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Readers!

 

The time has come for my annual short pre-Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.

 

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October 15, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

Embedded below the fold in two parts.

To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, well worth your time, go here.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

8 comments

  • Mark

    From this past week, here is a sampling of Batchelor episodes I can recommend:

    Josh Rogin on the Iran Deal

    Captain Jerry Hendrix discussing Taiwan

    Dan Henninger on the unreality of Washingtonian Politics

    Khazar Ibrahim, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the US,

    The economist Simon Constable on UK food & fuel shortages and empty shelves

    Mary Anastasia O’Grady on Cuban baseball & MLB

  • Jay

    Mark,
    I listen to show on my way home from work, besides the obvious space news which brought me here to this site, John’s show is the only U.S. radio show that talks about international issues like Taiwan and the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
    It is a great show.

  • Shallow Minded Reader

    Mark, Jay
    I removed Batchelor from my podcast list. Just too many shows and repeats that I wasn’t interested in. On weekends he would release a dozen or so book interviews. I found I was only listening to Bob, and Hotel Mars. Dr. Livingston has Hotel Mars in his podcast feed and of course, Bob posts here.

    Also, Batchelor is a RINO deep stater, not much coverage if any of the big election steel.

  • Gary

    Shallow,

    To each his own. John Batchelor is a treasure to me. He introduced me to Bob, David Livingston, Michael Yon, Gordon Chang, Michael Vlahos, several books on world history – (Roman, British, WW1 and 2), in depth discussion of Asia and the Middle East you don’t get anywhere else and on and on. He has numerous guests. who’ve worked on debunking Russiagate, defended Michael Flynn and didn’t waver in support of Trump. He does make an effort to talk to all sides, which can be a little discomfiting, but if I find a guest egregious (Dr. Henry Miller, John Bolton), I just don’t download. And, lately, he’s been hosting more of the AGW guests. I’m thinking some of this is because he had to go to CBS to get his program distributed after whatever happened with the radio station in NYC. To me, it’s still worth. sorting through it to get the info I find interesting in valuable.

  • Mark

    Gary – I appreciate your excellent review of the value of John Batchelor who has been a radio interviewer and broadcaster for many years. His shows have broad appeal and that’s a lost art in today’s niche podcasting and internet video world.
    Also – I recommend using the link that Bob now provides in his Zimmerman/Batchelor posts (To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go…). That takes you to Batchelor’s Audioboom site which is nicely laid out and where I find it easy to find the episodes I’m interested in.

  • Lee Stevenson

    I just can’t keep silent here…. @ Gary, your comment quote “He does make an effort to talk to all sides, which can be a little discomfiting”.

    If you only listen to those who agree with you, you will never get the chance to see anything from a different angle, and thus end up living in an echo chamber.

    I try and not post here these days…. I’m bored of arguing, and have little time at the moment, but I read, and try and take on board what I read, even though I venomously disagree with the politics of most here, there are actually many points we agree on. I would never know this if I only read left wing news.

    I also occasionally take in RT, And Al Jazeera. Again, generally nothing I politicaly agree with, but I think it’s important to get an idea of what and why the folks you disagree with believe what they do.

    It’s ok to be discomforted…it’s actually healthy to have your beliefs challenged, this is what the current “snowflake,” generation don’t understand. Don’t make the same mistake, coming from the other direction!

  • Gary

    Lee, since you addressed me, I shall respond.

    First, I didn’t say I didn’t listen to those with whom I disagree. I frequently listen to Batchelor callers who don’t share my views. I’ve only culled a few who are so consistently out of touch with reality (my judgment) that I consider it a wast of my time. John produces 3 hours of content a day, so I make the judgement on what I pick.

    Second, I notice that, after your grand and dramatic exit, you have returned. Seems sort of like the old James Brown routine where he would limp off stage mid act and wait for the crowd, inevitably returning as he knew he would before leaving.

  • Gary

    Lee,

    It was wrong and petty of me to take that last shot at you. I should either not answered at all or left it at the part 1 response. Please forgive my offense against you.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

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Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

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