The Russian propagandists are really having a crack at the Azov Regiment, so for a balanced viewpoint, I thought I would take a look at the origins of the Azov Regiment and where they are now. Let us keep in mind that Ukraine has a democratically elected government and Russia is a fascist dictatorship – it is really that simple.

Since 2014 Russian backed separatists have been operating in the Donbas region bordering Russia, it is well known that Russia is supporting the separatist movement arming the militia and providing financial support. Then there was the invasion and occupation of Crimea also in 2014, the Ukrainian military was too weak to resist and they lost that territory. When the Azov Battalion was formed to drive the Russians out, there was claims about far right ideology and torture. I am not here to defend them, I am just doing some internet searching to identify the genesis of this organisation.

So this is where the Azov Regiment really began to build strength. Are they a right wing nationalist organisation? Well, based on the criteria that they have had their sovereign territory invaded and occupied, this provides a fertile recruiting basis for Ukrainian nationalism to evict these invaders from their territory. Is the Azov Regiment a Nazi organisation? I severely doubt it, are they fascists, nope. Are there fascists in Ukraine? You bet there is, they are easy to identify, they are the ones with the Z symbol on their military hardware.

I am a fan of Omega watches, this quality watchmaker has a well documented history, the collaboration with NASA has defined this watchmaker for generations. I identify with the brand, the Seamaster and Speedmaster are the two iconic timepieces in their line-up. The DeVille and Constellation ranges are lesser known, whilst I am not a fan, I appreciate their unique heritage and style.

The Speedmaster association with NASA is legendary, first seen on the wrist of Ed White on his ironic tethered space walk on the Gemini 4 mission. The Speedmaster was the only timepiece to pass all the NASA tests; as such, the Speedmaster was flight certified for all NASA missions, the only timepiece to pass all the stringent tests.

There are some pretty decent photographs of Buzz Aldrin in the Apollo 11 command module. First worn on the lunar surface by Buzz, apparently the mission timer in the LEM failed with Neil Armstrong leaving his Speedmaster in the lunar module. The Speedmaster is the pick of the lineup; however, if I had to choose between the Speedmaster and the Seamaster, the Seamaster would be my choice.

The main reason is the hesalite crystal on the Speedmaster Professional I guess, I am so worried about scratching the crystal. There are sapphire crystal models, for me, not a Speedmaster Professional I want, I only wear my Speedmaster on special occasions. The styling is old, but that doesn’t bother me, style never goes out of fashion.

The Railmaster formed one third of the trilogy, whilst not as popular as the Speedmaster and Seamaster series, the Railmaster was the anti-magnetic timepiece for engineers and scientists. Ironically, the current Seamaster collection is resistant to magnetic fields, 15,000 gauss, a higher rating than the original Railmaster. The Railmaster is a decent timepiece, but very much 1960s vintage, similar to the Seamaster 300, the Diver 300 and Planet Ocean are all newer styles of the Seamaster range – all good as a daily wear.

So I am following watch designers, Jörg Hysek has been involved in noteworthy designs from Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Tiffany and TAG Heuer. Jörg is an outstanding designer, whilst credited with numerous designs, I am reflecting on his most famous designs, what is interesting is some designers are somewhat divisive as tastes vary, Jörg certainly meets this criteria.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the Vacheron Constantin 222 (1977) design a whole lot more, the steel sports watch of the 1970s. I really don’t think much of the scalloped bezel, I actually like the later model, but as the Overseas is still in production, the base design is sound even if the bezel is a little different. What I do appreciate is the respect the 222 gets, this is personal taste and I respect that I might not be seeing it this time because my tastes are inhibiting me.

Breguet is well known for elegant dress watches, so with Breguet producing a sports watch, the Marine (1990) is interesting. The wave design of the dial is distinctive, I really think Breget is under appreciated, I think it is right up there with the holy trinity of watchmaking. One of the oldest watchmakers with so many innovations, but does not have an unbroken run of production.

The TAG Heuer Kirium (1997) was a futuristic design, the liquid metal design and integrated three link bracelet. Of all of Jörg’sdesigns, this is the watch I own. Once again, an innovative and divisive design, it is a case of loving or hating it, but was a best seller for TAG Heuer in the 1990s. The Kirium is the only quartz watch I wear on a regular basis now, the rest have batteries removed and are no longer in the rotation. I do like the three hand version with the digital dial, something different.

