REPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIAWHATCOM*SKAGIT*ISLAND*LOWER B.C.
c a s c a d i a
05. .11 :: #21, v.06 ::
McKIBBENBill
COAL VS. SOUL
THE GRISTLE, P.6 * SKI TO SEA, P.14 * FREE WILL ASTROLOGY, P.26
MEMORIAL MERRIMENT: A WEEKEND’S WORTH OF MUSIC, P.18 NEXT WEEK: PICK UP OUR SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE! EMERALD BAY: HISTORY ON ITS TOES, P.15
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A glance at what’s happening this week
Attend the annual Me-
morial Day gathering honor-ing those who’ve served in
the armed forces, May 30 at Ferndale’s Memorial Park
[05. .11]
ON STAGESpring Play Festival: 7pm, Bellingham High School
WORDSSusie Bright: 7pm, Village Books Ski to Sea Book Sale: 10am-6pm, Bellingham Public Library
[05. .11]ON STAGESpring Play Festival: 7pm, Bellingham High School Words in Motion: 7pm, Fairhaven College Audito-rium Comedy Film Nerds: 8pm, MBT’s Walton Theatre Good, Bad, Ugly: 8pm, Upfront Theatre Music Box 2: 8pm, iDiOM Theater The Project: 10pm, Upfront Theatre
MUSICCarl Jones, James Bryan: 7:30pm, Nancy’s Farm
WORDSSki to Sea Book Sale: 10am-6pm, Bellingham Public Library Ruby Nari Mayo: 7pm, Village Books
COMMUNITYChinese Expulsion Talk: 7pm, Whatcom Museum
VISUAL ARTSChildren’s Art Show Reception: 7-8:30pm, Lynden Public Library Condom Fashion Show: 7pm, Viking Union Multi-purpose Room
[05. .11]ON STAGE Pilipino Cultural Night: 6pm, Viking Union, WWU Spring Play Festival: 7pm, Bellingham High School Words in Motion: 7pm, Fairhaven College Audito-rium Finnegan’s Farewell: 7:30pm, RiverBelle Dinner Theatre, Mount Vernon Scratch Pad: 8pm, Upfront Theatre Music Box 2: 8pm, iDiOM Theater Doubles: 10pm, Upfront Theatre
MUSICJazz Combo: 7pm, Performing Arts Center, WWU Folklife Festival: Through Monday, Seattle Center
WORDSSki to Sea Book Sale: 10am-6pm, Bellingham Public LibraryJohn Keeble: 7pm, Village Books
GET OUTDiva Ride: 3pm, Black Market Boutique
View improv inspired by poetry—and vice versa—at the final
weekend of shows May 27-28 at the
Upfront Theatre
WORDSSki to Sea Book Sale: 10am-3pm, Bellingham Public Library Mary Lou Sanelli: 7pm, Village Books
COMMUNITYBlaine Gardeners Market: 10am-2pm, H Street Plaza Bellingham Farmers Market: 10am-3pm, Chestnut Street and Railroad Avenue Ferndale Public Market: 10am-4pm, Riverwalk Park
Skagit Valley Market: 10am-3pm, Farmhouse Res-taurant, Mount Vernon Ski to Sea Grand Parade: 12pm, downtown Bell-inghamSki to Sea Block Party: 5-9pm, Boundary Bay Brewery
GET OUT NCI Stewards Kickoff: 9am, North Cascades National Park Boating Center Kickoff: 10am-5pm, Community Boating Center
FOOD Community Breakfast: 8-11am, Bellingham Senior CenterCommunity Meal: 10am-12pm, United Church of Ferndale
VISUAL ARTSYvette Neumann Reception: 5-8pm, Fairhaven Origi-nals Gallery Art by the Lake: 6-8pm, Bloedel Donovan Commu-nity Building
[05. .11]ON STAGEWords in Motion: 7pm, Fairhaven College Audito-rium Spring Play Festival: 7pm, Bellingham High School Finnegan’s Farewell: 7:30pm, RiverBelle Dinner Theatre, Mount Vernon Scratch Pad: 8pm, Upfront Theatre Music Box 2: 8pm, iDiOM Theater Doubles: 10pm, Upfront Theatre
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VISUAL ARTSArt by the Lake: 9am-6pm, Bloedel Donovan Community BuildingArtists Studio Tour: 10am-6pm, Lummi Island
[05. .11]ON STAGE Words in Motion: 2pm, Fairhaven College Auditorium
MUSICMusic on the Green: 11am-5pm, Fairhaven Vil-lage Green The Art of Jazz: 4-6:30pm, Amadeus Project
COMMUNITYFairhaven Festival: 10am-8pm, historic Fairhaven Antique Car Show: 10am-3pm, Boulevard Park
GET OUTSki to Sea Race: 8am, Mt. Baker Ski AreaFlower Power Ride: 1pm, Bellingham Public Market
VISUAL ARTSArt by the Lake: 9am-6pm, Bloedel Donovan Community BuildingSeconds Sale: 10am-5pm, Good Earth Pottery Artists Studio Tour: 10am-6pm, Lummi Island
[05. .11]WORDSOpen Mic: 7pm, Village Books Poetrynight: 8:30pm, Amadeus Project
COMMUNITYFestival of Flags: 1-4pm, Moles Greenacres Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Ferndale
VISUAL ARTSArt by the Lake: 10am-4pm, Bloedel Donovan Community Building
[05. .11]WORDSBill McKibben: 5pm, Fairhaven Village Green Mike O’Connor: 7pm, Village BooksOpen Mic: 7pm, Blue Horse Gallery
SEND EVENTS TO [email protected]
A plethora of produce can be had at Farmers Market openings happening this week in Blaine (May 28) and the Fairhaven Village Green (June 1)
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VIEWS & NEWS 4: Mailbag
6: Gristle & Views
8: McKibben’s message
10: Last week’s news
11: Police blotter
ARTS & LIFE 14: 100 years of action
15: History on display
16: Island inspirations
18: Memorializing music
20: Clubs
22: New hangover, same movie
23: Film shorts
REAR END 24: Bulletin Board, Sudoku
25: Wellness
26: Free Will Astrology
27: Crossword
28: Advice Goddess
29: This Modern World, Tom the Dancing Bug
30: Going underground
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WHATCOM*SKAGIT*ISLAND*LOWER B.C.
c a s c a d i a
05. .11 :: #21, v.06 ::
THE GRISTLE, P.6 * * FREE WILL ASTROLOGY, P.26
A WEEKEND’S WORTH OF MUSIC, PICK UP OUR SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE! HISTORY ON ITS TOES,
Cover: Photo by Nancy Battaglia
NEWSPAPER ADVISORY GROUP: Robert Hall, Seth Murphy, Michael Petryni, David Syre
TOC LETTERS STAFF
UNSUSTAINABLE ECONOMYDavid Warren, former NW Washington Central
Labor Council president, is featured in an ad in the
Weekly extolling the virtues of building the “Gate-
way Pacific Terminal,” the planned Cherry Point fa-
cility intended to ship coal to China.
Warren’s argument includes two key elements
that are not accurate and one that is just factual-
ly wrong. He notes that SSA Marine, the corpora-
tion that wants to build the terminal, has “local
roots.” This is true. The company was founded in
Bellingham in 1949. But, according to SSA Ma-
rine’s not fully disclosing website, the company
left Bellingham at least 30 years ago and prob-
ably more than 50 years ago. By 1960 at the lat-
est, the company was already called Seattle Ste-
vedore. After 50 years of absence, in what way do
“local roots” matter?
Warren then claims that “being local gives them
(SSA Marine) an additional incentive to do the proj-
ect in an environmentally responsible way because
it’s not just a job to them; they live here, too.”
But SSA Marine is not “local” in any meaning-
ful sense of this word. It may call itself “local” in
Seattle, but that’s 90 miles distant. Is Vancouver,
BC, “local” in Bellingham? It’s only 55 miles away. I
don’t think anyone would say it is.
Even in Seattle, SSA Marine is not really “lo-
cal.” The company is a multinational corporation,
owning port operations in Washington, California,
South Carolina and Mexico. It runs terminals in 120
locations worldwide, and it is the largest privately
held container terminal operator and cargo-han-
dling company in the world.
So just how does SSA Marine “live here, too?”
as Warren claims? Maybe SSA Marine execs live in
Seattle, but you won’t see your “local” SSA Marine
friends and neighbors on Railroad Avenue—or
even at the mall. They don’t live here.
Finally, in a letter to the Seattle Times on March
29, Warren asserted that “the Gateway terminal at
Cherry Point is exactly what the region needs to
begin to rebuild a sustainable economy.” This is
what George Orwell called “newspeak.” You know,
“war is peace” and “love is hate.” “Coal is sustain-
able.” It’s not. We dig it out of the earth, we haul it
somewhere else, we burn it. It’s gone. This is the
exact opposite of sustainable.
If Warren has strong arguments in favor of
building this terminal, I wonder why he does not
present them rather than offering these inaccu-
rate assertions.
—David Marshak, Bellingham
STIMULUS NONSENSEIn the May 15 issue of the Daly News (the editor
is Herman Daly), devoted to promoting a steady-
state economy, Eric Zencey writes: “All of econom-
ics is divided into two schools: steady state the-
ory and infinite planet theory. They can’t both be
right. You’d think the choice between them would
be obvious, but infinite planet theory still holds
sway in classrooms and in the halls of power where
policy is made.”
Dean Baker in the May 18 Cascadia Weekly holds
to the infinite planet theory. He says the federal
government needs to do more to boost economic
growth to lower the deficit. He implies it would
be good to get the growth rate up to 4 percent,
as it was in the late ’90s. At a growth rate (Brian
She made Denzel Washington cry, allowed Tom Cruise to jump
on her sofa like a hyperactive teen and scolded author James
Frey, but Oprah Winfrey’s legions of fans more often than not
tuned in to watch Oprah because of the numerous life lessons
they gleaned from the eponymous host. That all ends Wed., May
25 when, after 25 years, Ms. Winfrey says “so long.” Watch it
and weep.
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W W W.NOOK S AC KC A S INO.COM
C 5 42 EN T ER TA INMEN T: OY BOY F C SHOT S
Czech reframes the word “growth” to
“bloat”)—at a bloat rate of 4 percent the
economy doubles in 18.5 years. Shall we
then about every 19 years have, expo-
nentially, twice as many “disposable
cups of coffee, cans of air deodorizer,
copper pipe, jumbo jets, canned tuna?”
Shall we have twice as much traffic, twice
as many houses, shopping malls, motor
boats on the lake? It is impossible.
Infinite quantitative growth in a finite
space is impossible. Dean Baker should
review his high school physics—his idea
is foolish, dangerous, nonsense.
—Daniel Warner, Bellingham(edited for length)
Your recent guest columnist, Dean Bak-
er, offers the same tired old remedy to
our economic problems that got us here
in the first place—GROWTH. High unem-
ployment? More growth. Gargantuan
deficits? More growth. Inflationary pres-
sures? More growth. This same old rem-
edy is embraced by the quasi-hipsters in
the NGO’s, as well as the staid corporate
shills. More growth, more marketing—
buy, buy, buy. In Baker’s case, he focuses
on fiscal policy without even considering
how much energy is used and wasted in
powering the economy.
On a planet of finite resources, infinite
growth is suicide. Managed growth may
have some validity, but there is an up-
per limit, which we reached long ago.
Growth requires energy and we are run-
ning out of the liquid petroleum that has
fueled our economy. We haven’t really
solved technological problems over the
last century—we have just thrown more
fossil fuel energy at them. Now growth
has become a cancer. The more growth,
the worse the sickness.
Of course this is not new. Long before
E. F. Schumacher penned Small is Beau-tiful in 1973, us “dirty hippies” were
advocating for limits on growth of the
American economy and empire. I first
heard about the steady-state economy
in 1969, long before Herman Daly and
Robert Costanza popularized the idea.
Here is what Gary Snyder said in the
Whole Earth Catalogue in 1969: “A con-
tinually ‘growing economy’ is no longer
healthy, but a cancer.” Who is Gary Sny-
der? A beat poet—contemporary of Gins-
berg and Kerouac. He’s still around.
It has taken over forty years for main-
stream economists to begin to even ques-
tion growth. Unfortunately, we now have
little time to actually put a steady-state
economy into play. It is likely we will have
to contend with dieoff due to hunger and
resource wars in the next 20 years. And it
could have been so different.
Let me put it in plain terms. If you would
have listened to us 40 years ago, we would
not be in this predicament now.
—Walter Haugen, Ferndale
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THE GRISTLE
VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF CASCADIA WEEKLY
THE LABORS OF OLYMPIA: As the Legislature con-tinues in overtime session to close a projected $5.1 billion hole in the state budget, lawmak-ers have at least demonstrated it is possible to achieve significant savings in public labor costs without throwing unions under the bus.
