The vaccination debate heats up to the point that it is banned from discussion in some parent groups, a real-life sniper shares his reaction to 'American Sniper.'
Cars are more networked, and more vulnerable to hacking
We're all pretty familiar with car jackings, but car hackings?
Technology in cars is meant to make driving easier – from GPS devices to bluetooth sound systems – but hackers have found ways to break into those networks.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is calling on carmakers to make their vehicles more secure.
Andy Greenberg, a senior writer for Wired magazine, saw up-close what happens when a car gets hacked and talks about how many new cars on the market are vulnerable.
Shutting down the debate over vaccinations
Online parenting forums have proven to be a popular way to exchange information on everything from babysitters to family-friendly events.
But all too recently many of these groups have become heated battlegrounds for topics like sleep training, formula feeding, and of course, vaccinations.
Amy Hermes, founder of the Facebook group Mommy2Mommy, took an unusual step when the topic started to get too inappropriate. She joins the show with her story.
Obama, Congress to weigh action on Islamist militants
Leading Republicans and Democrats in Congress say the White House has been reaching out to talk about formal congressional approval of military action.
'American Sniper' rings false for former Army sharpshooter
The film "American Sniper" has been a box office juggernaut. It's very close to earning $300 million in domestic box office since it opened on Christmas Day.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie is based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle - a Navy SEAL credited with the most confirmed kills in US military history.
Along with its commercial success, it's among the films nominated for best picture in the upcoming Academy Awards.
But "American Sniper" has also drawn a fair amount of controversy for what critics call an overly heroic portrait of Kyle, and a narrow view of the war in Iraq.
One of those who have taken issue with the film is Garrett Reppenhagen. He, too, was a sniper during the Iraq war - though with the U.S. Army, not the Navy.
Reppenhagen is now a regional director for the Vet Voice Foundation and he recently wrote about his very different experience in the Iraq War for Salon.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On how he felt when he first saw the film:
"I was overwhelmed. There's a hell of a lot of action. That's one of the reasons why I usually avoid a lot of war movies. That was pretty heavy to watch. Seeing Chris Kyle come home over and over again, in between deployments and after deployment, and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the breakdown of his relationship with his family, it was very real to me. It was intense to watch but I also thought there was a lot of one-sidedness on how it portrayed the war in Iraq -- not only the dynamic on the ground and the battlefield there, but also the whole political environment that surrounded the war."
On instances of "one-sidedness" that stood out to him:
"I think the opinion of Chris Kyle is not the opinion of all soldiers. I certainly served with a lot of great, professional soldiers my time in, and many of them thought or believed they were there for weapons of mass destruction and retaliation for 9/11. However there were a lot of other soldiers who were critically thinking about their mission and why they were there, and I don't think that was fully investigated in the movie. And I think the other side of the way the Iraqi people were shown I don’t think was always that accurate. They just didn’t show the second side to that."
What he thinks about the perception the film gives viewers about the war in Iraq:
"I honestly deep down don't mind that the film is out there. It's creating a lot of great conversations about the war and people are thinking critically about it more than they ever have, I think. But there's so many different sides to this conflict and I think if people were more aware of the incredible documentaries that are out there, and a lot of literature and books that have been written about it, they can see a wider view of what that conflict was like and what they experiences were like of the people who fought it."
Tuesday Reviewsday: Beyonce, Leon Bridges, Lion Babe, Eska, Danny Brown and Space Age
This week on Tuesday Reviewsday, music supervisor
and
from Soul-Sides.com join A Martinez in studio to talk new music.
Oliver Wang
Artist: Beyonce
Album: "50 Shades of Grey" Soundtrack
Song: "Crazy in Love" (Remix)
Notes: The trailers for 50 Shades of Grey make it look like some kind of parody and no one I know is jazzed on this movie coming out BUT… it does seem to have a rather decent soundtrack. Beyonce remixes herself for this far sultrier version of her breakout hit from 2003, “Crazy In Love.” I had heard this on the trailers and just assumed it was someone covering Bey since it’s so different from the original but nope, the Queen remixes herself, which is rather rare.
