Columnists

The Public Eye: The Republican Dilemma

By Bob Burnett
Thursday May 28, 2009 - 07:03:00 PM

After Barack Obama’s victory in the November presidential election, the Republican Party attempted to re-brand itself, but hasn’t come up with compelling ideas or attractive leaders. So far, the GOP has been unwilling to modify its conservative credo. That’s good news for Democrats. -more-


UnderCurrents: Address the Crucial, Don’t Be Distracted by the Trivial

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Thursday May 28, 2009 - 07:05:00 PM

We are so easily distracted, aren’t we, so often allowing the trivial and the unimportant to take the center stage of our attention while serious issues are left unattended in the outer wings of our collective consciousness, often to die without even a comment. -more-


Green Neighbors: Getting a Public Garden out of Legal Limbo

By Ron Sullivan
Thursday May 28, 2009 - 07:17:00 PM
Convenient ignorance in action: When you know that butterflies lay eggs on the leafy outer bits of plants, what looks like a half-assed mow-n-blow attack looks even worse. LeConte traffic circle, a few days post-vandalism.

Berkeley flatland citizens have turned those odd “traffic calming” circles that the city plunked into various intersections a few years back into showcases of gardening art and dedication. Volunteering their time, energy, skills, and plants, they’ve created something more than beauty: these breaks in the asphalt function to catch, slow, and filter rainwater before it hits the storm sewers, to filter pollutants as do all urban plants, and to nurture the local wildlife so many of us fail to notice. -more-


East Bay, Then and Now: James Pierce, the Consummate Host of Ridge Road

By Daniella Thompson
Thursday May 28, 2009 - 07:19:00 PM
The Treehaven Apartments were named for the oak trees on Ridge Road.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series on Cloyne Court. -more-


About the House: Stinky House Syndrome

By Matt Cantor
Thursday May 28, 2009 - 07:18:00 PM

Mr. and Mrs. American Home Buyer, are you suffering from Stinky House Syndrome? Do strangers cover their noses and flee your dwelling soon after entering? Do relatives plan family gatherings at the homes of family members who are less scintillating than you? Are you engaging in microbial experiments without possession of the pertinent advanced degree? Does your house smell bad? If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be a candidate for dehumidifier ownership. -more-