Month: May 2017

Posted on

Slate Books - ABC: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Rourke, and Emily Bazelon discuss Margaret Atwood's dystopic novel The Handmaid's Tale and the Hulu television adaptation.

Today’s sponsor is Audible®, with an unmatched selection of audiobooks, original audio shows, news, comedy, and more. Get a free audiobook with a 30 day trial at www.audible.com/AudioBookClub

And by Blue Apron. Create delicious meals at home with fresh ingredients delivered right to your door. Get your first THREE meals FREE – with FREE shipping – by going to BlueApron.com/AudioClub

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Posted on

The Gist - Can We Really Fix College Sports?

For college athletes, performance bonuses outweigh academic bonuses 15 to 1. That’s not acceptable, says Arne Duncan. Duncan served as Barack Obama’s education secretary. Now, he’s on the Knight Commission, which is trying to lead reforms in college sports.

In the Spiel, the strange evolution of Rod Rosenstein.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

The Allusionist - 56. Joins

As discussed in episode 51, Under the Covers part II, the vocabulary for sex and associated body parts is tricky to navigate in many ways – but even more so if you are trans or gender non-binary.

CONTENT NOTE: this episode contains strong language and frank discussions of sex and bodies.

There’s more about the episode at http://theallusionist.org/joins.

Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionist

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Posted on

CrowdScience - Why is Childbirth Painful?

Childbirth is different for everyone. Depending on who you ask, it’s one of life’s greatest and worst experiences - and can be anything from traumatic and excruciating to life-affirming and spiritual. But what pretty much every mother will agree on is that it hurts. But why is such a fundamental aspect of life so painful? And why do some women find it worse than others?

Presenter Gareth Barlow – who doesn’t expect to be giving birth ever – goes on a quest to understand the experience of female labour pain and why evolution hasn’t given women an easier ride. He discovers the latest research into the nature and experience of pain and whether the idea of male/female pain thresholds, is a real thing. We also hear from CrowdScience listeners about their own experiences, and find out if having a supportive birth partner can help bringing new life into the world that little bit easier.

Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Gareth Barlow Producer: Anna Lacey

(Image: New born baby with mother. Credit: Getty Images)