Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Death at 75, Plastic Ban Bag, and Comedian Hari Kondabolu
Ezekiel Emanuel says he only wants to live until age 75. He joins us to explain why. Plus, comedian Hari Kondabolu joins us, and Madeleine helps him write some jokes.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenToday on Press Play, we look at two new California laws: One aimed at curbing sexual assault on campuses, another that bans single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and quickie-marts. We also talk about the relationship between doctors and drug companies. Comedian Hari Kondabolu mixes politics and stand-up, but he doesn’t like to be labeled a “political comedian.” He joins us to explain why, and Madeleine helps him write some jokes. And Ezekiel Emanuel tells us why he only wants to live until age 75.
Banner Image: Comedian Hari Kondabolu; Credit: "Hari-Kondabolu-2011" by Dapwell - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
In this episode
5 storiesYes Means Yes
Governor Brown has signed what’s known as the “Yes Mean Yes” law. It makes California the first state in the nation to try to take the ambiguity out of sexual consent on college campuses. But while the law sounds good on paper, many have questions and doubts about how it will be interpreted.
Read the story8 minDoctors, Drug Companies and Transparency
In an effort to get doctors to prescribe their drugs to patients, drug makers spend billions of dollars a year on meals, speaking and consulting fees, and other perks for physicians. Today, a new government database goes online that will list the money pharmaceutical companies spend on doctors.
Read the story8 min“Why I Hope to Die at 75”
How long would you want to live if you had a choice? For most people, the answer is probably as long as possible. But not for Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel. He’s director of the Clinical Bioethics Department at the National Institutes of Health. He recently wrote an essay for The Atlantic titled, “ Why I Hope to Die at 75 .”
Read the story9 minComedian Hari Kondabolu
For almost twenty years, New York University’s Asian-Pacific-American Institute has offered residencies to journalists, poets, photographers and painters and other artists. This year -- for the first time ever -- they’ve invited a stand-up comedian: Hari Kondabolu.
Read the story13 minBanning Bags
Governor Jerry Brown signed a law today that bans single-use plastic bags statewide - the kind you get at a grocery store or shopping mall. The city of Los Angeles became the biggest city ever to ban plastic bags last year. And now California is the first state to do so. But what effect do plastic bag bans actually have?
Read the story6 min
