Monthly Archives: January 2015

What If Putin Were Suddenly to Drop Dead?

Posted on 28 January, 2015 by alfin2101

Update: Putin has not been seen in public since March 5… Rumors are swirling about the possible illness — or even death — of Russian President Vladimir Putin. __Vox At about 11 a.m. ET on Monday (January 26, 2015), our … Continue reading →

Posted in Putin, Russia | Tagged | 5 Comments

Viral Brain Networks

Posted on 26 January, 2015 by alfin2101

A growing body of research has identified the presence of multiple brain networks supporting human behavior. These networks include a salience network involving dorsal anterior cingulate and anterior insula regions thought to be relevant to attending to survival-relevant events in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cognition, Human Brain | Tagged | 2 Comments

Where Child Abuse is Unexceptional

Posted on 24 January, 2015 by alfin2101

In the U.S., child abuse is a crime. In Russia, it is routine. Up to 60 percent of children in orphanages suffer abuse from their caregivers, and it is a rare occasion when someone serves prison time for crimes against … Continue reading →

Posted in Prostitution, Russia, Russian slavery | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Jews and Intermarriage: Spreading the Wealth

Posted on 23 January, 2015 by alfin2101

…it doesn’t matter much whether the assimilated, secularized Jews of Europe stay or leave, for most of their children and very few of their grandchildren will be Jewish. Among non-Orthodox French and British Jews, intermarriage rates are around 45%, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Idiocracy, IQ | Tagged | 3 Comments

Daddy’s Little Girls Pay for College: Trading on Natural “Assets”

Posted on 22 January, 2015 by alfin2101

US college loan debt has shot above $1 trillion, with no sign of coming down to Earth. More and more young girls are being pressed to go to college by teachers, parents, and society in general — whether the girls … Continue reading →

Posted in Dangerous Child, Education, Prostitution, Sex, University | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Is China Ready to Join the Developed World?

Posted on 21 January, 2015 by alfin2101

China is making plans to build a massive rocket booster designated the Long March-9. If it is ready for launch in the year 2028, it will be larger than the US Saturn V. China is in the middle of a … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Poison | Tagged , | Comments Off on Is China Ready to Join the Developed World?

Human Capital Fleeing Europe?

Posted on 19 January, 2015 by alfin2101

Europe is faced with a serious brain drain problem. Since the introduction of the euro, more qualified workers have left Europe than have newly arrived. In the pre-crisis years, the 15 countries that adopted the euro currency exhibited, on average, … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Europe, Russia | Tagged | 21 Comments

Vladimir Putin: International Man of Misery

Posted on 15 January, 2015 by alfin2101

The only… option is to leave the country — but where to go? The closest and simplest destination is Europe, but there terrorists have killed the editors of Charlie Hebdo, and the euro costs more than most Russians can afford. … Continue reading →

Posted in Putin, Russia, Ukraine | Tagged | 13 Comments

Can Russia be Saved?

Posted on 9 January, 2015 by alfin2101

The lines of unemployed workers who line up for a free bowl of soup at outdoor kitchens are growing. Families wait for hours outside banks to empty their accounts before buying anything of value — electronics, furniture — before prices … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, China, Russia, Russian Collapse, Siberia | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Golden Ages and Dynamic Stability of Civilisations

Posted on 7 January, 2015 by alfin2101

The golden age of Greece depended upon trade between far-flung colonies around the Mediterranean. The golden age of Islam relied upon wealth from trade among regions of conquest, and a hub-like cross-trade and knowledge cross-fertilisation between lands in the east … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Discovery, Empire, Wealth of Nations | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Governments: Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Kill Them

Posted on 5 January, 2015 by alfin2101

Some countries allow more freedom and opportunity for their citizens and residents than others. Some nations are more prosperous and welcoming than others. By observing the flow of talented and ambitious emigrants and immigrants, one can get a general measurement … Continue reading →

Posted in Dangerous Child, Dysgenics, Future, Government, Technology, Utopia | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

We Are Marching to Utopia . . . We Will Soon Be There! 2015 Reprise

Posted on 3 January, 2015 by alfin2101

First published on the original Al Fin blog …optimists and idealists — with their ignorance about the truths of human nature and human society, and their naive hopes about what can be changed — have wrought havoc for centuries….instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Utopia | Tagged | 9 Comments