The Tiffany Streamerica (1990) has many similarities to the Kirium, for me, this is a design that did not age well. I am aware Tiffany & Co is a very big name in jewellery, they are an international business with a very good reputation, the Tiffany blue dial is a highly sought after model and really in demand. But on this occasion, I am just not seeing it. The Streamerica looks extremely dated in my opinion, I don’t think I will see this design revisited.

The 2018 Château du Cartillon is an interesting drop for me, I liked it, I really liked it. I found this wine earthy, with blackcurrant and some nice oak overtones. According to the tasting notes, this is a 50/50 merlot/cabernet sauvignon blend. Generally a Haut-Médoc also features petit verdot, cabernet franc, malbac and carménère, so this is a fairly simple blend. If you have good fruit and good processes then this may not be an issue.

I like the Médoc style, so I need to do a little online searching so I know exactly what Haut-Médoc is. From what I can determine, Haut-Médoc is a larger district of the Bordeaux region. Ok, so what does that mean? I have not been to the Bordeaux wine region yet, but I will go at some stage in the future. As the Haut-Médoc region is larger, it apparently has a greater diversity of terroir; that is climate, soil and topography than the Médoc region. But one has to remember, these are sub-regions that are very close to each other, they are connected.

Viewing wine region maps of the greater Bordeaux, I know and like Médoc, Haut-Médoc and the Saint-Émilion regions so I have a few ideas. What I learnt is there are a whole load of sub-regions within the greater Bordeaux environment that I knew nothing about. Saint-Émilion is better known for merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon wine varieties. The Médoc sub-region is known as the left bank along the Gironne/Garonne River flowing through Bordeaux. So I drank my Château du Cartillon and really liked it, I will be looking for more in this price range.

The election of a new government changes the direction of the country, we all know that. What destroyed the election of the previous government was the slow rollout of the vaccine and women’s issues. The Albanese government is unlikely to be better, but this is really all about perception. We had a decade of poor governance, the liability finally caught up with the government. Scott Morrison was now a liability for the Liberal Party after winning them another unexpected term at the previous election.

So we have a new federal government, Federal Treasurer Jim Chambers is eyeing off superannuation as a large pool of money to fund their agenda. But hang on, this is our money, not government funds. Of course government funds are taxpayer money, they just control our money, but this is different again, this is saved money. From what I can determine, Jim Chambers is a dickhead, it is hard to put a positive case forward for him. He is known as Grim Jim, never anything positive to say.

So, with the rest of the government, where does this leave us? Penny Wong is a natural fit as Foreign Minister, she is good. There is Bill Shorten as former Opposition Leader, he is a liability if ever there was one. Tanya Plibersek was kept in the background during the election, she was always seen internally as a liability. We are already seeing the pushback from energy prices that add further expenses to the cost of living pressures and inflationary forces.

So I think Grim Jim just needs to get on with it, stop blaming the previous mob and provide some solutions. I am sure he will target superannuation savings early in the term so the incumbent government have maximum time to turn around the outrage before the next election. This will involve forcing superannuation funds to invest in their nominated projects, we will see lower returns. If these projects were offering great returns, they would already be investing in these schemes.

The Citizen Tsuyosa collection is an interesting addition to the Citizen line. Whilst Seiko is the premium Japanese watchmaker, Citizen has some models that are really getting some attention. Looking at classic designs, the luxury steel sports watch is dominated by the Gérald Genta designed AP Royal Oak and the PP Nautilus, VC Overseas Automatic and Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph.

The integrated bracelet design is very 1970s vintage inspired, what I think citizen does well is imitate, not innovate. They have looked at the classic integrated bracelets of the 1970s and added some bright and colourful dials. In this respect, the dial colours remind me of the recently upgraded Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Once again, imitation is their strategy here, not innovation.

The stainless steel case is 40 mm, I reckon this is a decent size as 42 mm is a little big for most wrists, so the 38 mm to 40 mm dial sizing seems to be about right. The recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position is interesting from a styling perspective. The chamfered bezel suits the style, it is simple yet elegant, let’s not over complicate things here. Yes, this chamfered stainless steel bezel is more likely to scratch, but this is life.

