On Thursday, Take Two discusses talks to a Scottish Angeleno about Scotland's vote for independence, why Los Angeles schools are backlogged in repairs and how independent voters could water down Latino voters' efforts. We'll also explore the latest in California politics.
Apple's new iOS8 keeps user data private, even from police
Apple on Wednesday released the latest version of its operating system, iOS8, for iPhones and iPads.
It features a bunch of new bells and whistles and, more notably, some new security measures — of which, the device maker announced, Apple won't be able to turn over data from most iPhones and iPads to police even if they have a search warrant.
Some critics are concerned this move by Apple could have negative implications for law enforcement by preventing access to data that could help prosecute criminal cases.
Cyrus Farivar, senior business editor for Ars Technica, and Adam Gershowitz, law professor at William and Mary Law School in Virginia, say this is great for privacy advocates but problematic for law enforcement.
Backlogged repairs at LA schools pose some safety risks
Los Angeles schools are waiting on more than 116,000 fixes to maintenance and safety problems reported since January, records show. The repairs span from burned out light bulbs and cracked concrete to compromised fire safety systems and exposed electrical wiring.
Officials say they don't have the staff or money to fix them all.
But, as KPCC's Annie Gilbertson reports, voters approved five different measures between 1997 and 2005 — bringing in $19.5 billion intended for school repairs.
Read the full story: More than 100,000 LA school repairs backlogged; fire safety at risk in some schools
Activists call on Latinos to leave Democratic party
President Barack Obama's announcement earlier this month to delay action on immigration until after the November election has spurred a range of responses from the Latino community, some of which call on voters in that group to leave the Democratic party.
"No executive action, no vote," said Cal State Long Beach Chicano and Latino studies professor Armando Vasquez–Ramos. "That is what I am preaching to people: Change your registration to independent, go out and vote, but make a statement – you’re voting for none. Because there has been no commitment by our own Democratic party."
Vasquez-Ramos penned an essay titled "A Latino Voters' Declaration of Independence from the Democratic Party" for Los Angeles grassroots organization Hermandad Mexicana, and he's hoping that more Latinos will go independent.
Some are not positive the call will catch on with a large number of voters.
"There is a group of individuals representing the Latino community saying, 'We are unhappy with your decision, and we are going to punish you.' Will that punishment manifest itself? No, it will not," said Fernando Guerra, KPCC Board member and political scientist at Loyola Marymount. "So this threat that somehow Latinos are going to punish Obama, it’s just not going to manifest itself."
For more, Take Two sits down with Southern California Public Radio's Leslie Berestein Rojas.
Ahead of midterm elections, Latino groups push to register voters
Regardless of how Latinos cast their vote this November, there's still a big push just to get more people involved in the political process.
"Our view is that the more that both parties fight for our vote, the better we are to deal with our issues," said Arnulfo De La Cruz, California state director with Mi Familia Vota. His group is leading efforts, along with Voto Latino, to register voters and promote civic engagement.
So far, the campaign has registered more than 8,500 new Latino voters and several thousand more by mail, De La Cruz said.
"There's a consequence to not voting. When you don't vote, you're voiceless," he said.
The campaign coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month and runs through October.
Scots living abroad closely watch vote on independence
Voters in Scotland today are heading to the polls to decide whether the country should secede from the United Kingdom.
An astonishing 97 percent of the population registered to vote in this historic referendum, and even Scots who live abroad (and can't vote) are expressing their opinions.
, a Scottish-born L.A.-based writer, says no matter which way the vote goes, the Union will be changed forever.
Basketball's world governing body votes to lift ban on headscarves
This month, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) voted on whether to change its ban on Islamic headscarves.
Players who wear headscarves for religious reasons, like Indira Kaljo, had argued that the ban was discriminatory, and they've now won a preliminary victory.
Lab Notes: Smart mice, a giant squid and the physics of space trash
Every week, there are plenty of wonderful, wild or just plain weird developments in the world of science. To talk about some of them – we summon KPCC science reporter Sanden Totten for our regular segment Lab Notes.
