Photo, above: A new image from ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, reveals extraordinarily fine detail that has never been seen before in the planet-forming disc around a young star. ALMA’s new high-resolution capabilities were achieved by spacing the antennas up to 15 kilometers apart. This new result represents an enormous step forward in the understanding of how protoplanetary discs develop and how planets form.

ALMA has obtained its most detailed image yet showing the structure of the disc around HL Tau, a million-year-old Sun-like star located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus. The image exceeds all expectations and reveals a series of concentric and bright rings, separated by gaps.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes.

Hour One

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block A: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD,  in re: Analysis: CENTCOM draws misleading line between Al Nusrah Front and Khorasan Group CENTCOM denied that the five airstrikes on Nov. 5 targeted "the Nusrah Front as a whole" but instead were directed at the Khorasan Group. This is a distinction without difference, as the Khorasan Group is part of the Al Nusrah Front.

3 new jihadist training camps identified in Syria  Training camps run by the Al Nusrah Front, the Khorasan Group, and a Chechen-led group, Khalifat Jamaat, were identified in Syria. The Long War Journal has identified 42 jihadist training camps in Iraq and Syria. (1 of 2) 

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD,  in re: We've identified 42 training camps that the promoters are advertising or Centcom is discussing; a few may no longer be operating, but many more exist. They do good training, good enough to take over a third of Syria and Iraq. Iraqi military outnumbers them ten to one; Iraqis are a relatively good fighting force but do not have rations/food supplies, medivac, air support. Iraqi govt doesn’t support them.  It’s not training as much as horrible support.

Ansar Jerusalem in Sinai: most prolific group in Egypt.

Al Nusrah Front tweets photos allegedly showing aftermath of coalition airstrikes The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has tweeted a series of photos purportedly showing the aftermath of the US-led coalition's airstrikes in Idlib. Prior to today, the coalition had not announced any airstrikes against Al Nusrah since the first day of the bombing campaign in Syria.

Wanted AQAP leader involved in embassies plot, provincial emir killed in US drone strike Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirmed that Shawki Ali Ahmed al Badani and Nabil al Dhahab were killed in yesterday's drone strike in central Yemen. Badani was wanted by the US for plotting to attack US embassies. (2 of 2)

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block C: Peter Berkowitz, Hoover, in re:  Pres Obama seems not to be a pragmatist: focussing, as he promised, on what will work, eschewing high ideology, the guy who'd adopt policies that could work without attention tot heir ideological origin. This clashed with his promise to be transformational.  As it turns out, he's in fact an ideologue –  a sort of frustrated principled pragmatist, but he spoke of this to cover his very modest practical experience.  Indeed, had he explained his intentions, the majority of Americans might not have favored them. The philosophical origin of the world pragmatism has deception built in: of all the great disputes that have divided Mankind, you needn't trouble yourself.  He doesn’t know how to operate as a pragmatist in the political environment, so he uses his principles which don’t quite work out.   He's not a deceiver, he's a frustrated man. Its illiberal to disguise your political ambitions or to pretend to engage in one kind of politics and actually do another.  He boasted of his ability to introduce a new kind of politics, bringing sides together. Some of that may have been well-meant; Cass Sunstein wrote in the New Republic of healthcare pkg of 2008, which turned out to be at odds with what was rammed through in 2010.  At some level, he believed you can re-create politics in the presidency – which, thank God, is not the case.  Pragmatism as a virtue is good, but in the school of pragmatism, it means you're pretending not to take a specific stance which, in fact, you do not.

