Columnists

The Public Eye: At Last, Liberals Get Angry

By Bob Burnett
Thursday September 03, 2009 - 11:21:00 AM

The 1976 movie classic Network is best known for the scene where deranged newsman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) persuades his viewers to join his rant, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Thirty-three years later, faced with the news that the Obama administration was considering dropping the public option for healthcare, liberals finally invoked their inner Howard Beale and got angry. -more-


UnderCurrents: Confusing the Past with the Present

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Thursday September 03, 2009 - 11:21:00 AM

Our British friends have an old children’s riddle that illustrates the importance of context in the understanding of things. -more-


Wild Neighbors: Seals of Approval

By Joe Eaton
Thursday September 03, 2009 - 11:05:00 AM
Lunchtime at Point Lobos: female harbor seal and pup.

Years ago at Point Reyes, I was taking a solo hike down Drake’s Beach in the direction of the lighthouse. Suddenly, a sleek gray head, like a bowling ball with big dark eyes, popped up just beyond the surfline: a harbor seal, checking me out. It kept pace with me for half a mile or so, tethered by curiosity, until I found a break in the cliffs and turned inland. -more-


East Bay Then and Now: Edward F. Niehaus, West Berkeley Stalwart

By Daniella Thompson
Thursday September 03, 2009 - 11:06:00 AM
The Edward F. Niehaus residence at 839 Channing Way.

On Jan. 28, 1905, the first concatenation of the Order of Hoo-Hoo was held in Oakland. The ceremonies were conducted by the “Supreme Nine” of the local chapter of this lumbermen’s fraternity, many of whose officers’ titles were derived from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark.” The office of Gurdon (sergeant-at-arms) was occupied by veteran lumberman and West Berkeley resident Edward Frederick Niehaus. -more-


About the House: In So Many Ways, We’re Getting Stupider and Stupider

By Matt Cantor
Thursday September 03, 2009 - 11:06:00 AM

I can recall the first time I inspected a turn-of-the-20th-century house and noticed one of those funny little doors in the hallway closet next to the bathroom and, upon prying it open, realized that this was a little repair access panel for the shower. -more-