Smart mice
For a study, mice were genetically modified to carry a human gene associated with speech and language. And when they were placed in simple mazes with clues indicating where a reward of chocolate would be, “humanized mice” mastered the maze four days faster than the regular mice.
The maze offered two types of clues for finding the chocolate: The animals could use landmarks like equipment in the lab, or by the floor's bumpy or smooth texture. When mice these smart mice had both clues, they did great. But when there was only one, they were just as slow as normal mice.
So what does that tell us?
The researchers think it shows the difference between declarative and procedural learning. Declarative learning requires you to be thinking actively – like reading a map to learn how to get somewhere. Procedural learning is the more automated learning you do by repeating something over and over – like driving to your friends house until you know the route by heart.
Researchers think the mice with the human gene did best when both clues were present because they were better at transitioning between these forms of conscious and unconscious thinking. And scientists think humans do the same thing for instance when we go from consciously learning new words to using them automatically in our daily speech.
Cleaning up space trash
If you’ve seen "Gravity," you know that little bits of debris of space trash can cause big problems. As we send more stuff into space, we need to deal with this ring of space trash we’ve created that could puncture our ships and harm astronauts. So, how do scientists plan to get rid of this stuff?
Many pieces are spinning so wildly that they would be dangerous to collect. If you send a small spacecraft, and you try to dock to a small, tumbling thing, you also are going to start tumbling.
To solve this problem, a team from MIT has come up with an algorithm that could let cleanup crews measure a target’s movement so they can plan an approach to safely snatch it up. They tested this recently on the International Space Station using spinning satellites called Sphere Satellites. They set one of these spinning and let another film it. The algorithm allowed the bot to gauge how fast this thing was spinning, it’s center of mass and much more, which in turn, theoretically will allow a robot to catch and contain the trash.
Colossal squid
Researchers in New Zealand recently performed a live autopsy on a squid, and not just any squid – this was a very rare Colossal Squid. Only two have ever been found intact, and subsequently studied. This one was found in Antarctica’s Ross Sea. It weighed 770 pounds, was the size of a minibus, and they had to use a forklift to move it.
The Wheel Thing: Giddy up. First look at the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang
The Mustang is 50 years old, and Ford has gone to great lengths to recapture the magic of the original with its 2015 model.
Featuring, at long last, independent rear suspension, the new 'Stang is a bit lower, a bit longer and a lot grippier on winding roads, says Wheel Thing critic Susan Carpenter, who arrived to KPCC's studio in an orange, V8-powered Mustang with 435 horsepower.
But, she notes, there's a steep downside to that honkin' V-8. Racing through the canyons above Los Angeles, it managed to eek out only 13 MPG. Ford is also offering an inline turbocharged 4, and a V-6.
When it comes to looks, Carpenter says pictures don't do the car justice — you have to see it in real life to appreciate its charm.
State of Affairs: Midterm elections, increasing voter turnout, Rod Wright's resignation, police union negotiations
Southern California Public Radio politics reporters Frank Stoltze and Alice Walton join Take Two for a weekly roundup of politics news in California.
With rising temps, it may be time to rethink your relationship with the AC
Southern California might have a respite from the heat wave today, but it'll be in the high 80s and low 90s for the week ahead.
Not as hot, but perhaps you're still thinking of getting an air conditioner if you don't have one?
AC isn't a common sight in many homes in Southern California. Many of them didn't even need one for decades.
But if extreme temperatures become the norm, is it time to rethink of how we build our houses?
Chris Nichols, architecture guru and Southern California historian for LA Magazine, talks about how a changing climate might make people in SoCal rethink how they live.
Should men ever wear shorts to work?
Temperatures reached triple digits in some areas this week. And, if you're working in an office with little to no air conditioning, you can remedy that with a change in wardrobe.
Women tend to have it easy with dresses and skirts, but should men ever dare to don shorts?
