Fire education and prevention, why a second-grade math teacher will not assign homework, why some Venice citizens are seeking to be its own city separate from LA.
The food-safe gel that saved a home from the Blue Cut Fire
When the Blue Cut Fire broke out last week, John Meunsterman was ready. The West Cajon valley resident and former combat medic had been living in the area for 35 years and had seen his share of fires. This time around however, he had a new weapon to battle the blaze — and it may have saved his property.
"I gelled the house, and I gelled my large building shop, and nothing got burnt," Meunsterman said. "I went to one of these disaster prep programs the community of Wrightwood had one time. There was a dealer there selling a product called Barricade II."
"It's incredible how this works," remarked Meunsterman. "It has a thermal protection. It's non-toxic, and it's food grade."
Barricade's website boasts it's the only product of it's kind to win a "Champion" award from the Environmental Protection Agency. The gel breaks down easily, doesn't contaminate groundwater and comes off with water and a soft brush.
It's a good thing Meunsterman thought ahead — when he returned to his house, the surrounding landscape had been devastated. "The entire West Cajon Valley looks like napalm hit it," he said. Considering Meunsterman served both in the Navy and the Marines, he knows what he's talking about.
"Fire retardant materials the L.A. County Forest Service and others use are pretty damaging environmentally," added Char Miller, professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College and author of "Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. The California Dream. "If those 100 homes in West Cajon Valley used it, this would be very clear-headed."
In addition to protections made to one's house, Professor Miller says understanding the behavior of the local environmental landscape is equally important.
"I'm a big fan of place-based analysis, to walk them, to get a feel for them. If you have a house up in the hills somewhere, walk 200 feet from it and look back, and it's startling what lies between you and the house in which you live." Miller adds, "Fire season is lengthening. We have to think about what that implies."
Eight fires are burning in California right now — only two are fully contained, including the Blue Cut Fire we've been following over the last week. The blaze tore through over 36,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 homes. Evacuation orders for the Blue Cut Fire were lifted Sunday.
Justice Department: Pasco police lack hispanic and female representation
In February last year, Antonio Zambrano-Montes was killed by three police officers in Pasco, Washington.
The incident and the subsequent response from the local hispanic community drew comparisons to the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
And just as they did for Ferguson law-enforcement, the Justice Department announced that they would take a closer look at the Pasco police.
Now, the department has released their report.
For more on what changes they suggest, Take Two's Libby Denkmann spoke with Anna King of the Northwestern News Group in Washington.
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above
The Brood: When kids dream of Olympic gold
The Summer games in Rio have come to a close, but the Olympic spirit is no doubt living on in the dreams of countless young athletes.
For a family, seriously committing to a sport on an Olympic level is a huge decision to make.
On this week's installment of The Brood - Take Two’s weekly parenting segment - we look at what goes into making that sort of choice.
Take Two’s Alex Cohen recently sat down with Sarah Maizes whose daughter Livi began training at just one-and-half years old and was at one time, on the U.S.A. gymnastics Olympic track.
Alex Cohen and Sarah Maizes were also joined by Tom Farrey, director of the Aspen Institute's Sports and Society Program and the author of "Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of Our Children."
Highlights
How did Livi get so seriously into gymnastics?
Sarah Maizes: I hadn’t even anticipated she would want to go to the Olympics. I mean, she was competitive but I just hadn’t thought of it along those lines. She just never stopped moving and it just seemed like the right choice to put her in gymnastics. She flourished and she just kept going and wanting to be more and more competitive. When she was invited onto the team, she was so excited - it was such a big deal. I think it’s wonderful. I’m a very big believer in ‘reach for your dreams’ and was ultimately very surprised when I found out that her dream was something that I didn’t think I had the stamina for.
When deciding to put your child on an Olympic track, how do you determine if your child has what it takes?
Tom Farrey: The first thing you determine is: Is this what your child actually wants to do? What we have in a lot of youth sports today is a lot of parents dreaming that their kids want to go to the Olympics or play professional football ... and they begin to superimpose their dream onto the child.
You have to understand how incredibly difficult it is, how the odds are so against your child. The bottom line is, the kids who actually make it to the pro or the Olympic level, they’re extremely elite. You have to be really realistic about it. Do they have access to quality coaches? Do they have access to the appropriate training environment?
What should a family consider before stepping up to a serious level of athleticism?
Tom Farrey: It depends on the sport. Gymnastics is what’s called an Early Specialization Sport. The vast majority of sports are called Late Specialization Sports. An athlete peaks at a later age, often in their twenties. You can take a little more of a long term approach.
