Tamerlane's Thoughts

All Urumqi Mosques Closed Friday

2009-07-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-08T19:55:00.001-07:00

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.

View Larger Map

I Am A Uyghur Policeman

2009-07-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

I am a Uyghur. I grew up on the outskirts of Kashgar in a small and simple village. Because of the lack of job opportunities after high school, I joined the Urumqi police force.

For the most part, my job is simple. I respond to traffic accidents and take reports of petty crime. Sometimes, my job is tough. I'm also on the riot squad. By volunteering for the squad, I earn a few extra hundred RMB a month, which helps as I have to take care of my widower father, who is disabled. This week, I've been assigned to use a police van with a loudspeaker to encourage Uyghur protesters to disperse in our native tongue. I've also had to go to Uyghur enclaves and round up suspected instigators of the riots. They are mostly young men. Some are students. Others are unemployed.

I get a lot of grief about my job from my family, friends, and Uyghurs that don't even know me. They think that I am a sell-out and that I am a tool of the Han Chinese and their government. A student I arrested told me that I was no better than a black policeman during South Africa's apartheid period.

I get grief from the Han as well. I know I will never get a promotion, even to sergeant. My fellow Han officers, though superficially polite to me, all think that deep down inside, my allegiance is to the Uyghurs. At protests, I feel alone.

So why do I do it? It is hard for an undereducated Uyghur man to find a decent, stable job in Xinjiang. I have a family to support. I enjoy serving the community, whether it's investigating car accidents or helping crime victims obtain justice. Also, deep down inside, and I don't tell many people this, I believe that we need social order, especially when it comes to Han-Uyghur relations. The lives of Uyghurs could be worse economically. Just look at my brothers in Central Asia and Russia. Relatively speaking, I justify to myself, life in Xinjiang is not that bad for a Uyghur. I think. Maybe.

That is why I am a Uyghur policeman.

Control 2.0 Beta: China's New Tao of Media Manipulation In Xinjiang

2009-07-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Why can't we have succinct, informative, and intelligent analysis like this on CNN in America? Instead, there's coverage from Don Lemon, et al. about Michael Jackson's image on a tree branch stump in Stockton.

Twitter In Xinjiang Amidst Uyghur-Han Riots

2009-07-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Melissa Chan of Al Jazeera is in Urumqi and sending out constant updates of what she is seeing. It seems like the situation is getting worse. Here is a peek:

Equally bad if you're a journalist who is Han-looking in Uighur neighborhoods. We all feel kind of stuck.about 3 hours ago from web
It is dangerous to film around Han Chinese if you have blonde hair and white skin. They get angry.about 3 hours ago from web
The city is now under martial law.about 4 hours ago from web
A Han Chinese man with a stick just tore open our car door to beat our producer. Averted just in time.about 4 hours ago from web
There is no right or wrong anymore. Just vigilantes, Han and Uighur. Mostly men but some women and even children.about 5 hours ago from web
I asked a Han Chinese girl if she was scared. Yes. But this is to defend my country she says with stick in hand.about 5 hours ago from web
Heading to an ethnic neighborhood.about 5 hours ago from web
A few hundred Han Chinese with sticks and knives have come down the road singing the national anthem.about 5 hours ago from web
Locals tell up there are riots now in three or four locations in the city.about 6 hours ago from web
Looking Han Chinese doesn't make me feel safe I must say.about 7 hours ago from web
From the other point of view the police did manage the situation well - it could have escalated far more.about 8 hours ago from web
The last we saw it looked as if the protesters were dispersing but armed police had guns not by their side, but in hand.about 8 hours ago from web
For those wondering how I am twittering. Have been text messaging a Beijing friend who is posting my messages via proxy.about 8 hours ago from web
There are rottweilers with the police. I fear if we leave bad things will happen to these people. #urumqiabout 9 hours ago from web
The government have finally reacted and they are now trying to round us up back to our buses.about 9 hours ago from web
Some men have started throwing rocks.about 10 hours ago from web
Chinese plainclothes with sticks now have shown up.about 10 hours ago from web
Shot police are moving in the protesters are shouting, "Let them free."about 10 hours ago from web
Uighur women with babies and children; hundreds protesting and asking for release of husbands.about 10 hours ago from web

Thoughts On Uyghur Rioting In Xinjiang

2009-07-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts:

