President Obama's TechHire Initiative, how some veterans feel uncomfortable being thanked, inside the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the California Science Center.
White House plan seeks to spur more tech jobs for veterans
President Obama's initiative to provide more training for tech jobs outlines $100 million in grants for groups underrepresented in the field, such as youth from communities of color, people with disabilities and veterans.
For many veterans, 'thank you' prompts complex feelings
For many people, saying thank you to a military veteran is automatic: a way to show gratitude, to express thanks for tremendous sacrifice.
But the comments from civilians can leave some service members feeling uncomfortable or at a loss for words, especially for those returning from the battlefield.
"They don't really understand what it's like over there, they don't know," said James Yaccino, a combat veteran and former Marine who now lives in Huntington Beach. "And so the thank you seems kind of empty."
Yaccino said he was driven to sign-up for service by a long military tradition in his family, in which both his father and grandfather served.
"I heard the bugle, I heard the call, and decided to go and enlist," he said. But that sense of duty – and the strain and trauma that can come from war experience – is difficult to capture and explain in a brief interaction with a stranger.
"I had to come up with a way to deal with that, with my level of discomfort," said Yaccino.
The issue first came to our attention through an article in the New York Times by reporter Matt Richtel. He described a Green Beret named Michael Freedman who calls it the "thank you for your service phenomenon."
We thought we'd reach out to veterans in Southern California to hear their take on it. The responses, just like the veteran community itself, were diverse.
"People join up for a lot of different reasons, but most people don't join up with the idea that when they return home, they're going to be thanked," said David Barr, who was deployed to Iraq as an Army Officer from 2005 to 2006 and now works as a counselor at the South Orange County Vet Center.
"While the sentiment is appreciated, the thanks itself is very personal and it leaves a lot of questions," he said.
Others say the gratitude marks a progression in how veterans have been treated coming back from wars.
"I wasn't looking for that when I joined the military, but it's nice," said Amy Montano, a resident of Thousand Oaks, who served in the Army in the late 1990s. "I grew up hearing that people did not appreciate Vietnam veterans, so it's quite a shift. I'm OK with it."
Former Marine James Yaccino has one solution: he's printed business cards that he hands out to well-wishers. The cards urge people to get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, a group that helps veterans and their families transition to civilian life.
"I've done my part, now it's time for you to do your part," he said. "This would be a good way to start."
Join the conversation on our Facebook page here.
Oklahoma University sends SAE packing after racist chant goes viral
Members of Oklahoma University’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon have until midnight tonight to pack up and get out of the frat house.
The eviction was ordered by the university’s president David Boren after a video of fraternity members singing a racist song went viral on YouTube and elsewhere. In the song, frat members boasted that there would never be a black student in their frat. The chant also repeatedly invoked an ethnic slur and included references to lynching.
The university has acted quickly in the two days following the video’s posting. Tuesday morning, President Boren
I have acted today to expel two students who were leaders in the singing of a racist chant. See press release - DBo pic.twitter.com/VypOiVqXi7
— David Boren (@DavidBorenOK) March 10, 2015
I have acted today to expel two students who were leaders in the singing of a racist chant. See press release - DBo pic.twitter.com/VypOiVqXi7
— David Boren (@President_Boren)
I have acted today to expel two students who were leaders in the singing of a racist chant. See press release - DBo pic.twitter.com/VypOiVqXi7
— David Boren (@DavidBorenOK) March 10, 2015
The investigation is ongoing and more students could be expelled as the university learns more about the students that participated in the chant. Though this is the first story of fraternity racism to make headlines, author and Atlantic contributor Caitlin Flanagan says that bigotry is a frequent theme in frat culture.
"There’s something a bit disingenuous about the comments by the university president, because there’s no secret about who belongs to these fraternities … year after year after year, it’s all white," she said.
The lack of diversity in public school fraternities is nothing new. Speaking from her research, Flanagan notes that some even chose to celebrate their homogeneity in reprehensible ways.
"It’s quite common at many fraternities to have parties that have explicitly racist themes and they sometimes will try to laugh that off as though it’s some satire," she said.
Though fraternities were initially formed with the intention of creating morally upstanding young men, Flanagan contends that many fraternities have come to represent anything but, asking, “Is this really a system that has a place in modern America? I question that very seriously.”
As the university begins disciplining students for their roles in the incident, questions of the punishments’ legality may arise. Jody Armour is a professor at USC’s Gould School of Law who thinks that expulsion shouldn’t be the school’s go-to.
"I’m also concerned about the young people here … they’re still in a formative stage, they’re in a university setting where education should be our priority. Maybe we can turn this into a learning experience for them and others… but people don’t seem to be going down that road in this conversation," he said.
San Francisco's plan to house homeless in 10 days
From homeless to housed in just 10 days: That’s the approach that San Francisco is taking as part of a pilot program to help manage the city’s homeless population in the Mission District. Sam Dodge with the mayor's Office of HOPE explains more.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Will Butler, Blues Traveler and Matthew E. White
Tuesday means it's time for new music on Take Two.
Yes, it's our weekly segment, Tuesday Reviewsday and this time around we've got music journalist Chris Martins and Shirley Halperin, News Director at Billboard Magazine joining A Martinez in the studio with their picks.
Chris Martins
Artist: Will Butler
Album: "Policy"
Songs: "Take My Side," "Anna"
Notes: This is a voice we've likely all heard, but never in the pole position. It's that of Will Butler, the little brother to Arcade Fire boss Win Butler. They've got a similar voice, but the execution varies pretty drastically. The band's style is beyond grandiose. Their last album "Reflektor" was this hulking mess of loud guitars, Carnival percussion, synthetic textures and orchestral bluster. Even the LP promotional campaign was ridiculous.