Lawmakers in Olympia this week easily passed major revisions to the state’s century-old work-er’s-compensation and pension system. Both par-ties agreed to improve the long-term health of the system by offering financial settlements to older workers who get injured. The new laws are expected to save the state some $1.1 billion over four years.
Predictably, labor groups immediately panned the deal as unacceptable while business advo-cates issued lukewarm approval. Governor Chris Gergoire, who is expected to sign the new law, called it one of the most contentious, complex and difficult issues that she and the Legislature have tackled.
“There’s no one here who won. There’s no one here who lost,” Gregoire said, addressing Democratic and Republican leaders from both chambers.
Seated in those chambers, Whatcom County’s Re-publican representatives Vincent Buys and Jason Overstreet voted in favor of the bill. Democrats Jeff Morris and Kris Lytton were divided in their support, with Lytton rejecting the measure. State senators were similarly split, with Doug Ericksen favoring and Kevin Ranker opposed to changes in the state’s worker comp program.
In its most significant component, the legislation changes how workers file for and receive disability payments. Under the old system, one in 20 workers who went on long-term disability soon moved to lifetime pensions, costing the state millions.
Under the new system, injured workers will have the option of coming back to work on a limited ba-sis; also, certain older workers with disabilities will be offered structured “settlement” payments that allow the state to pay off their claims permanently in a way similar to private-sector employers.
Workers will still have many ways to contest any settlement they are offered, and, depending on the circumstances, can still qualify for a full pen-sion if they are unable to return to work. If they do settle, employees will still receive their same health-care benefits.
It’s a credit to Washington legislators they were able to take a scalpel to labor issues rather than the wrecking ball threatened in other states; but even as that crisis passes another looms to adopt a budget that keeps the government from default-ing and running out of money later this summer.
The Legislature’s special session ends this week with a major battle still to be fought on a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce spending on debt. The amount Washington pays for debt service has grown 61 percent in the last 10 years. Debt payments will approach $2 billion in the next two-year budget, roughly 6 percent of all state general-fund spending.
Senate Republicans say they won’t vote for the operating budget unless the Legislature ad-dresses the debt issue as well. And it’s not clear if Democrats, who control the Senate, have the
BY BOB FERRIS
Cherry PointIT IS ABSOLUTELY ABOUT JOBS, JOBS, AND JOBS
A GOOD number of folks are say-ing quite stridently that the Cherry Point coal terminal issue is all about jobs. I absolutely and totally agree with that sentiment. The Cherry Point project promises to yield 280 jobs in 15 years while at the same time jeop-ardizing some 5,000 to 8,000 offered up by Bellingham’s proposed water-front redevelopment project (per New Whatcom Redevelopment Project, Vol-ume II, Technical Indices from Janu-ary 2008).
And much as some would like to, we simply cannot have both projects because estimated coal train traffic levels and the associated noise, pol-lution and frequent isolation from customers and services are simply not compatible with successful im-plementation of the waterfront re-development plans. The coal project, because of its size and cargo, would create a “wrong side of the tracks” situation in a connectedness-depen-dent economic landscape.
I find it interesting in this discus-sion that my rather prudent position of not letting less than 300 jobs trump 20-30 times that many jobs can in any way be characterized as my favoring the environment over the welfare of my unemployed neigh-bors. But this is what seems to pass for facts and logical arguments when well-moneyed interests like SSA Ma-rine, Goldman Sachs, Peabody Coal, and BNSF run an information cam-paign and try to force this bad idea down our throats.
Certainly the environment enters into this equation, as do social and economic issues, but it is ridiculous
in the extreme to characterize me and RE Sources as anti-job when our position is that we would rather have thousands of jobs for our neighbors than a few hundred for others. Yes, some of these waterfront jobs will be service jobs, but there is more than enough room in this job pool for many more family-wage jobs than Cherry Point offers. Moreover, the construction window associ-ated with the waterfront is at least 10 times longer than the coal termi-nal’s, which means that we trade a boom-and-bust employment cycle for a community building one.
The “bad neighbor” and “rogue nonprofit” epithets so ham-fistedly laid on us by Patti Brooks at KGMI and the Chamber also rankle. All sta-tistics we have seen indicate that the vast majority of Cherry Point jobs—both permanent and construction—will go to folks who currently do not live in Whatcom County. In any case, even if all the Cherry Point jobs went to locals, this is hardly an effective full-employment initiative consider-ing the 8,000-10,000 of our neigh-bors looking for work.
In contrast, we would certainly argue for waterfront hiring and job training strategies that would give a leg up to unemployed locals. We also see great public benefit potential in
the workforce housing elements of the proposed plan. And we are like-wise encouraged by many of the sus-tainability-driven philosophies and goals contained in the environmental sections of the document.
So this current community debate is about jobs, but so much more. In essence it is the classic decision between two paths. The first path—Cherry Point—yields few jobs, dimin-ishes our quality of life and future prospects in many material ways, enables use of the dirtiest and most deadly fossil fuel imaginable, and is backed by some of the players who are directly responsible for our cur-rent economic circumstance. And the other path—waterfront redevel-opment—yields several magnitudes more jobs, could enhance our quality of life and reputation, and offers op-tions for a community-driven process with local investment and employ-ment opportunities.
We would urge community members to look beyond this divisive and often inaccurate rhetoric to do a numbers and heart check. We are convinced that if you do that you will pick the brighter future over the failed past option offered by this proposal at Cherry Point. I, for one, would much rather work with the community to promote a good idea than fight tooth and nail over a bad one. We cannot have both, so make a decision.
Bob Ferris is the executive director of ReSources. The City of Bellingham will hold a public forum on coal issues at 6pm, Weds. June 1 at the Bellingham Municipal Courthouse.
viewsOPIN IONS THE GRISTLE
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THE GRISTLEvotes to pass a budget without GOP help. Constitutional amendments need two-thirds votes in both chambers, and voter approval, to become law.
With both parties and both houses reporting they’re otherwise close to a budget deal, the standoff over a constitutional amendment is the last bit of kabuki before the session ends this week, an imperfect mirror of the sort of fiscal brinksmanship and reck-less hostage-taking playing out in the nation’s capital—the minority party, the one with internal discipline, finds itself able to kneecap the majority party, the one proposing actual work-able fiscal policy.
Democrat Hans Dunshee, who chairs the House Capital Budget Committee, opposes the constitutional amendment, complaining the proposal would tie the Legislature’s hands and cut spending on construction at a time when build-ers could use the work. The Snohomish County legislator took over as budget chair following the loss of Kelli Linville in November.
Indeed, a constitutionally ordained debt service requirement could strip whatever scattered atoms remain of the flexibility of lawmakers to address the state’s uncertain future, tying up rev-enue in a tired, demented fantasy that that in turn will limit the size of gov-ernment. It doesn’t, as policymakers resort to debt instruments to finance essential public services—the origin, it turns out, of the increase in debt ser-vice over the past decade. The state’s retail sales tax revenues have been falling for decades, poorly designed to capture the benefits of economic growth. A redesign appears impossible from parties that score political points from one another’s failures, bound to an electorate that both hates govern-ment in the abstract but demands it in all its specifics, and—by restor-ing power to the opposition party in greater numbers—succeeds in feeding neither of its hungers.
Lack of an agreement on the debt-limit measure could jeopardize passing a capital budget this session. The capi-tal budget pays for public construction projects such as schools, university buildings and prisons. Highways and other transportation projects are paid for through a separate budget.
While it’s unlikely Republican law-makers will risk default (and economic downturn) by sticking to a require-ment that needs unavailable su-permajorities, the impasse serves to illustrate how terribly far the state is away from any kind of comprehensive revenue reform.
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NEWS COMMENTARY BRIEFS
currents
Bellingham has a big decision to shoul-der. Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben is cheering us on.
In 2009, McKibben helped build 350.org, the largest-ever coordinated rally of any kind, dedicated to building awareness of the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions in a warming world. The author of The End of Nature recently helped produce The Global Warming Reader, a collection of essays on the science, politics and social meaning of cata-strophic climate change.
“Consider,” McKibben observes, “what has to happen if we’re going to deal with global warming in a real way. Concentrations of car-
bon dioxide greater than 350 parts per million in the atmosphere is not compatible with the planet on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted. The world as a whole must stop burning coal by 2030—and the developed world well before that—if we are to have any hope of ever getting the planet back down below that 350 number.”
Of Bellingham in particular, the New Eng-lander says, “There’s virtually no place on the continent that’s done a better job of showing us how to live locally. Now, by quirk of geogra-phy, Bellingham is going to have to make some decisions about what kind of role it wants to play globally.”
McKibben’s visit was spurred by the announce-ment of plans by Seattle-based SSA Marine, Inc., to build the largest coal export terminal in North America at the aquatic reserve at Cherry Point. In February, the company inked a deal with Peabody Energy to export up to 24 million
metric tons of coal per year through the planned Gateway Pacific Terminal. Fully built, the facil-ity could ship more than 54 million tons of coal from Wyoming’s Powder River basin to markets throughout Asia. And that’s in addition to the 21 million tons of coal per year already being shipped out of Roberts Bank south of Vancouver, British Columbia.
“These two scales” the beginning and the end of the export chain, McKibben says, “are very much related. If the carbon in those vast coal deposits gets spewed into the atmosphere, then all the science shows we will heat the planet past the point our civilizations can tolerate—that Powder River basin is one of earth’s great carbon bombs, and the fuse seems to run through Cherry Point.”
Global warming, he warns, will carry enormous costs. “Taller levees. Higher food prices. Treat-ing malaria patients in New Delhi and maybe New York. One estimate put the tab higher than the combined cost of both World Wars and the
BILL MCKIBBEN CONSIDERS THE COAL FUSE BURNING AT CHERRY POINT
BY TIM JOHNSON
Carbon Bomb
"THERE’S VIRTUALLY NO PLACE ON THE CONTINENT THAT’S DONE A BETTER JOB OF SHOWING US HOW TO LIVE LOCALLY. NOW, BY QUIRK OF GEOGRAPHY, BELLINGHAM IS GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT KIND OF ROLE IT WANTS TO PLAY GLOBALLY."—BILL MCKIBBEN
MCKIBBEN, CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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Chuckanut & Bow Hill Rd. 360-766-6667 www.rhodycafe.com
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The
Week that Was
BY TIM JOHNSON
LAST WEEK’S NEWS
MAY17-MAY24
aimed at members of the campus community. University officals say a woman from outside the country has been sending emails and texts threatening to harm a faculty mem-ber. The messages have grown more menancing over time, officials say.
05. .11FRIDAY
Federal regulators close Summit Bank in Burlington, lifting to 43 the number of U.S. bank failures this year in the wake of a gutted econ-omy and mounds of soured loans. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized the small Skagit bank with $142.7 million in assets. Columbia State Bank in Tacoma will take over Summit Bank operations.
05. .11SATURDAY
Two experienced divers die in separate accidents in Puget Sound.
In Edmonds, a 55-year-old man lost consciousness during a dive and was unable to be revived. In the second incident, a Navy diver was found dead after he disappeared while div-ing near Blake Island.
05. .11MONDAY
In a strange accident that has in-vestigators scratching their heads, an Everson man is found dead in a ditch near Lynden. He reportedly ran his makeshift limousine into a ditch. Friends may have helped him out of the ditch. He then crashed again 150 feet up the road. The vehicle was empty when law enforcement offi-cers arrived. The body of 22-year-old Samuel Davis was found nearby later in the day. An autopsy is scheduled.
05. .11TUESDAY
A push to establish a framework for medical marijuana in Wash-ington dies in Olympia. The key lawmaker in support of reform with-draws her efforts for the remainder of 2011. The original bill intended to set clearer regulations on medi-cal marijuana use and to establish a licensing system and patient reg-istry to protect qualifying patients, doctors and providers from criminal liability. The governor vetoed provi-sions of the bill that would have li-censed and regulated medical mari-juana dispensaries and producers.
Meanwhile, Whatcom County Dem-ocrats declare voters should have a say on the future of marijuana in the state. The party endorses Initiative 1149, a measure to remove crimi-nal penalties for adult possession of marijuana. With enough signa-tures, the measure could appear on the November ballot.
currents ›› last week’s news
05. .11TUESDAY
Whatcom County releases details on an apparent agree-ment with Lummi Nation for continued ferry service at Goose-berry Point. Under the proposal, the county would pay the tribe $200,000 per year to lease the ferry dock for service to Lummi Island. The also county pledges $6 million dollars in additional funding for long-term traffic improvements. The deal must be approved by Whatcom County Council.
Western Washington University awards its multi-million- dollar dining services contract to a new vendor. Aramark won the bid for the new 10-year contract that will serve meals to three resident dining halls, catering and retail cafes and markets.
05. .11WEDNESDAY
Lynden voters again reject a school district bond. Only 53.9 percent of the district voters approved the $32.8 million mea-sure. In order to pass, a 60 percent approval was needed.
