Month: May 2015

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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - The Calm Before the Storm

On today’s episode, Dahlia takes stock of the big whammy decisions just around the corner at the Supreme Court, and considers a few of the major abortion cases that could be following shortly on their heels.Please let us know what you think of Amicus, our legal affairs podcast. Our email is amicus@slate.com. This week’s episode was sponsored by The Great Courses. Get up to 80% off the original price of their eight most popular courses when you visit thegreatcourses.com/amicus. Subscribe to our podcast here.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today here.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - WS MoreOrLess: John Nash

On 23 May, the mathematician John Nash was killed in a car crash, alongside his wife Alicia. The couple were in their 80s. Professor Nash was on his way home from Norway after receiving the prestigious Abel prize for mathematics. He also won the Nobel memorial prize in economics in 1994, and was made famous far beyond academia when he was played by Russell Crowe in the film, A Beautiful Mind. Tim Harford takes a look back at his life with economist Peyton Young who knew Nash well. Tim also looks at how many species of owl there are. A much more difficult question to answer than you would think.

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The Gist - Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road Story

Alex Winter went from co-starring with Keanu Reeves in the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure franchise to creating tech-centric documentaries. Today, Winter talks about directing Deep Web, about the online black market Silk Road and its founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. The show premieres on Epix this weekend. Also, Slate’s Joel Meyer joins us to answer one question, and one question only, about Minneapolis. For the Spiel, should we give so much credit to the sage grouse? Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.    

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Motley Fool Money - Amazon’s Speed, GoPro’s Drones, and the Colonel’s Comeback

Amazon launches same-day delivery. GoPro gets into the drone business. Michael Kors reports some unfashionable numbers. And Yum! Brands brings back Colonel Sanders. Our analysts discuss those stories and share some stocks on their radar. And Motley Fool Asset Management portfolio manager Bill Mann talks investing and China. 

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Seven-day NHS

This week: Seven Day NHS. As a commitment appears in the Queen's Speech to introduce a 'truly seven day-a-week NHS' we look at David Cameron's assertion that mortality rates are 16% higher for people admitted on a Sunday over those admitted on a Wednesday. And is seven day working really about saving lives.

John Nash The mathematician and scientist, Nobel Laureate and subject of the film a beautiful mind was killed in car accident earlier this month. We look at why he was so important to game theory.

Productivity? We're told we have a productivity problem in the UK. What is it, how is it measured and why is it so low in the UK compared to other economies. We get an economist to explain the answers to a listener.

What is a generation? A loyal listener has asked how you measure a generation. We ask a sociologist and a demographer.

Animal Slaughter How many animals are killed each day for food? One claim suggested it was half a billion worldwide, which sounds like a lot to us. Are we really pigging out to such an extent? Are we all so hungry we could all eat a horse? Or is this just a load of bull?

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The Gist - Talking About Talking About Race

Today on The Gist, a brief history of beer with William Glenn and Trish Parry. Their show A Brief History of Beer is at the Under St. Marks Theater in New York the last Sunday of every month. Plus, author Baratunde Thurston joins us from the new Panoply podcast About Race. He’s the author of How to Be Black. Guidelines for talking about race include: 1. Assume good intentions, especially online. 2. Shut up. Listen. 3. Try to make it not just about yourself. “But I’ve never” isn’t a good argument. It’s about a bigger system. For the Spiel, does it matter if our politicians are out of touch? Today’s sponsor: The Netflix original documentary series Chef’s Table. Go inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world’s most renowned international culinary talents. All episodes now streaming on Netflix. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Living in the Post-Material World

The other day in the Wall Street Journal, Mike Pesca saw a headline that he adored: World Awash in Too Much of Almost Everything. It wasn’t a pun, just that stark truth, and it reminded Pesca of a book he read years ago called The Progress Paradox by Gregg Easterbrook. They discuss what the rising of material abundance means for the word and the possibility of a post-scarcity economy. For the Spiel, is this our last chance for a President Bernie? Every wonder how we make The Gist? Check out a special Slate Plus feature about the making of our show in this video. Today’s sponsor: The Great Courses, offering engaging audio and video lectures taught by top professors. Courses like Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers. Right now, get up to 80 percent off the original price when you visit thegreatcourses.com/gist.   Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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