Residents, camp-goers evacuated due to Mountain fire in Riverside County; Protesters call for change to Stand Your Ground laws; The power of 'Black Twitter' to affect change; Summer Dish: How to make northern Thai 'hick food' aka Thai ceviche; Rare Western bumble bee spotted in Seattle; 'Difficult Men' traces rise of quality TV from Tony Soprano to Walter White, plus much more.
Residents, camp-goers evacuated due to Mountain fire in Riverside County
There really is no fire season in California anymore. The year-round threat continues unabated in Riverside county, where the massive Mountain fire continues to burn out of control.
Some 6,000 residents remain under mandatory evacuation orders and the Red Cross says approximately 950 evacuees are at three shelters in the area. Many are kids who had been attending area summer camps before being evacuated.
The air is so full of ash and other particulates that the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for the Coachella Valley, Hemet, the Banning Pass, San Jacinto Valley and Anza.
Joining the show is public information officer Lee Beyer from the U.S Fire Service.
Protesters call for change to Stand Your Ground laws
For the 5th straight night, demonstrators continued to protest the George Zimmerman verdict throughout southern California, resulting in 17 protesters arrested in Victorville, California last night.
Amid calls for action, protesters, politicians and even water cooler conversations have been citing data about the controversial Stand Your Ground laws and whether they reduce violence. But nearly all of those conclusions have been drawn from just two preliminary, non peer-reviewed studies.
For more on this, we're joined by Leigh Ann Buchanan, a Miami-based lawyer co-chairing a task force that's studying the effect of Stand-Your-Ground laws.
The power of 'Black Twitter' to effect change
Black Twitter users showed their collective might after it was announced that a juror in the George Zimmerman trial had received a book deal. Public outrage over social media prompted the juror's book agent to back off.
According to a piece on Buzzfeed, "Black Twitter" has also played a role in the downfall of celebrity chef Paula Deen and the popularity of the show Scandal which stars an African-American lead.
Michelle Taylor, who tweets and blogs under the moniker Feminista Jones, writes in Salon about how this trend became abundantly clear in the wake of the Zimmerman trial.
What you need to know about the California health care exchange
President Obama made a speech on Thursday from the White House, promoting the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. A key element of the plan, a requirement that most individuals have health insurance, goes into effect at the first of next year.
The plan calls for states to set up health care exchanges to help individuals obtain insurance policies. Here in the Golden State, the exchange is called California Covered.
Who can buy insurance through the exchange? How much will policies cost, and what if you can't afford one? When can you begin shopping for a plan?
KPCC's health reporter Stephanie O'Neill has answers to all these questions, and more.
With Covered California, how can insurance companies suddenly begin covering more for a lesser cost?
"The answer is not so simple. At first, there was a bidding process preceded by weeks of negotiations with Covered California officials and the insurers. Thirteen health plans were chosen, and those plans agreed to bring down their profit margins to two to three percent. They did that in large part by negotiating lower reimbursements for hospitals and for doctors, and in exchange they're going to have a ready-made marketplace of over 5,000 Californians."
What are some fears and concerns about the plan?
"There are different contracts offered outside of the exchange. So while basic coverage benefits will be provided, there is concern that there will be far fewer doctors and hospitals available to consumers that purchase the Covered California plan. Blue Shield, for instance, has said that its exchange customers will be restricted to 36 percent of its regular physician networks statewide, and there's other hospitals like Cedar Sinai Medical Center, that are excluded all together from all of the plans."
Any hint on who can buy these policies?
"There's an estimated 5.3 million Californians who will qualify to buy insurance in the state marketplace. These are people who don't have employer-provided insurance, and don't qualify for other government programs like Medicare and Medicaid."
What if you can't afford the policies?
"For those who still can't afford the plan, Governor Brown has agreed to an expansion of Medical, which is California's version of Medicaid, to cover low-income folks who make 138 percent of the poverty level or less. That means about $16,000 a year."
Covered California customer service representatives are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-(888) 975-1142.