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block D:  Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: along the Indian border with China, which Beijing claims is "South Tibet," Chinese mil is bldg a Szechuan-Tibet railroad . China has long been building infrastructure for war there; this runs along Arunachal Pradesh.  For 15 years, India hasn't been doing much, but the new PM, Modi, has accelerated building Indian infrastructure.   Mid-last-century, China was settling Central Asian claims right and left, but can no longer since Beijing has persuaded its population that the CCP is the van of Chinese nationalism.  Mao and Deng did not stir up nationalism as much as have their successors, the weaker leaders.  When Beijing began to [rag on] Japan, Japan pushed back, which caused alarm in China.  Expect to see continuing hostility on borders from Korea to Vietnam.  Xi says he'll spend $1.25 trillion in the coming decade – makes this claim in order to control minerals and hydrocarbons.  Pres G W Bush's most important foreign policy initiative was his outreach to India.  The Obama Administration is overwhelmed, has no time to reach out to India?  "You make the time."

Hour Two

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent; Lara M Brown, George Washington University, & Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes, in re: Post-election noise.  Iraq. King vs Burwell in SCOTUS: is the IRS interpretation correct given the language of the ACA. Some states chose, others not to, set up exchanges. Some believe that he financial inducement to create an exchange will overwhelm resistance – the suit is about language.  Now they’ve dropped the estimates for open enrollment.  Should the GOP move ahead with a full repeal bill, or do things that potentially wd put Dems in a box: repeal medical device tax, 40-hour work week,  Keystone pipeline, et al.  GOP has been dealt two aces: will it wait in the House and not press the matter, and wait for the Court, or go directly against the ACA? . . .  GOP needs to see the midterms not as a mandate but as an opportunity to build trust.  Mrs Clinton is presumably the  . ..  Democratic nominee

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block B: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent; Lara M Brown, George Washington University, & Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes, in re: SCOTUS ACA. Immigration. Obama administration projects lower enrollment under health law Health and Human Services officials said that 9 million to 9.9 million Americans — as much as 30 percent below other predictions — will have insurance by the end of 2015 through fledgling federal and state insurance exchanges intended for people who cannot get affordable coverage through a job.

Mr O'Malley and Bernie Sanders  - both not quite happy with Mrs Clinton.  Will be hard for her to claim the mantle of the Democratic Party despite the fact thht she's next inline.  A rift occurred during the 2008 election: Clintons are too close to Wall Street, say the progressives.  Everyone dissatisfied with the notion that she has it wrapped up, that it'll be a coronation, not a nomination.  So they need someone who can step up and take on the Clinton machine.  "She's more identified with transactional than transformational." Does the very fact of a woman candidate means that it’s perforce transformational?   . . . Is Mrs Clinton a DINO – Democrat in name only? Elizabeth Warren. Also Jim Webb is a unique personality, former Secy of the Navy, has been both a Democrat and a Republican; he's the one to watch. 

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block C:  Terry Anderson, PERC Montana & Hoover, in re: The heavy-handed implementation of the Endangered Species Act has discouraged private conservation. More laws and more lawsuits won’t help endangered species. Like so many environmental issues, the key is to get the incentives right by harnessing property rights and free enterprise. Rather than punishing private landowners who conserve habitat and wildlife, we should reward them for serving the public’s interest . . .  [more]

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block D: Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics, in re: the various poll misses, and what was behind them. [more] Every new trend begins with a poll that looks like an outlier, so we need to be careful.

Hour Three

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block A:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: the attack n Gush Etzion: a guy tries to run people down in a bus stop – killed a 26-year-old woman who several years ago was the subject of another attack; then the man jumps out with a knife and tries to kill them. Passers-by shot him.  "Vehicular intifada" – people attacked twice last week – killed a Druse policeman and a three-year-old child.  This man has been in jail twice for terrorist activities, was released in a "gesture."  National response has been strong – the national sense is that Abbas, himself is ginning this up (plenty of his public  statements give credence to this) .  Iran: the talks" haven’t made much progress."  Khamenei has recently issued a call for the utter destruction of Israel, is urging attacks; his threats against the US, against Israel, have not abated. We're only a few days bef0re  the 24 November deadline, which probably will be extended. Olli Heinonen, spent decades in IAEA< says that Iran could easily have 5,000 centrifuges rather than what they claim, plus other thousands hidden in various sites, plus 18,000 of the older version. Have acquired carbon fiber and increased their uranium stockpile over the last four months to 18 tons. We now hear that they have new chambers in which to do advanced testing – from the Natl Resistance Group, which has exposed accurate material in the past  - and these new chambers are for high explosives.  Event he Washington Post and Reuters are nor reporting these; say that Western experts all say that Iran has enough fissile material for at least one bomb in a few months.  pres Obama keeps saying that everything will be fine, but in fact there's no evidence of that. Iran constantly advances its capacity with weapons-grade uranium. Need Congress to have a look.

