How So Cal Britons are reacting to the Brexit news, an app that helps talk to kids about natural disasters and the L.A. volunteers who nurse abandoned infant kittens
Brexit's effect on the US market, international travel and you
Brexit is at the top of the news today. Britain has official voted to leave the European Union.
Because of this, British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will step down.
On this side of the Atlantic, the U.S. stock market reacted with a tumble, as financial institutions figure out what Brexit will mean for the global economy.
We also wanted to take a look at what this means for those us here in the U.S. Whether you have money invested overseas or not, there's still things you should probably be aware of when it comes to how Brexit can affect you- even if you're just looking to travel to Britain this summer.
To tell us more about that, Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Jim Puzzanghera. He writes about business and economics for the LA Times.
To hear the full conversation click the blue player above
The Brexit break-up breakdown from both sides of the debate
Brexit is hogging the headlines today. Because of this, Take Two wanted to hear from two Brits residing in Southern California to get their reactions on the Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
First, Paul J. Wright. He is an attorney and chair of the British American Business Council, Los Angeles. He was a proponent of a not-so United Kingdom, but he wasn't positive that he would actually see this reflected in the final voting tally.
On the other side of the Brexit coin is Jay Hankinson -- he's a Brit living in L.A. He was one who did not want to see the change, a sentiment that's been shared by many on social media today and by some who voted "Leave" but are now experiencing buyer's remorse.
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above
How a bench of 8 justices changes Supreme Court decisions
This is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the U.S. Supreme Court.
It's the end of their session, and that means decisions— big decisions— are coming out on issues like immigration, abortion, and other hot topics.
But after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February, the court has had to continue with a smaller bench.
How is that affecting decisions and how the justices work together?
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- Allan Ides, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School
Colombians ecstatic over FARC peace accord, but can it hold?
There was joy on the streets of Bogota on Thursday, as people hugged and sang the national anthem in the Colombian capital
The reason?
After 52 years, there's an end to the ongoing conflict between the Colombian government and FARC -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
An agreement between the two sides was signed in Havana, Cuba in a process three years in the making.
But with over 200,000 killed in fifty years of fighting, will this truly spark a new era of peace for the region?
Cynthia J. Arnson is director of the Latin American program at Wilson Center and speaks with A Martinez.
To hear the whole interview, click on the blue player above
3 tips for talking to kids about emergencies and natural disasters
Californians are no strangers to earthquakes or wildfires, such as the Erskine Fire, which has already burned at least 80 homes in Kern County. These events can be scary for kids, and complicated for parents to explain.
But thanks to UCLA, there's now an app for that. It's called Help Kids Cope, and it offers parents advice and resources for all kinds of natural disasters and emergencies. It's free and available now in the iTunes app store. An Android version will be available July 15.
Melissa Brymer is a psychologist specializing in trauma at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. She helped develop the app, and she shared these tips for talking to kids about emergency situations:
1. Be honest
"The words will be slightly different depending on the age of the child," Brymer said. But it's key to let your kids know you're monitoring what's happening. "You can even use some of the words that you might be seeing as you get some of the alerts," she said. If you're not in a mandatory evacuation situation at the moment, tell your kids to be ready. You should also explain that in the meantime, they may see things like smoke from a fire, but that does not mean there is immediate danger. "Explain what's going on in that area, and that we will be told where to evacuate and when to evacuate if there is a need."
2. Let the kids ask the questions.
"Many times, I follow the lead of the child," Brymer said. She said smaller children, in particular, can't handle a lot of information all at once. You should still give kids basic information about what's happening, "but you don't want to give a lot of detail, unless your child can handle it." Take a break from the conversation if you need to, and pick it back up again when the child is ready.
3. Take care of yourself
This is key, Brymer said, because parents can't take care of their kids unless they take care of themselves, too. If you're in a situation where you've been separated from a child, don't show that anxiety to your other children. Have a moment to yourself instead, Brymer suggested. You should also check in with your employer to determine if work will take place. "Sometimes you might want to have those conversations by yourself so that you can react and take care of yourself before you have to be a parent, and then talk to your kids and answer their questions," she said.
Code orange: Mac n' Cheetos is a thing
Throughout human history there have been many famous food pairings — think Peanut butter and jelly, eggs and bacon, burgers and fries.
But a new hybrid snack at Burger King this week has several amateur foodies raising their eyebrows. They're called Mac n' Cheetos.
It's a pairing only made possible when BK, backed by Warren Buffett, joins forces with PepsiCo Inc.'s Frito-Lay: sticks of macaroni and cheese, breaded, deep-fried and coated with that classic Cheeto orange.
