Nick is joined by Racing TV and RTE analyst Jane Mangan to cast an eye over the latest news and events from around the racing world today. They take a look at the weekend action from Ayr, with a contribution from Christian Williams, trainer of the two market leaders in the Scottish National, while Jane looks forward to the stakes action at Leopardstown, picks her fancy for next week's Grand National, and announces exclusively that she is to return to the saddle next season to ride the Mullins bumper string on Patrick's retirement. They also discuss the sale of Put the Kettle On, while Jane has her last word on the Robbie Dunne appeal. JA McGrath previews the two big races from Randwick, New South Wales, this weekend, while James Willoughby gives another outstanding briefing on all things International in this week's global rankings wrap.

Ep 453 - I'll Take the High Road

What you can do as an individual is cultivate a habit of committing small acts of sedition. Making little paper cuts in the flesh of the beast which add up over time. You can't stop the machine by yourself, but you can sure as hell throw sand in its gears.

Giving a receptive listener some information about what's going on in the world. Creating dissident media online. Graffiti with a powerful message. Amplifying an inconvenient voice. Sharing a disruptive message. Supporting an unauthorized cause. Organizing toward forbidden ends. Distributing literature. Creating literature. Having authentic conversations about real things with anyone who can hear you.

Every day there's something you can do. After you start pointing your creativity at cultivating this habit, you'll surprise yourself with the innovative ideas you come up with. Even a well-placed meme or tweet can open a bunch of eyes to a reality they'd previously been closed to. Remember, they wouldn't be working so frantically to restrict online speech if it didn't pose a genuine threat to the empire.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Cultivate A Habit Of Small Acts Of Sedition

Facebook restricted visibility of the New York Post's Hunter Biden laptop story in the lead-up to the 2020 election after receiving counsel from the FBI, according to Facebook/Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Reading by Tim Foley.

When Billionaires And The Government Work Together To Control Information

As I learn more and more about global power dynamics and interact with more and more people around the world responding to the things I have to say, I find myself growing more and more disdainful of those who live directly under the thumb of the US empire and yet spend their time criticizing unabsorbed governments like Russia and China. It's literally the most pathetic, snivelling, power-serving position anyone can possibly take at this point in history.

Reading by Tim Foley.

It's Gross To Live Under The US Empire And Spend Your Time Criticizing Other Governments

One of the weirdest, most insane things happening today is the way the entire western world is being trained to freak out about "Russian propaganda" — which barely exists in the west — while ignoring the fact that we are spending every day marinating in billions of dollars worth of US empire propaganda.

Reading by Tim Foley.

We're Being Trained To Worry About 'Russian Propaganda' While Drowning In US Propaganda

It is a good time to appreciate the insects
and functioning supply chains
and normal weather
and the fact that there are whales.

It is a good time to appreciate our loved ones
and tell people what they mean to us
and throw ourselves into romance with wild abandon
and be naked and vulnerable with someone who is gentle.

It is a good time to live in continuous appreciation
for the sun on our face
for the birdsongs in our ears
for a fresh cup of coffee
for a child's laugh
for a lover's touch
for electricity and clean water
for a visible sky
for breathable air
for arable land
for a living world.

It is a good time to cherish this orgy of terrestriality
with everything we've got
for however long it is with us
so that if the time comes to say goodbye
we can tuck it in lovingly and kiss it goodnight
like a tired little boy
after a long day's play.
_________________

_________________

_________________

Reading by Tim Foley.

It Is A Good Time To Appreciate The Insects

Democrats calling Republicans extremists is like ISIS calling Al Qaeda extremists, only Democrats and Republicans have a much higher body count.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Democrats Are Violent Extremists

Some worship at the feet of deities, at the feet of gurus, at the feet of dead prophets, at the feet of stone idols, in churches, in temples, in mosques, in Mecca.

Others worship at the feet of roadkill, at the feet of the dead roo by the side of the freeway, at feet of the cat who crawled its way to the nature strip and died after being clipped by the wheel of a Toyota Camry.

They worship at the feet of a stranger's eyes, at the feet of steamrolled wives, at the feet of circling birds in a cloudy sky, at the feet of a stifled intersection packed with logos for fast food and fossil fuels.

Moving through life open-hearted, cathedral-hearted, moon-hearted, eyes full of frog croaks and black angel feathers, worshipping at the feet of creaky screen doors and the smell of Windex.

They don't chase goals or yearn for distant mind fluff; they worship the air in the nostrils and the crackling energy in the body. They have torrid affairs with the sounds of trains and traffic. They make love to the spaces between power lines.

Some worship at the feet of discarded toys, at the feet of lipstick smears, at the feet of janitor's closets, at the feet of sidewalk puddles, at the feet of gum leaves rustling in the wind. They don't go to church because they feel the ancient owls at the center of their being. They are in touch with something that is older than the atoms. They lie prostrate in the parking garage.

_____________

Reading by Tim Foley.

Some Worship At The Feet Of Roadkill

Ecocide will continue as long as ecocide is profitable. No possible iteration of capitalism can address this problem. This, in and of itself, is a sufficiently strong argument that capitalism must be abandoned.

No model where human behavior remains driven by profit can address the problem that ecocide will continue as long as ecocide is profitable. That’s why so many capitalism proponents are reduced to simply pretending that ecocide isn’t a problem.

Eco-consciousness and anti-capitalism go hand in hand, but the liberals are dominating environmentalist discourse while the commies frequently neglect it. This is a strategic and moral error. This is the strongest argument against capitalism, and it's one which needs to be made.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Capitalism Has No Solution To Ecocide

"At a time when cross-domain transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially, the Committee is disappointed with the slow pace of DoD-led efforts to establish the office to address those threats," Warner writes in the report. 

"Exponentially" is a mighty strong word. Taken in its least literal sense, it means that threats to US national security from UFOs are increasing at an alarmingly rapid rate. That they have swiftly become much greater than they used to be.

What is the basis for this incendiary claim? What information are US lawmakers being given to make them draw such conclusions and make such assertions? There's a long chain of information handling between an alleged UFO encounter and a US senator's pen, and corruption can occur at any point in that chain (including the first and last link).

I remain comfortably agnostic about most aspects of the UFO question, up to and including the possibility that there are actual extraterrestrial or extradimensional beings zipping around our planet in technology our science cannot comprehend. But one thing I absolutely will take a hard and fast position on is that the moment the US government starts labeling something a "threat", all trust and credulity must be immediately be thrown out the window.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Who Benefits From US Government Claims That The UFO Threat Is Increasing 'Exponentially'?

Another Pick the Flick by our listeners! This time, we thank Cave for the suggestion of 2012’s It’s a Beautiful Day! Cody jumps in the Frame Rate chair and we all discuss the sonder and existentialism of Don Hertzfeldt’s stick figures. I’m in pain!

Features:
Cody Johnston: https://twitter.com/drmistercody  
Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP
Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty

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529. Frame Rate: It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Feat. Cody Johnston)

Readings of all Caitlin Johnstone's articles, usually by her co-writer Tim Foley.