The Gist

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BEST OF THE GIST: Labor Day Weekend Edition Sep 02, 2023

Show notes

The globe may be warming, but that doesn't stop summer from coming to an end. So, in honor of the long weekend which symbolizes the transition from summer vacation to back-to-school, we dug up a couple gems from The Gist's archives. First up, to honor the return to school, we are replaying Mike's 2017 interview with Lenora Chu, author of Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve, which tells the story of her American family's rude awakening to Chinese education practices. When Chu moved her family to Shanghai, she eagerly enrolled her young son into an elite Chinese public school. She expected academic rigor and an emphasis on work ethic. But she was surprised to find authoritarian teachers and desperate, obsequious parents. Then, to honor the long weekend, an encouragement to watch some 80s movies this weekend in the form of Mike's 2016 interview with Hadley Freeman, author of Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (and Why We Don't Learn Them From Movies Anymore).

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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I WAS WRONG: The Nunes Memo Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Yesterday, Mike unpacked how and why he was wrong about the Central Park Karen story, and today he has a couple more points to make about his wrongness. Then rewind back to 2018, when, with the Muller investigation filling the headlines, the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes issued a memo titled "Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Abuses at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation," alleging that the Steele Dossier was nonsense. When the memo surfaced, Mike had a ball calling Nunes a "nincompoop" for issuing it, and for just generally being a nincompoop (which is a fun word, you have to admit), but since then, Mike's position on the matter has changed, and he wants to explain how.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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I WAS WRONG: The Central Park Karen Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

In May 2020, Amy Cooper had her dog off leash in New York City's Central Park, when a black bird watcher name Christian Cooper asked her to leash her dog. In response, Amy Cooper said she would call the police and tell them that "an African American man" was threatening her. A video of the incident went viral, and "the Central Park Karen" was born. Only, the story was more nuanced than the media had led many to believe about what had really transpired that day, and it was reporter Kmele Foster who dug into this story and found levels of detail which, upon reading it, made Mike rethink his position on this incident.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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I WAS WRONG: Aziz Ansari Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

While Mike is on vacation, we are revisiting topics he was wrong about. Today we take on Aziz Ansari. Back in 2018, a woman using the pseudonym "Grace" accused Aziz of sexual misconduct on the website Babe.net. Aziz came back in 2019 to address the accusation in the Netflix special Aziz Ansari: Right Now. On today's show, Mike talks about his previous conversation on the topic and how, looking back now, he was wrong.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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I WAS WRONG: Louis C.K. Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

While Mike is on vacation, we are revisiting topics he was wrong about. Today we tackle Louis C.K. Back in 2017, the comedian was at the top of his game, when multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. As the news swirled, Mike predicted that Louis could rehab his career and return to the pinnacle of comedy ... but those predictions did not come true. On today's show, how Mike got it wrong.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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I WAS WRONG: Swedish Covid Deaths Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

This week, Mike is on a well-earned vacation, but before he left, he wanted to correct the record on a few topics he felt he had misled listeners about over recent years. On Day One of "I Was Wrong" week, Mike reflects back on a judgement he made about Sweden's reaction to the corona virus pandemic. This was in May 2020, early in the pandemic, when countries were faced with choosing whether to lockdown or not lockdown, and Sweden went a different direction than most.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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BEST OF THE GIST: Pop Music Edition Aug 26, 2023

Show notes

Each week on Best Of The Gist, we give you something from the past week and a deep cut from the archives, and this week we're starting off with Mike's Tuesday Spiel, in which he listens to the #1 song "Rich Men North Of Richmond" for the first time and reacts. Then we rewind to 2017 for his interview with NPR music critic Ann Powers about music's roll in the sexual revolution. "Tutti Fruitti…good booty." Yes, that was the original lyric.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Listen Now: Sports Explains the World Aug 26, 2023

Show notes

Sports Explains the World unveils some of the wildest and most surprising sports stories you've never heard - And they're all true. From the teenager who wrote a Wikipedia page that got a young athlete signed to a million-dollar deal - to the Ugandan National basketball coach who was really an undercover agent for the CIA, these stories will amaze and move you at every turn. Reported by award-winning journalists across the globe, Sports Explains the World reveals the human side of athletics in provocative and unexpected ways. You'll never view sports the same way again.

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Plastic Straw Critics Were Always A Straw Man Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

A new study shows that paper and bamboo straws are WORSE for the environment and the human body than plastic straws in important ways. Plus, the death of Yvegeny Prigozhin was confirmed by his ol' pal Putin. And an interview with Guy Nattiv on his new film, Golda.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Forgiving The Fumble-Fisted, Not The Underhanded Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

USC professor Peter Kim, author of How Trust Works: The Science of How Relationships Are Built, Broken, and Repaired, says that when the violation is one of competence, we're forgiving, but when it's one of integrity ... we do not. Broad treatises on trust that fail to distinguish between the two types are destined to not just fail but do more damage than if we just lied. Also on the show, when songs topping the charts are reviewed by those trailing in the polls. And Andrew Yang on the Vivek-quake.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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