05. .11THURSDAY
Western Washington University Police, along with local and federal authorities, launch an investigation of threats
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Famed UW meteorologist and all-around weather guru Cliff Mass was fired from his forecasts on KUOW, ap-parently because his broader views were considered too controversial for public radio. Mass would pepper his weekly radio forecasts with discussions of the science underlying weather and climate. He was passionate about education, a position deemed inappropriate by KUOW management.
Make room for Dennis? Ohio is losing a congres-sional district, and state Republicans mean to use that to force Rep. Dennis Kucinich out of office. The Ohio Democrat was in Washington State this week, exploring whether the state’s new 10th Congressional Dis-trict would want him as its representative. Most state Dems are mildly opposed to the idea.
Pete Kremen suspends his campaign for Whatcom County Executive, citing health reasons. Kremen says he will reconsider his reelection to county of-fice following consultation with his physician. The 16-year veteran of county administration recently picked up the endorsement of the machinists union that represents workers at the Alcoa/Intalco Works smelter in Ferndale.
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WARMING TRENDSOn May 23, Bellingham Police reported an uptick in the number of burglaries, based—they surmise—on seasonal improvements in the weather. Since March, there have been 13 reported residential burglaries in York and Sehome neighborhoods, police noted. ”In these cases, it appears that thieves are targeting laptop computers and other elec-tronic devices,” police noted. “One of the disturbing trends common in these burglar-ies is that in all but one case, there were no signs of forced entry. It appears that the burglars are gaining access through unlocked windows and doors. You might be surprised to learn that on average between 40 to 60 percent of residential burglaries are the re-sults of an unlocked door or window.” Keep your windows and doors locked, police ad-vise, and take note of the details and serial numbers of your possessions.
DRUG BUSTS, BIG AND SMALLOn May 20, a Lynden man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to nine years in prison after he tried to sell 200,000 tab-lets of ecstacy to an undercover narcotics agent in October of last year. The pair met at a Starbucks in Bellingham, where the 36-year-old told the undercover agent he had become a part owner of a berry farm on the border in order to facilitate drug smug-gling between the U.S. and Canada. The undercover agent made specific requests, describing the type of pills he wanted by color and shape. He offered $200,000 for the ecstacy that would have a street resale value of approximately $3 million. About a week later, the pair again met at Starbucks, where the agent received 26 heat sealed bags of MDMA weighing 38 kilos. In court, the Lynden man admitted being involved in 5-7 drug transactions since 2006. One of the transactions involved as much as 30 ki-los of cocaine going north into Canada.
On May 18, drug task force agents arrested a Whatcom County couple on suspicion of selling methamphetamine. An 11 month in-vestigation turned up two ounces of meth, a little pot and $7,000 in cash.
THE LOW TIDE OF HIGH-SEAS PIRACYOn May 13, “a British Columbia resident contacted police after discovering that pirates had stolen her boat's dinghy from its storage place at Blaine Marina,” police reported. “There are no suspects in the taking. The owner is looking for the se-rial number and other information on the
dinghy so that it can be entered into law enforcement databases.”
WHAT’S IN AUNTIE’S PURSE?On May 11, a woman called Blaine Police when she discovered a stash of narcotics in her relative’s purse. During the woman’s arrest, police also found an illegal butter-fly knife and a pair of brass knuckles in the purse. She was booked into jail.
PEOPLE IN YOUR BACKYARDOn April 29, a Blaine woman called 911 to raise alarm when she spotted a man in her backyard preparing to jump across the bor-der into Canada. When she realized the man was neither on her property or preparing to bodily leap into socialist hell, she hung up the phone.
On May 8, a border patrol agent in Blaine observed a man in Peace Arch Park who had entered the closed park in the early morn-ing hours and seemed intent on crossing the border illegally. Blaine Police assisted and learned the man was a photographer attempt-ing to capture morning scenery, and was not trying an unlawful entry into Canada.
On May 12, a homeowner in Bellingham’s South Hill neighborhood looked into his back-yard and saw a naked man there. Police found the man and advised him to make sure he con-tinued to wear clothing while outdoors.
On May 12, the masturbator was reported back in action at Whatcom Falls Park.
PHANTOM BURGLARIESOn May 17, a homeowner reported someone had attempted to break into his home near Cornwall Park sometime overnight. “Sus-pects were not able to gain entry and noth-ing was stolen from the home,” Bellingham Police reported. “However, window screens and a window were damaged.”
On April 27, a man and woman phoned Blaine Police to report that sometime dur-ing the day someone had forced open the front door to their apartment on A Street. “There was no indication that anyone went inside, as nothing was missing and nothing appeared to have been disturbed,” police re-ported. ”The front door molding was dam-aged when the door was kicked inward.
An hour later, Blaine Police received a sec-ond call from an apartment dweller on the same street who arrived home to find the front door latch to his apartment felt a bit loose. He called police to report that some-one might have gotten in to his residence while he was away. “Nothing was missing from the apartment,” police reported, “noth-ing was damaged, and there were no other signs of forced entry.”
FUZZ BUZZ
YEAR by which the Arctic Ocean will be entirely free of ice in September, according
to sea ice measurements. The Arctic Ocean will be free of ice year-round by the early
2030s, according to those same projections.
YEAR at which polar bears will be
extinct, based on ice cap estimates.
PERCENT decline in global wheat
production traced to changes in Earth’s
climate, according to a recent study.
Corn production was found to yield
3.8 percent less according to the same
comparison of statistical and historic
records.
PERCENT of renters who would prefer to own a home someday.
PERCENT of Americans who believe
same-sex marriage should be
recognized by law as valid, the first
time this has been a majority view.
The increase since last year came
exclusively among independents and
Democrats. Republicans' views did not
change.
PERCENT of Americans who support
a woman’s right to abortion, the
first time since 2008 that the "pro-
choice" position has had the numerical
advantage. Forty-five percent believe no
such right should exist.
NEWS media sectors of local TV,
online, cable TV, network TV, radio and
magazines all saw a positive percentage
change in revenue last year. Daily
newspapers continued to see revenue
declines.
OF 28 named news personalities,
Bill O’Reilly was considered the most
reliable. FOX News continues to be the
nation’s most trusted source of news by
a very large margin.
SOURCES: Trends in Arctic Sea Ice Volume, Science; Pew Research Center; Gallup;
Suffolk University poll.
index
Measurements of the thickness of sea ice at various times of the year produce trend lines that suggest the
Arctic will be free of ice year-round by the early 2030s.
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WORDSWED., MAY 25BIG SEX: Full Exposure author Susie
Bright, reads from her coming of age
memoir, Big Sex, Little Death, at 7pm
at Village Books, 1200 11th St. Entry
is free.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
MAY 25-28 SKI TO SEA BOOK SALE: The Friends
of the Bellingham Public Library host
their annual Ski to Sea Book Sale from
10am-6pm Wed.-Fri. and 10am-3pm
Sat. at the Bellingham Public Library,
210 Central Ave.
778-7250
THURS., MAY 26TRUE HEART: Ruby Nari Mayo reads
from her book True Heart: The Sacred Valleys, the Place You Would Love to Live at 7pm at Village Books, 1200
11th St.
671-2626
FRI., MAY 27BROKEN GROUND: John Keeble reads
from his novel Broken Ground at 7pm at
Village Books, 1200 11th St.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
SAT., MAY 28MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS: Mary Lou
Sanelli shares inspirational writings at
a free “Mothers & Daughters: Breathe
In, Breathe Out” presentation at 7pm
at Village Books.
671-2626
MON., MAY 30 OPEN MIC: Laurel Leigh hosts the
monthly literary-minded Open Mic at
7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
POETRYNIGHT: Read your original
verse at poetrynight at 8:30pm at the
Amadeus Project, 1209 Cornwall Ave.
Sign-ups start at 8pm.
WWW.POETRYNIGHT.ORG
TUES., MAY 31IMMORTALITY: Washington writer
Mike O’ Connor reads from his poetry
collection, Immortality, at 7pm at Vil-
lage Books, 1200 11th St.
671-2626
WED., JUNE 1ABOUT YOU: Eric Smith shares ideas
from It’s About You, his book about
achieving and sustaining personal
goals, at 7pm at Village Books, 1200
11th St.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
THURS., JUNE 2MARTINI’S MADRIANI: Steve Mar-
tini reads from his latest Paul Madriani
thriller, Trader of Secrets, at 7pm at Vil-
lage Books, 1200 11th St.
671-2626
COMMUNITY FRI., MAY 27 RAILROAD PRESENTATION: Lyn-
den author and photographer George
Werkema helms a slide show focusing
on the Burlington Northern Territory at
doitwords ›› community events
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Great Depression,” he says. “What we need to do is make the markets foresee that cost and act accordingly.
“In a radically warmer world, even a remarkably sufficient local economy and agriculture like the one being built in your neck of the woods doesn’t stand a chance. You can be the greatest or-ganic farmer on earth, but if it’s rain-ing every day for a month, you’re not growing much. And that’s just the kind of disturbance the climate scientists predict, and that we are already beginning to see around the world.”
Halting the juggernaut is a huge challenge. Coal cur-rently provides 50 percent of our electricity.
“If you think it’s tough for us,” he adds, “imagine the Chinese. They’ve been opening a coal-burning power plant a week. You want to tell them to start shutting them down when that coal-fired power rep-resents the easiest way to pull people out of poverty across Asia?
“I just spent some time in China for National Geographic,” McKibben says. “They’re work-ing harder than anyone on carbon sequestration. Their guess is they can sequester 2 percent of their power plant emissions by 2030. It’s not going to help in time.
“The only hope of making the kind of change required is to really stick in people’s minds a simple idea: Coal is bad. It’s bad when you mine it, it’s bad for the city where you burn it, and it’s bad for the climate.”
Economic benefits that may accrue through the siting of a coal port near here are elusive, McKibben believes.
“The argument that someone else will eventually build the port is a poor one. Eventually we will learn not to burn coal—I’d bet inside of a decade or two. The question is how much damage will be done in the meantime.
“How much coal exists is less impor-tant than how much we burn in the next couple of crucial decades,” McKibben says. “If we burn coal at the rate en-
visioned by the owners of Powder River basin—here or in China—it’s very clear we will push us far, far deeper into seri-ous global warming territory. The high-est use of our coal reserves is to keep them where God put them—underground where they can do no harm.”
As an alternative, coal companies might promise to ship coal only to pow-er plants equipped with sequestration equipment that are pumping the carbon underground.
“Then,” McKibben notes, “ their ex-port would be less noxious, at least on
a global level.”It depends, he believes,
on the kinds of outcomes our society wants to underwrite.
“The problem is not just subsidies” for fossil fuels,” McKibben says. “It’s the fact that we simply let them pour their main waste prod-uct into the atmosphere for free. If we charged them the real price for the dam-age they do the planet, then those renewable technolo-gies would be competitive immediately.”
In the meantime, What-com County must decide if it wishes to underwrite a coal dock at Cherry Point as a policy commitment.
“There’s something poi-gnant about a place like Bellingham, which has helped awaken our sense of new possibility, joining forc-es with the coal industry, the oldest and darkest of our 'modern’ technologies.
“The accident of the map has given Bellingham a real chance to strike a ringing
blow for a workable world,” he says. “I grew up in Lexington, Mass., and I un-derstand that history really does touch small places, and that choices must be made!
“If we are going to counter the power of the fossil fuel industry, it’s not go-ing to be by outspending them. We need a different currency,” McKibben says, “bodies, creativity and spirit.”
He remains upbeat about our chances.“I have enormous confidence that
people in Bellingham will do all in their power to stand with people across the world who are fighting for the planet’s future.”
MCKIBBEN, F R O M P A G E 8
WHO: Bill McKibbenWHEN: 5pm, Tues., May 31WHERE: Fairhaven Village GreenINFO: www. re-sources.org----------------------WHAT: Public meeting on coal shipmentsWHEN: 6pm, Weds., June 1WHERE: Bellingham Municipal Court-house, 2014 C StreetMORE: Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike invites citizens to help local officials identify the scope of environmental review for SSA Marine’s proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point. INFO: www.cob.org
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7pm at the Bellingham Railway Museum,
1320 Commercial St.
WWW.BELLINGHAMRAILWAYMUSEUM.
ORG
SAT., MAY 28 BELLINGHAM MARKET: The Belling-
ham Farmers Market continues from
10am-3pm every Saturday through De-
cember at Railroad Avenue and Chestnut
Street.
WWW.BELLINGHAMFARMERS.ORG
FERNDALE MARKET: The Ferndale
Public Market opens up for business
from 10am-4pm every Saturday at the
city’s Riverwalk Park.
WWW.FERNDALEPUBLICMARKET.ORG
BLAINE MARKET: The 2nd Interna-
tional Slug Races will be part of opening
day of the Blaine Gardeners Market from
10am-2pm at H Street Plaza.
