Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Giving Thanks on Skid Row, the Science of Addiction, and Dick Cavett
Thanksgiving is a rare day on L.A.’s Skid Row, when you can find celebrities and regular citizens alike serving up meals to the homeless. Madeleine catches up with one man who’s worked at the Midnight Mission day in, day out longer than anyone else.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenWe start by talking to the managing director of the Midnight Mission on Skid Row, where celebrities and regular citizens alike will be serving up Thanksgiving meals to the homeless tomorrow. Then, a look at some new science on how addiction works, including a recent study on alcoholism from the Centers for Disease Control. Next up, the EPA is proposing new, tighter rules on ozone emissions: What does it mean for Southern California? We hear from legendary talk show host Dick Cavett about his new memoir, and, finally, in our weekly web roundup we discuss how the situation in Ferguson, Mo., is playing out in social media.
In this episode
5 storiesClancy of the Midnight Mission
Thanksgiving is a rare day on L.A.’s Skid Row, when you can find celebrities and city officials serving up meals to the homeless. The Midnight Mission is especially popular with volunteers, and it’s preparing for a big crowd tomorrow. Madeleine catches up with one man who’s been there day in, day out longer than anyone else.
Read the story9 minThe Science of Addiction
The Centers for Disease Control has released a surprising new report saying that only 10 percent of heavy drinkers actually meet the criteria for alcoholism. The study is one of many recent publications diving into the science of addiction.
Read the story9 minNew Smog Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed new smog rules today. The stricter standards target smog-producing factories and power plants by limiting how much ozone they can pump into the air. Ozone is the emission that causes smog. Smog, in turn, causes all kinds of health problems: asthma, heart disease, even premature death.
Read the story8 minDick Cavett on “Brief Encounters”
Dick Cavett was always an unusual TV talk show host. He’s a Yale-educated literary buff known for interviews that flow more like conversations between old friends. During the heyday of The Dick Cavett Show in the 1960s and ‘70s, Cavett conversed with movie stars, rock stars, authors, heads of state … and his guests were often surprisingly candid.
Read the story13 minFerguson and the Value of Social Media
The stories coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, didn’t only dominate headlines this week. They also dominated our Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, replacing cat pictures with images of angry protestors and burning cars. This is no surprise: Any time a controversial story like this blows up, the debate moves online.
Read the story8 min
