Mechanical Freak

The gang is back on the boat again to talk about local power outages and what’s going on at Southwest Airlines and why it’s Jimmy Carter’s fault.

Munya and Brian discuss the evolution of housing in America after the Second World War. Will the country invest in its major cities? Will it abandon racial segregation? No, obviously, but there is still a lot to learn in the details!

We’re joined by friend of the show Shaun Scott to discuss the legacy of Mike Davis and urban history of Los Angeles. If you haven’t ever read the work of Mike Davis, there is no better time to start than now and City of Quartz is a good place to start.

Munya and Brian begin their discussion of Chapter 12 of Greg Grandin’s The End of the Myth by exploring the role that Cold War policy abroad affected civil rights policy at home. They also take a deeper look at the US relationship with Apartheid South Africa.

This week: a very spicy Seattle Sucks type episode with Greg and Brian. We’ve got SPD insanity, the Harrell Machine, naive local political heroes! We’ve got the Seattle Times patting itself on the back for assimilationist gay rights that are built on sand even as trans and queer people are increasingly targeted for political murder! Finally, we have for you one of the worst opeds maybe ever in the Times, wherein the Che of gay rights in WA recounts her story of the revolution (a lesbian wedding). To hear more about the history of gay Seattle and pride as a march and protest vs a marketing parade check out this old banger with Dr. Kevin.

In a follow-up to Ep 18, we discuss some of the other conflicts in the global cold war. We then talk about the historical roots of the violence in Indonesia and Vietnam, before discussing the consequences for world politics of counterinsurgency and mass killings.

Ending the Myth is back from our recent hiatus! And we are grimmer and more depressing than ever! This week Munya and Brian discuss America’s foreign policy in the first three decades of the Cold War by looking at the genocide in Indonesia and the American invasion of Vietnam. This part 2 of a two-part discussion of the early Cold War meant to pair with Chapter 11 of The End of the Myth.

Brian & Munya get together to congratulate their friend and new boss, Dr. Jennifer Posa, on her new promotion. Then they stick around to talk about the Democrats voting to break the railroad strike and give some thoughts on the mass shooting in Colorado.

It’s that time of year again! Time to sit down at the table with family and friends, dig into your potatoes, and blast the Mechanical Freak Thanksgiving Pageant Spectacular at max volume through your beats headphones to drown out your family. This year, we are joined again by the Gates Foundation to learn about their exciting work in Africa! Justin Roll joins us to let us know about the latest news from Hollywood! Greg shares his theories about a fantasy series that people stopped caring about five years ago! And we learn about one of the great fail-sons of history! All this and much more!

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon patreon.com/posts/74759516

The boys discuss the new wave of tech layoffs and what that means for the Fed’s efforts to get this recession going before asking how a polycule in the Bahamas could have led us all astray.

The gang takes a victory lap over Elon’s efforts to squeeze money out of the stone that is Twitter before discussing the Democrats’ pre-made excuses for getting walloped in the midterms.

This week behind the paywall: They did the shock! It was a Volker Shock! We bring you part 2 of our two part series on the Federal Reserve, inflation, and neoliberalism. This episode has been pried out from behind the Patreon wall for you to enjoy as a treat this Halloween week. Subscribe for access to all our premium episodes. patreon.com/seattlesucks

This week behind the paywall: After Fed Chair Jerome Powell brought you a trick on Wednesday by hinting that the Fed might stop jacking up interest rates, just to come back an hour later and say, “Psych! We’re inducing a recession, baby!” We have decided to bring you a treat. We dug deep in the Freak vaults to bring you a two-part episode that we did back in June on inflation, the Federal Reserve, and neoliberalism. It’s all the same, only the dates have changed, so lean in to the end! Subscribe for access to all our premium episodes. patreon.com/seattlesucks

This week behind the paywall: a special Halloween episode, Brian – dressed as Jonathan Frakes – tells Greg three spooky stories about aliens, the Cold War, and the horrors of space. Do you think that you have what it takes to tell which stories are fact and which are fiction when they are truly beyond belief? Subscribe for access to all our premium episodes. patreon.com/seattlesucks

I’ve got election fever and the only prescription is bullying the nerds! While Brian is away, Munya, Greg, and dear friend of the show Justin Roll (@dntStartTheFire) take the opportunity to open a ballot for the ASMR value, and little else.

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon patreon.com/posts/73696009

Munya and Brian are back to bring you three tales of woe. First, they delve into the “mysterious” disappearance of one billion snow crabs. Then, they discuss why NFL owners are mad at Dan Snyder – hint: it’s not the sex trafficking. Finally, Brian gives us an update on the town of Uvalde and how the first month back to school is going. Brace yourself.

Munya’s Money Moves is back as we return to the world of private equity and try to find the connection between the buyout of Petsmart and America’s nursing homes. Put on your shades, because the future is bright!

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon patreon.com/posts/72976422