No disrespect to my Persian brothers and sisters, but barely a dozen demonstrators in Tehran were killed and there was wall to wall media coverage for the good part of a week. More than 150 have been killed in Xinjiang and I have yet to see any substantive TV coverage.
The fact that the Chinese media is already reporting over 150 dead leads me to think that a large proportion of the dead are ethnic Han Chinese. If the majority of the dead were Uyghurs (read: killed during the crackdown by cops, paramilitary, military), then the numbers would be vague and slow to come to light.
Every picture coming out of the official Chinese media shows bloodied Han Chinese victims.
Without a powerful and organized diaspora in America (e.g. Armenians, Iranians, Jews), the Uyghurs don't have a chance at gaining our support.
Being Muslims doesn't help the Uyghurs either.
As Richard Chen astutely noted, we should not be holding our breath for widespread web application support of the Uyghur language.
Why are Muslims so keen on helping the Palestinians but you barely hear a peep out of them about helping the Uyghurs?
The CCP is pointing the finger at exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer. Here is her memoir, which just came out. I wonder how her publicist feels.
Urumqi's Uyghurs make up a small percentage of the overall population. If the unrest spreads to cities like Kashgar and Hotan where Uyghurs are still the majority, look out.
Every article I've read has described Xinjiang as "restive". Can we be a little more creative please?

Rioting In Xinjiang

2009-07-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

It looks like the rioting in Urumqi was worse than originally reported. I went to bed last night and the fatality count was four. Now, it's at least 140. The rioting may have spread to Kashgar. The story behind it is still murky and incomplete. What is known is that China will clamp down hard. Will the Uyghurs continue to fight back? Is this the beginning of a true movement for "autonomy"? Or just a sort of small blip in the timeline of Han-Uyghur relations?

As always, France 24 is the leader in covering rioting around the world.

There is some type of law banning American companies from selling to China equipment to help its government suppress its people. Apparently, that ban does not cover Ford Econoline police vans.

Dollar Coins: Fail

2009-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

As long as we have dollar bills and the dollar coins look and feel like quarters, nobody will accept the dollar coins.

Susan B. Anthony dollar (1979-81, 1999)
This 11-sided freak of a coin was a disaster. It felt and weighed like a quarter.

Sacagawea dollar (2000-present)
Another waste of metal. Without the abolition of dollar bills, these are useless except at post offices and one single self-serve car wash I used eight years ago.

Presidential Dollar (2007-present)
The Presidential Dollar series is like the state quarter series. Every year, starting in 2007, dollar coins showing the likenesses of four presidents are issued. They are meant to increase the popularity of dollar coins and to educate kids about our past presidents. Considering that I just saw my first presidential dollar last week, it's safe to say that this dollar coin has been another failure.

CKY

Le Bon Bonbon Napoleon

2009-07-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of sour candy, but this caught my eye because of the simple caricature of Napoleon. The Belgian candy is actually initially sweet with subtle sourness down towards the center.

CKY

Central Asian Embassy Tour

2009-07-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

When it comes to traveling, I spend 95% of my time obsessively researching, planning, and daydreaming and 5% of the time actually traveling. In my travel wish list, I've always wanted to travel to all the -stans of Central Asia: the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. What better way to find out about their countries than to visit their embassies, talk to the people there, and pick up whatever travel brochures they have to offer? Here is what I did.

1. Tajikistan Embassy
Address: 1105 New Hampshire NW
Known for: Backdrop for hilarious Aykroyd/Chase Cold War flick Spies Like Us

All five embassies are more or less within ten minutes walking distance from each other. While the richer or slightly richer Central Asian neighbors have embassies on posh Embassy Row, Tajikistan's mission is situated in a more anonymous area near Foggy Bottom. Because it is open early at 8 am, I go there first.

As I approach the front, I notice two entrances. The basement entrance has a sign for visas. The main entrance has no sign so I assume this is where I might find the ambassador. I choose the latter. I open the unlocked door. The interior is simply but nicely decorated. A man in an office, dressed sharply with a European cut dress shirt and striking tie greets me. He appears to be a very educated and capable diplomat. I tell him my interest in his country and he is confused and speechless. After some awkward exchanges, I deflate the tension by suggesting that I should just go on the web to look for tourist information. Relieved, my host agrees. Just as I turn around to leave, a young man who also works at the embassy is already opening the front door for me.

