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

Those Friendly Palestinians

They are the people we never think about, yet they are the people we see all the time.  They may know more details about our lives than the people in our lives.  They know everything from what we are doing on a Saturday night, to when we are sick, to out eating habits, and yet we know nothing about them.

            So, who are they?

            A majority of the corner storeowners in San Francisco are Palestinian immigrants.  After the British Mandate in 1948 that split Palestine into two territories, there was a large growth in the amount of Palestinians that immigrated to the United States. 

            Among the cities they immigrated to, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Diego and Cleveland became popular destinations for them.  It is estimated there are around 150,000 Arab Americans living in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

            This blog is here to help you get to know and understand their culture and who they are.

Photo: Joe Malak standing in front of his business, J & G Market on 20th and Guerrero Streets

Click here for more about Palestinians in SF.

by Soli Afshari

Living In the Light? Sukyo Mahikari Exposed

Sukyo Mahikari, a Japanese spiritual practice that was founded in 1959 by Japanese military leader Yoshikazu Okada, has long been surrounded by questions and controversy. Not considered a religion, the practice is centered around okiyome, or the giving and receiving of light energy, known within the practice as "True Light." Members, or kumite, are instructed to use True Light to purify themselves & others, thus changing themselves back into "Children of God." The goal of kumite is to devote their lives to Su God ("the creator God" or God of all Gods) and assist Him in advancing the "divine plan" detailed within the teachings. In order to do so, kumite must "spread The Truth," or recruit new members and to recognize that "human wisdom" is worthless in comparison to "divine wisdom," or the wisdom of Su God.
For more about Sukyo Mahikari, click here.

Photo by Dalton Blanco

Written by Amanda Epstein

Maya Community

When I heard that San Francisco and the Bay Area have around 30,000 Maya people, I was surprised. Being part Maya myself, I wanted to learn about this community. There are several Maya groups in the area. I got to know two Yucatecan Maya groups from Mexico, the Asociacion Mayab in San Francisco and Chan Kahal Asociacion Yucateca de Marin in San Rafael. These groups are trying to preserve the Maya culture through language, festivals, dance, music, cuisine and baseball.

For more about the Mayans in SF, click here.


By Martha Vallejo

Swedish-American Women in San Francisco

What does it feel like not being able to fully determine your nationality? This is a story about the Swedish women that do not necessarily feel Swedish. Some of them have been living abroad for the most part of their lives, others moved just recently. However, what they all have in common is the need to keep a connection to their Swedish heritage. That is where the organization SWEA comes in. It provides support for Swedish women living abroad and for women returning to Sweden after spending time abroad. Together the SWEA-women organize different activities and celebrate Swedish traditions. The organization has 8,500 members world wide and the next biggest community, with its 400 members, is here in San
 Francisco. For more about SWEA SF, click here.

By Joanna Brodd

Will's Homeless Coalition Stories

Homelessness in San Francisco is a major problem. Everyone knows that. If you don't know that, then walk around the Tenderloin. The city has come up with countless programs try to end homelessness. Many non-profit organizations exist in trying to reduce homelessness. But how much of all this is working?

This is where the Coalition of Homeless comes in. It's there to ask these question, but further more, make sure the answer to whether the programs are working is, yes.

Inside the Coalition, I had the opportunity to meet with a sub-group Families and Immigrant, a Hispanic support group that currently are fighting for better housing for low-income families. There, you see people who are in low-income brackets working together trying to make a better living not just for themselves, but for the city all together.

More about SF's Homeless Coalition 

By Will Liu

Investigating Food

California has become a main hub for farmer's markets, organic farming, and local food movements. This fall I have met with dozens of food  advocates from the Bay Area who are working hard to spread the word about healthy eating habits and how to support local food businesses. Read my blog to find stories from inside a community kitchen, turkey slaughters, a day in a life of a locavore chef and what the opposition says.  Don't forget to click the sidebars to find website links and recommended readings that helped me experience this movement. Also included are photos of my things I did, and ate, while investigating the food movement and my personal journals of what I learned. Happy Eating!

http://investigatingfood.blogspot.com/

by Robin Hug

Doublerock

Learn about the Alice Griffith community housing complex in Bayview, San Francisco, also known as Doublerock. Doublerock is a place most San Franciscans haven't seen, unless they live there or nearby.


This blog explores the history of the place, what it's like and some of the people who live there.

 Click here for more about Doublerock.

by Elizabeth Skow

Inside a House of Bondage

Stories and photos from an East Bay S&M house, where clients can visit professional dominatrices to be tied up, flogged, or otherwise titillated through a multitude of services save for actual sex.

Click here for more about BDSM.

Drawing by Andrei Bouzikov. (www.andreibouzikov.com)

Written by Cassie Harwood

The Other Asians?

"Hindi nakikita" means "invisible" in Tagalog, a prominent language of the Philippines.

Filipinos are the second largest Asian group in the United States. They are a bit of an oddball group, in the sense that they don't quite fit in with other Asian ethnic groups or Pacific Islander groups. The collection of stories and infographics on this blog are a small representation of Filipino-Americans, a community that has been overlooked and underrepresented in mainstream media and American history.

To learn more about Filipino Americans, click here.

Reporting by Jaena Rae Cabrera