You Can't Win

Laid back episode where we discuss Tom's apartment-hunting plans. We get into the negatives of cheap places we've lived and how wild prices can get these days. Then we dip into some Discord questions.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

Our friend Freddy, a student in the philosophy of religion, opens the episode with the description of a man's long suffering in a Moroccan prison and the ways he managed to keep his sanity. This leads to a wide-ranging discussion about enduring pain, dreams and visions, the place of Jesus in the Islam and the purpose of religion.

Mentioned: Understanding the Qur'anic Miracle Stories in the Modern Age by Isra Yazicioglu.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

Chapo's Felix Biederman joins Tom and Don to chat about making jokes that get us into trouble, growing out of that (or not) and how humor relates to faith.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro music by reiyashi.

Also check out Felix's new project Time for My Stories on Stitcher.

Unfortunately Don has been sick this weekend so we are releasing a popular recent bonus episode for the public feed.

---

We talk about the historic steppe peoples of Central Asia, such as the Mongol Empire, and how they relate to the diversity of human experience. Tom talks about some of his reading in the area and Don chimes in a bit with his limited personal experience in China's far-west along the Silk Road. Most people know very little about the whole region, including Don, so we thought it'd be fun to discuss a few of the basics.

Mentioned: The Ottoman History Podcast (Making of the Muslim World); Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light by Sachiko Murata (book); ARTGER - Mongolian Food on YouTube.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

Is genocide denial good or bad? No one can know for sure. In this episode we discuss polarization around the news that pushes people into wacky positions. Is the speed of takes driving people into strange positions? How is this different from ten or more years ago? Why do you see similar pressures across many types of political outlooks?

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

As the Thousand Year Quarantine rolls on we've had some problems getting a good sleep. It's something that's rarely discussed but affects us a lot. Starting off with a chat about insomnia and bad health we jump into discussion about the history of dreams and religion.

Mentioned: Dreams That Matter: Egyptian Landscapes of the Imagination by Amira Mittermaier.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

Big Dave returns for a full show of advice for listeners based on questions you sent in for him. We talk about planning for the future, life in the pandemic and things that keep us going.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

In this episode we talk about how we both walked backwards into piecing together an income rather than working a normal 9-to-5, and the broader phenomenon of gig work. While there are a lot of downsides to not having stable employment, sometimes side hustles and tiny businesses can offer an alternative for people who feel they don't otherwise fit into the economy.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

In our official 100th public feed episode we answer some questions from the kind friends and lunatics who send them in. Ranging from the morality of Islamic dress to a variety of askers with violent impulses, we try to rule definitively on your inquiries.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.

Tom and Don use the "Great Reset" conspiracy theory slash real thing to talk about an economy where we don't really own anything and are tied down to debt, subscriptions and high rents. When big tech and progressive bureaucrats get together and plan our futures we might not be left with much space for self-determination.

Intro music by auntie004. Outro by reiyashi.