Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oscar-nominated 'Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405' looks at art and anxiety
At the center of the Oscar-nominated short -- “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405” -- is Mindy Alper, an artist who suffers from mental illness. She finds beauty and inspiration in unexpected places, like the 405.
By Madeleine Brand • • 48m ListenPhoto of Mindy Alper among her sculptures by Grant Mudford.
In this episode
5 storiesRussian Twitter bots influenced how Nunes memo was released
The hashtag #releasethememo appeared on Twitter on January 18, referring to a classified document written by Rep. Devin Nunes that alleged FBI bias against the Trump administration.
Read the story10 minGerrymandering court cases could reshape midterm elections
Gerrymandering is when a voting district’s boundaries are manipulated to favor a particular political party. In some important swing states, gerrymandering has been so egregious that courts have demanded lawmakers re-draw the districts more fairly.
Read the story9 minHow LA cops and firefighters get rich after reaching retirement age
Los Angeles police and firefighters can retire at age 50 and collect their pension, which is 90 percent of their salary for the rest of their lives. If they sign up for The Deferred Retirement Option Plan, they can collect even more money.
Read the story8 min'Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405' focuses on artist's fight against depression
Mindy Alper among her sculptures.
Read the story14 minAhead of winter Olympics, a guide to curling
The winter Olympics begin Friday and once again, curling is on the schedule.The sport involves sliding big rocks down the ice and frantically sweeping the path in front of them. KCRW’s Christian Bordal recently went out on the ice and tried it.
Read the story7 min
