On Monday, Take Two discusses the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, a machine that makes untraceable guns, a study that challenges double mastectomy effectiveness, the death with dignity debate and more.
Supreme Court denies review of gay marriage, once again takes on religious freedom
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it had denied review of decisions that struck down prohibitions on same-sex marriage in five states. But the court will take on the issue of religious freedom once again this week. This time, the argument lies in the length of a beard.
In Holt v. Hobbes, Arkansas inmate Gregory Holt says he should be allowed to grow his facial hair as part of his Muslim faith. But officials at the facility where he's serving a life sentence for slitting his girlfriend's throat say no, on safety grounds.
SCOTUSblog editor Amy Howe joins Take Two to discuss Holt v. Hobbs, its similarities to the Hobby Lobby case, and what the Court's ruling could mean for the protection of minority faiths in the United States.
Gay marriage supporters happy and disappointed by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has declined to hear appeals from five states seeking to ban same-sex marriage.
It's cleared the way for vows in those states -- Virginia, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and Indiana.
But it's a bittersweet victory for gay marriage activists.
Many had hoped the high court would take on at least one of those cases to directly address the question of whether same-sex marriage is legal throughout the whole nation.
As it stands, this latest move continues to create a patchwork of states where gay marriage is legal in some, not in others, and sometimes recognized elsewhere.
Evan Wolfson, president of the group Freedom to Marry, says the Supreme Court should finish the job.
Hewlett Packard splits in two: What does this mean?
Hewlett Packard is splitting itself in two.
The company got its start in a northern California garage 75 years ago.
But in order to keep up with today's rapid rate of technological change, HP says it's time for some big changes.
For more on this, Joann Lublin of the Wall Street Journal weighs in.
As Hong Kong protests slow, China watches closely
Despite protesters leaving some of the main sites in Hong Kong, others remained, causing uncertainty about the future of the protests that have disrupted the island for more than a week. The latest came amid a government deadline Monday morning for protesters to disperse.
"It's a protest unlike any other I've ever covered and any that Hong Kong has ever seen," said Stuart Leavenworth, Beijing Bureau Chief for McClatchy.
Within the protest movement, there are two divergent views, said Leavenworth. Some of the elder pro-democracy leaders are urging protesters to abandon street action and plan the next step. But the younger protesters on the street are pushing for concrete democratic reforms ahead of a 2017 election.
"Mainland China, I assume, is quite worried," said Leavenworth. "They're worried mainly because they don't want information about this getting to mainland China and encouraging similar actions and so they've shut down the Internet, they've rounded up dissidents who have expressed support for the protesters in Hong Kong."
Ghost Gunner enables public to make semi-automatic weapons at home
While the name Ghost Gun may sound like a toy, it actually refers to something much more serious.
It's a gun that can be made through a 3D printer or other type of machine--unregulated and unregistered.
Recently a new machine, called the Ghost Gunner was released to the public.
The Ghost Gunner can be used to manufacture operational semi-automatic AR-15 weapons. It costs $1,200 and sold out in a matter of days.
For more, Take Two speaks with Adam Winkler, a Professor of Law at UCLA and author of the book, "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America."
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
What is this device?
They have a milling machine hooked up to a computer and just like a 3D printer it can use software to manufacture this key part of a military-style rifle or what you call lower receiver. So you buy a lower receiver that's already 80 percent completed and you use this machine to add in a few little holes and things and complete the receiver and it becomes just as effective as the kind of firearm you might buy in a gun store.
You make the lower receiver with this milling machine and then buy the other parts of the gun and you can compile it and put it together yourself in your own home.
What do you know about the company behind this device?
The company is called Defense Distributed. It’s a small company that's really becoming a leader in the do-it-yourself gun-making world. Last year the company unveiled the first 3D printed the gun. The guy behind this is a fellow named Cody Wilson, who is a self-described anarchist. And his goal is very much explicitly to undermine the law; to show the state can't control us in a world of technology. He's not just in this for the money. He's on a mission.
Doesn't a gun need other parts to complete it?
Yes, the lower receiver is the main operative part that has the firing mechanism and basically mechanics of the firearm. But you need other pieces too. You need a barrel for the bullet, you might need a handle or a trigger. But all of these pieces are easy to buy online and totally lawful to do. Once you combine them with the lower receiver however, they become a firearm.
Where does California law stand on this?
California and federal law allow these guns to be made. Homemade guns are nothing new but this kind of gunsmithing has traditionally required considerable expertise and expensive equipment.
