Columnists

First Person: Having a Disability Is More Than a Job

By Jack Bragen
Tuesday, April 08
In my young adulthood, I fought valiantly against the notion that I would be disabled, unable to work, and dependent on the medical establishment and on public benefits. I tried exceedingly hard to work at jobs, at first by quitting prescribed medication against medical advice, and then tried to work while taking these medications which I had little choice but to take. -more-

Oakland Plans Reception Honoring Actor-Singer-Activist Paul Robeson

by J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday, April 08
The City of Oakland will honor the legacy of Paul Robeson—one of the giant figures in American history—with an April 9 City Hall reception on the 110th anniversary of his birth. -more-

Zoning Board Considers Expansion Of Jupiter Restaurant

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday, April 08
The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) will consider an expansion permit for Jupiter Restaurant on Thursday. -more-

Green Neighbors: Endangered in Its Home, Enthusiastic in Gardens: Malva Rosa

By Ron Sullivan
Tuesday, April 08
Leaf and blossom of Lavatera assurgentifolia, malva rosa, island bush mallow.
Joe and I spent the other afternoon moving dirt and reshaping the malva rosa by the garage, to allow some sun on the pile we were making. This isn’t the first time we’ve radically reshaped the thing, and it won’t be the last. Except for the fact that it’s so inherently bewildering, I’d call this plant the ideal first thing to learn pruning with: it’s woody but soft; it puts out lots and lots of branches to choose from, and it can take a severe pruning and recover. -more-

Column: Undercurrents: Oakland Army Base Story Raises Concerns About Chronicle Coverage

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday, April 04
With the sad, slow decline of the Oakland Tribune as a newspaper of substance over the past several years, Oakland has begun to depend more heavily on the San Francisco Chronicle for coverage of city issues and events. With that dependence have come expressed concerns—jelling in the Jerry Brown years, escalating during the one year of the Ron Dellums administration—that Oakland is being “unfairly” covered, for want of a better word. -more-

East Bay, Then and Now: Parsons House: A Pioneering Design for Accessible Living

By Daniella Thompson
Friday, April 04
A brick ramp leads to the Parsons house, designed by Albert J. Mazurette in 1911.
Since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, standards for accessible design have guided new construction and building retrofits. A plethora of products, from doors to bathroom fixtures, are especially designed with accessibility in mind. -more-

Garden Variety: Thank You, Jenny Fleming

By Ron Sullivan
Friday, April 04
I owe a personal debt to Jenny Fleming, and so do you. Mine is perhaps more specific: Jenny was one of a group of people who saved my sanity after I crashed and burned out of nursing. -more-

About the House: Imagining the Ideal Electrical System for Your House

By Matt Cantor
Friday, April 04
I’m actually a very sensitive person. My feelings are easily hurt and I prefer to have an exchange of kind words: “I like you” is nice. On a good day someone might say “I like you, too.” Isn’t that nice. Then I wake up and realize, once again, that I’m a home inspector and no matter how I try to slice it, I have to criticize a few dozen things every day and, invariably, I’m going to have hurt someone’s feelings, made them angry or maybe a little scared. Well, at least I’m not in politics. -more-