Hollywood hopes to court Latino market at Comic-Con
If you're not dressed as a Superhero or carrying a stack of comic books, don't bother to roam the streets of San Diego today. The four-day geek-fest known as Comic-Con is underway.
Fanboys and fangirls from around the world will spend the next 96 or so hours buzzing about comics, movies, TV, and more. It's a big industry event for Hollywood, and one of the groups they'll be trying to tap is the Latino market.
Latinos accounted for 25 percent of all tickets sold at the box office, more than any other demographic.
We're joined now by Umberto Gonzales, founder of Latino-Review.com and the production company Mayimbe Media, which makes low-budget films for Latino audiences. He joins us from San Diego after a long night of partying.
What is the true value of an Emmy?
Netflix shook up today's Emmy nominations. Its political drama, "House of Cards" became the first non-broadcast program to be nominated for an Emmy. House of Cards received nine nominations, including best drama.
With all the talk about the new golden age of television, we wondered if Emmy awards, always the poor cousin to Oscar, might be getting a something of a boost. What's the value of winning an Emmy?
TV Guide Business Editor Steve Battaglio says it can be quite significant sometimes, other times, not such a big deal.
Malibu volunteers to begin issuing parking tickets Thursday: Vote in our poll
If you've ever tried parking along Malibu's beaches on a sunny weekend, you know it's not easy. The city is very aware of the problems this causes. Officials are trying something new when it comes to monitoring and policing beach parking, they're changing who holds the citation books.
KPCC's Eric Zassenhaus has this report.
KPCC's online polls are not scientific surveys of local or national opinion. Rather, they are designed as a way for our audience members to engage with each other and share their views. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, facebook.com/kpcc, or in the comments below.
State of Affairs: Eric Garcetti's first real test and more
It's Thursday, and time for State of Affairs, our look at politics throughout Southern California. KPCC's political reporters, Frank Stoltze and Alice Walton, discuss Garcetti's first real test of leadership, the above topics, and more in this week's discussion.
In Los Angeles, new mayor Eric Garcetti cut his East Coast trip to be back to address the protests following the George Zimmerman verdict.
Earlier in the week, Long Beach mayor Bob Foster announced he wouldn't seek a third term. Meanwhile, in Pomona and the San Fernardo Valley, there are elections coming up.
In a year, California voters will be asked to select a new secretary of state. One of the candidates, Pete Peterson, is a Republican who is pro-choice and pro-same-sex marriage.
Why is Janet Napolitano's hiring as UC president controversial?
The UC Regents are currently meeting, and they're expected to confirm the appointment of former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as the new President of the UC system.
But that was not without its controversy.
Ana Tintocalis, education reporter for the California Report, joins the show with more.
Why are the origins of Georgia's lethal injection drugs a secret?
The life of death row inmate Warren Lee Hill hangs in the balance in Georgia, as a court takes up a challenge to the drugs to be used in his planned execution.
The state of Georgia forbids the release of information about the origins of the lethal injection, which has become increasingly hard to come by as companies shy away from producing the drugs. The scarcity of the medication has paused executions in states that use the death penalty, including California, where more than 700 inmates wait on death row.
Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, joins the show with more.
Rare Western bumble bee spotted in Seattle
We hear a lot of bad news about bees these days: They're threatened by insecticides, toxic water, and colony collapse. But this week there's finally some good buzz for bees.
The rare Western bumble bee has been sighted near Seattle, Washington. It's an event so rare it's almost like catching a glimpse of Sasquatch or some other mythical animal.
Here to tell us more is Evan Sugden, a bee biologist at the University of Washington and photographer Will Peterman, a self-described "bee nerd" who actually tracked down this bee, which is distinguishable by its characteristic white butt.
Summer Dish: How to make northern Thai 'hick food' aka Thai ceviche
This is the first in our series on summer dishes in Los Angeles. Listen to Take Two for more recipes on summertime eating in the coming weeks.
"It's like Thai hick food," says Night + Market chef Kris Yenbamroong about his favorite summer dish, koi tuna.
