Photo, left: Chappaqua, New York.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com. Dr. David M. Livingston, The Space Show.
 
Hour One
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 1, Block A: Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, in re: Japan and WWII. Mao participated in very limited fighting during WWII; it was Chiang who did most of the warfighting.   Japan under the aegis of the Imperial military launched an attack "like a blood spear thrust through the heart of China – throwing whole families down wells, murdering priests – more than 250,000 casualties in one city in the far north, where there's still very strong anti-Japanese feeling, but most of China is well disposed toward Japan.  Right now, the Chinese govt (which had naught to do with WWII) is looking to whip up xenophobic fever for domestic political reasons, and is  huge error. Started under Jiang Xemin (a weak leader).  The anti-Japanese indoctrination is fairly recent.  Beijing has alienated any Japanese who had a sincere desire for friendship; now, can only buy friends. Meanwhile, Japan can match or excel anything China can do so never will bow down to China. China is perplexed because it's stirred up the greatest military power n Asia – Japan.  
On 3 Sept, huge mil parade in Beijing celebrating the end of WWII – and no one will attend.  Trying to highjack someone else's success – Chiang Kai-Shek, of the Kuomintang.
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 1, Block B: Harry Kazianis, executive editor of The National Interest and a senior fellow for defense policy at the Center for the National Interest, in re: Vietnam and China.  China with the Nine-Dash Line is trying to carve out a space in the South China Sea to extend its property into the ocean.  No one has ever yet declared an ocean as part of his territory – they're common space. . . . Vietnam and India will share the popular Kilo-class Russian subs; India will train Vietnam.  http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/kerry-says-us-vietnam-entering-new-period/2906752.html
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 1, Block C: Hotel Mars, episode n. Douglas Messier, 21stcenturycomm, in re:  SmallSat. The Virgin Galactic crash: Scaled Composite had failed to anticipate the possibility of pilot error. The feather device: a hinged device with twin tail booms, needed to return; must be locked on the way up in order to deploy later – can shut down engine and abort, glide down.  Aerodynamic forces broke the ship.   . . . Goal was to get six people up to 100 km (internationally recognized border of space); thought maybe could get only 50 miles (US border of space).  . . .  Branson is always promising things on schedule and missing it.  . . .  Promising commercial flights at the end of 2017? . . . Political pressure to get things through; experimental permit re-issued yearly, not meeting a number of standards.  When the staff tried to correct, mgt declined.  In 2013, Scale Composites was given a waiver not to have to explain it would mitigate human and software error.
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 1, Block D:  Aaron Klein, Investigative radio, in re: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/chuck-schumer-iran-deal-121275.html  ;  http://www.timesofisrael.com/schumer-if-us-quits-deal-us-sanctions-still-will-hurt-iran/
 
Hour Two
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 2, Block A: Scott Harold, Asia-Pacific Policy at RAND, dep dir, in re: Two live-fire Chinese exercises. . .  Regional states see China's aggression as outside of their norms; many countries are working together to buy arms jointly, train together; stand together with interests with which it has common interests and values.  Even one-party dictatorships have domestic politics to worry about: currently, wracked in its most severe crisis of several decades. Xi Jinping soon to attack Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin.  No climbdown. Will visit Washington saying, "The cyber attacks are your imagination."  http://www.smh.com.au/world/chinas-great-wall-of-sand-unifies-allies-in-pacific-says-us-naval-chief-20150808-giuonl.html
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 2, Block C:  Aaron Back, WSJ, in re: Turmoil in US and Asian markets resulting from China's two devaluations of the yuan.  Tues: 1.9% devaluation; largest since 1994 (a one-day 33% devaluation).  Main reason is capital outflow pressure – China cutting interest rates, US soon may raise ($60 Billion for the first half of 2015).  A to-rapid decline wd cause Chinese companies to default – 1.9% on Monday, 1+% on Tuesday and again Wednesday.  Oops -Beijing has created an incentive for yet more capital flight.  This is a sort of high-wire act; can the PBoC pull this off? the yen has been falling vs the dollar for years, as have other Asian currencies. RMB included in the IMF's basket of drawing-rights?  Needs to be stable to end in the SDR basket.   http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/08/11/china-moves-to-devalue-the-yuan/
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 2, Block D:  James Taranto, WSJ, in re: Secrets and Lies  Mrs. Clinton turns over her server after all.  It’s shaping up to be—get ready for it—another bad week for inevitable Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Socialist independent Bernie Sanders is now ahead of her in New Hampshire, according to a new Boston Herald survey: “Sanders leads [Mrs.] Clinton 44-37 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, the first time the heavily favored Clinton has trailed in the 2016 primary campaign, according to the poll of 442 Granite-Staters.” Vice President Biden, who hasn’t even announced a campaign, picks up 9%.
 
Hour Three
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 3, Block A: Monica Crowley, Fox, & Washington Times Online opinion editor; in re:   http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422468/hillary-clinton-email-investigation-criminal-charges  ;   http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422417/hillary-emails-seized-above... ; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422446/hillary-clinton-email-server-seized-fbi  ; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422395/carly-fiorina-climate-change-left   ; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422436/ted-cruz-jeff-sessions-homegrown-terrorism-illegal-immigration  ; http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/chuck-schumer-iran-deal-121275.html (1 of 4)
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 3, Block B: Monica Crowley, Fox, & Washington Times Online opinion editor; (2 of 4)
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 3, Block C: Monica Crowley, Fox, & Washington Times Online opinion editor; (3 of 4)
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 3, Block D: Monica Crowley, Fox, & Washington Times Online opinion editor; (4 of 4)
 
Hour Four
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 4, Block A: Russell A. Berman , Hoover via Defining Ideas, in re: The Shadow of Yalta (1 of 2)
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 4, Block B: Russell A. Berman , Hoover via Defining Ideas, in re: The Shadow of Yalta (2 of 2)
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 4, Block C: Michael Ledeen, FDD, in re:
Wednesday   12 August  2015  / Hour 4, Block D:   Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: