The John Batchelor Show

June 21, 2012

Air Date: 
June 21, 2012

Thursday 905P Eastern Time:  Mary Kissel, in re:  Mr Bernanke wants you to buy short, sell long.  Worldwide slowdown, incl in US. Market down yesterday and today. Market will not buy the notion that the Fed can manipulate the economy back into growth.  

Thursday 920P Eastern Time: Charles Pellegrino, author, in re: Titanic. A hundred years ago, we were into Day 24 of the British Inquiry. Commanders of multiple ships said that on a clear night, near an ice field on dead calm waters, only if a mist came up would they slow down and double the lookouts.
 
Thursday 935P Eastern Time:  Janet Albrechtsen, The Australian [Murdoch-owned], in re: Gina Rinehart ['one of the richest people in the Solar System; from mining" In fact, the world's richest woman] and regulation in Australia:  "Gina Rinehart row reignites calls for media control."   "Talking about freedom of speech - this blog by a British 9-year-old school girl about what she had for lunch got 3 million hits. Until it got banned by the government." Rinehart buying major stake in Fairfax Media; at 19% she'll have to launch a takeover bid.  The Treasurer of Australia, Wayne Swan, has made a denigrating public statement on her.  Labour Party is running a class war to lift ratings among voters, whereas most voters seem to favor Gina Rinehart.  The talk abt media regulation started when the Greens came into power.  The calls for media regulation have become hysterical. The Left no longer speaks of free speech; rather, of "fair and balanced" speech - and they seem to get to decide what constitutes fair and balanced.  The Lib Dems in  the UK and the Greens are in this crew.
 
Thursday 950P Eastern Time:  Dan  Morrison, NYT in Bangladesh, and author, The Black Nile, in re:  Bangladesh's right of refusal.  "Beyond nationalism and nonviolence, most people don't know what Gandhi stood for -- which means almost anyone can claim to be a Gandhian."   
 
300,00 Rohingyas - Muslims; turned back by Bangladeshi authorities while fleeing from Buddhists in Burma in Rakin State. Rejected as "dark-skinned alien Muslims" who arrived hundreds of years ago in Burma. Sporadic genocide, so they flee.  Radio Free Asia reports helicopters strafing Rohingya boats at sea.  Victims of pogroms, Burmese want them to disappear, as do most citizens of Bangladesh, which is overpopulated and poor.   UNHCR - whose mandate is exactly to help such populations - "hamstrung" in that it requires the agreement of their host. In Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees are allowed to go to school only to the fifth grade.
 
Thursday 1005P (705P Pacific Time): Malcolm Hoenlein, in Jerusalem, in re:   P5+1, suspect nuclear program in Iran. Catherine Ashton - Istanbul, Baghdad, Moscow - talks breaking  up. Iran has no intention of meeting the demands of P5+1, listed demands for five hours.   . . .   Egypt, Bedouin, Hamas; rocket attacks. Missiles targetted not to civilian populations, being aimed basically at desert land. 
 
Thursday 1020P (720P Pacific Time):  .David Schenker, Washington Institute Program on Arab Politics, in re: Egypt and the elections.  Future quit unclear. Possible colllapse. Salafists are in a contest fro the Muslim Brotherhood - the ultraconservatives who want hudud - cutting hands off for recidivist thieves ("only one hand should be cut off for the first theft. ... and this penalty will be applied only if the thief is adult, sane, has stolen from a secure place")
 
Thursday 1035P (735P Pacific Time):   Tony Badran, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, in re: Syria and Hezbollah. June 2011, three months before Pres Obama called for Assad to step down, Tony published an optimistic article.  Russian-mediated solution was always a fantasy; they have zero interest in easing out Assad.   Russian warships in Tartus, the three helicopters - "flying tanks" - basically enabling Bashar al Assad to continue with his Plan B.  reporting out of Syria, esp McClatchy-  cannot recover vast swaths of Syria; instead, retaking Alawite enclave on the coast. Using helos, being low on ground troops. Meanwhile, Russians plant their flag on this tiny Alawite enclave - bask in a hotspot of instability. Not holding Damascus that well, as tanks are there firing, and more so in suburbs.  In fact, however, Damascus is outside the needed sectarian enclave; should their hold on the capital becoming even shakier, not inconceivable that they might cede Damascus or care it into sections.   In Jordan, now 125,000 Syrians, so they're moving to close the border. Could also fear saboteurs coming in.  Also activists among the refugees - this happened a while ago when the Palestinians entered Jordan.  Lebanon:  careful, strategic control by Syria under Hezbollah, esp fragmenting  the population. Christians recoil at the sight of Sunni militiamen fighting  in the streets but otherwise support Assad. 
 
