Curt Doolittle

Author: Curt Doolittle

  • Magic, Conspiracy, and Truth (irony) (humor) While I can’t empathize with it, I

    Magic, Conspiracy, and Truth

    (irony) (humor)

    While I can’t empathize with it, I do understand why so many women believe in magic. It’s obvious really. If it’s precognitive, it’s magic. Stuff just ‘happens’ for a lot of women. They call it ‘energy’ or whatever. And, if men can obsess about ‘truth’ for a few thousand years, why can’t women obsess about magic? Or astrology. The mind is not open to much introspection. The incomprehensible is indistinguishable from magic. You see conspiracy theories from men the way you see belief in magic from women. Same difference: just different interpretations of ‘magical causes’.

    Ordinary people actually scare me. I love them. But they scare me. They’re like children running with scissors.

    And we let them vote for goodness sake?!

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 16:15:00 UTC

  • ack.. fever… sweats and chills… interesting explosions going on outside whic

    ack.. fever… sweats and chills… interesting explosions going on outside which I assume are fireworks.

    I love these people. every single one of them. the silly slavic bits and all.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 16:05:00 UTC

  • DEAR MR PUTIN : A LETTER FROM A FRIEND I really do love you Vladimir Vladimirovi

    DEAR MR PUTIN : A LETTER FROM A FRIEND

    I really do love you Vladimir Vladimirovich. Your delivery of Russia from chaos has been a great achievement. And you have established yourself as a great man.

    But you value stability more than eliminating corruption. And this is why, if you do not ‘pivot’ from your current strategy, you will fail.

    I want a restored and strong Russia. I think the future of my people and your people depend upon a stronger Russia and a weaker America.

    But people cannot follow you if you have nothing to offer. People will not follow china, because it has nothing to offer.

    Russia can offer one thing: the path to eliminating corruption for the rest of the world.

    If you want to restore your empire, then the total destruction of the corruption that is endemic to the eastern peoples must be placed above your territorial ambitions.

    If you eliminate corruption you will not need to work to restore your empire. It will be a force of gravity. If you do not work to eliminate corruption, you will continue to repel the people and generate discontent.

    Curt Doolittle

    Kiev

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 15:45:00 UTC

  • PUTIN OVERPLAYED HIS HAND US State Department has the spin going, it’s good spin

    PUTIN OVERPLAYED HIS HAND

    US State Department has the spin going, it’s good spin, and someone got the right talking points to the president. Best tactic for Putin is “self determination without chaos”. And just wait. Fear of looking weak might drive him to push the Crimean issue, and then try to split the country under ‘self determination’. My gut is that as long as the protesters hold out for resignation of the president, then unity will prevail. Very interesting.

    Scared as hell the past few days but it’s such a privilege to be here and see people topple a corrupt government.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 15:37:00 UTC

  • (Is it true? Did they just vote to release Tymoshenko?)

    (Is it true? Did they just vote to release Tymoshenko?)

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 12:02:00 UTC

  • Untitled

    http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/02/21/plan-to-divide-california-into-6-states-gets-closer-to-vote/http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/02/21/plan-to-divide-california-into-6-states-gets-closer-to-vote/

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 11:10:00 UTC

  • IN ENGLISH. REALISTIC. (damned british left leaning, overly sentimental reporter

    http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/21/5432730/ukraine-euromaidan-protests-vice-video-documentaryRECOMMENDED: IN ENGLISH. REALISTIC.

    (damned british left leaning, overly sentimental reporter but otherwise it’s accurate)

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 10:59:00 UTC

  • ECONOMISTS IN CHINA –“For most academics not in China, it is difficult for them

    http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/02/the-life-of-a-western-economist-in-china.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+marginalrevolution%2Ffeed+%28Marginal+Revolution%29#sthash.BTYhY3GZ.dpufWESTERN ECONOMISTS IN CHINA

    –“For most academics not in China, it is difficult for them to understand the level of scrutiny and monitoring we face on regular basis. Most professors have students assigned to monitor them and security officials approaching many people to report on our behavior. Our email is widely acknowledged, even by students, as being read. While there are some overt obvious forms of intimidation as I have detailed, much of it is also the “deal you can’t refuse” variety. There are no overt threats but the message is clear.”–

    See more at:

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 09:18:00 UTC

  • UKRAINE UPDATE : A LOT GOING ON TODAY. In theory there is a deal. 1) The 2004 co

    UKRAINE UPDATE : A LOT GOING ON TODAY.

    In theory there is a deal.

    1) The 2004 constitution will be restored within 48 hours, and a national unity government will be formed within 10 days.

    2) Constitutional reform balancing the powers of president, government and parliament will be started immediately and completed by December.

    3) A presidential election will be held after the new constitution is adopted but no later than December 2014

    I don’t buy that they will leave Maydan until the president is gone. But if they restore the 2004 constitution. I think he has to resign. As I understand it, they can fire him right away if so. But that doesn’t mean much here, because the locals have even less respect for rule of law than Obama does. “Lie and make it up later” has become as American as it is Post-Soviet.

    The reason being (you have to remember this is the east) that you can’t trust anyone here to hold to an agreement, so the ‘opposition’ will just assume that the president is buying time. Personally I’d raise the stakes. Call the europeans and have them freeze the assets of the Oligarchs. The guy is on the ropes here.

    One of the districts outlawed the President’s Political party today. I expect that will continue.

    EARLY RECONCILIATION IS FAILURE AS I SEE IT

    – Focus on Corruption, not people and power.

    – Replace the presidency with a prime minister.

    – Get reform of the judiciary and police included in the package. (remove current judicial independence which in this country is a bad thing)

    – Create a senate for the formal federation of the regions.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 09:11:00 UTC

  • (Sick as a dog.) Ack. miserable today. no deep thinking possible. just floating

    (Sick as a dog.)

    Ack. miserable today. no deep thinking possible. just floating on the waves of rumor, propaganda, news, academic blogging pretense, and random pseudo intellectual publications. sigh…

    It’s warm outside. LOTS of people in Maydan today. I saw women walking in skirts with bare legs – they are proud and brave. 🙂 Streets are normal but calm – like a holiday. Traffic is muted. Voices are calm. Yesterday was ‘enough’.

    I love these people.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-02-21 08:46:00 UTC