The Most Modern Miracle: In Vitro Fertilization

Although the first child to be conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technology, or In Vitro Fertilization, was born more than 30 years ago, the topic and the science continue to be shrouded in mystery for the average person.

Often times, the topic comes to the surface whenever some bizarre news come up, such as the case of the octo-mom, or of the ponzi scheme that affected the clients and gestational carriers of a surrogate agency in California earlier this year.

But rarely is the public exposed to the stories of the everyday people who undertake this journey in order to start a family.

While ART was originally developed with the purpose of helping heterosexual couples overcome fertility problems, the last few years have seen an increase in the numbers of single individuals and same sex couples using these technologies to build their families.

In this series of stories, I intend to shed some light on the topic by telling the story of one man, and his extraordinary journey towards fatherhood.

For more about In Vitro Fertilization, click here.

By Mabel Jimenez

Jews for Jesus

Jews for Jesus is a missionary organization established in San Francisco. The organization has one very specific agenda, which is to make Jesus Christ an unavoidable discussion for Jews. This blog is about the missionary program and its individual missionaries who make this their life's work.

For more about Jews for Jesus, click here.

By Nancy Ponder

San Francisco's Community Gardens

San Francisco is filled with community gardens. Some are big, some are small. But all of them utilize a space in the city to create something beautiful. 

I have focused on some of the individuals responsible for making San Francisco beautiful as well as what it is that they do. 

Click here for more on SF's Community Gardens. 

Photo: Gardeners enjoying the Labor Day sunshine

Photo by Mabel Jimenez

Written by Madeline Lynch

Guns in the Bay Area and the people who shoot them

When you think of a gun owner, the image of a husky, plaid-wearing, Bambi-shooting "redneck" from the deep South might come to mind. Sometimes, this is the case. In other instances, the average gun owner might be your next-door neighbor, a suburban mother of three, or even your physics teacher from high school. Between gun crimes and other illegal activities involving firearms, gun owners often viewed with a lot of scrutiny. It might be a surprise to many that the community of gun owners in the Bay Area is as unique and diverse as our general population. Gun owners are an interesting community faced with many legal and ethical obstacles, and are often under-identified and misunderstood in the media.

Photo Caption: Kun Chen, a San Jose resident and recent member of the NRA, proudly shows off his lower receiver of an unfinished rifle project. He and his friends are among the several young professionals in the Bay Area who enjoy sport shooting at nearby ranges.

For more about gun owners in the Bay, click here.

By Roseryn Bhudsabourg 

Landlords of the Bay Area

All over San Francisco people are haunted by landlords and living situations.
These are just a few of the various stories of ghoulish landlords and frightening living trends.
Don't be caught in a situation like any of these, because they are a living hell.


Click here to read more.

By Matthew Haggard

Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts is one of the fastest growing sports in America. This brutal sports features athletes that are well versed in multiple Martial Arts. This sport rewards bloody knockouts, muscle tearing submissions, and bone breaking kicks. But the truth is not all athletes who are involved in this sport are getting knocked out or looking to kill someone every time they put on their gloves. Many of the people involved with this sport participate for various reasons such as exercise, getting in shape, fighting, and working on certain Martial Art disciplines. I thought just like most people that all MMA fighters were huge guys who just wanted to be the sense out of each other. But while doing this investigative reporting project I have learned that these notions are false. This sport is much more complex then many think and these athletes have to be in top condition. 

For more about MMA, click here.

By Matt McFadden

Evangelism in the Dead of Night

Every other Friday night, members of Regeneration Church venture out onto the streets of Oakland to preach the word of God to the city's homeless. They carry food, clothing, and their message. These are not your typical Sunday worshipers. The members of Regeneration begin their night at 10 p.m. and often don't return until 2 or 3 in the morning. This semester, I followed this group of missionaries on their treks around Oakland and met some of the homeless people that they pray with.

Photo: Scott Vorie, center right, reads from his Bible before he and members of Regeneration head out to feed the homeless.

For more about the Regeneration Church, click here.

By Andrew Palma