Thursday 1050P (750P Pacific Time):   Reuel Marc Gerecht, FDD, in re: Iran.  Most important IAEA figures are the increase in refined U, both at 3.5% and 20% level. The stockpile  is pretty impressive. Majlis gave full backing to Jalili.   N0 sanctions likely to have much effect.   Iranians certainly have spent whatever money they need to have the machinery to continue this process.  Just a question of time and experimentation. Realistically, can't be terribly hopeful about sanctions.  Iranians probably think they're insulated from American aggression till the election, and that they can "handle" an Israeli attack.   Iran is consumed with Syria, and the sanctions have in fact taken a sizable hit, causing anxiety about the internal stability of the regime.  Strong voices in the Bush and Obama Administrations favoring recognizing Iran as a nuclear power. Iran acted in a very dumb manner in moscow - if they'd been a tad more concessional, they cd have taken a distinct advantage in the negotiations, esp w Euros and Americans. Misplayed their hand.
 
Thursday 1105P (805P Pacific Time):  Ely Karmon, Herzliya, Israel, Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Institute for Policy and Strategy at IDC [and studied the Bantu family of languages, including Lingala and Swahili], in re:  Ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas; recent cross-border attack from the Sinai -- Egypt/Israel border.  Awaiting results of Egyptian presidential elections. Small Salafi groups grew active only under Hamas after 2006. Muslim Brotherhood seen as the coming power, and Egyptian military is ignoring Sinai, which is now a failed rogue state. How long will Israel act with restraint under this barrage?  Visible al Qaeda role in Sinai and instigating in Gaza.  Hamas: not too short of cash; always had support of Gulfies, plus individual rich Saudis, plus from Iran.  Weapons smuggled from Libya through Egypt to Gaza Strip.  Palestinian Authority, which was supported by Mubarak, is now much weakened.  General s have suspended h announcement of the presidency; will have to speak by Sunday. Their solution is to make important constitutional changes - only the military can decided to go to war or use military vs civilians, or approve the budget.  A soft coup by the military. Balance of power between MB and militry: lead to a new uprising?
 
Thursday 1120P (820P Pacific Time):  Mohsen Sazegara, pro-democracy Iranian political activist (in Denmark), and one of the funders of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, in re: Iran.  Sanctions due to go in effect 5 July will do so.  Protest in Iran: not buy milk or bread on Sat or Sun to protest their high prices.  Teheran sees that the US puts everything on hold during election years; they rely on this  and take advantage of it. 
 
Thursday 1135P (835P Pacific Time):  Matt Kaminsky, WSJ, in re: 
 
Thursday 1150P (850P Pacific Time):  Seb Gorka, FDD, in re:
 
Thursday/Fri 1205A (905 Pacific Time):  
 
Saving Big Ben: The USS Franklin and Father Joseph T. O'Callahan by John R. Satterfield, 1 of 2 
 
Thursday/Fri  1220A (920 Pacific Time): 
 
Saving Big Ben: The USS Franklin and Father Joseph T. O'Callahan by John R. Satterfield, 2 of 2
 
Thursday/Fri  1235A (935P Pacific Time):  Janet Albrechtsen, The Australian [Murdoch-owned], in re: Gina Rinehart ['one of the richest people in the Solar System; from mining" In fact, the world's richest woman] and regulation in Australia:  "Gina Rinehart row reignites calls for media control."   "Talking about freedom of speech - this blog by a British 9-year-old school girl about what she had for lunch got 3 million hits. Until it got banned by the government." Rinehart buying major stake in Fairfax Media; at 19% she'll have to launch a takeover bid.  The Treasurer of Australia, Wayne Swan, has made a denigrating public statement on her.  Labour Party is running a class war to lift ratings among voters, whereas most voters seem to favor Gina Rinehart.  The talk abt media regulation started when the Greens came into power.  The calls for media regulation have become hysterical. The Left no longer speaks of free speech; rather, of "fair and balanced" speech - and they seem to get to decide what constitutes fair and balanced.  The Lib Dems in  the UK and the Greens are in this crew.
 
Thursday/Fri  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.  Sid Perkins, Science magazine, in re: stalactites and rainfall dating
 
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Music
 
Hour 1
 
Downton Abbey by Various Aritsts
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome by Maurice Jarre
Distric 9 by Clinton Shorter
 
Hour 2
 
Wrath of the Titans by Javier Navarrete
Brake by Brian Tyler
 
Hour 3
 
John Carter by Michael Giacchino
 
Hour 4
 
The Pacific by Hans Zimmer