332-8082
SKAGIT MARKET: The new Skagit Val-
ley Saturday Market can be attended
from 10am-3pm in the parking lot of
Mount Vernon’s Farmhouse Restaurant,
13724 La Conner Whitney Rd.
WWW.SKAGIT VALLE YSATURDAYMARKET.
BLOGSPOT.COM
GRAND PARADE: “Whatcom on the
Move,” the 2011 Ski to Sea Grand Parade,
begins at noon at the corner of Alabama
Street and Cornwall Avenue.
WWW.SKITOSEA.COM
SKI TO SEA BLOCK PARTY: Music,
dancing, food and fun will be part of
the “Block Party Revival: A Community
Pre-Race Ski to Sea Luau” from 5-9pm
at Boundary Bay Brewery, 1107 Railroad
Ave. Entry to the outdoor event is free.
WWW.SKITOSEA.COM
SUN., MAY 29FAIRHAVEN FEST: As part of the Bell-
ingham blowout known as Ski to Sea, at-
tend the Fairhaven Festival from 10am-
8pm in the historic district. Live music,
a beer garden, arts and crafts vendors,
food offerings and lots more will fill the
day. Entry is free.
WWW.FAIRHAVEN.COM
ANTIQUE CAR SHOW: Attend the
21st annual Boulevard Park Antique Car
Show from 10am-3pm at the waterfront
locale. Entry is free for spectators, $10
for those who want to display their an-
tique autos.
WWW.AARCBELLINGHAM.COM
MON., MAY 30FESTIVAL OF FLAGS: Honor those
who have protected our country at
the 46th annual Festival of Flags from
1-4pm at Ferndale’s Moles Greenacres
Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 5700
Northwest Dr.
WWW.FEST IVALOFFLAGS.ORG
WED., JUNE 1WEDNESDAY MARKET: The first
Wednesday Market of the season hap-
pens today from 12-5pm at the Fairhaven
Village Green. The mid-week market
continues through Sept. 28.
WWW.BELLINGHAMFARMERS.ORG
GREEN DRINKS: The monthly Green
Drinks happens from 5-7pm at the
Shakedown, 1212 N. State St.
733-8307
doit
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GET
OUT
14
2013, we’re already planning the course and plan-ning for the volunteers and equipment we need.
CW: How many volunteers does it take to pull it off? PC: On race day we will have, optimally, 1,110 vol-
unteers.CW: What are some other Ski to Sea numbers?PC: Well, there’ll be about 4,000 racers and approxi-
mately 50,000 spectators.CW: What will you be focusing on in the final days before
Ski to Sea?PC: Last-minute course changes, monitoring the river,
permits, volunteers, equipment, vendors, toilets, recycling bins; basically, last-minute logistical details that we always have to deal with this time of year.CW: Where will race day find you?PC: I’ll be everywhere. I typi-cally leave town about 5:15 in the morning. We head to Mt. Baker, and then follow the rac-ers down through the entire course to Marine Park. I’m typi-cally the last one to leave at
about 9pm. It’s a long day for me.CW: What’s the perfect scenario, weather-wise? PC: I prefer it sunny but not too hot. A couple hot
days prior to the race will cause snow to melt, bring the river up and make it difficult to run the canoes. We have to watch weather conditions and have contingency plans.
CW: Is there anything new happening this year?PC: This is the 100-year celebration and, as a result,
I’ve made our course 100 miles long this year. We’ll also have the names of each of the racers on the bibs and lots of little mementos we’ll be giving away to racers during the event.
CW: How does the 2011 race differ from the 1911 race?
PC: They took runners clear to the top of Mt. Baker. The second and third years, people fell in the cre-vasses. We would never consider doing something that puts racers in that kind of danger.
CW: How was the 1911 race similar to the 2011 race? PC: They wanted to increase tourism by advertising
geographical diversity. That’s still our primary fo-cus; highlighting diversity and recreation opportu-nities in Whatcom County.
CW: How long do you see yourself being the race di-rector?
PC: I haven’t decided yet. There’s a certain amount of satisfaction—and some stress—in making the whole thing come together. I couldn’t do it with-out volunteers, staff members and landowners that let us use their property. It’s really a community event.
H IK ING RUNNING CYCLING SKIING
Getout
BY AMY KEPFERLE
Ski to SeaA CENTURY OF ACTION
IN 1911, the first Mount Baker Marathon drew attention not only to the vast recreational opportunities available in our northern cor-ner, but also to the need to protect them. Since the early years, the race has evolved into a seven-leg competition that, in one day, takes participants from the snowy slopes of Mt. Baker to the waters of Bell-ingham Bay. We talked to race director Pete Coy to find out what it takes to make it happen.Cascadia Weekly: How long have you been the race director of Ski to Sea?Pete Coy: Almost five years.CW: How’d you get the gig? PC: I raced for many years. I was also a member of the Chamber of Com-
merce, and got involved through that. When I was no longer a competi-tor, I became a volunteer. I moved up the ladder over the years; now I’m the head of the thing.
CW: Yours isn’t a paid position. Why in the heck do you do it?PC: My wife asks me that same question. My answer is that it’s my way of
giving back to the place I live. The event also supports tourism, as well as the health and fitness of the community.
CW: When do you begin planning each race? PC: We start about two-and-a-half years before each event. For 2012 and
ATTEND WHAT: Ski to SeaWHEN: 8am Sun., May 29WHERE: Mt. Baker Ski AreaINFO: www.skito sea.com
ATTEN
WED., MAY 25PADDLEBOARING INTRO: Rob Casey helms an “Intro to Stand-Up Paddleboarding” clinic at 6pm at REI, 400 36th St. Entry is free, but registration is requested.
647-8955
THURS., MAY 26ALPINE BASICS: Mt. Baker climb-ing ranger Brandon Helmsetter fo-cuses on “Alpine Climbing Basics” at 6pm at REI, 400 36th St. Register for the free event in advance.
647-8955
FRI., MAY 27DIVA RIDE: As part of Everybody Bike’s Summer Ride Series, at-tend a “Diva Cycle” beginning at 3pm at Bellingham’s Black Market Boutique, 2010 N. State St. Riders will get a guided tour of selected thrift and vintage clothing stores in town, and return to the boutique for a group photo.
WWW.EVERYBODYBIKE.COM
SAT., MAY 28STEWARDS KICKOFF: Learn what it takes to connect people to public lands through meaningful service projects at the North Cascades In-stitute’s “Stewards Kickoff” happen-ing from 9am-3pm at North Cascades National Park and the institute’s Na-tive Plant Garden in Marblemount. You’ll learn more about the program and get some work done.
WWW.NCASCADES.ORG
BOATING CENTER KICKOFF: Free rentals and tours in sea kayaks, sailboats, SUPs and rowboats will happen from 10am-5pm at the sea-sonal kickoff for the Community Boating Center, 555 Harris Ave. Entry is by donation.
714-8891 OR WWW.BOATINGCENTER.
ORG
SUN., MAY 29FLOWER POWER RIDE: Meet at 1pm in the parking lot of the Bell-ingham Public Market to take part in Everybody Bike’s “Flower Power” ride. Participants will visit the Gar-den Spot Nursery and the Cornwall Rose Gardens before returning to the market. Entry is free, and no registration is required.
WWW.EVERYBODYBIKE.COM
MON., MAY 30VOLKSWALK: Join members of the NW Tulip Trekkers for an outing starting at 9:45am at Mount Ver-non’s Hillcrest Park. Entry is free; a potluck picnic will follow the ex-cursion.
WWW.NWTREKKERS.ORG
TUES., MAY 31FIRST GEAR: The first half of a two-part “First Gear” bike class takes place from 6-8pm at Happy Valley Elementary School, 1041 24th St. Entry is free for Whatcom Smart Trips participants who reg-ister in advance or $10 general. No equipment is required.
WWW.EVERYBODYBIKE.COM
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THEATER DANCE PROFILES
staGe STAGEMAY 25-28SPRING PLAY FESTIVAL: Teens from Bell-ingham High School will present five student-directed plays (one each night) for the theater department’s Spring Festival of Plays at 7pm through Saturday at the school’s digs at 2020 Cornwall Ave. Tickets will be $5 at the door.
676-6575
THURS., MAY 26COMEDY FILM NERDS: Stand-up comedy, movie talk and the screening of award-winning short films will be part of a “Comedy Film Nerds” show with funny fellas Graham Elwood and Chris Man-cini at 8pm at the Mount Baker’s Walton Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. Tickets are $15-$20.
734-6080 OR WWW.MOUNTBAKERTHEATRE.COM
GOOD, BAD, UGLY: Watch “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” at 8pm every Thursday at the Upfront Theatre, 1208 Bay St. At 10pm, stick around for “The Project.” Entry is $7 for the early show, $4 for the late one.
733-8855 OR WWW.THEUPFRONT.COM
MAY 26-28MUSIC BOX 2: View collaboration in action when “Music Box 2: Side by Side” pairs local ac-tors and writers with talented musicians at 8pm Thurs.-Sat. at the iDiOM Theater, 1418 Cornwall Ave. Mike Mathieu, Carolyn McCarthy, Chris Nunn, Kristin Allen-Zito, Tim Mechling, and Jan Peters are among the talented cast. Tickets are $5 on Thursdays, $10 otherwise, and additional showings happen June 2-4.
201-5464 OR WWW.IDIOMTHEATER.COM
MAY 26-29WORDS IN MOTION: Actors from Drue Robinson’s Words in Motion ensemble will bring the words of creative writing student’s compositions to life at “A Collaborative Adventure in Performing Arts” performances at 7pm Thurs.-Sat. and 2pm Sunday at WWU’s Fairhaven College Auditorium.
650-7669
FRI., MAY 27PILIPINO CULTURAL NIGHT: Various per-formances will showcase the Filipino culture as part of “Pagkakasia: Together As One” Pilipino Cultural Night” at 6pm at WWU’s Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Entry is $5-$8.
650-6146 OR WWW.WWU.EDU
MAY 27-28POETRY & DOUBLES: Performers and local poets will take part in “Scratch Pad” shows—a form with a tagline of “improv inspired by po-etry inspired by improv”—at 8pm every Friday and Saturday in May at the Upfront Theatre, 1208 Bay St. At 10pm, view “Doubles.” Tickets are $8-$10.
733-8855 OR WWW.THEUPFRONT.COM
FINNEGAN’S FAREWELL: Attend an Irish wake, among other things, when the interac-tive musical comedy, Finnegan’s Farewell, shows at 7:30pm every Fri.-Sat. through June 4 at Mount Vernon’s RiverBelle Dinner Theatre, 100 E. Montgomery St. Tickets are $20-$40.
WWW.RIVERBELLEDINNERTHEATRE.COM
THURS., JUNE 2DAMN YANKEES: Attend a preview perfor-mance of Damn Yankees at 6pm at the Belling-ham Theatre Guild, 1600 H St. Tickets are $30 and benefit the SISU Children’ Fund. The play continues with performances every Thurs.-Sun. through June 19.
671-8766 OR WWW.SISUCHILDRENSFUND.ORG
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BY AMY KEPFERLE
Emerald Bay BELLINGHAM BALLET REVISITS HISTORY
WHEN MAYOR Dan Pike issues a formal apology to the Chinese community this week at a unique gathering at the Whatcom Museum, it’ll be part of an ongoing effort to make sure an ugly part of Bellingham’s history—specifically, the brutal 1885 expulsion of Chinese citizens from the area—never repeats itself. Similarly, the Northwest Ballet Theatre’s (NBT) latest production, “Emerald Bay,” seeks to both draw attention to past wrongs as well as highlight the contributions made by the cultural melange of people who made their homes in the region during that same time frame.
On the surface, “Emerald Bay”—which was conceived of and written by WWU English professor Christopher Wise and choreographed by NBT artistic director John Bishop—is a doomed love story between a Chinese sea captain named Li Puo and Julie O’Connor, a young woman of Irish ancestry. Dig deeper, however, and you’ll soon find the Bellingham-based ballet is also tackling the much bigger issue of racial inequality.
Although the curtain opens on a waterfront town bustling with vital-ity and exchanges with everyone from Scots to Swedes, Mexicans, Jews, Lummis, Sikhs, Russians, and beyond, it’s soon made clear there’s a literal
line the Chinese aren’t supposed to cross. “Julie plays with the line, and the chore-
ography has her daring to step over it,” says Wise, who also plays whiskey purveyor Dirty Dan. “There’s a tragic ending, but the line is ultimately removed.”
Wise said he wasn’t even aware of the Chi-nese expulsion until he and Bishop discussed creating a ballet with the character of Dirty
Dan making an appear-ance. Nearly two years later, after countless re-writes and lots of com-munity collaboration, he thinks it’s Bishop’s stron-gest work yet.
“It’s a beautiful story, but it also succeeds as a work of art,” Wise says. “It’s a testament to John’s ability as a cho-reographer to be able to tell the story so well through dance.”
