An American-style casino opens in Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan. (Kurd.net)
The first American-style casino is opening in Iraq.
Lawk Salih reported:
Sulaimaniyah, Not to be outdone by the establishment of the American University in Kurdistan autonomous region so called 'northern Iraq' in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, a ballsy Russian businessman, Vitaly Kouznetzov, has helped bring another, sexier, slice of American life to the Iraqi Kurds: he's brought a touch of Las Vegas to that same Kurdistan's cultural capital with the launch of an American-style casino.And, local children started classes this month...
Sulaimaniyah is located near the border with Iran (Iranian-Kurdistan), and has long been considered a bastion of liberalism in a part of the world known more for intolerance and chaotic bloodshed.
Public Radio International (PRI) interviewed Mr. Kouznetov, and in it he explains to his bemused interviewer, Lisa Mullin, just how he has managed to open a casino in a Muslim country riven by civil strife and religion-inspired killing.
Money to be made?
Very good customers, he notes - just look at their cars. Good peoples, different people.
Not at all worried about security, huh?
Actually, security is very good, he says, much to Mullin's surprise. Of course everyone is armed. Everyone carries Kalashnikovs, but we have a room by the door where they can check them, one hour, two hours, however long they need.
Booze? Just beer. Well, that's better than nothing. We hear it's hot there.
Iraqi Kurdistan is a secular region, and the most secular city is Sulaimaniyah, the Kurdistan's cultural capital.
Nejad Tawfiq, left, a teacher, hands out candy to her pupils on the first day of school in Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Sept. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed)
Meanwhile... The democratic organization MoveOn.org shows that they don't support our troops but like serving turkey to Brits in their latest attack ad.
(It looks like they just pulled part of the ad.)
That MoveOn ad is two years old.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens in Sulaimaniyah, stays in Sulaimaniyah!
ReplyDeleteSomeone has to get the good news out and Gateway Pundit is doing it. Thanks Jim for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteLawk Salih
www.lawksalih.com
I have updated by 'Victory in Iraq by 2008 forecast', which I first wrote in May 2006. I have assessed how the various metrics are tracking.
ReplyDeleteThis casino is proof of a strong economy.
Strong economy? Iraq has over 60% unemployment.
ReplyDeleteAnd the past 24 hours has seen a big bushel of more good news:
-At least 50 die as new violence erupts in Iraq on Friday
-Blackwater besieged by more Iraq allegations
-Iraq PM rejects U.S. Congress call for federalism
-At least 18 killed, 20 wounded in latest attacks in Iraq
-Somalia, Myanmar, Iraq top corruption blacklist
-Draft report: Iraq government ‘not capable’ of fighting corruption
But Gateway, this casino in Kurdistan means that it will all turn out peachy creamy in the end.
dhalgren,
ReplyDeleteYou are a moron with no understanding of statistics or common sense. You are also a sicko who actually hopes for bad news in IRaq, even when there is none.
All of the following points are true of the US, which is the richest country in the world (among those with more than 10m people), and a place where millions would love to immigrate to :
1) 2000 murdered in September in inner-city violence.
2) Democrats refuse to cooperate with Presidential attempts to enhance US national security.
3) US 2nd highest greenhouse gas emitter in the world (after China).
4) 42,000 killed in auto accidents on US roads in 2006.
5) 3 million people died in the US is 2006 (mostly of old age).
6) Draft Report : US not capable of eliminating all corruption.
7) Dow Jones Industrial Average is 2% below the record high of July.
The fact that you have to resort to highlighting that '18 people were killed' to say that the Iraqi economy is doing badly, is both pathetic and typifies the leftist inability to comprehend proportion, as well as the leftist lust for bad news and hope that brown people die.
Here is why Victory in Iraq is on track for 2008.
Here is proof that Bush voters in 2004 tend to be smarter, more capable people than Kerry voters.
Dhalgren,
ReplyDeleteSources for your propaganda please?
This is good news too:
US-led forces kill top al-Qaida leader
The USA is a country of 300 million. Iraq is country of only 28 million, with 10 million in Baghdad alone. You can't possibly compare the two.
ReplyDeleteOK. Let me put this in another way. You'll have to bear with me. I'm going to explain what is going on in Iraq (something which you don't seem to read much about).
Iraq is in the middle of what has been called a "self-sustaining cycle of sectarian violence." You can also call it a civil war. But it is more like gang warfare on a huge scale.
Some states (outside of the Kurdish ones) are controlled by Shia. Some are controlled by Sunni. And Baghdad is a checkerboard of Sunni and Shia neighborhoods, each either protected by a militia, or using death squads to kidnap, torture, and murder members of the other sect.
