The John Batchelor Show

Cockatoos Confirmed as Structural Vandals; Magpie Invites Itself Inside. Jeremy Zakis discusses how the destructive behavior of cockatoos is confirmed as they pulled so many nails from a neighbor's iron roof that the structure is now drooping, necessitating expensive, specialized repairs. Cockatoos are described as "pure evil with wings" and are known for tearing up building structures. Conversely, Dallas the poodle's friends, the magpies, are growing bolder. One teenage magpie walked four feet into Jeremy's kitchen and calmly listened to him before eventually walking back out. Australian magpies are even said to have a unique, twangy "Australian accent."

Ashes Cricket Update: Pat Cummins Out, Steve Smith Steps Up as Captain. Jeremy Zakis discusses how the Australian Ashes team faces uncertainty as expected captain Pat Cummins is likely out of the first match, and probably the series, due to severe shoulder and back injuries. Steve Smith has been selected as the replacement captain. Player selection is ongoing, with Marnus Labuschagne expected to return after improving his one-day international performance. Meanwhile, rivals England were decisively beaten by New Zealand, though this poor performance might be intentional "psychological warfare" before the November start in Perth.

Massive Snake Surge Hits Queensland: Catchers Inundated by Eastern Browns and Red Bellies. Jeremy Zakis discusses how predictions of a snake boom came true in Darling Downs, Queensland, where sightings and bites have soared, potentially tripling last year's numbers. Snake catchers are overwhelmed by the volume of calls. The warm, wet spring accelerated breeding cycles, putting many snakes—including pythons, Eastern Brown snakes, and Red Belly Black snakes—on the move. Eastern Brown snakes are highly aggressive and dangerously fast, with venom that can be fatal within an hour, while Red Belly Black snakes tend to paralyze their prey. Retry

Bureau of Meteorology Removes 'Black' Warning Scale Amid Severe Storms. Jeremy Zakis discusses how the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) launched a confusing new website during one of the Eastern Coast's worst storm seasons. They controversially removed the color "black" from the weather radar scale, which previously denoted the most severe weather, including heavy hail and flooding. When a major Queensland storm hit with only "red" warnings, people were unprepared, resulting in extensive property damage. Meanwhile, Queensland is facing highly unstable conditions, including rare reported water spouts and a tornado watch along the coastline.

The Cockpit Confrontation: How Parliament Lost Their Best Advocate and Franklin's Legacy as a Founder of Science. Richard Munson discusses how Benjamin Franklin was a pivotal figure in the Revolutionary era, initially dedicated to maintaining the colonies' loyalty to the king. The critical turning point occurred in January 1774 at the Cockpit, where Parliament grilled and lambasted Franklin for over an hour without allowing him to answer. At this moment, Franklin realized the English government had lost its "best possible advocate," and he began thinking seriously about independence. Before the break with Britain, Franklin had laid a foundation for colonial unity by creating the American Philosophical Society. Franklin returned to Philadelphia in April 1775 and sailed to Paris in October 1776, where the French adored him. Franklin's legacy has been subject to various interpretations by historians, but Munson emphasizes that Franklin's enduring relevance lies in his role as a founder who championed empirical truths, observation, and experimentation, which is vital in modern times marked by the dismissal of science and facts.

The Conservation of Charge and the Practical Genius of the Lightning Rod. Richard Munson discusses how Benjamin Franklin was an endlessly busy experimenter who began his famous work by studying the Leiden jar, a rudimentary battery. Franklin conducted fundamental research and developed the law of the conservation of charge: the idea that positive and negative electrical charges always seek balance. On Christmas Day 1750, he exposed himself to danger by touching the terminals of two Leiden jars, which violently threw him across the room. In 1751, Franklin published his pamphlet, Experiments and Observations on Electricity Made in Philadelphia, America, which generated international fame before the kite experiment. Franklin sought a practical solution to the danger posed by lightning, and his experiment confirmed the connection between lightning and electricity, leading to the invention of the lightning rod, which became a great practical discovery saving lives and buildings. Franklin also invented the Franklin stove and refused a patent, viewing the invention as a public benefit. He pursued observation and experimentation with "joyfulness," viewing unexpected results as new possibilities.