California lawmakers recently tried to crack down on the manufacturer of these ghost guns, but Jerry Brown vetoed the law, saying requiring these homemade guns to have a serial number wouldn't likely reduce gun violence.
What kinds of ethical issues does this raise for you?
It really raises questions about the practicality of gun control laws in a world where people can make their own guns. So much of our gun control is targeting industrial gun makers and licensed gun dealers and using them as the way to close off access to guns by criminals and the mentally ill. It's going to become a lot more difficult … and could provide new avenues for criminals and the mentally ill to get their hands on guns.
As far as concern, there are so many guns out there anyway and if you really want to get a gun you can, right?
That's right. For those in the gun control community really worried about this development it's worthwhile putting it in some perspective. There's already 320 million guns in America and almost 20 million new guns purchased every year. So in light of those numbers, maybe having a few thousand or few hundred thousand self-made guns probably won't make a huge difference in gun violence.
Any chance California lawmakers are going to try to regulate this again?
I don't think California lawmakers are going to try again in the near future because Jerry Brown is in office for a while but we might see more reform efforts at the federal level or in other states.
Breast cancer: Does a double mastectomy actually help?
More women with cancer in one breast are choosing to have both removed.
But, a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association says this more radical procedure is largely unnecessary.
KPCC's Elizabeth Aguilera looks at the complexities and emotions involved in treating breast cancer.
Related: Questions raised about when to choose double mastectomy
On the Lot: Is 'Gone Girl' misogynistic?
Adults, 60 percent of them women, drove director David Fincher's "Gone Girl" to the top of the box office this weekend.
But the film has sparked a lot of discussion about sexual politics, both among movie-goers and within the ranks of critics. The LA Times' Rebecca Keegan parses through the thinking about this complex film with lots of strong, if not always likable, female characters.
Critics, says Keegan, are also divided over Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, "Inherent Vice." They seem to agree it has an almost unfathomable plot. Some think that's a problem, others say it's part of the film's charm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZfs22E7JmI
And a rescue dog named Bobby London has gone missing. Because this is Hollywood, says Keegan, and because the dog belongs to a studio exec, a psychic and a pet detective have been hired, a reward offered, and some big name stars are getting involved in the search for the errant chihuahua.
Rebecca Keegan joins KPCC every Monday for On the Lot.
Businesses with 'ISIS' name struggle with brand confusion
The name "ISIS" has been popping up a lot in the news recently.
It's an acronym for the Islamic militant group currently operating in Iraq and Syria, but it's also used in the names of more than 270 product, service and business names, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This has led to a bit of brand confusion among consumers and a headache for business owners with the name. Tom Murphy of the Associated Press recently wrote about this and says some companies are debating whether to change their names, while some already have.
How LA works: From SigAlerts to earthquakes
Each day, you wake up, maybe turn on your radio, brush your teeth, grab some coffee, and head out to work. And so on and so forth.
You probably don't give too much thought to what all needs to happen in order to make your day go smoothly. But Nancy Miller, an editor at Los Angeles Magazine, has. She's investigated some of the hidden, inner-workings of L.A. for the magazine's latest cover story: "How L.A. Works."
The issue explores everything that goes on in L.A. over the course of a single day— from how the 'SigAlert' got its name, to how exactly earthquakes work, to how radio waves, electricity, and water make it to your home each day.
So how did the SigAlert get its name? From Loyd Sigmon, of course. Sigman, an executive at radio station KPMC-AM, invented the real-time traffic reports in the 1950s.
And how does L.A. work, literally? What jobs do people do and how much do they pay? "How L.A. Works" looks into a variety of typical jobs in the city and finds that a street character on Hollywood Boulevard might make $31,000 a year, while a parking attendant might only make $21,000.
The "How L.A. Works" issue of Los Angeles Magazine is on newsstands now.
The history of California's gardens has its roots in immigration
The story of the botanical gardens at The Huntington, and many other gardens like it big and small throughout southern California, is more than just about seeds and earth.
It's the story of people who toil away in the dirt to make it happen and the cultures who worked to make beautiful landscapes like it bloom.
"If you think about it, the vast majority of people, plants, even the water have all come from elsewhere," says Pierrette Hondagnu-Sotelo, professor of sociology at USC and author of the new book, "Paradise Transplanted: Migration and the Making of California Gardens."
At the turn of the century, Henry Huntington bought the land that's now become The Huntington. At the time it was a working ranch.
