Month: June 2015

When Asher Price reached his mid-30s, he realized it was his last chance to learn how to dunk a basketball. Today on The Gist, we’ll visit the West 4th Street Courts to learn about his training regimen and the symbolism behind a slam dunk. He’s the author of Year of the Dunk: A Modest Defiance of Gravity. For the Spiel, debating about debates. Today’s sponsor: Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. 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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Today on The Gist, a new album from Mac McCaughan captures the feeling of being fifteen in 1982. His new album Non-Believers is available from the label he co-founded, Merge Records. In our segment, you’ll hear the tracks “Box Batteries” from the new album, and at the end of the show, “Noisy Night” by Portastatic. For the Spiel, (the) Magna Carta explained. Plus, be sure to come see Mac live in Durham, NC for Mom and Dad Are Fighting LIVE!: The Indie Rock Parenting Edition at Mororco on Sunday, June 7, 2015. Today’s sponsors: 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. And, Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. 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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Today on The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker returns for another installment of “Is That Bullshit?” Maria and Mike take a closer look at compression sleeves used by elite athletes, senior citizens, and injured folks alike.  Plus, we talk about the U.S. military’s Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb and Russia’s Armata supertank with Rebecca Grant, the president of IRIS Independent Research and a contributor to Air Force magazine. For the Spiel, Mike raises an eyebrow at the body count in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Today’s sponsor: Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: thegist@slate.com Twitter: @slategist  

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Today on The Gist, Steve Inskeep of NPR's Morning Edition talks about the story of two complicated political leaders he chronicles in a new book, Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab. In the Spiel, a candid question: "What will you do now that the Patriot Act has been temporarily suspended?" Today's sponsors: 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. And, Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: thegist@slate.com Twitter: @slategist  

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