Sleep aids for tiny tots, the commercialization of Dia de los Muertos, a taste-test of Halloween ice cream that isn't your typical treat.
Ben Carson is controversial, and that’s just the way voters like it
A joint poll from CBS News and The New York Times shows Dr. Ben Carson now leading the Republican field of presidential hopefuls.
The numbers come on the heels of a Quinnipiac poll last week, showing Carson pulling ahead of former front-runner Donald Trump in Iowa.
Support for Carson has quadrupled since August. In addition, he's gained ground across several Republican groups, including women and evangelicals.
To what does Ben Carson owe his newfound popularity?
Washington Post economics reporter Jim Tankersley says part of the appeal is Carson's political outsider status. The most important draw for voters, however, may be his strong conservative stances on several issues important to the GOP. For example, Obamacare.
At a voter summit in 2013, Carson compared the Affordable Care Act to slavery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVvz7o6CDls
Tankersly says that, while many looked askance at the proclamation, others saw a man who was unafraid to speak his mind.
"These are statements that resonate well with the Republican base," Tankersly said. "The gun statement, the statement about the Affordable Care Act, they make people more likely to vote for him among Republican primary voters."
Though Carson is polling well with registered Republican voters, Tankersly contends that Carson's statements could come back to haunt him if he went on to become the party's presidential nominee.
Press the blue play button above to hear more.
NFL holds meetings in St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland about moving to LA
The NFL is hitting the road with a series of unprecedented town hall meetings this week.
Tuesday night, they're in St. Louis. Then comes San Diego on Wednesday and Oakland on Thursday. While there, they'll hear from members of the community about plans to potentially relocate a team to Los Angeles.
Sportswriter
, who covers the NFL for the Los Angeles Times, joined Take Two for a preview of the meeting in St. Louis.
The Brood: Why are there so many sleep aids being marketed for kids?
This Sunday marks the end of Daylight Saving Time for the year.
That's great news for those of us who wake up early in the morning and prefer to have some light out when we do it, but not such great news for parents of young kids who struggle with sleep schedules.
Bedtime can be a challenge for caretakers of all sorts, and savvy marketers know it. These days, there's no shortage of products on the market guaranteed to help kids get a good night's sleep— from Hello Kitty sleep masks, to melatonin supplements for kids.
But do these sleep aids really work? And are they safe?
Julie Wright and Heather Turgeon, authors of "The Happy Sleeper: The Science Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night's Sleep," have some answers.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
Kathy Walsh's books aim to teach kids meditation, mindfulness
More and more Americans are turning to meditation — and a form known as mindfulness — as a way to relieve stress and feel more connected. It's now offered in schools, workplaces and even in the military.
Author Kathy Walsh is part of a growing field that believes mindfulness and mediation can start as early as toddlerhood. She has written many children's books and even a parenting guide to raising children in this way.
"I think mindfulness is really just a way of being. It's kind of setting an intention for how you're going to be in the world," she said. "Positive thinking, gratitude and putting an energy of love out there."
Walsh said her books help parents implement these practices.
"You're planting the seed that their thoughts have energy, that today is a new day, that today is a new beginning, and that the world and the universe are supporting you just the way you are," she said.
For those parents who see this method as too touchy-feely or abstract, Walsh said gratitude is an idea everyone can grasp.
"That's not abstract, but it's a life-changer, it's a game-changer," she said. "It's totally the way to joy. If you put out gratitude everyday, you can't imagine what comes back to you."
The idea of mindfulness also involves teaching kids to feel negative feelings, Walsh said. Her book, 'The Bright Blue Ballon,' is all about teaching kids to embrace — and then let go of — these feelings. In the elementary school class Walsh's sister teaches in Vermont, her students draw balloons and put their feelings inside of them. Some talk about feelings of sadness and anger about being picked on.
"Feeling those feelings and being able to let them go is really the path to finding joy in your life," Walsh said.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
New music from Adele, Erykah Badu, Benny Sings and more
If you don't have time to figure what new music you should be listening to, we've got the perfect thing for you. We call it Tuesday Reviewsday and every week our music experts join us to talk about the freshest tunes. This week Alex Cohen is joined by Oliver Wang and music supervisor to talk about their top picks.
Oliver's Picks
Artist: Adele
Song: "Hello"
Artist: Erykah Badu
Song: "Hotline Bling remix"
Artist: The Game
Album: "The Documentary 2"
Song: "Standing on Ferraris ft. Diddy"
Artist: Timmy Thomas
Album: "Why Can't We Live Together" (1973)
Song: "Why Can't We Live Together"
Morgan Rhodes
Artist: Benny Sings
Album: "Studio"
Song: "You and Me ft. Goldlink"
Artist: Seinabo Sey
Album: "Pretends"
Songs: "Easy," "Still"
Artist: Fat Freddys Drop
Album: "Bays"
Song: "Makkan"
Artist: Nao
Song: "Bad Blood"
Update 10/28: There was a problem with the final track in the original version of this week's Tuesday Reviewsday. Listeners would have heard Seinabo Sey's "Easy" rather than Nao's "Bad Blood." That's now been corrected. KPCC regrets the error.
Northern California police force goes ninja with nunchakus
In the last year, local law enforcement agencies have come under fire for use of force and firearms during police pursuits.
Now one northern California police department is employing a new kind of weapon - the nunchaku. It's a traditional Japanese martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected at one end by a short chain or rope.
The idea is that it is a non-lethal means of subduing a subject.
Take Two's Alex Cohen speaks to Sargeant Casey Day of the Anderson Police Department, who will be in charge of implementing the program to the police force.
To hear the whole interview, click on the player above.
Reading by Moonlight: David Kipen's literary picks
We're expecting the full hunter moon Tuesday night — and that means it's time for our favorite segment on books we call Reading by Moonlight.
- The American Writers Museum announced it will have a new home in Chicago in 2017.
- James Patterson is collecting nominations to reward people's favorite independent booksellers.
- November is National Novel Writing Month.
- Book: "10,000 Steps a Day in LA"
of the Libros Schmibros Lending Library in Boyle Heights dropped by to talk about all this and more. To hear Kipen's full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Ants, termites and other creepy critters to liven up your Halloween
Some might say candy corn or chocolate are their favorite Halloween treats. But walk into Salt & Straw, and you'll find they prefer ants, termites and crickets.
Salt & Straw, the Portland based ice cream shop, has made a name for themselves by making really, really unusual flavors is now pushing the envelope with their latest Spooktacular menu.
A Martinez stopped by Salt and Straw's kitchen near downtown and tried a sample of the creepy crawly critters.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.