Today on the show, we'll start with a discussion about how gun control advocates press Congress to enact reform. Then, remembering the late Maya Angelou's impact on young writers. Plus, California's cherry crop is looking dismal this year due to a warm winter, VaKA Burger wins our poll for the best burger in L.A., Susan Orlean gets inside the world of arson investigators, James McAvoy gets dirty in "Filth," and much more.
Can gun control advocates effectively press Congress for reform?
Yesterday, Richard Martinez, the father of slain student Christopher Michaels-Martinez, spoke to a packed stadium at UC Santa Barbara following last Friday's killing spree by Elliot Rodger.
Martinez asked the crowd to call on their elected officials for stricter gun control:
"I got a phone call from a congressperson to express their condolences," he said during a memorial service, "and I told this person I wasn't interested in a phone call from them to express their condolences and sadness about what happened to Chris. That was unacceptable, until that person went back to Congress and actually did something. They had done nothing, and that's why Chris died."
But will this plea make any difference?
Laura Cutiletta, senior staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, joins Take Two to explain how gun control advocates hope to shift the debate after many years of inaction by Congress.
The role that racism played in Elliot Rodger's rampage
There are certain topics, like guns, that come up over and over again in the wake of mass killings like the one in Isla Vista.
Things like mental illness, or a culture of violent video games, are looked to for explanations, but what other factors connect the perpetrators of these crimes?
Graduate student Cliff Leek and sociology professor Michael Kimmel have studied the profile of mass shooters and found a striking commonality: they are overwhelmingly white and male. Cliff Leek joins us now with more.
Susan Orlean: The story behind LA Central Library's arson investigators
Writer Susan Orlean made a name for herself with books like "The Orchid Thief," "Rin Tin Tin" and "Saturday Night."
Her new book is of a different sort, it's all about a mysterious character who lives in downtown Los Angeles: the Central Library. We’ve been checking in with Orlean from time to time as she researches the fire an arsonist set in the library book stacks in the 1980s.
Host Alex Cohen sits down with her again to talk about the role arson investigators play in the story.
National Hamburger Day: VaKA Burger has the best burger in SoCal
The people have spoken! For National Hamburger Day, and in honor of the most American of treats, we asked you to tell us where to find the best hamburger in Southern California.
VaKA Burger won!
Unsurprisingly, Umami Burger and In-N-Out were near the top, but it was a newcomer to the SoCal burger scene that won. Chef Aaron J. Perez's
concept, in northeast LA's Glassell Park neighborhood, is only four months old, but it still managed to take the top prize.
The kitchen is small — maybe 10-square feet — and the restaurant has only a handful of seats outside, but Chef Perez says that people have been lining up around the block to eat his freshly ground grass-fed burgers. Maybe that's because everything is home made. From the BBQ sauce to the bacon jam to the ketchup.
Chef Perez's Recipes
The Truffle Burger
- 6 oz. Burger Blend (ring mold)
- 2 slices Fontina cheese
- 2 tablespoons stout onions (see recipe)
- 2 tablespoon Garlic Aioli
- ¼ cup baby rocket arugula
Directions:
Ring mold 6oz. signature blend and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper generously Heat flat top and ladle clarified butter, and place burger on heat and sear good to create caramelization on both sides of patty, finish off in oven. Depending on cooking temperature of patty, 1 minute before taking burger add slice of Fontina and allow to melt.
Toast bun on all sides, coat top bun with clarified butter. Take of heat, and add house made signature garlic aioli (bottom bun). Top with cooked burger patty, add stout onions, truffle oil, and baby rocket arugula.
Stout Onions
- 5 Large sweet onions
- 1 cup Old Rasputin beer
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
Directions:
Thinly slice onions on a mandoline. Heat a large pot on a large pot, and add salt to boiling water. Cook for 30 – 45 minutes until translucent (stir sides to get brown bits cooked). Bring up heat and pour in 1st ½ cup of beer and reduce completely. Add other ½ cup and reduce completely. Add 2nd ½ cup of beer and reduce. Taste adjust seasoning as needed.