The NJ0150-81E reference is the black dial, NJ0150-81L is blue, NJ0150-81Z yellow and the NJ0150-81X is green. For my tastes the yellow dial is the most interesting as blue and black dials are pretty much what every watchmaker produces. The green dial was so 2021, people still desire a green dial, but I have previously asked how long this trend will continue.

The Calibre 8210 Miyota movement is an in-house movement, this has 21 jewels, beats at 21,600 vph and has a 40 hour power reserve. Interestingly, the unfinished movement is visible through the display caseback, not the greatest finish for a watch movement. But one cannot be too critical at this price point, it is an opportunity for Citizen to improve their finishing in the future with increased and improved automation.

The rounded three link bracelet is unusual, I immediately think of the semi-circular President bracelet of the Rolex Day-Date, this is not a design I have ever been drawn to. What Citizen are doing here is pulling designs from a number of different sources and combining these styling cues from a number of watchmakers into a single steel sports watch.

So now that I have checked out the NJ0150-81Z specifications online, it is time to head into a jewellery shop to try one on in person. I have not done this yet, so I have no real idea of the finish or the quality of manufacturing. The Citizen Watch Company is in no way a high-end watchmaker, what they do well is mass produce reasonable quality automatic timepieces at a very good price.

For around a $550 retail price, I need to set appropriate expectations. It is all about wrist feel for me at that particular price point. What I don’t want is a flimsy and lightweight watch on my wrist, I do like the feel of a heavier piece on my wrist, I don’t like a bracelet that rattles on my wrist or pulls hairs on my arm. The clasp must be functional and not bind up or pop open, the watch with its yellow dial is a casual timepiece worn with a t-shirt and shorts or denim jeans.

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic is an iconic timepiece design by Jörg Hysek, the Overseas Automatic is a stainless steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet. Vacheron Constantin is the oldest of the holy trinity of watchmakers along with Audermars Piguet and Patek Philippe, yet Vacheron Constantin is like the poor cousin.

The Overseas Automatic was released in 1977, the reference 222 Overseas Automatic featured a 37 mm tonneau-shaped case and saw blade bezel. The reference 42040 remained at 37 mm and still featured a tonneau-shaped case, integrated bracelet and Maltese cross fluted bezel. The reference 42050 had a 35 mm case with the references 42041 and 42051 receiving calibre upgrades.

The steel sports watch style was inspired by Gérald Genta with the Royal Oak in 1972 and the Nautilus in 1976. Vacheron Constantin, the oldest of the holy trinity of watchmakers turned to Jörg Hysek famous for the Breguet Marine, Tiffany & Co Streamerica and TAG Heuer Kirium. Hysek built a reputation based on the Vacheron Constantin 222, but was really instrumental in more than dozens of designs.

For a long time, the Overseas Automatic was the forgotten steel sports watch from the holy trinity of watchmakers. For my tastes, I really didn’t like the Reference 222, the current models are more my tastes. Whilst the watch collecting community went silly for the Royal Oak, Genta then did again with the Nautilus ensuring Patek Philippe stayed at the top of the watchmakers pedigree. The Overseas was really the forgotten steel sports watch until just recently, the demand from the unattainable Nautilus and Royal Oak pushed Overseas prices up.

So we are in the era of online disinformation; really, this is absolutely amazing. Considering we live in an age where the average person has access to more information than kings and queens had in the past. 

I log onto my social media accounts to read the news, my newsfeed is set up with leading media organisations from around the globe. I like to think I read from a variety of news sources to gain an overall view, I certainly do not log onto sketchy sites that are ultra right or left wing. I am aware certain news sites are centre, or centre left or right with some organisations pushing either further left or right on the spectrum.

So how have we descended into the lowering of collective intelligence? How has the internet provided the means for fuelling conspiracies and blatent mistruths? The question I ask is who should control the flow of information? Currently, content on the internet is mostly uncontrolled, with the exception of arms dealing, pedophilia and other illegal activities, the internet is mostly unregulated.

Yes, there is the dark web, but for the best part, most of us have no idea how to connect to the dark web. Murders, mass killings and other crimes are uploaded before being taken down. There have been a number of instances where mass shootings have been live streamed, there are war crimes and sexual assaults shared online. Whilst these cannot be grouped into misinformation, the very nature of these uploads are extremely disturbing.

I can go online and follow neo-nazi, white supremacist or radical Islam sites with ease. I can find bomb-making sites, how to create illicit drugs or how to steal motor vehicles. Then we have certain organisations dedicated to creating misinformation to the state funded Wuamo, North Korean Bureau 121, and Iranian cyber warfare unit.

