In Summary: RUSSIA, FRANCE, UKRAINE

RUSSIA #Russia - x6 Rus. fighter jets intercepted near #Alaska - in Air Defence Identification Zone (not airspace) http://goo.gl/aWTtgZ ADIZ - no treaty, no reg. body etc - just 'buffer' space 2 prepare 4 foreign aircraft - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Defense_Identification_Zone … “The ADIZ is a zone of airspace which extends out approximately 200 miles from the coastline and is mainly within international airspace.” FOX NEWS SPINNING CRAP - "US fighter jets intercept #Russian military planes off Alaskan coast" - sound serious. but Rus. not in airspace. -----------------------------------------------------    FRANCE   #France - Marine Le Pen's anti-imm/ National Front party won abt 14 % of Calais vote in town hall elections in March [WorldBulletin]  Calais a prob 4  UK | ($6.4 million) annually over 3 years contribution to border control @ Calais - deal done [WorldBulletin] http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/144794/britain-france-agree-to-tackle-illegal-immigrants -----------------------------------------------------  UKRAINE RT >> "#Ukraine’s parliament agreed to give more autonomy to eastern parts" Economist >> #Novorossiya, that doesn't sound like independence -----------------------------------------------------  Watch #CarlBildt talk a heap of crap about #Russia 'smash & grab' & threat to World Order >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sT0ITOYLjyE … Global Strategic Review >> 'Democracy' in #Ukraine 'threat' to Russia ... Carl & co need for find a new schtick. Nobody's buying democracy for Ukr. Carl's prescription: 'help' Ukr. REFORM ECON/ end 'insane' dependence subsid. GAS 'preserve' + strengthen DEMOCR. pol system >> This will line pockets of West ... er, save Ukr, THWART Kremlin 'ambitions' & FEARS of LARGE PARTS EU will subside! LOL >>> Once that's sorted, everyone can get on with real agenda ... COLONISATION .. er, 'integration' ... hahahah >Resort to 'decade ago' nostalgia crap .. prosperity, security, freedom, peace & stability ... NOW 'exposed', 'vulnerable' LOL >>> Cool ... Carl says #Putin could well be in power in #Russia a decade from now! Maybe Carl can get anor job in Georgia? > Well, well ... Carl did say 'IF' they succeed (referring 2 Ukr/ 'project') .. so Carl & co ain't so sure of themselves. LOL  Postscript Carl Bildt is honoured to be invited to become a member of the Council of IISS COMMENT Bildt's heading for the IISS. Probably his reward.  Looks like it's where all the establishment types go when they've served their purposes in government etc. Fox News media distortion spotted.  With the picture of the US jet fighter and the headline, you'd think this 'interception' of Russian jet-fighters was some big deal.  Nope, it's not.  Weren't even in US airspace.  Furthermore, this sort of thing is a common occurrence ... someone quoted as saying 'about 10 times a year' (paraphrasing). That's about it from yesterday's travels.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

In Brief: On Venezuela & On New Zealand

VENEZUELA Standard & Poor’s downgraded #Venezuela & put the chances of sovereign DEFAULT in coming 2 yrs at 50%. >>http://goo.gl/aXg9py >>> Uh-oh! #Peru Alonso Segura is new Finance Minister / has the task of reviving economy hit by lower commodity prices. http://goo.gl/aXg9py -----------------------------------------------------  NEW ZEALAND MT I've just spoken 2 my friend John key PM of NZ. I congratulated him on a big election win on back of great economic plan [Dave Cameron] >> Fancy these two being chums ... LOL -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT ALONSO SEGURA new Finance Minister, Venezuela. Wall Street Journal indicates he's a well-known economist.  No policy changes expected.  Article - here. Not only is it unbelievable that Key got elected; now Judith Collins is back as well! *Facepalm* -- what's going on in NZ? The Scotland and New Zealand results are really depressing.

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.