The Gist

Starting Wednesday, Billboard will change the way it measures success on the album chart. Today on The Gist, Chris Molanphy explains how the new system reflects our listening habits—and the evolution of the album inside the music business. Plus, reporter Jody Avirgan gives us the backstory on his recent Studio 360 piece about one of the strangest works ever composed by jazz giant Charles Mingus: a toilet-training guide. For cats. For the Spiel, do we need a perfect expression of popular sentiment? Mike ponders galvanizing anecdotes in the wake of Ferguson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanksgiving is for eaters, so we've called in an expert. On The Gist, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful explains how to best prepare your belly for the meal ahead. (Hint: Skip the nuts!) He's the author of Eat More Better. Plus, you know Les Marshak's voice, but do you know his story? We'll hear about new markets for old-school-announcer pipes. For the Spiel, Mike's advice for the inevitable argument about Ferguson over Thanksgiving dinner. 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

Today on The Gist, Mike begins the show with his Spiel about the Ferguson decision. We'll discuss what's unusual (and totally expected) about the grand jury proceedings with Jami Floyd from Al Jazeera America and David Feige, author of Indefensible. To end the show, we head out to our neighborhood spot Hudson Clearwater for a drink with Peter Thomas Fornatale and Chris Wertz. 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

How come Scandinavians are always the international good guys when it comes to diplomatic relations? Today on The Gist, RAND political scientist Jonah Blank explains the necessity of a Swedish go-between for U.S. relations. Plus, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful explains tricks for a moist turkey with crispy skin. He's the author of Eat More Better. For the Spiel, the death of Marion Barry, the mayor for life. 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

Today on The Gist, Chuck Todd from NBC's Meet the Press shares insight into the character of the president, as recounted in his new book The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House. For the Spiel, Mike concerns himself with easy questions like, "How many Elmos make a quorum?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If it bleed, it leads, but today on The Gist we discuss the bloodless. Our guest Caitlin Doughty is the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory and host of the popular series Ask a Mortician. Plus, Eric Fine from Van Eck Global shares insight into Brazil's economy, plus pop-up commentary from NPR's Adam Davidson. For the Spiel, explaining Serial to people who explain things (badly) to other people. 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

When our feelings about Hamid Karzai cooled, did we miss out on the Afghan president's vision for his country? Today on The Gist, Middle East correspondent Jack Fairweather of Bloomberg News sketches a broad history of Afghanistan from his book The Good War. For the Spiel, Mike fans the flames of a debate from last week's Superfest East. 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

Today on The Gist, Chicago's Joshua Sebastian tells a story of parking ticket injustice. Then, in our regular segment "Is This Bulls---?," we ask Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker what to make of Jonah Lehrer's new books, and the mark he left on popular science. For the Spiel, Mike has solved the problem of backpacks on the subway. 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

Today on The Gist, Philip Galewitz from Kaiser Health News explains how the health care shopping experience has improved since Obamacare. Plus, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful explains how artificial scarcity is the real selling point behind food fads like the Pumpkin Spice Latte. He's the author of Eat More Better. For the Spiel, Mike investigates a claim made by Bobby Jindal on Meet The Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are the recent midterm voters reflective of the American public? Today on The Gist, history and public affairs professor Julian Zelizer explains what's a lame-duck Congress to make of the midterm results. Then Slate's Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer "Ethical Dilemma." For the Spiel, we finally get around to addressing the issue of being late. 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

Today on The Gist, RAND Corp. political scientist Jonah Blank puts Obama's visit to Myanmar in context. Then, the harrowing prison story that inspired Jon Stewart's directorial debut, Rosewater. The film is based on the memoir Then They Came for Me by our guest journalist Maziar Bahari. For the Spiel, the Gruber gaffe. 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

Are we entering an era in which failure will dominate our lives? On The Gist, Adam Davidson from Planet Money discusses his New York Times Magazine feature "Welcome to the Failure Age!" and how purple chairs explain progress. Plus, Casper Kelly shares insight into the awful TV-show theme songs that inspired his epic and addictive Adult Swim video "Too Many Cooks." For the Spiel, the fever in song and fact. 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

Today on The Gist, Margaret Aguirre from the International Medical Corps explains how Ebola quarantines are hurting her organization's efforts to recruit health care professionals. Plus, Middle East analyst Robin Wright explains the historic implications of President Obama's nuclear weapon negotiations with Ayatollah Khamenei. Will this be the most important foreign policy breakthrough in six presidencies? For the Spiel, some mathematical insight into Pakistan's "I Am Not Malala" Day. 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

Today on The Gist, Slate's Jamelle Bouie explains why our democracy may be hardwired to fail. Plus, WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson explains why it took so long to release the classic TV show with original music. For the Spiel, Mike solves the world's problems. 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

Today on The Gist, our in-house vexilologist Ted Kaye explains what images of ISIS flags tell us about the Islamic State's messaging. Plus, David Dunning of the Dunning-Kruger Effect explains why confident ignorance is incredibly common and increasingly harmful. You can learn more in Dunning's Pacific Standard feature "We Are All Confident Idiots." For the Spiel, The Gist gets a new name. 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

Today on The Gist, a collection of some of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments. First, from the "Joe Biden's White Teeth" edition of the Political Gabfest: David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon have a conversation about law enforcement and parenting. Then, from the "Are You Looking Forward to Our Wearable Future" edition of the Culture Gabfest: an interview with two fans who enjoy the show so much that they held a bachelorette party in the Slate studio. Last, from the "The All's Fair in Love and WAR Edition" of Hang Up and Listen: Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talked to Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post about her column on Mo'ne Davis and how the male-dominated sports world discusses women's sports. 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

Today on The Gist, Slate's Josh Voorhees joins us from Iowa to discuss what the pro-pipeline supermajority in the Senate means for environmental legislation. Plus, Monk creator Andy Breckman explains why he decided to pursue a new career as a toy mogul. His new app is called Rigged Trivia. For the Spiel, impassioned nominations for the toy hall of fame. 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

Raise a toast: There are no more dry states left on Election Day. On The Gist, Mike Pesca's wonderful parents share a lesson from voting-day drinking in 1970s Greenwich Village. Plus, Brad Meltzer from the Lost History TV series explains how missing artifacts reveal the extraordinary roles that ordinary people play in history. The show airs Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on H2. For the Spiel, will you please say something nice about your opponent? 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

Today on The Gist, political writer Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight breaks down the latest polling data. Then, in our regular segment Is This Bulls--t?, we ask Maria Konnikova of The New Yorker if late-night dinners are really so horrible for our health. For the Spiel, Mike Pesca reports from below daredevil Nik Wallenda's high wire in Chicago. Today's show is sponsored by The Great Courses, who have a special offer for The Gist listeners. Order "Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior" and get 80% off the original price. Visit http://www.thegreatcourses.com/gist 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

It looks likely that the Republicans will win the Senate. On The Gist, we ask Slate columnist Reihan Salam if a Republican majority means more will get done in Washington. Plus, Slate's Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer Two Families, One Mortgage. For the Spiel, so many elections, so little time to get to the really stupid things said by our candidates. 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