Two cousins were sentenced to lengthy state prison terms today for the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old man in broad daylight in Berkeley two years ago. -more-

Safeway Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $10 million in civil penalties to settle a environmental protection lawsuit filed in Oakland alleging that the grocery store chain failed to properly dispose of hazardous waste at more than 500 California facilities over seven years. -more-

Mental health workers with the National Union of Healthcare Workers are planning a week of strikes against Kaiser Permanente starting a week from today, union officials have announced. -more-

Why do we love Berkeley? Isn’t it because of our culture?

Berkeley’s culture is a rich ferment of the intellectual, artistic, and political. We appreciate ideas here, we have strong opinions, and yes, we lean left (though on the whole, not nearly as left as many people believe). And the entertainment we value embodies our culture.

But we have been losing our culture, not through natural evolution, but through large development projects. The latest threat is the proposed tear-down of the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, a 10-screen venue known for its spacious vestibule, plush retro lobby, and intellectually rich films. It is remarkable that so small a city as ours can boast this large venue, which hosts several yearly film festivals from around the world and is one of the few places that screens independent, locally made films.

Did you know about its planned demolition? If so, you’re in the minority. Most Berkeley citizens don’t know since it’s not easy to keep track of what’s going on in the Planning Department, where these decisions are made. How can it be otherwise, given that talks between developers and Planning begin as private conversations, sometimes at social gatherings? Years later, after basic agreements about these projects have already been made, public comment is allowed (more like tolerated) at largely-ceremonial, poorly advertised meetings whose agendas often obscure the significance of their subject matter – as is the case with the opaquely named 2210 Harold Way Project, where the Landmark now sits. -more-

Cuba is yet another example of our government’s penchant of imposing its will and military might on smaller nations – with disastrous results. Our relations with Cuba have been frayed for more than half a century. The botched attempt by the CIA to overthrow the Castro government is generally considered one of the greatest military fiascos of the modern era. -more-

Have you heard that the Berkeley City Council will be voting on Tuesday, January 20 on a proposal to require homeowners in Berkeley to pay for mandatory energy audits?

Under this proposed ordinance, owners of single family homes, and of small building with up to four units, will have to pay the city a $79 filing fee and also pay a “Registered Service Provider” approved by the city for the mandatory energy assessment. The Berkeley Energy Commission, which proposed this ordinance, estimates that it will cost $400 for a single family home. The ordinance says that assessments will be done by private entities who will set their own rates, and there is no limit in the ordinance on what homeowners could be asked to pay.

$479 is a lot, and it could be more than that. Homeowners will have to pay for these audits every ten years, so this is not a one time thing. -more-

As the presidents of the three largest police unions in the Bay Area, our overriding responsibility is to ensure that each and every police officer we represent makes it home to his or her family after every shift. Police officers must swear to uphold our constitution, and we also take seriously our responsibility to protect the First Amendment rights of the public we serve. Unfortunately, recent events threaten to bring these two great responsibilities into conflict. -more-

It is baffling why Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, should stubbornly defend the heinous torture practices authorized by former President Bush. There was a time when the United States urged all nations to strictly adhere to international treaties and respect for human rights, freedom of expression and liberty for all. American leaders denounced dark dungeons where people were held without charge, tortured and killed. All that changed during the disastrous years of the Bush/Cheney (BC) administration. In a short eight years BC gave the green light to the CIA and US military to establish rendition sights to conduct medieval torture, violating every norm of human behavior and decency – and international law. By so doing the Bush administration has dishonored our former high moral standing and squandered the respect of nations who now rightly accuse us of dishonesty and hypocrisy. -more-

Looking back at the years of fury and carnage, Colonel Angelo Gatti, staff officer of the Italian Army (Austrian front), wrote in his diary: "This whole war has been a pile of lies. We came into war because a few men in authority, the dreamers, flung us into it."

No, Gatti, caro mio, those few men are not dreamers; they are schemers. They perch above us. See how their armament contracts are turned into private fortunes—while the young men are turned into dust: more blood, more money; good for business this war. -more-

Here's Congresswoman Barbara Lee telling us what she did for us last year: -more-

As always, more in the pipeline to come, so keep checking back. -more-

Happy New Year! Welcome to the start of the presidential campaign marathon. For your consideration are five likely candidates, each representing a distinct segment of the US political spectrum. -more-

Each year Dispatches From the Edge gives awards to individuals, companies and governments that make following the news a daily adventure. Here are the winners for 2014.

The Pandora’s Box Award to Israel and the U.S. for launching the world’s first cyber war and creating a monster in the process. In 2010 both countries secretly released the Stuxnet virus to disable Iran’s nuclear energy program, in the process crashing thousands of Teheran’s centrifuges. -more-

It is important to realize as persons with a chronic mental illness who, all of us, are not getting younger, that we are not alone. The facts of life are applicable to all known forms of life. Life is temporary. -more-

President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba deserves applause. Normalization, however, will not be complete until the U.S. ends its economic embargo and returns Guantánamo Bay to Cuba. -more-

The pieces for a political resolution of the Syrian civil war are finally coming together, but the situation is extremely fragile, which is not good news in a region where sabotaging agreements and derailing initiatives comes easier than sober compromise. But while many of the key players have already begun backing away from their previous “red lines,” there remains one major obstacle: Turkey. -more-

The Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra (BCCO) will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion in its January 2015 concert series. -more-

Berkeley’s First Congregational Church was once again the venue for San Francisco Chamber Orchestra’s annual New Year’s Eve concert. Led by Music Director Ben Simon, SFCO offers free concerts throughout the year at various locations in the Bay Area; but their New Year’s Eve concerts are a particular favorite with local classical music lovers. This year the program featured Mozart’s overture to Così fan tutte, Prokofiev’s First Symphony, “the Classical,” and, after intermission, young violinist Stephen Waart playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E-minor. -more-