Young woman killed, two others hurt in West Bank stabbing attack  Dalia Lamkus named as victim in Gush Etzion attack; suspect shot by guard near Alon Shvut settlement; stabbing comes hours after Tel Aviv attack. A 26-year-old woman was killed and two people were wounded Monday in a stabbing attack near the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut on Monday. A 26-year-old man suffered light- to moderate wounds to the abdomen. A 50-year-old man was stabbed in the face, and listed in light- to moderate condition as well.

A guard at the entrance to the settlement shot and wounded the suspect on the spot, a junction just west of the settlement entrance. The fatality was named as Dalia Lamkus, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa. Lamkus was the eldest of five children. Her parents are immigrants from South Africa. She worked as an occupational therapist in Kiryat Gat, and often traveled by hitchhiking. The Shin Bet named the suspect as Maher Hamdi A-Shalmon, 30, a resident of Hebron affiliated with the Islamic Jihad. Hashalmon was jailed in an Israeli prison from 2000-2005 after throwing a firebomb at Israeli troops. This was the second terror attack carried out within hours, and the fifth within just weeks. The stabbing was . . .  [more]

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:  The Supreme Leader has absolute control over all Iranian people, makes an extreme threat against Israel on the eve of the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht, when mobs of thugs broke shop windows all veer Germany, and attacks against synagogues – more than 1,400 directly under Nazi control; and many Jews arrested, sent directly to their deaths.  Fire trucks stood next to burning bldgs doing nothing, there only to protect adjacent structures.  Same profession as from Ahmadinejad.   Khamenei is bitterly racist, has no common interests with the US. Installing Suleiman in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq.  Pres Obama has sent four letters to Khamenei and repeatedly denies having done so, even as the Iranians keep saying, "C'mon, you know you’re written to us with offers that we decline."  Grave attacks in Gaza infighting between Fatah and Hamas.  Abbas (Fatah) can’t even dare visit there. They clearly have no unified regime. Descending into the kind of internecine warfare we've seen in the past.

Abbas wants to move Arafat's remains to Jerusalem.   Statements and extreme threats by Khamenei are odd, esp in relation to upcoming anniversary of Kristallnacht. Al Nusrah is making real progress. (Baghdadi was not hit in an air raid.) 

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block C:  Dr. David H Grinspoon, Astrobiology chair, Library of Congress; astrobiology curator, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, in re: Revolutionary ALMA Image Reveals Planetary Genesis   A new image from ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, reveals extraordinarily fine detail that has never been seen before in the planet-forming disc around a young star. ALMA’s new high-resolution capabilities were achieved by spacing the antennas up to 15 kilometers apart. This new result represents an enormous step forward in the understanding of how protoplanetary discs develop and how planets form. ALMA has obtained its most detailed image yet showing the structure of the disc around HL Tau, a million-year-old Sun-like star located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus. The image exceeds all expectations and reveals a series of concentric and bright rings, separated by gaps.

