The John Batchelor Show

Dripping wet Dallas befuddles the Magpie Clan. Jeremy Zakis, New South Wales. 1900

Oz WATCH: Australia Women's Cricket victorious Ashes. Jeremy Zakis, New South Wales. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-23/womens-ashes-second-t20-australia-england-canberra/104852866 1935

Oz WATCH: Citiizens reminded do not pick up snakes.. Jeremy Zakis, New South Wales .https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/australians-warned-not-to-pick-up-snakes/104848908 1933 Queensland

Oz WATCH: Serene summertime weather at the beach and barbie. Jeremy Zakis, New South Wales. https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/big-bash/shaking-your-head-bbl-goes-into-meltdown-over-freak-incident/news-story/3eff3fd08a1f1d301061e18b9b67749b 1842

2020 BOOTLESS PANDEMIC PANIC ON THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 4/4: Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy by Thomas B. Modly (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Vectors-Heroes-Villains-Heartbreak-Bridge/dp/1642257036 Thomas Modly had an eclectic career in the military, academia, business, and government when he answered the call to service in 2017 and returned to the Navy where his career began. His experience, as chronicled in these pages, tells the story of Secretary Modly’s quest to advance the Department of the Navy’s preparedness for the challenges of this century. As Acting Secretary of the Navy he held fast to the mantra of “acting, not pretending,” and thus advocated aggressively for the Navy and Marine Corps’ future ― a future he believed would be defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. Every Friday he wrote a personal message to the entire Department regardless of rank. Those messages were called SECNAV Vectors. Each Vector was intended to clearly communicate his priorities and to establish a rapport with all levels of the organization. The subject of each Vector was inspired by real events that occurred in real time. As these events unfolded , the Secretary’s unyielding emphasis on being prepared for unpredictable events are proven to be prescient as the Navy found itself, unintentionally, in the center of COVID-19 crisis. 1941 California burning and sinking

2020 BOOTLESS PANDEMIC PANIC ON THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 3/4: Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy by Thomas B. Modly (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Vectors-Heroes-Villains-Heartbreak-Bridge/dp/1642257036 Thomas Modly had an eclectic career in the military, academia, business, and government when he answered the call to service in 2017 and returned to the Navy where his career began. His experience, as chronicled in these pages, tells the story of Secretary Modly’s quest to advance the Department of the Navy’s preparedness for the challenges of this century. As Acting Secretary of the Navy he held fast to the mantra of “acting, not pretending,” and thus advocated aggressively for the Navy and Marine Corps’ future ― a future he believed would be defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. Every Friday he wrote a personal message to the entire Department regardless of rank. Those messages were called SECNAV Vectors. Each Vector was intended to clearly communicate his priorities and to establish a rapport with all levels of the organization. The subject of each Vector was inspired by real events that occurred in real time. As these events unfolded , the Secretary’s unyielding emphasis on being prepared for unpredictable events are proven to be prescient as the Navy found itself, unintentionally, in the center of COVID-19 crisis. 1904 Battle of Port Arthur

2020 BOOTLESS PANDEMIC PANIC ON THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2/4: Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy by Thomas B. Modly (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Vectors-Heroes-Villains-Heartbreak-Bridge/dp/1642257036 Thomas Modly had an eclectic career in the military, academia, business, and government when he answered the call to service in 2017 and returned to the Navy where his career began. His experience, as chronicled in these pages, tells the story of Secretary Modly’s quest to advance the Department of the Navy’s preparedness for the challenges of this century. As Acting Secretary of the Navy he held fast to the mantra of “acting, not pretending,” and thus advocated aggressively for the Navy and Marine Corps’ future ― a future he believed would be defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. Every Friday he wrote a personal message to the entire Department regardless of rank. Those messages were called SECNAV Vectors. Each Vector was intended to clearly communicate his priorities and to establish a rapport with all levels of the organization. The subject of each Vector was inspired by real events that occurred in real time. As these events unfolded , the Secretary’s unyielding emphasis on being prepared for unpredictable events are proven to be prescient as the Navy found itself, unintentionally, in the center of COVID-19 crisis. 1941 Hickam Field, Pearl Harbor

2020 BOOTLESS PANDEMIC PANIC ON THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 1/4: Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy by Thomas B. Modly (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Vectors-Heroes-Villains-Heartbreak-Bridge/dp/1642257036 Thomas Modly had an eclectic career in the military, academia, business, and government when he answered the call to service in 2017 and returned to the Navy where his career began. His experience, as chronicled in these pages, tells the story of Secretary Modly’s quest to advance the Department of the Navy’s preparedness for the challenges of this century. As Acting Secretary of the Navy he held fast to the mantra of “acting, not pretending,” and thus advocated aggressively for the Navy and Marine Corps’ future ― a future he believed would be defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. Every Friday he wrote a personal message to the entire Department regardless of rank. Those messages were called SECNAV Vectors. Each Vector was intended to clearly communicate his priorities and to establish a rapport with all levels of the organization. The subject of each Vector was inspired by real events that occurred in real time. As these events unfolded , the Secretary’s unyielding emphasis on being prepared for unpredictable events are proven to be prescient as the Navy found itself, unintentionally, in the center of COVID-19 crisis. 1918 Battle of the Falklands

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 8/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1938 PM CHAMBERLAIN DECLARING PEACE IN EUROPE

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 7/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 6/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1920 FRANCE

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 5/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1908 GRAND PRIX

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 4/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1912 HAROLD CLARK MACDONNELL

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 3/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1871 LA COMMUNE, PARIS

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 2/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1813 ALEXANDER I OF RUSSIA

BEFORE DEI, AFTER DEI: 1/8: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/1510768610/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658009977&refinements=p_27%3AAdrian+Wooldridge&s=books&sr=1-2 The Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, the esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. 1796 JOSEPHINE

Preview: Former Acting Navy Secretary Tom Modly's "Vectors" Recounts the 2020 COVID Panic Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. More Later. 1936 Ranger, Lexington, Saratoga

Preview: Adrian Wooldridge Explores How Meritocratic Elites Historically Distrusted Both Popular Democracy and Hereditary Aristocracy, Favoring Rule by the Most Talented. More Later. 1845

Preview: Adrian Wooldridge, Author of "The Aristocracy of Talent," on the Rise of Modern Meritocratic Elites. More Later. 1963 Joseph Kennedy's son, JFK, and Winston Churchill's son, Randolph Churchill.

Preview: Conversation with Adrian Wooldridge, Author of "The Aristocracy of Talent," on the Historic Struggle to Identify Merit Over Inherited Privilege Through the Centuries. More Later. 1944 Stork Club NYC