The Sunnis have been driven out of the country for the most part. And a group that calls itself al Qaeda in Iraq is a Sunni terrorist group, with possible backing from Saudi terrorists.
The Shia are the majority. If they win this civil war, then they could be a possibly ally of Iran, or at least come under Iran's influence.
The USA is in an impossible position. We can't choose one side to win over the other, because a victor by either side would result in some sort of victory by one of our enemies.
There are only three ways this ends:
1. The two sides kill each other off and the violence subsides.
2. A federal system is set-up, whereby the Sunnis and the Shia can govern themselves, and become segregated. Iraq, being broken, will have to become a loose collection of states that govern themselves.
3. By some miracle, the Iraqi government is able to get both sides to stop fighting, complete its major political goals, build Iraq's infrastructure, restore positive cash flow from the sale of oil, get most of its adults employed, and lead the nation under a unified central government (which by the way, the Kurds with their casino want no part of).
And the USA is counting on scenario # 3 to achieve victory. This, after we broke the country and it has remained in this state for roughly 3 years (since the 2004 Fallujah uprising).
My vote is for number 2.
But what do I know? I'm a moron who is hoping for our nation's defeat and the death of more Iraqis.
Nir Rosen is the journalist I trust the most because he is on the ground in Iraq. An Israeili-born, objective, brave guy. Here he is on a panel from March of this year that includes Richard Clarke and a Gulf War general. Not a single one of them prediects a happy ending for Iraq. And most agree that the Kurds have a unique position of being just outside the chaos.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13710030/leaving_iraq_the_grim_truth/print
If it's published in "The Rolling Stone"... It's gospel.
ReplyDelete++
ReplyDeletejust a sampling:
The NYTimes and political mathematics
excerpt:
[But if the NYT can’t accurately report on whether 11 or 17 ministries are vacant, then they sure won’t have the capacity to tally-up 138 ‘no confidence’ votes; it’s interesting that the reporter didn’t press Mr. Shahbandar on whether or not Allawi can deliver all 25 votes from his bloc alone towards the “movement” to yank out Maliki. At least four MPs on Allawi’s list have recently expressed their desire to secede from his bloc and form their own coalition with other ‘dissident’ MPs (Safia al-Suheil, Mahdi al-Hafiz, Hachim al-Hassani and Wa’il Abdel-Latif).
The political situation in Baghdad is far more dynamic and fluid, and with many more moving parts, than the picture that is being relayed by this newspaper report: new alliances are being made, and new loyalties are being formed; someone in an established position of authority, such as Maliki, has plenty of space to maneuver and make promises here and here to win over the fence-sitters. It's coalition politics, and the operative word here is patronage.]
Other Iraq developments
excerpts:
[The request includes $11 billion for 7,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles --an addition to the 8,000 MRAP vehicles already planned for deployment.]
[Turkey and Iraq have agreed to sign a counterterrorism deal cracking down on separatist Kurdish rebels holed up in bases in northern Iraq, officials said. The pact signed in Ankara, Turkey's capital, would require Turkish forces to seek Iraqi authorization
to cross into Iraq for small-scale operations to chase the rebels.]
[Iraqi troops prevented a suicide attack by two bomb-laden trucks against a dam on Lake Tharthar. The Defense Ministry said the trucks were driven by Afghans, who were captured.]
[The House overwhelmingly condemned the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org for a recent advertisement attacking Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as "General Betray Us." The vote was 341-79. The Senate passed a similar resolution last week.]
Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric meets Sunni leader
excerpt:
[Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani met the country's Sunni vice president on Thursday for the first time to discuss a new initiative aimed at uniting feuding politicians.]
An Interview with Col. Richard Simcock
excerpts:
[As Col Simcock describes, Fallujah
is a far different city today :
Q – What’s new in Fallujah since we last talked ?
A – I’m pleased to say that nothing is new. It’s the continuation of good news throughout my AO. We’ve just finished the last part of a ‘swarm’, which is like a small-scale surge into a district of the city, and now the last district in town is under control of the I/P’s.]
[Q – Fallujah must be unique in this ?
A – Absolutely not. Shiek Sattar and the Sons of Anbar have reached out from Ramadi into the whole area. Habbiniyah is safe. You’ve been to Ramadi, you know it’s safe. Al-Quam, Rawah…this is a far different environment than a year ago.
Q – Problems with the Iraqi Security Forces continue to make the news, and Gen Jones called for the disbanding of the Iraq National Police. Are these problems you encounter also?
