Columnists

Dispatches From the Edge: Iran: Thinking the Unthinkable

By Conn Hallinan
Friday January 19, 2007

Is Israel, supported by the Bush administration, preparing to launch an atomic war against Iran? That is a question being asked in the wake of a Jan. 7 report by the London Sunday Times that claims the Israeli government is planning to attack Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons. -more-


Undercurrents: The Right Way to Leave Iraq

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 19, 2007

It has been said that on the eve of the World War II-era allied D-Day invasion of France, allied commander Dwight Eisenhower put in his pocket two separate statements for possible dissemination at the conclusion of the next day’s battle—one announcing victory, the other defeat. -more-


The Hue and Cry of House Paint

By Jane Powell
Friday January 19, 2007

By Jane Powell -more-


About the House: What I Like and What I Don’t Like About Pergo

By Matt Cantor
Friday January 19, 2007

First of all, let’s get our terminology right. Pergo is one brand of laminate flooring and not, by any stretch, the onsly one. There are many brands of laminate flooring, Pergo was just the first. Actually, even that isn’t wholly accurate and why not be accurate? Pergo, a Swedish company, first applied laminate technology to flooring in 1994 and has, in an amazingly short while, completely changed the face of the flooring business. This stuff is everywhere. -more-


Garden Variety: Save Water, Time and Plants With an Irrigation System

By Ron Sullivan
Friday January 19, 2007

We’re still freezing and so are our gardens (My poor red–leaf banana!) and I’m telling you it’s time to think about irrigation? Yes indeed. -more-


Column: Tumbled Sea Glass, Grownup Microbrews

By Susan Parker
Tuesday January 16, 2007

I’ve gotten many kind and thoughtful letters since Ralph’s death, but none more poignant than the missive I recently received from Tim Murray, who once lived in the East Bay and was active in South Berkeley politics. -more-


Surf Scooter: From the Bay to the Boreal Forest

By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 16, 2007

Among other signs of impending geezerhood, I keep noticing that some birds that used to be common are harder and harder to find. I can remember winters when the bay seemed to be paved with surf scoters. -more-