How Vladimir Putin’s Efforts To Divide Europe And The West With His War In Ukraine Have Backfired
Whatever seeds of division Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to sow in the West with his invasion of Ukraine have clearly not taken root in the way that he had hoped or expected. From the unexpected pushback from Ukrainians forces fending off the Russian military to the barrage of sanctions from the U.S., Europe and others to Germany shutting down the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, it seems the world’s response to his actions have surpassed what he thought might happen.
Today on AirTalk, we talk with UCLA’s Daniel Treisman and Tufts University’s Oxana Shevel about why Putin has not succeeded in dividing the West over his attack on Ukraine and how this has played out across the U.S. and Europe.
Despite Roadblocks, An Effort To Name More Streets After Women Is Gaining Momentum
Alvarado Street, Adams Boulevard, Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko Way. The names of Los Angeles streets honor many notable historical figures, from cult leaders to astronauts to early day farmers. But a new grassroots initiative points out a glaring gap in recognition: women. More than 50,000 streets wind through Los Angeles, but only a small handful pay homage to some of the city’s most influential figures, like Dolores Huerta, who, through the efforts of the Feminist Street Initiative, recently had a plaza renamed in her honor. According to Emiliana Geuereca, who helped start the Feminist Street Initiative, only 2% of streets in the United States are named after women, and it’s a statistic she and other activists across the country are trying to change. From Maya Angelous in St. Louis to Sojourner Truth in Battle Creek, Michigan, the applications for renaming streets are in motion. Now, the question is whether or not communities and city councils across the country will approve them.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the movement to rename streets honoring noteworthy women with president of the Women’s March Foundation, Emiliana Guereca.
With files from LAist. You can read the story by Caitlin Hernandez here.
A “Wheel Of Fortune” Fail And The Pervasiveness (Or Not) Of Idioms
“Riding shotgun,” “Down to earth,” “Foot the bill”…English-language idioms are so ubiquitous you may not even know when you’re using one. But how well do we actually know them? On Tuesday night, viewers were shocked when Wheel of Fortune contestants couldn’t guess the last letter for the phrase “another feather in your cap,” a popular idiom denoting achievement or accomplishment. The first contestant guessed “feather in your hat,” and another followed up with “feather in your lap,” and finally a contestant suggested, “feather in your map.” In addition to facing some online ridicule from viewers, the contestants also demonstrated the evolution of idioms: just because you’re familiar with a common turn of phrase doesn’t mean everyone is. Idioms can change with time, politics, and generations. And it can be easy to forget even some of the most obvious idioms.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss idioms with a professor in the linguistics department at UC Santa Cruz, Eve Zyzik and we also want to hear from you: What are your favorite idioms? Do you know their origin? Is there one that’s particularly head-scratching?
COVID-19 AMA: New Slate Of California COVID-19 Laws Proposed, Biden’s New Pandemic Plan, And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Robert-Kim Farley, professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Topics today include:
- New COVID-19 cases in California have dropped more than 95% since the peak of the Omicron surge
- WHO: COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to fall globally
- California legislators propose new slate of COVID-19 vaccine laws
- C.D.C. apparently misjudged California’s COVID-19 risks by relying on outdated numbers
- Wealth, poverty, and race continue to affect the toll COVID-19 takes on different L.A. County communities
- New Biden pandemic plan: Closer to normal for the nation
The Iconic Sears Building In Boyle Heights Could Turn Into A Home For The Unhoused. What Would It Take To Make It Happen?
Arecent column in The Los Angeles Times showcased real estate developer Izek Shomof’s vision for theiconic Sears building in Boyle Heights he acquired in 2013. Shomof originally envisioned a mixed-use hub on the site; now, he sees a multi-level community for the unhoused.
The plan would include temporary shelters on the land surrounding the building, with more beds and a hub of nonprofit-run supportive services inside. Shomof estimates the initial build out would cost about $200 million. While that’s a big number, it’s still less than the current average cost to build a unit of housing with funds from Measure HHH, which,according to a recent report by L.A. Controller Ron Galperin, has jumped to almost $600,000.
The plan to convert the old Sears building is a big undertaking meant to address a big problem, and questions about how it can be achieved are about as numerous as the building is tall. Today on AirTalk, we speak with architects Megan Costello and Dan Kinkead about how this building could be adaptively reused into housing.
Discussing How Cultural Foods Can Adapt As The World’s Overall Diet Changes
Consumption of red meat is on the decline according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, with more people eating poultry instead. Others are shifting their diets even further, going vegan or vegetarian.
But the cultural foods we grew up with don’t always fit as-is with those new dietary restrictions or personal preferences. So how do we adapt those old dishes we love, to fit something new?
Today on AirTalk we speak with chef and owner of La Vegana Mexicana Loreta Ruiz, and manager of Au Lac Linh Nguyen about their own food culture journeys and the ways in which they morphed cultural staples into something different.