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Folks, on this week's all new episode we hear about soccer fans unplugging a refs video monitor, a tourist suing over salsa that was too spicy, raccoons learning to pick locks for treats, runners churning butter with their bodies while they run, and hundreds of french onion dip containers being sent to random businesses BUY ELI'S NEW STAND UP ALBUM HERE: https://eliyudin.bandcamp.com/album/humble-offeringOR WATCH IT HERE: https://tinyurl.com/2wwdrpjcBecome a patron for weekly bonus eps and more stuff! :⁠⁠www.patreon.com/whatatimepod⁠⁠Check out our YouTube channel: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/whatatimetobealive⁠⁠Get one of our t-shirts, or other merch, using this link! ⁠⁠https://whatatimepod.bigcartel.com/whatatimepod.com⁠⁠Join our Discord chat here:⁠⁠discord.gg/jx7rB7J⁠Theme music by Naughty Professor⁠: ⁠https://www.naughtyprofessormusic.com/⁠@pattymo // @kathbarbadoro // @eliyudin// @whatatimepod©2026 What A Time LLC

On this episode I chatted with David about the wonderful celebration of Route 66. The story of the American West is, at its heart, a story about movement. Folks moving across a wide, wild stretch of land—different people, cultures, and communities all heading west for their own reasons. Over time, the push westward became less about wandering and more about building—building ways to get people and goods from here to there. And at the center of all that movement? The roads, rivers, rails, and trails that carved their way through this rugged land. We tell that story in our new exhibition: Route 66: From Trails to Truck Stops. More information:  https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/exhibitions/route-66-from-trails-to-truckstops/ Huge thank you to our sponsors. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum telling Oklahoma's story through its people since 1927. For more information go to www.oklahomahof.com and for daily updates go to @oklahomahof The Chickasaw Nation is economically strong, culturally vibrant and full of energetic people dedicated to the preservation of family, community and heritage. www.chickasaw.net Dog House OKC - When it comes to furry four-legged care, our 24/7 supervised cage free play and overnight boarding services make The Dog House OKC in Oklahoma City the best place to be, at least, when they're not in their own backyard. With over 6,000 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor play areas our dog daycare enriches spirit, increases social skills, builds confidence, and offers hours of exercise and stimulation for your dog http://www.thedoghouseokc.com #thisisoklahoma

The next episode of Two Whats?! And a Wow will either make you squeak or say “Eeeek!”-- depending upon how you feel about… Rodents! Guy & Mindy will give you the 411 on rats, mice and some other amazing critters. Originally aired 1/26/24.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Can a decluttered space fuel a creative mind?” Author Fay Wolf answers an enthusiastic yes in her book New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (And Everyone Else). In episode #296 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, reviews New Order and discusses lessons from this decluttering and organizing guide aimed at making space in your home and life for artistic inspiration.Show notes: https://cfhou.com/tcfw296The Clutter Fairy Weekly is a live webcast and podcast designed to help you clear your clutter and make space in your home and your life for more of what you love. We meet Tuesdays at noon (U.S. Central Time) to answer your decluttering questions and to share organizing tools and techniques, success stories and “ah-hah!” moments, seasonal suggestions, and timeless tips.To participate live in our weekly webcast, join our Meetup group, follow us on Facebook, or subscribe to our mailing list. You can also watch the videos of our webcast on YouTube.Support the show

LA's heatwave hits a second day and HVAC repair pros are staffing up. Folks in LA County are dying younger than they were a decade ago. LA Unified's acting superintendent commits to supporting immigrant families. Plus, more from Morning Edition. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.comSupport the show: https://laist.com

NO EXCUSES for yet another EMBARRASSING national television loss last night/Wednesday for these Houston Rockets as they got throttled in the 'L' to the Denver Nuggets..

-Conference Tournament Action is Off & Runnin' for College Hoops! -Our Guy Milner is 6 for his last 6 on these Wagers Y'all! TMil's BEST BET$! -NFL NEWS Late Thursday- QB Kyler Murray Finds New Home in Minnesota!

The Tennessee Titans Want to Be H-Town SO Bad, Y'all! The FAKE OILERS are Back to their Antics Folks! full 745 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:52:59 +0000 UX627zK0KqXU0LYQI6voD2lWXB5bE87e nfl,afc,tennessee titans,cj stroud,houston texans,afc south,nfl news,titans,houston oilers,htown,stroud,nashville titans,htown blue,afc south news,amy adams,nfl news notes,houston texans news,texans news notes,houston texans news notes,fake oilers,houston culture,columbia blue,houston blue,tennessee titans news,titans clowns,sports The Drive with Stoerner and Hughley nfl,afc,tennessee titans,cj stroud,houston texans,afc south,nfl news,titans,houston oilers,htown,stroud,nashville titans,htown blue,afc south news,amy adams,nfl news notes,houston texans news,texans news notes,houston texans news notes,fake oilers,houston culture,columbia blue,houston blue,tennessee titans news,titans clowns,sports The Tennessee Titans Want to Be H-Town SO Bad, Y'all! The FAKE OILERS are Back to their Antics Folks! The Drive with Stoerner & Hughley delivers high-energy Houston sports talk built for H-Town fans who want insight with edge. Former NFL quarterback Clint Stoerner teams up with Ron “The Show” Hughley to break down everything that matters in Houston sports — from Texans training camp storylines and NFL playoff races to Astros postseason pushes and Rockets rebuild updates. A must-listen for Houston sports talk, the show blends locker-room perspective, strong opinions and authentic fan energy while covering SEC football, UH hoops, college sports across Texas and the biggest headlines shaping the NFL and MLB. For passionate, informed and locally-focused Houston sports analysis, The Drive with Stoerner & Hughley keeps fans connected to the teams and stories that define the city. © 2026 Audacy, Inc. Sports False

