The Gist - Are You Sure He Had a Red Nose?

How open are Cubans to the idea of democracy? Today on The Gist, Emily Parker weighs the chances of a less repressive government in Cuba. She’s the author of Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices from the Internet Underground. Plus, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of The New Yorker how much we can trust eyewitness testimony. For the Spiel, a Christmas miracle in Oklahoma. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Grin and Bear It

Are we experiencing a fundamental reshaping of the status quo in the oil market? Today on The Gist, Keith Johnson from Foreign Policy explains why America’s notion of energy independence through domestic oil production is a fallacy. Plus, wildlife biologist Rae Wynn-Grant from Columbia University shares tips for luring, tagging, and tattooing bears. For the Spiel, the problem with the “jokes” of the late-night comic.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Bad Movies, Good Podcast

All this week on The Gist, we’re down with O.P.P.: Other People’s Podcasts. In this episode, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, and Stuart Wellington explain why their reviews of bad movies on The Flop House aren’t your typical Internet snark. Dan says, “We actually do try to keep ourselves from getting mad at the movies, to approach it with some sort of sense of joy so we’re not just jerks.” To which Elliott adds, “I mean, we are jerks.” For the Spiel, it’s time to name our lobstar of the antentwig. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Too Beautiful to Stop

All this week on The Gist, we’re down with O.P.P.: Other People’s Podcasts. In this episode, Luke Burbank from the podcast Too Beautiful to Live explains how he’s built his devoted fans through openness and honesty: “When in doubt, I pretty much just get as emotionally vulnerable as possible. If people are being really, really genuine about their emotions, and if people are talking about how they’re insecure about things, I always find that compelling.” For the Spiel, various staffers from Planet Money recommend their favorite non-NPR podcasts including Longform, The Chris Gethard Show, Creating a Family, Bad at Sports, Reading Out Loud and The Read. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - For Dana Gould, Editing Is No Laughing Matter

All this week on The Gist, we’re down with O.P.P.: Other People’s Podcasts. In this episode, Dana Gould explains why he’s decided to make a tightly edited comedy podcast: “I didn’t want to do my version of Marc Maron’s podcast. I thought: Marc’s doing his podcast. Why do I have to do his podcast?” Plus, we’ll hear an excerpt from the “Summer Testicular” episode of The Dana Gould Hour.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Ten Years To ‘StartUp’

All this week on the The Gist, we’re down with O.P.P.: Other People’s Podcasts. One of our favorites is Alex Blumberg’s StartUp, which tells the story of his startup, Gimlet Media. Blumberg explains the anxiety involved in pulling back the curtain each episode: “There’s this giant pit in my stomach before it drops. Like, have I said too much this time, or are people going to hate me, or am I going to embarrass myself?” For the Spiel, meet the podfather. We speak with Christopher Lydon from Open Source about the first audio weblog. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Marc Maron on the Best Podcast Episode Ever

All this week on the The Gist, we’re down with O.P.P.: Other People’s Podcasts. First up: Marc Maron explains the role of empathy in his interviews on WTF: “I don’t know what happens in here, man, but I’m very open in an emotional way, more so than I am in any other part of my life.” We’ll find out what he’s learned over the years, and the story behind the making of his episode with Louis C.K. (Slate just named that 2010 conversation the best podcast episode of all time.) For the Spiel, Dick Cheney’s incredible interview on Meet The Press Sunday. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Cut Off From a Sex Life Too Soon

When your husband dies, must your sex life die too? Today on The Gist, Emily Yoffe of Slate’s Dear Prudence column joins us for a post-Prudie impact statement with past letter writer “Cut Off From a Sex Life Too Soon.” But first, understanding the protests in Ferguson and New York City with Brown University professor Tricia Rose. For the Spiel, are we all children?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices