Gov. Blinky Ishihara wants to buy the Senkaku Rocks

[Coligny]

So the VP really is captain obvious...
Starting to miss Darth Cheney...

[matsuki]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/2013/12/02/10/20/china-launches-its-first-moon-rover

How long before China claims the moon is Chinese territory?

BEIJING -It might sound like a nightmare scenario from a science fiction film, but one expert has claimed that China is planning on transforming the moon into a missile base. The expert, from the China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration Programme Centre, told a Chinese newspaper that the moon could be used as a military base from which to fire missiles at the Earth.

http://www.nation.com.pk/snippets/06-De ... on-by-2050

[Russell]

Sounds like an opportunity for the military-industrial complex in the US.

Great, now we can have a nuke war on the moon.

Hoping they do it on the dark side of the moon...

[yanpa]

The US just needs to dust off some old plans then.

[Coligny]

The US just needs to dust off some old plans then.

Nuh uh...

Here, mo betta

[Russell]

The "halitosis bomb" and "gay bomb" are informal names for two theoretical non-lethal chemical weapons that a United States Air Force research laboratory speculated about producing; the theories involve discharging female sex pheromones over enemy forces in order to make them sexually attracted to each other.

They should spray that in the Vatican.

Oh wait...

[Coligny]

The "halitosis bomb" and "gay bomb" are informal names for two theoretical non-lethal chemical weapons that a United States Air Force research laboratory speculated about producing; the theories involve discharging female sex pheromones over enemy forces in order to make them sexually attracted to each other.

They should spray that in the Vatican.

Oh wait...

FOOL ! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE !

[Mike Oxlong]

Impending Japan-China war has the makings of a Clancy classic

On Nov. 23, China announced the creation of a newly expanded air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, overlapping a large expanse of territory also claimed by Japan. The move has produced a visceral reaction in the Japanese vernacular media, particularly the weekly tabloids. Five out of nine weekly magazines that went on sale last Monday and Tuesday contained scenarios that raised the possibility of a shooting war.

One can only wonder what sort of tale American “techno-thriller” writer Tom Clancy — author of “The Hunt for Red October” (1984, involving the Soviet Union) and “Debt of Honor” (1994, involving Japan) — might have spun from the scenario that’s now unfolding in the East China Sea.

Alas, Mr. Clancy passed away of an undisclosed illness on Oct. 1, so instead the task has fallen to Japan’s gunji hyōronka (military affairs critics) or gunji jānarisuto (military affairs writers), whose phones have been ringing off the hook.

First, let’s take Flash (Dec. 17), which ran a “Simulated breakout of war over the Senkakus,” with Mamoru Sato, a former Air Self-Defense Force general, providing editorial supervision. Flash’s scenario has the same tense tone as a Clancy novel, including dialog. On a day in August 2014, a radar operator instructs patrolling F-15J pilots to “scramble north” at an altitude of 65,000 feet to intercept a suspected intruder and proceeds from there.

Sunday Mainichi (Dec. 15) ran an article headlined “Sino-Japanese war to break out in January.” Political reporter Takao Toshikawa tells the magazine that the key to what happens next will depend on China’s economy.

“The economic situation in China is pretty rough right now, and from the start of next year it’s expected to worsen,” says Toshikawa. “The real-estate boom is headed for a total collapse and the economic disparities between the costal regions and the interior continue to widen. I see no signs that the party’s Central Committee is getting matters sorted out.”

An unnamed diplomatic source offered the prediction that the Chinese might very well set off an incident “accidentally on purpose”: “I worry about the possibility they might force down a civilian airliner and hold the passengers hostage,” he suggested.

In an article described as a “worst-case simulation,” author Osamu Eya expressed concerns in Shukan Asahi Geino (Dec. 12) that oil supertankers bound for Japan might be targeted.

“Japan depends on sea transport for oil and other material resources,” said Eya. “If China were to target them, nothing could be worse to contemplate.”

In an air battle over the Senkakus, the Geino article continues, superiority of radar communications would be a key factor in determining the outcome. Japanese forces have five fixed radar stations in Kyushu and four in Okinawa. China would certainly target these, which would mean surrounding communities would also be vulnerable...