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Tonight our show is called Feed Your Heart. Host Miko Lee speaks with the collaborators and creators of the Asian American Pacific Islander Restorative Justice Network: Elli Nagai-Rothe & Tatiana Chaterji.   Restorative Justice is a movement and a set of practices that stands as an alternative to our current punitive justice system. It focuses on people and repairing harm by engaging all the impacted people working together to repair the harm. RJ is built off of ancient indigenous practices from cultures around the globe, including Native American, African, First Nation Canadian, and so many others. To find out more about Restorative Justice and the work of our guests check out Info about the AAPI RJ Network on the Ripple website: www.ripplecollective.org/aapirjnetwork NACRJ conference in New Orleans: www.nacrj.org/2026-conference Show Transcript [00:00:00] Opening Music: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   [00:00:44] Miko Lee: Good evening. I'm your host Miko Lee, and tonight our show is called Feed Your Heart. And we are speaking about the collaborators and creators of the Asian American Pacific Islander Restorative Justice Network with the collaborators, Elli Nagai-Rothe and Tatiana Chaterji.   [00:01:03] Restorative justice is a movement and a set of practices that stands as an alternative to our current punitive justice system. It focuses on people and repairing harm by engaging all the impacted folks working together to repair that harm. RJ is built off of ancient indigenous practices from cultures around the globe, including Native American, African, first Nation Canadian, and many others. So join us as we feed your heart.    [00:02:01] Welcome to Apex Express. My lovely colleagues, Elli Nagai-Rothe, and Tatiana Chaterji. I'm so happy to speak with you both today. I wanna start off with a question I ask all of my guests, and Ellie, I'm gonna start with you and then we'll go with to you, Tati. And the question is who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   [00:02:24] Elli Nagai-Rothe: Hmm. I love that question. Thank you. My people come from Japan and Korea and China and Germany. My people are community builders and entrepreneurs survivors, people who have caused harm, people who have experienced harm people who've worked towards repair dreamers, artists and people who like really good food.   [00:02:51] And I carry their legacy of resilience and of gaman, which is a Japanese word that's a little hard to translate, but basically means something like moving through moving through the unbearable with dignity and grace. , And I carry a legacy to continue healing the trauma from my ancestral line the trauma and justice. And that's informs a lot of the work that I do around conflict transformation and restorative justice.   [00:03:19] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. And Tati, what about you? Who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    [00:03:25] Tatiana Chaterji: Thank you for the question, Miko. The first thing that comes to mind, my people are the people we're, we're, we're coming up on the cusp of a possible teacher strike, and I'm thinking about workers and the labor, movement and comrades in my life from doing work as a classified school worker for about a decade.   [00:03:46] Then my people are also from, my homelands. The two that I feel very close to me are in Finland, from my mom's side, and then in Bengal, both India, west Bengal, and Bangladesh. And my people are also those who are facing facing the worst moments of their life, either from causing harm or experiencing harm as a survivor of violence.   [00:04:08] I think about this a lot and I think about also the smaller conflicts and tensions and issues that bubble up all the time. So my people are those that are not afraid to make it better, you know, to make it right. And I carry, oh gosh, what legacy do I. I wanna say first kind of the legacy of the Oakland RJ movement that really nurtured me and the youth that I've encountered in schools and in detention on the streets in the community.   [00:04:39] Youth who are young adults and becoming bigger, older adults and, and, and also elders. To me. So sort of that's whose legacy I carry in shaping the. Society that we all deserve.    [00:04:52] Miko Lee: Thank you both for answering with such a rich, well thought out response that's very expansive and worldly. I appreciate that. Ellie, I think it was two years ago that you reached out to me and said, I'm thinking about doing this thing with Asian American Pacific Islanders around restorative justice and you're working on a project with Asian Law Caucus. Can you like roll us back in time about how that got inspired, how you started and where we're at right now?   [00:05:22] Elli Nagai-Rothe: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I'd forgotten that we, I had reached out to you at the early stages of this miko. The idea for this emerged in the context of conversations I was having with Asian Law Caucus around, anti-Asian violence and restorative justice. There was an enthusiasm for restorative justice as a pathway toward healing for AAPI communities. One of the things that kept coming up in those conversations was this assumption that there are no, or very few Asian restorative justice practitioners. And I kept thinking this, that's not true. There are a lot, plenty of Asian practitioners. And I think that for me reflects the larger context that we're living in the US where Asians are both at the same time, like hyper visible, , right. In terms of some of the violence that was happening. If you roll back several years ago I mean it's still happening now, but certainly was, was at the height several years ago. So like hyper visible around that, but also in terms of like my model minority status, but also at the same time like invisibilized. So that strange paradox. And so my part of that was thinking about, well, what, what opportunities exist here, right? How can we actually bring together the restorative justice, Asian restorative justice practitioners in the Bay Area to be like regionally focused to come together to talk about how do we bring our identities into more fully into our work, , to build community with each other, and then also to build this pathway for new, for emergent practitioners to join us in this work. That's a little bit of the background of how it came to be, and I'd love Tati to speak more to some of that context too.   [00:07:00] Tatiana Chaterji: Yeah, thanks Ellie. Definitely thinking about work that I was doing in Chinatown and San Francisco. I was working with Chinese Progressive Association just before actually Asian Law Caucus reached out to us with this idea. I wanna shout out Lewa and Cheyenne Chen Le Wu, who are really envisioning an alternative process for their the members of this organization who are immigrant monolingual Cantonese speakers and, and working class immigrants. What are the options available to them to respond to harm and violence in any, any number of ways? And one of the things that we really saw.   [00:07:37] Miko Lee: Non carceral, right? Non carceral options to violence and harm, right?    [00:07:42] Tatiana Chaterji: Yes, exactly. That's exactly what we were thinking of is, and in the period of time where people are talking about anti-Asian hate, they're talking about hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans, there's a simultaneous rhetoric and a belief that Asian people love police or want police interventions or actually believe al punishment. And no doubt that can be true for, for some of our community, but it is not the overwhelmingly dominant truth is what I would say. What I would say, and that actually by believing that Asian folks loved the police was its own bizarre and very toxic racial stereotyping that. Very vulnerable communities who are non-English speakers and living un under wage exploitation and other conditions.   [00:08:34] And so what we were doing was looking at what are the ways that we think about justice and the right way to respond to things and our relational ecosystems. And we began with messages from our home and family dynamics and kind of went outwards and, and everything was presented in Cantonese. I'm not a Cantonese speaker. I was working closely with those two women I mentioned and many others to think about. What is. Not just the, the linguistic translation of these concepts, but what is the cultural meaning and what applies or what can be sort of furthered in that context. And there were some very inspiring stories at the time of violence across communities in the city, and particularly between the Chinese community and the African American community and leaders in those spaces working together and calling forth the abolitionist dreams that were kind of already there.   [00:09:28] That people just want this kind of harm or violence not to happen. They don't want it to happen to anyone again. And this is some thing I think about a lot as a survivor, that that is the dominant feeling is like we, you know, vengeance are not desires for some sort of punishment or not, that this should not happen again. And what can we do to prevent that and really care for the healing that needs to happen.    [00:09:53] Miko Lee: I appreciate you bringing up this solidarity between the African American and, and specifically Chinese American communities wanting a more abolitionist approach. We don't hear that very much in mainstream media. Usually it's pitted the Asian against black folks. Especially around the anti-Asian hate. We know that the majority of the hate crimes, violence against Asian folks were perpetrated by white folks. That's what the data shows, but the media showed it was mostly African American folks. So I really appreciate lifting that part up. So take us from that journey of doing that work with a Chinese progressive association, powerful work, translating that also from, you know, your English to Chinese cultural situations to this network that you all helped to develop the A API Restorative Justice Network, how did that come about?   [00:10:45] Tatiana Chaterji: Part of the origin story is, is work that had been happening across the Bay Area. I was speaking about what's happening in Chinatown. There's also this coalition of community safety and justice that really has been diving into these questions of non carceral response to harm and violence. Then on the other side of the bay in Oakland, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network has been working with Restore Oakland to sit with survivors of crime and build up skills around circle keeping and response. So that's just a little bit of this beautiful ecosystem that we are emerging out of. It almost felt like a natural extension to go here, you know, with a pen and restore Oakland. They were thinking a lot about interpretation and language justice. And so this is also just pulling these threads together for more robust future and practice.    [00:11:41] Miko Lee: Thank you so much for making those connections. We'll put a link in our show notes because we did a recent episode on the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice, and particularly the collective Knowledge based catalog, which captures all these different lessons. So I think what you're pointing out is that all these different groups are coming together, Asian American focus groups to, Pacific Islander focus groups to be able to find, alternatives to the Carceral system in an approach to justice.    [00:12:08] Elli Nagai-Rothe: Well, so it came about through lots of conversations, lots of collaborations I feel so, honored to be able to collaborate with Tati in this work. And other folks who were, , partnering alongside the Asian Law Caucus in this larger grant that was being offered to address anti-Asian hate and violence. Ultimately through many conversations, just wanting to create a space that was created for and by Asian restorative justice practitioners. And as far as we know, it's the only. Gathering or, or network if it's kind in the Bay Area, maybe in the nation. Somebody who's listening maybe can chime in if that's true, that's not true. But as far as we know, that's the only space that's like this. And part of what we've wanted to create is certainly first and foremost because this is so much of the work of restorative justice, at least for us, is about relationships. At the end of the day, it's how we relate to each other and thinking of, of different ways than is often modeled in mainstream world about how we relate to each other.   [00:13:11] We wanted to start with those relationships and so. We created space for current practitioners in the Bay Area to come together. And we had a series of both in-person and virtual conversations. And really it was a space to offer to really build this sense of community and these relationships to share our knowledge with each other, to offer really deep peer support. And specifically we were really interested in bringing and weaving more of our cultural and ancestral ways of being into our practice of restorative justice. And so what does that look like? Can we bring more of those parts of ourselves into our work, our lived experiences into our work, and how we address and hold conflict and harm. I'll speak for myself, such a nourishing space to be part of with other practitioners. Just really allowing more of like a holistic sense of ourselves into our work. And what all the things that could that have come from that. So we've been continuing to meet, so what has this been like two years now? [00:14:12] Almost? We had, in addition to the existing practitioners who were based in the Bay Area, we held a training for like an introduction to restorative justice training that built on the things we were thinking about and learning about with each other around our Asian identities. And that was for folks who were kind of in an adjacent field, social workers, therapists, educators, folks who are doing work with API community workers. And so then we train them up and then they join this net, this larger network. And we've continued to have conversations every month, in a community of practice space. For me, such a wonderful space to be able to connect, to continue, explore together how we can bring more of ourselves into our work in a more relational, integrated and holistic way.   [00:14:56] Miko Lee: Thanks so much for that overview. I wanna go into it a little bit more, but I wanna roll us back for a moment. And Tati, I'd love if you could share with our audience what is restorative justice and what does a restorative justice practitioner do.    [00:15:08] Tatiana Chaterji: The big one. Okay. I think of restorative justice as an alternative to criminal and punitive responses to harm and wrongdoing. I think that's where the definition really comes to life. Although people who are in the field will say that actually it's before the harm or wrongdoing happens, and that it's about cultural norms and practices of caring for each other in a communal way, having each other's back relying on relationships, which also includes effective communication and compassionate communication. So Restorative justice in how I've learned it in the, in the Oakland community was, a lot of the practices were carried by a European Canadian woman named Kay PRUs, who's one of my teachers and who had also, studied with first Nations people in Canada that ish and klingit people, and that there's been some controversy over how she carried those teachings and that there's native people on all sides who have sort of taken a stand.   [00:16:12] I wanna name, this controversy because it feels important to talk about cultural appropriation, cultural survival, that circle practice and how circle is done in many restorative justice spaces will feel very foreign to a person who is indigenous, who perhaps has these ancestral practices in their own lineage, their own history and family. And this is because of colonialism and, and erasure and displacement, and. Reckoning with all of this as immigrants who are on native land, you know, from all, most of us in the API RJ network. Just what, what is this? What, how do we grapple with this? You know, how do we do an appropriate recognition of practices and traditions and how do we build and think about interconnection or the inherent and intuitive knowledge that we have to do non-car work, which is at the core, I've sort of expanded off of your prompt, but an RJ practitioner is someone who holds space for for these conversations, kind of when things are the hardest, when there is heartbreak and betrayal and harm or conflict and also what, the work of setting conditions for that not to happen or for the way that we move through those difficulties to go as best as possible.    [00:17:43] Miko Lee: Thank you for expanding on that. I'm wondering if Ellie, you could add to that about like what is a circle practice, what does that look like?   [00:17:51] Elli Nagai-Rothe: A circle practice. It can look like a lot of different things, but ultimately it's being in a circle, and being able to connect with each other. Again, I talked about how relationships are at the core. That might be when we're, when we're in circling together, we are relating to each other. We're telling our stories. We're weaving our stories together that might be happening when there's no conflict and when there's no harm. In fact, ideally that's happening all the time, that we're being able to gather together, to share stories, to be known by each other and so that if and when conflict does occur, we know how to, how to connect and how to come back to each other because the relationships matter. We know. Okay. 'cause conflict will happen. We will, we are gonna hurt each other. We're humans. That's part of being human. We're gonna mess up and make mistakes. And so a prac having a practice to come back together to say, well, what, what can we do to repair this? How can we make this right, as Tati was saying? [00:18:46] And, and so then circling, be circling up and having a circle practice can also mean when there is conflict, when harm has happened, how can we have people be able to hear one another, to understand what's happening and to repair as much as possible. Um, while doing that again in the ecosystem of relationships. So sometimes that's happening with a, a couple folks and sometimes that's happening with a whole community or a whole group of people.   [00:19:10] Ayame Keane-Lee We're going to take a quick pause from the interview and listen to Tatiana recite an excerpt from the A API RJ Network Reflection document.   [00:19:18] Tatiana Chaterji: Mirrors of each other. To prepare for our closing ritual, I pull a small table with a candle and incense from the back room into the circle. This is our last in-person gathering, and we want to end with building a collective altar for the future of RJ that is rooted in the wisdom of our Asian cultural lineages.Please think of an offering to make this vision a reality. I explain that we use our imaginations to sculpt the air in front of us, shaping it into the essence of the offering. As I have done in prison with incarcerated artists who create textures and depth of story without material props, supplies, or the frills of theater production on the outside.   [00:20:01] I volunteered to go first and model how this is done. Standing and walking towards the altar. I bring my fingers to the center of my chest and pinch an imaginary ball of thread. I want to deepen my understanding of Bengali peacemaking and justice traditions. I say pulling the thread in a vertical motion, stretching up and down to create a cord of groundedness. Realizing there are actually many dimensions. I also pull the thread forwards and backwards in a lateral direction, saying this means looking to the past and dreaming the future. I hold this grided net, gather it around my body and ceremoniously place it on the altar. Others echo the desire for bringing forward parts of their Asian lineage that aren't accessible to them. People create shapes with their bodies, making offerings to the altar that symbolize taking up space, staying grounded in a world that is shaky, reciprocity with the earth, ancestors and descendants, bringing in more ancestors permission to create and play forgiveness to self and others. Timelessness with Earth as a mirror and patience.   [00:21:14] Sujatha closes her eyes and forms an image for us through stream of consciousness. She says, I see indra's net infinite with shimmering diamonds. At each point, I notice the goosebumps raise on the skin of my arms as she continues it is as if she has reached inside of me pulling from the sutra of ra, which was part of my childhood. It is a piece of scripture and a spiritual concept that deeply grounds my practice in RJ as an adult. I see her hands, which she has raised, and fingers trembling, glimmering ever so slightly. She speaks slowly carrying us with her in a visualization de drops, mirrors. I cannot be who I am meant to be unless you are who you are meant to be. RJ is the material of the web. This was a rare moment of belonging for me, as I seamlessly reflected in the speech and cultural symbols of a peer seamless. This integration as South Asian and as an RJ practitioner, seamless, being able to hang onto a reference from religious traditions that are hidden in the diaspora or distorted by mainstream social messaging.   [00:22:28] Ayame Keane-Lee We hope you enjoyed that look into the AAPI RJ Network Reflection. Let's get back to the interview.   [00:22:35] Miko Lee: Can you each share what brought you to this work personally?   [00:22:40] Tatiana Chaterji: Sure. As a young activist involved in Insight Women of Color against Violence and aware of the work of Critical Resistance, and I had a pretty clear politics of abolition, but I didn't. Really think that it impacted me as personally as it did when I was in my early twenties and I suffered a brain injury from a vehicular assault, a hit and run that may have been gang affiliated or, a case of mistaken identity. My recovery is, is, is complicated. My journey through various kinds of disabilities has shaped me. But I think the way that I was treated by the police and by the justice quote unquote justice system, which I now call the criminal legal system, it because there was no justice. I sort of don't believe that justice is served in the ways that survivors need. yeah, I really, I got very close to the heart of what an RJ process can do and what RJ really is. I got introduced to Sonya Shah and the work of Suha bga and I was able to do a surrogate victim offender dialogue and then later to facilitate these processes where people are kind of meeting at the, at the hardest point of their lives and connecting across immense suffering and layers of systemic and interpersonal internalized oppression. [00:23:59] Just so much stuff and what happens when you can cross over into a shared humanity and recognition. It's just, it's just so profound and and from that space of healing and, and, and compassion, I've been able to think about. Other ways that RJ can look and have sort of been an advan, what is it evangelical for it? You know, I think that because we don't see these options, I, I, because I knew people, I was able to connect in this way and I would just shout out David uim, who's the one who told me that even if I didn't know the person who harmed me, that this was possible. People so often give up, they're just like, well, I have to feel this way. I have to just deal with it. Swallow the injustice and the lack of recognition. Just sort of keep going. Grit your teeth. I think we don't have enough knowledge of what's possible and so we harden ourselves to that. Yeah, I'll stop there. Thanks for listening.    [00:24:59] Miko Lee: Oh, that's the gaman that Ellie was talking about, right? In Chinese we say swallow the bitter. Right. To be able to just like keep going, keep moving. And I think so much of us have been programmed to just something horrible happens. You just swallow it, you bite it down, you don't deal with it and you move on. Which is really what RJ is trying to teach us not to do, to recognize it, to to talk to it, to speak to it, to address it so that we could heal. Ellie, what about you? How did you get involved?    [00:25:30] Elli Nagai-Rothe: Yeah. And Tati, thanks so much for sharing. I always appreciate hearing. I like your story and what draws you to this work is so powerful. For me, I'll take it a little bit more meta further back. What draws me to this work is my family history. I'm multiracial. My family, my ancestry comes from many different places. And part of that my grandparents, my aunties, uncles, Japanese Americans who were, who were born, some of them, my grandpa, and his family here in Oakland, in this area. And, um, other my grand, my grandmother and her family in Southern California. During World War II, were unjustly incarcerated along with 125,000 Japanese Americans in ways that were so deeply harmful and traumatic and are so parallel to what is happening right now to so many communities who are being detained and deported. And that experience has deeply, deeply impacted certainly my community's experience, but my family's experience of trauma.   [00:26:30] And I'm yonsei, fourth generation Japanese American. And though I wasn't directly involved or impacted by that incarceration, I feel it very viscerally in my body, that feeling of loss, of disconnection of, of severance from community, from family, from place, and, . Even before I knew what restorative justice was, I was in my body striving to find justice for these things that have happened? That drew me into conflict transformation work and ultimately restorative justice work. And that's where I found really at the, at the core, so much of this, this intuitively feels right to me. I didn't wanna have a place of, I wanted to heal. That was what I wanted to feel the feeling of, can we heal and repair and can I heal and repair what's happened in this, my experience and my family's experience and community's experiences?   [00:27:23] That work ultimately led me to do restorative justice work here in the Bay Area. I started doing that work with schools and community organizations. And so I really hold the bigger possibilities of what's possible when we think differently about how we hold relationships and how we hold deep, deep pain and harm and what's possible when we can envision a different kind of, a world, a different kind of community where we can take accountability for things that have happened. And knowing that all of us at, at different places, I know that's true in my family line, have caused harm and also experienced harm, that those things can happen at the same time. And so how can we have a sense of humanity for what's possible when we actually come, come to each other with a humility of what, how can we heal? How can we heal this together? How can we make this as right as possible? So that's, that's a bit of my story.    [00:28:13] Miko Lee: Thank you both for sharing.   [00:28:15] Ayame Keane-Lee Next we're going to take a music break and listen to Miya Folick “Talking with Strangers”   MUSIC   [00:34:05] that was “Talking with Strangers” by Miya Folick   [00:34:09] Miko Lee: I'm wondering, I know this, Asian American, Pacific Islander, RJ Circle, a bunch of it has been online just because this is how we do in these times and I'm wondering if there's something unique and empowering about doing this online. I bring that up because there have been many in person gatherings. I've been a part of this circle, so I'm really happy to be a part of it. For me, the vibe of being in person where we're sharing a meal together, we're in a circle, holding onto objects, making art together is very different from being online. And I'm wondering, if there's something uniquely positive about being online?   [00:34:47] Tatiana Chaterji: I would just say that yeah, the intimacy and the warmth and the sort of the strength of the bonds that we have in this network are, are so beautiful and it's possible to have incredible, virtual experiences together. A lot of us do movement art or theater or creative. We have creative practices of our own. And when we lead each other in those exercises, we are really just a feeling of togetherness. Like that's so special. And for people who have had that online, they know what I'm talking about. That can be really, really incredible. And, you know, we've been in the Bay Area and really in Oakland, but we want to expand or we want to think about what are all the ways that we can connect with other people. Around this intersection of API identity and RJ practice. And so that's the potential, I guess is what I would say is just to really, move across time and space that way.   [00:35:47] Miko Lee: Ellie, do you have thoughts on this, the online versus in real life?    [00:35:51] Elli Nagai-Rothe: I think there's so many wonderful things about being in person because I feel like so much, at least I don't know about your worlds, but my world, so much of it is online these days on Zoom. There is something really special about coming together, like you said, to share a meal to be in each other's physical presence and to interact in that way. At the same time when we're online, there's still so much warmth and connection and intimacy that comes from these relationships that I've been building over now, like two years for some of us. The opportunities are more about being able to reach accessibility, right? Folks to be able to come online and, and potentially even broaden. I mean, who knows what that will look like right now it's regionally focused, but maybe there's a future in which that happens to be outside the Bay Area.   [00:36:31] Miko Lee: And speaking of the future and where it's going. This initially started by, funding from one of the Stop the Hate grants, which sadly has concluded in the state of California. I'm wondering what this means for this, process that it doesn't have any set funding anymore what does the future look like?    [00:36:52] Elli Nagai-Rothe: We really wanna continue this miko and being able to continue to meet and gather in community. Right now we're continuing to meet monthly in our community of practice space to support each other and to continue to explore really this intersection, right, of restorative justice in our idea, our Asian identities. There's so much more opportunity to continue to build together, to create a larger community and base of folks who are exploring and ex doing this work together. Also for the intention of what does that mean for our communities? How can we find ways to take this practice that many of us do, right?   [00:37:27] As practitioners, how can we translate that to our community so that we know, we know at its core that this work, there are things from our cultural practices that are just. So familiar, right? Certain practices around how we you know, this radical, some of the things we talked about, radical acts of hospitality and care are so intuitive to our Asian communities. How can we translate that practice in our work so that we can continue to make this these pathways available to our community? So we hope to continue, we wanna continue to gather, we wanted to continue to build, um, and make space for more people to join us in this exploration and this opportunity for yeah, more expansion of what's possible for our communities.   [00:38:11] Miko Lee: For me as somebody who's Chinese American and being a part of this network, I've learned from other Asian American cultures about some of the practices, well, I did know about things like tsuru folding a paper crane as part of the Japanese American culture, learning different things from different community members about elements that are part of their cultures and how they incorporate that, whether that's yoga or a type of, Filipino martial art or a type of Buddhist practice. And how they fit that into their RJ work has actually helped me kind of expand my mind and made me think about more ways that I could bring in my own Chinese American culture. So for me, that was one of those things that was like a blessing. I'm wondering what each of you has learned personally about yourself from being part of this network.   [00:39:02] Tatiana Chaterji: What comes to mind is the permission to integrate cultural identity and practice more explicitly and to know that there are others who are similarly doing that. It's sort of this, this acceptance of sort of what I know and how I know it that can be special. You know, in the, in the similar way that I mentioned about cultural appropriation and the violence that various communities have felt under capitalism and white supremacist structures. Everything there is, there is, I don't, something, something so magical to just step outside of that and be like, this is, it's a mess. It's a mess out there. We are constantly battling it. How do we actually not make ourselves smaller right here?    [00:39:50] Miko Lee: I totally hear that. And I'm thinking back to this gathering we had at Canticle Farms, where I think Tati, you said, when was the last time you were in a space where you were the only Asian person and how you walk through that mostly white space and what is that like for you and how do you navigate? And so many people in the room are like, what their minds were blown. For me, I'm in mostly Asian American spaces and Pacific Islander spaces, so I'm like, oh wow, that wasn't always true for me. So that's my time in my life right now. So it was really fascinating to kind of ponder that.   [00:40:24] Tatiana Chaterji: Yeah. And I think many of us, I'm so glad that you feel that because many of us, don't really know what exactly our ancestral technologies might be, or even what to name. This gave us, again, permission to look back or to reframe what we know or that we've understood from community as being from various traditions, homelands, you know, longer legacies that we're carrying and just to, to, to, to celebrate that or to even begin to, to, to bring language to that and feel a place of our own belonging. Whereas, I mean, as a South Asian diasporic member of the diaspora, I see so many the words that are coming from Sanskrit, which has its own, history of castes violence and like sort of what the expansion and the co-optation is, is, is really quite massive to the point where I feel like I'm on the outside and I don't believe that I should own it any more than anyone else. But I think if there's a way that it's practiced that is in, in, in integrity and less commodified because it is ancient, because it is medicine. You know, that I, I deserve to feel that, you know, and to tend to be welcomed into it in, in this you know, outside of the homeland to be here in Asian America or whatever it is, and to claim it is something quite special.   [00:41:50] Miko Lee: Love that. Thank you for sharing. Ellie, what about you? What have you learned from being in part of this network?    [00:41:55] Elli Nagai-Rothe: I was just gonna say like, yes, Tati to all the things you just said. So appreciate that. I, it's very similar, similar in some ways to what Tati was saying, like the, the permission giving, the space that we, oh, permission giving that we give to each other, to to claim, like, to claim and reclaim these practices. And I think that's what I heard so often from people in this network and continue to hear that this, the time, our time together and the things that we're doing. Feel like it's, it doesn't feel like a so much about like our, what is our professional practice. And I say professional with quotes. It's more of like, how do we integrate this part, this really profound journey of ancestral reclaiming, of remembering, of healing. And, and when we do that, we're working from this really. A deep place of relationship, of interdependence, of where we're like, our identity and our sense of who we are is so connected to our communities. It's connected to the natural world. And so like how can we, that's part of what I've appreciated is like really in this deep way, how can we remember and reconnect to, in some cases, like practices, pre-colonial practices and wisdom that was suppressed or taken away, certainly in my and family experience, right?   [00:43:11] It was very deliberately state sponsored violence severed those practices. And so some of this reclaiming as a part of my own healing has been really given me more voice and space to say like, yeah, I can, I can, I want to, and I, that's part of my own practice, but also share that with the, the groups that I'm part of. And that feels a little bit. We talked about that a little bit in the network of how do we share these practices in ways that feel authentic, like Tati said, with integrity, but also what does that mean to share these practices in spaces that are outside of, you know, Asian communities? I don't know, like that's a whole other conversation, right? It feels because there is so much cultural co-opting that's happening, right? And so I feel, I think that's why this network is so valuable and, and helpful to be in a space. Of course, it's a very diverse group of Asian identities and yet it's a space where we can feel like we can try on in these practices to see what that feels like in our bodies in ways that feel really like, have a lot of integrity and a lot of authenticity and to support each other in that.   [00:44:12] And so that we can feel able to then share that in spaces than, in our communities and the work that we're doing in terms of, restorative justice work.  [00:44:19] Miko Lee: So how can our audience find out more about these circles if they wanna learn more about how they could potentially get involved?   [00:44:29] Elli Nagai-Rothe: The best way to go is to look at the Ripple Collective website, ripple collective.org. We have some information about, the A API Restorative Justice Network there. I'm hoping that we can continue this. I really am excited about, members of the network continuing to stay in relationship with each other, to support each other. Tati and I are gonna be offering a session at the upcoming national Association for Community and Restorative Justice Conference that's happening in New Orleans in July. We're gonna be sharing what we learned about our experiences with this network and centering our Asian identities and restorative justice practice. We're gonna be holding a a caucus space for Asian practitioners to come and join us. Yeah, so what else? Tati.    [00:45:14] Tatiana Chaterji: We're also compiling reflections from various participants in the network around what this has meant. What, what have they learned or discovered, and what's to come. I think a question that I've had, a question that we've been stewing on with other South Asian, , practitioners is what does you know, what does caste how does caste show up and reckoning with harm doing? And our communities are not a monolith, and, and as we are treated as part of a, sort of like a brown solidarity, third world movement space in the West, there's just a lot of unrecognized and unnamed oppression that is actively happening. So, you know, really like being, being brave and humble to, to, to talk about that.    [00:46:01] Miko Lee: Thank you both so much for sharing your time with me today.    [00:46:05] Elli Nagai-Rothe: Thanks so much, Miko.    [00:46:06] Tatiana Chaterji: Thanks, Miko.   [00:46:07] Ayame Keane-LeeTo finish off our show tonight, we'll be listening to “Directions” by Hāwane.   MUSIC   [00:49:55] That was “Directions” by Hāwane.   [00:49:57] Miko Lee: Thank you so much for listening tonight. Remember to reconnect to your ancestral technologies and hold in the power of tenderness. To find out more about restorative justice and the work of our guests, check out info about the A API RJ network on the Ripple website, ripple collective.org, and about the conference that Ellie and Tati will be presenting at at the NAC RJ Conference in New Orleans, both of which we'll have linked in our show notes.   [00:50:30] Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apex Express to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane- Lee. Have a great night.   The post APEX Express – 3.12.26- Feed Your Heart appeared first on KPFA.