Bacon Jam:
1 pound thin very-smoky bacon (you can always add a drop or so liquid smoke
if bacon isn't smoky enough!)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup freshly brewed coffee
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2-5 drops of Tabasco sauce (more or less to taste) (regular or Chipotle style)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. coarse salt
Directions:
Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and put into large cold Dutch oven or large pot. Over medium heat, cook bacon until a lot of the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to brown. Using slotted spoon, removed bacon to drain on some paper towel and pour off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon fat-you may reserve the remaining bacon fat to brush on the outside of the Panini sandwiches.
Add the onions and garlic and sautee in the bacon fat until it is translucent.
Add bacon back to the Dutch oven and all other ingredients. Bring to simmer and then lower heat and continue to simmer uncovered for an hour or until thick and jam-like, stirring occasionally.
Allow the jam to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to food processor. Pulse the mixture 8-10 times or until it reaches your desired texture. Put into a jar and allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate.
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With digital and social media contributions by Michelle Lanz
Sports Roundup: Donald Sterling, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and more
Donald is digging in. Will the commissioner of the NFL bring down the hammer on...his boss? And Joe Namath, reincarnated. All this means it's time for sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who've covered sports for ESPN and the Los Angeles Times.
It seems as if any chance the Sterling/Clippers drama would be resolved quickly and/or quietly is out the window. Sterling's lawyer says he'll "fight to the bloody end" and he "disavowed" the agreement he reached with his wife allowing her to sell the team. Her attorney says they have a written agreement and that she's working with the NBA on the transaction. NBA votes on June 3.
The list of potential new owners is growing. Who's interested? Some have suggested that if and when a new owner takes control, they should change the name of the Clippers to...anything else. Is this a good idea? What would be your top choice for a new name?
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell holds players to strict standard when it comes to off-the-field issues. Now Goodell has a situation on his hands that players are paying close attention to. Let's just say that Cleveland Browns rookie QB Johnny Manziel has, "a certain zest for living."
The Miami Dolphins are back on the field getting ready for the upcoming season but the bullying scandal from last season continues to follow them. What's the latest?
Last night in New York, Rapper 50 Cent threw out the first pitch before the Mets-Pirates game and Andy...it was just a bit outside.
Very young children, especially girls, withhold friendship as a weapon
Even though it happened nearly four decades ago, Take Two host Alex Cohen clearly remembers how awful she felt as a kid every time her friends played "Charlie's Angels."
Inevitably, the same three girls would snatch up the roles of Kelly, Jill and Sabrina and she would be left playing John Bosley. For which she would inevitably be teased. So not cool.
This kind of exclusionary behavior is pretty typical, especially among girls. But recently, psychologists and educators are trying to do more to stop it. It's an issue Sumathi Reddy wrote about for the Wall Street Journal and she joins the show with more.
Rim Fire restoration offers chance for a new approach
The Rim Fire last August near Yosemite National Park was the worst on record in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
It burned 400-square miles over three months and in some areas, the flames were so hot they completely charred the entire landscape, burning everything in their path and leaving the earth a molten crust.
But despite the devastation, the forest is growing back and restoration plans are underway. Jim Branham, executive officer with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy said the first priority is deciding whether the Forest Service will allow salvage logging, a process where logging companies come in and remove the dead and burned wood.
Burn areas can provide habitat for certain species, like the black-backed woodpecker, so salvage logging can be controversial. Branham said the various stakeholders are weighing many approaches and trying to learn from past mistakes as they plan a new future for the burned forest.
View the Rim Fire on KPCC's Fire Tracker
Warm winter blamed for California's sparse 2014 cherry crop
If you've taken a stroll through your local grocery store lately, you might notice that it's cherry season.
That means time for homemade cherry pie, cherry cobbler and cherry's jubilee. Whatever your favorite cherry treat may be, you better not wait to snatch up some of this year's crop. A number of factors — including an unusually warm winter — have cut California's cherry harvest to a mere fraction of what it has been in year's past.
For more on the state of California cherries, we're joined by Andy Mariani of Andy's Orchard in Morgan Hill, California.
Where can you pick or buy fresh cherries in Southern California?
LA County's Leona Valley has many cherry farms that allow you to pick your own. Just sure you call before trekking out to any of these cherry orchards. They're going fast!