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/1 ... y-classic/

[Russell]

Though the situation around the Senkakus is worrying, I think the outbreak of war in the immediate future, as described in the article, is unrealistic. It is China's strategy to gradually push things the way they want without provoking a war.

That is, unless they are sure they can get away with a war, but with the US involved they would not risk this.

The Sino-Indian war of 1962 is an example where they sneaked upon the Indians and got away with it, since the Indians could not immediately move troops into the area due to the high altitudes. Such a scenario is much less likely in the case of the Senkakus.

[JAVGOD]

I think the chest puffing by China is to deflect the attention away internally from their faltering economy and their soup-like poisonous atmosphere. Their internal problems prevent any real war from moving forward. That and so many of their wealthiest now live in the US and have their fortunes tied up in western banks. When there is a quick mass exodus of Chinese from the US I might start to worry a little. Right now, in Los Angeles there is a mass influx of Chinese going on.
I think China knows the US is itching to bomb them back to 1915 (US needs bombs to boom economically) as well as slow down or stop the threats China poses to Wall Street's domination of financial markets. US still dreams of continuing its global domination however unrealistic or sickening that might be.

[matsuki]

I think the chest puffing by China is to deflect the attention away internally from their faltering economy and their soup-like poisonous atmosphere.

What do you mean? Looks healthy to me?

http://i.imgur.com/lef99jm.jpg

Today...air quality index of 505

[Coligny]

Found while doing a GIS for "Japanese santa tranny" (seriously, fuck you google)

20131206_usjapan.jpg

[Russell]

I think the chest puffing by China is to deflect the attention away internally from their faltering economy and their soup-like poisonous atmosphere.

What do you mean? Looks healthy to me?



Today...air quality index of 505

Always look at the bright side of life...

Smog makes you funnier and smarter, Chinese media claims

As eastern China chokes on toxic pollution and skyscrapers disappear into the fog, an editorial goes viral after arguing that smog is bringing "major benefits" to Chinese people

Toxic air pollution may be pulverizing the alveoli of hundreds of millions of Chinese but it is also making them more equal, more humorous and even more intelligent, state media claimed on Monday.

In a controversial and widely mocked comment piece entitled, “Five unexpected gains the haze has brought”, a journalist from state television channel CCTV argued that while Chinese people might “hate” the pollution, it was not a “completely useless” phenomenon.

For while filthy air was a dangerous “enemy”, it was simultaneously bringing "major benefits" including making people more united, more sober, more equal, more humorous and better informed.

Smog was making Chinese people equal since it affected the lungs of both rich and poor, the article argued. It was sobering since it made Chinese reflect on the cost of their country’s economic boom. It was also a boon for Chinese humour, since residents of mainland China were turning to comedy in order to keep “light hearts” in the face of what has been dubbed the “airpocalypse”.

But perhaps most importantly, pollution was improving Chinese minds, CCTV's journalist argued.

“Our knowledge of meteorology, geography, physics, chemistry and history has grown [because of pollution] and the standard of our English has improved too,” the author argued. “Without this haze, would you know what PM2.5 was? Would you know that 60 years ago the haze claimed 12,000 lives in London? Would you even know the words "haze" and "smog"?”

The article was published as large swathes of eastern China continued to choke on some of the worst pollution on record with air quality levels nearly 20 times below those deemed safe by the World Health Organisation.

In Shanghai, China’s financial hub, dozens of planes were grounded and some of the tallest skyscrapers on earth disappeared almost entirely from view as a foul-tasting fog enveloped the city over the weekend.

City officials urged children and the elderly to stay indoors and pharmacies sold out of facemasks as residents attempted to prevent “beyond index” levels of pollution from penetrating their lungs.

In Nanjing, another major city around 170 miles west of Shanghai, fashion models took to the catwalk sporting surgical masks.

Environmental group Greenpeace blamed much of the pollution on coal-fired power stations and factories in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Shandong.

The CCTV editorial infuriated pollution-weary micro-bloggers with more than 80,000 internet-users commenting on the article within two hours of its publication.

“At first I thought this was fake news, but the article really exists,” wrote one. “Then I thought it was satire, but after reading the article I found that the writer did indeed hold these views. In the end, I opened the window and inhaled a big breath of Socialist happiness.”

A female user wrote: “The first benefit of haze that comes to my mind is saving money on foundation since my boyfriend can't see the defects on my face [anyway].”