We have the flat earth society, Elvis is alive, Area 51 and fake moon landing groups. If I hear another person with absolutely no scientific background cite the Van Allen belts, no stars viewed in the photographs on the lunar surface or the crinkle on the US flag on the surface, I might just send Buzz around to smack them in the mouth.

I have set up my newsfeed with news outlets from around the world with Reuters, the BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Australian, The Bangkok Post, The Straits Times, Al Jezerra, Nikkei Asia, Bloomberg Asia, The Jakarta Post, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Times. I try to read news from different locations and differing points of view.

So how did all this online disinformation form? There are times news outlets report news and they also provide commentary, the editorials are interesting and allows readers to form opinions. There are columnists that pursue a specific agenda, I get that, you read their article or blog and then review it for inconsistencies. At university, we did a unit on applying critical thinking to news media.

Pistol and Boo were the most famous dogs in Australia for a time for all the wrong reasons. We have some great woofs from blue healer cattle dogs, red cloud sheep dogs and border collies. All highly intelligent working dogs, these working dogs possess all the sought after attributes of a highly agile working breed.

Famous Western Australian police dogs included Rumble, they were media personalities, they grabbed plenty of crims, and they could be bought out in crowds. The movie is about Red Dog, the red cloud kelpie from the North West Pilbara region of Western Australia. The woof who played the part had a huge personality, poor Koko, he died at age 7, well before his time.

So, back to Pistol and Boo, the less than intelligent terriers of Amber Heard, they were snuck into Australia by Hollywood A-listers Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard on their private jet. When it was found out the dogs were not authorised to enter Australia, all hell broke loose – and rightly so. These dogs were snuck into Australia on a private jet, Depp and Heard bypassed Australian Customs and Quarantine and these two dogs bypassed all Australian biosecurity measures.

Whilst some attempted to argue that these could be the most pampered dogs in the world, the potential risk they posed to Australian dogs, and wildlife in general is amazing. We know the pampered pair [Depp and Heard] know little about potential diseases, we do not know if a vet inspected the dogs and performed the required tests for disease, we have to take their word for it.

Talk about carrying on like a pair of over paid, over privileged, spoilt celebrities, they personified the arrogant Hollywood elite who believe the rules do not apply to them. So when the story broke, they were indigent, they thought they could just apply their Hollywood status and the problem would mysteriously disappear – no chance.

So when Nation Party [Country Party] leader Barnaby Joyce took aim at Depp and Heard, he was protecting the interest of farmers and graziers. He was not letting this pair out of his sights, he had them cornered, the Hollywood A-list status wouldn’t cut it with him. I am not a fan of Barnaby, but in this case, he was right. These dogs had to be removed from this country or they would be euthanized, this was the correct course of action.

I think Barnaby handled it ok, he gave Depp and Heard notice, the dogs were to be removed from Australia, if they did not comply, then the dogs would be seized and then euthanised. This was not the first move, they were given options, remove the dogs at their expense or else. They were given sufficient time to make arrangements, they had more than enough notice. They tried it on, their feeble attempts failed and Pistol and Boo jetted out of Australia and back to the United States.

I was interested to hear that the Philippines was described as ground zero for online disinformation. After all, the political situation in the Philippines is usually pretty dire, so it came as no surprise that political interference in the news was occurring. The Duturte government was tough on crime, or so they claimed, the Duterte government was involved in numerous extra judicial deaths and a lack of process that led to the deaths of numerous innocent people.

The Duterte government was pretty forward in meeting with social media companies to develop an election winning social media strategy. This was a highly effective strategy targeting the under-educated masses and bombarding them with disinformation programs that were shared between the highly connected population. Facebook was a leading distributor of misinformation, even assisting the Duturte government to set up programs to distribute government propaganda.

So now we have had a change of government after Duterte’s six year term is up, it was returned to the Marcos family ruling the Philippines. My attitude is you get what you vote for, the downfall of the previous Marcos regime saw Ferdinand and Imelda along with their children flee the country for exile in Hawaii taking their ill gotten fortune with them. This was really the development funds for the people of the Philippines, the country still lags the development of other Southeast Asian nations and it is my guess they will continue to under-perform whilst these regimes maintain power.