Medical officials check in on hunger striking prisoners in California; Picture This: The Awkward Years project; Radio host 'Piolin' accused of sexual harassment; Richmond, CA to use eminent domain for housing crisis relief; A day in the life of LA's infant and child death investigator; The Forum in Inglewood to get $70 million facelift, plus much more.
Medical officials check in on hunger striking prisoners in California
Now for an update on the hunger strike happening in California prisons.
The protest over the long-term isolation of inmates is now in its fourth week, with more than 500 prisoners are still refusing food.
On Tuesday, the federal receiver in charge of prison medical care sent a team to Corcoran State Prison in the San Joaquin Valley to check on the overall health of the prisoners.
Joyce Hayhoe, Director of Legislation and Communications for California Correctional Health Care Services, joins the show. She was also part of the team that visited Corcoran.
Radio host 'Piolin' accused of sexual harassment
Last week, Univision cut ties with Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo. The popular morning DJ was a staple on LA's KSCA, but he was a nationally-syndicated star, too.
At the time no reason was given, but according to the L.A. Times, his show was cancelled after one of his male staffers accused him of sexual harassment over a three-year stretch.
Joining us with more is Veronica Villafañe, editor and publisher of Media Moves, a site about Latinos in the media.
Nearly 10 million US households denied bank accounts for past mistakes
According to a report today in the New York Times, roughly 10 million people in the U.S. do not have a basic banking account. An increasing number of low-income Americans are being shut of the system for relatively minor mistakes.
At issue are little known databases banks use to detect fraud. The problem is that individual bounced checks and other financial infractions are also getting notice, and preventing people from opening checking accounts.
Reporter Jessica Silver-Greenberg wrote about this for the New York Times and she joins the show to explain.
Picture This: The Awkward Years project
We've all gone through the rough patch of years where you went from a cute kid to awkward teen, be it braces, acne or bad hair.
Many times, those old high school yearbook photos become the skeleton in the closet. But a wildly popular new photography blog called "Awkward Years Project" is proof that no one is alone.
"Some people, like myself, had been teased and bullied over how we looked. It was very hard for me to make friends," said Salt Lake City-based photographer Merilee Allred, the creator of the blog. "I just wanted to put my story out there and, hopefully, have people relate and show them that their best times are yet to come."
The blog is a series of portraits of people today holding up photos, often school portraits, taken during the most awkward periods in their lives. Along with each photo is a short story about what they went through during that time and how they feel about sharing their pictures.
The blog is still very new with only 10 photos, but Allred plans on accepting submissions.
Allred joined Take Two to talk about how she got the idea for the blog, why she wanted to work on this project, and how she puts people at ease during shooting.
Interview Highlights:
On what you'll find at Awkward Years Project:
"You will find a bunch of people that I have featured so far, where they are holding up pictures of themselves from their most awkward time. A lot of them have painful memories associated with them. Some of them had a facepalm, thinking, 'What on Earth was I thinking back then?' There's a wide variety of people that I am planning on shooting. So far there's only 10 and I'm accepting submissions as well. I will get to posting everyone else who has submitted."
On the comparison between then and now:
"I see healing and relief. I'm proud of who I turned out to be. Looking at that photo brings back a lot of hard memories. I had them locked away; I didn't want anyone to see those pictures. I have several, and I may show more as time goes on. I guess I was so embarrassed by how I looked, so much that I was afraid to share it. But once I did, it was almost as if I was holding my 11-year-old hand to help get her through it as I was posing with her, or me."
On some of the photos that aren't as awkward:
"I've had a lot of people ask me that, actually, with many of the pictures. Most of them have said, 'What's going on? Most of these are cute!' But here's the thing: who am I to say who hasn't felt awkward at that time. I don't want to invalidate their feelings, and when I talk to them, they really do feel that this was an awkward period in their time. Maybe not necessarily the photo that was taken, but the time that they went through.
"My friend Daisy, for example, the one in the meat pan, adorable. I just loved that picture so much. She was saying that it was extremely hard for her at that time because she wasn't fitting in at school. But of course, you can't see that in the picture."
