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Hello and welcome to the Double X Gab Fest for Thursday, January 12th.

This is the Kitten Calendar Edition.

I'm Hannah Rosen, editor of Slate's Double X.

I'm in the Washington, D.C.

studio, and I am joined today by Double X editor Jess Gross. Hi, Jessica. Hi. And also, Noreen

Malone, who is a staff writer for New York Magazine's Daily Intel. Hi, Noreen. Hey, Hannah.

Today we're going to talk about three topics. The first is Baby Yonse, the spawn of Beyonce and

Jay-Z, who has come into the world in an amazing and miraculous fashion. Secondly, we're going

to talk about the abortion politics of Rick Santorum and more specifically how Down

Syndrome affects the debate. And thirdly, we're going to talk about Caitlin Flanagan's new book,

Girlland. So let's start with Bay, Beyonce. As everybody knows, Beyonce and Jay-Z gave birth in a wing

of Lennox Hospital to a baby girl whose name is Blue Ivy Carter. Jess, do you want to start

by explaining why her name is Blue Ivy Carter and all the hubbub surrounding her birth?

Sure. So the reason that she's named Blue Ivy is allegedly Ivy is IV, which means four is a Roman numeral for four. So even though it's spelled IVY, it's meant

to connote the number four. And Blue has been in three different Jay-Z album titles.

And four is significant for Beyonce. For Beyonce, because it's the name of her album title

as well. And her birthday. And it's her birthday. And it's her birthday.

And it's Jay-Z's birthday, and it's apparently her favorite number.

And they got married on something the fourth.

Yeah, she's into four.

...