The Upchurch-Jelly Roll Beef – Unraveling Country Rap's Darkest Conspiracy Web, Epstein Ties, and the Elite Trafficking Machine That Never Stopped! Folks, buckle up because today we're diving deep—real deep—into one of the wildest stories bubbling up from the underbelly of the music world. We're talking the Ryan Upchurch versus Jelly Roll situation. What started as a simple beef between two Tennessee country rap kings has exploded into a full-blown conspiracy nightmare: hidden cameras, industry sabotage, N-word scandals, hush money deals, roofie allegations, and yeah, we're tying this straight to the Jeffrey Epstein playbook. And if Epstein's dead—like they say—who's running the elite human trafficking show now? Because you and I both know that machine didn't just shut down.   Web Site: www.DontTreadonMerica.com https://linktr.ee/DontTreadonMerica Email the show: Donq@donttreadonmerica.com DTOM Store (Promo code DTOM for 10% off) Sponsors: www.makersmark.com www.NordVPN.com  Promo Code: DTOM www.alppouch.com/DTOM www.dubby.gg Promo code: DTOM Social Media:   Don't Tread on Merica TV   DTOM on Facebook   DTOM on X    DTOM on TikTok    DontTreadonMericaTV   DTOM on Instagram    DTOM on YouTube

The guys talk about a couple of wild national sports stories, Hawk shares some warnings about potential fire hazards you should unplug

The guys talk about a couple of wild national sports stories, Hawk shares some warnings about potential fire hazards you should unplugSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Folks, I'm joined by the amazing Chandler Dean and Andy Our Brother. These guys asked me to have them on to promote their awesome show, ABOLISH EVERYTHING, a fantastic panel improv show that I think many of you will enjoy :) Please follow in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abolisheverythingnyc/And watch on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/abolish(0:00) - Banter(16:24) - Andy's classic game, r/improv or r/drugs(25:37) - AITA for changing the locks after my brother's GF used my shower?(33:18) - AITA for being frustrated I can't use the dishwasher bc it's filled with pots?(44:46) - AITA for not wanting to share my username on a book app with my GF?(52:12) - AITA for being a horse? (BEST way to Submit a sitch or comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/AITApod/Email - amitheahole@gmail.com Join Patreon! https://patreon.com/aitapodWhat's on Patreon?- 250+ Bonus eps- NO ADS and accurate timestamps- Complain and comment DIRECTLY to Danny :D TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@aitapodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/aita_pod/

Today's Topics:1. Sound Signature Review 6.215 – The Inert Haze Dreyse 30 on 20-in .308 bolt action. Do high performance silencers have to be long and heavy? Not always! Check out this new offering from the folks who brought you the Ti-P 9mm pistol silencer. Technical discussion.a. Intro and recap (00:09:23)b. Dreyse 30 physical overview (00:11:21)c. Dreyse 30 silencer design (00:19:12)d. Hazard Map Brief 8.1.12 (00:25:16)e. System performance (00:34:06)f. Overall thoughts (00:45:47)2. Sound Signature Review 6.216 – The Rampart Range Suppression Carson 30 on the 14.5-in SR-25. Folks are coming forward to try their hand at taming short barrel 7.62 NATO semiauto. How is it progressing? Not too shabby. Check out this new Infinity core derivative in today's report. Intro discussion. (00:49:58)Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!Legion Athletics: use code pewscience for BOGO off your entire first order and 20% cash back always!Magpul code PSTEN

Folks, we are doing a TMK live show in San Francisco! Come join Jathan and Ed, along with our friends, Wendy Liu and Jimmy Wu, for a fun night of left-wing tech criticism as we decode the tech vibe shift. Thanks to Bay Area Current and DSA SF for sponsoring the event. Entry is free, and they'll be drinks available with suggested cash donation. ••• Thursday, March 19th at 7:00pm ••• First Unitarian Universalist, Starr King Room ••• 1187 Franklin St, San Francisco Registration is recommended but not required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decoding-the-tech-vibe-shift-a-night-of-left-wing-tech-criticism-tickets-1984745130112

Collaborations: sometimes they’re good! Who doesn’t get excited when two groups at the heights of their creative powers join together to make some new sounds? But for every Bring the Noise, you’ve got a dozen All in the Families. On this episode we examine several unrealized collaborations and ask, “Would this possibly, in a million years, have been good”? We’re talking about Ozzy X Van Halen, James Hetfield X Jerry Cantrell, Danzig X Jerry Cantrell, Nothingface X Mudvayne, Slayer X Suicidal Tendencies, Tapeworm (NIN and a million others), and the unrealized Dio/Halford/Dickinson project. Join as we dissect the pieces, discuss the context, and ask, “What if?” Folks, it’s a good one. Music featured on this episode: Sylvia Rose – End of Bliss This program is available on Spotify. It is also available on iTunes or whatever they call it now, where you can rate, review, and subscribe. Give us money on Patreon to get exclusive bonus episodes and other cool shit.

Emails, Your Guess is as Good as Mine Categories: Deadly Animals & Warm Weather Destinations! Plus The Mens Room Top 10 and the Shot of the Day!

Folks, on this week's all new episode we hear about how human brain cells learned to play the video game 'Doom', how the arena buzzer kept going at an NBA game for 12 minutes, why Chimpanzees are really into crystals, why a bear penis will remain on the Bernese coat of arms, and United Airlines being allowed to kick passengers off for not wearing headphonesBUY ELI'S NEW STAND UP ALBUM HERE: https://eliyudin.bandcamp.com/album/humble-offeringOR WATCH IT HERE: https://tinyurl.com/2wwdrpjcBecome a patron for weekly bonus eps and more stuff! :⁠⁠www.patreon.com/whatatimepod⁠⁠Check out our YouTube channel: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/whatatimetobealive⁠⁠Get one of our t-shirts, or other merch, using this link! ⁠⁠https://whatatimepod.bigcartel.com/whatatimepod.com⁠⁠Join our Discord chat here:⁠⁠discord.gg/jx7rB7J⁠Theme music by Naughty Professor⁠: ⁠https://www.naughtyprofessormusic.com/⁠@pattymo // @kathbarbadoro // @eliyudin// @whatatimepod©2026 What A Time LLC

Folks, this episode is ALL about the animals. First of all, there are adorable dogs throughout — not to mention a vet tech who's completely willing to break dog HIPAA laws. Of course this means Jessica can't resist talking about sheep and sheepdogs. But then there's also the silver-fox of a suspect, who may or may not have a bouffant hairdo, a cat t-shirt to die for, and some amazing cat aikido in the final confrontation. Since this episode has it all, does it also have a correct guess?  We watched MY LIFE IS MURDER, series 5, episode 3, “For the Love of Dog.”  Follow us on the socials and let us know what you think!  Facebook: @cluedunnitpodcast   Instagram: @cluedunnitpodcast You can find us on Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cluedunnit/id1582713330 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PLXRlrkJFBTE6eE97YPwQ Overcast: You'll need to login with your Overcast account, but once you do, we're at https://overcast.fm/itunes1582713330/cluedunnit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cluedunnitpodcast And don't forget to discover even more mysteries and community with us on Patreon! 

Ron 'THE SHOW' Hughley: "I think we've witnessed the 'LAST STRAW' regarding the World Baseball Classic for Tyler Milner, folks..!!"

Up to early March of 2026, only one tornado had struck tiny Wakita, Ok - the fictional storm in the 1996 movie Twister. Folks in those parts said a more than century old Indian blessing was the reason. In the late night hours of that March night, Wakita's first (non-lethal, thank heavens!) tornado touched down. In this episode we re-listen to the story of Wakita. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTIST! SUPPORT INDEPENDENT VOICES! Episode archive, news and more! Check out all we have to offer at withinpodcast.com!   Contact Us! Facebook: @withintherealm1 Instagram: within_the_realm contact@withinpodcast.com Now on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/sfg64.bsky.social   Within The Realm is a fiercly Independent podcast written and produced by Steve Garrett for the enjoyment of the curious soul. WTR intro: Sweat Shirt (S. Garrett) WTR outro: Baby Boy (S. Garrett) Available for speaking engagements! Check out the website for details. withinpodcast.com Want to advertise, sponsor or otherwise support Within The Realm? Visit with us at contact@withinpodcast.com or Support Within The Realm  And as always, Thanks for listening!  

Source: Texans signing veteran tight end Dalton Schultz to one-year, $12.6 million extension through 2027 season after career-high 82 catches! Houston General Manager Nick Caserio's BUSY week of roster molding continued on Friday!

The show-ending “Smoking Gun” segment on the Friday Bob Rose Show 3-6-26

Investigative Journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell finally have the full SLED investigation file on former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill — and it's worse than anyone imagined. Becky quietly pleaded guilty in December to misconduct, obstruction, and perjury in exchange for community service and probation.  Now, Mandy and Liz comb over 113-pages of newly FOIA'd "Becky Files" that expose a pattern of shameless self-dealing— all while Becky allegedly declared, "I'm the Damn Clerk of Court, I do what I want." SLED's investigation files show how Becky allegedly hosted an after-hours “sealed evidence jamboree” inside the courthouse during the Murdaugh trial and allowed fitsnews' Will Folks, to photograph sealed crime scene exhibits in what Folks described as a virtual assembly line. These photos were later distributed by fits' employee Jenn Wood and published to Twitter. Actions have consequences… and apparently someone forgot to tell South Carolina. Let's Dive in…

