Veteran Series Part V: The Issues Facing Millions Of Women Who Return Home From Service

Women have been able to serve in the military for 75 years. But they could only enter military service academies in the 1970s, began serving on Navy combat ships in the 1990s, and it wasn’t until 2015 that women had all branch combat roles open to them. Apart from an uphill battle against segregated service roles it’s no secret they’ve also had to deal with harassment, assaults and rampant misogyny. Still, women make up over 17% of active-duty forces today, and over 2 million veterans are female. So what issues do women face in the military that follow them once they return to civilian life, and what do many of these veterans miss from their time in the service? Here to discuss the lives of women veterans, their struggles, and their lives among the regular population are Mickiela Montoya, an army combat veteran who works with the VAs Outreach & Community Relations in Los Angeles, Sonner Kehrt, investigative reporter for The War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom which covers the military and veterans, and Allison Jaslow, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Have experiences or questions about being a woman veteran? Give us a call at 866-893-5722. Or you can email A-T comments at LA-ist dot com.

Food Friday: Celebrating Diwali In Greater LA With Traditional Sweets

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, will be celebrated across Southern California this Sunday, November 12th. Like many cultures, food and family are a central part of the Diwali celebration as families come together to share meals as well as traditional Indian sweets, or mithai. Southern California is home to hundreds of thousands of Indian Americans, many of whom will celebrate Diwali this weekend, and as freelance writer Nandita Godbole writes in an article for LAist “Diwali in greater L.A. is something else.” With a variety of Indian cultures and cuisines represented in neighborhoods across SoCal, Godbole says L.A. feels as close to her hometown of Mumbai as any of the places she’s lived across the U.S. “Its culturally complex energy, its neighborhoods and restaurants exude a warmth and familiarity that soothes the nostalgia for my homeland.”

Today on AirTalk, Nandita joins us to talk about some of the best places across the Southland to find sweet Diwali treats. We’ll also talk with Anmoldeep Singh, owner of Roots Indian Bistro in West Hollywood, who will share some of his family’s SoCal spins on traditional Diwali sweets.

Can The ‘Bird Test’ Tell You Whether Your Relationship Is Meant To Last?

One of the latest trends on TikTok is something called the “bird test.” Here’s how it works: the person in a romantic partnership conducting the test casually tells their significant other to “look over there,” it’s a bird. If the one being tested drops what they’re doing and pays attention to the (maybe fictitious) bird, it’s a good sign for your relationship’s longevity. And experts say the test comes from research that details the importance of connection to lasting relationships. Today, we discuss whether the bird test is a worthy indicator of where a relationship stands and what couples really should think about when creating deeper connections with their partners. Joining to discuss is Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman and Dr. John Gottman, husband and wife psychology duo who co-founded the Gottman Institute. Their forthcoming book is Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection (Harmony, January 2024).

FilmWeek: ‘The Marvels’ ‘Your Lucky Day,’ ‘Bella’ And More

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Andy Klein and Manuel Betancourt review this weekend’s new movie releases in theaters, streaming, and on demand platforms:

“The Marvels” Wide Release
“It’s A Wonderful Knife” In Select Theaters
“Jezebel” Available on VOD
“Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” Streaming on Max
“Who I Am Not” Laemmle NoHo 7 [North Hollywood]
“Your Lucky Day” Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]
“Bella” Laemmle Royal [West LA]
“This Much We Know” Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] Nov. 15th
“As We Know It” Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] Nov. 15th
“Adventures of the Naked Umbrella” Laemmle Glendale [Glendale] + VOD

FilmWeek Feature: Larry Mantle’s Interview With Scott Eyman On His New Book ‘Charlie Chaplin Vs. America’

In the aftermath of World War Two, Charlie Chaplin was criticized for being politically liberal and internationalist in outlook. Chaplin also had other problems: his numerous affairs with young women. His sexuality became a convenient way for those who opposed his politics to condemn him – eventually being refused entry into the US while on a trip abroad. Having settled in Switzerland, he made his last two films in London. Bestselling Hollywood biographer and film historian Scott Eyman tells the story of Charlie Chaplin’s fall from grace in his new book “Charlie Chaplin Vs. America: When Art, Sex, And Politics Collided.”