2016 – Teen Observer Archive

August 6, 2016

Thrifting on Telegraph draws year-round customers

BERKELEY, Calif.— Ariel Dekovic, a Berkeley native, sat with a box of sweaters, hats, jackets, jeans and more at Buffalo Exchange. She was planning to sell all of the items to the thrift shop, something she does twice a year.

Every other month, she can be found at Buffalo Exchange buying clothes, shoes, and accessories. The purse she currently carries is from a Buffalo Exchange store, she says.

“I think the idea of better prices,” said Dekovic about why thrift shopping and selling appeals to her.

Buffalo Exchange on Telegraph Avenue in this college town was the first location for the store in this state when it opened in the early 1980s, according to its website. All products sold at the store are bought, sold and traded locally. Items sold at the store include vintage, designer, one-of-a-kind items, costumes and even current and new clothing, shoes, jewelry and other accessories.

Buffalo Exchange is dedicated to helping the community in more ways than one: When customers decline a bag, they are offered a 5-cent token instead to donate to one of three charities through the Tokens for Bags® program. This program claims credit for saving more than 13 million bags from landfills. Buffalo Exchange also supports food pantries, animal shelters, LGBT organizations, homeless aid, local libraries and schools, women’s support centers and more.

Mars Mercantile is another store in the thrifting business, one of many in Berkeley. It is one of seven stores in the San Francisco area under Retro City Fashions Inc. and under its current ownership since 1993. The owner buys clothes from various warehouses, and from there they are distributed to different stores.

Ashley Gardner, the manager, said most of their shoppers are between the ages of 16 and 25. During the summer, however, Mars also gets an influx of traffic from tourists, especially from Europe.

Most of the clothes that come in are from the 1970s and 1990s. However, that doesn’t always match what shoppers are searching for: “The demographic that comes in here is people that are looking for really vintage stuff, like the 50s,” she said.

As a thrift shop, Mars Mercantile sees a lot of crazy clothes, notably fur collars with the fox face still attached.
“It’s just fun to see all the clothes coming in from different eras,” Gardner said.

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016

Drugs, equality on people’s minds

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — What issue most concerns you? The Teen Observer staff asked tourists and residents at this city’s busy Pier 39 what mattered most:

Elise Szabo, 20, said the issues most important to her were police brutality, the war on drugs and the connections between the two.

“Police brutality is a direct impact of the war on drugs. The stereotypes are still very prevalent so the police go into communities seeing these people as criminals,” she said.

The issues most important to Chala Jan, 36, was equality for women, the LGBT community and immigrants. She said, “Everyone should be equal anyways.”

“This election makes me afraid. Because I’m an immigrant, and not a Christian,” she said.

David Ly, 26, simply said that he was most concerned with Donald Trump not being elected to office.

He said, “He seems like a big egomaniac.”

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016

DC minimum wage raised to $15

Protesters' fight for a $15 minimum wage has been a long one which is still going on across the nation. July 22, 2015. Photo by Kevin Lamarque. — Protesters’ fight for a $15 minimum wage has been a long one which is still going on across the nation. July 22, 2015. Photo by Kevin Lamarque.

WASHINGTON – DC lawmakers approved the implementation of a $15 minimum wage. With the bill approving this signed on June 27, 2016 by District mayor Muriel Bowser, DC minimum-wage workers will rise to join some of the highest payed low-income workers in the nation.

This decision marks a symbolic win in the “Fight for $15” campaign, which took place in the District earlier this year as DC, ranked as #3 with the highest cost of living in America and #6 in the world by Expatistan, has a large population struggling to make it by with one job, or multiple ones. According to the National Employment Law Project, this change will not be put into effect just yet, however, but rather gradually progress until the minimum wage is raised to a total of $15 in the year 2020.

This change will cause an impact on thousands of low-income workers, as 83,000 janitors, dishwashers and others will be provided with raises. This change, however, will also implement a newfound pressure on the 40,000 other workers who are paid slightly above the new baseline, as well as business owners as they must make changes to their businesses in order to adapt to the budget changes.

When asked about the minimum wage, Lucila from Puerto Rico, stated that it was a “great change” as people with “increased experience are stuck on these low incomes. “However, with the implementation of this new law, it could mark the beginning of “progress in DC and new opportunities for its civilians.”

Additionally, with the “Fight for $15” campaign already becoming a national movement, does it have the potential to become even more than that? Lucila said that in many countries, like her own, which currently has a $4.25 minimum wage, progress and opportunity is something people are starting to ask for, starting with higher salaries.

DC mayor Muriel Bowser signs the bill approving the $15 minimum wage. June 27, 2016. Video by the DC Mayor’s Office.

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016

Smithsonian Folklife Festival features international cultures

The opening ceremony of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall commenced Wednesday to celebrate both Basque culture and the sounds of California.

The Folklife Festival showcases each year cultural identity from the featured locations including art, food, dance, clothing and games.

Jacob Jaureguy, 21, and Sebastian Caldoron, 22, are both from Spain’s Basque region but now reside in California and perform in Basque dance group called Gauden Bat. Both men explained t

Traditional Mexican dancers at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, June 29. Photo by Lauren Markwart.

hat many people from that northeastern part of Spain who move to the United States choose the West Coast as their home. They feel it is important for them to inform others about their culture through the performing arts.

“The basis of this is to get our name out there and show what we are about,” Jaureguy said.

Tradition is a major component of Basque culture. The people of the region have great pride in their language that predates both Spanish and French. Dancing in Basque has deep cultural roots and it is a, “mix between Irish and Ballet– but not at all,” Caldoron said.

The dancers also felt it was important to share their culture due to their country’s unique political situation.

Basque is a region officially described as an “autonomous” community sandwiched between Spain and France– both countries claim part of the region.

“At one point we were our own independent kingdom, but Spain took over and gave part of us to France,” Caldoron said.

Halfway around the world lies another culture featured in the Folklife Festival: California, and specifically, its music scene.

A music group from Southern California came to the festival to perform their traditional Mexican religious dance that has survived in the United States.

Diego Solano, 27, explained that when the Spanish came to his ancestors’ town of Santiago, in the Juxtlahuaca district in Southern Mexico, the foreigners did not understand their religion.

“When they came over to civilize everyone they turned our god to a devil,” said Solano, who held a devil mask as he spoke in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building.

The men perform their religious dance called the “Dance of the Devil” as they dress in colorful costumes with masks made by Alex Vasquez, 28, an active member in the group who was born in Tecomaxtlahuaca, a town in Southern Mexico.

Similar to Basque culture, traditions are very important to the people of Mexico who have come to live in California. Vasquez has made decorative masks his whole life with his father. Each mask takes about two weeks to create due to the attention each one needs. The masks are made in vibrant hues of reds and oranges and have horns poking out of the top.

Regions are chosen for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to, “show and honor all of the different cultures that have immigrated here,” said Caldoron.

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016

Dancing, eating and shopping at the Folklife Festival

The 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrates its 49th year this week and next and offers concerts, dance performances, shopping and people watching on the National Mall.

Each year, the festival celebrates different cultures, countries or regions. This year’s festival focuses on Sounds of California and the Basque region of Spain and France.

“We are much smaller and the culture’s absolutely different,” said Monica Salinas, 51, born in the Basque region.

The festival brings many families of different cultures together.

At the festival, you can watch concerts, shop and try foods like artisanal gelato. At Wednesday’s opening ceremonies, many people wore t-shirts or bandannas to show support towards Basque and California. Others came in costumes and danced to the music.

“I’m really impressed. I thought the musics [sic] of California was going to be the Beach Boys,” said Ed LeClair, 62.