Michelle Dalton Tyree, the founder of Fashion Trends Daily, explains the do's and don'ts of men's hot weather fashion.
Interview highlights
A Martinez: How do you feel about men wearing shorts in general?
Well, in short, pardon the pun: They're simply not mainstream. I don't think we've recovered yet from what to do on casual Friday. It's still a distraction for people. It's really blurring the lines between work and casual. I spoke to a bunch of tech firms and creative agencies here in LA, that would not go on the record, but I spoke to several HR directors and they said that they have a firm policy against [shorts in the office].
AM: This argument has been floating around the fashionista world, hasn't it?
It sure has. We've really seen shorts come up in the past several seasons. We're seeing a lot of top fashion editors wearing them with blazers. You can get away with it in places like that. If you work at Esquire or GQ and you're a fashion editor, and there are some tech firms that allow it. But, those places are really doing it in a much more tailored way. They're adding a jacket, buttoned down shirts, nice oxford shoes. If you have a firm that allows that, then what you want to do is make sure you dress it up.
AM: I was thinking about shorts, doesn't it a lot depend on what comes out of the shorts? You have to have nice legs right?
I'm not sure we're ready for a lot of hairy legs trouncing around the office. Unless your job is at a summer camp, on top of a lifeguard tower or you're heading over to Oktoberfest, I'm not a fan of doing them. But, if you can and your office place allows it, then they need to be tailored slightly above the knee. We don't want short 70s-style, creepy uncle, gym teacher territory.
When in doubt, Tyree suggests you remember this simple acronym:
Simple and stylish
HR approved
Office appropriate
Right above the knee
Tailored
We also posed this question to our listeners on Twitter and Facebook. Here's what they had to say:
When moms return from war: 'Fort Bliss' portrays the challenges of reconnecting at home
The new film "Fort Bliss" centers on female veteran who returns to civilian life after a grueling 15-month tour in Afghanistan.
Army medic Maggie Swan finds that life at home has changed — a lot.
Her ex-husband, Richard, tells her that he's engaged and his fiancé — who has been helping him care for Maggie's young son Paul while she's been away — is pregnant.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for Maggie.
She's been away for almost a third of her son's life and he's confused. He wants nothing to do with her. Maggie struggles to reconnect and be a mom again — all while coping with the trauma she experienced abroad.
"They're really struggling with this passion and this sense of duty and their commitment to their country and their wanting to be [overseas]; but also being a devoted mother and the challenges of having to parent long-distance," says Michelle Monaghan, who plays Maggie.
Often times, the deeper emotions don't even begin to bubble to the surface until soldiers return home. "Having emotionally suppressed a lot of feelings for that long, which is your job when you're focused on a task... then to be able to flip a switch as soon as you get home, the reconnecting is very much a challenge for these women," Monaghan says.
"Fort Bliss" is in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Fort Bliss, Texas on Sept. 19. Click here for more information.
Jens "The Chuck Norris of Cycling" Voigt tries to break hour record
Right now in Switzerland the Chuck Norris of cycling is trying to go farther than any person on a bike has gone before — in one hour. The rider's name is
and he's known by fans for going really fast, never giving up and for catchphrases delivered in a thick German accent.
is the editor-in-chief of Velo News and he joins Alex Cohen on the line to talk about the effort.
Velo News has a good break down of hour record facts on their site:
What is the hour record?
As of May of this year, the hour record is defined as the farthest distance ridden in exactly one hour using a bike and position that are legal under the UCI endurance track regulations in place at the time of the attempt. Simplified, Voigt will ride a setup that would be legal in a modern pursuit event.
Riders start from a dead stop, held up by the same device used in pursuit events on the track.
Voigt will have to beat Ondrej Sosenka’s distance of 49 kilometers and 700 meters, a record that was set using old rules, on an old-school bike. More on that below.
The attempt will take place at the velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland. The hour record must take place on a closed velodrome.