Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

Today on The Gist, we observe the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I with a feature about the start of World War II. Mike asks Ron Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil, about how a genocidal monster is formed, and whether the Holocaust would have happened without him. For the Spiel, all you missed on ABC’s This Week. 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

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The Committee to Establish a Suitable Flying Banner for the City of Sioux Falls has elected their first city flag. On The Gist, CESFBCSF President Hugh Weber and celebrity vexillologist Ted Kaye explains why Sioux Falls should raise the new banner high. Then Ammon Shea, author of Bad English, has a very unique take on the English language that will, like, literally aggravate the linguistically nonplussed. For the Spiel, five myths about myths.

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When is it best to know when our privacy has been violated? Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA passes around nude photographs. A doctor in Maryland may have photographed thousands of women during their gynecological exams. Aaron Zimmerman from UC–Santa Barbara brings an epistemological approach to the question, “Can you be a victim without knowing you’re a victim?” For the Spiel, what a bad beat at the World Series of Poker reminds us about how we make decisions.

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With only two days left before August recess, what’s left on Congress’ agenda? Slate’s senior political reporter David Weigel explains why Republicans are sitting on their hands. Plus, Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay talks about his conversion to biking, even down to the spandex shorts. For the Spiel, an exclusive leaked OkCupid commercial. 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

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Today on The Gist, Canadian human rights worker Diana Buttu joins us from Nazareth to share her perspective on the conflict in Gaza. Plus, Maria Konnikova from The New Yorker shares what the physiology of reading screens means for our brains. For the Spiel, Mike’s imagined dialogue with Mike Francesa. 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

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The world used to be full of empires. Is it time for an imperial resurgence? On today's Gist, Robert D. Kaplan, national correspondent for the Atlantic, makes the argument for something that looks a lot like a modern empire, although with a less fraught name. Plus, a look at new research into how we taste, with Charles Spence of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory, who wrote on the subject in Flavour Journal. For the Spiel, remembering NPR’s good witch, Margo Adler. 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

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Today on The Gist, where do you draw the line with your husband’s close female friends? Emily Yoffe of Slate’s Dear Prudence column joins us for a post-Prudie impact statement concerning a husband’s proposed road trip with an ex. Then, Susan Crawford, author of Captive Audience, explains why Hollywood and cable subscribers everywhere have the right to be spooked and outraged by the possible Fox-Time Warner merger. For the Spiel, it’s time for another an-twentig. 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

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How good did the Roman emperors have it? The Gist asks UCLA history professor Ronald Mellor to compare a ruler’s bounty in the ancient world with life in modern America. Plus, Kashmir Hill from Forbes explains the latest tarnish on Facebook’s reputation for dubious privacy practices. In today’s Spiel, another botched execution and what it teaches us about the death penalty. 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

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Today on The Gist, writer Dave Hill tells us about what it’s like to go on a naked cruise. Then, Mike explains why investor Bill Ackman’s high-profile accusations against Herbalife failed to make the company go the way of Enron. Michael Regan, the editor at large for Bloomberg News, shares what made this presentation unique, despite Wall Street’s cool reaction. For the Spiel, the news from Sioux Falls. 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

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Are all civilians are automatically innocent? Today on The Gist, host Mike Pesca debates a Wall Street Journal op-ed from Thane Rosenbaum, Senior Fellow and Director of the NYU Forum on Law, Culture & Society. Plus, Dr. Dalia Gavriely-Nuri from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, offers translations and insight into Israeli operation names such as Operation Protective Edge and Operation Pillar of Defense. For the Spiel, classics ruined. 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

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