“I sure hope someone donates a forklift,” says Mark Burden, co-manager of Habitat for Humanity’s soon-to-open ReStore. And looking around its giant industrial space on Swift Street, it’s easy to see why. To the left of the former spice company factory floor sits a glowing purple sectional sofa that could easily sit nine. To the right, a gleaming ’50s-style electric oven, burners carefully arranged so one can access the rear pushbutton console without burning one’s wrists. And in the distance, a perfectly arranged stack of solid-core doors so thick and sturdy that a roomful of jocks could yell “What is it with the quarterback? Where the hell did they get that jerk?” all day long and not a peep would disturb your handcrafted yogurt project in the kitchen.
Articles by Paul Wagner
Santa Sam’s Earmarks
2011. The Year of the Rabbit, in the Chinese lunar calendar (emphasis: diplomacy). The Year of Forests and the Year of Chemistry, according to the United Nations. And, if incoming federal House and Senate GOP’s stick to their word, the Last-Ever Year of Earmarks.
Gift Guide: Cadmium Alert
In February of this year, several thousand customers of plus-size chain store Catherine’s found themselves in a conundrum. They’d bought charm bracelets to benefit breast cancer awareness only to learn that the charms potentially caused—you guessed it—cancer.
The Prop 25 Divide
Of all the state initiatives on the November ballot, Proposition 25 is the one measure that both proponents and opponents agree may well transform California politics. What they disagree on is whether that transformation would be a miracle or a disaster.