However, he wanted to woo his uncle's widow out to the frontier that was California at the time.
"How was he going to bring her out to this dusty old ranch in the wild west?" says Hondagneu-Sotelo. "He needed a gracious mansion. Gracious gardens."
Huntington hired William Hertrich as his superintendent to develop the grounds.
Hertrich, in turn, travelled around the world to gather seeds, bulbs and cuttings to cultivate at this estate.
Eventually, other rich magnates followed suit with their own estates such as Hearst Castle and what's now The Getty.
"They were men who all needed to show that they all had status," says Hondagneu-Sotelo, "and the most important story to get across here is that these were transnational influences and ideas -- plants that came around the world -- to build these grand gardens."
How Japanese garden tenders passed the trowel to Mexican immigrants
The labor behind these gardens isn't often seen.
In the early 20th century, mostly Japanese men were employed to take care of people's gardens.
"These men, for many reasons, weren't allowed to own their own property," says says Hondagneu-Sotelo, "but they found work going to take care of other people's gardens as the suburbs expanded."
Japanese men were prized for their skill because of several world's fairs at the time.
Showcases of Japanese gardens wowed Western visitors, so in turn they were able to capitalize on the aesthetic cache they had.
"These men had experienced a lot of economic mobility," she says. From that, their own children were able to elevate to other professions such as architects, lawyers and engineers.
"Gardening is hard, hard work, and it's hard on the body."
When these men began to retire, their workers -- many of them immigrants from Mexico -- took over their routes.
Eventually, those Mexican immigrants and their families became inextricably tied with the gardening labor in southern California. It became a means of economic mobility for them as well.
California's growing Chinese population and the Huntington's newest expanse
The Chinese Garden at The Huntington opened in 2008, and it was financed with support from the growing Chinese community throughout southern California.
Its style is designed after a landscaping that was more common for the elite.
However, Hondagneu-Sotelo says its creation was a grand gesture that acknowledged the importance of the Chinese community to the region's history.
"Chinese people have not always been well-accepted in California," she says. "The Chinese style [of gardens] has not always been welcomed here."
She says the garden can be viewed as a symbol of successful immigrant integrationwithout forgetting one's origins.
"Instead it's an incorporation while celebrating those riches."
Read more of Hondagneu-Sotelo's "Paradise Transplanted," and discover more of The Huntington gardens and their history here.
"Paradise Transplanted" by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo
Death with Dignity campaign revives itself in California
California has often been the first state in the nation to take on controversial issues, but one area where it's lagged behind is death with dignity.
Seventeen years ago, Oregon became the first state to allow legal options for physician-assisted dying. Since then four other states have followed suit.
Past attempts in California have failed, but activists are now launching new efforts once again.
"California likely voters are telling us that this is an issue important to them," says Reverend Ignacio Castuera, a United Methodist minister in Pomona, who's working with the group Compassion and Choices on this campaign.
"Just the knowledge that you have the wherewithal to not undergo the major suffering will relax people and give them a better quality of life," he says.
Prop 45: Power to reject proposed health insurance premiums
Now to the upcoming election and Proposition 45.
This ballot measure would give the California insurance commissioner's office the power to reject proposed health insurance premiums.
The commission currently has that power with auto and homeowner costs.
Supporters say this will save consumers billions, while opponents argue it will stymie important new reforms set by the federal health law.
Southern California Public Radio's Stephanie O'Neill shares more.
Related: Prop. 45: Will it help or hurt consumers?
Oso landslide: Investigation finds more dangerous ground in Washington
It's been six months since a deadly collapse in a coastal Washington state community took 47 lives, and left the town of Oso, in Snohomish County, devastated.
But Washington state is dotted with landslide-prone slopes. An investigation by Seattle public station KUOW and the environmental news collaborative EarthFix has found that many local governments do much less than Snohomish County to keep people from building on dangerous ground.
KUOW's John Ryan has this report.
University offers video game scholarship as part of sports department
If you've ever hoped to nab a sports scholarship for yourself or your kid to off-set college costs, here's an option you've likely never thought of: a video game scholarship.
Robert Morris University in Chicago offers just that--and yes, it is part of the sports department.
Kurt Melcher is the assistant Athletic Director at the school and is the brains - and the braun - behind the idea.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Why is playing video games considered an athletic achievement worthy of a scholarship?