A – No. In fact the Coalition Forces have taken a backseat to the ISF. In my AO these guys do a great job; the IP’s are aggressive and very competent, the Neighborhood Watch is extremely effective. We’re available to help, but let me tell you that these guys are good.
Q – How is Fallujah governed ? Is it still run tribally ?
A – Not at all. Mayor Saad was elected, and is supported by a 20-seat city council. There is an elected government here, with
a growing city government. They’re taking an active interest in making this a livable city again.
Q - Do the locals have any pride in their country? It seems to me that they’re Al-Rishi, they’re Sunni, they’re Anbari…and being an Iraqi is about # 9 on the list. Can we build a country if they don’t care ?
A – No, Andrew, I think that they have a great pride in being Iraqi; they have a very nationalistic fervor. We (Marines – ISF – IP – IA ) are always playing the Iraqi national anthem at our events Pride in being an Iraqi is especially true in the Iraqi Army, which is predominantly Shia. I’d say that they have the interest in creating an Iraqi “state’.
Q – What do the local citizens want – either from their mayor or from us?
A – They want the same things in Fallujah as we have in America; health care, education, and technology. They want good schools, markets with food and stuff to buy, along with electricity to run their computers, air conditioners, and businesses.]
sounds like things are going dang good to me!! (thumbsup)
Busting the Bad Guys East of Baghdad
Roll-on Roll-off Basrah berth turned over to theIraqi Port Authority
excerpt:
[Known as RoRo, the $2.7 million project doubles the number of the ships that can dock and unload simultaneously. Rebecca Wingfield, GRS project engineer with Thi Qar Resident Office, said that mean more goods delivered and more income for the port and its workers.
“Another aspect of this project is that it was Iraqi designed and constructed. The Iraqi people can be proud of this project because it is theirs alone. The Corps funded the project and provided guidance and project management to see this project through to completion,” she said.]
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ReplyDeleteThe Rolling Stone??
uh, pardon me..
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
sorry, can't stop LMBO!! :D
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ReplyDeleteAyatollah Ali Sistani Blasts Foreign Media For Bogus Reporting!!
excerpts:
[“Be as a great mountain – he added – immoveable before the attempts of some media to attack our unity, exaggerating the number of the victims and speaking of confessional war”.]
[“Your country is rich and I want you to set aside differences between yourselves and your Sunni brothers and stand like a formidable mountain against attempts by certain satellite networks which try to disrupt this unity because these networks exaggerate about the reports of deaths and explosions and depict them in a way as if tribal war is underway in Iraq,” the statement read which was released by the information office of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.
It is the first reaction by the grand ayatollah against foreign media which try to inflame hatred among Iraqi civilians.]
dang, we sure could use a Sistani
to tell our f'n seditious media off!!
lots of news available here..
Operation Iraqi Freedom (Arabic)
Operation Iraqi Freedom (English)
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ReplyDeleteoh no, not..
Richard Clarke??
good greif, i'm busting a freakin' gut!! too flippin' funny!!
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Iraq seems to be following a pattern similar to the former Yugoslavia. When the dictator Marshall Tito died in 1980, Yugoslavia eventually broke up into several states, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. These states fought a bloody civil war that lasted more than a decade. Today most of them are democracies with growing economies but there is still serious sectarian violence in Kosovo and we still have troops stationed there.
ReplyDeleteDhalgren,
ReplyDeleteI tend to trust people like Michael Yon, Michael Totten, and Bill Roggio who are on the ground over there pretty much on their own dime. Not beholden to any publication that hates President Bush or his policies. Also, on a personal note, perhaps you should learn how to make a link if you're going to post on blogs.
Golden Palace Makes a Cameo on Rocky
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Golden Palace is making a lot less headlines recently.
The last time I saw any mentioning of Golden Palace was in Rocky 6 as one of the girls that
hold the sign that indicate the number of round had their logo printed on her stomach.
This brand made “online gambling” a part of mainstream entertainment,
making it a recognizable brand name in almost any house hold in the US. However,
the international crowd, gamblers from France,
Portugal and Spain for example didn’t know a lot about this casino giant.
The promotional antics taken by the casino were targeted mostly at an American based audience.
My point is that with the globalization of online gambling, this Golden Palace has changed the way it markets itself globally,
hence the Rocky Cameo. This is as mainstream as you can get which is kind of strange for this online casino
if you have been following their history the past few years.
Appearing in a Rocky movie which is considered a classic no matter where you go in the world or
what language you speak can definitely be perceived as an attempt for creating the same brand name recognition,
where gamblers play online. It doesn’t matter if you are from Poland,
Germany or
Denmark;
it’s likely that you have seen the latest Stallone installment and noticed the Golden Palace cameo.