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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    University Endowments, Befriending a Hacker, Movies and Purifoy at LACMA

    Harvard and USC recently received multi-million-dollar donations. But how much money do these schools need, and why don’t large endowments translate into lower tuition?

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jun 5, 2015 • 50m Listen

    Two wealthy universities, Harvard and USC, recently received multi-million-dollar donations. But how much money do these schools need, and why don’t large endowments translate into lower tuition? Then, Madeleine talks to a journalist who befriended the hacker who hijacked her Facebook account -- and ended up with a strange window into Indonesian youth culture. Next, in our Friday film segment, Entourage, Insidious and more. And finally, Madeleine gives you a sneak preview of the Noah Purifoy show opening at LACMA on Sunday.

    Banner Image Credit: Megan Rosenbloom

    In this episode

    4 stories
    1. 0:00

      How Much Money Do Universities Need?

      It’s graduation month. High school seniors are going off to college, and many parents are figuring out how they’re going to pay for an increasingly expensive education. The schools, on the other hand, aren’t all as cash-strapped. This week, USC got $25 million from trustee Rick Caruso to start a department of head and neck surgery.

      Read the story
      12 min
    2. 11:53

      Making Friends With a Hacker

      One Saturday morning, Annie Lowrey woke up to a half-dozen email alerts telling her someone had hijacked her Facebook account. She did what most of us would probably do: She contacted Facebook, got the account back and created a new password. But she was curious. Why did the hacker target her account? What did he want?

      Read the story
      10 min
    3. 21:55

      Friday Film: 'Entourage,' 'Insidious: Chapter 3' and More

      It’s a bro-down this weekend at the movies. Entourage, the movie based on the HBO series, is coming. Or, if you’re not into male entitlement, perhaps Spy with Melissa McCarthy is the movie for you. We talk about those and more new releases in this week’s Friday film segment.

      Read the story
      13 min
    4. 36:56

      Purifoy at LACMA

      The late artist Noah Purifoy spent the last 15 years of his life in the Mojave desert, creating huge sculptures made of junked materials. Purifoy was also a big figure in L.A., as a founding director of the Watts Towers Art Center.

      Read the story
      10 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

      News

    In this episode

    4 stories
    1. 0:0012 min

      How Much Money Do Universities Need?

    2. 11:5310 min

      Making Friends With a Hacker

    3. 21:5513 min

      Friday Film: 'Entourage,' 'Insidious: Chapter 3' and More

    4. 36:5610 min

      Purifoy at LACMA

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand