The Upshot The Upshot

Leah Rose talks to Chris Colin about his story “The Eden of Weed” from San Francisco Magazine's April 2016 issue. In his story Chris gets high and takes a trip to the Solar Living Center in Mendocino county, California. The Solar Living Center is an ecological-Epcot Center that was created by an enterprising environmentalist named John Schaeffer whose been at the forefront of the back-to-the-land movement since the 1970s.

Last year Schaeffer updated the Solar Living Center by building a marijuana dispensary on the grounds. The dispensary is an added attraction to the Center whose renewable energy and permaculture exhibits attract 150,000 people per year.

But with the pending legalization of recreational pot in California, the Solar Living Center could soon welcome busloads of weed-happy tourists. It’s a new era for Mendocino County which, as Chris writes, may soon become the Nappy Valley for weed.

Diana Kapp's story from the June issue of San Francisco Magazine focuses on two recent clusters of suicides among high school kids in Palo Alto, a largely affluent city that many believe encourages a culture of fierce competition and stifling academic pressure.

Diana investigates why eight teenagers over the past 5 years have killed themselves and tries to pin down the various theories as to why. Some people believe suicide can become a trend, and a way to gain distinction in a cut throat environment, while others believe widespread depression and the drive for personal excellence over self care and awareness may be the cause.

In her latest piece for Medium's online magazine Matter, "What Strippers Can Teach Uber," writer Lauren Smiley investigates the circumstances behind a class-action lawsuit against Uber, Lyft, and other on-demand tech companies.

Lauren's story details how a $40 billion company like Uber may be exploiting its workers through legal loopholes, and how one lawyer is fighting to get those workers the rights they deserve.

Writer Dashka Slater sits with host Leah Rose to discuss her story "The Fire on the 57 Bus in Oakland." Slater's story is about an agender teenager named Sasha who was set on fire while riding a public bus home from school in November of 2013.

In her story, Slater also profiles Richard Thomas, the 16-year-old who set Sasha on fire. The result is a well rounded portrait of two young men who were forever changed after that day.

Host Leah Rose sits with Andrew Leonard to discuss his piece "Long Live the Empress" from the April 2015 issue of San Francisco Magazine.

Andrew’s story takes a look at how the closure of an iconic Chinese restaurant and banquet hall called the Empress of China may be a sign that San Francisco’s Chinatown is on the brink of serious social and cultural change.

Host Leah Rose sits with writer Robin Rinaldi to discuss her personal essay, "Love in the Time of Plethora" from the February 2015 issue of San Francisco Magazine.

Robin's essay explores her time spent living in San Francisco where she ended her marriage, lived in an orgasmic commune, and eventually found the passion she longed for.