2. Kazakhstan Embassy
Address: 1401 16th NW
Known for: Borat (erroneously), steppes, lots of oil and gas

I make my way for Kazakhstan. I am confronted by an odd statue of Saka the Golden Man. A sign instructs me to enter via the O Street entrance. I enter a short hallway. Immediately to my right is a window for dropping off mail and packages. Behind the open window is a Russian looking man in his 50s sitting behind a desk. He wore what I suspect undercover Soviet cops wore. He was very distracted.

I walked past this window and into a waiting room full of comfortable couches, with a wall of empty visa service windows on one side. Within the circle of couches is a table with a smorgasbord of literature-- promos for the movie Tulpan, brochures for freight companies, and even a book about nuclear disarmanent! I grab everything. As I walk past the security guard again, I ask him if it's okay for me to take all this stuff. Without even looking up, he replies tersely: Yeah, yeah. I walk out with the loot.

3. Turkmenistan Embassy
Address: 2207 Massachusetts NW
Known for: Eccentric former leader Turkmenbashi

Contrary to the Uzbek embassy website, it opens at 10, not 9. So I walk past Uzbekistan and get to Turkmenistan. I'm in the heart of Embassy Row. I see European missions with fleets of BMW 7 series with diplomatic plates. Lower level staff members are getting on their hands and knees at the Turkish embassy, weeding and edging their lawn. I come up to Turkmenistan.

The door is locked. I ring the bell. Through the narrow window, I see a man in a suit down the hallway. He slowly and purposefully walk towards me. Before he unlocks the door with his left hand, he raises his right hand, palm towards me-- the international sign for Stop. He opens the door slightly and wedges his body through the door. I take one step back. I am not allowed in. We chat outside in a serious whisper. The man never had an expression on his face. He does not have tourist information and he wants me gone. I read him loud and clear.

4. Kyrgyzstan Embassy
Address: 2360 Massachusetts NW
Known for: Manas airbase, kidnapped brides

Practically across the street from Turkmenistan is Kyrgyzstan. As I walk up to the front door, a diplomat with a briefcase walks next to me, with the same destination. It's clear that he works there. On the front steps, he kindly and apologetically tells me that all of their brochures were given away during a recent Open House event. Bummer.

5. Uzbekistan Embassy
Address: 1746 Massachusetts NW
Known for: Samarkand, the Silk Road, Tamerlane

The Uzbek embassy looks the most imposing. The driveway is closed off with heavy black chains. When you walk up to the front door to ring the doorbell, it feels like a vacant haunted house. I walk through the side entrance and enter the visa section.

A Nice Lady behind the window is helping a middle aged couple with their paperwork. Seeing me enter, the Nice Lady puts everything on hold and offers to help me. She goes to the back room and spends several minutes looking for any type of literature to give to me. I smile at the couple and feel bad that I'm interrupting their much more pressing business. A girl with a stuffed animal, presumably the Nice Lady's child, walks through the office. The Nice Lady is fruitless but I thank her profusely for her help.

CKY

Casper's Hot Dogs Versus Kasper's Hot Dogs

2009-07-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I've been on a hot dog kick this summer. I've already discussed the anthropomorphic hot dogs of Chicago and incorrectly predicted Kobayashi beating Chestnut at the Nathan's hot dog eating contest.

Well, check back here often this summer. Among other things, I'll be sharing my view of Chicago's Superdawg.

But the real meat of the hot dog series will be about Casper's and Kasper's Hot Dogs in the East Bay. Although we all know that Berkeley's Top Dog is the best, I'm going to go into the Casper's/Kasper's story.

Today, my plan was to go to the Casper's on C Street in Hayward and then eat at the only Kasper's (on MacArthur) and write a comparison between the two. Unfortunately, Kasper's was closed today and I lost my appetite after watching the movie Food, Inc.

My plan for the summer, after I get over the grisly images from the movie, is to go to every Casper's (there are 8 of them) and rank them. Then, I will pit the best Casper's against the MacArthur Kasper's. I will cap it off with a visit to the closed Kasper's at the intersection of Shattuck and Telegraph. So stay tuned.

CKY

North Korean Beer Ad

2009-07-04T06:54:00.001-07:00

What's more American on the 4th of July than hot dogs and beer?

Here is North Korea's first beer ad, which aired on Thursday. The three minute commercial for Taedong River beer, which appears to be a lager, is quite a piece of work. Inspired by early 1980s Fuji Televi adverts, it features synthesized sounds of horse hooves clopping, Sega Genesis-derived electronica music, and an inept beer pourer.

