Month: June 2014

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The Gist - Blame Salt-n-Pepa for American Glottal Stop

Today on The Gist, why Chipotle has become an important battleground for open carry advocates in Texas. Then Mike and language maven Ben Yagoda discuss their pet peeves against words like “amongst,” and revel in the American glottal stop. Yagoda’s new book is You Need To Read This. Plus, this is what it sounds like when Mike spiels about doves crying.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Faith and Charity?

"Religion Makes People More Generous"- according to The Daily Telegraph's interpretation of a new BBC poll on charitable giving. Tim Harford investigates whether there is a link between practising a religion and whether we give. Plus: Big data - the hype says it will help deliver everything from increased corporate profits to better healthcare but are we being blinded to basic statistical lessons learned over the past two hundred years? And it feels like a huge coincidence, but you only need 23 people to have a better than even chance of meeting someone with the same birthday. This is the birthday paradox, and the best place to look for proof is the World Cup, where 32 squads of 23 players provide an ideal data-set. Alex Bellos crunches the numbers for us.

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The Gist - Polls Say the Darndest Things

Forces for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have taken control of significant parts of Iraq. Mike speaks with Slate’s Fred Kaplan about who’s to blame (hint: not Obama). We’ll explore how unlikely political coalitions could unite to avoid pure chaos in the Middle East. For the Spiel, Mike shows that poll results are in the eye of the beholder.

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Serious Inquiries Only - AS40: Ex-Witness Harley

We continue the conversation with ex-Jehovah’s Witness Harley, @secularlad. Such a gripping story. I can’t even imagine having to go through the loss of friends and family to the extent that Harley has simply because he no longer buys into absolute nonsense. Make sure to check out http://atheisticallyspeaking.com/trial for a free month of premium content!

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The Gist - 13 Days a Beatle

For the first two weeks of June 1964, Jimmy Nicol replaced Ringo Starr as the Beatles’ drummer. Allan Kozinn of the New York Times explains how you move on from an experience like that. Plus, Sanjay Basu explains the arguments for excluding soda and other sugary beverages from the food stamp program, and Slate’s John Dickerson answers one question, one question only, about Eric Cantor. And for today’s Spiel, we need to talk about sex with dolphins.

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The Gist - A Mass of Mass Shootings

Today on The Gist, criminologist and homicide researcher Adam Lankford explains why some mass shooters seem so drawn to extreme ideologies. Then we speak with 11-year-old author Audrey Hinsdale about how her debut novel The Trigger is a metaphor for growing up. For the Spiel, Mike weighs the cultural impact of driverless cars.

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The Gist - Zen and Beef Jerky at the World Series of Poker

Today on The Gist, reporter and former Afghan Taliban captive David Rohde shares his insights into the Bowe Bergdahl transfer. Then Mike and author Colson Whitehead discuss how to find Zen and excellent jerky at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He represents the “Republic of Anhedonia” in his new book The Noble Hustle. For the Spiel, Mike’s dispatch from the barbecue queue.

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