JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Hour One
Friday 15 Feb 2013 / Hour 1, Block A: Jim McTague, Barron’s, in re: Sequester. “The probability is rising that Congress won't act to prevent the sequestration spending cuts taking effect at the start of next month. On paper, that would reduce spending by $110bn per year, equivalent to 0.7% of GDP, for nearly a decade. Even if Congress doesn't come up with a last minute deal to avoid the cuts, however, they are only likely to be in effect until a budget for fiscal year 2014 is agreed, hopefully sometime in May. If Congress can't agree on a budget deal, the sequestration will be a relatively minor problem, because the deadlock would probably trigger a government shutdown.”
The Democrats' sequester proposals: You can't be serious Los Angeles Times
Members of Congress left Washington on Friday for their annual Presidents Day state (or district) work period, planning to resume toward the . . .
How Republicans can win the sequester fight Washington Post
Democrats come up with $110 billion plan to delay sequester -- Republicans reject it NBCNews.com
Friday 15 Feb 2013 / Hour 1, Block B: Michael Riley, Bloomberg, in re: who are the Chinese hackers? What is APT 1-22? The brand-new operations center of the cybersecurity firm Mandiant is deceptively tranquil. Rooms in the third-floor office, overlooking a lagoon in Redwood City, Calif., are playfully named after locations on the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, including a kitchen called 10-Forward.
In one large central control room, dubbed the Bridge, a dozen security analysts peer quietly at their computer monitors, looking for anomalous activity on the computer networks of Mandiant’s hundreds of corporate clients around the world. A large computer display on the wall shows an image of the Earth, seen from space, that highlights in-bound and outbound network activity in each country. Mandiant monitors the entire planet, yet a printout taped to the desk of one analyst suggests that, these days, the company has a more specific focus. “To accuse the Chinese military of launching cyberattacks without solid proof is unprofessional and baseless,” reads an excerpt from a recent Chinese government statement. Jennifer Ayers, who manages the Red-wood City facility, removes the printout and folds it in half. “We’re not supposed to editorialize,” she says.
Friday 15 Feb 2013 / Hour 1, Block C: . Peter Berkowitz, Hoover Institution, in re: 10 Ways Liberal Education Fails Students -- and Society Real Clear Politics; 1 of 2
Friday 15 Feb 2013 / Hour 1, Block D: Peter Berkowitz, Hoover Institution, in re: 10 Ways Liberal Education Fails Students -- and Society Real Clear Politics; 2 of 2