Imperfect Paradise

Season 2 of “LA Made” tells the true story of the making and marketing of the most famous doll in the world, Barbie, told by the people who did it. We’ll hear from Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, who spent years trying to convince her own company to make a teen aged fashion doll.

From LAist Studios, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” coming July 6, 2023. 

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LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything

A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand.

Part 3: Acting

While the pandemic caused a lot of stasis, it also inspired plenty of action. Once we accepted the changes that the pandemic brought, what did we do with them? How did we take action? In this episode: LA cultural workers fight for better work conditions, one survivor decides to fight back against domestic violence, a small foundation keeps the legacy of a ground-breaking Finnish gay artist alive, and a nurse rethinks the way we process death and dying.

Content Warning: This series contains sensitive subject matter and mentions of domestic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

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LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything

A series where graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand.

Part 2: Adapting

Change is a given, but COVID-19 truly forced the hand of change. In this episode we explore the ways people have found to adapt and rethink how we accept change. In this episode: the fate of a beloved Hollywood record store, the reflections of an American Hockey League player, the impact of COVID-19 on a sickle cell patient, and the challenges of pandemic-related gentrification in Mexico City.

Content Warning: This series contains sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. 

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LAist Studios & USC Annenberg's School of Journalism Present: How COVID Changed Everything

When the World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency last month, it marked an over 3 year journey through the deadliest pandemic in US history. While COVID-19 may no longer be an official public health emergency, the effects it's had on every fabric of society can’t be overlooked.

In this series, graduate students in the USC Annenberg School of Journalism examine the many ways—both dramatic and nuanced—that the pandemic has changed life in ways we are only now beginning to understand: in the workplace, the family and the world. Every story is about change. Every narrative involves a moment or moments when everything was different from before. 

Part 1: Rethinking

The pandemic forced us to rethink how we approach both daily life and life’s milestones. People had to get creative with how they held ceremonies, how they coped with stress and how they would carve a new way of life post pandemic. In this episode: a wedding that takes place in a video game, services at one of the oldest synagogues in the western hemisphere, the de-stressing power of ice baths, and a group of international Gen Zers re-examines the meaning of life and work.

Content Warning: This series contains sensitive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. 

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Brian returns to Los Angeles. But his ideas of "home" have changed.

Music from this episode composed by: Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Natalia Lafourcade, Old Saw, Woo, Yeahman

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Brian finally sets foot in Mexico. His audio diary chronicles what it was like to feel at home while feeling like an outsider.

Music from this episode composed by: Floating Points, Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Yeahman

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Brian is surprised by a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It’s his Advance Parole document. He can travel to Mexico – his country of birth – for the first time in 30 years. The days ahead become a sprint to prepare and make travel plans. He only has a month to return to the U.S., or he could lose DACA and be denied reentry.

Guest: Roberto Gonzales, a professor of sociology at University of Pennsylvania, who has testified before Congress on immigration policy.

Music from this episode composed by: Chris Schlarb, Dexter Thomas, Geir Sundstøl, Mamman Sani, Nicklas Nygren, Old Saw, and Yeahman

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California is home to around 2 million undocumented people. And in Southern California, roughly 80,000 of them have DACA, Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (although some stats put that number higher). It allows people to get a work permit, to pay in-state tuition, and to get a drivers license. But there are a lot of freedoms it doesn't grant, like freely traveling outside the US.

How to LA host Brian De Los Santos has had DACA for about a decade. He recently got approved to do something big: he's going to Mexico for the first time since he was 2 years old, through a process called advance parole.

It's a travel permit that allows DACA recipients to leave the country and come back. However, the permit is issued with a very specific time window, and is only given for certain travel reasons. 

And the big one: it doesn’t guarantee admission back into the country. But despite the stress, Brian's taking the opportunity to go Mexico and see family he hasn't seen since he was a toddler.

In the first part of this series, Brian's bringing in a couple of his friends and fellow DACA recipients to talk about all of his hopes and fears for the trip, and what it's like to live with DACA in the U.S., which is very much like living in limbo every day. We've got more of Brian's story over on LAist.com, so be sure to check that out. 

As A DACA Beneficiary, I’ve Been Waiting For This Trip To Mexico All My Life

If you have DACA and want to apply for advance parole, it's very important that you consult with an immigration attorney. These organizations can help get you started:

CALIFORNIA MEXICO CENTER https://www.california-mexicocenter.org/cmdsummer2023/

CARECEN LA https://www.carecen-la.org/can_i_apply_for_advance_parole?locale=en

Guests:
Chris Farias, LAist social media producer;  José Alonso Munoz, deputy communications manager for United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led support network

Music Credits This Week:
Chris Schlarb, The Mod Archive, Quetzal, Naran Ratan, Natalia Lafourcade, Austin Cross, Old Saw, & Anthony Barilla

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Hey, Imperfect Paradise listeners, this is Emily Guerin. I'm one of the hosts and senior producers of this show. We're doing something a little different and we're bringing you an episode of the NPR podcast Code Switch. My colleague Josie Huang is talking to one of their hosts about the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, and what it says about the dark side of the Asian American dream. I hope you like it.

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In early 2020, just as fears about coronavirus are worsening, women begin accusing the founder of Kundalini Yoga, Yogi Bhajan, of sexual assault. Guru Jagat’s surprising response sets the stage for her radicalization during the pandemic.

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