It's a mix of fresh tuna with fish sauce, sugar, chili and other pungeant ingredients, making it stinky, spicy, salty and sour. It won't cool you down during a hot summer's day, but Yenbamroong likes to embrace the sweat.
If you don't have a chance to join Kris for Dine LA, where he'll be serving the dish at his restaurant Night + Market in West Hollywood, you'll have a chance to make it yourself using the recipe below.
When you make this at home, make sure to mind the process. The layering of ingredients is important in Thai food, according to Yenbamroong.
The sweet and savory base provided by the sugar and fish sauce is accented by the sour of the lime and topped with little bursts of heat in the roughly chopped birds eye chilis. Pair it with warm coconut rice and an extra cold bud light or a light Beerlao.
Recipe:
Koi Tuna by Kris Yenbamroong from Night + Market in West Hollywood
Serves: 1-3 people
In a bowl add:
3/4 cup minced sashimi grade tuna
1 tbsp white table sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
Thoroughly mix
Then add:
1 tbsp ground birds eye chili
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Thoroughly mix
Then add:
1.5 tbsp of lime juice
1.5 tbsp of plara (fermented fish sauce)
2 tbsp roughly chopped lemon grass
2 tbsp roughly chopped kafir lime leaves
Finally, add:
A sprinkle of roughly chopped birds eye chili to taste
1 tbsp of rice powder
Lightly mix
Serve with warm coconut rice and a cold bud light or light beerlao.
Night + Market is located at 9041 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. They're also participating in Dine LA - where you can pick up freshly made koi tuna, not found on their normal menu.
'Difficult Men' traces rise of quality TV from Tony Soprano to Walter White
In less than a month, the TV show "Breaking Bad" will return to AMC for its final eight episodes. Fans of the critically-acclaimed drama have been waiting almost a year to catch up with up the story of Walter White — played by Bryan Cranston — a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher turned ruthless meth kingpin.
Walter White is part of a growing number of antiheroes populating the TV universe since the late 1990s, from Tony Soprano to Don Draper.
This so-called Golden era of television came about as a result of network and cable companies looking for riskier, brand-defining content.
“In order to exist in a world in which where there are literally hundreds of thousands of options, a network, a station needs, more than anything, an identity – needs a brand,” said Brett Martin, who chronicles these characters in his new book "Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution."
Martin says it was "The Sopranos" that really brought this idea together when Tony Soprano killed a man with his bare hands in an unwavering one-shot scene.
“There are some changes that happen that are so radical and so transformative that once it happens, you can hardly believe it was controversial,” Martin says.
That scene opened the gates to all kinds of behavior that viewers were willing to accept in a television hero, Martin adds. Behind every one of these unconventional heroes, is a writer or show runner who brings their own unique intensity and baggage, and is essentially the keeper of the vision.
“What they all share is a fierce vision, and the most kind and least difficult show runner is still going to be a fierce protector of his or her show, and is going to fight for it and has a sense of where this whole universe is going,” Martin said.
Nuran Alteir contributed to this web segment.
Dinner Party Download: AC, palm plastic surgery, and detecting sarcasm
Every week we get your weekend conversation starters with Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam, the hosts of the Dinner Party Download podcast and radio show.
On The Docket This Week:
Heating, Not AC, Could Be Worse For Environment
"To focus on solely on air conditioning and not heating in the wintertime as causing global warming is hypocritical. Cold states contribute more to global warming. They expend more energy heating than warm states do in the summer time."
How Bad Do You Want To Change Your "Fortune"?
"The latest in craze in Japan is to change your fortune by getting plastic surgery on your palm. A plastic surgeon at a Japanese clinic last year was approached by a female patient who wanted her palm reformatted to bring her better luck, and he figured out a way to do it. He has done 37 such surgeries in the past year, and other branches are doing it."
We're Totally Confident In New Analytical Tool
"A new company claims to be able to detect sarcastic comments posted online. But despite the fact that this company says it's able to detect sarcasm, not everyone believes this is possible."