Hainan island is being turned into the largest Chinese naval base. The US is entering a frenzy of budget-cutting and is pussy-footing around
Gaining an edge up and down the West Pacific littoral. By 2002, it'll have more nuclear attack subs and could have several aircraft carriers; as it sends them into areas sensitive to the US, could be a problem, as were now cutting back.
In Southeast Asia, nations would blanch at the idea of defending themselves - a failure of US diplomacy. Each country will cooperate with the US individually and quietly; but c getting together is something China has been working to prevent for 20 yrs. Even though China is the aggressor, it's positioned itself economically to get its way.
Now, Sec Clinton en route to ASEAN meeting. China is sending research subs to find minerals in the Pacific and to plant a flag to claim the undersea mining area. Success with this submersible will lead to larger craft to harvest the copious supply of deep-sea minerals
China sees the US as in its way out, will do what they can to push us out. US once had a submersible to go down 11,000 feet to get to the bottom of the Marians Trench; now we can't even get 5,000 feet down.
Gen Chen Bing-de is an aggressor and a predator. Adm Mullen is leaving; whoever is the replacement will not stray far from his State Dept transcripts. Chen ahs been assembling means to vanquish the US for 15 years; Chen could be the combattent commander that US forces need to deal with in the latter part of this decade.
Wednesday 920P Eastern Time (620P Pacific Time):
Sadanand Dhume, AEI, WSJ.com and @dhume01, in re: Sri Lanka.
Tamil Tigers are gone; current president has many brothers: governance is now suspected of being "nepotism on steroids." China has closely encouraged this. Beijing is courting countries around India to annoy New Delhi. India is the most democratic, transparent country in the region; China endorses antidemocratic regimes. The world is cleaving between authoritarian regimes and democracies. Has turned the entire country into a classic banana republic. Does he think he can take on his largest trading partner, India, and all of India's friends, when he's backed only by the Chinese. If so, he'd turn Sri Lanka into a version of "Myanmar" - Burma - which would be pretty unhealthy.
Wednesday 935P Eastern TimeWednesday 950P Eastern Time
Wednesday 1005P Eastern (705P Pacific Time): Nury Turkel, Uyghur-American attorney, past president of Uyghur-American association, in re: incident in East Turkestan. Xinjiang - "New Territories" in Chinese, having been occupied by China fairly recently - was inhabited almost exclusively by Uyghurs, now demographically overwhelmed by Han Chinese sent in by the trainload. Event in Hotan: Chinese police opened fire on a group of Uyghur demonstrators who, in the desert town of Hotan, protested against the forced confiscation of their lands and indiscriminate arrests againsppression of Uyghurs has been going on for decades . Uyghurs love their culture and homeland, feel suffocated by Beijing's overlordship, will until Chinese change their view and quite abusing people who've lived in their homeland for a thousand years or more, including the Tibetans, mongolians, and other "Small Nationalities." Beijing hopes that under force the situation will eventually achieve stability. Uyghurs forbidden to speak their own language, to practice their own religion, and are discriminated against in the job market. Mandela, Aquino, Havel, have all triumphed against huge odds over times. Uyghurs predate even Islam; have always been seen as a threat since about 800 AD. Uyghurs getting strong support from Congress, but not from the administration. Note that Pres Obama entertained HH the Dalai Lama in a casual setting instead of at a state dinner.
Wednesday 1020P Eastern (720P Pacific Time): Naomi Sarah Rovnick, South China Morning Post, in re: Chinese banking system: bad loans, system rotted from within? China Economic Times had an excellent investigations team; has been disbanded, after being demanded to write only happy economic stories, no more muckraking of corruption. Dictatorial regime: "no human rights or freedom of speech, and in return we'll give you a good economic environment." China's nonperforming loan percentage is said to be less than 2%. Rather odd NPL number; not credible. Central banking regulator says that over 70% of loans are not covered by cash flow. A new financial district twice the size of Manhattan island in fishing villages. Massive skyscraper; offices rented by Chinese banks. Nobody else is there. Moody's says that 12% of loans are bad. Are the most thinly-capitalized among emerging markets (Fitch Ratings today). when it collapses, will we go with it? All these ghost cities have to be paid for - the savings of a nation are now going down the drain in empty buildings and cities. China is a naked predator.
