Some argue higher taxes will only help boost the illicit pot market, Magic Johnson's legacy outside of sports, following the Disney fallout—do movie critic matter?
Pricey pot: Bud buyers can expect steep taxes in 2018
Thinking about buying recreational pot in 2018? That high will come with high taxes. California stands to make about a $1 billion in annual tax revenue when recreational pot becomes legal next year.
Associated Press reporter Mike Blood estimates that customers could end up paying close to 70% more than the sticker price. He broke that number down for Take Two:
If you take the cost of a good quality medical marijuana at a dispensary in LA, about 1/8 of an ounce will cost you $35.
Next year, beginning with the new economy, you're going to have a 15% state excise tax that will be applied to that purchase.
There will be a 10% city tax that's expected to get rolled over to the consumer.
Then you're gonna pay the regular sales tax, which is another 10%.
You add in some costs of business that are expected to go up and very quickly you could get to $50, $60.
Businesses that make pot products could experience a significant spike in the cost of doing business starting next year. Press the blue play button above to hear why.
Media walk a fine line when reporting on corporations
Disney banned all LA Times journalists from advance film screenings, last week, in response to the newspaper's investigation into Disneyland's business relationship with Anaheim.
That prompted several critics' associations to announce that they wouldn't give any of those movies awards, and Disney backed down.
The scenario pointed out the tightrope news organizations sometimes walk when they report on entities they also rely on for access to other stories.
Take Two explains that process with Rick Edmonds, media business analyst for the media training organization the Poynter Institute.
Listen to the full chat by clicking the audio player above.
Magic Johnson and his revelation about HIV, 26 years later
It happened 26 years ago ... Magic Johnson, one of the biggest superstars in sports and one of the greatest athletes of all time made a grave and startling announcement.
That he had contracted the HIV virus.
It sent ripples all over the world, for a variety of reasons. Johnson didn't fit into the idea of who contracted the disease, he wasn't gay or a drug user. But at the time, most everyone assumed that contracting the virus meant that eventually, you would die.
But that's not what happened. Robert Fullilove is a Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Medical Center. He's been involved with HIV/Aids research for more than thirty years, and when he heard the announcement - he knew something huge was about to happen.
More than anything else, we've been sending this message for years that everyone is vulnerable to an infection of HIV, and that message was finally going to be heard ... probably for the first time.
We spoke to him about the lasting effect of Johnson's announcement - and what still needs to be done in terms of fighting the disease.
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
An earlier version of this post stated that it has been 25 years since Magic Johnson announced he contracted HIV, it has in fact been 26 years. We regret the error.
There's good news for LA sports fans
On the surface, it may seem like the L.A. sports scene has had a tough time after the Sparks and Dodgers fell one game short of winning championships. But if you take a look at the Rams, Kings and Lakers, L.A. is actually doing pretty well.
Brian and Andy Kamenetzky join Take Two's A Martinez to talk about the local teams to watch with pride this season.
Highlights
The Rams: Last season they averaged 14 points a game, the worst in the NFL. Now, they're the highest scoring team at 33.
Their quarterback, Jared Goff, is the same and their star running back, Todd Gurley, is the same, but a lot else is different. The offensive line which was horrific last season has been completely revamped. It’s anchored by new all pro left tackle, Andrew Whitworth. They upgraded their receiving options around Jared Goff who’s also taken a step forward in his own growth. And most importantly, new head coach Sean McVay, who is 31 years old and the youngest coach in the NFL. He is a far more creative, innovative, and frankly, fun offensive mind than Jeff Fisher was last season. This in particular marked a comeback for Todd Gurley, their star running back who is coming off a down season. He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm that’s been infectious. And culturally the Rams are in a significantly different place whether you’re talking about as an organization or just overall atmosphere than last season. And culture matters a lot in sports.
The Kings: They’ve won two Stanley Cups in recent seasons but they’ve actually missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. And in the other, they were bounced in the first round.
This year, they’re eleven (wins), two (losses) and two (overtime losses). They’re leading the Pacific Division. And the story lines around it are great. Anze Kopitar, their outstanding center, is fifth in the league in scoring which is always great to see. Jonathan Quick, who was the Olympic caliber goal tender, played for Team U.S.A. and helped win the Kings their Stanley Cups. He’s currently second in the NHL save percentage. But I think Kings fans are particularly excited about longtime right winger Dustin Brown. This is his fourteenth season with the team. He has only played for the Kings. He’s long been their heart and soul, but Brown’s performance on the ice has diminished a little bit over the last few years This season, though, he’s on pace to produce his best year since the Kings won the Cup in 2012. It’s not just that they’re winning. It’s that guys like Dustin Brown and Kopitar, and then younger players like Tyler Toffoli, are playing well and could bring the cup, certainly the playoffs, back to the Staples Center.
From battlefield to culinary field: MREs continue to inspire long after combat
When you think military food, "gourmet" probably isn't the first word that comes to mind. But there's a new show on KCET looking to change that:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/180974309
"Meals Ready to Eat" is made by — and for — military veterans, but it seeks to build a bridge to the civilian community using that thing that brings us all together: food. The show visits different military food operations around the world, speaking with chefs there about the military's current culinary status and cooking up meals along the way.
August Dannehl co-writes and hosts "Meals Ready to Eat." He's also a Navy veteran.
Dannehl spoke with A Martinez about the project and why it's important to find and tell the stories that often go untold.
Food and the military community
Food usually works as the great equalizer. As a thing that brings people together.
"It's not just military that eat food, obviously, it's everybody. So we're trying to kind bring the worlds of the military space and the civilian space together a little bit too, through food. It's not often done where you try to meld the line because we're all civilians now."
By veterans, for veterans
"Meals Ready to Eat" is produced in partnership with the group We are the Mighty, a multi-platform media brand that produces events and content by, and for, veterans.
"It's important to me as a veteran, and Kyle the director who's an army veteran, it's important for us to tell the story not usually told about the veteran space. I mean, I had never heard of a veteran food show before."
That might be because most people think military food is, well, not very good.
A Martinez's first MRE
In case you didn't catch it, the show's title is a nod to "Meals Ready to Eat," or MREs — those instant food packs given out to the military in the field. These dishes are often dropped from thousands of feet high into combat zones and will usually have enough calories to satiate a soldier for a whole day.
"The folklore around this thing, around the MRE itself is huge. It's a buzzword certainly in the military. It's a big topic of conversation. So, I took that further when I was thinking about the title.
I like these thematic stories that we tell. We go all around the world and we're telling stories of real people of all different backgrounds and each episode has a different theme to it. I think those stories that we're telling are also meals in a way. They're ready to consume. They're ready to think about. We're trying to inspire thought amongst the civilian community and the community at large about food in the military."
To illustrate just how much of a staple MREs are in the military community, Dannehl brought one for A Martinez to try.
The meal was creamy spinach fettuccine. The MRE packet also came with crackers, peanut butter, a chocolate protein drink and pretzel sticks. See the verdict from the taste test below:
Although the meal was deemed "passable," Dannehl recommended A Martinez not to finish it. The reason? MREs are almost completely stripped of fiber content so the military personnel eating these meals won't have the need to use the bathroom too often — a definite inconvenience during combat.
"Meals Ready to Eat" premieres Tuesday, November 8 at 8:30 pm on KCET.