Printing as High-Tech: Franklin's Wealth Creation and the Dawn of His Electrical Experiments. Richard Munson discusses how Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia at age 17 and, in just 22 years, transformed into an independently wealthy experimenter. Printing during this era was the "high-tech of the age," and Franklin's work involved scientific thinking. A powerful driving force was his ambition to be wealthy, maintaining a strong focus on the bottom line. Franklin leveraged quality to secure contracts and was a savvy real estate investor. Franklin became entangled in a bitter political fight with absentee landlord Thomas Penn, who viewed Pennsylvania solely as a source of money. Franklin's independent wealth, achieved when he sold his successful businesses around 1748, allowed him to pursue science. He immediately began experimenting with electricity, performing fundamental research and defining basic structures, introducing key terms like positive and negative, conductors and insulators. Franklin's rising fame as an experimenter eventually led his neighbors to call on him to represent Pennsylvania in London.

Benjamin Franklin: Bravery, Deism, and the Youthful Pursuit of Independence. Richard Munson's biography emphasizes the complexity and bravery of Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706. A key event occurred in 1762 when Governor John Penn rushed to Franklin's home, needing his help to stop the homicidal Paxton Boys mob, who had massacred Native Americans and were marching on Philadelphia. Franklin, then 56, responded with great bravery and rode out to face down the mob, succeeding in talking them down. Franklin came from the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony but did not attend church, preferring reading to sermons. He believed he would be judged by his good works and described his religious affiliation as a deist, which connected with his scientific mindset. Franklin's early life was marked by a pursuit of independence; as a young lad apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer, he fought with him. Benjamin anonymously wrote essays as "Silence Dogood," a cantankerous widowed woman who challenged the elites. When his brother returned from being taken away, Benjamin, disliking being given directions, broke his contract and fled Boston for Philadelphia.

The Somers Trial: Mackenzie's Defense, Dana's Support, and the Presidential Intervention. Richard Snow discusses how after the execution, the Navy initiated an inquiry. Richard Henry Dana fully supported Mackenzie, describing him as saintly and honorable. The court of inquiry agreed that Mackenzie had behaved honorably. However, Mackenzie surprisingly sought a formal court-martial because John Spencer and Seaman Small's wife were pressuring for a civil murder trial. The court-martial ran from February 2 to March 31 and initially concluded that Mackenzie was honorably acquitted and heroic. However, President Tyler intervened, refusing to endorse the verdict and believing Mackenzie should have been hanged as a murderer. Mackenzie was acquitted and avoided a murder trial, but his honor was tarnished. Snow recommends readers act as the jury to decide Mackenzie's actions. Retry

The Fateful Secret: Mackenzie's Panic and the Wardroom's Verdict of Death. Richard Snow discusses how the crisis began on Friday, November 24, 1842, when Philip Spencer detailed his plot to crew member Wales, claiming to have recruited at least 20 people to turn the Somers into a pirate ship. Wales reported the plot to First Lieutenant Gansevoort, who reported to Captain Mackenzie. Mackenzie initially dismissed the claim but quickly became convinced and panicky, ordering Gansevoort to spy on Spencer. On Saturday, Mackenzie confronted Spencer and had him put in irons. Mackenzie grew increasingly suspicious, eventually arresting Boatswain's Mate Cromwell and Seaman Small. The ship's environment became one of "collective insanity" and extreme paranoia. Mackenzie suspiciously delegated the choice by asking his wardroom officers to convene an investigation, and the officers delivered a verdict: for the safety of the vessel, Spencer, Small, and Cromwell had to die. Despite being only hours from fortified land in the Virgin Islands, the verdict was executed.

The Overgunned School Ship: Conditions Aboard the USS Somers. Richard Snow discusses how the USS Somers, a beautiful and fast ship, was small—only 100 feet long—and overgunned with ten 32-pounders. The crew consisted of 120 people, with only about 30 mature sailors and the remaining majority being midshipmen meant to learn basic seamanship. The vessel was very crowded. Midshipman Philip Spencer was isolated from other midshipmen and began consorting with the common crew, which was highly inappropriate. Spencer had money to spend on forbidden items.

