Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Los Angeles Plays Itself, Amazon Gets Twitchy, and a Mideast Truce
After seven weeks of fighting that claimed more than 2,200 casualties, Israel and Hamas agreed to an indefinite ceasefire yesterday. But will the truce hold? We hear about the details of the agreement, plus on-the-ground reaction from both sides of the conflict.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenAfter seven weeks of fighting, there’s peace today in Israel and Gaza. The two sides agreed to an indefinite ceasefire yesterday -- but will the truce hold? We also hear reaction from two university professors on the ground in Israel and Gaza, who describe life on both sides of the conflict. Next, in our weekly tech roundup, Amazon bought the website Twitch this week for just under $1 billion. We also talk about a 2003 film that’s become a cult favorite via occasional screenings. Now, more than a decade later, “Los Angeles Plays Itself” is getting a commercial release; we speak to it’s director, Thom Andersen. And finally, one in four foster children in California is on psychotropic drugs, more than three times the overall rate for children. Why is the number so high, and what are the consequences?
Banner Image: "Los Angeles Plays Itself" by director Thom Andersen, photo: Ilona Gaynor
In this episode
5 storiesWill Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Hold?
After seven weeks of fighting that killed more than 2,200 people, there is peace today in Israel and Gaza. Israel and Hamas agreed to an indefinite ceasefire yesterday. But the truce, brokered by Egypt, is similar to past deals that have collapsed. And key details still need to be worked out. Will it last?
Read the story7 minReaction From Residents of Israel and Gaza
Early in the conflict, we talked with an Israeli and a Palestinian about what wartime life was like for them. We check in again to discuss the conflict’s aftermath and their hopes for the ceasefire.
Read the story9 minAmazon Gets Twitchy
Amazon opened its pocketbook wide this week. It acquired the site Twitch for just under a Billion dollars. Compare that to last year, when Amazon’s Jeff Bezos only paid about a quarter of that for the Washington Post.
Read the story8 minLos Angeles Plays Itself
“Los Angeles Plays Itself” is a movie about movies about Los Angeles. It’s nearly three hours of film clips shot in or about Los Angeles. Nothing’s added except a sardonic, deadpan voice-over. A college professor and filmmaker named Thom Andersen premiered his film at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003.
Read the story14 minOverprescribing Drugs for Foster Kids
When Rochelle Trochtenberg aged out of foster care, she was on 10 different mood-stabilizing drugs to treat bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and PTSD. Later, she learned she never had those conditions at all. It turns out, this is not uncommon for California children in foster care.
Read the story9 min
