Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Teenage Brain on Pot, ManServants.Co, and the Toughest Job in TV
Potent new strains of marijuana may be doing more damage than previously known to the developing teenage brain. Also, a look at the lives of showrunners: the hardest job in TV. And ManServants.co: would you pay $125 dollars an hour for a man to do your bidding?
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenNew “gainful employment” rules for colleges hope to crackdown on student debt, particularly at for-profit colleges. And new strains of marijuana may be doing more damage than previously known to the developing teenage brain: Madeleine talks to a reporter about new research. Two men find a glitch in poker slot machines and go on a jackpot binge. Also, it’s the hardest job in show business, we explore the high-pressure world of television show runners. And would you pay $125 dollars an hour for a man to massage your feet and feed you grapes? A new online San Francisco service hopes to indulge every woman’s dream with the ManServant.co.
Banner Image: One girl smokes marijuana while her friend watches during an outing in Cedar Woods near Leakey, Texas
In this episode
5 storiesCracking Down on For-Profit Student Debt
The Obama administration released new rules today in hopes of reining in runaway student debt. They’re called gainful employment rules. The idea is to crack down on college programs that make a lot of money through federal student loans but don’t do much to train students for the workforce.
Read the story8 minYour Brain on New Potent Pot
New research shows modern, more potent strains of marijuana may be especially bad for young recreational pot users: 16-25 year olds who smoke once or twice a week. Early studies show it can change the developing brain.
Read the story8 minHow Hackers Exploited Video Poker Slots
Slot machines used to live on the margins of the gambling industry. One arm bandits sitting in the corners of casinos being played by old ladies. Not anymore. These days, the slots have been modernized by video game technology, and they bring in as much as 85 percent of gambling profits. And of course, no one wins against the slots.
Read the story8 minShowrunners
These days, some of the biggest names in television aren’t the actors and actresses on the screen, but the men and women behind the camera: Shonda Rhimes, Matthew Weiner, J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon, just to name a few. It would seem that the “golden age of television” has given rise to the celebrity showrunner.
Read the story14 minUber for Manservants
Women don’t really think male strippers are sexy or appealing. What they really want are men who will feed them grapes, carry their umbrella, fill their champagne glass...
Read the story6 min
