San Francisco Bay Guardian

When Oacia5804 (her screen name) was asked on the Our Oakland website to contribute an image that told a story about her East Oakland home, she didn't rip her shot off of the TV news. The mother of two sent in an amazing shot of her kids pointing up at a rainbow looping perfectly over a neighborhood street. “Even tho [sic] the streets of East Oakland seem dark at times, There is Always a ray of light that will shine and inspire Greatness,” writes the photographer in the shot's caption. Read more »

In a world of relative cinema-watching convenience, with Netflix and Blockbuster By Mail, the quirky neighborhood video rental store is going the way of the record store and the dodo. However, the East Bay still houses at least one fantastic holdout, REEL Video, located on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. But perhaps not for long — despite REEL’s unique stock and organization, it is in fact owned by Hollywood Video, which recently filed for bankruptcy and announced the liquidation of all its stores. Over the past few weeks, REEL was suddenly plastered with fliers addressing frequently-asked questions about the store’s imminent closure, and calling for customer input on the store’s uncertain future.

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There's a truly inspiring movement going on in Oakland. Scraper bikes — brightly colored, their spokes woven with foil and often decorated with subverted corporate logos — are weaving through the streets.

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