On Thursday Take Two talks about California doctors going to Liberia to help Ebola patients, what the BP oil spill looks like four years later and the Clippers opening their season without Donald Sterling as owner for the first time since they've been in LA.
California docs go to Liberia, regardless of new quarantine order
On Wednesday, California's top health officer ordered a 21-day quarantine for all returning medical workers and travelers who have had contact with a confirmed case of Ebola in West Africa. Those who disobey the restrictions may possibly face fines and imprisonment. Despite this, a number of California doctors have decided to travel to the region to help in the fight against the virus.
Dr. Phuoc Le is one of them.
He's a physician and global health expert from UC San Francisco and joins Alex Cohen on the program.
Nicaragua, taking different response to drug trade, reduces violence
Nicaragua is Central America's largest country. It has a long coastline that runs along both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
That makes it a prime location for the drug trade going from South America north to the U.S.
But unlike many of its neighbors, Nicaragua has taken a different approach to drug violence. And though poverty is still a major issue, it's managed to avoid the high levels of violence in places like Mexico or nearby Honduras.
"One analyst I spoke with said the choice that Nicaragua is taking is the lesser of two evils," said Eyder Peralta of NPR. Instead of fighting "fire with fire," or relying on a strong military response, officials appear to be taking a different approach, he said.
"They can sort of allow it to go through its territory and there's no turf war and that creates a peaceful place," said Peralta, noting that the coastal city Bluefields has a murder rate that's a fraction of cities in nearby countries.
Though some reports indicate that the trade may just be moving elsewhere, the contrast to other countries is noteworthy.
Peralta reported from Nicaragua's Caribbean coast and joins Take Two.
RELATED: Nicaragua follows its own path in dealing with drug traffickers
Clippers begin new season without Donald Sterling
Thursday night the Los Angeles Clippers open their season against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And for the first time since they've been in L.A., the Clippers will be playing under an owner not named Donald Sterling.
Take Two's guest has undoubtedly seen more Clippers games than anyone else, from when they were the laughing stock of the league to their current status as championship contenders.
Ralph Lawler has been the Clippers play-by-play man since 1978 -- when the Clippers were based in San Diego -- and he joins the show as he prepares for his 36th season.
Superfans on the Giants' triumph in the World Series
Wednesday night was a nail-biter in Game 7 in the World Series, but the Giants stood tall once again.
San Francisco beat the Kansas City Royals 3-to-2, with the Giants' pitcher Madison Bumgarner hailed as a hero and the MVP.
Take Two talks again with superfans here in Southern California who've been cheering on their teams -- Royals fan Danny Slavens Jr and Giants fan Karen Eshoo.
The Wheel Thing: Don't call it an SUV. Americans are crazy for crossovers
For generations, the station wagon was a staple in American garages. But as the 20th century ended, U.S. drivers embraced a new, roomy vehicle, the SUV.
A generation later, many have eschewed the Sports Utility Vehicle for its cousin, the crossover. Built in unibody fashion, like a car, rather that the body-on-frame construction of an SUV, crossovers now account for a little more than a quarter of all U.S. auto sales.
And within the crossover sector, the most popular are the compacts. These get great gas mileage, have lots of room for gear, and are popular with everyone from aging baby boomers to millennials.
Our car critic Susan Carpenter tells us about the differences between SUVs and crossovers (sometimes called CUVs.) And she fills us in on some new models from Honda and Mazda.
Plus she has some news about the Chevy Volt. GM is adding more power and more range to its signature alternative vehicle.
Carpenter, who is auto and motorcycle critic for the OC Register, joins us each week to talk about personal transportation on The Wheel Thing.
Lab Notes: Antares experiments lost, study breaks are good, do kids make us happier?
It's Thursday – so it's time for some science with KPCC's Sanden Totten.
He joins Take Two every other week to talk about some interesting new research for the segment Lab Notes.
First – Sanden mentions not new research – but rather research that could have been. He's been looking into some of the scientific experiments lost in the Antares explosion that happened Tuesday. Will any of the scientists involved be able to try again?
Moving on – a new study confirms what every college student has hoped was true. Study breaks are actually good for learning. How did they test this? Why did scientists need to study this?
Lastly, Take Two and Sanden talk about a study that looks at how happy having kids makes a parent. The research suggests that a kid does boost a parent's happiness – at least at first.
Do the scientists have any explanation for why the birth of a child only seems to make a parent happier than average for about a year? Is it that a baby that can walk and get into things is more stressful than one that just lays there?