More info here.

CKY

Outside Moais Outside Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

2009-07-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

It's bad enough that quite a few moais have been taken away from their home in Easter Island. But do they have to also display them outside, in the elements?

Moai outside museum in Vina del Mar, Chile

Moai with reproduced eyes at American University campus in Washington, DC

CKY

BMW E30 320is with M Power

2009-07-01T20:34:00.001-07:00

In today's Jalopnik, an engine from the E30 M3 was featured. This led me to wonder, were there any other BMWs powered by four cylinder engines with the "M Power" badge? Apparently, there is.

It's the E30 320is and it was only available in Italy and Portugal. It came in both two- and four-door versions.

Italy and Portugal had exorbitant taxes on any car with engines larger than 2 liters. The regular E30 M3 had a 2.3 liter engine, a no-no. The 320is has the S14 engine from the M3, but reduced to 1990cc in displacement (via shorter strokes). It also shares the M3's Getrag transmission. Everything else in the car comes from the standard 3 series parts bin.

Portuguese sideshow

Info credit: BMW M Registry

CKY

Kobayashi Will Beat Chestnut In Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

2009-07-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, I predicted that Joey Chestnut would beat the unbeatable Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan's 4th of July Coney Island hot dog eating contest. Currently, Chestnut is the odds on favorite at 20:31 whereas Kobayashi's odds are 21:20.

I am predicting that Kobayashi will win this year for two reasons. First, I think he wants it more than Chestnut. Second, he has been showing his dominance by beating Chestnut:

in late July 2008 in a chicken satay contest (5.4 kilos versus 4.1 kilos in 12 minutes) and
in May of this year in the Pizza Hut P'zone (calzone) contest (5 3/4 one pound P'zones to Chestnut's 5 1/2 in six minutes).

The contest will be on ESPN this Saturday at noon Eastern Time.

CKY

Matryoshkas of Putin And Medvedev

2009-06-28T20:55:00.001-07:00

If this doesn't prove that Putin and Medvedev are connected at the hip, what does?

CKY

Anthropomorphic Hot Dogs From Chicago

2009-06-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

What's up with Chicago and their creepy hot dogs?

U Lucky Dawg: 80s fever

Superdawg: Old school

Hot Doug's: Nerd

Gold Coast Dogs: Mr. Peanut's cousin

Felony Franks: The lack of legs increases the creepy factor

CKY

Entry Into Turkmenistan: Denied

2009-06-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on a pseudo-whirlwind tour of the Central Asian -stans. I was just denied access into "Turkmenistan". More later.

CKY

Tabasco Packet

2009-06-25T18:04:00.001-07:00

The greatest food innovation of the year.

CKY

Musavi Versus Musubi

2009-06-20T22:07:00.001-07:00

Not to make light of the situation in Iran, but every time I hear the name of the opposition candidate, Musavi,

I think of delicious musubi.

CKY

Vettel And Vickers Clinch Poles

2009-06-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

In what I believe is a first, Red Bull's F1 and Nascar teams both clinched pole positions on the same weekend. Maybe they'll both win their respective races too.

CKY

Kate Gosselin's New Car: Toyota Land Cruiser

2009-06-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'm staying out of the "Which spouse is more to blame" debate. I'm just reporting on their rides.

In the last few weeks, thousands of you wanted to know what Jon was driving. (It's a practical Nissan 350Z Nismo.) Today, Kate picked up her brand new Toyota Land Cruiser, seen above. I'm still working on confirming rumors that Jon traded his Nismo for a new BMW M3. Stay tuned.

CKY

DC Embassy Tour

2009-06-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Statue in front of Kazakh embassy

I came upon this site while looking for directions to the Central Asian embassies. I thought it would be fun to try to see the missions of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Last year, a group of people walked to all 170 plus embassies in Washington, DC, in ONE DAY. Here is their route. Here is their Excel file with addresses and directions. That takes a lot of stamina. And I thought I was nuts.

Borat in front of Uzbek embassy

CKY

Diecast Models of Citroen XM Cabriolet And Citroen SM Limousine

2009-06-16T22:33:00.001-07:00

I. Want. These.

CKY

Hearses I Prefer Over Lincolns and Cadillacs

2009-06-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Mortality has been on my mind since watching a clip on how hearses are made. Here are some hearses I'd take my last car ride in.

Mercedes 600

Holden Ute

Citroen DS

Citroen CX

Bentley

CKY