Columnists

Two Sundays ago, on Oct. 8, I rose before dawn (way before) to drive a friend to Ocean Beach in San Francisco and take part in Ma’afa, what turned out to be an extremely moving ceremony marking the estimated 100 million African ancestors who perished during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, commonly referred to as the Middle Passage. -more-

It’s rare these days that I find myself in agreement with Mayor Jerry Brown’s attorney general campaign consultant and spokesperson, who specializes in the kind of fighter pilot/attack dog responses you would expect from someone named Ace Smith. But when Mr. Smith calls it “pathetic and desperate” a recent threat by Republicans to file a lawsuit challenging Mr. Brown’s attorney general credentials, he’s right on target. This is a matter for the voters to decide, not the judges. -more-

Esther Owens was born Esther Frances Wagner in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, on March 13, 1898, the last of Anna and Max Wagner’s three children. While on a visit home from singing in a light-opera road company, Esther met her future husband, Forest John Maynard, originally from Vermont. After several moves because of Forest’s work, the young couple eventually settled in the Bay Area, first in Berkeley, then in Oakland. -more-

Killing yourself isn’t as easy as it used to be. You used to be able to get in your 8,000 pound Buick, pull into the garage, tune in KNBR and slowly pass into unconsciousness to the strains of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” as the disappointments of the world faded softly into nothingness. Wow, that was dark. But it’s a reality that carbon monoxide has been widely used to end it all for many decades, maybe a hundred years. -more-

How’s Your Earthquake Knowledge ? (Part 2) -more-

Here’s another field trip, in case you’re not busy enough with all the October nursery sales and native-plant fests. Morningsun Herb Farm has a few natives, but its focus is garden herbs in the vernacular sense of the word: useful culinary, medicinal, and fragrant plants. -more-

The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials announced this week that the Oakland Housing Agency has won a national award for its Mandela Gateway Mixed-Use Housing Development. -more-

Paris: We invite our French friend to visit us and he says, “I’m afraid to go to America.” It’s a common response: the French are curious about the United States, understand it’s a beautiful, complicated country, but are nervous about visiting. Of course, since 9/11, it’s a lot harder to get a visa. But underneath the security-related paperwork looms a more ominous reality: America is no longer seen as a welcoming place. It’s viewed as unpredictable. Savage. -more-

It will surprise no one, I’m sure, that the unofficial tree maven of the Berkeley Daily Planet is coming out against the clearcutting of a grove of senior live oaks in the city to make way for the construction of a yet another new University Sportspalast. I’ll even add that quite a few of the trees slated for destruction look sturdy enough to sit in. Oaks tend to be trustworthy to bear the weight of a human being. -more-