Bishop notes that he, as well as many of his dancers, have learned a lot about the place they live as a result of putting “Emerald Bay” together. One Chinese student, in fact, had been unaware of the events of 1885 and was nervous at the idea that she’d be repre-senting her culture.
“She had a lot of ques-tions,” Bishop says. “She wondered if people would really be interested in seeing something like this. I said, ‘Well, we’ll have to see.’ At the first performance in Seattle last week, she really em-braced the role.”
Bishop adds he, too, was nervous about how the show would be re-ceived. In retrospect, he shouldn’t have wor-ried. “We had a lot of respected members of the Chinese community there,” Bishop says. “To get their support and see how enthusi-astic they were about the ballet was really gratifying.”
ATTENDWHAT: “Emerald Bay and the Chinese Expulsion”WHEN: 7-9pm Thurs., May 26WHERE: Whatcom Museum, 121 Prospect St. COST: FreeINFO: www.whatcom museum.org----------------------WHAT: Emerald BayWHEN: 7:30pm June 4 and 2pm June 5WHERE: McIntyre Hall, Mount VernonCOST: $15-$25INFO: www.mcintyre hall.org ----------------------WHAT: Emerald Bay WHEN: 7:30pm June 10-11 and 2pm June 12WHERE: Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. COST: $15-$25INFO: www.mount bakertheatre.com
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EVENTSTHURS., MAY 26CHILDREN’S ART SHOW: Nearly 50 pieces of art will be on display at a re-ception for a “Children’s Art Show” taking place from 7-8:30pm at the Lynden Public Library, 216 4th St.
354-4883
CONDOM FASHION SHOW: Attend a Con-dom Fashion Show at 7pm at WWU’s Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Entry is $3.
WWW.WWU.EDU
FRI., MAY 27NEUMANN RECEPTION: Attend a re-ception for Bellingham-based abstract painter Yvette Neumann from 5-8pm at Fairhaven Originals Gallery, 960 Harris Ave. Entry is free.
WWW.BELLINGHAMFOG.COM
MAY 27-30ART BY THE LAKE: The Whatcom Art Guild hosts its annual Ski to Sea “Art by the Lake” show and sale from 6-8pm Fri., 9am-6pm Sat.-Sun., and 10am-4pm Mon. at the Bloedel Donovan Park Community Building, 2214 Electric Ave. Works by more than 40 area artists, a fashion show, demos and a plant sale are on the roster. Entry is free.
WWW.WHATCOMARTGUILD.COM
FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: Art and music from around the world will fill Memorial Day weekend as part of the 40th annual Folklife Festival from 11am-10pm Fri.-Mon. at the Seattle Center. Entry is by donation.
WWW.NWFOLKLIFEFESTIVAL.ORG
SUN., MAY 29SECONDS SALE: Less-than-perfect pots at more-than-perfect prices can be found at the annual Seconds Sale taking place from 10am-5pm at Good Earth Pottery, 1000 Harris Ave.
WWW.GOODEARTHPOTS.COM
ONGOING EXHIBITS ALLIED ARTS: “Bringing the Arts Alive in Education” shows through May at Allied Arts, 1418 Cornwall Ave..
WWW.ALLIEDARTS.ORG
ANCHOR ART SPACE: “Tinker, Tailor, Mender, Maker: Drawings by Gail Grin-nell” will be on display until May 28 at Anchor Art Space, 216 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.
WWW.ANCHORARTSPACE.ORG
ARTWOOD: More than 15 artists will be represented at an exhibit dubbed “Over 100 Bowls to Choose From” through May at Artwood, 1000 Harris Ave.
647-1628
BELLINGHAM RAILWAY MUSEUM: The museum is open to the public from noon-5pm Tues. and Thurs.-Sat. at 1320 Com-mercial St.
393-7540
BLUE HORSE: The Whidbey Island Surface Design Group’s exhibit, “Texture,” can be viewed through May 28 at the Blue Horse Gallery, 301 W. Holly St.
WWW.BLUEHORSEGALLERY.COM
BOUNDARY BAY: Artworks created from ap-pliance parts by more than 30 pro and ama-teur artists will be on display through May at Boundary Bay Brewery, 1107 Railroad
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visualGALLERIES OPENINGS PROFILES
time I walked by the art building, I just felt a pull.”More than four decades later, Dee—who eventually
went back to San Jose State and in 1971 received a Bachelor’s Degree in art with intensification in ceram-ics—is still convinced she made the right decision.
“I think I could have figured it out with a lesson that was a little less painful,” Dee says, laughing, “but pottery was definitely the thing for me.”
You can find out more about the products of Dee’s years of creativity when she joins dozens of other area artists May 28-29 for the semiannual Lummi Island Artists’ Studio Tour. In fact, if you show up both days between 1:30-3:30pm, she’ll be glazing and firing
samples of the Raku pottery that have become her stock in trade.
Dee says she first learned about Raku from one of her earliest pot-tery teachers, Paul Soldner. He’d modified the ancient Japanese process of quenching kiln-heated wares in green tea, after discov-ering (by accident) that placing the almost-finished products in a metal can with a combustible material—Dee uses hay, ferns and leaves for the ignition process—reacted with the glaze to create unique effects on the surface of the pottery. When the pottery’s cooled off, a quick dip in cold wa-ter freezes the colors in place.
“I’ve even done it in the snow instead of water,” Dee says, pointing out that, other than
when it’s actively raining, she can, and does, create Raku on her property all year long.
One thing she wants to make clear to visitors who stop by while they’re out and about making stops on the tour, however, is that making art isn’t always a tidy affair.
“When I first started taking part in the tours I treated my studio like it was a gallery,” Dee says. “It was so clean! But I’ve learned it’s so much more fun if it’s a working studio and people get to see the pro-cess. Sometimes there’s as many as 20 people sitting around the kiln, and I love that.”
Dee also says that, despite the recent hubbub with the Lummi Nation over the leasing of the land for the docking of the Whatcom Chief, she loves living on the island and, in fact, continues to find inspiration for her life and her art simply by taking daily walks on the beach and nearby nature preserves.
“It’s just an amazing place—not only the island it-self, but the view,” Dee says. “Even on a cloudy, rainy day, it’s gorgeous.”
ATTENDWHAT: Lummi Island Artist’s Studio TourWHEN: 10am-6pm May 28-29WHERE: Through-out Lummi IslandCOST: Free; ferry fare is $13 for car and driver and $7 per additional passengerINFO: www.lummi-island.com
BY AMY KEPFERLE
Island InspirationsA POTTER’S TALE
IF NOT for a broken leg, there’s a good chance Lynn Dee may never have become a potter. But with a six-month-old child at home and the forced incapacitation that is a must when one busts an im-portant limb skiing, Dee was forced to temporarily drop out of nursing school at San Jose State University. During the healing period, she signed up for a pottery course at the local community college.
“The minute I got my hands on the clay I knew that was it,” Dee says. “I was still interested in science and nutrition, but every
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Ave. An Appliance Art Revival happens June 4. WWW.REUSEWORKS.ORG
CEDARWORKS: Peruse and purchase a variety of Native American art from 10am-6pm Wed.-Sat. at the CedarWorks Art Gallery, 217 Holly St.
647-6933
FISHBOY GALLERY: Check out the contemporary folk art of RR Clark from 12-5pm every Mon.-Fri. at the Fishboy Gallery, 617 Virginia St.
714-0815 OR WWW.FISHBOYGALLERY.COM
FOG: View a variety of works by noted artists at the new Fairhaven Originals Gallery, 960 Harris Ave.
WWW.BELLINGHAMFOG.COM
FOURTH CORNER FRAMES: The works of Lau-rie Potter, Rob Vetter, and others can currently be viewed at Fourth Corner Frames and Gallery, 311 W. Holly St.
734-1340
GALLERY CYGNUS: “Canvas & Clay,” an ex-hibit featuring works by Patty Detzer, Michael Clough, and Sue Roberts, will be up through June 26 La Conner’s Gallery Cygnus, 109 Com-mercial St.
WWW.GALLERYCYGNUS.COM
GOOD EARTH POTTERY: Todd Stephens’ “Mountain to Ocean” stoneware will be high-lighted through May at Good Earth Pottery, 1000 Harris Ave.
WWW.GOODEARTHPOTS.COM
HONEY: Kathryn Hackney’s paintings will be on display through June 1 Honey Salon, 310 W. Holly St.
WWW.HONEYBELLINGHAM.COM
INSIGHTS: “Coefficient,” a multimedia exhib-it featuring works by Liana Bennett, Michael Moe, Steve Philbrick, and Dinah Snipes Ste-veni, shows through June 9 at Insights Gallery, 604 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.
WWW.INSIGHTSGALLERY.COM
LOOMIS HALL: Internationally known de-signer Matt French’s “Expose Moi” exhibit can currently be viewed at Blaine’s Loomis Hall Gal-lery, 288 Martin St.
WWW.LOOMISHALL.COM
LUCIA DOUGLAS: A group show featuring works by lauded artists Joseph Goldberg, David Ire-land, Allen Moe, Jasmine Valandani, and Thomas Wood can be viewed until May 28 at Fairhaven’s Lucia Douglas Gallery, 1415 13th St.
WWW.LUCIADOUGLAS.COM
MINDPORT: Cloud photographs by Kevin Jones can currently be viewed at Mindport Exhibits,
210 W. Holly St. Entry is $2. WWW.MINDPORT.ORG
MONA: “Act 2: The Next Track,” “The Van-ishing Landscape,” and pieces by James B. Thompson’s and Jay Steensma from the perma-nent collection can be seen through June 12 at La Conner’s Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St.
WWW.MUSEUMOFNWART.ORG
PIONEER MUSEUM: “Flying Spokes: 100 Years of the Bicycle” is on display through Nov. 30 at the Lynden Pioneer Museum, 217 Front St. Entry is $4-$7.
WWW.LYNDENPIONEERMUSUEM.COM
QUILT MUSEUM: Quilt artist Cathy Erickson and poet Margaret Chula’s “What Remains: Jap-anese Americans in Interment Camps” shows through June 26 at the La Conner Quilt & Tex-tile Museum, 703 S. 2nd St.
WWW.LACONNERQUILTS.COM
SCOTT MILO: “The Long and the Short of It,” an exhibition celebrating the life of photog-rapher and picture framer Dick Garvey, shows through May 31 at the Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.
WWW.SCOTTMILO.COM
SKAGIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM: “The Way We Played: Early Skagit Recreation” can be seen through July at La Conner’s Skagit County His-torical Museum, 501 4th St.
(360) 466-3365
SMITH & VALLEE: Todd Horton’s “From Here to the Horizon” exhibit can be viewed from 11am-5pm every Wed.-Sun. at Edison’s Smith & Vallee Gallery, 5742 Gilkey Ave.
WWW.SMITHANDVALLEE.COM
ST. JOSEPH: A “Healing Through Art” exhibit can be perused until Aug. 19 at the St. Joseph Medical Center, 2901 Squalicum Pkwy.
733-5681 OR 296-2951
THREE RAVENS GALLERY: “Eros, the Eternal Muse” is currently on display at Edison’s Three Ravens Gallery, 5718 Gilkey Ave.
WWW.THREERAVENSGALLERY.COM
VIKING UNION GALLERY: “Beyond Borders” is on display until June 3 at WWU’s Viking Union Gallery. A closing reception happens June 2.
650-6503
WHATCOM ART GUILD: From 10am-6pm every Friday through Sunday, stop by the Whatcom Art Guild’s Art Market at Fairhaven’s Waldron Building, 1314 12th St.
WWW.WHATCOMARTGUILD.ORG
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View the abstract works of Bellingham painter Yvette Neumann at a reception for the artist Fri. May 27 at Fairhaven Originals Gallery
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musicSHOW PREVIEWS › › RUMOR HAS IT
USUALLY, WHEN I go see a band play its first show, I bring with me an open mind and a lim-ited set of expectations, as befits the situa-tion. However, when said band is comprised of members who have already earned their place in Bellingham’s musical history via other bands, my expectations run a bit higher. Per-haps that’s not fair, and every new band should be afforded the opportunity of a fresh start and clean slate. And in a context-free, perfect world, that’s exactly the way it would be. But we don’t live in that world.
Enter Rookery. Comprised of three parts Black Eyes and Neckties and one part Axes of Evil, this is a band that possessed a longstanding musical pedigree before they ever booked their first show. And so, when they took the stage at the Shakedown, opening for Police Teeth, I was not the only person an-ticipating big things. And Rookery certainly did not disappoint. The show was ostensibly Police Teeth’s, but I think everyone in attendance would agree that Rookery stole it right out from under them. But never fear: even if you missed Rookery’s inaugural outing, you’ll have a chance to see them June 4, when they’ll once again take the stage at the Shakedown, this time with Baltic Cousins, which, as you well know, also features a former member of Black Eyes and Neckties. Which begs the ques-tion: When is someone going to go ahead and book a show with Baltic Cousins/Rookery/Dog Shredder/one of the 5,000 bands Rich Canut has been part of, and finally get every member of BENt on the same stage on the same night at the same show? Just think of the potential for an end-of-the-night all-star jam..
