GERMANY: NSA, Energiewende, Coal, AfD etc

GERMANY #Germany - 6000 ppl ('Normale Leute') assembled to express their outrage over NSA spying - politicians & activists - http://goo.gl/cKM2gJ Germany's media has been highly critical of France, Germany's top partner in Europe / "Frankreich" / "Krankreich" / 'sick' #Germany Set 2 Miss 2022 Climate Targets As Coal Use Increases / http://goo.gl/9csdZi  >>> #environment #globalwarming #Germany aiming to shut ALL nuclear power by 2022 / electricity generated from coal in 2013 hit the highest in 24 years #Germany opened more coal-fired power plants in 2013 than any other time in the past 20 years! #Germany “Energiewende” has added more than $134 bil to power bills of households, shop owners & small factories.>> http://goo.gl/9csdZi  >> Falling coal prices >> Merkel’s govt has announced it considers coal-based power plants as “indispensable” ------------------------------------------ #German Eurosceptic party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), 3rd in poll >> making it the LEADING OPPOSITION PTY - http://goo.gl/YHTlkz >> "Mut zu Deutschland!" / 'Courage to stand up for Germany!' ... Merkel swings the other way: consensus across the EU #Germany/ Business Confidence Drops for 5th mth as after ECB stepped up euro-area recovery - http://tinyurl.com/nb8h3o4 >> German coys R embarking on biggest-ever acquisition spree in #USA, chasing deals that promise innovation & growth (equipment:  medical, automotive etc). ---------------------------------------- COMMENT Some info on Germany.  Should be self-explanatory.   Might have to come back to do a look-up on the political party.   Sitting on too much gathered information right now.   Need to backtrack and post info before the information's unmanageable.

UK: Education, Religion, Coal & Tobacco

UNITED KINGDOM #UK - Chief Rabbi leads opposition to GCSE faith plans - http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/mirvis-faith-gcse … >> What is the State even doing involving itself in religion? #UK More coal -- I could learn to love coal if this keeps up. This time Russia supplies UK w/ coal. Lots of it -- 51%. #UKPolitics - Labour party announces tax hike for tobacco firm profits - http://tinyurl.com/kdm76xm  - Now: av total tax pk cigarettes at 86%. #UK Labour 'new deal'' on water bills & pressure companies into reducing prices - http://goo.gl/9u5RB2  - will it win votes? #ukpolitics >> OMG!! -- "Last year the firms made more than £2billion in profit and handed their shareholders £1.8billion in dividends." ---------------------------------------- COMMENT Just some random UK info I came across. The state seriously has no business getting involved in religion on any level, in my view. Ideally, there would be no religious schools.  But that's not something you can outlaw, I suppose. Germany and UK have high coal needs, as does India. Poland coal mining is struggling:  hey, there's an opportunity here. Labour's not doing itself any favours trying to hike up tobacco taxes, which are already at 86%. Even though I smoke, I would rather tobacco be outlawed.  People will pay anything to maintain habits.  But if you outlaw a product, the majority would be unlikely to go to the extent of lawbreaking to obtain tobacco. But, just as there's no chance of religion being outlawed, there's no chance of tobacco being outlawed either. Oh, there's one more:  alcohol.  Get rid of it.  If I stood for election with ban religion, tobacco and alcohol, I wouldn't get a single vote.  :) Labour's giving with one hand (water) but taking with the other (tobacco)?

SYRIA / IRAQ - Is full-scale war looming?

SYRIA  /  IRAQ SYRIA  /  IRAQ Tartus city/ Mediterranean coast #Syria -- 2nd largest port city in Syria -- 29°C - Wed/ 4:54 pm / #Russia has permanent naval base there ISIS -- US-led coalition will have to resort to the engagement of ground forces -- http://tinyurl.com/nwme9j3  -- New Eastern Outlook >> ISIS is a multilateral non-uniform coalition .. serving as means to an end:  for establishing an indep/ Kurdish state in north Iraq" >>> "Israel expressed its willingness to recognize the Kurdish state" [neo] deeds of "militant organization so far is a serious blow to Islam and the Muslims" - legitimised West intervention in region. >> while appearance of enemy to West ... "group may, in fact, be supported by certain Western structures" / some blame US & Saudi Arabia "Syria’s air-defense arsenal can in no way be discounted, as was the case in Libya." - Gaddafi had the gear /not the expertise >  weakness of high-tech weapons / to maintain in operating condition, spare parts & trained technicians required >>BUT (if I understand NEO correctly) contractors, incl. those from  US & NATO, can be engaged by ISIS for pay -- & have been? COMMENT All the info regarding the above has come out of the linked article - New Eastern Outlook - here. Impossible for me to guess at out how accurate the information might be, when I don't know about the region. Not sure if I knew about the Russian military base at the port or not.  Often I'll read things and be intensely interested at the time, but then it's all forgotten ... and I'll come across the same information and be surprised all over again.   Embarrassing.  LOL Hopefully, I'm not repeating myself here. I didn't understand the last bit of the article where it looks as though the writer's saying members of US and NATO are engaged by ISIS. To be honest, I got kind of excited in the middle portion of the article thinking 'hey, I've got the hang of this', thinking I finally understand what's going on -- but by the end of the article, I was back to being confused! No clue what's going on over there.   Reading about the new organisation (in Motherjones) just spun me out, like the whole thing's a never-die monster out of a horror movie. Think the fear-mongering has got to me.