Editorials in many state-controlled newspapers sought to shift responsibility for the pollution from the government onto the population on Monday.

However, the editor of Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post berated Beijing, labelling President Xi Jinping’s attempts to improve the environment as “half-hearted at best.”

“It is sad to note that despite the severity of the smog and its hazardous impact on people's lives, neither the central government leaders nor the officials from those affected cities have come out publicly to apologise and discuss ways to address the issue,” Wang Xiangwei noted.

During the 1950s and 1960s, “smog killed thousands of people in Britain before the authorities there took decisive steps to introduce the Clean Air Act to bring pollution under control,” Mr Wang added.

“It is time that the mainland leadership learnt from those lessons and takes steps to introduce China's own Clean Air Act.”

Speaking at a conference on Saturday, Yang Xiong, the mayor of Shanghai, admitted his city was suffering from severe pollution.

“But it will be fine in the following days,” Mr Yang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, another government-controlled media outlet published an article claiming pollution could give China “a defensive advantage in military operations.”

While smog was bad for Chinese health it could help the country on the battlefield by hindering missile strikes, the Global Times newspaper said.

Now I understand why I was in such a good mood when I returned from China last month...

[yanpa]

I remain eternally thankful that during my youthful "learn exotic writing systems" phase [1], my focus was diverted from the spiritual homeland to this somewhat less unprogressive archipelago.

[1] the things one had to do to fill in the pre-Internet void of free time

[Coligny]

I went with Serbian... It was an unmitigated all around disaster cum clusterfuck...

Still marvel at the surprisingly low number of casualties...

[Russell]

Faux News, so not sure whether true.

Chinese naval vessel tries to force U.S. warship to stop in international waters

A Chinese naval vessel tried to force a U.S. guided missile warship to stop in international waters recently, causing a tense military standoff in the latest case of Chinese maritime harassment, according to defense officials.

The guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens, which recently took part in disaster relief operations in the Philippines, was confronted by Chinese warships in the South China Sea near Beijing’s new aircraft carrier Liaoning, according to officials familiar with the incident.

“On December 5th, while lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision,” a Navy official said.

“This incident underscores the need to ensure the highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap.”

A State Department official said the U.S. government issued protests to China in both Washington and Beijing in both diplomatic and military channels.

The Cowpens was conducting surveillance of the Liaoning at the time. The carrier had recently sailed from the port of Qingdao on the northern Chinese coast into the South China Sea.

According to the officials, the run-in began after a Chinese navy vessel sent a hailing warning and ordered the Cowpens to stop. The cruiser continued on its course and refused the order because it was operating in international waters.

Link

[Coligny]

That's one hell of a stupid move...

[Yokohammer]

This was on the TV news at noon. That doesn't necssarily make it true, but I think it's a pretty fair bet that it is.

~ Tapatalking ~

[Russell]

Why China forced a confrontation at sea with the US Navy

The USS Cowpers had to veer sharply to avoid colliding with a Chinese military vessel in international waters earlier this month, the US Navy has confirmed. What message was China sending?

Reports that a Chinese navy vessel tried this month to force a US warship to a halt in international waters have senior US officials and longtime Asia analysts asking what, precisely, China was trying to prove by the maneuver.

US naval officials note that the USS Cowpers – a guided missile warship – was “lawfully operating” in waters near the South China Sea when it had an encounter with a People's Liberation Army (PLA) vessel “that required maneuvering to avoid a collision,” according to an article in the Washington Free Beacon.

The incident followed China’s announcement that it will establish an air defense identification zone (IDIZ) in the East China Sea, a move that elicited howls of objection from the US military, as well as from China’s neighbors in Southeast Asia, who worry about Beijing's growing willingness to flex its military muscle in the region.

While US Navy officials confirm the episode, they also caution that these sorts of standoffs with China happen with relative frequency in the Pacific and that, according to one Navy officer with knowledge of the event, it’s important not to “overhype” the incident.

That said, the recent run-in holds a larger message, analysts say. The chief one may be that the US will not be able to comfortably troll the waters of the western Pacific.

“The Chinese are trying to make it clear that, if the US wants to operate in these waters, then it should be prepared to be operating under a high state of tension,” says Dean Cheng, senior research fellow for Chinese political and security affairs at the Heritage Foundation. “If the US doesn’t want tension, then it’s very simple: leave.”

