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The Allusionist - Election Lexicon

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Find out why casting a vote should be more like basketball, how debating could descend into fisticuffs, and why polling is hairy.

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99% Invisible - Best Enjoyed By

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Date labels ("use-by", "sell-by", "best-by", "best if used by," "expires on") are on a lot of products. Forty-one states require a date label on at least some food product but there are huge inconsistencies, not just in the wording, but in the meaning of these labels. Some states require them only on dairy, some on shellfish, some on any perishable foods. It's become complicated to decipher these dates, or to know how to act on them, for large retailers and individual consumers alike. And despite what many people assume, they are not about food safety, and were actually never meant to be.

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Imaginary Worlds - Inside the Snow Globe

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Tom Fontana is a TV writer and producer who worked on St. Elsewhere in the 1980s. The show was a pretty straightforward hospital drama, but Fontana had a mischievous streak -- and a soft spot for crossovers. So when he came up with a trick ending to the show, revealing the entire series had been the fantasy of an autistic boy named Tommy Westphall peering into his snow globe. Fontana had no idea that episode would lead to a unified theory of television, which would be prescient for franchise builders and even particle physicists. With Keith Gow, Tom Fontana, Bill Lobley and Robb Pruitt. A version of this piece first aired on PRIs Studio 360.

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Surprisingly Awesome - #6 Broccoli

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The epic struggle of parents versus kids. Yummy versus gross. Humans versus broccoli! The Facts Surprisingly Awesome’s theme music is “How We Do” by Nicholas Britell. Our ad music is by Build Buildings. This episode was edited by Alex Blumberg and produced by Travis Larchuk and Rachel Ward, with help from Emma Jacobs and Caitlin Kenney. Andrew Dunn mixed the episode.

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The Allusionist - Xmas Man

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CONTENT WARNING: Be wary of listening to this episode around young children, as there may be life spoilers. Historian Greg Jenner traces the origins of that mythical beardy man who turns up in December with gifts. Helen Zaltzman also ensures her permanent removal from everybody's Christmas card lists. Read more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/christmas and say hello at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. The Allusionist is a proud member of http://Radiotopia.fm for http://PRX.org.

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Imaginary Worlds - Slave Leia

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The gold metal bikini has become the dominant image of Princess Leia from Cosplay to toy shelves. But the context of that costume -- being a sex slave for a slug monster -- has sparked a debate among fans as to whether the costume is highly offensive, harmless cheesecake, or a feminist icon. With Donna Dickens, Annalee Newitz, Adam Buxton and Alyssa Rosenberg. This is part III of a V part series on how Star Wars changed the way we see our world.

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Reply All - #48 I Love You, I Loathe You

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On this week's episode, a new Yes Yes No, and we revisit our "Undo, Undo, Undo" segment to find out listeners most cringeworthy accidental messages.

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Radiolab - The Cold War

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In our podcast, The Cold War, we failed to correctly credit David Wolman and Julian Smith, who wrote and reported the article on which it was based. At the time we published this podcast, we had not properly determined the extent of their role in finding and developing this story. As a result, we have removed the episode from the Radiolab archive.  We did not feel a correction could rectify the problem and Radiolab honors its relationships with contributors too much to let the error remain.

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99% Invisible - Pagodas And Dragon Gates

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For Americans, the sight of pagoda roofs and dragon gates means that you are in Chinatown. Whether in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, the chinoiserie look is distinctive. But for those just arriving from China, the Chinatown aesthetic can feel surprisingly foreign.

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War Starts at Midnight - The Good Dinosaur / Dino-Star

or: This is the Fargo of Pixar pictures

Chris and Hunter review Disney-Pixar's latest, a caveboy and his dinosaur tale, The Good Dinosaur. Chris picks a fruity brew that's fun for the whole family). In Special Features, the Dudes discuss the enduring popularity of dinosaurs in motion pictures and popular culture during Dino-Stars. *PLUS* Chris & Hunter pick their favorites from Quint's 2015 Holiday Geek Gift Guide! *PLUS, Part II* The Dudes invent a new Internet Movie term - The Mike Yanagita scene.

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Codebreaker - Is It Evil? Ep 5: The Decisive Machine

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A guy who thinks machines can prevent crime, another who thinks machines could destroy humanity and a machine-learning algorithm outsmarted by squirrels. Listen, decode and decide: Is the decisive machine evil? 

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Serial - S02E01: DUSTWUN

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In the middle of the night, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl grabs a notebook, snacks, water, some cash. Then he quietly slips off a remote U.S. Army outpost in eastern Afghanistan and into the dark, open desert. About 20 minutes later, it occurs to him: he’s in over his head. 

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Surprisingly Awesome - #4 Tubthumping

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A 1990s pop hit reveals how the Adams feel about capitalism.

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99% Invisible - Worst Smell in the World

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Many material trifles, such as Silly Putty, started as attempts at serious inventions, but in rare cases, the process works in reverse: something developed as a gag gift can turn into something truly heroic. Invented by high school prankster Alan Whitman using a home chemistry set, the "worst smell in the world" began as a novelty but eventually came to serve a higher purpose. Amy Standen co-host of the new podcast The Leap tells the story.

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Codebreaker - Is It Evil?: The Software Update

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A software update that almost brought down the International Space Station with astronauts inside, updating software inside your body, and the days when even geeks dreaded installing new programs. Listen, decode, and decide: Is the software update evil? 

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Imaginary Worlds - Empire vs Rebels

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The epic battle between the Evil Empire and the Rebel Alliance has become a metaphor we love to use in sports and politics. But what happens when you realize that you're the Empire in some else's story? Do you tell them they're wrong? Do you embrace being bad? Or do you argue that "evil" is all relative? With Alyssa Rosenberg, Chris Taylor, and Jonathan V. Last. This is Part II of a V part series on how Star Wars changed the way we see our world.

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Imaginary Worlds - 1977

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It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. Before those words crawled up movie screens in May 1977, what did people think the future was going to look like? What was world like on the eve of Star Wars? Part I of a V part series on how Star Wars changed the world. With Kurt Andersen, Annalee Newitz, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Chris Taylor.