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Podcasts Take Two
USC LABarometer, Blizzard Entertainment, The Great Shakeout
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Oct 17, 2019
Listen • 47:19
USC LABarometer, Blizzard Entertainment, The Great Shakeout

SoCal video game company Blizzard Entertainment is affected by China policies, Lessons learned 30 years after San Francisco's Loma Prieta earthquake.
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Ridgecrest residents inspect a recent fault rupture following two large earthquakes in the area on July 7, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. A 6.4 magnitude 'foreshock' on July 4 was followed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake the next day. The 7.1 magnitude temblor was the largest in Southern California in twenty years. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Ridgecrest residents inspect a recent fault rupture following two large earthquakes in the area on July 7, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. A 6.4 magnitude 'foreshock' on July 4 was followed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake the next day. The 7.1 magnitude temblor was the largest in Southern California in twenty years. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
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New research from the University of Southern California finds that L.A. residents are less satisfied and less optimistic than people who live in other parts of the country, and a big part of the reason why is a lack of affordable housing. Plus, local video game company Blizzard Entertainment is affected by China's policies. And, lessons learned 30 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco.

30th Anniversary of Loma Prieta Earthquake

On the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, California engages in the Great Shakeout of 2019 and launches a statewide earthquake alert app. The anniversary takes place just as new research about the summer's Ridgercrest Quake comes out.

Guest:

  • Jacob Margolis, KPCC Science Reporter 

Lucy Jones Recommends

Take Two gets tips from seismologist, Dr. Lucy Jones who is the premier voice on earthquake science and public advocate for earthquake safety in California.

USC LABarometer

Residents of L.A. County are generally less satisfied with their lives and not as optimistic about the economy compared with people living in other parts of the United States, according to the new “LABarometer” survey from the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Guest:

  • Kyla Thomas, director of LABarometer

LA Parks and Recreation Snacks

L.A.'s Department of Parks and Recreation runs after-school care programs that are a safe and cheap alternative for working parents. But when the kids get there, the snacks they get aren't healthy. They are full of sugar. Experts say sugar is the leading cause of diabetes among kids and obesity rates are skyrocketing. KPCC’s Alyssa Jeong Perry reports.

Blizzard Entertainment

The Irvine-based video game company Blizzard is in a political maelstrom after it banned a professional player for speaking in favor of the protests in Hong Kong. The company says its business relations with China had no bearing on the matter, but many players disagree. Take Two looks at the brewing controversy, and what it means for Blizzard's expo coming up in Anaheim.

Guest:

  • Nathan Grayson from video game site, Kotaku

Throwback Thursday: Watts Towers

Few structures are as quintessentially L.A. as the Watts towers. The 17 interconnected towers and sculptures were built over the course of three decades by a single artist -- an Italian immigrant named Simon Rodia. Since 1954, when the towers were finished, they have come to represent the art and culture of our city, but the structure narrowly escaped demolition.

Guest:

  • Michael Holland, archivist for the city of Los Angeles

Community Emergency Response Training

Los Angeles is one of the most disaster-prone cities in the world, vulnerable to earthquakes, fires and many other disasters. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Community Emergency Response Training, or CERT, started here. Designed to teach regular people how to be first responders, it's now a national program made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA recently recognized the CERT program in Long Beach for outstanding community preparedness.