The combo has created a buzz on Twitter:
Burger King is coming out with Cheetos filled with Mac n Cheese.... You can't tell me the devil isn't real! #NotTodaySatanNotToday
— Edmar Dos Santos✞ (@BrazilianKing) June 23, 2016
This isn't the first fast-food fusion. In 2012, Taco Bell rolled out Doritos Locos Tacos — tacos with a Dorito shell.
So what leads a company to create a culinary crossbreed? And what do they say about the way we eat in America?
Take Two put that question to Elizabeth Friend, senior foodservice analyst at Euromonitor International, a market research firm based in Santa Monica.
This product combines two very different products, each successful in their own right. Is it simple product math or is there something more complicated at play here?
It’s a little bit of both. Any time you’re putting two much-loved brands together, there’s some hope that they’re going to borrow a little bit of brand equity from one another and hopefully earn some new fans in the process. There’s also something really interesting going on here. Clearly, these mash-up items generate some excitement that seems to go far beyond the simple sum of the two products involved. I think there’s something really exciting for people about products that seem like they could potentially be the best thing you’ve eaten that week, or they could also very well be the absolute worst. They like to review it and obsess about it online, and it’s fun to see which side of that line the product ultimately falls on.
Fast food has a reputation for being less healthy. Are companies at the point where they've stopped trying to deny it?
I think they’d probably choose a different way of putting it, but there’s absolutely something to be said for the traditional fast food players accepting the fact that they’re not gonna compete with healthier fast food chains on their level. I think we’re seeing these companies trying to stick to what they do best. If they can’t be the healthiest, then they want to be the most exciting, and they want to be the most indulgent and they know they can offer value that way.
Take Two’s Austin Cross and Lori Galarreta went out and tried Mac n’ Cheetos:
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Have you tried Mac n’ Cheetos? Tweet your thoughts to
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview with Elizabeth Friend.
(Note: Answers have been edited for clarity.)
Volunteers work 24/7 to keep kittens alive during kitten season
Los Angeles is coming close to meeting its goal of becoming an official "no kill" city by 2017.
One remaining challenge is keeping newborn kittens alive.
Once they're old enough, kittens are some of the most adoptable pets, but getting them to that point takes a lot of volunteer hours.
During kitten season, the job becomes even more difficult.
Marc Peralta, Executive Director of Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles, helps explain what's involved in saving newborn kittens during kitten season:
What is kitten season?
As the weather gets warmer and the sun comes out more, breeding cycles for cats start and these little babies are born. So kitten season starts in March, ends generally around November, and there is a huge influx of kittens that come into the shelter because people are finding them, they feel bad for them. But the shelters just aren't equipped to handle these little guys. So they need help from people like us.
Why are newborn kittens at such high risk?
Kittens are the number one animals euthanized in city shelters. The issues are, like newborns, they just take a lot of care, so the youngest kittens have to be bottle fed every two hours. With almost about 50 thousand cats and dogs coming in, the city shelters just don't have the infrastructure to support this kind of work.
Before the kitten nurseries existed, there were about 7,500 kittens dying in shelters. There's still about 4,000, but the existence of the nurseries has been huge for our march to "no kill."
What's involved in the care of newborn kittens?
Volunteers feed, weigh, bathe, and help the kittens go to the bathroom, just like their mothers would. The nursery here is open 24/7 and we usually try to get kittens into foster homes as well. Once the kittens are two months old they can be spayed and neutered and adopted, so it's just getting them to that point.
What can people do to help?
If you find kittens in your neighborhood, don't take them to a shelter right away. Wait and watch because mom is usually nearby and better able to care for her kittens than a shelter can. And if you want to donate to the nursery, foster a kitten, or volunteer, that's great too. You can find out more here.
An all-glass slide opens atop a downtown LA skyscraper
SoCal thrill seekers can skip the lines at Six Flags and Disneyland because there's a new ride in town.
Hugging the outside of the West Coast's tallest skyscraper in downtown L.A. is a completely enclosed glass slide hovering 70 floors above the streets.
Called SkySlide, it's one of many features that are a part of the new observation deck SkySpace atop the U.S. Bank Tower.
http://gph.is/28VNwWIWhat you see beneath you when you ride SkySlide (Leo Duran/KPCC)
"On a clear day, we can see as far as 34 miles out," says John Gamboa with OUE, which owns the building.
The slide traverses between just two floors, but because it's made out of glass on all four sides, you'll be able to see miles across the region and to the ground below.
Riders are provided with a mat, and the tube deposits people directly onto a pad on the observation deck.
It's part of OUE's belief in the growth of DTLA as a destination.
"This is a great example of the transformation of downtown L.A.," says Gamboa, "and we'd really like to see this space turn into a cultural landmark for the city."
SkySpace LA and SkySlide open with a grand opening party on Saturday, June 25th, with a free block party. Admission to the deck is $25 for adults, and a pass to ride SkySlide is an additional $8.