I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to what’s been happening at the Ridge lately, but the formerly jazz-focused roster has become a bit more eclectic, thanks to the ever-unpre-dictable Sarah Jerns, who is trying her hand at booking there. This Sat., May 28, Rooftops—along with Goodriddler and Oracle Cop—will bring their intricate mathiness to the wine bar. Not to be outdone, Bright Weapons will hit up the Ridge come Thurs., June 2, and the show will feature an unprecedented solo performance by LeatherPants. As I’ve never known of LP to play solo before, and I imagine it may not hap-pen again anytime soon, you’re not going to want to miss it. However, if those shows sound a little like revolution at the Ridge, the Leath-erhorn and Shit Machine show set for June 21 sounds like all-out anarchy. Sure, Leatherhorn is great. As is Shit Machine. There are reasons aplenty to see them. But the combination of those bands at that venue is an unbeatable ex-ample of Sarah Jerns’ knack for making magic happen everywhere she goes.
Rumor Has It
BY CAREY ROSS
BY CAREY ROSS
Memorial Day Music IT ALL ENDS…
IF YOU live in Bellingham or are in close proximity to it, then you know full well that what is typically known as “Memorial Day” or “Memorial Day Weekend” across the nation is actually called “Ski to Sea” or “Ski to Sea Week-end” around these parts. It’s not that we don’t respect the fallen soldiers for which this federal holiday was cre-ated to honor, it’s more that we’ve created another holi-day tradition that is wholly our own.
I really only have the barest grasp of what Ski to Sea actually is. I know it involves parades—and I can really get behind that. Apparently, it also involves some sort of “race” with “legs” that are not actually the legs racers use to propel themselves along the 100-mile course. And I further know that with Ski to Sea or Memorial Day or whatever you prefer to call it, comes celebrations of the musical variety—something I can also really get behind.
Of course, the biggest party, and the one that has become synonymous with Ski to Sea, is the soiree for-merly known as It All Ends in Fairhaven. I say “formerly” because, as of this year, the event has been renamed (perhaps organizers felt the party’s previous, more apocalyptic-sounding name didn’t jive well with the event’s proximity to the failed Rapture, or perhaps they
simply grew weary of people like me making poor jokes at the event’s expense) the Fairhaven Festival. Other than the name change, however, should you saunter to the Southside come Sun., May 29, you will find things much the same as they have been in years past—not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. Along with the Ski to Sea finish line, which you can watch the racers cross, you’ll encounter a family-friendly all-day street fair consisting of arts and crafts vendors, food booths, a beer garden and, of course, music aplenty and all of it free. The music kicks off at noon with Swing Bank. They’ll be followed over the course of the day by Blind Fate, Spaceband, and Red Rocket. Jazz takes center stage on Fairhaven’s Village Green, with dancers from the Northwest Ballet Company bringing a little grace to the proceedings.
Should you want to get away from the streetside crowds, you can always duck into the Fairhaven Pub for a whole weekend’s worth of all your favorite songs brought to you by holiday house band Spaceband, who will play back-to-back shows on Saturday and Sunday nights. Let your eyes adjust to the dark, order up a tasty cocktail and spend a little time putting together your imaginary Ski to Sea dream team for
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THURS., MAY 26CARL JONES, JAMES BRY-AN: Old-time and bluegrass tunes from the south can be heard when Carl Jones and James Bryan perform at 7:30pm at Nancy’s Farm, 2030 E. Smith Rd. Suggested dona-tion is $15.
WWW.NANCYSFARM.COM
FRI., MAY 27 JAZZ COMBO: Attend a “WWU Jazz Combo” perfor-mance at 7pm at the univer-sity’s Performing Arts Center, room 24. Six combos will each present a 15-minute set to showcase the best of their year’s work. Entry is free.
WWW.WWU.EDU
MAY 27-30FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: Mu-sic and art from around the world will fill Memorial Day weekend as part of the 40th annual Folklife Festival from 11am-10pm Fri.-Mon. at the Seattle Center. Entry is by donation.
WWW.NWFOLKLIFEFESTIVAL.
ORG
SUN., MAY 29 ART OF JAZZ: The Ziggu-rat Quartet performs at the monthly Art of Jazz series from 4-6:30pm at the Ama-deus Project, 1209 Cornwall Ave. Entry is free for mem-bers, $15 general.
WWW.JAZZPROJECT.ORG
TUES., MAY 31DEATH CAB SCREENING: Attend the Bellingham film premiere for the Death Cab for Cutie: Live at the Mt. Baker Theatre DVD screening at 8pm at the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. Entry is free, but you must call the number below to reserve a seat.
734-6080
WED., JUNE 1MUSIC CLUB: The final pro-gram of the Bellingham Music Club’s 2011 season begins at 10:30am at Trinity Lutheran Church, 119 Texas St. Pianists Dan and Victoria Sabo will perform at the free event.
671-0252
THURS., JUNE 2FRESH FROM CARNEGIE: Members of Skagit Valley College’s music department present “Fresh from Carnegie Hall” at 7:30pm at Mount Ver-non’s McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way. Area bands will join in on the fun. Tickets are $7-$10.
WWW.MCINTYREHALL.ORG
little time putting together your imaginary Ski to Sea dream team for next year’s race.
As trying to find a parking space anywhere near the Southside during the Fairhaven Fes-tival is nothing short of impossible, you may want to park it and shuttle it. For a mere $2, you can ride one of two shuttles back and forth from Fairhaven to either WWU or downtown, as many times as you want, all day long. And, handily enough, the downtown shuttle stop just happens to be at Boundary Bay. Although Boundary’s beer garden has been open for a couple of weeks now, the holiday weekend is always the unofficial kickoff for the summer season there. And, as we all well know, Bound-ary doesn’t do these kinds of things halfway. Ever the overachievers, Boundary’s weekend ac-tually begins Wed., May 25, when the Yogoman Burning Band will take the stage for the first of their monthly summer shows there. They’ll be followed by Thursday’s happy hour barbecue, which features the music stylings of Louis Led-ford, as well as tasty meatstuffs on the grill. Friday means the weekly fish fry in the beer gar-den, and the Shrapnelles will provide you with a soulful Motown accompaniment to your fish and chips. Later that night will be Hip Hop to Help, a show featuring homegrown hip-hop in the form of My Dad Bruce, the Bad Tenants, and Bloodshot, which was dreamed up and pulled off by DJ Idlhnds as a means of raising funds for Amy’s Place. Come Saturday, Boundary aims to throw a luau, complete with the sweet sounds of the Atlantics, with a late-night soundtrack provided by the Dt’s, Tom Price Desert Classic, and Don’t. The party wraps up with a bang on Sunday with Flowmotion scheduled to make an appearance in the garden.
If downtown is your holiday weekend desti-nation, options abound beyond Boundary Bay’s ample offerings. At the Shakedown you’ll find Rye Wolves, Grenades, Devilry, and Dwellers on Fri., May 27, with the Spinning Whips, Sugar Sugar Sugar, and Phreddy and the Nightmares taking the stage Sat., May 28.
Not to be left out of this Memorial Day mix is the Wild Buffalo. And if you missed your chance on Wednesday to see the Yogoman Burning Band, you can make it up to them Friday, when they will play a show at the Wild Buffalo with the Quick and Easy Boys and Me-dium Troy. Saturday brings the talents of Rise N Shine and Northwest Sons to the Buff, and the 13th installment of the BBoy Conference closes out the weekend Monday night.
As always, this is a mere smattering of what you’ll find in the way of entertainment around these parts. And one of the joys of this par-ticular holiday in this particular town is the ability to wander from one source of musical fun to the next without missing a beat. Of course, if that isn’t enough for you, you could always try your hand at that Ski to Sea race. But with so many other things happening, why would you need to?
showpreview
MEMORIAL, FROM PAGE 18
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POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (PG-13) “He’s not selling out, he’s buying in. I’m buying into Spurlock. As ever, he makes you laugh till it hurts.” RSFri: (2:00), 6:45Sat - Mon: 6:45Tue: (2:00), 6:45Wed: (2:00 PM)Thu: (2:00), 6:45
Queen to Play (NR) Features Kevin Kline is his French-speaking debut! “It’s the best kind of unforced filmmaking, able to make its points with delicacy and tact. And the best thing about it is that it is Bottaro’s feature directing debut. We have a lot to look forward to.” Kenneth Turan, LA TimesFri - Thu: (1:30), 6:00
NEW PICKFORD FILM CENTER: 1318 Bay St. | 360.738.0735 | PickfordFilmCenter.org
NOW SHOWING MAY 27-JUNE 2
Everything Must Go (R)“Ferrell perfectly underplays his Carver anti-hero and delivers a rich, layered and subtle performance. And a funny one.” Orlando SentinelFri: (4:15), 9:00Sat - Mon: (2:15), 9:00Tue - Thu: (4:15), 9:00
I Am (2010) (NR) 4th Smash Week!Fri - Thu: (4:00), 8:30
The Last Lions (PG) “a great way to go on a safari without ever leaving the multiplex.” CSM. Contains natural violence.Sat - Mon: (12:00), 4:35
Limelight (1952) - Late Chaplin Classic!Wed: 6:30 PM
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Blue Horse Gallery Jazz Night The Naked Hearts Misty Flowers Underwater Radar Slam Poetry Competition
Book Fare Café (Village Books)
Bob's Your Uncle
Boundary Bay Brewery
Aaron Guest (early), Yogo-man Burning Band (late)
Louis Ledford
The Shrapnelles (early), Hip Hop to Help feat. My
Dad Bruce, The Bad Tenant, more
The Atlantics (early), The Dt's, Tom Price Desert Clas-
sic, Don't
Flowmotion, Cody Beebe And The Crooks
Paul Klein (early), Bob's Your Uncle (late)
Brown Lantern Ale House
Open Mic Dance Party Locust Street Taxi Vinyl Night
Cabin TavernSussurus Station, Scum
EatingTen Speed Warlock, Vul-
tures 2012
Commodore BallroomMs. Lauryn Hill, Hot 8
Brass BandYeasayer Wolf Parade
Conway Muse Open Mic Piper Reva & FriendsProfessor Gall and His
QuartetChildren's Cabaret (early), The La Rosa Trio (Late)
Archer Ale House Blue Horse Gallery Boundary Bay Brewing Co. Brown Lantern Ale HouseThe Business Cabin Tavern Chuckanut Brewery Commodore Ballroom
Common Ground Coffeehouse Conway Muse Edison Inn Glow Fairhaven Pub & Martini Bar Graham’s Restaurant Green Frog Café Acoustic Tavern
Honey Moon Jinx Art Space Main Street Bar & Grill Nooksack River Casino Poppe’s The Ridge Wine Bar Rockfish Grill The Royal
Rumors Cabaret Semiahmoo Resort The Shakedown
See below for venue addresses and phone
numbers05.25.11 05.26.11 05.27.11 05.28.11 05.29.11 05.30.11 05.31.11
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
musicvenues
PLAY TO RIDE & Win A NewHarley-Davidson Sportster!
$36,000 To Give Away In May!