Bling Bling's Come-Back

FRANCE RT >> "Sarkozy: suspension of the investigation for corruption" [Le Parisien Poodle] >> Gee, how did that happen? - #France > Bling Bing wants 2 head UMP party : making a play for presidency in 2017 > 'love of #France' reason / not self-interest lol - on gaining presidency in econ/ downturn, first thing Bling did was give himself a 140% payrise - http://goo.gl/TZra5j - FT >> "Mr Sarkozy’s penchant for money and glitz helped earn him the nickname President Bling-Bling." - [FinTimes] >>    LEGACY:  "higher unemployment, higher taxes, inflated public debt & doubling of trade deficit"  !!  [FT] >Challenge: con ... er, convince the public ... piece of cake. media savvy, dynamic, skilled & ambitious ... bye #Hollande http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb179a4c-4269-11e4-9818-00144feabdc0.html Suspension Graft Probe #France - Graft Probe Suspended by Paris appeals court pending study of request by Bling Bling > http://www.therakyatpost.com/world/2014/09/24/paris-court-suspends-graft-probe-sarkozy/ … > suspension & inquiry could last months COMMENT As the reporter said, this should spice things up. I'm betting on Bling Bling.  Sure winner.   Hollande's popularity is at an all time low -- and he's the one enforcing an austerity budget ... although he inherited higher unemployment, higher taxes, inflated public debt & considerable trade deficit from Sarky.

ASSANGE - MEDIA DISTORTION

ASSANGE MEDIA DISTORTION Agence France-Presse " ... international news agency headquartered in Paris. It is the oldest news agency in the world and one of the largest. It transmits news in French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish & German." Not-for-profit co-operative. Source: Wikipedia - here. Other Agence France-Presse employs staff in over 160 countries around the world. >> So it's got 'embassies' all over the world? >> Editor graduate: Paris Institute of Political Studies -- study & research of contemporary political 'science'. Ooh, worked as an adviser to politician Laurent Fabius - media & culture - http://goo.gl/MRE1n7   / Fab is now Min Foreign Affairs Lebanon - Headline: Assange Extradition to U.S. 'Far-Fetched'  Swedish prosecutors seek to discredit #Assange - Political Prisoner @wikileaks – http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/148497-assange-extradition-to-u-s-far-fetched … >>> #FreeAssangeNow NSW, Australia - Headline: Assange Extradition to U.S. 'Far-Fetched' Mullumbimby paper picks up lame AFP discredit 'circular' > #Assange extradition to US ‘far-fetched’ > http://goo.gl/EXkVAh - @WikiLeaks http://www.echo.net.au/2014/09/assange-extradition-us-far-fetched/ #France - French ruling class entitled, arrogant & presumptuous? >> "French politicians are not used to being held to account by newspapers in the way British ones are." [DM] .. kinda, lol > French newspapers - weak & deferential / heavily subsidised by - thus beholden to - French state. Shackled by privacy laws! >> "As a result of all these factors, corruption in French politics is rife." [DM] - #FreeFrenchPress >> Corrupt & erring French politicians have no fear of the "poodle-like French newspapers" [DM] >> or the photo-journalists >> In #France political class essentially restrains the journalistic class — the two are often indistinguishable [DM] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2178982/Rampant-corruption-Mlud-Leveson-learn-looking-Frances-poodle-Press.html COMMENT Ecuador has granted Assange political asylum on solid grounds and the facts speak for themselves. This AFP 'circular', from the French puppet press, distorts the facts.

UK - Human Rights Under Attack

UNITED KINGDOM #UK - labour party conference - some guy vows: human rights at heart of general election campaign / Tories to scrap Human Rights Act [Ind] -- Therese May, Goddess of Human Rights & ors., question whether 2 walk from European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). [ind] >> Liberal Democrats have refused to countenance changes re human rights laws - http://goo.gl/izztAu COMMENT An interesting development.

UK - Gary McKinnon Case

UK - Gary McKinnon #Hacker -- Gary Mckinnon beat US extradition + 60 yrs>> http://goo.gl/DqHqDy  - humanitarian grounds - rest on hacking general, East Africa -- accused of hacking into 97 US military & NASA computers / deleted critical files / 24hr shut-down of 2,000 computer network - deleted weapons logs - rendered 200 PCs inoperable - paralysed munitions supply delivery US Atlantic Fleet! / Data + p/words -- "Your security is crap" message left for authorities ... LOL -- free for 3yrs ... then subject to bail ... involving daily sign-in @ police station >> 2012 Home Secretary Theresa May - extradition blocked HR ground - DPP, Keir Starmer no 2 pros in UK b/c evidence in USA UK govt easy on hacker that blocked weapons delivery ... but holding a publisher - #Assange - prisoner w/out charge 4yrs. Why? SRC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon COMMENT The McKinnon matter was mentioned generally in an article on hacking. Curious.  Checked it out. McKinnon was free for 3 years, until he became subject to bail conditions in 2005 (daily sign-on at local police station) and then got off on humanitarian grounds (which would probably cover every single accused on the planet, if you think about it) and the matter against him did not proceed in the UK because the evidence was in the US! Not that I want to see McKinnon in a US prison, but I'm curious how this works and why the vast discrepancy between the handling of a hacker case that involved tampering with weapons delivery, compared to the case against a publisher -- Assange -- who is undoubtedly a political prisoner and has been for 4 years at great cost to the UK. Something is wrong here -- and what a pack of slimy, corrupt hypocrites.