The John Batchelor Show

DALLAS THE DOG MONITORS COCKATOO SIEGE DURING HEATWAVE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. During a severe heatwave in New South Wales where temperatures reached 115°F (43°C), Dallas the dog has been vigilantly monitoring a flock of destructive cockatoos from his porch. While intelligent birds like magpies have retreated to the shade or are sharing Dallas's water bowl to survive the heat, the cockatoos remain active and destructive, tearing at pine cones and eyeing the neighbor's roof, which they damaged the previous year. The cockatoos are able to withstand the extreme temperatures better than other wildlife because they have located a water source in a neighbor's chicken coop, allowing them to continue their "siege" despite the weather. Dallas manages the situation by giving them the "stink eye" from his beanbag, successfully keeping them on the neighbor's side of the fence for the time being. NUMBER 41951

BAZBALL DECLARED DEAD AFTER AUSTRALIA'S ASHES VICTORY Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Australia'sdecisive 4-1 victory in the Ashes series is viewed as a failure of England's "Bazball" strategy, which Zakis declares "dead" for test cricket. The strategy, reliant on brute force and psychological warfare to score quickly, ultimately backfired by exhausting the English players over the duration of the five-day matches. The Australian team successfully "outfoxed" England by utilizing technical bowling expertise—varying pace and using sliders—rather than engaging in a contest of pure speed. While England boasted of hitting "sixes" (home runs) prior to the series, Australia's disciplined field placement and bowling variety prevented the English batters from getting "their eye in," dismantling the aggressive strategy completely. NUMBER 31928

SNAKE CATCHER SURVIVES EASTERN BROWN BITE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. The risks of the Australiansummer are highlighted by the ironic near-death experience of Michaela, a professional snake catcher who was bitten by a deadly Eastern Brown snake while off-duty and barefoot in her own garden. Although her organs began to shut down from the venom, she received antivenom within the crucial "golden hour" and is expected to survive and return to work. This incident underscores the "macho" culture among snake catchers, who often wear flip-flops and shorts as a "badge of honor," believing their understanding of the environment is sufficient protection. However, there are physical limits to this career; medical wisdom suggests a human body usually cannot withstand more than three bites from a brown snake, often forcing professionals to move into administrative roles to avoid a fatal fourth strike. Financially, a standard house call for snake removal costs approximately $120, though insurance policies generally do not cover snake-related issues. NUMBER 2

CYCLONE KOJI STRIKES QUEENSLAND AS BUSHFIRES RAGE ELSEWHERE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Jeremy Zakis reports that Cyclone Koji, described as a "monster" system with winds reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour, struck the Queensland coast near Townsville. Fortunately, the cyclone's epicenter made landfall south of the major population centers, resulting in damage primarily restricted to uprooted trees and localized flooding rather than widespread structural destruction. As the system moved inland, it depowered into an "ex-cyclone" bringing heavy rain to a region defined by volcanic rock and sharp cliffs rather than sandy beaches. Simultaneously, other parts of the continent, specifically Victoria and Western Australia, are battling extreme heat and bushfires ignited by lightning storms striking dry undergrowth. In these fire zones, firefighters have been observed rescuing exhausted wildlife, including providing water to dehydrated kangaroos and transporting koalas to rangers for care. NUMBER 11933 QUEENSLAND SUMMER

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION AS DETERRENCE Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. To deter immediate Chinese aggression, Fanell advocates for "war fighting proliferation," suggesting the US should support nuclear capabilities for allies like Japan and South Korea because conventional US forces cannot be rebuilt fast enough. Thayer argues for total economic decoupling, urging Washington to cut off trade to exploit Xi Jinping's domestic weaknesses. They propose "political warfare" to isolate the regime diplomatically, treating the CCPas a pariah to encourage internal dissent. They emphasize that the goal is not invasion, but power politics and credible deterrence to change Beijing's calculus without boots on the ground. FANELL NUMBER 41925 DUTCH MARINES PATROL SHANGHAI