Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Foie Gras, Frozen Eggs, and Taylor Swift
Today on Press Play, we talk about a new policy by some Silicon Valley companies to offer egg freezing procedures for female employees so they can postpone childbirth. We also discuss California’s ban on foie gras and the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenElection day is exactly three weeks away. The big question in national politics: Will Republicans manage to take over the Senate? Plus, Silicon Valley companies are starting to offer egg freezing procedures for female employees so they can postpone childbirth. Is this good for women, or bad, or both? Next, Taylor Swift dropped her newest single last night, and it skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes chart. We look at the phenomenon that is T-Swizzle. We also talk with Eula Biss, who switched sides in the debate over childhood vaccinations. And finally, we hear how California restaurants are dealing with the ban on foie gras, which was just upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Banner Image: "Taylor Swift 2012" by Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia
In this episode
5 storiesSenate Race Update
Election day is exactly three weeks away. And the big question in national politics is: Will Republicans manage to take over the Senate? They need to win at least six Democratic seats to take control. It’s been looking good for the Grand Ol’ Party, but it’s not a done deal yet.
Read the story9 minFrozen Eggs and Silicon Valley
Facebook and Apple are offering to pay up to 20 thousand dollars for female employees to freeze their eggs. Is this a great step forward for women juggling the demands of career and family? Or is it a hint suggesting that they can’t have it all -- at least not at the same time?
Read the story6 minT-Swizzle Fever
Taylor Swift’s new single came “Out of the Woods” at midnight last night, and the fans came out of the woodwork. The single shot to number one on iTunes just minutes after its release. And the song continues T Swift’s march toward a purely pop career, away from the country love songs that made her famous.
Read the story8 minSwitching Sides in the Great Vaccine Debate
In the debate over childhood vaccinations, writer Eula Biss is definitely in the pro-vaccine camp. But she didn’t start out that way. During her research for her new book, “On Immunity”, she discovered that the debate over vaccines is really a debate over our place in a larger social web.
Read the story14 minFoie Gras Ban Stands
The Supreme Court has refused to review California’s ban on foie gras. What critics had dubbed “the delicacy of despair” was outlawed by California’s legislature in 2002 and the law went into effect in 2014.
Read the story9 min