This particular game League of Legends has a lot of similarities to traditional sports. You play as a team, you're responsible for a certain portion of the game, you rely on your teammates to be successful and the way these players practice and train, the same work rate is put into this game as, say, a college basketball player.
What goes into practice and training?
We have coaching staff hired so payers will come in after classes and be put in different scenarios, we'll look at game tape from the week before. They prepare their tactics depending on what opponent they're playing. Same as traditional sports.
How did you think of this idea?
I played college soccer way back and I also played video games. I used to play Starcraft and the more I looked into it I saw people played Starcraft 2 competitively and that led me to League of Legends and I didn’t play it previous but I started to and it's a deep game. A lot goes into it as far as strategy, decision making so at our school we give scholarships for a couple non-traditional things like bowling so I thought why couldn't we do this at our school?
How did you pitch this to your bosses?
Every pitch was, "I want you to have an open mind" as a preface and, to their credit, they did.
Not every kid can play traditional sports or wants to do that so why not reward their talents and abilities?
What scholarships does the school offer and what does it take to get one?
Currently we have 35 players. Our varsity scholarship is 50 percent tuition and 50 percent room and board, which compares pretty favorably to other sports scholarships. A second tier varsity reserve is 25 percent tuition.
The coaching staff determines the scholarship. There's an in-game name called the summoner name where you can track—just like major league baseball—the stats and see anything they've done while playing the game. So the coaching staff went through all these summoner names and decided.
Could anyone ever be so good that they get a full video game scholarship, instead of a half scholarship?
Not right now. But that's where I see it going. I think we're ahead of the curve. There's a professional league already for League of Legends and a lot of colleges are playing already on a club basis.
What kind of students are into this?
It's a huge range. We have accounting students, culinary students, business students.
Does Title 9 figure in in some way?
It doesn't because it's not recognized as a sport within the university infrastructure, NCAA or NAIA.
How will recruiting work?
Recruiting will work a similar way. There is a high school star league and we'll be looking for people out of there. Also word of mouth. This is a very connected community. Reddit, that's like the newspaper for them, so we'll post on there.
The high school star league has a final four competition … but almost everything can be done online.
Where is this going to go? Is this something you think is going to be a big part of universities?
I've already been contacted by a number of universities—they asked for anonymity—and there are some major, huge universities asking me about this. While we're the first on the curve, its definitely growing and I think it's something other schools will be adding. In 10 years from now who says NCAA, if they're still around, wouldn't add it?
The hidden history of food: How wordier menus can impact your wallet
Eateries often use florid language to describe their food and beverages. But it turns out that the shift in language can have a direct impact on your wallet.
For every extra letter used to describe a dish, there's also, on average, an 18 cent increase in price.
That's something to chew on as you consider whether to go to the place which serves Five Spices Duck or the one dishing up "Young duck boiled in exotic five spices broth, de-boned and served with spicy vinaigrette!"
Writer Dan Jurafsky examined this phenomenon for his new book, The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu.
Highlights from the interview on Take Two:
On the Chinese origin of that American staple, ketchup:
The Chinese distillers were distilling this new liquor called arak, out of the local palm sugar, so the British Navy bought thousands of barrels of this arak and while they’re there, they buy some barrels of the local fish sauce that these distillers are making on the side, bring it back to England. And now you’ve got this very expensive product…So what do you do when you have an expensive, imported product? You build knock-offs. So immediately, there were knock-off ketchups made out of mushrooms and walnuts – Jane Austin’s family made theirs out of walnuts. Then around 1800, tomatoes came from the New World and people began adding tomatoes to their ketchup. Then maybe 1850, the fish began to die out and then sugar began [to be added] and our modern chutney developed.
On his analysis of 6,500 online menus and the connection between a menu's language and pricing:
We found, for example, that the cheaper the restaurant, the more they’re likely to use the word "you." "Whatever you like," "your choice," "your way." So the cheaper restaurants are really focused on the eater and the choices of the eater. The more expensive the restaurant, the less we see the word you and instead, we see the word "chef." So your expensive restaurants are focusing on the "chef’s choice" or the "chef’s collection." In the expensive restaurants, you’re really paying for someone else to make the decision for you.
On the use of foreign language in menus:
If you think about restaurants a hundred years ago, what did a high-status restaurant do? Their menu was entirely in French, even if they’re describing an Italian dish, they might do it in French. French was the language of status. So there has always been a way for a fancy restaurant to indicate to the customer that it’s fancy. And what’s going on now seems to be not that different.