The future of DACA, a young Syrian woman walks the line between her identities in a new documentary, E3 wraps up in LA.
SOA: Trump backs off DACA, CA's new budget, Rohrabacher's newest challenger
This week on State of Affairs:
- President Trump backed away from his campaign promise to end the DACA program
- California lawmakers finalize the state budget
- And Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has yet another Democratic challenger — a man from the world of science, not politics.
Guests:
- Jack Pitney, Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at Claremont McKenna College
- Scott Shafer, Senior Editor for Politics and Government at KQED
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
‘Dalya’s Other Country’: Being a teen in LA is different when you’re coming from Aleppo
Being a teenager these days is hard enough. But add in having to flee a war-torn country while adjusting to a new place and culture and, well, that makes things even more complex.
It's an experience that's familiar to 18-year-old Dalya Zeno.
Five years ago, Dalya and her mother fled Syria and joined Dalya's brother Mustafa, who was already here in Los Angeles. Their story is surprising — not what may come to mind when you hear about the plight of Syrian refugees or migrants.
The new documentary, "Dalya's Other Country," follows the mother-daughter struggle to assimilate into an increasingly polarized country while trying to hang onto their roots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECBh3J3sKBQ
Director Julia Meltzer set out to film in 2013 with a very specific idea in mind:
"When I started this film, I was looking for someone coming from Aleppo to Los Angeles, and I found Dalya, and I thought that it would be a good story to look at her process of adjusting to high school."
Caught between two cultures
At the age of 13, Dalya came to the U.S. to start her new life. While acclimating to the new culture and environment, the family was approached to have their lives filmed and documented, something Dalya "didn't take so seriously" at first.
The documentary was segmented into three different sections of Dalya's life, checking in almost every year during her high school career. It starts in 2013, when we see a young 15-year-old Dalya juggling identities. Just as she's starting to mold her identity, a visit from her father throws her off balance, and in a particularly revealing scene, she admits she doesn't like it in the U.S.
Flash forward to present day when, upon hearing that clip, 18 year-old Dalya laughs:
"It's funny how I came here and I didn't like it and I wanted to go back to my old life. But I never honestly knew that I would be where I am today. Like, I love my life here, and I'm thankful that I don't feel that way anymore."
Two women, parallel journeys
The documentary hits on many points: assimilation, Islamophobia, feminism. But one of the strongest themes is the relationship between Dalya and her mom, Rudayna.
Director Julia Meltzer's reason for highlighting it came about organically:
"That came about really through getting to know Rudayna... I thought, 'OK, I'm going to follow Dalya through high school. It's going to be about her high school. I'll find some friends who are around her ... And maybe it'll be about girls in Southern California in a high school, immigrant families.' I thought maybe I was searching for that.
"After I got to meet Rudayna and I learned a little bit about her story and what she had gone through and her marriage ... And then that she decided to return to college in her 50s, I thought, 'Well, that's amazing. That's a story, too.' And I thought looking at these two women, one who's coming of age, one who is middle-aged, and both really going through a lot of change and shift. I thought that's an interesting thing to look at those two generations and how they face those challenges, being at different ages and different points in their lives."
Additionally, the documentary explores Rudayna's struggle with loneliness as a divorced middle-aged Muslim woman trying to navigate her new independence.
The shift
The title of the documentary is "Dalya's Other Country," which in the beginning clearly seems to refer to the United States. But slowly, as we check in with her through the years, we begin to see a shift. As of now, Dalya's heart remains here:
"In the beginning, the U.S. was my new country, my other country that I was kind of seeking refuge in. But, at this point in my life, I think Syria is now my other country. I've gotten more Americanized definitely, but life here just became my life and who I am."
"Dalya's Other Country" will kick off POV's 30th anniversary on PBS SoCal on Monday, June 26 at 9 pm.
To listen to the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Long lines for big video games define this year's E3 convention
The Electronic Entertainment Expo just wrapped up at the L.A. Convention Center.
Just like it happens every year, there were tons of announcements made about what the future of gaming will look like.
The biggest difference, though, is that this year's E3 was open to the public. So that meant one thing: long lines. Lots of them. Some lasting for hours on end.
"In all the shows I've been to -- and I've been to, like, 12 of these -- this was one of the harder ones to get around," KPCC's Redmond Carolipio tells Take Two's A Martinez.
Carolipio says that the long lines were usually due to people wanting to get their hands on the latest releases before the general public. "Like many people, I didn't get to play nearly as much as I've done in the past. At this show I think if you got to play two big things a day, that's amazing progress."
The big titles on the way from SoCal Gamemakers:
Marvel's Spider-Man by Insomniac Games in Burbank
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy by Naughty Dog in Santa Monica
Call of Duty: WWII by Activision
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above.
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The Styled Side: How about custom shirts for Father's Day?
If you want to treat your dad to something fancy this Father's Day, how about a wardrobe makeover?
"A lot of dads will be getting clothes this year, whether they want it or not," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily. "The National Retail Federation estimates that 46 percent of consumers will be buying some type of clothing for dad this year."
But you can do better than the old standard of gifting a tie. You can go "tie adjacent," instead.
"The new trend I’m seeing in L.A. is the rise of places that will make made-to-measure shirts," says Tyree.
They can cost anywhere from $100 to $150, depending on the fabric, style, buttons and more.
"Clothes that are tailor made for you instantly convey that you’re in command," she says, "and it’s a relatively affordable wardrobe investment that you’ll have more than just one season."
The process starts by getting your measurements taken. It takes about 10 minutes.
Then a great shop and tailor will walk you through all the options to make sure the shirt or shirts fit your lifestyle and job: Are you a tie guy? What kind of collar would you like? Should it have a breast pocket?
Tyree highlights a few retailers in Southern California where you can get the process started.
One is Untuckit, located on Melrose, that specializes in custom shirts that you can wear untucked.
There's also menswear boutique Sid Mashburn at the Brentwood Country Mart.
Online, there is Propercloth which will walk you though the process of how to take your own measurements at home.
"There’s no reason to be intimidated," says Tyree. "It could be addictive!"