Yosemite-sized 'bathtub ring' of oil still left from BP Deepwater Horizon spill
It's been four years since the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
You'll remember the images of oil soaked birds trapped in the sludge and clean up crews walking along the shoreline covered head to toe in white protective suits. Eleven people lost their lives in the accident as an estimated 5 million barrels of oil gushed into the sea for almost three months.
But years later, BP still hasn't cleaned up the mess. That's the assessment of researchers from UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine who recently did a survey of the damage. They found a 1,200-square-mile "bathtub ring" of oil on the ocean's floor. That's about the size of Yosemite National Park.
Dave Valentine is lead author of the study and geochemist at UC Santa Barbara and he joins the show to talk more about it.
Governor's race: Evaluating Brown's temporary tax increase
Another statewide poll shows that the race for California governor is hardly a race at all.
A new Field Poll shows Governor Jerry Brown with a commanding 21-point lead over Republican Neel Kashkari. Even so, voters must ask themselves whether Brown has done a good job.
And one measurement is the temporary tax increase he campaigned for two years ago. The California Report's John Myers reports.
State of Affairs: Shift in LA's labor leadership, misleading political ads, and the minimum wage
This week on State of Affairs, a shift in L.A.'s labor landscape, misleading political ads and Bill Clinton comes to town.
As always, Southern California Public Radio's political reporters Alice Walton and Frank Stoltze join Take Two to discuss more.
Major news on the labor beat this week: Maria Elena Durazo, the very powerful head of the county Federation of Labor, will leave her post. She's headed to a hotel workers' union to organize immigrants. What did she have to say about her departure?
The Federation of Labor has been a powerful force in elections, including the L.A. County supervisors race to replace Zev Yaroslavsky on next Tuesday's ballot. Sheila Kuehl and Bobby Shriver debated for the final time Wednesday night. What did the candidates have to say in this final face off?
And Frank found that not all the ads Shriver has been running are accurate. What is misleading about it? And Shriver has also been sending out a flier that is misleading?
Let's remind folks headed to the polls of one of the lower profile races: the race for state superintendent of public instruction. It's between two Democrats, Tom Torlakson and Marshall Tuck.
And an L.A. City Council committee agreed to study a proposed increase to the minimum wage. There was already a UC Berkeley study on L.A.'s minimum wage that the mayor's office frequently cities. So what's this study going to look at?
Pumpkin carving: How to make a jack o' lantern that stands out
There's more to pumpkin carving than just cutting out triangles and rectangular teeth. For some, it's an art form.
Like master carver, Thomas Olton. He's behind many of the jack o' lantern designs currently on display at The Rise of the Jack o' Lanterns at Descanso Gardens.
He joins Take Two in studio to share tips on how to make your pumpkin the envy of the neighborhood.
Halloween recipes: Chef Susan Feniger turns pumpkin mush into delicious dishes
Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without the pumpkin. You head on over to your local pumpkin patch, pick one out and carve it. But what do you do with the leftover mush? Well, why not turn it into delicious recipes?
For a little help with this, Take Two called up Chef Susan Feniger - co-owner of Border Grill and Mud Hen Tavern in Hollywood. You can try your hand at Chef Susan's delicious pumpkin dishes with the following recipes.
Pumpkin Flan
Serves 10
2 1/2 pounds pumpkin
CARAMEL
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups water
CUSTARD
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
9 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons brandy
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger*
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut pumpkin into chunks, salt to taste and bake until soft throughout, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool, then remove peel, puree flesh in a food processor, and reserve. Reduce oven to 325 F.
Prepare caramel and sauce. For caramel, combine sugar and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan. Be sure all sugar granules are washed down from pot sides. Cook over moderate heat, swirling pan occasionally, until color is golden brown and mixture smells like caramel. Often you need to cook it a bit darker than you would imagine. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. Pour enough caramel into a 3-quart pyrex loaf pan to coat bottom and sides and set aside on a level surface.
Add remaining water to caramel in saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Occasionally stir and brush down sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Set this caramel sauce aside at room temperature, then chill until serving time.
Combine custard ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour through a strainer into lined loaf pan.
Place inside a larger roasting pan. Pour in boiling water until it rises halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake about 1 hour 50 minutes. The center should feel firm when pressed.
Set aside to cool about 1 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap touching top. Refrigerate overnight or as long as 4 days.
To serve, run a knife along inside edge, 2 or 3 times, to loosen. When you press center, sides should pull away. Cover with a platter and quickly invert. Carefully drain excess caramel into a bowl and strain into reserved cold sauce. Serve slices of flan on dessert plates. Top with chilled caramel sauce.
