The U.S. confirms that North Korea successfully test-fired a missile, new study shows how much people make off the gig economy, the Hass avocado was first grown in SoCal
How big of a deal is North Korea's latest missile test?
The U.S has now confirmed that North Korea successfully test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.
Some experts say it has the range to reach Alaska.
Kevin Baron is the executive director of Defense One, a news publication devoted to U.S. National Security.
"The pentagon is saying today that this is a new missile," expert Kevin Baron told Take Two's Libby Denkmann. Baron is the executive director of Defense One, a news publication devoted to U.S. National Security.
This missile represents something a new class of threat from North Korea, but not one that was unexpected by experts. "It's something that, frankly, we've all been waiting for a for a good 5 plus years," Baron said.
"Openly, the pentagon and intelligence officials are saying that it's only a matter of time before we see the actual first attempt at an ICBM and one that's not masked as any kind of other benign rocket launch of a satellite as they've tried in the past."
TO HEAR THE FULL CONVERSATION, CLICK THE BLUE PLAYER ABOVE.
New rules for resident physicians add hours, but aim to prevent burnout
Working to live: How much are people really earning in the gig economy?
When you fire up an app and order food, or a ride somewhere, or reserve a cabin in Tahoe... you're participating in the "gig" economy.
Companies like Lyft and AirBnB allow everyday people to make extra income by using their homes or cars to generate cash. Pew Research recently estimated about a quarter of all Americans earns something through these apps.
But what does it really mean for their everyday lives? How much are people earning in the gig economy? Catherine New is the Senior Editor at the loan company Earnest and she crunched the numbers. She spoke to Libby Denkmann to break it down.
To listen to the full segment, click the blue play button above.
How Hass avocados grew on California (and the next 'Gem' to look for)
The vast majority of avocados grown in the U.S. come from California. Almost all of them are one variety — Hass (and for the curious, it's pronounced Hass, like "pass.")
The Hass is so iconic, I'd bet you can't even name another type of avocado. Here's something else you might not know: the Hass was first grown right here in Southern California.
Mary Lu Arpaia is a subtropical horticulturist at the University of California, Riverside. She spoke with A Martinez to recount the history of the Hass.
The Hass's history is in SoCal
Around 1920, we had a big boom in avocado planning acreage, especially in La Habra, Fullerton, Hollywood... and there was a postal worker by the name of Rudolph Hass, and he had a small home orchard.
The story goes that he planted seedlings, because at that time we would plant seedling avocados and then you would graft the variety on top of the seedling as the seedling grew. At that time, popular varieties were things like the Puebla, the Fuerte, Taft... there were a lot of different varieties.
What happened was there was this particular seedling in this grove he was planting where the graft would never take. His children started bringing in the fruit, and he recognized the fruit was very good to eat, so the seedling was planted around 1925, 1926 and then in 1935, he actually patented the variety called Hass.
What sets Hass apart?
It's nutty, it's creamy, it leaves no bitter aftertaste in your mouth. It's a wonderful eating experience. What makes it also very attractive is that it peels very easily, comes out of the shell. Easy to tell when it's ripe because the skin is not so thick that you're guessing whether the fruit is ripe or not.
The Hass eventually gained popularity because it was less "alternate bearing" than the No. 1 variety, Fuerte...
NOTE: "Alternate bearing" means that you have a lot of fruit one year and virtually nothing the next year.
It took a LONG time for the Hass to claim its spot as the most beloved avocado
If you go back into like 1945, 1946... there's an article in the California Avocado Society Yearbook where it talks about this newfangled variety called the Hass and how it was different, and that it's perfect in many, many different respects except, gosh darn, it's a black-skinned fruit, not a green-skinned fruit...
It was recognized for being a very good eating fruit. It was recognized by the fact that it was less "alternate bearing." It was recognized for the fact that at the time it was a much later-season fruit than the Fuerte or many of the other varieties that were being grown. So it was valued for those characteristics, except that the market supposedly wanted a green-skinned fruit.
Is the Hass here to stay?
It's a very good standard to try to achieve something better, but we can do better than the Hass...
We have fruits that are just as good to eat. I can guarantee you we have things that eat just as good or better than Hass...
We have a variety that was patented in 2003. It's just now finally gaining hold in California — the Gem variety. It has the same season as the Hass. It's a smaller tree so that we can cut down on our labor costs, because labor is a big expense for our growers (the Hass makes a big tree; it's very expensive to harvest)... It tastes very, very good. And it has a post-harvest life equal to the Hass."
Interview answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
What do you think? Can any other avocado possibly overtake the Hass? Let us know in the comments below.
To listen to the full interview, click the blue play button above.
No Place Like LA: Jen, the LA Lady
No Place Like LA is our new series that asks transplants and immigrants to LA, "When was the moment you felt that Los Angeles was truly home?"
This is Jen Kanter from Mar Vista's story.
The moment that I felt like an Angeleno was probably after months of not feeling like an Angeleno.
So I decided to start volunteering around the city, exploring Koreatown, Mid-City, Highland Park, Pasadena.
I think it was probably three or four months after this that I was driving from Santa Monica to Venice on Pacific.
I had a silver Jetta. I rolled down my window, and I had my arm kind of out the window. I was listening to this mixtape that my friend had made for me when I moved from Seattle called Cookie's Mix.
It was an Elton John song, which I think was funny, and it starts, "Blue Jean Baby, LA Lady..."
And I thought, that's me. This is home.
Tell us your own story, too.
Sports Roundup: the Dodgers and the All Star Game and the future of the Clippers
The Dodgers host the Diamondbacks today, but a bigger issue might be about next week's MLB All Star Game, the Dodgers have NO starters on the National League's team. And the LA Clippers are keeping Blake Griffin on the roster, but it didn't come cheap.
We talk about that, and a lot more with
Tuesday Reviewsday: Jay Z and Big Boi
If you love music, but don't have the time to keep up with what's new, you should listen to Tuesday Reviewsday ... this week on a Wednesday.
Every week our critics join our hosts in the studio to talk about what you should be listening to in one short segment. This week A Martinez is joined by Oliver Wang - music writer, scholar, and DJ.
Here are his picks:
Jay-Z:
Album: 4:44
Song: Family Feud
Jay-Z snuck his album out late on Thursday night, his 13th studio album and his first since in 4 years. The producer, No I.D. does the entire album, and features a healthy dose of sampling, but not music sample - samples of voices. The samples, mostly of black women from the worlds of gospel, jazz and soul paint a unique picture and is a return to form for Jay even if, topically, he’s not breaking any new ground.
Vince Staples
Album: Big Fish Theory
Song: Yeah Right
Vince Staples is a rapper from Long Beach, California. His new album, Big Fish Theory, is the first since his defining “Summertime 06.” Still very minimalist in feel but this time, adding a heavier EDM production touch thanks to L.A.’s Zack Sekoff, who’s been making waves in the city’s beat scene.
Here's another single from the album, "Rain Come Down."
Big Boi
Album: Boomiverse
Song: All Night
This is the third solo LP from the one-half of the legendary Southern rap duo, OutKast. This album features a re-team with Organized Noise, the Atlanta-based production crew that was pivotal in the 1990s and early 2000s for shaping the then-sound of Atlanta hip-hop.