Category: Active

When Hillary Clinton is asked about going to war, she's almost always in favor of it. Cato Institute vice president Gene Healy evaluates Clinton's war record.

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The President is considering new military action in Iraq as that country's stability is tested. Benjamin H. Friedman argues that many advocates for military action in Iraq are using "sunk costs logic" that the past error in Iraq now justifies further investment.

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Freakonomics guru Steven Levitt joins us to talk about an unusual experiment ? getting people to agree to make major life decisions based on the toss of a coin. Is this really good social science? And what do the results tell us about decision making and happiness? And with 365 days in the year, it feels like a huge coincidence when we meet someone with the same birthday. But you only need 23 people to have a better than even chance that two will share a birthday. This counter-intuitive result is known as the birthday paradox, and the best place to look for proof is the World Cup, where 32 squads of 23 players provide an ideal data-set. Alex Bellos crunches the numbers for us. This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Service.

"Religion Makes People More Generous"- according to The Daily Telegraph's interpretation of a new BBC poll on charitable giving. Tim Harford investigates whether there is a link between practising a religion and whether we give. Plus: Big data - the hype says it will help deliver everything from increased corporate profits to better healthcare but are we being blinded to basic statistical lessons learned over the past two hundred years? And it feels like a huge coincidence, but you only need 23 people to have a better than even chance of meeting someone with the same birthday. This is the birthday paradox, and the best place to look for proof is the World Cup, where 32 squads of 23 players provide an ideal data-set. Alex Bellos crunches the numbers for us.

The government must clear a high bar before it may limit the right of Americans to vote, according to Cato Institute Chairman Bob Levy.

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Are the new calls for gun control any different from the old ones? Cato Institute Chairman Robert A. Levy weighs in.

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Is the divorce rate in the US state of Maine linked to margarine consumption? It's one of many pairs of statistics featured on the 'Spurious Correlations' website started recently by Tyler Vigen. We talk to him about some of the funniest correlations he's found and the serious point he's trying to make. Plus: World Cup Office Sweepstake strategy. This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Service.

Rideshare services Uber and Lyft learn from regulators that they must comply with regulations or stop helping their customers. The two companies have effectively rejected regulators' demands.

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Scottish independence - yes or no? Which will line your pocket more? The Scottish government says a Yes vote will leave Scots ?1,000 each better off; the UK treasury says a No vote means a ?1,400 bonus for Scots. More or Less looks at exactly what these claims mean, the key assumptions underlying them, and asks whether either number is likely to be accurate. Plus: the "zombie" statistic that each year 100,000 Christians are martyred around the world; getting people to agree to make major life decisions based on the toss of a coin and World Cup Office Sweepstake strategy.