Wednesday 1035P Eastern (735P Pacific Time): Jonathan Kaiman, NYT, in re: ethnic music tests the limits of Beijing's nationalist patience. Mongolian music - throat-singing (famous from Tuva) and morin khuur stringed music - for example; also Uyghur and Yi (from Yunnan) music, among dozens of different national aesthetics within the Chinese empire. The son of a cowherder took the money for his high school and went to Beijing to play (cf, Bobby Dylan). A band from the grasslands of Chinese-occupied Mongolia (Inner Mongolia), HangGai; rhythms that sound like the galloping of horses. Some people say that the music in Beijing is so dynamic and innovative that it's the best music scene on Earth. Government imposes limits, unfortunately. Official music: lyrics about how supportive the Communist government is; tons of smiles. This is a metaphor for Chinese society, including religion. The brilliant domestic bands constantly tour Europe and have got to the US. Han constitute 92% of population; perhaps 400 "national ethnic minorities."
http://www.myspace.com/hanggaiband
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/world/asia/17music.html?_r=2&ref=world
Wednesday 1050P Eastern (750P Pacific Time): Joseph Sternberg, WSJ Asia, in re: inflation and management in China. Capital controls: $11.2 TRILLION in Chinese bank deposits that cannot be deposited overseas. Can build massive balances but cannot deploy: except to bail out failing banks. Govt sets very low rates for savers, lends funds out at higher rates, which is how the banks have stayed afloat. If China had just done the right and obvious thing, they'd be in phenomenal shape. Nonproductive use of one of the world's biggest financial resources. People work hard, save money sedulously; banks use the money, people left no richer, being raped by the system. Like a feudal state; called "the tiger in the cage." Afraid that Beijing ren will get wise and take their money out of Chinese banks. The money is jailed in low-paying deposits because he system would fall apart if citizens had options.
Wednesday 1105P Eastern (805P Pacific Time): Sue Craig, NYT, in re: Goldman earnings "miss" cutbacks
Wednesday 1120P Eastern (820P Pacific Time): Rachel Donadio, NYT, in re: euro crisis over Italy and Spain; ministers meet
Wednesday 1135P Eastern (835P Pacific Time): Graham Bowley, NYT, in re: Cameron answers Parliament questions
Wednesday 1150P Eastern (850P Pacific Time): James Taranto, WSJ, in re: Watergate and Bernstein phone hacking 1972; LA TImes against tabloids
Wednesday/Thurs 1205A Eastern (905 Pacific Time): Eric Larson, Garden of the Beasts I
Wednesday/Thurs 1220A Eastern (920 Pacific Time): Eric Larson, Garden of the Beasts II
Wednesday/Thurs 1235A Eastern (935P Pacific Time): Hotel Mars. David Livingston, TheSpaceShow.com, and Haym Benaroya, Rutgers, Turning Dust to Gold, in re: building a future on the moon and Mars. Moon is three days away, we can get back in an emergency, and we have a lot off learning to do to prepare for farther travel. The moon is a marvellous training ground for deep space. Space elevator can bring transport cost down to $100/lb! Mon living quarters will be surface; igloos or tin-can shape; half-dozen people for 6 mos at a time. Might take years to carry prefab housing. Can later transport these to Mars. Subterranean is a practical solution to protect from radiation and other problems. Might need human gene therapy over time. A whole generation born on the moon: unknown results in microgravity or 1/6 gravity. Uncharted world.
Wednesday/Thurs 1250A Eastern (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Music
Hour 1
The Hunt for Red October by Basil Poledouris
India: Kingdom of the Tiger by Michael Brook
Aliens by James Horner
Hotel California by The Eagles
Hour 2
Season of the Witch by Atli Orvarsson
Tomorrow Never Dies by David Arnold
Powaqqatsi by Philip Glass
Hour 3
Road to Perdition by Thomas Newman
Alexander by Vangelis
The Ghost Writer by Alexandre Desplat
Hour 4
Valkyrie by John Ottman
X-Files by Marc Snow
Antarctica by Vangelis
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