On this episode of National Disability Radio, we sit down with award-winning recording artist, advocate, and author Lachi for a powerful conversation about disability pride, music, and unmasking. Lachi shares her journey, from navigating the music industry as a blind artist, to founding RAMPD, a coalition amplifying disability culture across the industry. We talk about what it means to say “I identify as blind,” move beyond the medical and social models of disability into a cultural model rooted in identity and joy, and remind listeners that no one can defeat someone who hasn't given up. From glam canes to Grammy stages, this episode is about claiming space, rejecting internalized ableism, and turning perceived flaws into flexes. Transcript: Alden Blevins: It’s Lachi? I feel very- Lachi: Lachi like Versace. Alden Blevins: Lachi like… Oh, I love that. Michelle Bishop: That is the best way to explain it. Lachi: I mean, but you know what I’m saying? Come on. Alden Blevins: Well, we’re really excited about having you today because we’re all music lovers in this group here. Michelle Bishop: Yes. Alden Blevins: We talk about music all the time. Michelle Bishop: So much. Lachi: Good, good, good, good, good, good, good. I’m in the right place. Michelle Bishop: Hi everyone. Welcome back to National Disability Radio, the official podcast of the National Disability Rights Network. I am Michelle Bishop, 1/3 of your podcast hosting team. Stephanie Flynt McEben: And I’m Stephanie Flynt McEben, public policy analyst here at NDRN. Alden Blevins: I am Alden. I am a communication specialist at NDRN and I am so excited today, like I mentioned, we’re all lovers of music, so we got a guest that I’m really excited about. Lachi is an award-winning recording artist and a recording Academy Grammy’s national trustee. She’s also a disability advocate who’s been breaking barriers in the music industry and beyond. She’s the founder of RAMPD, which by the way, is such a fun play name. I really love that. And the author of the upcoming book, I Identify as Blind. So without further ado, Michelle, you’ve got some questions to kick us off, I think. Michelle Bishop: Yes. We’re so excited to have you with us. As Alden said, we are. We’re huge music lovers. I’m pretty sure we spend most of our meetings where we allegedly plan this podcast just talking about music. So you’re absolutely in the right place today, but to get us started, I mean, you’ve been open about the fact, and I’m just really interested in this as a disability rights podcast. You’ve been really open about the fact that it took you some time to really embrace your identity as a blind and disabled woman, especially in the industry that you’re in that often really rewards conformity. Can you tell us a little bit more about that journey for you, both as an artist and as someone navigating just the world with a disability? Lachi: Okay. Yeah, for sure. Hey, everybody. Lachi here, Lachi like Versace. I am a Black woman with cornrows, chilling here in New York in my studio. I also identify as blind, I identify as neurodivergent, and I identify as an Aries. So do with that what you will. Michelle Bishop: All the important points right there. Lachi: All the important points like name, age, sign. Thank you. Okay. Yeah, but I’m really glad to be here. And thank you for that question, and thank you for having me. So music has always been a very integral part of my life of growing up. Where other babies would kick in the womb, when she was pregnant with me, I was playing the piano in the womb. I don’t know how she got a piano in there, but she’s not a liar, so I’m going to take her word for it. When I was super-duper young, I didn’t really have a lot of friends, especially because of the fact that I had differences and this and that. And so I would take to music to, I guess, understand the world better and have the world understand me better. I just knew how to express myself through song and it just said the things I needed to say. It was the prayer I needed. And because of music, I started to find confidence in how to speak and how to behave and how to act. And as I got older, when I was growing up, disability was not necessarily a thing people talked about a lot in schools and teachers didn’t know what to do. My parents didn’t really know what to do. And so I would always just turn to music. It’s actually right now I’m working on a children’s album because I think that kids need to hear music that has to do with disability and neurodivergence, as well as their parents as they grow up. When I got into college, I started wanting to do music, but I studied business and finance because when I told my parents I wanted to do music, they were like, “That’s not how you spell doctor.” because they are Nigerian immigrants and everybody else in my family went to either med school and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, “No, I want to do music.” But I did get a day job after school, after college, and didn’t love it because this girl is not going to exist behind a desk. So I ended up going to South by Southwest and I got signed actually from playing the guitar at a hole in the wall spot that nobody was at, except for this A&R apparently. So we got signed to an imprint under EMI, which was a major label back then, and we started touring and music then became my life. Now today, why wouldn’t I pay my respects back to music? I mean, it’s because of music that I was able to really lean into who I am, my disability, my confidence, et cetera. So because of that, because of how much music has given to me in my life, I’m here using music to give back to other people with disabilities. Now, your question was essentially, how do you sit here and try to bring about change for disability in an industry that is not only about conformity, but also about like, “Hey, pick me to exploit.” is essentially what the music industry is. You’re raising your hand to be exploited and that’s what kind of authenticity is that? But at the end of the day, music is some of the truest forms of storytelling. And I think to myself, just the way that hip hop has amplified Black culture and the way that country music has amplified rural culture and the way that different global musics have represented different global cultures. I want to use music to amplify disability culture. I want to use music to amplify disability stories and feelings that are difficult to put words to, that are words of the soul, which is essentially what music is. And so I started going to studios and realizing things weren’t as accessible as they should be. I started speaking with organizations and realizing things weren’t as inclusive as they should be. And the response I kept getting was like, “Oh, well, there’s nobody with a disability in the music industry, so why would we make these measures?” And so I have made it my life’s goal through RAMPD, which by the way, the best thing we ever accomplished was our acronym, not us working with the Grammys to get sign language on the red carpet, not us getting these partnerships with title, Live Nation, Spotify. I mean, we’ve done so much, not just for artists, but also for professionals. And we’ve started to realize something really interesting with the work we’ve done with RAMPD. We are getting people joining our membership who are director level folks, who are label owners, who are like the big wigs that write the checks, and they’re like, “I’m neurodivergent. I’m actually hard of hearing. I have a TBI.” And so when I originally set out, they said, “We don’t do disability inclusion because nobody’s disabled.” That was three years ago. Now I’m like, not only are there neurodivergent and disabled music professionals out here, but we all are. So really to conclude, it’s just that everyone is navigating trying to make it out in this world, but everyone’s masking. Everyone feels that they have to change some part of themselves to be as close as they can to what success looks like, be as close as they can to what “beauty” looks like, what winning looks like. But really all it is internalized ableism. And I say, as soon as we drop that internalized ableism and we really start to sit in who we truly are and we start to recognize our perceived flaws as flexes, that’s when we truly start to win. And so that’s what we’re finding out with RAMPD, that people are like, “You know what? I’m tired of navigating this difficult industry with the added layer of having to mask.” And so that’s why I do what I do. Michelle Bishop: Yes. And honestly, as ridiculous as it sounds that they say to you, “Oh, there aren’t any people with disabilities.” When I tell you, we see that in everything that we do. I do voting work at NDRN and we’ll have elections officials tell us, “This polling place isn’t accessible, but there aren’t any people with disabilities that vote here.” And it’s like, “What? You realize we’re everywhere and we do all sorts of things.” Maybe the reason they think there’s no people with disabilities here is because they’re stuck outside and they can’t get in because you didn’t make it accessible, just a thought. But I mean, it sounds like coming up against all that is really, correct me if I’m wrong, helped you to develop that identity and that disability pride in the industry. When did you first say, “I identify as blind.” and what did that mean for you? Lachi: Well, so when I first came into really doing the disability thing, really leaning in, I wanted to find out more influencers or thought leaders and such with disabilities. I didn’t really know that many people. This is pre COVID, 2018, 2019, that kind of thing. And so I came across an influencer, her name is Molly Burke, and we’re great friends now, but I didn’t know her back then. I had just seen her tagline and it had said, “I’m Molly Burke and I’m a YouTuber who happens to be blind.” And for some reason I was like, “I don’t know if I love the happens to be blind thing.” I was like, “Well, I’m proud of being blind. Blindness is part of my identity. I don’t just happen to be a woman. I don’t just happen to be a Nigerian. I don’t just happen to be all of the things I am.” And so I would go to… I was touring… We’re always touring and every time I tour and do a show, I do a comedic open where I just introduce myself, I do a quick self-description, et cetera. And in my self-description, I would say, and I don’t just happen to be blind. My blindness is part of my identity, has given me all of the opportunities I have, and it’s really made me a deeper blah, blah, blah. It was just too long. So I had punched it up to be, “My name is Lachi like Versace. She, her, I’m a Black woman with cornrows and I identify as blind.” And the interesting thing about that is people took onto it. They were like, “Oh, that’s cool, nice and punchy.” But whenever I would say it in front of a large crowd or like I’ve said it on interviews or during commercials, I would get this weird, I don’t know, pushback of like, you can’t identify as blind. Blindness is an identity. It’s a medical condition. Or they’ll be like, “Do you read braille or not?” Or they’ll be like, “We don’t want people to think trans blindness is a thing where you just have a blind identity.” And then you can be like, “Well, I’m blind today, so that’s my identity.” And I thought that was really fun. I was like, “Look, everybody’s upset. They’re talking about blindness though.” So I really leaned all the way into it. And I have to say, I am super proud of my disability identity. Was it music that brought me there? I think in a sense and in a way, like today I have a few songs, you guys are music lovers, I have a few songs out that really talk about my disability pride. I think that a lot of the times as we navigate the world, masking our disability, masking our chronic condition, our difference or whatever, we end up overcompensating. We end up building up this really, really thick problem solving muscle or this really, really thick how to get around things muscle and we overcompensate. When we’re finally accommodated, when we finally get to a place where we’re accommodated or we have the tools we need, we’re coming in like bulk as hell. We’re coming in with problem solving muscles. We’re coming in with all of these things that we had to build up because of navigating the world differently, because of every day working through this very difficult maze that is living a life unaccommodated, then when we finally are accommodated, then we are killing it and crushing it. And how could you not be proud of that? How can that not give you a sense of pride? So the songs that I would love for you guys to check out that are mine is I have a song called Life on Hard, which has gone viral several times on Instagram. I’m known as an Instagram rapper, which is like, what? Hello, I do disability advocacy. Look at that stuff. But anyway, so I have a song called Life on Hard, which is essentially about just winning the game of life, playing it on the hardest setting out here while people are still trying to consult the manual. I have another song called Professional, which is oftentimes when I walk on the stage, people see the cane and they’re like, “Aw, she’s going to do a song for us. Is this from Make a Wish Foundation?” And then I bust out these raps or I hop on the piano and I go ape on this piano and then they’re like, “Oh, snap. What? Okay.” And I’m like, “Bro, I’m a professional artist. I’m not object for pity to make you feel good because you felt weird on a Monday and you didn’t feel like getting up for work, but it’s like, she could do it. So can I.” I’m like, “No, I can do it. You most likely probably just can’t.” So that’s what that song’s about. And then there’s The Bag, and The Bag is just essentially like, I’ve been told no so much like, “No, you can’t. No, you’re not good enough. No, we don’t want you.” And I’m like, “You know what? Yes, I am good enough and I deserve everything. So I’m going to throw everything I deserve in the bag, which is everything.” I don’t know. I would not be the person I am if I didn’t love all parts of myself. And that includes my disabilities, that includes my neurodivergences and all of the other wacky, weird body jazz that I bring with me everywhere I go. Michelle Bishop: Lachi, can we maybe, do you and I just FaceTime each other every morning and hype each other up? Stephanie Flynt McEben: I was literally about to say the same thing. I would like in on a true call. Michelle Bishop: I don’t know if you know. Actually, I want to say quickly, I know some of those songs actually from social media, but they’re real. They’re so real. So people haven’t heard music, go check it out. I don’t know if you know one of our co-hosts, Stephanie is blind. You’re speaking directly to her soul right now. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I literally just texted them in our podcast group text and I was like, she’s totally speaking to my soul RN, but of course I don’t want to interrupt anything. Michelle Bishop: No, I know you’re dying to talk to her about the book, Stephanie, and take it away. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yeah, no, absolutely, for sure. And as somebody who is blind and who also identifies as a blind person and definitely does not identify with the medical model of disability, clearly gotten to more of a social model. But yeah, in terms of going through that journey of accepting all of who you are and everything about yourself, for me, I mean, it took a minute, especially when you’re talking about your experiences as a child and I totally feel that. I was that girl playing the harmonica on the jungle gym by herself. Anyway, this is about you. This is not about me, but I’m just saying that I totally relate to you on a spiritual level. And given that, I would love to know, were there any particular moments when it came to writing the book that were particularly hard or healing? Because I mean, I think that we all know that it’s not always a linear journey. Some days are going to be harder than others. And so would love to get your perspective on that. And I think that our listeners would be interested. Lachi: Yeah, absolutely. The journey for me has been one of constantly unwrapping this amazing gift. I always try to use that as the visual, if you will, of you have this big present and you get to unwrap it and then you just keep getting something cooler inside and then you get to unwrap that and you get something cooler inside and you just keep unwrapping this beautiful gift that is yourself. But you don’t realize that when you first get the box, the amazing stuff that’s going on inside, and it takes time to get to it. So a lot of times growing up, I would kick myself in the butt of, I wish I had come to this when I was so much younger. I wish there were people out there when I was younger, role models that I could look up to when I was eight years old and pointing on the TV and saying like, “Okay, well, I mean, I understand that Ray Charles existed, but that’s not going to…” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Stevie Wonder is here, Ray Charles is here, but we need more of us. Hello. Lachi: We need more of us. Hello. Exactly. And so this time and place where I am right now is where I needed to be for this to work. So I can’t really kick myself in the butt of like, “I wish I had this. I wish I knew this so much earlier. I would’ve been so much further.” That kind of thing. You have to be where you got to be where you need to be. Even right now, this conversation we’re having right now is going to have been necessary for the next thing that is happening in our lives. And just the other day, I was hanging out with Queen Herby, who’s been one of my favorite more modern rappers. I just did a thing with Apl.de.ap. I have done some stuff with Black Caviar. Folks that I’ve looked up to, I’m having the opportunity to Snoop Dogg. I’m having the opportunity to work with these days because of the fact that I am here at the right time now. So when I was writing my book, we were peeling back all the layers. I’m a generally very positive and energetic, social butterfly type of person today. But it’s interesting, I wasn’t always this person and I had to unpack all the layers to get there. One of the biggest things that happens to me, so I’ve always been low vision. So I was born with relatively low vision and it stayed the same throughout my teens and early 20s. But one day I woke up and my sight was just gone. Boom. So the interesting thing is anybody listening would be like, “Oh my God, if I woke up and my sight was gone, I would just die or I would not know what to do. My life would be over.” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yep. Heard that a million times. Yes. Lachi: But for me, it was weird because I was already low vision, so I was going from level one to the underwater level or whatever. So it wasn’t like that life changing of a thing. I was already using screen readers or Zoom text. I was already doing stuff of that nature. So I wake up blind and I’m just like, “Okay, I guess this is it. This is the day that they told me was coming.” What had ended up happening was my corneas had erupted. And so I went to the doctor and he was like, “You’re going to become completely blind. You’re going to go from this much worse vision than you’ve had to complete blindness over the course of time.” So here you go, here’s a coupon. Bye.” or whatever. So I’m like, all right. So I had decided at that moment that I wanted to start a bucket list. So I was like, okay, what are all the things I’ve always wanted to do before completely going completely blind? So I was like, let me go skydiving, let me go spolunking, let me go meet with people, meet with celebrities and just do all of the things I’ve always wanted to do before I lose my vision. So I went out and I did it. This is still me doing it. This is still me doing it. And so I say that because to people who say if I ever went blind, I would just die. Well, when I went blind, it made me want to live. And that’s what opened me up into being this person that I am today. Stephanie Flynt McEben: That is amazing. I genuinely love that. Lachi: We talk about charity model and propping disabled folks up as tools of pity. We talk about medical model, which is really just waiting around for cure, making the cure the hero. We talk about social model, which is a really good place to live in the sense of things are impairing if they’re not accessible. Society is impairing if it’s not inclusive. But honestly, if I have all of the things, like if I have all my tools, if I have all that I need and if folks are inclusive, then I’m still blind, but I’m not impaired. But I like to go a little step further into what is the cultural model. And so the cultural model is it’s not just a discussion of what society should and shouldn’t do. It’s actually a celebration of what you gain as a person who identifies with their disability or their neurodivergence, the things they need to overcompensate because they’re navigating the world a little differently, leaning into that. So let’s say for instance, deaf culture, sign language, and the fact that folks can have complete discussions outside of what we’re talking about, there is so much deaf pride out in these streets, that is a celebration of culture that comes out of disability. And for me, let’s say for instance, I have ADHD and it powers my one million and counting ideas. I have diagnosed OCD, which helps me carry out all those one million and counting ideas. I have diagnosed general anxiety disorder, which gives me my empathy and my excitement. And then I am blind, which when I have the tools I need, it gives me drive. It keeps me determined, it keeps me focused, and it gives me my dope ass glam canes. There was a girl and her mom, and she came up to me after a show and she was like, “Oh my God, your music was great.” I was like, thank you. She’s like, “Mommy, can I get one of those canes?” And then her mom was like, “Ugh, well, you have to be blind.” And I’m like, “Yeah, girl, you better want to be me.” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yeah. We drive sticks. Anyway, sorry. Lachi: Yes. You know what? I speak softly and I carry a big old stick. Thank you. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yes. Amen to that. Exactly. As somebody who considers themself a lifelong disability advocate, I never really thought about it in the sense of going beyond the social into the cultural. So thank you so, so much. We all learn something new every single day on this podcast, but I’d love to know a little bit more about, obviously you were very, very, very good at talking through these experiences in such a way that they are very relatable and easy to understand and that thing. So I’d love to pick your brain about the intended audience of your book. Who did you write it for? Other blind folks? Did you write it for, was it written for multiple audiences? Lachi: Yeah, honestly, I wrote it for the person who is masking. I wrote it for anyone who is tired of… Listen, let me put it like this. Let’s face it, disability is boring, a lot of the time it’s sad and it’s compliancy. We have to go the extra mile to make it fun because the actual truth of it is that the only reason it’s boring, sad, and compliancy is because society has kept it that way through its collective internalized ableism. And so my book is actually a humor book. It’s a pop culture book. It’s a comedy book. In fact, when we were talking to the publisher, it’s like, we should be putting this up against other comedic books, not necessarily disability books because it’s a book. I got so many jokes. I have dad jokes, they’re corny jokes, I have rap bars. I rap in a lot of the book just because I was like, “Hey, this rhymes.” I’m going to say it like a rap. We’re doing the audiobook right now, so I actually get to wrap it, which is really fun. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Oh, that is so cool. Oh my gosh. Lachi: Which is really, really fun. But really, honestly, what the book is what everything I do is it is using joy, soul, pop culture, jokes, humor, fashion, and just a really good time to celebrate disability, as well as community. So what you’ll find in this book is my story through my story, through historical deep dives, through interviews with some really, really cool popular figures and a really big deep dose of disability joy. And so a lot of folks who have disabilities, they will read this book and they’ll be energized. It’ll be like, “This is really great. I’m glad that I finally get to read a book that talks about disability in a positive way.” For blind specific folks, they might relate to a few of my stories because I talk about the day I woke up blind, I talk about when I went skydiving blind, I talk about just some of my interesting blind moments. But then I also talk about how I would go to red carpets and not know how to talk to anybody. So I’m in this amazing room with all these celebrities I can’t see and I’m just sitting on the wall. So I talk about some of the hard times too as well. But at the end of the day, really what the book is is an invitation in for somebody who feels a little different, a little awkward, has to mask, and just needed that invite in to talk about disability in a fun, joyful, celebratory way, to recognize that yes, that thing in you that’s different, that thing in you that society has told you you should view as a weakness and hide, you should be proud of. And I say this to people all the time. I say it in the industry, I say it to all my friends, I say it to anyone who will listen. I say it to my local barista and they come back and they say things like, “Oh my God, I’m so glad you said it that way. It turns out I have a titanium hip and I’ve never told anybody about that.” And that’s the vibe. The vibe is someone who was like, “I really needed this to be said to me this way, and now I am able to step all the way into my disability identity.” Alden Blevins: I love, especially what you said about joy. I feel like for me as an autistic person, my experience in the arts is that it is really a space where people who maybe don’t belong in other spaces or don’t feel like they belong in other spaces or are made to feel like they don’t belong in other spaces. I think that a lot of them really do find a safe space in music, in the arts, in theater. And I just wanted to ask, why do you think the music space is such a special one for you and why do you think it’s a place where other people with disabilities seem to flock together as well? Lachi: I mean, you hit the nail on the head. Counterculture, I mean, music often rewards counterculture. And then it eventually becomes mainstream and then we got to rebel against that. So music is a place where your soul can speak. And I think a lot of the times with disabilities, especially autism for me, I’m ADHD, OCD, a different neurodivergence situation, but a lot of the issue is communication. We don’t know how to say exactly what we need or whoever we’re talking to just doesn’t know how to hear what we’re saying. And so I think that what music does is it allows a soul to speak to a soul. A lot of the times music does this thing where you’ll be listening to a song and you’ll just be like, “That, that right there. That’s what I it me. That’s the thing I’m feeling.” type deal. Music has the ability to do that. And so for me, right now, this children’s album that I’m working on, the kids’ album, which is an album that is essentially R&B, pop, electronic, sort of the genres that I dance in for kids centered on disability and neurodivergence. Because what I want to do is be able to say, “Hey, I want you to point at that and say, that’s me.” And I think the easiest and quickest way to point at something and say, “That’s me also.” has been music. And so it’s why it’s been my strongest medium. Again, it’s not my only medium. I’m talking to folks through the book, I’m talking to folks through fashion, et cetera, et cetera. But again, music has been just the quickest, easiest point A to point B conversation easer, if you will, about disability. Another thing I also love to use is humor and comedy. So I make jokes all the time. They’re all bad. They’re all very not good jokes. I need to probably get a joke writer, but the fact that I’m having such a good time telling the jokes, I think I think is all that really matters. So I think both music and humor are just really, really great spaces for two people to get to relate to something that may be difficult to talk about. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yo, if you need a joke writer, I’m your girl. I actually do a joke every single episode of this podcast. Michelle Bishop: Her jokes are not better than yours, Lachi. Don’t hire her. Stephanie Flynt McEben: My jokes are pretty bad. They’re worse than dad’s jokes. They’re like granddad jokes. Alden Blevins: Yeah. Stephanie is the queen of the jokes on our podcast. She always brings one through. Didn’t know that you were working on a children’s music album, and I think that’s really interesting. I actually used to be a teacher, so children’s music is something that’s near and dear to my heart. So I just wanted to ask, what would you want to tell to younger people with disabilities, younger disabled creatives about claiming space and being able to tell their own stories? Lachi: Well, one thing that I heard from someone else, I don’t remember who it was. I think it was- Michelle Bishop: Jordan? Lachi: Yes, Jordan. He’s the one that said this. Michelle Bishop: I love him. Lachi: Yeah, he’s so funny. I met him at a… What did I meet him at? The Webby Awards or something. But anyway, no one can ever defeat someone who hasn’t given up. And for some reason that hit me, and I don’t even think he was trying to say it that deep. He was just saying a joke or something. But I took that and it was like, no one can ever defeat someone who hasn’t given up. So at the end of the day, you are really the only one who can end whatever you’re trying to get. Because as long as you are still going for it, it is still still there. It’s like a Schrodinger’s cat. It’s like as long as you’re still running for it, that opportunity is still there for you to have. The opportunity is never lost as long as you’re still going for it. And people can tell you, people can take your shoulders and tell you to go right. People can take your shoulders and tell you to go left. But until you take your own shoulders and go in the direction that your heart, your soul, your passion, your fire, desires, that is when you truly begin to live. And so I say personally, lean into that. I hear from a lot of younger, especially creators with disabilities. I mentor a lot of folks, tons and tons of folks. It’s one of the things I love to do the most. But what I love to tell folks is you are going to be the best you. And that you is going to include all of the different parts of who you are, but it is especially going to include you leaning in to the things that make you different and unique as unique selling points. Earlier I talked about how people try so hard to be the “definition of beauty”, definition of success, definition of whatever. Everyone’s trying to be this reference man. Everyone’s trying to be as close as they can to the reference man. And if I’m as close as I can to the reference man, then I’ll be successful or then I’ll get this job or then I’ll get this gig. But the truth of the matter is when we look at all of the people that are doing all of the big things, they’re “eccentric”. They’re “weird”. They did some big different idea that no one was thinking about and everybody fell into their trend. The further away you are from the reference man, that is when you start to win. That is when you’ll start to see success. That is when you’ll start to feel much better about yourself. That is when you can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “I am fine.” When you are able to accept all of those different freckles of yourself that are as far away from the reference man as possible, because guess what? There is room outside of the barrel for everyone to win if they are all being their unique self and running their unique purpose. That’s what I would tell to young disabled creators. Michelle Bishop: That’s amazing. Almost feel like we should stop there, but I have so many follow-up questions. Lachi: Listen, I’m here to drop as many mics as they will let me keep breaking. Michelle Bishop: I was wondering how you see the conversation around disability and inclusion and evolving these days. And a lot of our listeners are people with disabilities or people who have other even multiple intersecting identities in which they experience barriers as well. What does allyship look like to you? Lachi: This is one of my favorite questions. So yes, we have folks with disabilities and we have folks who want to work with people with disabilities, want to help a friend with a disability, want to make sure they don’t say the wrong thing to a person with a disability, neurodivergence, chronic condition, mental health condition. That’s not an ally. Wanting to help a person with a disability is not an ally. To me, wanting to support someone with a disability, that’s an ally in the very basic definition of allyship. Here’s what I think an ally is. To answer the question, I got to do two things. One, talk about the disability umbrella. So the disability umbrella encompasses so many forms of disability. It is neurodivergence, which is ADHD, dyslexia, OCD. It is mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar. It is someone who learns a little differently. It is someone who has explosive situations like anger management. It is someone who has substance abuse disorder, maybe somebody who drinks too much or uses different substances. It is chronic back pain. You know what I’m saying? It is asthma. It is EDS. It’s POTS. It is long COVID. It is different complications that you gain after pregnancy. It is different complications that you gain as you age. It is different complications you gain through menopause. It is temporary. It is breaking your arm and wearing a cast. It is seasonal depression. There is nobody on this earth that is not within the disability umbrella. And I don’t mean that you’re going to grow into it. I don’t mean in the future. I mean right now. Whether you identify as a person with a disability or not, you have disability identity because you have experience in your body disability. And when you figure that out, then you’re an ally. Allyship is seeing yourself through the other person because you can’t look through someone else’s eyes unless you can see yourself in them. And you can’t see yourself in disability until you recognize the disability identity within yourself. All of a sudden, and I say this and people are like, “What? I say this, but I’ve seen this. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen people who did not associate themselves with any form of disability or anything and they’re just like, Oh, them. Oh, I’ll help them. We have a conversation and then we have a follow-up conversation and then we’re drinking and then all of a sudden they’re telling me all their disabilities and then they’re walking a little different when they encounter disability. It’s no longer a them thing. And so that’s what an ally is. People with disabilities are also allies. I am an ally to the deaf community because I recognize though I’m not deaf, I see the having to navigate the world differently in you of myself. So that’s how I define an ally. An ally is someone who understands their own disability identity and can see it in others. Michelle Bishop: Don’t mind me over here just taking notes. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Literally. Oh my gosh. Lachi, thank you so, so, so much for being with us and taking time. I know that your website, lachimusic.com is one of the places where folks can stay up to date on all of the latest and greatest things that you’re up to. Is there anything else in particular you would like to plug for our listeners? Lachi: Like you said, LACHI, L-A-C-H-I M-U-S-I-C. I’m on the internets everywhere. Instagram, Spotify, check out the old music. If you’re a creator, a music creator or professional with a disability, check us out at RAMPD, R-A-M-P-D.org. Or if you want to donate or if you want to partner with us over at RAMPD, please do. If you are a cane user, whether you’re a blind cane user or you use Mobility Cane, check out glamcanes.com, get your canes bejeweled. I Identify as Blind, our book is out on Penguin Random House, imprint called Tiny Reparations by Phoebe Robinson, who is also a comedian. So we’re out here all writing very funny books. So please check it out. And lastly, listen, try to find moments in your day of disability joy. And when you find that moment, take a picture of it or write it down so that you can go back to it and live for those moments. So thank you guys so much for having me on this podcast. It’s really been a blast getting to talk at you about all things I identify as blind. Alden Blevins: I love it. I was over here taking notes too because I just found so much of myself in what you were saying and so many things were poignant and empowering. I, as an autistic person, try to be an ally to other parts of the disability community myself. And that’s something where I’m always trying to put myself in the shoes of another person and what they might experience. So I think that’s really powerful. We were so grateful to be able to connect and learn more about you, Lachi. Lachi: Yes, yes, yes. So honored to be here, guys. Michelle Bishop: Before you head out, Lachi, do you want to hear one of Stephanie’s grandpa jokes? Lachi: I was going to say, I was like, “Let’s hear one of these granddad jokes.” Let me see. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Okay. This might be- Michelle Bishop: Okay, do it. Stephanie Flynt McEben: … a granddad joke. Okay. Where do spiders like to get their information? Lachi: The web? Michelle Bishop: That would be something to do with web. Stephanie Flynt McEben: But what kind of web? Lachi: Wow. Really? You are fired from being my comedy writer. You are fired to be my comedy writer. I was rooting for you too. I was like, let’s just… Please. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I wouldn’t even get to the punchline yet. Michelle Bishop: Worldwide web? Stephanie Flynt McEben: It is the worldwide web. Michelle Bishop: Oh. Stephanie Flynt McEben: It’s fine. It’s fine. My wife warned me not to tell that joke this month and I didn’t lose it. Michelle Bishop: Oh my gosh. I’m so glad you stuck around for that part. Lachi: As I live and breathe. Thank you guys so, so much. This has been so much fun and I will see who else I can tell that joke to. And go ahead and just to help you out, Stephanie, I’ll go ahead and embarrass myself by telling that joke to others. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Not my best work, but that is allyship. Yes. Michelle Bishop: Oh my gosh, Lachi, thank you so much. And everyone, please lachimusic.com. Check it out. Listen to the music, read the book. Alden Blevins: Speaking of the worldwide web, this has been National Disability Radio. We celebrate stories, leadership, and talent of people with disabilities. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation with us on that worldwide web at ndrn.org or anywhere you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening and until next time. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Bye.