The USS Somers: Midshipman Philip Spencer's Pirate Obsession and Captain Mackenzie's Taste for Violence.Richard Snow's book, Sailing the Graveyard Sea, recounts the 1842 voyage of the USS Somers, the US Navy's only mutiny. The mutiny centered on Midshipman Philip Spencer, born in 1824, son of prominent lawyer John Spencer. Philip was a difficult, unruly dreamer who withdrew into pirate stories, donating the massive The Pirate's Own Book to his school library. His father secured Philip a naval berth, hoping strict discipline would reform him. Spencer joined as a junior midshipman and quickly became isolated. He was walleyed, giving him a "slightly scary gaze" that could be interpreted as untrustworthy. The commander was Lieutenant Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, whose fame rested on A Year in Spain, largely ghostwritten by Washington Irving. Despite his respectable marriage, Mackenzie harbored a "tragic detail": he was a violent, flogging captain who wrote with "lubricious detail" about attending public hangings. The Somersset sail in September 1842 for Africa with a crew of 120, consisting of only 30 mature sailors. 1861

Geoengineering and Sustainable Growth: Technological Pathways to Climate Restoration. Gaia Vince discusses technological methods for restoring the planet, including ocean fertilization, which involves artificially adding iron to boost algae growth that would suck out carbon dioxide. Another technique is enhanced weathering, sprinkling rocks like olivines onto agricultural fields or beaches; these rocks naturally bind with atmospheric carbon dioxide, locking the carbon away. Further options include exciting geoengineering ideas like placing reflective bubbles on the ocean surface to increase the planet's albedo. Regarding economic strategy, Vince argues against "negative growth" and instead emphasizes the need to decouple economic growth from environmental destruction, noting that some economies are already beginning to successfully disassociate growth from environmental pollution and carbon emissions.

Orchestrating the Nomad Century: Quotas, New Cities, and the Food Production Revolution. Gaia Vince encourages a proactive vision for managing massive climate-driven migration, involving facing expected heat, enlarging northern cities, and building entirely new ones. Vince provides an optimistic example of a managed migration where a farmer in Gujarat, India, applies for migration and is assigned to Aberdeen, Scotland. She suggests establishing a new United Nations agency with "real teeth" to organize migration among host and origin nations, allocating people via a quota system to specific jobs and areas. To mitigate hostility, migrants would commit to taking jobs in high-need industries for their first few years. A major challenge is food supply, requiring a complete overhaul of global food production, necessitating a shift toward a plant-based diet, as mass meat production is extremely inefficient. Alternative food sources like plant-based meats, insects, and vertical farming in cities are essential. Vince emphasizes the enormous potential for biodiversity restoration if damaged natural landscapes are left alone.

The Demographic Need: Reframing Migration as an Economic Resource and Dismantling Exclusionary Borders.Gaia Vince discusses how humans are a migratory species that evolved in Africa and colonized the entire globe through movement. Historically, the US and European nations have used policies of brutality and cruelty to restrict movement, with many current border restrictions being recent. Vince highlights the current economic paradox: societies encourage the flow of goods but limit human labor, their largest economic resource, with some economists estimating that removing borders could double global GDP. A critical component of managing migration is investment: financial investment to expand northern cities and social investment in accepting that migrants are not "bad people" and promoting inclusivity. Furthermore, the global north faces a demographic crisis, as most developed nations are not producing enough babies to support their elderly populations, making immigration the necessary solution. 1953

Climate Migration Is Inevitable: The Global South, the Four Horsemen, and the Necessity of Movement. Gaia Vince's book, Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World, examines the statistics warning that the climate of the near future will be dramatically different. Vince emphasizes that climate migration is "very much underway" and inevitable, highlighting the plight of Abel Cruz, a farmer in rural Peru who moved to Lima due to drought but became part of the growing global south slums. The phenomenon of the global south moving north is overwhelming, as the tropics are becoming dangerous and unlivable, compelling people to move to higher latitudes in the northern temperate zone, which are generally wealthier and better equipped to adapt. Vince refers to the primary threats that force movement as the "four horsemen of the Anthropocene": fire, heat, flood, and drought, which destroy livelihoods and property. 1956

