Month: May 2014

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The Gist - How a Comedian Chooses Just the Right Words

Today on the show, Adam Davidson from NPR’s Planet Money discusses why income inequality matters to most Americans. Then comedian Gary Gulman drops in to discuss how even the smallest word choice matters when crafting jokes. And as New York considers reversing its ferret ban, Mike’s spiel recalls the greatest moment of Ferret-related media.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - The Piketty Affair

Did 'rock-star' French economist Thomas Piketty get his numbers wrong? His theories about rising inequality and the increasing importance of capital have been the talk of the economic and political worlds this year. And part of their appeal has been the massive amount of data Piketty has brought together to back them. But the Financial Times claims to have found significant problems with Piketty's data on wealth, and says this undermines his claims about rising inequality. Tim Harford examines the FT's claims and Thomas Piketty's response. Plus: is as much land given over to golf courses as housing in England; is racism on the rise in Britain; and should we be concerned that several young men who have died recently were players of the video game Call of Duty?

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The Gist - Why Math Matters

Today on the Gist, the case for integrating math into everyday conversation. Mike talks with Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not to Be Wrong. Then, a look at a hostile takeover attempt that harkens back to days of Barbarians at the Gate. Jeffrey McCracken from Bloomberg explains how the drug company Valeant is attempting to buy Botox-maker Allergan with the help of an activist investor. Plus, Mike's Spiel honors Massimo Vignelli, the late graphic designer best known for laying out the NYC subway map.

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The Gist - Will Racism Die When Today’s Racists Die?

How much do Donald Sterling’s attitudes toward race have to do with being an octogenarian? Today on The Gist, we examine the correlation between racial attitudes and age with Paul Taylor from the Pew Research Center. Then, TV critics Willa Paskin and Emily Nussbaum discuss the Mad Men midseason finale and how HBO’s Silicon Valley has taken a turn for the worse. For the Spiel, Mike observes how the media have pulled us into the mind of a madman, again.

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The Gist - The Vicious Circle of Mass Shooting Media Coverage

On today’s episode of The Gist, Mike talks with Ari Schulman of the New Atlantis about how it may be even more dangerous than we think to give so much media coverage to mass killers like Elliot Rodger, perpetrator of Friday night’s shootings at UC–Santa Barbara. Then, he talks with Scottish school teacher and blogger Craig McAllister about the big choice facing Scotland in September: Whether to declare independence from the United Kingdom. In his Spiel, Mike uses his holiday weekend to make the hard choices about un-assigning himself assigned reading.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - WS MoreOrLess: Risk Savvy

A famous probability puzzle is discussed involving goats and game shows with German psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer. Is he right to suggest in his new book 'Risk Savvy' that we really don't understand risk and uncertainty? And More or Less listeners weigh in on a problem from last week?s programme - how old will you be before you're guaranteed to celebrate a major, round-number birthday (like 40 or 50) on a weekend?