On this episode of National Disability Radio, we sit down with award-winning recording artist, advocate, and author Lachi for a powerful conversation about disability pride, music, and unmasking. Lachi shares her journey, from navigating the music industry as a blind artist, to founding RAMPD, a coalition amplifying disability culture across the industry. We talk about what it means to say “I identify as blind,” move beyond the medical and social models of disability into a cultural model rooted in identity and joy, and remind listeners that no one can defeat someone who hasn't given up. From glam canes to Grammy stages, this episode is about claiming space, rejecting internalized ableism, and turning perceived flaws into flexes. Transcript: Alden Blevins: It’s Lachi? I feel very- Lachi: Lachi like Versace. Alden Blevins: Lachi like… Oh, I love that. Michelle Bishop: That is the best way to explain it. Lachi: I mean, but you know what I’m saying? Come on. Alden Blevins: Well, we’re really excited about having you today because we’re all music lovers in this group here. Michelle Bishop: Yes. Alden Blevins: We talk about music all the time. Michelle Bishop: So much. Lachi: Good, good, good, good, good, good, good. I’m in the right place. Michelle Bishop: Hi everyone. Welcome back to National Disability Radio, the official podcast of the National Disability Rights Network. I am Michelle Bishop, 1/3 of your podcast hosting team. Stephanie Flynt McEben: And I’m Stephanie Flynt McEben, public policy analyst here at NDRN. Alden Blevins: I am Alden. I am a communication specialist at NDRN and I am so excited today, like I mentioned, we’re all lovers of music, so we got a guest that I’m really excited about. Lachi is an award-winning recording artist and a recording Academy Grammy’s national trustee. She’s also a disability advocate who’s been breaking barriers in the music industry and beyond. She’s the founder of RAMPD, which by the way, is such a fun play name. I really love that. And the author of the upcoming book, I Identify as Blind. So without further ado, Michelle, you’ve got some questions to kick us off, I think. Michelle Bishop: Yes. We’re so excited to have you with us. As Alden said, we are. We’re huge music lovers. I’m pretty sure we spend most of our meetings where we allegedly plan this podcast just talking about music. So you’re absolutely in the right place today, but to get us started, I mean, you’ve been open about the fact, and I’m just really interested in this as a disability rights podcast. You’ve been really open about the fact that it took you some time to really embrace your identity as a blind and disabled woman, especially in the industry that you’re in that often really rewards conformity. Can you tell us a little bit more about that journey for you, both as an artist and as someone navigating just the world with a disability? Lachi: Okay. Yeah, for sure. Hey, everybody. Lachi here, Lachi like Versace. I am a Black woman with cornrows, chilling here in New York in my studio. I also identify as blind, I identify as neurodivergent, and I identify as an Aries. So do with that what you will. Michelle Bishop: All the important points right there. Lachi: All the important points like name, age, sign. Thank you. Okay. Yeah, but I’m really glad to be here. And thank you for that question, and thank you for having me. So music has always been a very integral part of my life of growing up. Where other babies would kick in the womb, when she was pregnant with me, I was playing the piano in the womb. I don’t know how she got a piano in there, but she’s not a liar, so I’m going to take her word for it. When I was super-duper young, I didn’t really have a lot of friends, especially because of the fact that I had differences and this and that. And so I would take to music to, I guess, understand the world better and have the world understand me better. I just knew how to express myself through song and it just said the things I needed to say. It was the prayer I needed. And because of music, I started to find confidence in how to speak and how to behave and how to act. And as I got older, when I was growing up, disability was not necessarily a thing people talked about a lot in schools and teachers didn’t know what to do. My parents didn’t really know what to do. And so I would always just turn to music. It’s actually right now I’m working on a children’s album because I think that kids need to hear music that has to do with disability and neurodivergence, as well as their parents as they grow up. When I got into college, I started wanting to do music, but I studied business and finance because when I told my parents I wanted to do music, they were like, “That’s not how you spell doctor.” because they are Nigerian immigrants and everybody else in my family went to either med school and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, “No, I want to do music.” But I did get a day job after school, after college, and didn’t love it because this girl is not going to exist behind a desk. So I ended up going to South by Southwest and I got signed actually from playing the guitar at a hole in the wall spot that nobody was at, except for this A&R apparently. So we got signed to an imprint under EMI, which was a major label back then, and we started touring and music then became my life. Now today, why wouldn’t I pay my respects back to music? I mean, it’s because of music that I was able to really lean into who I am, my disability, my confidence, et cetera. So because of that, because of how much music has given to me in my life, I’m here using music to give back to other people with disabilities. Now, your question was essentially, how do you sit here and try to bring about change for disability in an industry that is not only about conformity, but also about like, “Hey, pick me to exploit.” is essentially what the music industry is. You’re raising your hand to be exploited and that’s what kind of authenticity is that? But at the end of the day, music is some of the truest forms of storytelling. And I think to myself, just the way that hip hop has amplified Black culture and the way that country music has amplified rural culture and the way that different global musics have represented different global cultures. I want to use music to amplify disability culture. I want to use music to amplify disability stories and feelings that are difficult to put words to, that are words of the soul, which is essentially what music is. And so I started going to studios and realizing things weren’t as accessible as they should be. I started speaking with organizations and realizing things weren’t as inclusive as they should be. And the response I kept getting was like, “Oh, well, there’s nobody with a disability in the music industry, so why would we make these measures?” And so I have made it my life’s goal through RAMPD, which by the way, the best thing we ever accomplished was our acronym, not us working with the Grammys to get sign language on the red carpet, not us getting these partnerships with title, Live Nation, Spotify. I mean, we’ve done so much, not just for artists, but also for professionals. And we’ve started to realize something really interesting with the work we’ve done with RAMPD. We are getting people joining our membership who are director level folks, who are label owners, who are like the big wigs that write the checks, and they’re like, “I’m neurodivergent. I’m actually hard of hearing. I have a TBI.” And so when I originally set out, they said, “We don’t do disability inclusion because nobody’s disabled.” That was three years ago. Now I’m like, not only are there neurodivergent and disabled music professionals out here, but we all are. So really to conclude, it’s just that everyone is navigating trying to make it out in this world, but everyone’s masking. Everyone feels that they have to change some part of themselves to be as close as they can to what success looks like, be as close as they can to what “beauty” looks like, what winning looks like. But really all it is internalized ableism. And I say, as soon as we drop that internalized ableism and we really start to sit in who we truly are and we start to recognize our perceived flaws as flexes, that’s when we truly start to win. And so that’s what we’re finding out with RAMPD, that people are like, “You know what? I’m tired of navigating this difficult industry with the added layer of having to mask.” And so that’s why I do what I do. Michelle Bishop: Yes. And honestly, as ridiculous as it sounds that they say to you, “Oh, there aren’t any people with disabilities.” When I tell you, we see that in everything that we do. I do voting work at NDRN and we’ll have elections officials tell us, “This polling place isn’t accessible, but there aren’t any people with disabilities that vote here.” And it’s like, “What? You realize we’re everywhere and we do all sorts of things.” Maybe the reason they think there’s no people with disabilities here is because they’re stuck outside and they can’t get in because you didn’t make it accessible, just a thought. But I mean, it sounds like coming up against all that is really, correct me if I’m wrong, helped you to develop that identity and that disability pride in the industry. When did you first say, “I identify as blind.” and what did that mean for you? Lachi: Well, so when I first came into really doing the disability thing, really leaning in, I wanted to find out more influencers or thought leaders and such with disabilities. I didn’t really know that many people. This is pre COVID, 2018, 2019, that kind of thing. And so I came across an influencer, her name is Molly Burke, and we’re great friends now, but I didn’t know her back then. I had just seen her tagline and it had said, “I’m Molly Burke and I’m a YouTuber who happens to be blind.” And for some reason I was like, “I don’t know if I love the happens to be blind thing.” I was like, “Well, I’m proud of being blind. Blindness is part of my identity. I don’t just happen to be a woman. I don’t just happen to be a Nigerian. I don’t just happen to be all of the things I am.” And so I would go to… I was touring… We’re always touring and every time I tour and do a show, I do a comedic open where I just introduce myself, I do a quick self-description, et cetera. And in my self-description, I would say, and I don’t just happen to be blind. My blindness is part of my identity, has given me all of the opportunities I have, and it’s really made me a deeper blah, blah, blah. It was just too long. So I had punched it up to be, “My name is Lachi like Versace. She, her, I’m a Black woman with cornrows and I identify as blind.” And the interesting thing about that is people took onto it. They were like, “Oh, that’s cool, nice and punchy.” But whenever I would say it in front of a large crowd or like I’ve said it on interviews or during commercials, I would get this weird, I don’t know, pushback of like, you can’t identify as blind. Blindness is an identity. It’s a medical condition. Or they’ll be like, “Do you read braille or not?” Or they’ll be like, “We don’t want people to think trans blindness is a thing where you just have a blind identity.” And then you can be like, “Well, I’m blind today, so that’s my identity.” And I thought that was really fun. I was like, “Look, everybody’s upset. They’re talking about blindness though.” So I really leaned all the way into it. And I have to say, I am super proud of my disability identity. Was it music that brought me there? I think in a sense and in a way, like today I have a few songs, you guys are music lovers, I have a few songs out that really talk about my disability pride. I think that a lot of the times as we navigate the world, masking our disability, masking our chronic condition, our difference or whatever, we end up overcompensating. We end up building up this really, really thick problem solving muscle or this really, really thick how to get around things muscle and we overcompensate. When we’re finally accommodated, when we finally get to a place where we’re accommodated or we have the tools we need, we’re coming in like bulk as hell. We’re coming in with problem solving muscles. We’re coming in with all of these things that we had to build up because of navigating the world differently, because of every day working through this very difficult maze that is living a life unaccommodated, then when we finally are accommodated, then we are killing it and crushing it. And how could you not be proud of that? How can that not give you a sense of pride? So the songs that I would love for you guys to check out that are mine is I have a song called Life on Hard, which has gone viral several times on Instagram. I’m known as an Instagram rapper, which is like, what? Hello, I do disability advocacy. Look at that stuff. But anyway, so I have a song called Life on Hard, which is essentially about just winning the game of life, playing it on the hardest setting out here while people are still trying to consult the manual. I have another song called Professional, which is oftentimes when I walk on the stage, people see the cane and they’re like, “Aw, she’s going to do a song for us. Is this from Make a Wish Foundation?” And then I bust out these raps or I hop on the piano and I go ape on this piano and then they’re like, “Oh, snap. What? Okay.” And I’m like, “Bro, I’m a professional artist. I’m not object for pity to make you feel good because you felt weird on a Monday and you didn’t feel like getting up for work, but it’s like, she could do it. So can I.” I’m like, “No, I can do it. You most likely probably just can’t.” So that’s what that song’s about. And then there’s The Bag, and The Bag is just essentially like, I’ve been told no so much like, “No, you can’t. No, you’re not good enough. No, we don’t want you.” And I’m like, “You know what? Yes, I am good enough and I deserve everything. So I’m going to throw everything I deserve in the bag, which is everything.” I don’t know. I would not be the person I am if I didn’t love all parts of myself. And that includes my disabilities, that includes my neurodivergences and all of the other wacky, weird body jazz that I bring with me everywhere I go. Michelle Bishop: Lachi, can we maybe, do you and I just FaceTime each other every morning and hype each other up? Stephanie Flynt McEben: I was literally about to say the same thing. I would like in on a true call. Michelle Bishop: I don’t know if you know. Actually, I want to say quickly, I know some of those songs actually from social media, but they’re real. They’re so real. So people haven’t heard music, go check it out. I don’t know if you know one of our co-hosts, Stephanie is blind. You’re speaking directly to her soul right now. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I literally just texted them in our podcast group text and I was like, she’s totally speaking to my soul RN, but of course I don’t want to interrupt anything. Michelle Bishop: No, I know you’re dying to talk to her about the book, Stephanie, and take it away. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yeah, no, absolutely, for sure. And as somebody who is blind and who also identifies as a blind person and definitely does not identify with the medical model of disability, clearly gotten to more of a social model. But yeah, in terms of going through that journey of accepting all of who you are and everything about yourself, for me, I mean, it took a minute, especially when you’re talking about your experiences as a child and I totally feel that. I was that girl playing the harmonica on the jungle gym by herself. Anyway, this is about you. This is not about me, but I’m just saying that I totally relate to you on a spiritual level. And given that, I would love to know, were there any particular moments when it came to writing the book that were particularly hard or healing? Because I mean, I think that we all know that it’s not always a linear journey. Some days are going to be harder than others. And so would love to get your perspective on that. And I think that our listeners would be interested. Lachi: Yeah, absolutely. The journey for me has been one of constantly unwrapping this amazing gift. I always try to use that as the visual, if you will, of you have this big present and you get to unwrap it and then you just keep getting something cooler inside and then you get to unwrap that and you get something cooler inside and you just keep unwrapping this beautiful gift that is yourself. But you don’t realize that when you first get the box, the amazing stuff that’s going on inside, and it takes time to get to it. So a lot of times growing up, I would kick myself in the butt of, I wish I had come to this when I was so much younger. I wish there were people out there when I was younger, role models that I could look up to when I was eight years old and pointing on the TV and saying like, “Okay, well, I mean, I understand that Ray Charles existed, but that’s not going to…” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Stevie Wonder is here, Ray Charles is here, but we need more of us. Hello. Lachi: We need more of us. Hello. Exactly. And so this time and place where I am right now is where I needed to be for this to work. So I can’t really kick myself in the butt of like, “I wish I had this. I wish I knew this so much earlier. I would’ve been so much further.” That kind of thing. You have to be where you got to be where you need to be. Even right now, this conversation we’re having right now is going to have been necessary for the next thing that is happening in our lives. And just the other day, I was hanging out with Queen Herby, who’s been one of my favorite more modern rappers. I just did a thing with Apl.de.ap. I have done some stuff with Black Caviar. Folks that I’ve looked up to, I’m having the opportunity to Snoop Dogg. I’m having the opportunity to work with these days because of the fact that I am here at the right time now. So when I was writing my book, we were peeling back all the layers. I’m a generally very positive and energetic, social butterfly type of person today. But it’s interesting, I wasn’t always this person and I had to unpack all the layers to get there. One of the biggest things that happens to me, so I’ve always been low vision. So I was born with relatively low vision and it stayed the same throughout my teens and early 20s. But one day I woke up and my sight was just gone. Boom. So the interesting thing is anybody listening would be like, “Oh my God, if I woke up and my sight was gone, I would just die or I would not know what to do. My life would be over.” