The John Batchelor Show

PREVIEW: MOUDHY AL-RASHID ON THE ANCIENT PRINTING PRESS OF UR Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Author Moudhy Al-Rashid discusses her book Between Two Rivers, describing how ancient Mesopotamians used stamped bricks as an early "printing press." At the Great Ziggurat of Ur, builders efficiently stamped thousands of bricks with King Ur-Nammu's name and dedications to the moon god, preserving messages for millennia. 1932 LION GATE BABYLON

US BOLSTERS PACIFIC SOCIETAL RESISTANCE AS CHINA ENTRENCHES IN PALAU AND YAPColleague Cleo Paskal. Cleo Paskal details the intensifying struggle for influence in Oceania, specifically regarding Palau and Yap, which are vital for defending the corridor between Hawaii and the Philippines. In Palau, a new comprehensive agreement aims to counter China's "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities" by strengthening the island's law enforcement and healthcare systems to build "societal resistance." This partnership, which notably involves Palau accepting US deportees, represents a strategic shift from purely kinetic defense to political warfare, helping the nation block Chinese organized crime and preserve sovereignty. Conversely, in Yap, despite a new US commitment of nearly $1.5 billion for dual-use infrastructure, Chinese state-linked entities are aggressively embedding themselves. By underbidding on projects like rebuilding a bridge and an Imperial Japanese runway on Woleai, Beijing is effectively subsidizing expansion to gain leverage over local elites during critical access negotiations. 1900 PALAU

PREVIEW DION'S RETURN AND DESCENT INTO TYRANNY Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor Romm discusses Dion, a returning exile who liberated Syracuse but eventually adopted dictatorial tactics and authorized political assassinations. Although Dion attempted to establish a pluralistic government, he struggled against "white hot" revolutionary passions and a radical populist rival comparable to a Trotsky figure. 1898  SCHOOL OF PLATO

PREVIEW PLATO'S FIRST VISIT AND POLITICAL EXPERIMENTS Colleague Professor James Romm. This segment examines Plato's invitation to Syracuse by Dion, who sought an intellectual ally against the court's riotous lifestyle. Viewing the city as a "laboratory for political innovation," Plato investigated the autocratic experiments of Dionysius the Elder, an experience that served as the backstory for The Republic. 1869 PLATO ACADEMY

PREVIEW THE STRATEGIC FORTRESS OF SYRACUSE Colleague Professor James Romm. Romm details the military might of Syracuse under the Dionysius dynasty, specifically describing "the island," a peninsula connected to the mainland by a causeway. Protected by walls and a natural fresh water spring, this zone became an unassailable fortress that allowed the tyrants to withstand sieges. Analogy: Plato visiting Syracuse was like a theoretical physicist visiting an active nuclear reactor during a meltdown. He left the safe, theoretical environment of his Academy to study the dangerous, real-world "laboratory" of high-stakes power and tyranny. 16001