Athletic development literature suggests that in the vast majority of sports, the emphasis at 12 and under really ought to be on physical literacy which is the development of fundamental movement skills, the love of game, developing that spirit that's going to propel you along as well as the way your body can move. So, you can transfer in to an number of different sports.
What kind of sacrifices does a family need to consider?
Sarah Maizes: Gym fees are in the $600-a- month range and can go upward. [Gymnastics] is a very expensive sport so it’s not something you dabble in. And it's not the sort of thing you sign up for like a class, you’re paying a monthly fee - you’re part of the team.
When Livi was on U.S.A. Gymnastics, she was at the gym three nights a week, four hours a pop. At the level she’s at now at age 13, she would be at the gym five nights a week. You’re living at the gym. You have to do all of your homework at the gym.
What are the positive benefits for a child in competitive sports?
Tom Farrey: The research says, kids who are involved in sports and are physically active are one-tenth as likely to be obese, they’re more likely to stay in school, they’re more likely to graduate from high school, and more likely to go to college. They’re more likely to get a job coming out of college and have lower healthcare costs.
If you have kids involved in sports and physical activity at an early age and they stay active into adulthood, youth sports is a wonderful thing. They're terrific. We just have to understand that we’re dealing with human beings - little human beings- they’re not miniature adults and we need to listen to what they want.
Sarah Maizes: Being competitive has been an incredible experience for my daughter. The amount of pride that she takes in her ability and the confidence that it brings to the other parts of her life - you cannot put a price on it.
*Interview highlights have been edited for clarity.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
Second grade teacher tosses out homework, asks families to 'read together'
Homework—is it useful for second-graders, or is their time better spent doing other things?
As the school year began, one second-grade teacher in Texas wrote a letter to parents announcing she was doing away with homework in her classroom. A parent posted a photo of the letter on Facebook, and it has since gone viral.
A Martinez spoke with Young, the teacher who wrote the letter.
Interview highlights
How did you decide to have a no-homework policy this year?
Really, it was just a reflection on my previous year and what was working in my classroom. I spent some time this summer researching what was out there—what studies had been done for children of this age, lower elementary school, and what they had to say. If something isn't working, I think it's important for us to be innovators in our classroom and make changes.
Did you have to speak to school administration about this, or was this something that you were able to decide on your own.
I actually came to the decision on my own. Of course it was discussed. However, over the summer we have been trained in "The Leader in Me" based on Steven R. Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." We've been encouraged here at Godley to be innovators here in the classroom, to make decisions that are in the best interest of our children. The administration here trusts teachers.
Was there criticism?
I wouldn't call it criticism. I would call it healthy discussion. . . Homework has a value and a place. Meaningful and engaging assignments outside of the classroom are wonderful. However, as educators, we need to take a real look at what we're sending home with the kids. Is it meaningful? Does it have a purpose? Is this real world application of what they're learning in the classroom or is it just a pencil-and-paper task?
In your letter, you say research says there is no proof that homework improves student performance. What kind of research did you do?
I did a lot of searching and a lot of looking at studies. Of course, I had no idea that this little letter would go viral and I did not cite my resources for my parents. However, anybody can do a Google search and check out what's out there. And I think we all should! And of course, there's both sides to this argument. But there's no hard evidence that lower elementary schools are making significant gains from sending home paper-and-pencil homework.
How have parents reacted?
My parents have been really excited. My parents have said that they trust me to do what's best for their child and the parents with questions or that would like extra practice for their child--I'm happy to discuss that with them. I just want an open line of communication with them.
Do you find that this is liberating for parents?
I've had a great response and the parents have been so excited for the time they get home from work, usually at 5 p.m., kids need to be in bed by 8:30 p.m. That doesn't give a whole lot of time for eating dinner as a family, reading together for enjoyment, not to check off a box saying that they read their 30 minutes for a reading log. It's important that we spend time developing other skills outside of the classroom.
*This interview has been edited for clarity
Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.
Tell us what you think about Young's letter and homework for young elementary school students. Is it useful? Is after-school time better spent doing other things?
Venice might leave city of LA. Here's how the break up might work
Venice has been a part of the city of Los Angeles for 90 years, but residents have started a campaign to separate the neighborhood to become ... well, it has to figure that out.
But it's SoCal's own Brexit – Vexit.
"What's best for Venice?" says Nick Antonicello, chair of the new ad hoc committee on city-hood at the Venice Neighborhood Council.