On how she puts people at ease before photographing their awkward pictures:
"They are very nervous. They ask if they need to have their hair and make-up done, but I say, "Be yourself." I don't want anyone to go to the salon and get themselves all fancied up. Here's a little secret: I just use my iPhone. I love how my iPhone camera takes really good pictures. It's fast to edit, so I can hurry and put it up on my blog. When they find out that it's just me, there isn't a crew, there isn't an intimidating camera, it's just me snapping some pictures and letting them see their photos first. Once we find one that they like, I'm happy that they're all proud of the pictures I've taken so far."
On what it means to receive pictures from all over the world:
"I've found that everyone goes through an awkward stage. Even if they weren't teased or bullied, they still have self-esteem issues. The submissions I've gotten so far, I've gotten a couple from Brazil, and they were telling me their story, and it's really neat. I realized that I had something here, and a lot of people could relate to that.
"One of my other subjects, my beautiful friend Autumn, she had an extremely hard time. She had scoliosis, she had to wear leg braces that eventually became a back brace and she was teased, even by her elementary school teacher about how she walked. She was very afraid to share. She was afraid that those feelings would come back, that people would tease her about how she looks. It really affected her, and I want her to be proud of who she is and share her story because I know there are a lot of people out there that can hopefully heal and find hope and inspiration with this project."
Sports Roundup: A-Rod, Penn State and more
Drug suspensions and coverups, that can only mean one thing, it's time for sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered sports for the L.A. Times and ESPN.
Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez's fate is still unknown, but it doesn't look like he's going down without a fight. What's the latest?
Penn State's child sex abuse case is back in the news, this time relating to three former high-ranking school officials. What's happening and how is it going to affect the school?
Last year, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings came off an injury and nearly broke the single season rushing record. This year, Peterson not only says that he'll break the all time rushing record, but has picked out a date to break it.
Last night the Dodgers beat the Yankees here at Dodger Stadium, writing another chapter in their franchises' rivalry. It's one of the all-time great championship rivalries.
Lastly, Yahoo! has put together a list of the 10 greatest athletes in L.A. sports history. Who's on it, and how does L.A. feel about it?
The Forum in Inglewood to get $70 million facelift
The Forum in Inglewood was once home to the Lakers and the Kings from 1967 until 1999, when the teams moved to the Staples Center. In its heyday, the Forum also played host to some of rock n' roll's biggest acts, including Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana.
But that was decades ago, and the indoor arena has been in decline since. Now the venue's new owner have plans to revitalize it with a $70 million facelift.
For more on this, we're joined now by Randy Lewis, reporter and music critic with the LA Times.
Richmond, CA to use eminent domain for housing crisis relief
The city of Richmond, California is a lot like other blue-collar towns.
It has about 100,000 residents, and one of their biggest employers is the Chevron oil refinery. It's also seen a lot of damage inflicted by the housing crisis, with a rising number of foreclosures and plummeting real estate values. Many of Richmond's homeowners are living with a mortgage that's underwater.
Which is why city officials are considering a novel approach by utilizing the legal authority known as eminent domain
It's based on an approach developed by Robert C. Hockett, a Cornell University law professor, and its been simultaneously applauded and blasted by industry experts.
Professor Hockett joins the show to explain how it will work.
A day in the life of LA's infant and child death investigator
In a county the size of Los Angeles, with 10 million people, thousands die each year. Not every death is investigated, except one kind: Children
Every time a child dies in the county, an investigator is assigned to find out what happened. That investigator is Denise Bertone. Her phone is the first to ring when a baby dies, and she's often the first investigator at the scene.
KPCC's Deepa Fernandes tagged along on her daily rounds.
Warning: This story may not be suitable for all listeners.
App Chat: Which non-Candy Crush games you should be playing
Now it's time for App Chat, a new segment where regular contributors come on to give you their app recommendations.
