Lyft now can pick up passengers at LAX, and the growing influence of other "shared" business models. Plus the real life story of a Nigerian born doctor named Bennett Omalu, the man who shed light on concussions in the NFL.
Why 2015 was the year for the sharing economy
In 2015 companies like Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, which are also part of the sharing economy, worked their way further into the fabric of Southern California
How'd that happen? KPCC's Meghan McCarty and Ben Bergman, as well as Kevin Klowden, Managing Director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, join A Martinez to talk about what that means for those in Southern California.
Why sexual assault victims get a bill for investigation expenses
Imagine for a moment, if you can, you're a victim of sexual assault. You report it, and you have a medical examination done to collect forensic evidence, which is known as a rape kit. You attempt to recover from the trauma. Then a few weeks later you receive a bill in the mail charging you for the expenses of that investigation. Sounds unbelievable, right? Unfortunately it's not uncommon.
Recently a woman named Elyse Anders posted to Twitter a letter from her health provider stating that her account had been sent to collections because she'd refused for pay her bill for the rape kit. In just a few days she had been retweeted nearly 3,500 times.
Nora Caplan-Bricker, contributing writer for DoubleX at Slate, has been covering the story and joins host A Martinez with details.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
New study on IVF treatments and its effect on hopeful parents
Researchers at the University of Bristol and the University of Glasgow in the UK have published a study that may give hope for people trying to have a baby.
The study concluded that nearly two-thirds of women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization or I.V.F. Treatment will have a child by the sixth attempt
Joining us now is Dr. Evan Myers - A Professor in the Department of Obste-trics and Gynecology at Duke University Medical Center, he wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.
Dr. Bennet Omalu and the autopsy that shook the NFL
Dr. Bennet Omalu is the forensic pathologist credited with the discovery of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. His story is told in the new movie "Concussion," where he's played by the actor Will Smith.
Omalu first came into contact with CTE when he was working at the Pittsburgh coroner's office, when he was tasked with performing the autopsy on famous Steeler's center Mike Webster.
He eventually came to believe that the depression and dementia Webster had suffered prior to his death was linked to the hits he took playing football.
Omalu recently penned an op-ed that appeared in the New York Times, in which he made the case that young people should not play football until their brains are fully formed, between 18 and 25 years old. It's a recommendation that, if widely followed, could permanently cripple the NFL.
Omalu contends that he has nothing against the sport, but to ignore the correlation between contact sports and brain trauma could put thousands of children at risk of mental disorders later in life.
“If you are an adult and — as a physician and a pathologist — I educate you on the dangers and risks of some activity, like smoking or playing football, and you make up your mind to play, I would be one of the first to stand by you to defend your right,” he says. “Even if you take a gun [and] place it on your head to shoot yourself, you have the right to do that. This is America. But as a modern society, I believe we are morally bound to protect the most vulnerable — our children —like we have done with smoking.”
Omalu says there’s no such thing as a safe blow to the head. He's optimistic that helmet designers will find new ways to protect the brain, but he says the helmets currently available do little to prevent trauma. Given this, Omalu argues that the choice should be clear for parents.
“Knowing what we know now, do we continue to expose our children intentionally to the risk of brain damage?”
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
Press the blue link below the play button to hear the full, uncut interview.
Sports Roundup: The NFL and head trauma, Dodger Stadium's Jackie Robinson statue
In this week's Sports Roundup with
:
- ESPN's "Outside the Lines" says the NFL has pulled out of funding a $30 million Boston University head trauma study, reportedly because it's being lead by Dr. Robert Stern, who has been critical of the NFL. The NFL and NIH have denied this report.
- Dodger Stadium is adding a new Jackie Robinson statue. Vin Scully, Sandy Koufax, A Martinez...Who could be next?
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Happiness is streaming The Beatles for Christmas
Attention all you Beatles fans: Christmas has come early.
At last, all of the groups' albums will be available for streaming starting at midnight Thursday — yes, Christmas Eve. For some parts of the world, the streaming has already begun.
Music journalist and Tuesday Reviewsday regular Steve Hochman joins host A Martinez to talk about why the world has had to wait to stream The Beatles' catalogue, and where you can listen.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Adam McKay on the balance between comedy and tragedy in 'The Big Short'
The new film "The Big Short" tells the true story some of the key players who managed to make enormous sums by betting against the housing market in the mid 2000s.
Based on the 2010 book of the same name by author Michael Lewis, the film version stars Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling.
And for a film about the demise of the American comedy, it still has plenty of laughs. That may come as no surprise considering it was directed by Adam McKay, whose other films include "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights."
McKay joined Take Two for a discussion about his approach to translating the book for film, and how he balanced the tragic and comic elements of the story.
To hear the full interview with Adam McKay, click the link above.
The Styled Side: why El Niño means cheaper winter clothes
Temperatures may have dropped in Southern California, but that's good timing because El Niño has actually caused prices to drop on warm clothes.
On this week's The Styled Side, Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily says unseasonably warm weather in the eastern U.S. and Europe is upending the fashion industry.
"The eastern half of the country has had the warmest November in 120 years of record keeping!" she says.
That's really eroded the typically strong market for jackets and sweaters.
The year before, snowfall was the most in 14 years.
"Retailers were looking at that history, and were banking on there being as much cold and snow this year," says Tyree.
But so far, overall snowfall across hundreds of major cities was 23 percent below average. In turn, affected retailers are expected to lose about $3.7 billion in sales from September to December.
The businesses that are really hurting are cold weather makers such as NorthFace, Columbia and anyone making or selling goose down," says Tyree. "Another retailer who bought into expected cold weather – Swedish retailer H&M, which has stores in the U.S. and relies heavily on sales in northern Europe for much of its revenue."
Retailers are responding by placing winter clothes on heavy discounts to get rid of that extra stock.
The only bright spot for the weather-weary industry is rapper Drake.
Really.
"I like to call it the 'Hotline Bling' effect," say Tyree.
In his music video, Drake wore a luxury down jacket by cold-weather brand Moncler. It retails for $1,100, and sales doubled after his video debuted.
In the meantime, wait for a flurry of sales before hitting the stores to shop for your puffer jackets, shawls, slankets and more.