This week, guest host Suzie Racho and The Chronicle's David Wiegand are talking about a world premiere at Berkeley Rep, a collection of comedians and an Oscar-nominated multi-instrumentalist.

The documentary film "F R E E" follows five Oakland teenagers over a year as they transform their personal struggles and stories into a collaborative dance performance. The teens are part of Oakland's Destiny Arts, a violence prevention and arts education center. We'll talk with one of the teens featured, as well as the film's producer and the artistic director of Destiny Arts Center about the fundamental role art can play in navigating life challenges.

Jinho "The Piper" Ferreira had a thriving career as a rapper in 2009, when Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer. Watching the dysfunctional relationship between the black community and the police in the protests that followed the killing, he decided to get involved. He now works as a sheriff's deputy in Alameda County. We talk with Ferreira, whose one-man play "Cops and Robbers" explores issues of violence and law enforcement in East Oakland.

Ask Bay Area residents to pick their favorite local burrito and you're likely to get a range of fervent and informed opinions. So you can imagine the challenge facing journalist Anna Maria Barry-Jester. The "burrito correspondent" for ESPN's FiveThirtyEight site traveled from Key West to Hawaii in search of the country's best burrito. The Burrito Bracket winner, announced on Wednesday, is none other than the carnitas burrito from San Francisco's own venerable La Taqueria. What burrito would top your bracket?

China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, which started in an apartment with a pooled collection of $60,000, is expected to make its Wall Street debut raising $24 billion -- even more than when Google and Facebook went public. The company already surpasses eBay in China, with founder Jack Ma looking to take Alibaba's reach global. What would the IPO mean for the Chinese company and its U.S. competitors?

A day at the neighborhood pool reminds Kevin Bendemire why all the hard work of parenting is more than worth it.

Why do so many politicians these days refer to people as "folks?" What does it mean for a candidate to get "Cantored?" And what exactly is a "Washington Handshake?" In his new book, journalist David Mark answers those questions and shares today's most revealing examples of political jargon and slang. What are your most cringe-worthy examples of Beltway blather?

President Obama is set to announce his strategy Wednesday night for defeating the militant group known as the Islamic State, including possible expansion of U.S. airstrikes into Syria. At the same time, Democrats in the Senate are planning a bill that would authorize the U.S. military to train Syrian rebels and other foreign troops that oppose the Islamic State. Experts discuss Obama's proposed strategy, and what it means for America and the Middle East.

Beginning next summer, most California employers will be required to give their workers three days of paid sick leave. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill Wednesday in Los Angeles. The law is designed to help low-income employees like dishwashers and childcare providers -- but home health care workers are one notable exception.

The Antelope Valley, about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles, is home to roughly 12 percent of the county's homeless population. Officials from the city of Lancaster claim that number grows by the day because of an alleged migration of train-hopping homeless people. To curb this apparent surge, the city aims to shutter the sole public transit station linking Lancaster to Los Angeles.