We mark the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War by revisiting some of the classic clips from our cowed and deferential news media circa 2003. PLUS: What is artificial intelligence and what does it mean for the future? Pulitzer-winning columnist Thomas Friedman doesn't know, but that didn't stop him from writing about it.

Michael and Us

#414 - Artificial Intelligence

With Trump's indictment in the news, we thought it might be a good time to watch the movie that has been more influential on QAnon than any other: Ridley Scott's little-loved seafaring adventure WHITE SQUALL (1996). We parse this half-forgotten film to figure out why, exactly, the QAnon people love it so much. "Where we go one, we go all!"

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#416 - One Insular Tahiti

Wizards Sop the Smartest (@necrobranson), Solabaster the Silver (@intellegint), and Dewey the Wizard King (@charlesraustin) discuss their favorite spells and reagents. E1 on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/e1podcast

286 - Wizards

Did Tetris bring down the USSR? That's the implication of TETRIS (2023), a highly fictionalized account of the beloved video game's journey from the Soviet Union to your phone. We examine what anti-Communist kitsch looks like in the year 2023. PLUS: Russian coups, disappearing subs, and further thoughts on the movie on everyone's lips, The Flash.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#438 - In Soviet Russia, Game Plays You

If you can't handle me at my hurdy, you don't deserve me at my gurdy.

In this one, Steve heads underwater to discover treasures untold. Joe comes head to head with a devil baby. Log submits his video will.

implode our pockets

532: The Crombinators

Catherine Orr Voice Reel

This episode is dedicated to the legendary broadcaster Michael "Champ" Parkinson, whom we love. 

Joe processes his grief with a feature about Lord Fauntleroy, Steve deals with his emotions by securing some much needed funding from a cruise company. Gav projects his feelings of anger on to a smoking neighbour.

This episode is sponsored by Cunard Cruises.

welcome to my show

537: My Name Is Little Lord Fauntleroy

You can keep your Emily Maitlises and your Frost/Nixons, because Regular Features is finally pivoting to hot hot politics. In fact, we are the only politics podcast that doesn't have a Krishnan Guru-Murthy constantly riding around on an electric scooter in the background, and that's a Regular Features promise.

In this episode, Log introduces us to the Republican Party presidential candidate nominees, thanks to a couple of hypnotic lanyards he found under his pillow one morning. Steve tries to help out his old friend Roger Helmer MEP with a professional calf massage. Remember to vote or something.

impeach our pockets

538: The Republican Primaries

I'm hungry so this will be a short description. 

In this one, Joe fixes some (very) badly behaving dogs. Steve invite us for a sleepover with "the king of cool" Mister Dean Martin. Log observes us from afar using a telescope.

I'm hungry I'm hungry I'm hungry help

give us kisses

539: Dogs Kissing (Very) Badly

Gather round, gather round. No stop, that's too much gathering. Disperse... A little more... A little more. Well now you're far too dispersed, aren't you? You're gonna wanna give me just a hint more gathering. Woah woah woah, now you're even more gathered than the first time. So much for the wisdom of crowds, ya tightly packed throng o' boneheads.

In this very chatty episode of Regular Features, Gav recounts the tale of our annual trip to the most happening Halloween party this side of Godalming. Steve hosts a "guess the TV theme tune" quiz in lieu of actually doing a feature. And Joe turns informant for anyone who'll listen.

"Onion Capers" and "Newer Wave" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

here is johnny!

546: Snitches Get Witches

Dimitri and Khalid embark on a multi-episode journey into the actually existing history of the geographic region known for millennia as Palestine, and the actually existing people who inhabited it under (mostly) uninterrupted Ottoman rule from 1516 to 1918.

PART ONE: Ontologies of Ottoman Palestine, 1776-1839

Swirling eschatological issues around the Holy Land, centuries of European obsession with Jerusalem, “the marriage of geopolitics and religion”, erming the “it wasn’t even a countryyy” crowd, psychedelic intellectual Daniel Pinchbeck’s psychotic Substack post about forcefeeding Palestinians MDMA until they abandon their religion and projecting a 3D blue beam Temple over Al-Aqsa to fulfill ancient prophecies and achieve peace, a brief speedrun of Palestinian history from Ancient Egypt to the 16th century Ottoman conquest, Napoleon’s 1799 invasion of Egypt and Ottoman Syria, the surprising ethnic/religious demographics of the early 19th century, Palestine’s significance in the Great Game struggle between Britain and Czarist Russia, European attitudes towards the continued survival of the Ottoman Empire, soft power penetration of the Holy Land via European religious groups and NGOs, the Albanian Muhammad Ali’s conquest of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the 1830s, Bedouin conceptions of “land ownership”, Sir Moses Montefiore’s early attempts to purchase land, and more.

For access to full-length premium episodes, upcoming installments of DEMON FORCES, and the SJ Grotto of Truth Discord, subscribe to the Al-Wara’ Frequency at patreon.com/subliminaljihad.

[#173] THE LAND BELONGS TO WHOM IT BELONGS, Part One: Ontologies of Ottoman Palestine, 1776-1839

Steve, Log, Joe, Matt and Gav present the podcast that's the same every week