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yep. Heard that a million times. Yes. Lachi: But for me, it was weird because I was already low vision, so I was going from level one to the underwater level or whatever. So it wasn’t like that life changing of a thing. I was already using screen readers or Zoom text. I was already doing stuff of that nature. So I wake up blind and I’m just like, “Okay, I guess this is it. This is the day that they told me was coming.” What had ended up happening was my corneas had erupted. And so I went to the doctor and he was like, “You’re going to become completely blind. You’re going to go from this much worse vision than you’ve had to complete blindness over the course of time.” So here you go, here’s a coupon. Bye.” or whatever. So I’m like, all right. So I had decided at that moment that I wanted to start a bucket list. So I was like, okay, what are all the things I’ve always wanted to do before completely going completely blind? So I was like, let me go skydiving, let me go spolunking, let me go meet with people, meet with celebrities and just do all of the things I’ve always wanted to do before I lose my vision. So I went out and I did it. This is still me doing it. This is still me doing it. And so I say that because to people who say if I ever went blind, I would just die. Well, when I went blind, it made me want to live. And that’s what opened me up into being this person that I am today. Stephanie Flynt McEben: That is amazing. I genuinely love that. Lachi: We talk about charity model and propping disabled folks up as tools of pity. We talk about medical model, which is really just waiting around for cure, making the cure the hero. We talk about social model, which is a really good place to live in the sense of things are impairing if they’re not accessible. Society is impairing if it’s not inclusive. But honestly, if I have all of the things, like if I have all my tools, if I have all that I need and if folks are inclusive, then I’m still blind, but I’m not impaired. But I like to go a little step further into what is the cultural model. And so the cultural model is it’s not just a discussion of what society should and shouldn’t do. It’s actually a celebration of what you gain as a person who identifies with their disability or their neurodivergence, the things they need to overcompensate because they’re navigating the world a little differently, leaning into that. So let’s say for instance, deaf culture, sign language, and the fact that folks can have complete discussions outside of what we’re talking about, there is so much deaf pride out in these streets, that is a celebration of culture that comes out of disability. And for me, let’s say for instance, I have ADHD and it powers my one million and counting ideas. I have diagnosed OCD, which helps me carry out all those one million and counting ideas. I have diagnosed general anxiety disorder, which gives me my empathy and my excitement. And then I am blind, which when I have the tools I need, it gives me drive. It keeps me determined, it keeps me focused, and it gives me my dope ass glam canes. There was a girl and her mom, and she came up to me after a show and she was like, “Oh my God, your music was great.” I was like, thank you. She’s like, “Mommy, can I get one of those canes?” And then her mom was like, “Ugh, well, you have to be blind.” And I’m like, “Yeah, girl, you better want to be me.” Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yeah. We drive sticks. Anyway, sorry. Lachi: Yes. You know what? I speak softly and I carry a big old stick. Thank you. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yes. Amen to that. Exactly. As somebody who considers themself a lifelong disability advocate, I never really thought about it in the sense of going beyond the social into the cultural. So thank you so, so much. We all learn something new every single day on this podcast, but I’d love to know a little bit more about, obviously you were very, very, very good at talking through these experiences in such a way that they are very relatable and easy to understand and that thing. So I’d love to pick your brain about the intended audience of your book. Who did you write it for? Other blind folks? Did you write it for, was it written for multiple audiences? Lachi: Yeah, honestly, I wrote it for the person who is masking. I wrote it for anyone who is tired of… Listen, let me put it like this. Let’s face it, disability is boring, a lot of the time it’s sad and it’s compliancy. We have to go the extra mile to make it fun because the actual truth of it is that the only reason it’s boring, sad, and compliancy is because society has kept it that way through its collective internalized ableism. And so my book is actually a humor book. It’s a pop culture book. It’s a comedy book. In fact, when we were talking to the publisher, it’s like, we should be putting this up against other comedic books, not necessarily disability books because it’s a book. I got so many jokes. I have dad jokes, they’re corny jokes, I have rap bars. I rap in a lot of the book just because I was like, “Hey, this rhymes.” I’m going to say it like a rap. We’re doing the audiobook right now, so I actually get to wrap it, which is really fun. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Oh, that is so cool. Oh my gosh. Lachi: Which is really, really fun. But really, honestly, what the book is what everything I do is it is using joy, soul, pop culture, jokes, humor, fashion, and just a really good time to celebrate disability, as well as community. So what you’ll find in this book is my story through my story, through historical deep dives, through interviews with some really, really cool popular figures and a really big deep dose of disability joy. And so a lot of folks who have disabilities, they will read this book and they’ll be energized. It’ll be like, “This is really great. I’m glad that I finally get to read a book that talks about disability in a positive way.” For blind specific folks, they might relate to a few of my stories because I talk about the day I woke up blind, I talk about when I went skydiving blind, I talk about just some of my interesting blind moments. But then I also talk about how I would go to red carpets and not know how to talk to anybody. So I’m in this amazing room with all these celebrities I can’t see and I’m just sitting on the wall. So I talk about some of the hard times too as well. But at the end of the day, really what the book is is an invitation in for somebody who feels a little different, a little awkward, has to mask, and just needed that invite in to talk about disability in a fun, joyful, celebratory way, to recognize that yes, that thing in you that’s different, that thing in you that society has told you you should view as a weakness and hide, you should be proud of. And I say this to people all the time. I say it in the industry, I say it to all my friends, I say it to anyone who will listen. I say it to my local barista and they come back and they say things like, “Oh my God, I’m so glad you said it that way. It turns out I have a titanium hip and I’ve never told anybody about that.” And that’s the vibe. The vibe is someone who was like, “I really needed this to be said to me this way, and now I am able to step all the way into my disability identity.” Alden Blevins: I love, especially what you said about joy. I feel like for me as an autistic person, my experience in the arts is that it is really a space where people who maybe don’t belong in other spaces or don’t feel like they belong in other spaces or are made to feel like they don’t belong in other spaces. I think that a lot of them really do find a safe space in music, in the arts, in theater. And I just wanted to ask, why do you think the music space is such a special one for you and why do you think it’s a place where other people with disabilities seem to flock together as well? Lachi: I mean, you hit the nail on the head. Counterculture, I mean, music often rewards counterculture. And then it eventually becomes mainstream and then we got to rebel against that. So music is a place where your soul can speak. And I think a lot of the times with disabilities, especially autism for me, I’m ADHD, OCD, a different neurodivergence situation, but a lot of the issue is communication. We don’t know how to say exactly what we need or whoever we’re talking to just doesn’t know how to hear what we’re saying. And so I think that what music does is it allows a soul to speak to a soul. A lot of the times music does this thing where you’ll be listening to a song and you’ll just be like, “That, that right there. That’s what I it me. That’s the thing I’m feeling.” type deal. Music has the ability to do that. And so for me, right now, this children’s album that I’m working on, the kids’ album, which is an album that is essentially R&B, pop, electronic, sort of the genres that I dance in for kids centered on disability and neurodivergence. Because what I want to do is be able to say, “Hey, I want you to point at that and say, that’s me.” And I think the easiest and quickest way to point at something and say, “That’s me also.” has been music. And so it’s why it’s been my strongest medium. Again, it’s not my only medium. I’m talking to folks through the book, I’m talking to folks through fashion, et cetera, et cetera. But again, music has been just the quickest, easiest point A to point B conversation easer, if you will, about disability. Another thing I also love to use is humor and comedy. So I make jokes all the time. They’re all bad. They’re all very not good jokes. I need to probably get a joke writer, but the fact that I’m having such a good time telling the jokes, I think I think is all that really matters. So I think both music and humor are just really, really great spaces for two people to get to relate to something that may be difficult to talk about. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yo, if you need a joke writer, I’m your girl. I actually do a joke every single episode of this podcast. Michelle Bishop: Her jokes are not better than yours, Lachi. Don’t hire her. Stephanie Flynt McEben: My jokes are pretty bad. They’re worse than dad’s jokes. They’re like granddad jokes. Alden Blevins: Yeah. Stephanie is the queen of the jokes on our podcast. She always brings one through. Didn’t know that you were working on a children’s music album, and I think that’s really interesting. I actually used to be a teacher, so children’s music is something that’s near and dear to my heart. So I just wanted to ask, what would you want to tell to younger people with disabilities, younger disabled creatives about claiming space and being able to tell their own stories? Lachi: Well, one thing that I heard from someone else, I don’t remember who it was. I think it was- Michelle Bishop: Jordan? Lachi: Yes, Jordan. He’s the one that said this. Michelle Bishop: I love him. Lachi: Yeah, he’s so funny. I met him at a… What did I meet him at? The Webby Awards or something. But anyway, no one can ever defeat someone who hasn’t given up. And for some reason that hit me, and I don’t even think he was trying to say it that deep. He was just saying a joke or something. But I took that and it was like, no one can ever defeat someone who hasn’t given up. So at the end of the day, you are really the only one who can end whatever you’re trying to get. Because as long as you are still going for it, it is still still there. It’s like a Schrodinger’s cat. It’s like as long as you’re still running for it, that opportunity is still there for you to have. The opportunity is never lost as long as you’re still going for it. And people can tell you, people can take your shoulders and tell you to go right. People can take your shoulders and tell you to go left. But until you take your own shoulders and go in the direction that your heart, your soul, your passion, your fire, desires, that is when you truly begin to live. And so I say personally, lean into that. I hear from a lot of younger, especially creators with disabilities. I mentor a lot of folks, tons and tons of folks. It’s one of the things I love to do the most. But what I love to tell folks is you are going to be the best you. And that you is going to include all of the different parts of who you are, but it is especially going to include you leaning in to the things that make you different and unique as unique selling points. Earlier I talked about how people try so hard to be the “definition of beauty”, definition of success, definition of whatever. Everyone’s trying to be this reference man. Everyone’s trying to be as close as they can to the reference man. And if I’m as close as I can to the reference man, then I’ll be successful or then I’ll get this job or then I’ll get this gig. But the truth of the matter is when we look at all of the people that are doing all of the big things, they’re “eccentric”. They’re “weird”. They did some big different idea that no one was thinking about and everybody fell into their trend. The further away you are from the reference man, that is when you start to win. That is when you’ll start to see success. That is when you’ll start to feel much better about yourself. That is when you can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “I am fine.” When you are able to accept all of those different freckles of yourself that are as far away from the reference man as possible, because guess what? There is room outside of the barrel for everyone to win if they are all being their unique self and running their unique purpose. That’s what I would tell to young disabled creators. Michelle Bishop: That’s amazing. Almost feel like we should stop there, but I have so many follow-up questions. Lachi: Listen, I’m here to drop as many mics as they will let me keep breaking. Michelle Bishop: I was wondering how you see the conversation around disability and inclusion and evolving these days. And a lot of our listeners are people with disabilities or people who have other even multiple intersecting identities in which they experience barriers as well. What does allyship look like to you? Lachi: This is one of my favorite questions. So yes, we have folks with disabilities and we have folks who want to work with people with disabilities, want to help a friend with a disability, want to make sure they don’t say the wrong thing to a person with a disability, neurodivergence, chronic condition, mental health condition. That’s not an ally. Wanting to help a person with a disability is not an ally. To me, wanting to support someone with a disability, that’s an ally in the very basic definition of allyship. Here’s what I think an ally is. To answer the question, I got to do two things. One, talk about the disability umbrella. So the disability umbrella encompasses so many forms of disability. It is neurodivergence, which is ADHD, dyslexia, OCD. It is mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar. It is someone who learns a little differently. It is someone who has explosive situations like anger management. It is someone who has substance abuse disorder, maybe somebody who drinks too much or uses different substances. It is chronic back pain. You know what I’m saying? It is asthma. It is EDS. It’s POTS. It is long COVID. It is different complications that you gain after pregnancy. It is different complications that you gain as you age. It is different complications you gain through menopause. It is temporary. It is breaking your arm and wearing a cast. It is seasonal depression. There is nobody on this earth that is not within the disability umbrella. And I don’t mean that you’re going to grow into it. I don’t mean in the future. I mean right now. Whether you identify as a person with a disability or not, you have disability identity because you have experience in your body disability. And when you figure that out, then you’re an ally. Allyship is seeing yourself through the other person because you can’t look through someone else’s eyes unless you can see yourself in them. And you can’t see yourself in disability until you recognize the disability identity within yourself. All of a sudden, and I say this and people are like, “What? I say this, but I’ve seen this. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen people who did not associate themselves with any form of disability or anything and they’re just like, Oh, them. Oh, I’ll help them. We have a conversation and then we have a follow-up conversation and then we’re drinking and then all of a sudden they’re telling me all their disabilities and then they’re walking a little different when they encounter disability. It’s no longer a them thing. And so that’s what an ally is. People with disabilities are also allies. I am an ally to the deaf community because I recognize though I’m not deaf, I see the having to navigate the world differently in you of myself. So that’s how I define an ally. An ally is someone who understands their own disability identity and can see it in others. Michelle Bishop: Don’t mind me over here just taking notes. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Literally. Oh my gosh. Lachi, thank you so, so, so much for being with us and taking time. I know that your website, lachimusic.com is one of the places where folks can stay up to date on all of the latest and greatest things that you’re up to. Is there anything else in particular you would like to plug for our listeners? Lachi: Like you said, LACHI, L-A-C-H-I M-U-S-I-C. I’m on the internets everywhere. Instagram, Spotify, check out the old music. If you’re a creator, a music creator or professional with a disability, check us out at RAMPD, R-A-M-P-D.org. Or if you want to donate or if you want to partner with us over at RAMPD, please do. If you are a cane user, whether you’re a blind cane user or you use Mobility Cane, check out glamcanes.com, get your canes bejeweled. I Identify as Blind, our book is out on Penguin Random House, imprint called Tiny Reparations by Phoebe Robinson, who is also a comedian. So we’re out here all writing very funny books. So please check it out. And lastly, listen, try to find moments in your day of disability joy. And when you find that moment, take a picture of it or write it down so that you can go back to it and live for those moments. So thank you guys so much for having me on this podcast. It’s really been a blast getting to talk at you about all things I identify as blind. Alden Blevins: I love it. I was over here taking notes too because I just found so much of myself in what you were saying and so many things were poignant and empowering. I, as an autistic person, try to be an ally to other parts of the disability community myself. And that’s something where I’m always trying to put myself in the shoes of another person and what they might experience. So I think that’s really powerful. We were so grateful to be able to connect and learn more about you, Lachi. Lachi: Yes, yes, yes. So honored to be here, guys. Michelle Bishop: Before you head out, Lachi, do you want to hear one of Stephanie’s grandpa jokes? Lachi: I was going to say, I was like, “Let’s hear one of these granddad jokes.” Let me see. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Okay. This might be- Michelle Bishop: Okay, do it. Stephanie Flynt McEben: … a granddad joke. Okay. Where do spiders like to get their information? Lachi: The web? Michelle Bishop: That would be something to do with web. Stephanie Flynt McEben: But what kind of web? Lachi: Wow. Really? You are fired from being my comedy writer. You are fired to be my comedy writer. I was rooting for you too. I was like, let’s just… Please. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I wouldn’t even get to the punchline yet. Michelle Bishop: Worldwide web? Stephanie Flynt McEben: It is the worldwide web. Michelle Bishop: Oh. Stephanie Flynt McEben: It’s fine. It’s fine. My wife warned me not to tell that joke this month and I didn’t lose it. Michelle Bishop: Oh my gosh. I’m so glad you stuck around for that part. Lachi: As I live and breathe. Thank you guys so, so much. This has been so much fun and I will see who else I can tell that joke to. And go ahead and just to help you out, Stephanie, I’ll go ahead and embarrass myself by telling that joke to others. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Not my best work, but that is allyship. Yes. Michelle Bishop: Oh my gosh, Lachi, thank you so much. And everyone, please lachimusic.com. Check it out. Listen to the music, read the book. Alden Blevins: Speaking of the worldwide web, this has been National Disability Radio. We celebrate stories, leadership, and talent of people with disabilities. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation with us on that worldwide web at ndrn.org or anywhere you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening and until next time. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Bye.

