Asia, Africa, Middle-East

ASIA #China trial began : Ilham Tohti, critic of govt policies towards ethnic Uighurs (Muslims) in Xinjiang. http://goo.gl/aXg9py #Thailand - coup generals order name of self-exiled billionaire former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s to be erased from text books. / Economist How Alibaba measures up  #IT #Business - >> http://goo.gl/GfNAWG  - cool graph - #China e-commerce craps on everyone else #China - Central bank injects ($81 billion) into financial system via loans 2 big banks for stimulus / http://goo.gl/BuXrtY  / Heaps info -----------------------------------------------------  AFRICA #Zimbabwe: Mugabe appoints 17 new ambassadors http://goo.gl/6YNJbE - serve 4 yr terms, conditionally renewable #Nigeria 15 pp killed after gunmen attacked teacher-training college>> http://goo.gl/aXg9py - 12 soldiers 2 firing squad over May mutiny #SouthSudan foreigners (excl. diplomats & govt aid agencies) OUT w/in month / RETRACTED amid criticism it would disrupt aid progs /Economist International Organisation for Migration "estimates that 3,000 migrants have died trying to cross the sea to Europe so far this year" / Economist -----------------------------------------------------  MIDDLE-EAST "... where the Press is ‘free’ the problem today is that there is in fact no truly free media. " >> http://goo.gl/ytgMjs  Gulf News I’d have to disagree and say that while the alternate press many not be unbiased, it is at least free to publish a non-establishment point of view. For me, the issue is biased, sneaky, establishment & foreign-interest slanted media in the *mainstream*. R T>> "Turkey would join anti-ISIL coalition if the U.S. had a clear-cut strategy to take out Assad." >> Why Assad? Source - Twitter commentary (Mahir Zeynalov, journalist) -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT As I understood it, some sort of slowing of China economy:  hence the injection for stimulus.   Noticed the European press refers to 'migrants' or 'immigrants' in news that is about refuge seekers.   There's probably an essay about corporate globalism, imperialism, NGOs and the role of media distortion right there. Still don't know enough about the Middle East to figure out why Assad is such a target for the West.  But I expect I'll get there eventually.  Don't read enough of the Middle East news at the moment.

Cybersecurity, Techie & Other

CYBERSECURITY, TECHIE & Other US 'SECRET STATE' #US national security state w/in a state = 6 million classified persons (larger than Norway, NZ or Scotland pop)! >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aMYqzGwwoF8 … -----------------------------------------------------  CYBERSECURITY #cybersecurity - Dropbox, Google & Open Technology World - lending support 2 Simply Secure 2 devel. easy-use sec. http://goo.gl/09sw4B -----------------------------------------------------  DIGITAL CURRENCY / BITCOIN Have notes & coins have had their day? Kenneth Rogoff, of Harvard University, reckons they have. http://goo.gl/4y6Ewo  / #Bitcoin ? -----------------------------------------------------  WHISTLEBLOWERS http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/144776/switzerland-prepares-to-tighten-screws-on-whistleblowers #Switzerland's parliament proposed bill Monday - weakening protection 4 whistleblowers - http://goo.gl/JcBXM9  Julius Baer / #WikiLeaks / The Swiss law is another bit of gagging legislation going around various govts. What's with that lately? It's 4 cover-ups #Switzerland clamping down on whistleblowers but offers #Snowden asylum. If I were Snowden, I'd politely decline ... LOL -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT Loads of interesting information here.  The bit about the US 'state within a state' is rather spooky.   Might have to cross-reference that one with the other US info.

AUSTRALIA - Great Barrier Reef - UN Reclassification Dodge & Civil Liberties (Anti-Terror Laws)

AUSTRALIA Environment #Auspol >>To pre-empt UN from reclassifying GBR as “in danger”, Australia announced a 35-year plan 2 manage Great Barrier Reef >>Economist Civil Liberties #auspol >> there go civil liberties >> RT " #Australia to tighten anti-terror laws http://shar.es/1aswLs  " [Press TV News] Wednesday:  proposed legislation to go before Parliament. -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT The Great Barrier Reef move is a sneaky move (is this the Slippery Government?). Appears the government may be aiming to serve the needs of corporations instead of protection of the environment. Anti-terror legislation interests me in terms of the threat to overall civil liberties.  Not big on any legislation that widens the powers of government or government agencies.

Media Lens Org

MEDIA MEDIA "assumption that human institutions are in possession of Absolute Truth belongs 2 era of The Inquisition, not to serious debate" Media Lens Aim 2 bring awareness 2 systemic failure of the corporate media to report the world honestly & accurately> http://www.medialens.org/  ----------------------------------------------------- COMMENT The Media Lens site looks like an interesting one to check out.