W W W . N O O K S A C K C A S I N O S . C O M 9 7 5 0 N O R T H W O O D R O A D L Y N D E N WA
8 7 7 . 7 7 7 . 9 8 4 7
SERA CAHOONE/May 25/Shakedown
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musicvenues See below for venue
addresses and phone numbers
05.25.11 05.26.11 05.27.11 05.28.11 05.29.11 05.30.11 05.31.11WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
Edison Inn Zydeco Explosion The Jangles
Fairhaven Pub KaraokeBirch Riley, Little White
Lies, DurhaSpaceband Spaceband College Night
Green Frog Café Acoustic Tavern
Sumner BrothersTatiana Hargreaves, Scott
LawMichelle McAfee Open Mic Bentgrass
Honeymoon Open Mic Prozac Mtn. Boys The Swing Gang The Librarians The Shadies
Main St. Bar and Grill Country Karaoke Red Rocket Red Rocket Karaoke
McKay's Taphouse Tea Seas Hambone Wilson Trio
Nooksack River Casino Kenny Hess DJ RoyBoy El Colonel and Doubleshot
Old World Deli The Shadies Tea Seas Trio
Poppe's DJ Clint DJ Ryan I
The Ridge Gallus Brothers Bear Cove, Jesse Morrow ScrubRooftops, Goodriddler,
Oracle Cop
Rockfish Grill Fidalgo SwingSon Sack Jr., Delta
HothouseKimball and the Fugitives
Royal Lip Sync Contest DJ Jester DJ Jester DJ Jester Karaoke
RumorsBetty Desire Show, DJ
Postal Throwback Thursdays w/DJ
ShortwaveDJ Mike Tollenson Karaoke w/Poops DJ Postal, DJ Shortwave
Semiahmoo ResortMarion Weston (Seaview
Terrace)Jon Mutchler (Pierside), JB
Quartet (Packers)
The ShakedownSera Cahoone, The Crying
Shame, Big Sur ’80s Night
Rye Wolves, Grenades, Devilry, Dwellers
The Spinning Whips, Sugar Sugar Sugar, Phreddy and
the NightmaresDJ Yogoman
Silver Reef Hotel Casino & Spa
City Zu City Zu
Skagit Valley Casino Oncore Oncore
Skylark's Chad Petersen & Friends The Sonja Lee Band Rhythm Trio Irish Session
Temple Bar Bar Tabac
Three Trees CoffeehouseOpen Mic feat. Derrick
MearsOpen Mic feat. Excuse
Me Please
Underground Coffeehouse (WWU)
Open Mic
Village Inn Karaoke
Wild BuffaloWild Out Wednesday w/The
Blessed CoastBack to the Future Party
Yogoman Burning Band, Quick and Easy Boys,
Medium Troy
Rise N Shine, Northwest Sons
Bboy Conference, Vol. 13 U2s Day
Silver Reef Casino Skagit Valley Casino Resort Skylark’s Hidden Cafe Swinomish Casino 12885 Temple Bar Three Trees Coffeehouse Underground Coffeehouse Viking Union 3rd Floor, WWU Village Inn
Pub Watertown Pub Wild Buffalo
U2S DAY/May 31/ Wild Buffalo
WOLF PARADE/May 30/Commodore
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filmMOVIE REVIEWS › › MOVIE SHOWTIMES
THE STOCK dismissal “more of the same” has rarely been more ac-curately applied to a sequel than to The Hangover Part II, which ranks as little more than a faded copy of its predecessor superimposed on a more brightly colored background. One can understand director Todd Phillips’ initial reluctance to tinker with a formula that made the 2009 romp the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever, but the rote professionalism on display verges on cynicism, and despite some occasional sparks, this ranks as a considerable disappointment.
No doubt, rebooting the original film’s high-concept hijinks must have presented Phillips with considerable challenges in terms of keeping things fresh. But it nonetheless should have been possible to revive the basic plot structure without slavishly reprising its every beat. This Hangover is longer than the first by two minutes, but at times it feels as though the two could be projected side-by-side in perfect synchronicity, with the only changes to many scenes being the location, the wardrobe and the addition of the word “again” to the dialogue.
together on the eve of a wedding—along with fourth wheel Alan (Zach Galifianakis)—though this time the groom-to-be is Stu, and the nuptials are set for a spectacular seaside resort in Thailand. The father (Nirut Sirich-anya) of the bride (Jamie Chung) is hardly a fan of the milquetoast dentist, especially when he’s stacked up against his son Teddy (Mason Lee), a 16-year-old Stanford fresh-man and cello prodigy.
After a disastrous rehearsal-dinner speech, the four amigos, with Teddy in tow, head down to the beach to share a single beer, only to wake up sweaty and confused in a sleazy Bangkok hotel. Alan’s head is now shaved, Stu boasts a raw tribal tattoo on his face and Teddy has gone missing, save for his ring finger, preserved in ice on a bedstand table. (Doug is again absent from the morn-ing after, though this time he’s safely back at the resort.)
From here, the film is consumed by a clock-beating mad dash to piece together the frag-
ments of the unremembered evening and find the missing teenager. This journey takes them into the orbit of a local crime lord (Paul Giamatti), a drug-dealing monkey, effemi-nate gangster Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong, again), an American tattooist (Nick Cassavetes) and, of course, Mike Tyson (again). Some of these misadventures are quite funny, some flop with a thud, but few of them possess more than a shred of the anything-goes inventive-ness that the film requires. One exception to this is the gang’s inevitable visit to a Bang-kok brothel, which actually manages to sub-vert audience expectations while at the same time further diminishing the film’s already minimal female presence.
Helms and Cooper have no trouble repris-ing their roles, and as in the original, man-age to subtly convey why such diametrically opposed personalities might be such close friends. Galifianakis looks a bit lost, however, as his socially maladjusted character seems to be progressively devolving from welcome X-factor into low-grade irritant.
Sirichanya, on the other hand, completely nails the film’s sharpest moment of cringe-worthy hilarity, delivering a monologue in which he laboriously attempts to compliment his future son-in-law by comparing him first to a developmentally disabled relative, then to a flavorless rice porridge.
REVIEWED BY ANDREW BARKER
The Hangover Part II SAME AS IT EVER WAS
HIS HANGOVER IS LONGER THAN THE FIRST BY TWO MINUTES, BUT AT TIMES IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE TWO COULD BE PROJECTED SIDE-BY-SIDE IN PERFECT SYNCHRONICITY
Missing this time is the Las Vegas location, Rachael Harris, Heather Graham, and a sub-stantial percentage of the twisted wit that made the first such an unexpected pleasure. Emphasis on the word “unexpected,” as the primary achievement of the first Hangover was its ability to keep topping itself with delightfully tasteless outrages. Relocation of the characters to ugly-American capital Bangkok would seem to indicate a raising of the stakes in that regard, but aside from a breathtakingly offensive half-second snap-shot in the closing-credits montage, this one plays it relatively safe.
Again, best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) come
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BY CAREY ROSS
FILMSHORTSBridesmaids: Thank god Hollywood has finally taken the lowest-common-denominator, R-rated comedy formula and applied it to women. No, seriously, if I have to look at another tepid rom-com with fall-flat humor about the horrors of being single or shopping for shoes or whatever it is we ladies are supposed to like, I’m going to punch Hollywood right in its clueless face and then blame it on PMS. ★★★★
Everything Must Go: Raymond Carver was able to illustrate whole lives of emotion and whole worlds of meaning using the simplest and shortest of stories. This one—starring Will Ferrell in a rare and sensitive-ly wrought non-comedic performance—shows what happens when one man bottoms out in spectacular fashion. ★★★★
Pickford Film Center See www.pickfordcinema.com for showtimes.
Fast Five: Apparently, this movie isn’t near as bad as it should be. And yes, that is what passes for a ringing endorsement from me, at least when it comes to sequel-to-a-sequel movies where the cars display more acting chops than the actual cast. ★★★
The Hangover Part II: See review previous page. ★★★
I Am: The man responsible for Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, and Bruce Almighty tries his hand at being a documen-tarian. His subject matter? Just what’s wrong with the world and how to fix it, that’s all. The problems he brings up are familiar, but their solutions may sur-prise you. ★★★★
Pickford Film Center See www.pickfordcinema.com for showtimes.
Kung Fu Panda 2: I believe this movie can best be summed up using the wise words once sung by a man
Those cats were fast as lightning. In fact, it was a little bit frightening. But they fought with expert timing.” Or not. Whatever. ★★★★
Kung Fu Panda 2 3D: Because the only thing better than a pudgy cartoon panda is a pudgy cartoon panda with the addition of an extra dimension. ★★★★ (PG
The Last Lions: Africa’s lion population is rapidly
kinder, gentler animals, big cats get no love from animal preservationists. Until now. ★★★★★
Pickford Film Center See www.pickfordcinema.com
Monsieur Verdoux: Charlie Chaplin himself called
ringing endorsement of the tramp, by the tramp? How could you go wrong? ★★★★★
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Johnny Depp swashes and buckles his way through another installment of this seafaring film franchise, this time with Penelope Cruz by his side. ★★★
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D: See above. Imagine Penelope Cruz and Johnny
power for both good and evil, all within the same movie. ★★★
Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold: With Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock
documentary. And now, with this documentary about advertising and product placement funded totally by advertising and product placement, he’s done it again. I don’t know whether to admire him or envy him. ★★★★
Pickford Film Center See www.pickfordcinema.com for showtimes.
Priest 3D: This movie suffers from so many prob-lems, reviewers can’t decide what its main failing is.
in which no sexy young men spend the majority of their time shirtless and no one glitters. What’s even the point? ★
Queen to Play: Cinematically speaking, playing chess is the stuff of spy thrillers and stories about mentally ill people. Until now. A woman with no rea-son to want to do so learns to play the game and, in doing so, comes into her own in this film that is both funny and touching at the same time. ★★★★
Rio The Movie: Poor Blu comes from a rare species of animated macaw. Born in captivity, he’s never learned to fly, but now he’s learned another animated macaw lives a world away and he wants to meet her. Throw in some animal smugglers and flight lessons and this is an animated adventure with wings. ★★★★
Thor: Some muscular blond bloke who used to be a god runs around smacking things up and saving the world with a hammer. That’s pretty much all I get from this film. ★★★
Thor 3D: ★★★
film ›› showtimes
QUEEN TO PLAY
Superb SandwichesHand Dipped Ice Cream
Custom Cut CheesesEspresso Treats
Organic GroceriesArt, Jewelry, Books,
In The Middle of NowhereJeff Klausman * Megan McGinnis
Noah & Anna BookerMaggy Witecki * Ping Wu * Jeff Gray
June 11 End of the Road String Band, 8pm
$3 Pints Mon 6-close in Bar/Kolsch Tues 5-close
HoPPY Hour Su-Th 4-6pm in Bar $1 Off pints
Reserve for your Ski to Sea parties
lettuce eat
a v e g e t a r i a n d r i v e t h r u
LLC
700 Ohio St. Bellingham
961-8694
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100YOGA
100MIND & BODY
100MIND & BODY
100MIND & BODY
100MIND & BODY
200MEDITIATION
200MEDITIATION
200MEDITIATION
TO PLACE AN AD CLASSIFIEDS.CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM
FOOD
30
100
An Iyengar Yoga Class
takes place from 9:45-
11:15am every Thursday at
the Bellingham Senior Activ-
ity Center, 315 Halleck St.
Cost is $7-$10 per class. More
info: 733-4030
Gail Malizia leads a “Gentle
Yoga: Learn to Adapt and Mod-
ify the Yoga Poses to Empower
Your Aging Body” workshop
from 2-5pm June 11-12 at Yoga
Northwest, 1440 10th St.. Cost
is $60 for both days or $40 each
day. More info: www.yoga
northwest.com
200MIND & BODY
Jim Ehmke will focus on the
basics of divination at a “Us-
ing the I Ching” presentation
at 6:30pm Thurs., May 26 at
the Community Food Co-op,
1220 N. Forest St. Entry is $5
for members and $6 for non-
members. Please register in
advance. More info: 734-8158
Stroller Strides, a total
body fitness class for moms
and their babies, meets on
a weekly basis. The class fo-
cuses on cardio, strength and
core training. Your first class
will be free to try. More info:
391-4855 or www.stroller
strides.com
Intenders of the Highest
Good Circle meets at 7pm
on the second Friday of the
month at the Co-op’s Connec-
tion Building, 1220 N. Forest
St. Len-Erna Cotton, part of
the original group in Hawaii,
is the facilitator. More info:
www.intenders.org
Learn about Emotional
Freedom Techniques (EFT)
at a variety of workshops in
Bellingham. More info: www.
eftsettings.com
A Grief Support Group meets
at 7pm every Tuesday at the
St. Luke’s Community Health
Education Center. The free,
drop-in support group is for
those experiencing the recent
death of a friend or loved one.
More info: 733-5877
Skagit Community Acu-
puncture is now offering a
“get what you need, pay what
you can” acupuncture clinic
every Thursday at its home
base at 160 Cascade Place,
suite 218, in Burlington. More
info: www.skagitcommunity-
acupuncture.com
A Breastfeeding Café
meets at 10:30am every Mon-
day at the Bellingham Birth
Center’s Life Song Perinatal
Wellness Center, 2430 Corn-
wall Ave. Here, you’ll find
breastfeeding support and
encouragement, solution-fo-
cused dialogue and other net-
working perks. Entry is $10.
More info: www.lifesongperi-
natal.com
A Mother’s Circle is open
to families with infants from
birth to 18 months from 10am-
12pm Wed., June 1 at Mount
Vernon’s Skagit Valley Food
Co-op. There will be time to
visit and play, as well as dis-
cuss one of many monthly top-
ics (co-sleeping, infant mas-
sage, diapering, tummy time,
etc.). Entry is free, please
pre-register. More info: www.
skagitfoodcoop.com
“Nutritional Balance on
Special Diets” will be the topic
of discussion with Karl Mincin
from 7-9pm Tues., May 31, at
the Community Food Co-op,
1220 N. Forest St. Cost is $10
for members, $12 for non-
members. Please register in
advance. More info: 734-8158
Dr. Bradley R. Berg MD/PhD
focuses on “Healthy Eating
Habits from Birth to School
Age: A Guide for Parents”
at 6:30pm Thurs., May 26 at
Mount Vernon’s Skagit Valley
Food Co-op. Entry is free, but
registration is a must. More
info: (360) 336-5087, ext., 136,
or www.skagitfoodcoop.com
Women’s Heart Disease
will be discussed during
a presentation by Yelena
Rosenber, MD, at 6:30pm
Tues., May 31 at Mount Ver-
non’s Skagit Valley Food Co-
op. This talk will familiarize
the audience members with
potential clues to heart dis-
ease, diagnostic tests used
to further evaluate suspi-
cious symptoms and steps
for prevention. Entry is free;
please register in advance.