Candied Pumpkin Ice Cream Sundaes
Serves 4
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Mexican cinnamon stick
1/2 pound pumpkin or acorn squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 pints vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
Candied Pepitas (optional), for serving
Combine the water, brown sugar, and cinnamon stick in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by about one-quarter and a light syrup forms, about 15 minutes. Add the pumpkin or squash, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer gently until the pumpkin is translucent, about 45 minutes.
If preparing in advance, remove the pumpkin from the syrup with a slotted spoon and store the pumpkin and syrup separately. When ready to serve, combine the pumpkin and syrup in a small skillet and reheat over low heat.
Just before serving, stir the heavy cream into the pumpkin syrup. Spoon over the ice cream, top with Candied Pepitas if desired, and serve.
Candied Pepitas
1/2 cup raw, unsalted pepitas
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine pepitas, maple syrup, and salt.
Spread mixture on a non-stick or parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and caramelized. Be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Pepita Coriander Dressing
Yield: 2 quarts
1 1/4 c coriander seeds
2 c pumpkin seeds
2 c white wine vinegar
4 c pure olive oil
1 c freshly squeezed lime juice
2 c (1 bu) cilantro, roughly chopped, stems okay
4 ea garlic cloves
1/2 c shallot, roughly chopped
1 Tbs kosher salt
1/2 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
Toast coriander and pumpkin seeds on a half sheet pan at 350 F for 10 minutes until pepitas are lightly golden brown. Cool completely and set aside.
Blend seeds with vinegar until pureed.
Place lime juice, garlic, cilantro, shallots, salt and pepper to the blended seed mixture and blend. Slowly pour olive oil into running blender to emulsify.
Copyright © 2014, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Border Grill
Traditional raw milk cheese dying out, connoisseurs fear
As Charles De Gaulle once asked, "How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?"
In fact, the French produce even more varieties than De Gaulle accounted for.
But connoisseurs fear that traditional cheese - made from raw, unpasteurized milk - is dying out.
The BBC's John Laurenson followed his nose in the Camembert-producing region of Normandy in northern France.
Long Beach plans to promote college to preschoolers
In the world of education - a lot of effort and energy goes into getting more kids into college.
Now one city is trying something new. Southern California Public Radio's Deepa Fernandes, who usually visits preschools, went to colleges in Long Beach for this report.
Journalists tell their stories live on stage at Pop-Up Magazine
Imagine the stories you hear on NPR or read in the New Yorker--but told live on stage in front of a packed house.
This is what Pop-Up Magazine is all about - great, never-before-heard stories told by journalists of all stripes.
It started in San Francisco--where else--and next month Pop-Up Magazine is coming to LA for the first time.
Tickets go on sale Thursday and producer Pat Walters joins the show to tell more.
Halloween costumes: 5 rules for what you should and shouldn't wear
Halloween is Friday and if you haven't picked out your costume yet, there is still, of course, a bit of time. But please, be smart about your choice of attire. Each year, there are always costumes that make you wonder - what were they thinking?
Related: Are you wearing a racist Halloween costume? Are you sure?
So, for Halloween etiquette tips Take Two turned to
- columnist and author of "Good Manners for Nice People who Sometimes Say F*ck."
Amy says...
1. Consider the context: If you'll be visiting a hospital ward, maybe forgo the gore and go as a giant bunny. If it's a workplace Halloween party, consider whether that serving wench costume that gives your boss a bird's eye view of the mole on your left breast will help him take you more seriously.
2. Age-appropriateness: If your child is 5, we don't want to see her as a slutty nurse. If your daughter is starting to date, she can wear somewhat sexy costumes -- within reason. You still can have a "because I'm the mom" moment. Keep in mind what Chris Rock said about his daughter: "My only job in life is to keep her off the pole." (That's the stripper pole he's talking about.)
3. Ebola-related costumes: Wearing an Ebola-related costume doesn't mean you think it's funny that countless people are dying in Africa. We use humor to mock and shrink down to size stuff we're afraid of, so it's natural that a number of people are gravitating to Ebola costumes: sexy Ebola nurse, the virus, a patient. But since there aren't hordes of people stricken with the disease here, the main problem with these costumes is that they're boring.
4. Costumes that are just too awful: At the root of manners is empathy. If some tragedy may have happened to somebody you'll encounter on Halloween, it's a bad idea for a costume. Zombie Robin Williams ("Hah, hah, suicide!") and the awful idea of Ray Rice dragging around a bruised doll ("Hah, hah, domestic violence!") are examples of costumes beyond the pale, as they may bring up upsetting real-life incidents for party guests or people you encounter trick-or-treating.
5. Go creative: The best costumes are the really creative ones that make us all laugh. Halloween is our national day of inappropriateness and bad taste, and we could all use a laugh. Try to top my favorite -- Edgar Allan Ho, via Reddit.