The picks for BEST BET$ got BETTER for T-Mil last night/Tuesday.. but still MUCH work & winning to do folks!

This week on Toilet Radio: Joe and Jordan talk about the Kafka-esque nightmare of modern life. Also, Michale Graves, not content with getting his shows cancelled in DFW strip malls, is now having his shows cancelled in the UK. William Shatner, at 94 years old, is threatening to release a metal album. Dire stuff. But fortunately, Gen X Correspondent Ian talks with Testament's Chuck Billy about the band's upcoming Thrash of the Titans tour, playing with Judas Priest in 1990 when Dave Mustaine tried to quash their pyrotechnic displays, handling vocal effects in a live setting, working with Johnny Z at Megaforce, writing ballads, and dreams of becoming an architect. FOLKS, it’s a good one. Music featured on this episode: Testament – Infanticide A.I. This program is available on Spotify. It is also available on iTunes or whatever they call it now, where you can rate, review, and subscribe. Give us money on Patreon to get exclusive bonus episodes and other cool shit.

This week, we're stealing a couple hours of your time to discuss The Rats: A Witcher Tale, the prequel movie that dropped at the same time as Season 4 and is designed to be watched after it…despite taking place well before. (The Witcher's up to its timeline shenanigans again, it seems.) Paired with the perfectly-themed Master of the Thieves Guild Blended Bourbon by Quest's End Whiskey, we keep things loose, lively and liquidated as we unpack the plots—meaning both the film's narrative and the Rats' plot to steal loads of cash—and try to figure out just what happened to this thing behind the scenes. Also, we come out in favor of bathing with a drunken Dolph Lundgren, debate the role of cephalopods in sex dens and reveal why when it comes to spider women, most movies just like to tease.

Happy Wednesday, Folks! Charlie Paulin wrote and directed the short film “Outed” that came to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, Short Film – Comedy.                          “Outed” is one of those comedies that is hilarious the first time you watch it, but then each time you see it again it becomes even funnier.                                                                                                                           Why? It is mostly Charlie's dialog, as he wrote rapid-fire yet subtle jokes within every single line that were delivered perfectly by his cast Jason Grobstich & Jaymes Mansfield. You can watch “Outed” right now on Shortframe at this link: https://youtu.be/aNmlDXc2cAE Follow Charlie on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@CharliePaulin96 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Monday's picks for Tyler's Best Bet$ have uh.. NOT been too great, Houston! TAILING OR FADING TUESDAY NIGHT'S WAGERS?!?!

Bet you've never tried quinoa whiskey! In this Tasting Talk episode of Distilling the West, Dan and Dave pour a glass of Alchemy Distillery's Bottled in Bond Quinoa Whiskey. Made from the ancient grain quinoa and produced under the strict standards of Bottled-in-Bond whiskey, this unique spirit takes a different path from traditional mash bills. The grain is grown 9 miles away from the distillery in Arcata, California. It's a low yield grain that takes a lot of care as a distiller, and Amy does a great job on Penny, her pot still. The guys break down the nose, flavor, and finish while discussing what quinoa brings to the table. Folks in California can get Alchemy's products from their website alchemydistillery.comCheers!

“These Country Bears… they busted through that ceiling!” - ChrisOn this week's episode, we're kicking off Listener Request Month 2026 with a banger convo about the totally insane Disney animatronic nightmare film, The Country Bears! Why couldn't these bears have some different personalities from one another? Did Beary's parents just steal a bear cub from the woods? Was Willie Nelson paid in weed? Why couldn't we get more Stephen Tobolowsky in this movie? And how many of these bears are hooked on honey? PLUS: Rest in Peace, Country Bears' original drummer, Toots! The Country Bears stars Christopher Walken, Stephen Tobolowsky, Daryl Mitchell, Diedrich Bader, M.C. Gainey, Alex Rocco, Queen Latifah, and the voices of Diedrich Bader, Haley Joel Osment, Candy Ford, James Gannon, Toby Huss, Kevin Michael Richardson, Stephen Root and Brad Garrett as Fred Bedderhead; directed by Peter Hastings.This episode is brought to you by GameTime! Download the GameTime app today! Create an account and use code WHM for $20 off your first purchase! Terms apply. Download the GameTime app today!Folks planning on attending our show at the Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis, get hip to the start of this episode where we tell y'all about an extra night you can hang out with us at a screening of An American Werewolf in London that we're co-hosting with the Minnesota Timberwolves organization! Remember, all details are at the start of this episode! Be sure to catch us on the road in Minneapolis on 3/20 and Chicago on 3/22 where we'll be talking Conan the Barbarian and Big respectively. Tickets on sale now! Be sure to visit the WHM Merch shop over on Dashery and check out all the latest show-related designs you can slap on t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, stickers, whatever! Make your friends jealous by flaunting some WHM merch today!  Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.

