Month: July 2017

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Opening Arguments - OA85: More with Andrew Seidel on Trinity Lutheran & the First Amendment

For today's show, we dive deeper into the Supreme Court's recent decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer with guest lawyer Andrew Seidel from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. First, however, we answer a question from Patron Christopher Arguin regarding cross-examination that was inspired by TTTBE #30. In the main segment, Andrew and Andrew continue to discuss church-state separation and the First Amendment. Next, our friend Seth Barrett Tillman provides us with an update on the CREW v. Trump lawsuit regarding emoluments. Finally, we end with the answer to Thomas Take the Bar Exam Question #31 regarding the Statute of Frauds.  Listen and find out if Thomas's improbable one-question winning streak will continue -- and don't forget to play along by following our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and/or our Facebook Page and quoting the Tweet or Facebook Post that announces this episode along with your guess and reason(s)! Recent Appearances None!  But this is your last chance to join the guys at the Inciting Incident 100th Episode Live Spectacular in Carlisle, PA on July 14, 2017!  Get your tickets now! Show Notes & Links
  1. We first spoke with Andrew Seidel regarding Trinity Lutheran during Episode 82.
  2. Here is a link to the Trinity Lutheran v. Comer decision.
  3. We first discussed Trinity Lutheran during our three-part "You Be The Supreme Court" series; part 1 (Episode 14) is available here, part 2 is available here, and part 3 is available here.
  4. This is the letter that the Missouri Attorney General sent indicating that, post-election, Missouri would change its policy.
  5. Finally, please check out Andrew Seidel's great work at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/law Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/ And email us at openarguments@gmail.com  
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The Gist - Twitter Should Drop Trump Already

The jobs report has been good, the U.S. isn’t in a shooting war, and the economy is booming. So why is Trump still in the high 30s in terms of popularity? Political scientist Seth Masket says it’s because of Trump’s abrasive presence on Twitter. Masket recently made the case for why it’s in everyone’s best interest for the president and the social media giant to part ways in the Pacific Standard.   

In the Spiel, Kellyanne Conway, the gift that keeps on giving.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Is Steph Curry cheap and how random is random?

Are top basketball players underpaid?

The American basketballer Stephen Curry has just signed the biggest contract in NBA history. The new deal will pay him $200 million over 5 years but amazingly, according to fellow superstar player Lebron James, he?s probably being underpaid. It may sound ridiculous but economists agree. How can this be true? We look at the economics of superstar sports salaries.

The mystery of Ryanair?s seat allocation

Ryanair carries more international passengers a year than any other airline. The European budget carrier is renowned for its low cost seats. If you want to guarantee seating next to people you book with, you have to pay extra. Otherwise, Ryanair says it will allocate seats randomly. We speak to statistician Dr Jennifer Rogers from the University of Oxford about her doubts over the ?random? nature of the seat allocation.

Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer: Charlotte McDonald and Richard Vadon

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Serious Inquiries Only - SIO57: Problems in Academia

Today's conversation is with Matthew Facciani and Jeremiah Traeger. They're here to educate us on some of the problems in publishing and academia! Matthew began his academic career in cognitive neuroscience and later switched to sociology where he is now finishing his PhD at The University of South Carolina. Currently, his main research area investigates why people reject scientific evidence. Facciani is also involved with secular and gender equality activism. His blog and podcast are both titled According to Matthew. @MatthewFacciani on Twitter. Jeremiah is currently a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder; who has been involved in secular and progressive activism. He contributes to A Tippling Philosopher on Patheos. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tippling/ @jerbivore on Twitter Here are some links Jeremiah covered: Nature - Academic jobs not keeping up with PhDs awarded. https://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v31/n10/fig_tab/nbt.2706_F1.html 70% of scientists have failed to reproduce results. http://www.nature.com/news/1-500-scientists-lift-the-lid-on-reproducibility-1.19970 Half of clinical trials left unpublished: http://www.nature.com/news/half-of-us-clinical-trials-go-unpublished-1.14286 Statistical restraints on researchers that Nature is proposing: https://www.nature.com/news/announcement-reducing-our-irreproducibility-1.12852 Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point! Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email thomas@seriouspod.com