Contrast that with the song "Take My Side," off Will's new album. It's like the spare punk-blues of Violent Femmes. It's loose and upbeat, even if the lyrics bear a more pointed cynicism than the sort that lurks around the elder Butler's compositions.
It makes sense if you've ever seen Arcade Fire live. Will quietly lords over his battle station of keys and guitars and things to bang on, until he just explodes. His spastic antics are often tinged with seething aggression, which, not to be unfair, does seem patently "little brother"-like. For "Policy" he looks to the influence of big boys like John Lennon, Magnetic Fields, and Arthur Russell. He also recorded the thing in a mere week in Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios. That minimal approach can definitely be heard in the other song off the album that I'd recommend. It's called "Anna."
Artist: Matthew E. White
Album: "Fresh Blood"
Songs: "Take Care My Baby," "Love Is Deep"
Notes: I'd like to introduce listeners to Richmond, Virginia's second funkiest son, after D'Angelo of course. Meet Matthew E. White, the dude's an eccentric sensualist who loves singing about Jesus as much as he enjoys cooing about making love.
Listen to the song "Take Care My Baby," for an idea of what I'm talking about.
This guy is absolutely fascinating. He rocks a big beard and long locks, has a killer baritone, and is a genius in the studio. White works with a ton of musicians to create an orchestral swirl of gospel, funk, rock, and soul. If you heard his 2012 debut, "Big Inner," you already know.
But this one's even more ambitious and more assured. It's also darker in parts. One song considers the suicide of Philip Seymour Hoffman, another takes on sexual abuse by church leaders, and some that sound like romantic tribute are really about breaking up.
But White stays committed to a lush, giving sound. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that in high school he interned at Pharrell's Master Sound studio in Virginia Beach. I like to think though, that it's all to do with some strange ability this man has to focus all-encompassing "love" into an aural beam and blast it at our ears. Check out the syrup-rich vocals on "Love Is Deep" and you'll hear what I mean.
Shirley Halperin
Artist: Blues Traveler
Album: "Blow Up the Moon"
Songs: "Vagabond Blues," "Blow Up the Moon"
Notes: I’m jumping the gun a bit by choosing this album by Blues Traveler, which isn’t out until April 7, but I thought it appropriate to include on the heels of J.K. Simmons’ Oscar win for best supporting actor in Whiplash which was just released on DVD and VOD.
What’s the connection between a scrappy New Jersey jam band and an Academy Award winning film? Well like Miles Teller’s character in the movie, Blues Traveler frontman John Popper, a master harpist — as in harmonica — and several of his bandmates also studied at Princeton High School under Dr. Anthony Biancosino, the real-life inspiration for Simmons’ character.
But what better way to judge the authenticity of the story than to hear how these graduates have turned out?
Now, Blues Traveler has been at this a long time, soon to mark 30 years, in fact, so what’s a band to do this far into their career? Collaborate of course! And this album is chock full of them — a different artist on every track, to be exact.
Check out the track "Vagabond Blues," which features ska contemporaries Dirty Heads and Rome Ramirez of Sublime.
The guest list on this album is all over the place — from Jewel to Hanson to country duo Thompson Square — and the results are likewise mixed, but then there are these bright spots in the most unexpected places, like the sunny title track, "Blow Up the Moon," featuring JC Chasez from 'N Sync.
The future of solar power
While the dry, sunny weather we've been getting in recent years isn't great for our water supply - it could theoretically be a boost for solar power.
For decades, we've been looking to solar as the future of clean energy. But there are still big challenges in achieving those large-scale goals.
A panel of experts will tackle these questions at the Crawford Family Forum tonight
One of these panelists is Harry Atwater. He's the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology.
UCI flag controversy: CA Sen. Nguyen proposes constitutional amendment
Last week, students at UC Irvine unsuccessfully attempted to ban any flag, including the American flag, from student government offices on campus.
In response, Republican state legislators announced Monday that they will introduce a constitutional amendment that would prohibit state-funded universities and colleges from banning the U.S. flag on campuses.
State Senator Janet Nguyen, a UCI graduate, joined Take Two to discuss the proposed legislation.
Largest exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls outside of Israel comes to LA
The Dead Sea Scrolls were written 2,000 years ago, rolled up in clay jars and hidden in caves. The discovery of the scrolls, the world's oldest known biblical manuscripts, is considered one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th Century. And they're now on display right here in Los Angeles.
"Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition" is the largest display of the Dead Sea Scrolls outside of Israel. The exhibition also features more than 600 artifacts, including ancient pottery, jewelry, weapons and a three-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall.
David Bibas, Curator of Technology Programs at the California Science Center, joined Take Two for a preview of "Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition." To hear the full interview, click the link above.
Anna Akana is a HUGE YouTube star. Now she’s got a new show on Snapchat called 'Snapper Hero'
These days super heroes dominate film and television, but today they're coming to a new platform -the messaging app Snapchat.
The mobile messaging app is launching a new series called 'Snapper Hero,' and much like snapchat messages, which self-destruct mere seconds after being viewed, episodes of Snapper Hero will only be available for 24 hours after being posted.
To watch the show, you'll need to download the Snapchat app.
And one of the show's stars, Anna Akana joins Alex Cohen in studio to talk about it.
'Under Spring': how a bridge underpass became an art space
The North Spring Street Bridge in Los Angeles is a classic piece of 1920s engineering. The story of how an art space developed beneath it is the subject of Jeremy Rosenberg's new book: Under Spring: Voices+Art+Los Angeles.