Month: August 2016

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Grammar Schools

It has been reported that Prime Minister Theresa May is planning on lifting the ban on creating new grammar schools. Chris Cook, Policy Editor for Newsnight, has been looking at the evidence for whether these selective schools improve exam performance or social mobility.

Swimming World Records New world records are being set in swimming at a much faster rate than other sports ? but why? Tim Harford speaks to swim coach and blogger, Rick Madge about the reason swimmers keep getting better results in the pool. Why do other sports, like athletics, not seem to have the same continual improvements in results?

Teenage girls aren?t so bad after all This week?s Desk of Good News challenges the concept that teenage girls and young women are badly behaved. It features statistics on falling teenage pregnancy rates, drinking figures and improving educational success.

The rise of TV Was the Queen's Coronation the event that sparked the biggest rise in TV sales ever? We take a look at the rise of television in the UK.

Lottery wins Adam Kucharski, author of The Perfect Bet, looks at the maths behind playing the lottery or gambling.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Charlotte McDonald

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Is Sesame Credit Dangerous?

What if you had a credit score that measured more than just your wallet? What if it took into account your political leanings, Internet traffic, and social media statements -- and what if the same stuff from your friends could affect your score? These are the concerns of Sesame Credit.

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They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Gist - Should You Have Your Silver Medal Bronzed?

On The Gist, Republican “merchant of mud” Mike Murphy ponders Donald Trump’s effect on down-ballot GOP candidates. Murphy is known for putting the “!” in “Jeb!” as an adviser to Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. His podcast is called Radio Free GOP.

For the Spiel, Mike tries to get to the bottom of an Olympian canard about the happiness of bronze medalists. 

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The Gist - John Dickerson Has a Follow-Up. He’s Willing to Ask It Seven Times.

Are voters in 2016 better compared to an angry customer at a drive-thru window? Or are the two major parties on completely different planets, unable to agree on a shared reality? On The Gist, Slate columnist and Face the Nation moderator John Dickerson discusses elections past and present. He is the author of Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories From Presidential Campaign History.

For the Spiel, when it comes to Donald Trump’s Second Amendment comment, it’s hard for the media to acknowledge what everyone knows they heard.  

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