Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

Today on The Gist, we talk about Andy Warhol’s erotic films with McGill University professor Ara Osterweil, who explains how movies like Couch and Blow Job transformed American visual culture. Osterweil is the author of Flesh Cinema: The Corporeal Turn in American Avant-Garde Film. For the Spiel, the kid who kicked a cat and the luxury of outrage. 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, we discuss the legacy of Attorney General Eric Holder with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Plus, Brett Anderson explains why Louisiana isn’t shaped like a boot anymore. In a recent feature for Matter, he collaborated on the making of a new map. For The Spiel, 10 objections that defined history. Illustration by Matthew Woodson for Matter. Source: U.S. Geological Survey’s National Land Cover Data (2011). 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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Karen Armstrong argues against the notion that religion is the major cause of war. The former nun tells Tom Sutcliffe that faith is as likely to produce pacifists and peace-builders as medieval crusaders and modern-day jihadists. But Justin Marozzi charts the violent history of Baghdad and asks what role religion had to play there. The philosopher Christopher Coker explores how warfare dominates our history, and argues that war, like religion, is central to the human condition. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Today on The Gist, the science journalist’s version of “who wore it better.” We compare the Wall Street Journal’s report with the N.Y. Times’ report on the same research from the journal Nature. Ben Lillie from Story Collider explains who did the best job of representing the research. Then Slate’s Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer “Please No Baby Daddy” from The Gist Episode 15. For the Spiel, we name our new 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

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Today on The Gist, what happened to the good old days of newsmen keeping quiet about their death threats? Danielle Citron, author of Hate Crimes in Cyberspace, explains why online threats are commonly discussed and more rarely policed. Plus, William Weir explains the sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music. For the Spiel, Mike’s wild worldwide warzone wackiness headlines. 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, we ask the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg whether ISIS is indeed an existential threat to the Middle East. Then, Adam Davidson of NPR’s Planet Money explains how economists talk about taxes when the rest of us aren’t around. Plus, a snappy Spiel about race and long snapping. 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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Exactly how many black men are killed each year by law enforcement? How many are unarmed? In the wake of Ferguson, it was difficult for journalists to get precise answers to these questions. On The Gist, Reno News & Review editor D. Brian Burghart talks about Fatal Encounters, his project that attempts to crowdsource a national database of deadly police force. Then, John Pollack, author of Shortcut, explains the elegant power of analogies. For the Spiel, tax rates. Are they too low or too high? Mike says that’s the wrong question to be asking. 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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In a recent article for The New Republic, Tom A. Peter explains why he considers war reporting no longer worth the risk. On The Gist, we ask him and his war correspondent peer Carmen Gentile to discuss how they decide when it’s worth risking everything for today’s news consumer. Plus, we explore The Language of Food with Dan Jurafsky. For the Speil, Mike’s hacked the news with a little boy-yoy-yoing. 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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Hilary Mantel takes a break from her award-winning series of novels charting the rise and fall of the Tudor fixer, Thomas Cromwell, to discuss her new collection of short stories. She talks to Tom Sutcliffe about why her latest work eschews the historical to focus on contemporary Britain. The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor tells the story of Germany from its Roman past to the present day through objects that symbolise the dynamic changes in its culture and identity. 'English Magic' is the focus of the artist Jeremy Deller's touring exhibition which melds myth, folklore and politics to explore British society. And the Jamaican poet Kei Miller pits the scientific cartographer against the spiritual map builder to explore our understanding of place and territory. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Today on The Gist, in anticipation of Sunday’s climate march, Bill McKibben joins us for a round of “One Question, One Question Only.” He’s the author of Oil and Honey and founder of 350.org. Then, musician Xavier Dphrepaulezz has finally found his voice as Fantastic Negrito. We’ll hear how he got here, and a few tracks from his EP. For the Spiel, Mike reclaims the word radio. 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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