Shows
Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 020: Iran and Western ImperialismGiven the war, we discussed Iran again this week, with the emphasis more on the longer-term relations that country has with the US and Europe, and the rôle of imperialism in shaping its politics and outlook, as well as the wilful blindness that Americans often have about our government's foreign policy.
2025-06-301h 43Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 019: Iran, Israel, and NukesIran, Israel, and nuclear weapons are the subject of this week's episode, and given its complexity we may return to this another day as well, but we chat here about the logic of deterrance, Iran's stated and in some ways proven positions on nukes, and the current war against Iran by the US and Israel.
2025-06-231h 24Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 018: The Genocide in Gaza and its DenialIn our second episode back from hiatus we rapped about the Gaza atrocities, the difficulty some folks have with calling this a genocide, and what it is that motivates so much intellectual dishonesty about these events (i.e., the structural and cultural features).
2025-06-091h 36Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 017: Ending Hiatus, Trump's Big Beautiful BillBack after a long break, necessitated by Liam's insane schedule (and inssanity!), Jamal and Liam catch up on life, then talk a bit about Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, i.e., the budget act that means to rewrite the social contract and undermine our remaining constitutional safeguards.
2025-06-021h 38Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 016: Leaving the Military over GenocideIn this episode of Office Hours with Jamal and Liam, our guest Riley Livermore discusses resigning his commission in the US Air Force over the government's support for Israel's genocide in Gaza, as well as his time living in Israel and his observations there, and thoughts on the military-industrial complex.
2024-12-091h 12Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 015: Trump, Palestine, and Social ChangeIn this episode, Jamal and Liam talk about the results of the 2024 US presidential election, how this will affect the Palestine/Israel situation, and how people can organize for real change in a country rapidly drifting into neofascism.
2024-11-181h 21Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 014: Psychotherapy with Dr Jonathan Bilal AbdullahThis week we interviewed and chatted with Dr Jonathan Bilal Abdullah, an EdD and LFMT, where we talked about the stigmatization of mental illnesses, the value of therapy as health care, and the difficulties in finding the kind of treatment that works best for each individual.
2024-11-111h 17Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 013: Racism and PowerIn this episode, Liam dives into the origins of racism and its links to power, capital, and the state. At the start, Jamal also recaps a recent book he did in his TikTok book club.
2024-09-091h 31Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 012: Lexi Alexander InterviewThis week Jamal interviewed Palestinian-German filmmaker and martial artist Lexi Alexander. Liam was sick and left after the introductions, but Jamal and Lexi had a great conversation and we hope you enjoy it.
2024-09-021h 27Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 011: GNU/Linux and Open Source SoftwareThis week, on a fun impulse, Liam set the Wayback Machine for his days in IT, and talked about operating systems, especially GNU/Linux and its relation to Windows and MacOS X, and a bit about the free software / open source revolution.
2024-08-121h 15Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 010: Buying vs RentingIn this episode, Jamal lays out some tips and tricks on purchasing a home and some of the pros and cons of renting one.
2024-08-051h 11Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 009: The ICJ, ICC, and PalestineThis week's episode is a primer on what the ICJ and ICC are, how they differ, and how they affect the situation in Palestine/Israel. This episode was done with guest speaker Nicole Rangel, an international lawyer and scholar, who lays out most of the good stuff. We hope this helps especially the folks in the Palestine movement to know how international law can and does help us.
2024-07-292h 04Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 008: Neofascism and TrumpismIn this episode, Liam and Jamal discuss the assassination attempt on Trump, the appeal of right-wing populism, and the core features of fascist and neofascist politics.
2024-07-221h 29Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 007: Interviewing Kenny J on MMAIn this episode, Jamal interviews MMA fighter and Olympian Kenny J. This is the first episode in which Liam does not appear, due to a schedule conflict, and was recorded differently. We hope you like it.
2024-07-151h 04Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 006: Early Christianity, Part 1Beginning another multi-part story, this is the first part of a discussion of the origins and evolution of Christianity from its Jewish and GrecoRoman roots. We start in Hellenistic Palestine with 1st c. Judaism, then look at the figure of Jesus as he appears to historians, and end with the split between James and Paul. The second part will look at the evolution of different Christian doctrines and their consolidation into a proto-orthodoxy.
2024-07-081h 40Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 005: 401k and RetirementIn this episode, Jamal explains what a 401k is and how they work, and why contributing to one (if you have the option) is a good idea.
2024-07-011h 18Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 004: 18th Century PalestineIn this episode of OHwJL, Liam walks us through some key events in 18th and early 19th century Palestine, with Jamal as usual asking useful questions along the way.
2024-06-241h 22Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 003: Résumé WritingIn this episode, Jamal takes us through the basics of writing and perfecting a résumé. We cover AI tools for grading your work, how to integrate well with LinkedIn, how cover letters work, and some of the difference between a CV and a résumé.
2024-06-031h 09Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 002: Capitalism, Part 1In the first of several days where we'll discuss the origins and evolution of capitalism, Jamal asks Liam about the definition, antecedents, and early stages in the development of the modern world-system.
2024-05-271h 13Office Hours with J &LOHwJL, Episode 001: IntroductionsThis is the first episode of a collaboration between Jewish anarchist and historian Liam O'Mara and Palestinian banker and fitness guru JBS. In it we talk a little about our lives and upbringing, and what brought us to this project.
2024-05-201h 16