What Los Angeles could look like when it hosts the Olympics, groups clash over the Valley's homeless population, NASA asks citizen scientists to collect data.
LA Olympics: What we got in '84 and what we might get for 2028
It's official – L.A. will host the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralymics.
The last time the city hosted the games was in 1984, and it ended up snagging $233 million in surplus money.
That cash was put into an endowment that the LA84 Foundation continues to manage, and the organization has used it to help fund youth sports for decades.
"A number of Olympians have come out of the programs that we've funded, including the Williams sisters in Tennis," says LA84's Wayne Wilson. "But I would hasten to add that our primary purpose in funding youth sports is not to produce youth athletes, it's to give kids the benefit of youth sports programs."
That money helped to fund after-school sports programs at all of LAUSD's middle schools, he says.
It also allowed the rehabilitation of spaces like Ferraro Fields at Griffith Park and the Rose Bowl aquatic center.
Los Angeles could dramatically transform as it prepares for 2028, too.
Elon Musk's tunnel underneath L.A. could accelerate personal transportation to and from games, for example, and flying vehicles might be on the horizon, too.
"Airbus is supposed to be testing some small flying vehicles here, soon," says futurist Glen Heimstra. "You could have dignitaries and average people going venue to venue above the traffic."
It could be a big opportunity for sites like Airbnb to expand, too, to accommodate the increased number of visitors, he says.
He also foresees a construction boom of new, green homes that might heavily employ solar power or naturally recycle water.
"You can guarantee there will be a lot of talk about how to make them sustainable," he says, "and make buildings that produce buildings that produce more energy than they use."
Sports, themselves, could see a huge revolution ahead of the 2028 Olympics, too, adds Heimstra.
"Many athletes could have tiny, tiny cameras on them," he says. That could mean spectators would have a literal athlete's eye view of the action in virtual reality, partly designed by the many technology firms based in Los Angeles.
Listen to more of the interviews by clicking the audio player above.
For high school runner, it's not too early to start thinking about the 2028 Olympics
The Los Angeles Olympic games are now 11 years off, and that means a good chunk of the athletes who will compete in them are still in grade school.
But that doesn't mean they aren't thinking ahead to 2028.
Alex Lomeli, 16, is a junior at Notre Dame Academy in west Los Angeles, and she's ran twice at the Junior Olympics. Her events are the 800m and the 1500m, and she dreams of running in both at the 2028 Olympics.
Lomeli spoke to Take Two host A Martinez about the 2028 games coming to Los Angeles, and whether participating in the Junior Olympics is preparing her for the real thing.
You can listen to the full interview using the blue media player above.
Tensions over homelessness continue to rise in the Valley
If you're planning on traveling through the Valley tonight, be advised...two big marches will be taking place along Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills.
One hopes to raise awareness about "criminal panhandling in West San Fernando Valley," The other is a protest against what organizers see as an effort to criminalize homelessness in the area.
It's the culmination of tensions that have been mounting around the Valley's growing homeless population. L.A. daily news reporter, Elizabeth Chou, has been writing about it. She spoke with A Martinez about the Valley's shifting attitudes towards its growing homeless population.
To listen to the segment, click the blue play button above.
Avoid the tragic irony: How fire prevention can be a flammable affair
Wildfire broke out in Riverside County near the Lake Elsinore area yesterday leading to some nearby evacuations.
Although unconfirmed, the word is that the Rose Fire was accidentally started by a guy who was actually trying to prevent a fire in the first place. He was trying to do the responsible thing by clearing the brush around his home, when his mower sparked the blaze. Sigh.
So, we wanted to know: what is the best way to keep your home safe from wildfire, without starting one yourself? And who better to ask than a battalion chief. Take Two's A Martinez spoke with with CAL FIRE's Mike Mohler.
Create a "Defensible" space
We always preach it's that 100 feet of defensible space meaning, from the foot of your structure, 100 feet out, it's maintaining your landscape. Removing any type of dead shrubs or trees, tree limbs from your roofline, maybe wood piles up against your house. That creates a barrier. It you give us the opportunity to defend your structure, that defensible space is a great tool for the fire fighters to use.
Now you know how to responsibly keep up your home in a danger zone, keep these two important tips in mind:
1. Don't mow after 10:00 AM
Things are just less flammable in the early mornings. So, if your lawnmower drives over a rock and starts a spark, it's a lot more likely to ignite later in the day.
2. Keep lawn equipment well maintained
If equipment like weed eaters aren't in good condition, is can emit sparks from the motor.
In short, do the right thing at the right time.
You can find more advice on creating your own defensible space here.
To hear the full interview with Mike Mohler, click on the blue media player.
And keep up with the latest development with KPCC's fire tracker:00000181-b667-d102-ad89-f6ff5ecf0003
93 dams throughout California to be inspected for flood-control
The California Department of Water Resources has ordered that scores of dams up and down the state -- 93 of them to be precise -- have their flood-control spillways inspected.
This includes roughly 15 dams in various Southern California counties.
When the Oroville Dam in Northern California failed, the spillway there erode and the communities below the dam had to be evacuated for fear of flooding.
One problem for dams across the state? They're getting old.