- Villa del Sol Sweet Cherry Farms
- Amber's Sweet Cherries
- Big John's Orchard
- C & D Cherry Farms
- Cherry Blossom Farms
- U-Pick Cherry House
- Frontier Cherry Farm
- Northside Cherries
- Rolling Thunder Ranch
- Windy Ridge Cherry Orchard
Know of a good spot to pick that's not on this list? Tell us in the comments below!
Budget cuts in San Bernardino could shutter libraries
Almost two years after filing for bankruptcy, San Bernardino is facing a $22.8 million deficit.
Now, in an effort to balance the budget, city officials are proposing some unprecedented cuts that could force the city to close its branch libraries, shutter some fire stations, and lay off more city employees. San Bernardino Sun reporter Ryan Hagen joins the show with more.
Hitting the streets with LA's only full-time water cop
California's drought stretches on and municipal governments are working on ways to save water. About 45 cities — including Los Angeles — patrol their streets looking for water wasters.
KPCC's Molly Peterson hit the beat with LA's only full-time water cop.
US Soccer team's young stars make mark ahead of World Cup
The U.S. Men's Soccer team is one step closer to Brazil and next month's World Cup with a win last night against Azerbaijan. The U.S. won 2-0 on a windy night at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.
But it took more than 70 minutes to get on the scoreboard, and both goals came from substitutes. Mix Diskerud, 23, struck first, poking the ball in the back of the net after Michael Bradley's shot was deflected by keeper Kamran Aghayev. Ten minutes later, Aron Johannsson, 23, scored on a header from a Brad Davis corner kick. Striker Clint Dempsey, who was scheduled to wear the captain's armband, sat out the game due to a groin injury.
"Everyone did fine, did exactly what we hoped they would do," said coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the match. "We had the chance to get a lot of subs to give them playing time, as well."
Klinsmann, who likes to keep his players guessing, will be counting on that playing time during these "friendly" games to help him fine-tune his starting line up. The game was one of the last chances for players to impress.
But steady winds at Candlestick kept them from hitting a rhythm or demonstrating the more exciting, attacking style that Klinsmann has sought to bring to US soccer. The crisp one-two passing that players showed in recent against Mexico or South Korea was largely absent, with few scoring chances from either side until well after halftime.
"That was a game where we had to grind them down," said goalkeeper Tim Howard, who with last night's win against Azerbaijan tied Kasey Keller as the US goalie with the most wins, 53. "They were tough."
After the grueling two-week training at Stanford, the US team heads to the East Coast tomorrow. They face Turkey this Sunday, then Nigeria on June 7.
But the date that looms large for US fans? June 16. That's when the US faces Ghana in the first game of the World Cup -- the true test of how the team stacks up against the best in the world.
James McAvoy gets dirty in the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's 'Filth'
Actor James McAvoy has played a lot of characters in his time on the silver screen: a super-human assassin, a World War II soldier and, of course, one of the most powerful mutants in the universe, Professor Charles Xavier.
He's on screen now reprising his role as Professor X in the summer blockbuster "X-Men: Days of Future Past," but you can also see McAvoy now in a smaller, grittier film set in his home country of Scotland.
The movie is "Filth," based on the novel of the same name by writer Irvine Welsh ("Trainspotting"). In it, McAvoy plays against type in the surprisingly dark role of Detective Bruce Robertson, a very dirty cop who's desperate to get a promotion.
"Filth" opens in theaters on Friday, May 30. To hear the full interview, click on "Listen Now" in the upper left.
Remembering Maya Angelou's impact on young, aspiring writers
Today we say goodbye to the extraordinary poet and writer Maya Angelou. The legendary poet died this morning in her home in Winston Salem North Carolina. She was 86 years old.
RELATED: Poet Maya Angelou, 86, has died
Her memoir, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," was one of the first autobiographies by a modern black woman to enjoy success among mainstream audiences.
Here she is reading her poem "On the Pulse of Morning," at the inauguration of Bill Clinton:
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,Marked the mastodon
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow,
I will give you no hiding place down here.
To talk about how she affected other young writers, we're joined now by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks.