The Gist - Google’s Loony Balloons

Today on The Gist, an improbable Google experiment is still afloat. Will this “loony” idea help expand Internet access around the world, or just be a boon to fuzzy sock manufacturers? Slate’s Will Oremus explains. For The Spiel, we track the use of "the" before "Magna Carta." 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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Start the Week - The Value of Art with Grayson Perry and Hannah Rothschild

On Start the Week Andrew Marr discusses the value and authenticity of art. In her novel The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild satirises the art world from the Russian oligarchs and sheiks ready to spend excessive amounts, to the unscrupulous dealers and politicians, as she explores what a painting is really worth. The artist Grayson Perry has never been slow to laugh at the art world and question the role of the artist, and in his latest exhibition he brings Provincial Punk to Margate. Xavier Bray is a curator at the Dulwich Picture Gallery which earlier this year placed a cheap Chinese copy among its collection to see if visitors could spot the difference, and the filmmaker Patrick Mark tells the story of the iconic luxury brand from the 19th century - Fabergé. Producer: Katy Hickman.

More or Less: Behind the Stats - WS MoreOrLess: Global Footprint

Global Footprint We?re often told that we consume so much that we need one and a half planets. It comes from the Global Footprint Network a think-tank that has pioneered ecological foot-printing but what does that number even mean, and is it helpful? Chocolate makes you thinner We tell the story behind the chocolate experiment designed to deliberately fool the press. Concerned about the amount of pseudo-science surrounding diet and nutrition, John Bohannon and Peter Onneken ran a trial and had the results published in an online journal, sent out a press release. While the results were correct the trial wasn?t very robust but this didn?t stop the story that chocolate made you thinner running in newspapers, magazines and on TV around the world. Peter and John had fooled the press and they made a documentary about it. But the experiment has sparked a debate about whether it was ethical to fool the press in this way and whether the whole project was just self-serving.

The Gist - My Friend Became a Staunch Anti-Vaxxer. Now What?

Today on The Gist, we dig some of our favorite segments out of the vault. Mike Pesca is still away taping Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me, which you can hear this coming weekend online or on NPR stations across the country. First up, Mary Pilon shares the real history of the board game your family never finishes. She’s the author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game. Then, should you ever attend a child’s birthday party in a hazmat suit? Slate’s Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer “The Shot Is Safe.” For the Spiel, impassioned nominations for the Toy Hall of Fame. This segment was taped in 2014, and since then the Rubik’s Cube, bubbles, and little green army men have all been inducted. Today’s sponsor: Volvo. Have a month’s payment on Volvo, and spend your summer doing the things that matter to you. Plus get up to five years full coverage, including wear and tear. Go to volvocars.com/us. 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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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Obesity Projections, Global Footprint, Street Value of Drugs

It's the last in the series so we're packing in the statistical goodies so that you can go into numerical hibernation until August. We're looking at the street value of drugs: when police claim that they've confiscated hundreds of millions of pounds worth of narcotics, where do those numbers come from? And how has the dark internet changed drug prices? We'll also be looking at claims that those of us who aren't binging on drugs are binging on biscuits instead. Apparently much of the UK and almost the entire population of Ireland is going to be obese before long. But how have such alarming forecasts fared in the past? We're often told that we consume so much that we need one and a half planets - and not just to provide room for all those obese people. What does that number even mean, and is it helpful? And Richard Thaler, the co-author of "Nudge", joins us to talk about the psychology of risk.

The Gist - Tour Guide for The Memory Palace

James Holmes is mounting an insanity defense for his trial in the 2012 movie-theater killings in Aurora, Colorado. But what connection does that tactic have with the actual medical understanding of mental illness? Today on The Gist, Fordham’s Barry Rosenfeld explains the challenge of diagnosing a “guilty mind.” For the Spiel, we ask Nate DiMeo to share an episode of his podcast The Memory Palace about Coney Island’s Dreamland amusement park, and his approach to revisiting history. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. 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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