Columnists

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: The Effects of Stress on Fragile People

Jack Bragen
Friday August 23, 2019 - 02:46:00 PM

As a human being with more than the typical vulnerabilities, I know that in several ways, I'm not very strong. When life becomes excessively demanding, or when events occur in my life that I find traumatic, the repercussions that follow include an increase in the symptoms of my psychiatric condition. -more-


ECLECTIC RANT: Was SF Opera’s Cancellation Of Plácido Domingo Concert Too Hasty?

Ralph E. Stone
Friday August 23, 2019 - 02:40:00 PM

The San Francisco Opera canceled the Plácido Domingo concert scheduled for Oct. 6. The company issued a press release saying the move to cancel the show comes in the wake of news of multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Domingo. -more-


SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces

Gar Smith
Saturday August 24, 2019 - 11:37:00 AM

The Shady Ladies of Alcatraz

When one of our window shades popped a pin, the question was: Repair or replace? When we took our lame shade to a shop on University, we were waved away by a proprietor who had neither time nor interest in solving our low-budget problem. So we pointed the car down Shattuck Ave and headed south to Berkeley's Alcatraz Shade—whose motto is: "Making you smile since 1954."

We came away with smiles. The women who run the shop quickly sprang forth to rescue our sickly shade. A replacement pin was located, implanted in the roller, and we were quickly sent on our way. Less than five minutes; less than five bucks. They even tested the curtain for us in their backroom lab. -more-