AR

BLAZING SADDLES was released 52 years ago today. Acclaimed as one of the great comedies of the 1970s, and among the most popular of director Mel Brooks, the story of how it was made is a cascading waterfall of creative alternatives...

1/36

The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

via Anthony Corella

Grace Blakeley (@graceblakeley) Make yourselves ungovernable

substack.com/@graceblakel...

How Britain helped Iran’s Islamic regime destroy the left-wing opposition Britain supported Iran’s new Islamic regime in crushing last remaining opposition, while a UK official joked about Iran’s torture techniques.

Britain supported Iran’s new Islamic regime in crushing the last remaining opposition to its rule in 1983.

At the same time, the UK’s leading official in the country joked about Iran’s torture techniques, declassified files reveal.

www.declassifieduk.org/how-britain-...

Comic strip script: Scene is a SUPERMARKET, a MAN is walking past a display of CREME EGGS with his trolley. 1 MAN: Tut 2 CREME EGG [talking to him from the shelf]: Excuse me - did you just tut at us? 3 MAN: W-what? CREME EGG: Tutting because you’ve seen ‘Easter eggs’ on January 11th, is it? 4 MAN: What? Well, y-yes, I - CREME EGG: Listen, Tut boy 5 CREME EGG: We are not Easter eggs. We are Creme Eggs. 6 CREME EGG: We are the shock troops of seasonal capitalism. Eldritch simulacra of rebirth. Fondant mockery of life. 7 CREME EGG: Not for us the grand safety of a cardboard box. Oh no. They put us out here first, in our little foil uniforms, every January, to face the wrath of the nation. 8 CREME EGG: And what you gonna do about it? Tut? Snark about us on social media? 9 CREME EGG: Maybe you’ll write a little column in the Telegraph titled “It Is Sad That The Easter Eggs Are Out Already”. 10 CREME EGG: You tut because you know that unlike you, we will return, every January… …forever. 11 CREME EGG: The eternal rebirth of mammon! The endless - MAN: Oh go on then [He puts one of the Creme Eggs in his trolley] 12 CREME EGG: HA HA YOU WORM

File under the ever-growing subgenre of my work which I’m calling ‘Inanimate Object Has A Massive Go At A Person For No Reason’

I am tired of Earth. These people.

Picture of karl marx with a present labelled "coal for the landlords"

Ho Ho Holy Communism!
Merry Christmas x

Greta Thunberg arrested for holding a sign opposing genocide.

When peaceful protest is a crime, democracy is in deep trouble.

Happening under a Labour Government.

We can't let Thames Water get away with this!

Follow @weownit.org.uk for more on how to get involved

The future of Thames Water hangs in the balance.
Thanks @graceblakeley.substack.com for highlighting just how important this deal is.

Ofwat must say NO to Thames Water - email now: weownit.org.uk/act-now/ofwa...

Starting a temporary thread of threads so I can find stuff again, starting with a subject close to my heart...

This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter

In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career.

I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters.

Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

Economists don’t understand capitalism

The Iceni don't think this is too niche at all and are grooving to the horns

On this day in 2011, Sócrates passed away.

Not only was he a superb footballer, but he was also a huge proponent of democracy, socialism and working-class identity in football.

In this era of ultra-commercialised football, we'd do well to remember Sócrates and the impact he had.

2 in 3 of Nigel Farage’s current and former partners do not speak English as their first language.

Independence needs a plan, not permission Nations seeking independence need to be bold and confident, argues Simon Hobson. What can Cymru learn from Quebec?

"If the next Welsh Government, whatever its composition, is serious about building a future for Cymru, it must embrace a principle that Québec understood 60 years ago — self-belief must be made public."

In a sane world, the government guilty of committing genocide would be dismantled, and forced to pay reparations. Instead they are allowed to corral their victims into a concentration camp and steal their land. We live in the most obscene of all possible timelines.

The UN General Assembly resolution against torture was rejected by only three countries: the US, Israel, and Argentina, who remind the world that they oppose even the most basic principles of humanity.

Rachel Reeves is living on another planet A country in crisis and a government in denial.

"Tweaks to taxation and spending aren’t going to un-break Britain.

A tax on multi-million-pound properties, while welcome, is not going to erode the extraordinary wealth of those at the top of our society – nor their grip over our democracy."
open.substack.com/pub/gracebla...

This is exactly what I said would happen when I analysed the NHS 10 year plan. Clever words are hiding the reality-people are agitating to pull as many services out of hospitals as possible. Why? Because it’s a lot easier to privatise services that way🚨
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Cryptocurrency backed by Farage donor is used for Russian war effort, investigators say Tether tokens found to facilitate scheme that enables sanctions evasion and launders money for the Kremlin

It never stops.
The grubby donations. The profiteering. The lobbying. The lies.
“In 2019-20, as the UK was leaving the EU, Harborne gave £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, since renamed Reform UK.”
They make damn sure they get what they want.
We get screwed.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Day191 of badly photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's #JohnOliver with fossils in the hopes that he saves the Paleontological Research Institution

John(H. sapiens) seems very at home as a trilobite(Dipleura dekayi;PRI50318)

Donations still needed!
#JohnOliverCoprolitasticShed
#trilobiteTuesday 🧪⚒️

"POST (keenur)", oil on canvas, 12x12", 2023- $800. A realistic painting of a red Canada Post box, rusty & graffiti covered, a shopping cart with some clothing sits behind it.

"Poop (TOWN)", oil on canvas, 12x12", 2023- $800(Cdn). A realistic painting of a bus stop in winter. The POV is tilted down from left to right. Amidst a bench, bus shelter & blue & yellow port-a-potty the front end city bus sits with doors closed. The scene is snow covered.

"Fountain (blue)", oil on canvas, 12x12", 2022- $800(Cdn). A realistic painting of a public water fountain mounted to a light blue brick wall.

"CON (SHITTY TOY)", oil on canvas, 12x12", 2023- $800(Cdn). A realistic painting of a sketchy red brick graffiti covered variety store, seen over the back end of a blue Ford compact car. It is a clutter of a green dumpster, plastic milk & pop cartons & signage.

🧵"Walking Distance" paintings still available, regularly $800(Cdn), on sale for $600(Cdn) for residents of Canada, the UK, & EU. DM me if you're interested. 1/2 #art

What if...?

The 'BBC Bias conspiracy' is actually part of a broader conspiracy to promote a narrative that the Right is being subverted by Left-wing state-players, when that very narrative is actually generated by state fascists themselves to enhance their ability to further promote the Right...

Monsieur Hulot looks for a stable vantage point to place an additional pair of 16 inch Naval cannons

All the doors and windows on that poor ship obviously inspired future French cinema .. so swings and roundabouts

💯👇 It's not a ceasefire because there never was a war.
it's an agreement between Israel, the US and other proxies to reduce the slaughter to a slightly more media friendly and less resource intensive level.

Tolkien fought in the Battle of the Somme. He saw the horrors of war, and the moments of bravery and fear within it up close.

And after all that. ALL that. He wrote Lord of the Rings. He declared true bravery and masculinity to be love, friendship and humbleness.

Musk is everything he hated.

"self (counting fingers)", graphite on paper, 9 1/2 x 10", 2025 - $350(Cdn) #art