"It's important to realize that the average age of the dams is 70 years, with a few of them exceeding 100 years of age, said Daniel Meyersohn, Supervising Engineer with the department's safety division.
Meyersohn told Take Two's A Martinez that as the investigation of the dams continues, he and his team are working to identify a variety of potential problems.
"First the team will be looking at the design and construction of the spillway and identify the absence of safety design features. Because these are old dams; they were built in a different era under different standards.
"Then there will be the physical inspection proper of the spillway. We will be looking at the surface conditions of the concrete lining. Things like cracks, conditions of the joints, the lamination and so forth."
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above.
There may or may not be a mini gold rush in Northern California
You may have heard rumors of a "mini gold rush" in Northern California, caused by this year's heavy rainfall.
We asked experienced treasure hunter Bob Van Camp of Comstock Metal Detectors what he thought.
"This whole concept of there being a mini gold rush in Northern California for this year is pretty much a myth, it has been propagated and promoted primarily by the people wanting to sell gold mining equipment," he said.
To listen to the full segment, click the blue play button above.
NASA asks 'citizen scientists' to collect eclipse data
If you've ever wanted to be a scientist for NASA, here's your chance.
NASA is asking for "citizen scientists" to help record data about temperature and cloud conditions during the upcoming solar eclipse.
Anyone can become a scientist for the day by using NASA's GLOBE Observer App to record conditions in their location during the eclipse.
Take Two spoke with Holli Kohl, Coordinator for NASA's GLOBE Observer Program.
"[The eclipse] is a unique experience for so many people. It is a very powerful experience to see the sun disappear behind the moon's shadow. Scientifically it is an important thing because it helps us get a look at how the sun's energy impacts us here on earth," she said.
How you can get involved with the citizen science program:
"The first thing you need to do is download the app. The app is called "GLOBE Observer," then you're going to register, and then you should be set. After you have the app all set up you'll want to get a thermometer that can measure air temperature and put it some place that is shaded during the time of day when the eclipse is happening in your area. And between now and August 21, the last thing you can do is start using the app to observe clouds. We have an eclipse protocol inside the app, and you'll see the button and it'll become available the weekend before the eclipse, but there's also a clouds button, and if you click on that you can start practicing making those cloud observations, so that by the time August 21 rolls around, you're really comfortable with telling us what kind of clouds you see."
How Kohl's own experiences shaped the program:
"In 2005, I travelled to Turkey to see my first total solar eclipse. I was sitting on the beach, and it was a really hot day. As the eclipse started to happen, the temperature started to drop, and by the time the sun was totally covered, it was very cold. It was very obvious to me that decreasing the amount of energy we're getting from the sun changes a whole bunch of things. So this year, as we look towards the solar eclipse, I came into it with that experience, knowing that you could experience a really drastic change in temperature and clouds and weather."
Kohl hopes the GLOBE app enhances the experience of viewing the solar eclipse.
"I hope people feel the significance of the connection to the sun, and recognize what a powerful thing it is to live on a solar-powered planet. When I experienced my first eclipse in 2005, it surprised me how emotional I got, and so I hope people just have an incredible experience witnessing this event. As you do this citizen science, you will be connected to the environment around you to a greater degree, you will be keyed into different aspects of the eclipse than you might have been without doing the citizen science, so I hope that this contributes to your experience."
To listen to the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Noel Torres, Erika Ender and Despacito like you've never heard it
Every week, we get a raft of new music to listen to. This week, music journalist Justino Aguila brought in a few selections.
Artist: Noel Torres
Album: La Vida a Mi Modo (Life My Way)
Song: “La Vida a Mi Modo”
(Listen above)
Bonus: “Se Vinieron Los Problemas” (The Problems Came)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYspws5CNA0
Artist: Erika Ender
Album: Tatuajes (Tattoos)
Songs: “Despacito” (Slowly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIN5oO-qNC0
Bonus: “Mi Mejor Mitad” (My Better Half)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6sMhpfs_FM
Press the blue play button above to hear more about Justino's selections.
Space... the final resting place?
Last week, Take Two answered this question in the latest installment of our series SoCal. So Curious: what happens if and when cemeteries in Southern California run out of room? (Check out the answer here.)
But why worry about cemeteries running out of space, when you can be buried IN space, at least partially.
Argos Funeral Services founder, Judah Ben-Hur says you too can "boldly go where no funeral service provider has gone before."
The Torrance-based company is the first in California to offer you the ability of send your cremated remains up to the heavens through a partnership with the Houston-based Celestic Memorial Spaceflights.
"We've made it possible to honor the dream and the memory of your departed loved one by launching a symbolic portion of their remains into the earth's orbit, onto the lunar surface, or into deep space," adds Ben-Hur.
Services start at just over $1,000 dollars just for a post mordem jaunt into orbit before returning to Earth. But let's say your loved one had grander aspirations? Well, having a piece of them sent to the moon or into deep space the cost blasts up to warp speed to $12,500.
Ben-Hur says he's already had a number of people approach him, excited about the idea of themselves or their relatives resting with the stars. "They are looking for alternative ways to honor their loved ones by burying them on some other planet other than earth."
Ben-Hur plans to use the service himself and enjoys the thought that he will find an afterlife fit for a Starfleet commander.