Cutting Off the CCP: Deterrence Through Nuclear Proliferation and Total Economic Isolation. Jim Fanell and Brad Thayer discuss critical, urgent actions required to counter the PRC's strategic forces threat. Given the severe strategic mismatch, Fanell argues that warfighting proliferation must be considered, suggesting nuclear capabilities and proliferation in Seoul, Tokyo, and even Taiwan to change the calculus in Beijing and Washington. Thayer emphasizes that the current downturn in the PRC's economy presents an opportunity to accelerate Xi Jinping's fall, recommending a political warfare strategy focused on evicting Xi Jinping and the CCP from power. Fanell clarifies they are not recommending armed conflict, but rather a strategy of power politics and isolating the PRC, treating the CCP as an evil, pariah regime by denying them access to US money, stripping them of Most Favored Nation status, and removing them from the World Trade Organization. The most important recommendation is the necessity for US leadership to admit failure as the critical first step to repairing damage to US authority and its allies.

The Urgency of Admitting Failure: Team B, CFIUS Reform, and Confronting Communist Ideology. Jim Fanell and Brad Thayer emphasize that the initial step toward addressing the crisis requires the US system to admit strategic failure. Fanell notes this is extremely difficult due to institutional bias, stressing that admitting a problem is necessary to receive treatment. The comprehensive threat from Communist China necessitates a "whole-of-government, whole-of-society" approach requiring US leadership to stop "threat deflation." Thayer discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and recommends moving it from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Defense. More drastically, Thayer advocates for beginning to discuss seriously the need to cut off trade and investment in toto with the PRC. To improve intelligence analysis, the authors call for creating an independent and dynamic "Team B" to look at the PRC, similar to the original Team B established during the Cold War. The core response must involve identifying the CCP as the enemy and understanding communist ideology to grasp the permanence of the existential threat.

Echoes of 1919: How Underestimating the PLA After Tiananmen Created a Strategic Failure. Jim Fanell and Brad Thayer connect the current geopolitical threat posed by the PLA Navy to past strategic failures, drawing an analogy to the British Empire's "10-year rule" instituted in 1919. The US made a similar miscalculation regarding China after the brutal Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, as the US Navy and Pacific Command did not perceive any threat from the PRC. Fanell, who worked at the US Joint Intelligence Center Pacific from 1989 to 1991, confirms that intelligence focused on the Soviet threat, and China did not become a priority until around 2014 or 2015. Following Tiananmen, the US should have highlighted the Chinese Communist Party as a "sadistic monster," but instead the George H.W. Bush administration rushed to repair the relationship. Thayer emphasizes that US leaders in 1989 had a great understanding of communism's evils, but this understanding has since faded, and China is now incorrectly viewed as a capitalist state. Deng Xiaoping learned from Tiananmen and the Soviet collapse, focusing on economic reform while establishing a relationship of dependence between US business and the CCP.

Joint Sword 2024: China's Anaconda Strategy Against Taiwan and Washington's Persistence in Failed Engagement. Captain James Fanell and Bradley Thayer assert that America must urgently reverse its strategic errors regarding China. Fanell notes that China is currently demonstrating aggression toward Taiwan, announcing two days of "Joint Sword 2024 Alpha" exercises conducted very close to Taiwan, inside the contiguous zone. China is using the recent inauguration speech of Taiwan's new President Lai as the casus belli, claiming his equating Taiwan and China as two separate nations constitutes a move toward independence. Fanell expects the operation to include ballistic missiles fired into closure areas, with China practicing targeting key areas, blockading, and isolating Taiwan. The PRC is employing an "Anaconda strategy," increasing pressure and suffocating Taiwan. Bradley Thayer assesses Washington's response, stating that fundamentally, little has changed despite some rhetorical and policy shifts, as the Biden administration remains influenced by the "engagement school." Thayer attributes the persistence of this flawed framework to the PRC's strategy of "elite capture," spanning Wall Street, the Chamber of Commerce, think tanks, K Street law firms, and Congress.