The Council voted in late July to explore how a split could happen.
One option would to "detach" Venice from L.A. city to become an unincorporated part of L.A. County. Another would ask a nearby independent city like Santa Monica to annex it. The last – and most ideal – is to become its own city.
The movement is because Antonicello and others are increasingly frustrated about the lack of attention it gets from city hall.
"People in Venice like home rule and they like to control their own destiny," he says. "Small municipalities work very well."
Antonicello argues that Venetians are the best decision-makers to tackle local issues like housing, homelessness, gentrification and more.
Plus, he sees that wealthy Venice is putting more tax dollars into the city's coffers without getting much back in return.
How the logistics could work
But no matter how it tries to break off and why, it will be tough for Venice to go it alone.
"All of these situations are handled by something called the Local Agency Formation Commission," says journalist Isaac Simpson who wrote about the rift in Curbed LA.
The Commission will put the city through a financial stress-test to make sure it can afford to exist without L.A.'s help. East Los Angeles has failed that test several times when trying to incorporate.
If a city passes the Commission's test, then the issue has to also pass two separate referendums: one by the neighborhood itself, and the other by the rest of Los Angeles. That's what thwarted the 2002 efforts to secede by Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and the Harbor Area of San Pedro – those votes failed.
"Venice would easily pass its own ballot," says Simpson. "In terms of getting the entire city to let them go as a second-most-visited tourist location in Southern California, the likelihood there seems extremely slim."
But if Venice does succeed, there will be a clear loser: Los Angeles.
"Well, it probably gets a lot poorer," says Simpson, noting that the wealthy tax base of Venice won't be a part of L.A.'s budget anymore.
Regardless of which option is taken, it could be weeks or months before the Venice Neighborhood Council decides what its next step will be.
Firefighters look for new technology as threat of wildfire grows
Why Twitter isn't responsible for ISIS content
The family of a government contractor named Lloyd Fields filed a lawsuit against Twitter after Fields was killed in Jordan in an Islamic State-linked attack.
Earlier this month, a U.S. District court judge in California dismissed that lawsuit. The family has a chance to submit a revised complaint.
For a legal perspective on this case, Michael Overing joined Take Two. He's a First Amendment attorney in Los Angeles. Professor Karen North, director of USC Annenberg's Digital Social Media Program, explained the appeal of social media sites for terrorists.
To hear Monday's conversation about how extremism can be vetted on social media, click here.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Craig Robinson sings some Luther Vandross to preview The Black Movie Soundtrack II event
Seems like the actor Craig Robinson is everywhere these days. He offers up his voice in the new comedy Sausage Party, shows up in the hit series Mr. Robot, headlines a new film out this month, Morris from America, and he'll host yet another rousing production of the Black Movie Soundtrack at the Hollywood Bowl.
The first show, which took place in 2014, was "a soulful celebration of black cinema classics." This year, it's back by popular demand with Robinson once again at the helm as host.
He spoke with Take Two host Alex Cohen about the event and started off by listing some of his favorite black cinema films, what artists he's looking forward to and previewed some of his singing skills with Luther Vandross.
.@MrCraigRobinson sings some Luther Vandross to preview The Black Movie Soundtrack II https://t.co/sPx7qzKpRA pic.twitter.com/boRk53bGDR
— Take Two (@taketwo) August 23, 2016
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Teresa Cristina, Mariza and Luísa Maita
Every Tuesday we take a deep dive into the latest music you should be listening to - Tuesday Reviewsday!
This week music journalist
joins A Martinez in the studio with releases from around the world.
Steve's picks!
Artist - Teresa Cristina
Album - Canta Cartola
Had enough of Brazil? Olympics burnout? Not us.
The sights and sounds still entice. On the latter front, three upcoming albums fill the bill, three women vocal gymnasts, if you will — two from Brazil itself and one from Portugal.
This isn’t so much Carnaval party music — but maybe you’re partied out. This, then, music for winding down and savoring those gold medal memories. Portuguese is such a musical language that even if you don’t understand a word, the parts of this live album, “Canta Cartola,” in which Teresa Cristina is doing song introductions, talking to the audience rather than singing, still sound lovely and sad and funny and all the things, judging from the audience’s enthusiastic reactions, they certainly are. But when she sings, well, it’s all that and more, far beyond the literal meaning of the words. Which, of course, most of us don’t know.