Artist: Lion Babe
Album: "Treat Me Like Fire EP"
Songs: "Song: Treat Me Like Fire"
Notes: So this is a revisit of sorts as well. This song originally came out in 2013 but the duo finally put out their debut EP, complete with a whole new video for “Treat Me Like Fire.” Singer Jilian Henry has been compared to Erykah Badu (which is a fair comparison) and she has that kind of raspy, super soulful song that I go weak in the knees for. And I love how producer Lucas Goodman keeps the vinyl static in for the beat he puts together here.
Artist: Danny Brown
Album: The television show, "Fresh Off the Boat"
Song: "Fresh Off the Boat"
Notes: I’m a fan of Eddie Huang, whose memoir, also called “Fresh Off the Boat” has now been turned into an ABC sitcom - which aires on Tuesday nights so be sure to tune in. It seems only right that Huang, who’s a hip-hop fiend. would have a rapper create a theme song for the show. Moreover, I’m mostly used to T.V. shows licensing existing songs for their theme songs but here’s a rare case where you have a new song being cut. It’s not exactly the Cheers Theme but hey, it’s got a gong.
Morgan Rhodes
Artist: Leon Bridges
Album: "Coming Home"
Songs: "Coming Home," "Better Man"
Notes: Meet indie-Soul's newest breakout artist, Leon Bridges. The Fort Worth, Texas artist sings love songs in a style reminiscent of Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding and has gained quite a following on social media through his covers and live shows. If I had to describe it, I'd say that it's bluesy vintage sounds for modern times.
Artist: Eska
Album: Self Titled
Songs: "Rock of Ages"
Notes: Eska Mtungwazi's gorgeous voice and compelling vocal arrangements found themselves featured on projects by Zero7, Cinematic Orchestra, Michael Olatuja, Bugz in The Attic and Bobby McFerrin. Her latest EP, the follow up to last years' Gatekeeper surely showcases both her songwriting talent and her instrument and introduces UK's best kept secret to everyone else.
Artist: Space Age
Album: "The Theory of..."
Songs: "No Landing"
Notes: North London's Little Simz and her collective SPACE AGE offer a 4 track mixtape, a confluence of futuristic beats, electronica and soul. True to the new now-sound coming out of the UK, this project is a great introduction to a cool new group.
LA residents reclaim some city parks from gang control
Gang dominance of Los Angeles parks has receded in recent years and that's created an opening for local residents to reclaim public space in some working class neighborhoods.
That's the observation of journalist Sam Quinones, who has been reporting on gangs in Southern California for years, and has recently spent time in the changing parks.
But is this the mark of permanent change or just a sign of the latest shift in gang violence?
READ MORE: A change in the landscape: L.A.'s parks no longer belong to street gangs, Los Angeles Times
World's largest solar plant opens in California
California's Riverside County is now home to one of the nation's largest solar power plants.
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewel on Monday flipped the switch at Desert Sunlight Solar Farm. It's the last of five solar farms funded by the Department of Energy.
Taylor Goldenstein recently wrote about this for the LA Times and she talks more about what we can expect from the plant.
Genetically modified or organic? There's a DNA spray for that
California entrepreneur Anthony Zografos is hoping to make information about produce and other products readily available via a DNA-infused spray.
Do DIY tattoos sound like a good idea?
Being a DIYer makes sense in some cases: growing your own vegetables or building a coffee table can be really satisfying.
But DIY tattoos?
While the practice has been around for a long time, what is new is a prepackaged kit is being sold for people to take tattooing into their own hands, literally.
It's called the Stick & Poke Tattoo Kit, retailing for $42.
Some fashion experts are calling this the fashion trend to watch in 2015.
Michelle Dalton Tyree, founder of Fashion Trends Daily, talks about the issue some in the fashion world have with this and how tattoos, in general, have become more acceptable in the modeling world.