Peugeot 404

Mercedes

Mercedes

Chevy Blazer

Cadillac Eldorado

BMW E21

Alfa Romeo 166

Incidentally, I wonder if Ariel Sharon still weighs the same.

All Urumqi Mosques Closed Friday

The Chinese government shut down all mosques in Urumqi for Friday prayers. When they will reopen remains unclear. Signs on mosque doors politely state:
"People coming to worship must all go home to do it. Thank you for your cooperation."


Yeah, that will smooth things over with the Uyghurs. Good thinking.


Source here.

Uyghur Protest Los Angeles July 9

Tomorrow, Thursday, July 9, at 2 p.m., there will be a peaceful protest for Uyghur rights in Los Angeles. It will be outside the Federal Building at 11000 Wilshire Blvd. at Veteran Ave. Please pass this info to anyone who may be interested. Just showing up to lend moral support will mean a lot. See you there.

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