Curiosity Rover on Mars Finds Mineral Spotted from Space  The first samples collected by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity at the foot of a huge Martian mountain have revealed a mineral first spotted by a . . .     Curiosity Finds Tantalizing Mineral Clues for Mars Habitability  Mars Habitability? Curiosity Rover Spots Intriguing Mineral on Red ...    Curiosity Has Stumbled Upon a Unique Mineral Patch

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block D:   Jed Babbin, American Spectator, in re: 239 years ago today, at Tun Tavern, the Marines were founded. Happy birthday, Marines. Happy Birthday, Teufel Hunden | The American Spectator

Hour Four

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block A: James Taranto, Wall Street Journal, in re:   ObamaCare Squatter’s Rights The left sees government as its rightful possession. We had a flight to catch Wednesday afternoon, and anyhow life is short, so we stopped watching President Obama’s press conference while it was in progress. We hear that it eventually ended, but we remain skeptical. It certainly didn’t seem as if it ever would.  Before we left, we heard the president answer a question about the prospect of legislation to revise ObamaCare. “On health care, there are certainly some lines I’m going to draw,” he said. “Repeal of the law I won’t sign. Efforts that would take away health care from the 10 million people who now have it and the millions more who are eligible to get it we’re not going to support.”  ObamaCare may end up being undone not by the 114th Congress, but by the 111th—the one Democrats controlled. In 2010 Congress enacted a law that could “take away health care”—or, to be precise, tax subsidies—from a large number of people who’ve claimed those subsidies. That law is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.  On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari in King v. Burwell, one of several cases in which plaintiffs allege that the Internal Revenue Service violated the PPACA when it issued a directive making ObamaCare subsidies available for insurance policies purchased on the federal exchange. That is counter to a provision of the law limiting the subsidies to policies purchased “through an Exchange established by the State.” Most states have not . . . [more]

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block B:  Seb Gorka, Marine Corps University & Breitbart, in re: We Won the Cold War – Maybe  Twenty five years ago yesterday the Cold War official ended. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the West, led by America, triumphed over the murderous ideology of Communism. Two Gulf wars, the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan are some the post-1989 events that prove we have yet to replace the old bi-polar stand-off with a safer and more stable system. Everyone has a history that goes beyond just themselves. Mine is indelibly tied to the conflict that was the Cold War, given that both my parents found themselves on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain after World War II. My father would be sentenced to life imprisonment by the Communists for resisting the takeover of his country following 1945 and, only later, as a result of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, would he and his future wife - and my mother - escape the totalitarianism that controlled all of Central and Eastern Europe from 1945-1989. 

But then on November 9th, 1989, it all ended. Just feet from where Ronald Reagan had called for Premier Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" two an a half years earlier, the long-suffering people of East Germany breached the divide - formally called the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart - dismantling it piece by piece and then flooding into the free society that was West Berlin.  The event took many by surprise. In fact, the detente policy . . .  [more]

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block C:  Paul Gregory, Hoover, in re: What Can a Republican Senate Majority Do for Ukraine? The Republicans’ victory in the mid-term elections gives them control of the U.S. Senate and a greater voice in foreign policy. With a Republican senate majority, legislation opposed by Obama’s Democratic anti-war wing can no longer be kept from the floor, as it was under the outgoing Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid. The expected new Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, indeed vowed, in his first post-election press conference, to expeditiously move legislation to the president’s desk for his signature (or veto). Ukraine can hope that pending pro-Ukraine bills will go to the front of the queue, especially if Ukrainian, Baltic and Polish Americans make their voices heard, let alone those who understand the global threat that Putin’s Russia poses.  The two bills to provide Ukraine with defensive and lethal weapons that are poised to be taken up by the new Republican senate majority are: [more]

Monday  10 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block D: Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: The best image yet of the birth of a solar system  The new ground-based telescope ALMA has taken an amazing image of a baby star and the planet-forming accretion disk that surrounds it. Spectroscopy from Curiosity’s most recent drilling has been found to match and thus confirm the spectroscopy of the same spot taken years ago from orbit.

In observations reported in 2010, before selection of Curiosity’s landing site, a mineral-mapping instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provided evidence of hematite in the geological unit that includes the Pahrump Hills outcrop. The landing site is inside Gale Crater, an impact basin about 96 miles (154 kilometers) in diameter with the layered Mount Sharp rising about three miles (five kilometers) high in the center. 

 

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