Tenderoni Hotline #22: Hello my love, and welcome back to the Tenderoni Hotline, our soft and spacious corner of the Feminist Wellness Podcast, where we explore your most tender questions about healing, nervous system care, and returning home to yourself. Today's episode holds two powerful questions. First, how do you use grounding and orienting when a space is not actually safe? What does nervous system regulation look like for queer folks, BIPOC folks, and anyone navigating real socio-political threat? If hypervigilance has helped keep you alive, are you supposed to just breathe deeper and calm down? Then we turn to another question. Why do high-achieving, successful, respected professionals still struggle to trust themselves? Why does approval seeking persist even when you have built a career, a reputation, and a life that looks solid on paper? Together, we explore the difference between grounding and orienting, and why neither is about pretending you are safe when you are not. We talk about how to stay responsive instead of reactive in spaces that carry risk, how emotional outsourcing develops in the nervous system, and why marginalized bodies cannot simply think their way into safety. We also unpack how self-trust gets wired or not wired in early relational experiences, how patriarchy and capitalism reward being chosen over being known, and why the very skills that make you professionally competent can quietly erode your embodied sense of worth. You will learn why grounding is not about forcing calm, why hypervigilance is not pathology but adaptation, and how self-trust is built through lived moments of centering yourself without the world collapsing. As always, we keep it practical. You will walk away with small, doable practices to begin shifting from external validation toward embodied self-trust, without shame and without overwhelm. So go ahead and get cozy. I'm so glad you're here, my tenderoni. Got a question for the Tenderoni Hotline? Send it to me at: podcast@beatrizalbina.com Learn more about my courses and apply here: https://www.beatrizalbina.com/courses Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanp/?hl=en

Folks, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster with my February. I know, I know, that's more of a "Monthly Flow" kinda thing, but here we are. My computer has been in and out of the hospital, trying to find a diagnosis. (Probably E-Syphilis or something) I've had several wonderful offers from several wonderful people offering me replacement computers, but I've been on the cusp of not needing them because my laptop is RIGHT ABOUT to be fixed. Alas, everytime I think I'm in the clearing, my screen goes dark again, to remind me that I'm never safe.Instead of wasting a guest's time by having them on the show and having to reboot my computer three or four times, I decided to do something I've never done on here: make, in a way, my Patrons be this episode's Cool Friends. So I sought out your questions, and answered them without reservations. I didn't hide anything, really. You asked, I answered. So enjoy, and thank you for your patience while I'm trying not to go insane dealing with something that's so far beyond my scope of knowledge, that the best fix I've had so far has just been breathing into a paper bag.And hey, head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay for early access to uncensored episodes with bonus content, exclusive podcasts, and so much more

It has been a while since I recorded an episode because life has been happening in rare form. In this episode I'm sharing some of that, a coaching practice name change, and talking about how I apply the principles that I teach you. Thank you to everyone that takes time to listen. Please remember to rate the show in Apple podcasts as it helps get my show in front of others who may need it. Need to book a session with me? www.alchemyhealingandrecovery.comI'm on instagram, threads, and tiktok as @alchemyhealingandrecovery.

Folks, don't fall for it. This coordinated effort—from media outrage to certain “America First” voices dodging direct criticism—is using the decisive U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran's terror regime to sow division, erode support for President Trump, and fracture the MAGA movement.Trump didn't start a new war; he ended decades of Iranian aggression that killed Americans, funded proxies like Hezbollah/Hamas/Houthis, and threatened our homeland with nuclear ambitions. This targeted action delivered justice—echoing the Soleimani strike—without endless boots on the ground. The real danger now is letting critics weaponize casualties, oil prices, or escalation fears to pit patriots against each other and undermine the mission to Make America Great Again.In this episode, Drew exposes the tactics, reaffirms Trump's strength abroad protects us at home, and calls on the base to reject the division trap and stay locked in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drewallen.substack.com/subscribe

Folks, on this week's all new episode we hear about a guy training his dog to dump trash illegally, German tourists who tried to create a floating ice sauna, the grocery store freezers going viral for their ambient drones, a man who accidentally gained control of 7,000 robot vacuums, and a Japanese city council who received gold bars to fix the cities pipesBUY ELI'S NEW STAND UP ALBUM HERE: https://eliyudin.bandcamp.com/album/humble-offeringOR WATCH IT HERE: https://tinyurl.com/2wwdrpjcBecome a patron for weekly bonus eps and more stuff! :⁠⁠www.patreon.com/whatatimepod⁠⁠Check out our YouTube channel: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/whatatimetobealive⁠⁠Get one of our t-shirts, or other merch, using this link! ⁠⁠https://whatatimepod.bigcartel.com/whatatimepod.com⁠⁠Join our Discord chat here:⁠⁠discord.gg/jx7rB7J⁠Theme music by Naughty Professor⁠: ⁠https://www.naughtyprofessormusic.com/⁠@pattymo // @kathbarbadoro // @eliyudin// @whatatimepod©2026 What A Time LLC

While filming The Boys in the Band in 1969, our man Nick moves to New York City and is beginning to live on the wild side – one that is very dangerous. There is a whole lot happening this year, in addition to Dunne's dicey choices. The Manson Murders come in the summer – soon after Lenny reveals her MS diagnosis to the family. Folks noticing Dunne's adoration of Frederick Combs is a highlight of this time, with a heartwarming attachment from Griffin Dunne connecting it all. Continue your investigation with ad-free and bonus episodes on Patreon! To advertise on Done & Dunne, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show tests the limits of good behavior as Emmett Davenport and Lady Attercop guide you through etiquette, escalation, temptation, and the occasional polite unraveling. It's a study in what happens when restraint snaps, the music gets louder, and someone decides to cross the line anyway. WARNING! This show is for adults. We drink cocktails, have potty mouths and, at least, one of us was raised by wolves. The Clockwork Cabaret is a production of Agony Aunt Studios. Featuring that darling DJ Duo, Lady Attercop and Emmett Davenport. Our theme music is made especially for us by Kyle O'Door. This episode aired on Mad Wasp Radio, 03.01.26. New episodes air on Mad Wasp Radio on Sundays @ 12pm GMT! Listen at www.madwaspradio.com or via TuneIn radio app! Playlist: Mona Motor Oil Twins – Etiquette Blues Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq – Could You Really Not Just Put This In An Email Mother Ukers Ukulele Band – Alabama Song Monkey Doo – WHY DON'T YOU DO IT RIGHT The Cog is Dead – I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys – When the Folks up High Do the Mean Low-Down Morella & The Wheels Of If – Ode To Marie (An Executioner's Lament) Andrew Bird – Tea and Thorazine Dandelion Junk Queens – Moonshiner Iron & Wine – Naked As We Came Murder By Death – Howl The Filthy Spectacula – Absinthe Friends Flogging Molly – Don't Let Me Die Neko Case – Hold On, Hold On Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #2 (Laika) Regina Spektor – On The Radio The Decemberists – The Rake's Song The Mountain Goats – This Year DeVotchKa – Twenty-six Temptations Man Man – Spider Cider Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Black Betty Charming Disaster – Baba Yaga Modest Mouse – Satin In a Coffin The Damned – Absinthe Dead Man's Bones – My Body's a Zombie for You the Bridge City Sinners – Shame Ghost Number – Unchain Me

This week on the Queer News podcast, in top news Kansas dangerous anti-trans politics leads to hundreds of Trans Kansans losing their drivers licenses overnight. In politics, celebrations are in order as Texas has been issued a preliminary injunction by the Federal Court. In Florida, Pulse Nightclub is set to be demolished this month. In culture and entertainment, we dive into Wanda Sykes' new lead role, a trans Chicago comedian saves a baby from freezing in Lake Michigan and Queer folks win at the NAACP Image Awards.   Want to support this podcast?

One of Vermont's most beloved annual traditions is tomorrow – Town Meeting Day. Have you read through your school budget and town report? Today on Vermont Edition, we'll get a preview of some of the big issues and elections going on this town meeting day. Rutland City residents get to select their next mayor. Pomfret will decide if non-residents can hold town office and whether to add a local option tax. Folks in the Woodstock area will vote on a bond to rebuild their middle and high school. Ripton is deciding what to do with its shuttered elementary school building. And Grande Isle is one of the numerous towns battling the emerald ash borer. They'll vote on whether to allocate tax dollars to remove ash trees killed by this invasive bug.

Folks it's Holy Smokes! The comedy podcast where we sm*ke w**d and tell Bible stories.Our guest for ep 88 is the hilarious Spencer Henning.In honor of our 69th episode, use promo code: NICE to get 69% off your first month on the patreon.patreon.com/holysmokespodPatreon members get exclusive monthly videos including unreleased songs, discounts on Scoochie merch, and a Cameo from Scoochie Boochie.

Send a textTilray strikes a deal that we're OK with.. for now.Big news this week is that Tilray has struck a deal to brew and distribute several Carlsberg beers. From our point of view this is good to keep folks working at the breweries in their portfolio, and we love that. Let's see how it goes.The FBI had some beer drama this week when Kash Patel chugged a beer while celebrating with the US Men's hockey team at the Olympics in Italy. Folks said he had work to be doing and shouldn't be wasting taxpayer dollars. We get that but if (big if) he was there on official business and happened to get the chance to hang with the team and celebrate we won't hold it against him.We also talk about one of our favorite topics again, Gen Z's drinking habits. We're watching them like ants in an ant farm. This week, where they do spend money when their drinking and a classic tradition they think is cringe. Damn you, Gen Z!Some chaos in Mississippi after a state ABC warehouse upgrade. Apparently the software that runs their conveyor belts has some bugs in it and has caused a huge backlog, like places not getting any liquor. They're currently working through the backlog but no news on fixing the issue. In another news... super heavy beer mug challenges, the Topo's gone dry like Mississippi, and more tariff talk.Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSSFollow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 28th of February, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Old Testament, Numbers 11:18:“Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” The complaining Children of Israel, short memories! They forgot about the slave-drivers, how they were beaten, working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. No, they wanted to go back to Egypt. There is no future in the past. I want you to remember that, my dear friend. So then we go to the Gospel of John 21:3. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” We have got such short memories. We forget from where we have come. Yes, things are tough. I will be the last one to tell you that they are easy. We are struggling in every area: politically, economically, spiritually, and in our work situation, but there is no going back for you and me. Isn't it an amazing thing (well, I can only speak for myself), you always seem to remember “the good old days” but you don't remember the bad old days. Folks, I want to tell you, as believers we have got the most glorious future waiting for us. When we go home, we are going to be with Jesus Christ because He has promised us that if we serve Him faithfully and believe, we will never die.Do you remember what it was like when we didn't know Christ? We used to get so depressed, didn't we? Because there was no future. We didn't know where we were going. We had no guarantee of anything and yet we, now and again, hanker for the old days. They weren't such good old days, were they? Be honest, because we didn't sleep very well at night. No, because we didn't know what was going to happen in the future. We need to look forward. We need to keep going. Peter and the disciples went fishing. They caught nothing the whole night until Jesus, in the morning, told them to become fishers of men, to keep the calling, keep the vision, keep going forward, and God will go with us. We are not going back to Egypt. There is nothing there for you and me, so today push those shoulders back, lift up that head and say, “It doesn't matter how tough it is, I am going forward because I am homeward bound.”Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.Goodbye.

Send a textThis week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast you host Downrigger Dale talks with the Head of the Communication and Education Division for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Greg Lemon. Greg and Rigger talked all about the big changes that are coming from the FWP on March 1st. What are those changes? Well, the best way to find out all about them is to watch the podcast right here. But here are a few highlights. Rigger and Greg go over a bunch of hunting regulation changes you really need to know about. But probably the biggest change is a new program called the FWP License Ambassador Program. That will replace the very successful program that has been around for a VERY long time which was called the License Provider Program. That was the system whereby local sporting goods stores could sell you a fishing license, hunting license, and conservation license right there in their store. So why change something that has been very successful? Unfortunately, FWP did not have a choice. The technology that was used to interface with FWP's internal licensing system had gotten so old that most of the stores that had them were not working or barely working and they could not be replaced because the manufacturer stopped making it. In fact, there aren't even any parts that can be bought to fix existing systems. On top of that there was no way for any new stores to be able to sell licenses. As Greg put it during the podcast, “something had to change”. So, what is a License Ambassador? Ok, we have given enough spoilers for one article you will need to watch the Podcast. Ok, one more little one, the new License Ambassadors at your local sporting goods store will also allow you to get things from the FWP that you were not able to get from the old system. So, listen or watch this podcast right now and find out all about it!Links:To get more info about the License Ambassador Program click here.To see a map and a list of where you can find a License Ambassadors simply click here.Questions for Greg Lemon? Click here.Don't forget this podcast is indeed YOUR podcast so click here and tell Rigger where under the Big Sky you what to explore next!Remember to tune in to The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, live every Saturday from 6:00AM to 8:00AM MT. The show airs on 30 radio stations across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

Folks over 65 are putting in a lot of screen time. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that people 60 years and older spend more than half their daily leisure time in front of screens, mostly watching TV or videos. Since the pandemic, that screen time has increased. Is addiction on the rise? And what's the best use of screen time for any of us? We're parsing out all the questions with Ipsit Vahia, the Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry at McLean Hospital. Interested in more stories about how technology is changing daily life? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

THIS WEEK ON TOILET RADIO: Joe tells more horrifying ER stories. BUT ALSO, Death Ray Vision announced they’re firing a band member for being a part of Patriot Front. The whole story is wild and leads us to ask, “why join a violent right wing hate militia when you could just join ICE?” ALSO, Vicious Rumors have kicked out their drummer of 40 years for posting bad right-wing memes! Drummer responds, “Why can’t we all just get along, preferably at a show at which I am being paid to perform?” ALSO, the bassist from CKY quits after just six months citing a toxic environment. CKY responds by stating, “I’ll show you a toxic environment!”. AND FINALLY, a fun little story about Phil Fasciana and a Chinese guitar manufacturer. Folks, it’s a silly one. Music featured on this episode: Pineland Moor – Resistance This program is available on Spotify. It is also available on iTunes or whatever they call it now, where you can rate, review, and subscribe. Give us money on Patreon to get exclusive bonus episodes and other cool shit.

Folks, on this week's all new episode we hear about how Italy's 'Lovers Arch' collapsed on Valentine's Day, why a guy brought a live alligator to Bourbon St. during Mardi Gras, how an Irish women's eyes turned alien green after putting in eye drop, how audiophiles were duped during an experiment, and how a country recognized insect as having legal rightsBUY ELI'S NEW STAND UP ALBUM HERE: https://eliyudin.bandcamp.com/album/humble-offeringOR WATCH IT HERE: https://tinyurl.com/2wwdrpjcBecome a patron for weekly bonus eps and more stuff! :⁠⁠www.patreon.com/whatatimepod⁠⁠Check out our YouTube channel: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/whatatimetobealive⁠⁠Get one of our t-shirts, or other merch, using this link! ⁠⁠https://whatatimepod.bigcartel.com/whatatimepod.com⁠⁠Join our Discord chat here:⁠⁠discord.gg/jx7rB7J⁠Theme music by Naughty Professor⁠: ⁠https://www.naughtyprofessormusic.com/⁠@pattymo // @kathbarbadoro // @eliyudin// @whatatimepod©2025 What A Time LLC