Today we're talking games, specifically, alternatives to one of the highest grossing mobile games of all time, Candy Crush. It has over 45 million monthly active users and is currently the highest grossing app on iTunes. But maybe you don't want to be one of the crushing masses.
Joining me now is Devindra Hardawar, national editor for Venture Beat.
What is Candy Crush Saga?
It's what we call a "Match 3" game. It's a game where you line up three similar candy-shaped objects, and once you do that, they clear out. It's similar to Bejeweled, a really popular game from a while back.
The actual game mechanic is so simple that it's really easy to pick up; you can learn to play it in 30 seconds. It gets to be kind of complicated pretty quickly, but it's also pretty rewarding. It's a good dopamine hit because as you make these matches, there are all sorts of sounds, there are lights going off and it feels good. It feels like you're actually accomplishing something, which is the key for a lot of these social and mobile games. -- Devindra Hardawar
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is a game where you basically help Homer and Lisa rebuild Springfield. It's a lot of fun because you can set tasks, you can have them do things, sort of like The Sims, then close the app and walk away for a couple hours. When you come back, things have actually happened. It's a great game that sets itself up for the mobile experience. -- Devindra Hardawar
Puzzle and Dragons/Clash of Clans
They're games that are popular all over the world. Those are interesting because they make a lot of money. The weird thing about mobile games is that these games come in waves. A popular title can't stay up there for too long, but Puzzle and Dragons, it's basically a role-playing game that's also puzzle based. That one and Clash of Clans, they've managed to stay on the leader boards, in terms of revenue, for several months, which is pretty phenomenal. -- Devindra Hardawar
This is a game that came out last year for iOS, and it just recently hit android. It's one of those games where you're always running and have to survive for as long as you can, but it's a lot of fun because it reminds me of those 2D brawler games where you're punching things and everything is bright-base. It's a lot of fun, and I think it's a lot more interesting than Candy Crush. -- Devindra Hardawar
Apple set to move from smartphone and tablet to your dashboard with iCar
Apple fans who can't imagine life without their iPhones and iPads will soon be able to surround themselves with familiar technology while they're behind the wheel.
The Cupertino-based firm is now making a big push to move beyond the smart phone and tablet and into the dashboard.
The company says putting their technology in automobiles is now a major priority for the firm. Automakers including GM, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai have signed deals to integrate Apple technology into some of their vehicles.
Apple is coming late to the game. Microsoft and Blackberry already have large shares of the market, says Alan Ohnsman of Bloomberg News.
Still, the iPhone and iPad maker has some great content and compelling technology that could make them a force inside vehicles.
Plus, the push to put their technology in cars fits nicely with iTunes radio. It's a service Apple will launch in the fall to compete with streaming music platforms such as Pandora.
Still to be determined, says Ohnsman, who has written about Apple's automotive plans, is whether the company, famous for controlling every hardware and software detail, can learn to cooperate with vehicle manufacturers, who have designers and design criteria of their own.
How The Atavist hopes to change the face of journalism
The future of journalism has been a murky one for some time now. Newspapers, magazines and broadcasters often struggle with the challenge of how to pay for and produce quality journalism in an increasingly digital and mobile era.
Two years ago, a couple of journalists in New York decided to come up with a new model for storytelling. The result is a multimedia platform called The Atavist.
Evan Ratliff is one of the Atavist's founders and its CEO and he joins Take Two from the NPR Bureau in New York.
Atavist Anecdote: Sante Fe Fuego baseball team and 'The Legends of Last Place'
Abe Streep has been a lifelong baseball fan, but he grew disillusioned with the corporate spectacle of modern major league baseball. Instead, he started watching the Santa Fe Fuego.
The Fuego are part of the Pecos League, an independent, professional baseball league that's also the lowest rung of professional baseball in the country. In other words, the minor-minor leagues.
Last year, the team was the worst in the league, but they played for a shot, however remote, at the big time. In the Fuego, Abe found what had long gone missing for him in big league baseball: heart.
He spent a season with the team at their Fort Marcy ballpark and he joins Take Two to tell us their story.