Photo, above:  Fast New Test Could Find Leprosy Before Damage Is Lasting  -  A simple, cheap screening offers the hope of diagnosing and curing leprosy, even in the poorest places, before victims are permanently disabled or disfigured.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Hour One

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 1, Block A: Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, and Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal editor-in-chief, in re:  our enemies gather wherever they can to advance the cause of jihad. Pres Karzai of Afghanistan has helped them: he ejects US forces from Wardak province.  He claims US Special Forces have been involved in kidnapping and murder.  The Afghan police in question fall under the command of Afghan military; Karzai thinks they're a challenge to his ISAF "is aware of the statement and is investigating" – ISAF was blindsided: even promoted this press conference on its own website.  Syria: Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, a former Gitmo detainee, was also in Algeria (GSBP?) in the predecessor of AQIM.  Danish press reports: he promised many times to go off and be a martyr; now he's died in Syria while fighting with one of the alQ-linked groups there.  Many high-risk detainees have been released from Guantanamo; this fellow went to Denmark to be a postal worker, then on to the al Nusrah Front, which releases videos on their web pages. Have a robust media outlet. (1 of 2)

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 1, Block B:  Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, and Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal editor-in-chief, in re: connection between Mahgreb and al Nusrah: a common network  Note Tunisians who’ve died in Syria – a dozen or more in the last few months.  Also took part in the Algerian gas plant raid (Muktar al Muktar); Tunisians in Libya for training.  Lots of Libyan arms, training, for multiple nationality. Command structure: large decisions from high up; middle managers are lower on totem pole. Al Nustrah Front is under control of al Q in Iraq, which is controlled by Ayman al Zawahiri – in larger scale.  AQIM, Ansar al Dine, others, launching suicide attacks in Mali.  Five suicide attacks since 9 Feb; have switched from direct armed fight to terrorist attacks, designed to instill fear. Have not just recruited, but have rained members. IEDs and VIEDs will soon follow; French and ECOWAS are not planning; ergo, Mali is fast becoming a failed state.  Chadians" These guys have the arms, short of jet fighters, to be a serious military.  Timbuktu to Tunis to Syria under al Qaeda; that's both CENTCOM and AFRICOM.  Active US military sees it these ways; however, the top US DOD officials portray it as a series of unconnected groups – which is inexplicable, and dead wrong. One Islamic community – the ummah – and it’s at war.  (2 of 2)

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 1, Block C: . Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Jeff Bliss, The Bliss Index, in re: Sequester is about to hit us.  Our Founders put Congress first, then the Executive.  Sean Trende and the poor little Republicans.  GOP control the purse strings, the message – are in much beer shape than the Dems.  On the local level, they’re aware of their authority. Sequester: they’ve just hit a wall and don’t care. This sunds cynical, but concerning the president I fear he's just concerned about his image and legacy.

The chorus out of Washington, from the chattering classes to conservatives themselves, is that the sky is falling on the Republican Party.  If only those people would look at a diagram of our electoral history, they would see that nothing is permanent in American politics.  “While it may seem as though the Democrats have secured a dominant position over the Republicans, political party fortunes in America regularly change abruptly,” says Lara Brown, an expert on electoral politics. "For myself, I simply cannot see how a political party that's branded itself in favor of drastic spending cuts can somehow win a public debate in which they're now apparently opposing drastic spending cuts, and 'blaming' them on Obama."—Andrew Sullivan

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 1, Block D:  Nicholas Wade, NYT, in re: gene for dark hair, et al.  thirty-five thousand years ago, a gene that produces thick hair, larger numbers of sweat glands, specific shapes of teeth and smaller breasts developed in East Asia.  Probably also found in Native Americans. Evolution works very quickly, perhaps more so in the last 50,000 years.  For cold weather, a little fold of fat over the eyes (epicanthal fold), and narrow nostrils.

Hour Two

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 2, Block A:  . David M Drucker, Roll Call, and John Fund, National Review Online, in re:  Republicans may be willing to relinquish the loophole providing a lower tax rate on capital gains than on earned income because GOP thinks it'll drive rich Democrats wild, meaning that Sen Schumer probably will feel hard-pressed by his Wall Street donors.

Obama Trots out Full Alinksy - President Obama and MSNBC’s Al Sharpton share a common philosophical connection despite their different styles. Both are disciples of Saul Alinsky, the late community organizer whose book Rules for Radicals has inspired many liberals to demonize and demagogue their opponents as a means of securing political advantage.  So when Obama gave an interview yesterday on Al Sharpton’s radio show, the resulting exchange was revealing. Obama used his platform to paint a horrific picture of what America would look like after March 1 if sequestration spending cuts went into effect.  “We could see mental-health services affected, head start slots taken away. . . . It’s going to have an effect on cutting back on things like meat inspections, or folks at our airports, which means that airport lines may be longer,” Obama said. “Whether or not we can move Republicans to do the right thing is something we’re still trying to gauge.”

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 2, Block B:  . Charles Blahous, in re: Hoover, Economic Policies for the 21st Century: natl insolvency could occur from 2031, give or take a decade or so (90th percentile likelihood in 2037).  Op-ed statisticians assume most people will die at the age of 55 to 59. Are We Underestimating The Social Security Shortfall? 