“Canta Cartola” documents a concert Cristina, one of the stars of current Brazilian samba, gave last year at Teatro Net Rio, interpreting the songs of Angenor de Oliveira, one of the key architects of 20th century classic samba, a much-beloved figure known affectionately as Cartola — “Top Hat.”
This is not the raucous Carnaval samba, with lithe lads and ladies shaking their (barely) feather-clad booties. This is a more somber brand, emotionally rich, both melancholy and hopeful, Cristina accompanied by, and in seamless sync with, acoustic guitarist Carlinhos Sete Cordas, each coaxing the contours from the material with nuanced grace and subtle power.
On some of the more lively pieces, “O Sol Nascerá” and “Corra e Olhe o Céu” among the highlights, the voice and strings flit and fly like sunbeams through swaying leaves.
And those images are what came to mind even without knowing the translations of the titles: “The Sun Will Rise” and “Run and Look to the Sky.” Cristina has made her name mining the works of the classic composers of past eras, but the connections to such modern giants as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil (whom you may have seen in the Olympics opening ceremony) are strong.
That is equally due to the strong traditions that have been at the core of generations of Brazilian music, platforms for some great creativity, and to the talents of the singer here.
Artist - Mariza
Album - Mundo
The title of Mariza’s new album, “Mundo,” means “the world” in Portuguese. And if sometimes it’s easy to forget just how big a player Portugal once was in the world — its colonial history including not just Brazil, but Cape Verde and big chunks of the African continent and parts of Spain — Mariza has made a point of tapping that legacy on her new album.
Of course, she doesn’t overplay that angle. That would be out of character for this star of fado, the smoky, muted, oft-melancholy national song style often (if misleadingly) called Portuguese blues.
Mariza (real name, Marisa dos Reis Nunes) embodies that history in many ways, having been born in Portuguese Mozambique, her mother being of partial African heritage. She emerged in the fado world when asked to perform a tribute to Amalia Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, after her death in 1999. That launched Mariza to a career as one of her country’s most popular singers, and one of the most successful from there in the rest of the world, in turn embracing musical roots from other related cultures.
With “Mundo,” she vividly realizes that global embrace, all the while remaining firmly planted in her own world. She reaches from the repertoire of Argentina’s Carlos Gardel — the tragic legend of tango, dead in a plane crash at age 44 in 1935 — with “Caprichosa” to a dip into the related Cape Verdean morna style with “Padoce de Céu” to a couple of originals by the album’s Spanish producer, Javier Limón.
And with “Anda O Sol Na Minha Rua” she returns to Rodrigues’ beloved canon. For the most part, this is all in the expressively Iberian style, slightly jazzy, slightly folky, slightly flamenco, very torchy, often with the brittle, high-pitched Portuguese guitar, played by José Manuel Neto, as the sonic centerpiece.
“Maldição,” from another fado great of the past, Alfredo “Marceneiro” Duarte, evokes a Lisbon cafe of an earlier era. In both contrast and complement, “Paixão” (written by Jorge Fernando) adds lush layers to the inherent drama, Mariza soaring over the waves gloriously.
Artist - Luísa Maita
Album - Fio da Memória
Traditional Brazil drumming and downtempo electronics don’t seem on paper a natural mix. But on her new single, the title song of her upcoming album, “Fio da Memória” (due for Sept. 23 release), São Paulo’s Luísa Maita has created a perfect and distinctive integration of the old and new.
The title means “Thread of Memory,” and the whole album follows that thread in various tapestries, sensual Amazon dreamscapes all. It’s a mix Maita teased on her 2010 debut album, which earned her Best New Artist honors at the Brazilian Music Awards and later had two songs on the soundtrack of Richard Linklater’s groundbreaking movie “Boyhood.”
It also led to a busy international touring schedule and various other projects. But it took her this long to make a full follow-up, and as the cliche goes, it was well worth the wait. Most remarkable is how natural the sounds work together, crafted largely by her and co-producer Zé Nigro, a Brazilian bass and electronics musician.
Dubstep rhythms and effects are wielded with deft hands, never oppressive, the rhythms left with spaces that allow the subtleties of the electronics to come through colorfully, enticingly. The music, always, breathes. And through it all it the real thread — her voice, sinewy and strong. And yes, sexy. It’s Brazil, after all.
And the overall chilled approach sets up the bracing contrast of the more pronounced approaches on some songs that kinda rock, the drums more forceful, the guitars turned up, the bass more throbbing. On “Around You” and a few other songs, the rhythms slink and shimmy — the echo of the Carnaval parade gone by, or the first hints of the next one approaching. Here she is performing the song in New York.