Culture
Testimony in Perry v. Schwarzenegger featured vivid personal testimony about struggles with discrimination based on sexual orientation. The team defending Proposition 8, meanwhile, argued that the state has a compelling interest to allow voters to define marriage.
In a San Francisco courtroom packed to overflowing, attorneys on both sides of Proposition 8 argued this morning about whether the same-sex marriage ban is discriminatory or a justifiable expression of California voters’ will.
Ben Franklin, font of aphorisms, said “In this world nothing can be said to be certain. Except death and taxes.” But there’s one unescapable reality Franklin seems to have missed: laundry.
Kobe and Miyazaki beef producers are secretive about their methods. But many ranchers in Japan massage cattle daily. Some cows listen to classical music, a method used to relax them. “They are treated as kings,” says one Oakland chef.
Since opening in 1926, Genova’s Delicatessen has served pasta, soups and traditional deli sandwiches to residents of North Oakland’s Temescal district.
This Kuro mame (black beans) recipe comes from a program the Buddhist Church of Oakland (BCO) held 12 years ago, highlighting food for the Oshogatsu (New Year’s) celebration. New Year’s is an important time in Japanese culture. Many of the foods served on this occasion are symbolic and come from the Buddhist tradition. Mame translates to “beans,” but also means “health.” When the black beans are combined with chestnuts (kuri, symbolizing success) and kelp (kombu, symbolizing joy), the dish symbolizes…
As the decade draws to a close, we canvassed North Oakland this week to find what people thought were the most important events of the last 10 years.
Many girls in multicultural, multiracial Oakland have grown up in the last several decades watching Disney heroines who don’t look like them. It’s not just that these characters are mermaids, fairies and princesses. It’s also that they are, with a handful of exceptions, white.
UC Berkeley unleashed 18 reporters on North Oakland back in late August. Here are some of the stories they found in the last four months.