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 2, Block C:  . Reza Kahlili, author, A Time to Betray, in re: RADIATION LEAKING FROM IRAN'S NUKE EXPLOSION   Islamic regime fears poisonous clouds could hit cities.  Yet another nuclear site: a replica of Fordow!   In Kazakhstan, the P5+1 meet to discuss Iran, inability of IAEA to get clarity on what Iran has in centrifuges and processed uranium.  Jan 21, 2013: event of sabotage or a colossal explosion in a cavern deep under a mountain in Iran while a delegation of North Koreans were in the room and perhaps delivering critical eqpt to help the Iranians process faster en route to bldg a bomb. Then some days later Iranians were present at the North Korean underground nuclear test.   Fordow clean-up workers complained of maladies consistent with radiation sickness; quarantine around the site; regime has ordered millions of iodine pills from Russia and Ukraine. Immed after the explosion, when the John Batchelor Show reported it, Iran denied it and the IAEA   agreed, although the IAEA had no information, no clue.  It later somewhat retracted the statement . The president of the US and the P5+1 have decided here are only two ways to deal w a nuclearizing Iran: military – but Fordow is unreachable by military means  and the other is appeasement (declaring Iran's nuclear program to be "peaceful").  US and P5+1 can’t acknowledge that there's a third way – what happened at Fordow (sabotage).   Major Ali Montazernia has been executed: he was he head of security at Fordow at the time of the event.    The Jam Imama Hossein University of Teheran, and from Tabriz and other cities: senior nuclear professors were working at Fordow, may be missing.  Have the name of at least one North Korean who died at Fordow explosion. He was at research center of Yongbyon. Known that 76 persons died, at least.  Regime is shell-shocked because Fordow was considered to be impregnable; IAEA asked for a written response and regime couldn’t provide even that.

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 2, Block D:  Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: Ham-handed Chinese top dogs forbid BBC reporters from approaching the Sovietskii office building that's home to their PLA cyberwarfare  hackers in unit 61398.     Haha – last PR idiots who banned the BBC were in Berlin, and they lost htat war. Xi Jinping is running this – and he's attacked the New York Times, which prompted the Times to tell the world, The story died; now it's alive again because a Beeb reporter stood outside the bldg, was grabbed by goons ho took all hi s photos, then Xi jammed the BBC, making him look like a total retard.   He and his posse just insist on damaging their already-shaky reputations.  Chine truly is guilty of theft, sabotage, stealing $50bil of intellectual property from the US, only, every year; abt $300 bil to date.  Xi attacked the Times, WaPo, twitter.  China has made itself the story.   Our radio show has a lot of listeners in China. They believe as Communists that they can control everything.  "Great Firewall: you’re sloppy!"   In East China Sea, Obama met Abe, was not warm; China sees this & jumps in to confront Japan in the East China Sea.  The Chinese "leaders" represent only their families with the billions of dollars/euros/yuan they've stolen. The unelected tyrants of Beijing.

BBC blocked in China just days after reporting on Chinese hackers   Mandiant's report alleges that this Shanghai complex is the home of a Chinese military-led hacking group that extensively targeted U.S. ...    China hackers seen as professionals who take weekend off        Intel chairwoman: Report on China's cyber war unit 'essentially correct'        China hacking: Beijing denies official involvement in cyberattacks ...

Hour Three

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 3, Block A:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: British leaders in London: the "window of diplomacy" won't remain open "without limit," according to Sec Kerry and PM Cameron. Soon, Kerry will meet other Euro leaders in reparation for P5-1 mtg  in Kazakhstan. Pres Obama to Israel on 20 March; window for strike is June 2013.  Iranians note warning of red line; are diverting uranium to [conspicuous?] university work. Sinister addtl centrifuges in Iran – a provocation?  Yes, also in South America and worldwide. ; 180 IR 2 mm centrifuges found installed in Natanz, not yet operating, Capacity to enrich 4x or 5x faster than currently. Slowed stockpiling of med0ium-enriched, speeding up highly-enriched. Ring magnets for 100,00 centrifuges (100x what they have now).  Wes Bank: allegations that Israel tortured a man to death: no bruises, no broken rib(?).  Palestinian doctors present at the autopsy.  Demos may get out of hand.   an may have died of a heart attack.  Nasrallah  in Iran – with cancer? (1 of 2)

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 3, Block B:  . Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:   (2 of 2)

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 3, Block C:  John Avlon, CNN, The Daily Beast,  and Newsweek International, in re: Instead of lurching from one near-crisis to the next, they should just get to work and deal with the nation’s fiscal challenges once and for all." One week isn’t enough time to solve all these problems but we can’t afford to wait much longer for a comprehensive plan. Pick and choose from the items of this policy buffet – but congress better come back from their latest break tan, rested and ready to work across the aisle.  Because right now Washington gridlock is the greatest threat to the still-fragile American recovery.

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 3, Block D:   Amy Chozick, NYT, in re: The Slugfest in the Executive Suite  Mixed martial arts has become hugely popular — and lucrative — on television. That's leaving media giants locked in a battle over the future of the sport.

Hour Four

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 4, Block A:  Joshua Zumbrun, in re: Bernanke’s Stimulus Spurring U.S. Employment in Housing - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has something to tout before Congress in hearings this week: job growth in the auto and housing industries. Consumers rely on loans to buy cars and homes, so these segments of the economy are among the most responsive to Bernanke’s strategy of holding interest rates low and pressing on with bond purchases of $85 billion a month.

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 4, Block B:  Jed Babbin, former Asst ScDef, in re: The only certainty in this mess is that congress will fumble around trying to undo it for the next three months.  The American Spectator : Happy Sequester Week

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 4, Block C:  Donald McNeil, NYT, in re: Fast New Test Could Find Leprosy Before Damage Is Lasting  -  A simple, cheap screening offers the hope of diagnosing and curing leprosy, even in the poorest places, before victims are permanently disabled or disfigured.

Monday  25 February 2013 / Hour 4, Block D:   Kathleen Miller, in re: Flawed F-35 Fighter Too Big to Kill as Lockheed Hooks 45 States

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