Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Lovely Lawns, Problematic Palms, and Smithsonian Orphans
Affordable Care Act rulings and where that leaves Obamacare. The myth that we only use 10% of our brains. The drought and green lawns. L.A.’s palm trees don’t really belong here? And we look inside the Smithsonian’s orphan collections.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenThis morning’s ruling by a federal appeals court delivered a potentially crippling blow to the Affordable Care Act. Then another court ruled in a completely opposite direction in a similar case. We find out where that leaves Obamacare. Plus: Conventional wisdom says we only use 10% of our brains. That’s not true at all. Also, in light of the drought, we look at how Americans originally fell in love with the idea of green lawns. We also discuss L.A.’s palm trees, which -- despite their reputation -- don’t really belong here. And we look inside the Smithsonian’s orphan collections.
Banner Image: "StripedLawn" by Paul Frederickson
In this episode
5 storiesDueling Rulings on Obamacare
This morning, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Obama administration in what could be a potentially crippling blow to the Affordable Care Act. But then - two hours later - another appeals court, the Fourth Circuit, in a completely separate case, came to the exact opposite conclusion.
Read the story9 minYou Use More of Your Brain Than You Think
The movie “Lucy” comes out this weekend. It’s all about what can happen when Scarlett Johansson uses 100 percent of her brain’s capacity. Except the whole premise of the movie -- that old idea that we only use ten percent of our brain -- is actually a complete and total myth.
Read the story6 minSmithsonian’s Orphans
The Smithsonian is often described as America’s attic -- the place where we store all sorts of historical items and ephemera. With 137 million objects, it’s the largest museum in the world. But some of those objects -- even entire collections -- are sitting in boxes, gathering dust, without anyone looking after them.
Read the story11 minThe American Lawn
Yesterday, Governor Brown signed a bill so condo owners don’t have to water their lawns during drought emergencies, like the one we’re in right now.
Read the story9 minA Palm Tree Problem?
Palm trees are as iconic in L.A.’s landscape as the Hollywood sign. But they really don’t belong here. Most are not native, and some argue that palm trees are not only unnatural, but damaging to L.A.’s environment.
Read the story11 min
