Columnists

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: The Iranian Tsunami

Conn Hallinan
Monday March 15, 2010 - 06:07:00 PM

Earthquakes, like the recent Haitian and Chilean monsters, are not subtle events: They flatten buildings, crush houses, and turn infrastructures into concrete and steel confetti. But earthquakes can also generate a power that remains largely unseen until a huge tsunami rises out of the sea and obliterates a coastline. -more-


DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE:Dubai: Debacle or Dangerous Prelude?

By Conn Hallinan
Thursday March 11, 2010 - 01:46:00 PM

At first glance, the recent assassination of a mid-level Hamas operative in Dubai by the Israeli intelligence organization, Mossad, was a comedy of errors, as if the Three Stooges has suddenly been put in charge of one of the fabled agency’s hit squads: Easily traced passports and credit cards were used; team members put on fake mustaches and beards, sometimes so clumsily they could clearly be identified; and a female agent slipped on a disguising wig, only to walk back and forth in front of a surveillance camera for half an hour. -more-


PUBLIC EYE: America's Locust Years

By Bob Burnett
Wednesday March 10, 2010 - 03:18:00 PM

This past week I was reminded of a Winston Churchill speech where he lamented, "these are the years that the locust hath eaten." Speaking before the House of Commons, Churchill chronicled Hitler's rise to power, Germany's rearmament, and England's failure to respond. He used the locust metaphor to refer to the multiple opportunities England had to prevent war. -more-


SENIOR POWER: Why Are All Senior Centers Closed at Once?

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Thursday March 11, 2010 - 09:26:00 AM

“In youth we learn; In age we understand.” -more-


EAST BAY THEN AND NOW: Bread and Music Were Staples of West Berkeley Block

by Daniella Thompson
Thursday March 11, 2010 - 03:09:00 PM
The former American Photo Player Company buildings, now Strawberry Creek Design Center.

Berkeley prides itself on being at the forefront of national trends. This was already the case a hundred years ago, when newfangled inventions like the automobile and the movies found receptive local entrepreneurs ready to help them along. -more-


WILD NEIGHBORS: Last of the Berkeley Parrots?

by Joe Eaton
Thursday March 11, 2010 - 08:15:00 AM

A few days ago, Ron and I were walking down San Pablo Avenue near Hearst when we heard a familiar screeching noise. We located the source in a leafless tree: a midsized green parrot with a long tail and a red face. It appeared to be a mitred conure, also known as mitred parakeet, the species that’s frequented West Berkeley for at least a couple of decades. And there was only one. -more-