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The John Batchelor Show

The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.

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All Episodes

6:57

41: Sincerity, Transience, and the Domestic Focus of...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Sincerity, Transience, and the Domestic Focus of Berthe Morisot's Art. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Impressionists' defining characteristic was plein air painting—painting outside directly in front of the subject. Berthe Morisot was highly innovative, concentrating on women at home doing ordinary, domestic activities. Her work was quick, often using only a few brushstrokes, conveying the impression of a moment glimpsed. Morisot was one of the most radical Impressionists in her style, frequently

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10:40

41: May 1871: Bloody Week and Morisot's...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

May 1871: Bloody Week and Morisot's Transformation Into a Professional Artist. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Commune began to fall when French government forces returned to retake the city, resulting in Bloody Week in May 1871. The civil conflict was atrociously violent, with the Communards retreating street by street and systematically burning important Parisian buildings. The atmosphere was toxic, resulting in summary executions on a massive scale. Berthe Morisot and her family witnessed the

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4:28

41: The Siege, Starvation, and the Start of the...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The Siege, Starvation, and the Start of the Communard Revolt. Sebastian Smee discusses how during the Prussian siege of Paris, Parisians suffered terribly in the coldest winter on record. Radical Republicans grew furious at the moderate government's failure to defeat the Prussians. When the government surrendered and accepted severe conditions, the radicals decided to revolt. The revolutionaries, gathering in March 1871, seized cannons and established the Commune. The Communards were more

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15:12

41: The Republican Fire: Manet, Gambetta, and the War...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The Republican Fire: Manet, Gambetta, and the War That Declared a French Republic. Sebastian Smee discusses how Édouard Manet's family wanted him to pursue law or the Navy, but he became a passionate, anti-autocratic Republican inspired by the 1848 uprisings. Manet established himself as an activist painter, creating works protesting Napoleon III's policies. Léon Gambetta became Manet's friend and the leading moderate Republican lawyer. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 began under Napoleon III, but

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7:34

41: Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet: Art, Affection,...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet: Art, Affection, and the Struggle Against Bourgeois Expectations. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Impressionists lived amidst the violence of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. Berthe Morisot came from the wealthy haute bourgeoisie and, along with her sister Edma, became a serious painter, successfully exhibiting at the Salon. However, women of their background were expected to marry and give up painting. Berthe, still unmarried at 29 in 1869, was devoted to her art

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10:15

41: Paris 1874: The Artistic Revolt Against the Salon...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Paris 1874: The Artistic Revolt Against the Salon and the Birth of Impressionism. Sebastian Smee discusses how on April 15, 1874, an exhibition opened marking the birth of Impressionism. The group, including Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Cézanne, Degas, and Berthe Morisot, set up the show deliberately outside the established Salon. The Impressionists were frustrated by repeated Salon rejections and were in revolt; they wanted to paint contemporary life and fresh landscapes, rejecting the

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8:31

41: The "Genial and Aloof" Communicator: Reagan's...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The "Genial and Aloof" Communicator: Reagan's Psychological Defense and Exquisite Political Timing. Max Boot discusses the late Reagan administration, his personality, and his legacy. Reagan was famously defined as "genial and aloof," and Boot argues that Reagan was "very hard to know," even by his wife Nancy and his closest aides, who felt part of him was "walled off." This aloofness originated in his childhood, where constant moving and hiding his father's alcoholism led him to erect a

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10:59

41: Reagan's Pragmatic Cold War Victory, Don Regan's...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Reagan's Pragmatic Cold War Victory, Don Regan's Disastrous Tenure, and the Iran-Contra Near-Death Experience. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan had no patience for communism, and in his first term, his policy toward the Soviet Union was somewhat unsuccessful, though it improved in 1985 with the ascension of Mikhail Gorbachev. Reagan's genius was recognizing that Gorbachev was a different communist leader he could "do business with," and they established a rapport that allowed them to

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8:23

41: The Finest Hour: How the Assassination Attempt...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The Finest Hour: How the Assassination Attempt Secured Reaganomics and the Rise of the Baker-Deaver Troika.Max Boot discusses how on March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his administration, Ronald Reagan was shot after giving a speech in Washington and came very close to death. Boot describes the event as Reagan's "finest hour," as Reagan behaved heroically, maintaining his composure and humor, famously joking with doctors, "I hope you're all Republicans," and telling Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck."

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9:17

41: Presidential Ambition and the 1980 Victory: From...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Presidential Ambition and the 1980 Victory: From Farm Hand Friendship to the "There You Go Again" Knockout. Max Boot discusses Ronald Reagan running for president, first challenging incumbent Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican primaries. Reagan narrowly lost the New Hampshire primary to Ford by about a thousand votes, but won the hearts of the convention with a graceful and moving speech delivered in defeat. After Ford lost to Jimmy Carter, Reagan spent the years between 1976 and 1980 returning to

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9:14

41: The Road to Goldwater: Ronald Reagan's...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The Road to Goldwater: Ronald Reagan's Conservative Conversion via General Electric and His Confrontational Governorship. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan found great success in television, hosting the General Electric Theater and earning substantial income while mixing with corporate leadership in the 1950s and early 1960s. Reagan transitioned politically from being an avid New Dealer and FDR supporter to supporting the early Republican conservative movement, particularly Barry Goldwater. Boot

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10:17

41: The Fracture of Reagan's First Marriage,...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

The Fracture of Reagan's First Marriage, Hollywood's Red Scare, and the Appearance of Nancy Davis. Max Boot discusses the marriage between Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, which was considered an "odd combination." Wyman was drawn to Reagan because he was a "nice guy" and a "white knight," though Reagan was "very hard to get to commit." By the eve of World War II, Reagan was professionally ascending, but the war derailed his commercial film career as he spent the entire conflict in Hollywood making

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8:04

41: From College Engagement to Radio Stardom: Ronald...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

From College Engagement to Radio Stardom: Ronald Reagan's Ascent to the Hollywood B-List. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan's father, Jack, secured a job as an administrator of welfare for the New Deal in late 1933. Meanwhile, Ronald developed into a successful young football star at Eureka College, where his steady girlfriend was Margaret Cleaver, known as Mugs. They were deeply in love and engaged to be married, but after graduation they separated, and Margaret, following a trip to Europe,

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9:37

41: Ronald Reagan's Traumatic Childhood: An Alcoholic...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/03

Ronald Reagan's Traumatic Childhood: An Alcoholic Father, an Optimistic Mother, and the Seeds of Aloofness.Max Boot discusses Ronald Reagan's childhood during the Great Depression, beginning in late 1932 when Reagan visited his father, Jack Reagan, in Springfield, Illinois, where Jack was running a shoe store. Jack Reagan, an Irish American shoe salesman, was characterized as a "ne'er-do-well" with a charming gift of blarney but plagued by alcoholism. His drinking problem contributed significantly

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7:36

46: Cockatoos Confirmed as Structural Vandals; Magpie...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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

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11:11

46: Ashes Cricket Update: Pat Cummins Out, Steve...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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

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8:23

45: Massive Snake Surge Hits Queensland: Catchers...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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

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6:40

45: Bureau of Meteorology Removes 'Black' Warning...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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

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7:20

44: The Cockpit Confrontation: How Parliament Lost...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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

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12:20

44: The Conservation of Charge and the Practical...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/02

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,

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8,970 results

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