The John Batchelor Show

June 13, 2012

Air Date: 
June 13, 2012

Wednesday 905P Eastern Time (605P Pacific Time):  Buchung Tsering, Vice President of Special Programs of the International Campaign for Tibet, in re:  "Without coincidence, there is no story to tell."  Tibetan monk said he would not accept the jurisdiction of  the court trying him, and he would not spend another ay in prison. PRC has not qualms in claiming Tibet as part of China.  China has transgressed against Nepal's sovereignty, even to seizing Tibetan nationals in the Nepali capital. China accused of brutalizing lamas, of closing the Nepal border, of much brutality - all lawlessness.

Wednesday 920P Eastern Time (620P Pacific Time):  Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, in re: cool reception to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta when he visited India last week.  He spoke of the importance of India-US military cooperation. India bridled at the notion of its having to collaborate with the US, as India feels quite autonomous, despite common concerns in China's aggressive expansionism.  GC: India seems to be cowering in face of China - why have the Filipinos been so strong and the Indians so weak?   LC:  Indians think they need ten years to catch up; are biding time, don't want to antagonize China. In fact, they risk emboldening China by seeming week and kowtowing.  Trilateral dialogue: Taro Aso proposed a Freedom and Prosperity alliance, including the US, to contain the bullies in the neighborhood. Aso was right on target - he included Australia, Japan,  and __.  Everybody backed down when China bared its teeth.  If the US-Pakistan completely breaks down, then [more problems accrues].
 
Wednesday 935P Eastern Time (635P Pacific Time):  Hotel Mars.  Dr. David M. Livingston, The Space Show, and Dr. Paul D. Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute, and author, The Once and Future Moon,  in re:  Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) brings together the best thinking on how to develop space Earth-Moon commercially.   Also people planning Mars missions; all sections and subsections of space development.  Recognition that the volume of space between the Earth and Moon is the next step on the path to true spacefaring capability. All the national space agencies expressed the positions of their governments; of that group, it's really only the US that's actively fostering a commercial space program. Oddly, it's only the US govt that seems uninterested. Fw of the govt share the philosopher of respect for individual, free-market economics, democratic pluralism. CisLunar space.  NASA Authorization bill. US focussed on keeping the ISS woking and on a heavy-lift system. Pork distributed through a well-known space travel state.  Using existing tooling to create heavy-lift; problem is that the agency doesn't understand what its goal is.  Entirely possible, incl in existing resource base: launch-vehicle agnostic; establish presence op on Moon via tel-operation, begin harvesting water, all done cis-Lunar. China's saying it'll establish a colony on the Moon may light a fire under Congress - concerned about loss of American leadership. If were not present int he new frontier holding to our principles, then all the dvpt cd be under a totally nondemocratic, unpleasant regime.
 
Wednesday 950P Eastern Time (650P Pacific Time):  Sadanand Dhume, WSJ.com, in re: Why India keeps failing at reform: The country's growth rate is slowing, but its politicians still distrust private enterprise and would-be reformers lack political imagination.  Command-economy mentality has created an envt unfriendly to business; success led to failure as vested interest captured power. India ($1,700 PA)  is way ahead of China in per-capita income, has no excuse for this.  Politicians have failed in imagination and courage. India is integrated into the global economy today; was not twenty years ago. Kerala and West Bengal: both were communist but have booted out the communists; noteworthy tat it took root in only two states despite significant poverty. Bihar has had a governance revolutin: traditionally, Bihar was India's sub-Saharan Africa, but now is growing faster than the national average and is well launched into democratic governance.
 
Wednesday 1005P Eastern  (705P Pacific Time):  Stephen Yates, Chief Executive Officer of D.C. International Advisory and Dick Cheney's China advisor, in re: Taiwan - Ma Ying-jeou's declining popularity.  Taiwan's economic situation declining, leading to displeasure.  After a century of operation, Kuo Min Tang is now cultivating an image as a group of  competent technocrats. In 2012 people chose what they hoped would be a party of economic soundness. Voters now having buyer's remorse, as the party really stands only for being in power. More: Mainland is showing military aggression, and the Communist Party is unstable. Attach to Pres Ma, who's been hand in glove with the CCP?   Oops-- most KMT-CCP negotiations have been via Chungking, locus  of the Bo Xilai scandals, including accusation of Bo's wife's murdering her British lover in connection with laundering a billion dollars.  What does this say about KMT/Ma as interlocutors? Obama Administration has made a major effort to create well-functoining relations with Mainland; Mrs Clinton is competent, but no forward motion.  Pres Ma has been talking with a corrupt group, so egregious that even the Beijing leadership found it necessary to sequester and fire Bo.
 
Wednesday 1020P Eastern (720P Pacific Time):  Charles Ortel, Newport Value Partners, in re: just returned from months in India; on the collapse of the European economy, and China. China's problems started showing up in October 20122 when European orders to China dwindled. Greek elections, eurozone crisis. Cannot buy enough thingamajigs to solve this crisis - Europe, Australia, Japan, Canada, US.  For decades we've been following the European model of funding social welfare; now savvy people are looking at the architecture of fiat currency. I follow central banks - see footnotes of their reports, and the balance sheets - tear your hair out.  Congress tried to pillory Jamie Dimon today, but he's done better in controlling his operation than any central bank ever has done. I suspect that both the numbers and the bank runs in Greece are worse than has been said. Italy is now in trouble - one large bank has been limiting withdrawals.  This is the first time in my life (b.1956) when we have the realistic prospect that every economy in the world is in trouble.  Russia, China, al Qaeda, Iran, all growing aggressive; reminds me of the precedent to WWI. I think Pres Obama has been an abject failure. Clintonites and their supporters are saying, Holy smoke, this man won't win and will bring down the Democratic Party.  
 