The confrontation, he adds, was “a deliberate effort to intimidate.”

If this is the case, then to what end? After all, a majority of elites in China prefer to strengthen the bilateral relationship with the United States rather than to pursue "hawkish," hegemonic ambitions, according to a recent report from Michael Swaine, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

One possible answer is that recent PLA moves indicate that the “Chinese are now trying to establish a much greater presence in the western Pacific,” says Dr. Swaine. “In a sense, they want to convey to other countries that they are out there, they’re operating, and other people need to recognize this and abide by their desires.”

The USS Cowpens was conducting surveillance of China’s new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, at the time. According to the Washington Free Beacon, a Chinese ship that was accompanying the carrier moved in front of the Cowpers to try to make it come to a full halt – hardly a safe maneuver. The bottom line is that China is out “to make sure that the US shows respect to China – that they acknowledge a sphere of influence,” says Patrick Cronin, senior director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

For this reason, he adds, “China’s military posture is increasingly assertive.”

But that doesn’t mean the PLA “is devoted to taking over the western Pacific and ejecting the US,” says Swaine.

More likely, China is interested in establishing greater ability to deter other forces – including Japan and the US – ”from being able to prevail in possible confrontations over Taiwan and other disputed territories,” he says.

In other words, says Swaine, China wants to make it “much more difficult for the US and Japan to be confident that they can use military coercion or force to try to deflect Chinese behavior or threaten China in some way.”

And while “it’s probably true that China doesn’t have imperial ambitions, on the other hand it’s imperious,” Dr. Cronin says.

The net result, Cronin adds, could be that China is behaving in a way that increasingly coalesces an anti-China faction – "the vey one that China is purporting to be trying to guard against."

Link

[Mike Oxlong]

USN, JCG, and Sea Shepard...what do they have in common?

They always forget the very basics of sailing:

"Here lies the body of Johnny O'Day
Who died Preserving His Right of Way.

He was Right, Dead Right, as he sailed along
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong."

[Coligny]

True...

Except for oil tankers though... Those things can barely be steered toward the continent they are supposed to reach...

[Tsuru]

Next step: the US flies a couple of carrier based fighters at mach 1+ right past the bridge of any Chinese ship looking to start shit. Time to spill some coffee (tea?) and pop some eardrums.

Anyone want to make a bet how many more months it will take before the Liaoning is sent to the bottom of the SCS?

[Russell]

Next step: the US flies a couple of carrier based fighters at mach 1+ right past the bridge of any Chinese ship looking to start shit. Time to spill some coffee (tea?) and pop some eardrums.

Anyone want to make a bet how many more months it will take before the Liaoning is sent to the bottom of the SCS?

The question is whether it will be sent down by China itself (due to incompetence) or by the US.

[Coligny]

Don't forget the rust... I bet the mothballing by the Russian was not done on the careful side...
And don't count too much on chinese craftmanship to fix something properly... Unless you consider plugging rustholes with dirty adult diapers as state of the art maintenance...

The thing that keep disturbing me is the rush on deploying this crap at see. Few weeks ago they barely made the first jet landing on the deck and now it's sitting on a hotspot with more than few foreign navies pissed off at him...
No idea with the state of readiness of the ship ... Radar ? Comms ? Kitchen ? Loo ?

[Coligny]

Ok, strike that...

First landing was 1 year ago, and they might have operationnal microwave ovens in the galley...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_ai ... r_Liaoning

Seems they even got 5 pilot qualified for carrier based operation...

(By chinese standards that is...)

[Tsuru]

If they manage to stick that thing on a reef I think I might literally shit myself laughing

But apparently this is more common than I thought:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ntled.html

http://www.voanews.com/content/philippi ... 38419.html

[Russell]

If they manage to stick that thing on a reef I think I might literally shit myself laughing

If it is on a reef, at the very least they can claim that reef to be part of China...

[Coligny]

And never underestimate the ability of USN fast attack subs to collide onto anything that can surround them...

[Russell]

Talking about subs, I read that Japanese-made subs are very hard too trace, since they are extremely quiet and non-nuclear (meaning there is no heat trail of cooling water).

Seems the Oz Navy has bought a few.

[Coligny]

But they need to surface to charge the batts...