Six White Rabbits for Titus Pullo

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In Bishkek,  parliamentarians sacrificed six sheep to drive out the demons promoting dissention in the parliament. OK.  Whatever works. After all, the governor of Texas asked people to pray for rain. He probably should have asked native Americans to perform a ceremony to produce rain (except American religious bigots don't like other belief systems).  Sacrifices, even promises of future ones, worked for Titus Pullo who swore to sacrifice white rabbits to escape execution for striking a senior officer. At least in Bishkek they ate the sheep and distributed some to the poor - something that would never happen in Texas. 

End Game in the Kyrgyz Republic

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Almost over.  Bakiyev flew to Khazakhstan on Thursday after a disasterous attempt to rally supporters in Osh erupted in gunfire.  Reportedly, he spoke with PM Putin just prior to his flight out on a military aircraft.  What is not reported is whose aircraft it was, where it flew nor the content of the conversation with Putin. I would suspect he flew to the golden towers of Astana (shown in the photo). 

It is highly unlikely that Astana would have agreed to the flight without checking with Moscow. It is also very likely that Moscow has told the interim government in Bishkek to leave Bakiyev's family alone.  If, as they probably will, agree not to arrest and prosecute members of the family - his son, Maxim, in particular - they will need to institute and enforce some serious reforms in the country if they are not to be seen as "more of the same".