JB:  Cotton, the Norwegian krone, and pound sterling are the only places you can put your money and hold it.   CO: Not the British pound.  Not the German Bund. I'm a gold bug. Time to head for the hills.  
 
Wednesday 1035P Eastern  (735P Pacific Time):  Charukesi Ramadurai, in re:  Dial 108 for an ambulance in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, one of the four large states, incl Bangalore.    The call-108 service is available in 14 states; what makes it different here is that the World Bank is actively supporting the service, One village:  4,000 people in a tribal community (Irulars); roads leading to the village (good infrastructure) and people there all live in very small huts with thatched roofs. Low educational level.  Only children under 15 have studied; their parents never did, were married at 11 and 12, bore children at 14.  Emergency medical care is rare in India. Primary care centers have provided free emergency care provided by the State; deliver babies. Call-108 provides very good-quality treatment.  Drivers and health providers in ambulances are graduates in the sciences.
 
 
Wednesday 1050P Eastern (750P Pacific Time):  Toshi Yoshihara,  Naval War College, and author, Red Star over the Pacific, in re: China sent a missile launcher into North Korea; Washington forbad South Korea and Japan from publicizing this [SCMP]. 
 
Japanese coast guard identified that Chinese sent mobile missile launchers to North Korea in violation of UN. Likely targets: South Korea, Japan, and US installations. Also Alaska: missile KNO-8, having a range that threatens the US.
 
Significant that Japan is openly assertive, even vs two world powers.  A mobile missile launcher enables an adversary to shoot and scoot, making it very hard to detect. Were there large numbers, wd constitute a real strategic and operational challenge to the US. 
 
Joseph C. Sternberg,Wall Street Journal Asia editorial page, in re:  Hong Kongnese less using US for investments, turning to Asian banks, which are getting better at risk management over time and growing more sophisticated. Thai banks.  Chinese will start to partner with regional banks. However the global economy is heading into a rough time; will be caught with a lot of risk to their books and that they haven't reserved against. Coming Chinese stimulus: little confidence that it'll do anything helpful.  Mixed signals out of real estate market in China.
 
Wednesday 1105P  Eastern (805PPacific Time):  Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story of the Malmedy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge by Danny S. Parker, 1 of 4
 
Wednesday 1120P Eastern (820P Pacific Time):  Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story of the Malmedy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge by Danny S. Parker, 2 of 4
 
Wednesday 1135P Eastern  (835P Pacific Time):  Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story of the Malmedy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge by Danny S. Parker, 3 of 4
 
Wednesday 1150P Eastern  (850P Pacific Time):  Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story of the Malmedy Massacre at the Battle of the Bulge by Danny S. Parker, 4 of 4
 
Wednesday/Thurs 1205A  Eastern (905 Pacific Time):  Eric Trager, Washington Institute, in re: Mubarak dying or not?
 
Wednesday/Thurs  1220A Eastern (920 Pacific Time):  Laura Kasinov, NYT, in re: reporting from war-torn Yemen.  
 
Wednesday/Thurs  1235A  Eastern (935P Pacific Time):   Hotel Mars.  Dr. David M. Livingston, The Space Show, and Dr. Paul D. Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute, and author, The Once and Future Moon,  in re:  Global Space Exlporation Conference (GLEX) brings together the best thinking on how to develop Earth-Moon space commercially.   Also people planning Mars missions; all sections and subsections of space development.  Recognition that the volume of space between the Earth and Moon is the next step on the path to true spacefaring capability. All the national space agencies expressed the positions of their governments; of that group, it's really only the US that's actively fostering a commercial space program. Oddly, it's only the US govt that seems uninterested. Fw of the govt share the philosopher of respect for individual, free-market economics, democratic pluralism. CisLunar space.  NASA Authorization bill. US focussed on keeping the ISS woking and on a heavy-lift system. Pork distributed through a well-known space travel state.  Using existing tooling to create heavy-lift; problem is that the agency doesn't understand what its goal is.  Entirely possible, incl in existing resource base: launch-vehicle agnostic; establish presence op on Moon via tel-operation, begin harvesting water, all done cis-Lunar. China's saying it'll establish a colony on the Moon may light a fire under Congress - concerned about loss of American leadership. If were not present int he new frontier holding to our principles, then all the dvpt cd be under a totally nondemocratic, unpleasant regime.
 
Wednesday/Thurs  1250A  Eastern (950P Pacific Time): Michael Hastings, Buzzfeed, in re: investigations of national security leaks at White House.
 
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Music
 
Hour 1
The Painted Veil by Alexandre Desplat
Starship Troopers by Basil Poledouris
India: Kingdom of the Tiger by Michael Brook
 
Hour 2
Battleship by Steve Jablonsky
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol by Michael Giacchino
 
Hour 3
The Night of the Generals by Maurice Jarre
Is Paris Burning? by Maurice Jarre
Battle of the Bulge by Benjamin Frankel
The Bridge at Remagen by Elmer Bernstein
 
Hour 4
Game of Thrones by Ramin Djawadi
Starship Troopers by Basil Poledouris
Thirteen Days by Trevor Jones