Abdo Alawdi is planning on sharing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with his family, which includes a wife, six children, numerous relatives - oh, and 250 of his closest friends and neighbors.

Saturday afternoon was the 4th annual Oaktoberfest in the Dimond. We had perfect weather for this family-friendly event, with the early fog burning off to partly cloudy skies. Three stages featured a variety of music and dancing, and there was a climbing wall, face painting, and crafts for kids.

Residents around Sausal Creek between the Leimert Bridge and El Centro Avenue in Oakland's Dimond District are worrying because of the huge amount of sewage that has run through the creek in the past week, turning it a poop-filled sewer. 

If you live in Louisiana, you start working your way to Mardi Gras on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany)--and keep it going until Mardi Gras aka Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is March 8th this year.