USA: It's On Us | VAWA (1994) + MVRA

U.S.A. USA - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT – MANDATORY VICTIMS RESTITUTION ACT – FEDERAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN It's On Us So much comedic material in the US - Celebrities urge young men to protect female friends by making sure they get home safely. >> Now women in US are 'crippled' second-class citizens who are appointed a patriarchal figure to spirit them home? Advert: "It's on us to stop sexual assault" ... "To get in the way before it happens."/Joe Biden + ors feature in WH campaign The Coalface Clemson University #USA Clemson Uni suspended mandatory online course that asked students & faculty about their sex lives & drinking habits following backlash! >> US is INSANE: "Q. supposed to serve the purpose of educating students on gender equality to prevent sexual violence" !! >Q's such as: "How many times have you had sex?" & "With how many different people have you had sex?" raised privacy concerns. - schools across country R experimenting w/ new approaches 2 sexual harass/prevent/ & ed Federal law. VAWA (1994) + MVRA VAWA (1994) encouraged states to adopt mandatory arrest policies that allowed DV cases to move forward without the cooperation of victims. A lucrative DV industry in US - $1.6 billion>> "One of greatest successes of VAWA is emphasis on a coordinated comm/response" >Involves mandatory 'restitution' > this is fine? .. assume it is to State (?) - 2007 $50 billion outstanding Fed. crim debt! >> Nope. It's money to 'make victims whole' .. US is warped. >> Looks like fair few civil liberties issues assoc. w/ the Act. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_Against_Women_Act … > Reauthorisation of Act signed by Obama March 2013: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s47/text … >> 2009 Review ... but info prob. still good >> http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1112&context=californialawreview  Out of $50 bill uncollected restitution - $10 bill is govt $$ MVRA /Mand.Vict.Rest.Act - mandate that judges order FULL restitution irrespective of MEANS ...[blood out of stone?] COMMENT This struck me as some very interesting information.

USA - Guantanamo Bay - Hunger Strike - Media Suppression

U.S.A. US 'Secret State' #US national security state w/in a state = 6 million classified persons (larger than Norway, NZ or Scotland pop)! >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aMYqzGwwoF8 … Guantanamo Info re Guantanamo Bay, #Cuba is being withheld from press (+ public) ... media don't know how many on hunger strike ... infowars > Get this: ".. or how frequently assaults on guards take place" infowars GTFOOH, it's the other way around. A joke article?    Torture "I prohibited – w/out exception or equivocation – the use of torture by ..USA. I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed" TheHill >> That was Obama 5 years ago @ UN Assembly - http://goo.gl/8QSRWg  >> Man, what happened? Still unwanted 'tenant' of Cuba? “Under international law, States have an obligation to prevent & combat torture ..." ohchr/org >> Does TonyAbbott's legislator know this? >> "Every nation must know: America will live its values, and we will lead by example." ... LOL ... Stop squatting in Cuba! Media http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/218224-global-commitment-to-healing-torture-survivors This article is SO COOL - "Global commitment to healing torture survivors" [TheHill]... Makes you feel all warm & cuddly when you read that. > "donations from ..international community into one fund for torture survivor rehabilitation" .. The Sadists' torture kitty? TheHill so obvious .. 1) Obama bull re commitment 2) Torture fund healing worlds tortured victims 3) launch into Real Agenda: slam #Syria "human rights atrocities committed in Syria " - ATROCITIES ppl!! > UN Puppet has run out of words 2 depict gravity of crimes! -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT Guantanamo must be a sensitive subject for the Americans.   Just as soon as I posted the information that the press is being muzzled, some guy jumped on to point the finger at Cuba! Hopefully the above makes sense.  It does to me, but that might be because I handled the information and it's fresh in my mind. Not sure if the InfoWars people are referring to a *current* hunger strike, or if it was just general information that they're after that's being suppressed by the Obama government. In any event, it's an interesting snippet of America's goings on. Should mention this is part of a wider story -- journalists unhappy about White House suppression of press that's been ongoing (eg  picky re foreign affairs correspondents, reward those that comply & exclude those that challenge authorities (ie do their jobs), law suit regarding NY journalist (think he may have been investigated, spied on, searched and basically harassed, from recollection).  Don't remember the name of the journalist or too may of the particulars, but I think the case is a big deal and it relates to freedom of press etc.   From prior information, it's known that the NSA have been involved in vetting news (LA Times former reporter). Reporters also unhappy in USA that even common reporting (such as routine crime data & statistics etc, that were previously available at police stations as a matter of course) are now being blocked by officials at police stations, who consider the press an intrusion these days.   Just going by memory.  Citations are here somewhere on blog, I'm too lazy to search for links.   Tried to set up the standard Google search thing in Blogger, but it wasn't working.  Might have to tackle it again some time, as it's pretty handy. And check out the size of the US 'secret state'!

USA - Presidential Race / Wealth vs Poverty & Misc.

U.S.A. Presidential Hopefuls Hillary Clinton took Monica's pal, Bill, to a Democratic Party event in #Iowa. Did not reveal if she is in as Pres. candidate running (Econ)  -- Note: Biden also attended & his mouth got him into strife with ADL) Census #US Census Bureau poverty rate drop @ 14.5% 2013, 4 all US / drop from 15% 2012 / Black @ 27% / Hispanics @ 24% >> http://goo.gl/aXg9py They Live They Rule "A corporate-managed state-capitalist pseudo-democracy that sells the narrow interests of the wealthy" .. http://goo.gl/YvSLV6  - Street http://www.truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/26231-they-live-they-rule Powerful article.  Not sure what to make of it.  It sounds familiar.  But it also sounds like science fiction. Modern society has morphed into the realm of science fiction? Scary. 'War on Terror' Replaces Anti-Communism "Anti-communism was replaced by the "War on Terror", as the major social control mechanism" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent#cite_note-6 … Anti-Jewish Kentucky Senator Campaign Candidate 4 Senate #Kentucky Robert Ransdell campaigned with the slogan “With Jews we lose" - ADL not happy - [TimesofIsrael] -----------------------------------------------------    COMMENT So who's going to run for President:  Clinton or Biden? The press reckon Biden's mouth is always gettting him into strife, so the latest Biden clanger is probably true to form. There's a big gap between national poverty and poverty rates of blacks and hispanics. Whoever said 'War on Terror' has replaced anti-communism as a control mechanism is quite right, in my view.   Anyway, that's some of my online US-related travels.