More info: (360) 336-5087,
ext., 136, or www.skagit
foodcoop.com
Kim Haustedt, DC, leads
a “Mastering Your Triad of
Change” clinic at 7pm Mon.,
June 6 at the Community
Food Co-op, 1220 N. Forest
St. This workshop is for
everyone who wishes to un-
derstand and master the sci-
ence and art of fundamental
change. The central focus of
this workshop is the applica-
tion of the Epstein Triad of
Change. The event is free;
registration is requested.
More info: 734-8158
300MEDITATION
Kelsang Kunshe leads a
“Simply Meditate” class from
4-5pm every other Thursday
afternoon at the La Conner
Retirement Inn, 204 N. First
St. Everyone is welcome.
Suggested donation is $5 for
students, seniors and the
unemployed and $10 general.
More info: www.meditatein-
skagitvalley.org
A Reiki Energy Share and
Sound Healing Circle happens
from 6-7pm on the fourth Mon-
day of every month at Jiva Yogi
Wellness, 1109 Cowgill Ave.
Suggested donation is $5.
More info: www.jiva-yogi.net
Attend a Meditation Hour
from 5:30-6:30pm every first
and third Wednesday of the
month at psychic Jill Miller’s
offices at 1304 Meador Ave.
Entry is $5. No registration
is required, but please be on
time, as the doors will close
right at 5:30. More info: www.
jillmillerpsychic.com
Attend a Healing hour at
5:30pm every second and
fourth Monday of the month
at psychic Jill Miller’s offices
at 1304 Meador Ave. Entry
is $5. No registration is re-
quired. More info: www.jill-
millerpsychic.com
“No Eyes, No Ears, No
Nose…Zen and Creative Ex-
pression” happens at 7pm
Mondays and 9:30am Satur-
days at the Red Cedar Dharma
Hall, 1021 N. Forest. Shuso
Edie Norton leads the class.
Cost is $20-$60. More info:
www.redcedarzen.org
The Bellingham Shambha-
la Meditation Center hosts an
open house and introductory
talk at 7pm most Mondays
at its digs on the third floor
of the Masonic Hall, 1101 N.
State St. A variety of meet-
ings and workshops happen
throughout the week. More
info: 483-4526 or www.bell
ingham.shambhala.org
Jerry Swann,Your HomePro Rea ltor R
Zip Rea lty Inc.360-319-7 7 76
www.SearchWhatcomSkagitHomes.com
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READ… RELAX…
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Large selection ofused Gardening Books
647 1747
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BY ROB BREZSNY
FREE WILLASTROLOGYARIES (March 21-April 19): “Weaseling out of things is important to learn,” said cartoon anti-hero Homer Simpson. “It’s what separates us from the animals—except the weasel.” I normally don’t share that sentiment. My standard advice is to face up to challenging situations and take responsibility for the part you played in creating them. But I’m going to rebel against my custom this week and endorse Homer’s approach, Aries. You may be on the verge of getting sucked into a mess that you had virtually no role in creating. Either that, or you’ll be asked to carry out a mission that is irrelevant to your long-term goals. In either case, you have cosmic permis-sion to weasel out.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’m going to bring up a sore subject only because I think you’re finally ready to make it much less of a sore subject. The truth as I see it, Taurus, is that a part of you got petrified way back when. A formerly fluid and flexible part of your psyche got turned into stone, metaphor-ically speaking, losing much of its usefulness and creating distortions throughout the rest of you. Now, after all this time, you have circled back to a phase when you have the power to at least partially un-petrify this lost function. To get the process started, I suggest you turn your attention to it in such a way that you feel like laughing and crying at the same time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Gerard Manley Hopkins coined the verb “to selve,” which is what a person does in the process of creating his or her dis-tinctive presence in the world. Writing this column is an ongoing opportunity for me to selve, for example, because each time I conjure up a new horoscope I exercise the idiosyncratic combination of skills, atti-tudes, training, and knowledge that is special to me. According to my reading of the omens, Gemini, you are in a phase when you have a sacred duty to selve with extra intensity and alacrity. In fact, I suggest you be ruthless in seeking out experiences that give you a chance to tap into, cultivate, and express your most unique qualities.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here comes your ninth loss of innocence, Cancerian. Or is it your tenth? As you will soon prove once again, you man-age to make every time feel like the first time. When the moment arrives and the sweet purity ebbs away, the twinge that shudders through you will have the same primal intensity you’ve experienced before. But here’s the redemption: Like most of the previous transitions, this one will lead to a surprising blessing you couldn’t have gotten any other way. When your innocence is reborn—as it will be, sooner or later—it will be wiser and wilder than ever before.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): There’s a small chance that the following scenario will soon come to pass: You’ll be invited to become part of a situation that promises to give you special privileges or inside in-formation, but after you join you’ll find out that your participation would require you to compromise your principles. But there’s a far greater chance—over 80 percent—that the following scenario will take place: You’ll be invited to join your fortunes to a group or circle or tribe or situation that won’t ask you to dilute your integrity or betray your values at all. In fact, it’s likely to activate a dormant part of your potential. The moral of the story, Leo: Be very discerning.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Right now you have more power than you realize—more power to under-stand confusing situations, more power to influence people you’ve assumed are resistant to change, and more power to overcome your apparent disadvan-tages. In fact the only factor that could prevent you
from accomplishing way more than what you thought possible is a lack of confidence. Please note, Virgo: I’m not urging you to cultivate a foolishly arrogant faith in your ego. Rather, I’m clueing you in to the fact that there are hidden forces at work you can call on to help you—wisdom that has been dormant, love that has been neglected, and allies who have been mum.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest love let-ter in history was written by an Indian man named Harish Kondakkuli. The gushing 143-page message took him over three months to complete. Oddly, it was addressed to an imaginary woman, since there was no one in his life he was actually in love with. I encourage you to consider the possibility of ex-ceeding his achievement in the coming weeks, Libra. You’re at the peak of your ability to express wickedly delicious passions and profoundly tender intentions. There may even be a real person, not an imaginary one, who warrants your extravagant outflow.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Postsecret.com is a website where people can anonymously reveal their deep, dark feelings. I came across one entry that I think would be perfect for you to use as your own in the coming weeks. “I don’t want to cover up my scar,” it read. “It’s a good conversation starter and it makes me look bad-ass. But thank you anyway!” To further inspire what I hope will be your fearless effort to claim the power inherent in your wounds, I also offer this spur from musician and author Henry Rollins: “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her irrev-erent platinum-selling song “Monster,” Sagittarian rapper Nicki Minaj offers up a poetic sequence never before heard in the history of the planet: “Pull up in the monster...with a bad b-tch that came from Sri Lanka / yeah I’m in that Tonka, color of Willy Wonka.” I hope that you will soon come up with an equally revolutionary innovation in your own chosen field, Sagittarius. All the cosmic forces will be con-spiring in the coming weeks to help you to do the equivalent of rhyming “Tonka” and “Sri Lanka” with “Willy Wonka.” Please cooperate! (The NSFW video is here: http://bit.ly/MinajMonster.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Time is the enemy of romantic love, said Andrew Marvell in his 17th-century poem “To His Coy Mistress.” Medieval author Andreas Capellanus had a different idea, iden-tifying marriage as the enemy of romantic love. In Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde, Tristan rails against the daylight, calling it the enemy of romantic love. And in their book Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard’s Thought, the editors theorize that “capitalism, which makes a fetish out of sex...is the enemy of romantic love.” While all of those statements may be true, they’re only mildly relevant for you right now. The most dangerous en-emy of romantic love -- or any other kind of love, for that matter—is this: not listening well. Overcome that enemy, Capricorn.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In an age when bee populations have dropped dramatically, some gardeners have found they need to pollinate their tomato plants manually. One woman I know tick-les each swollen bulb of seeds with a toothbrush. Another uses a camel-hair brush. Metaphorically speaking, Aquarius, I suspect you will have to try something similar in the coming weeks: making an intervention to facilitate a fertilizing process that doesn’t quite seem to be happening naturally.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the coming week, your psyche may sometimes have an odd tin-gling sensation that resembles what happens when you hit your funny bone. Is it painful? Is it plea-surable? Maybe some of both, with the net effect being a command to wake up and play harder, love stronger, and notice more beauty. If you respond to that mandate with even a moderate amount of passion, I suspect you’ll get a surprising reward: At least one of the secret laws of your own nature will reveal itself to you, rising up clear and raw in a sweet waking vision.
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Last Week’s Puzzle
rearEnd ›› ”Invasion of the Body Snatchers” — vanishing without a trace ›› by Matt Jones
Across1 Kickstart a battery5 Lick9 “Going Back to
___” (LL Cool J single)
13 Early Peruvian14 “Shepherd Moons”
singer15 Sleeps lightly16 Back-of-the-book
section where Bos-
ton is located?18 Like some rights
or pay19 Blasting stick20 “___ for Cookie,
that’s good enough for me...”
22 Abbr. on a food label
23 Approve of a Bond Doctor’s evildoings on Facebook?
29 “___ of Two Cit-ies”
30 Student helpers31 King, in Cancun32 Paper bundle34 Play by the rules38 Jeep-financing co.40 Store you go to
“for all your pod-based needs”?
42 Do the laundry43 Alaska Airlines
logo feature45 Quaintly formal
letter opening47 Best Picture nomi-
nee starring Jamie Foxx
48 Highbrow film director
50 Tournament type52 On a shortage of
know-how?56 Former “World
Series of Poker” champ Ungar
57 Nile biter58 It’s small and
strummable59 Uses as a source61 What Sgt. Schultz
really knew (but would never admit) on “Hogan’s He-roes”?
67 Integra maker68 Kelly of TV talk69 Otherwise70 Tabula ___71 Comet’s trailer72 Rib in a bedframe
Down1 Comedian Gaffigan
2 One, to Juana3 They take the mic4 1980s shade5 Square meal?6 Defensive position7 “Sure thing,” in
Scotland8 Savings from the
IRS, maybe9 ___ au vin10 As blue as the sky11 Job search hits12 Ibiza and Minorca,
for example15 Craving17 Word before child
or circle21 Curve on a
weather map23 Fries size24 Grocery check-
out count25 Boat that goes
back and forth?26 Ninja projectile27 Improves, like
airplane seating28 Like vulgar vid-
eos at your day job, for short
33 Goes overboard with the acting
35 Producer Spelling or Sorkin
36 Bartender on “The Love Boat”
37 Write lyrics, often39 “Bye, bambino”41 Ireland, in Ireland44 Scar’s nemesis, in
“The Lion King”46 Like some dog
collars49 Know-it-all51 Big name in candy
cups52 Nunez of “The
Office”53 NY city on the
Mohawk54 Hippos’ garb in
“Fantasia”55 Out in farm
country60 Major time period62 By means of63 Prefix for phenom-
enon64 “___ buy that for
a dollar”65 Hush-hush govt.
agency66 Understand
©2011 Jonesin’ Crosswords
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BY AMY ALKON
THE ADVICE GODDESSUNDER THE COVER OF NIGHTCLUBI met an amazing guy—the kind I swore didn’t exist: thoughtful, caring and incred-ibly secure. He seemed to love me. We were together exactly nine months when he called and suggested we go danc-ing. Ten minutes after I arrived at the club, he broke up with me. He claimed he didn’t know what had happened, but he just couldn’t be with me anymore. I left, heartbroken—a complete wreck. Two weeks later, he called to see how I was and said, “Everything about you is what I want, but for some reason, I just don’t want you.” I’ve had a history of going for men who treated me like crap, but he treated me in-credibly well. The lesson I’ve gleaned? Even if a guy’s really good to you, you can’t trust him. Help! I don’t want to become some bitter, jaded old woman.
—Devastated
Sometimes, treating a woman like crap comes with a substantial grace period. Sure, breakups happen, but a truly “thoughtful, caring” guy prepares you for what’s to come with “We’ve gotta talk”—not “Hey, Babe, put on your strappiest dress and meet me under the disco balls.” (Considerate guy that he is, surely he told you how beautiful you looked when the colored lights reflected off the mascara streak-ing down your cheeks.)
What changed for him? Without drill-ing a hole into his brain and watching all the worker ants running around the factory, it’s hard to say. Maybe his feel-ings just fizzled, or maybe he was only up for romancing you into a relationship and not the relationship itself. Whatev-er his reason for leaving, he sure didn’t need to pop up again to reiterate that he doesn’t want you — just in case you missed that when he was teaching you his cool new dance move: twirl the girl-friend around and kick her to the curb.
Ask yourself whether it’s actually out of character for Mr. Wonderful to rather cruelly and abruptly transform into Mr. I’ll Be Wandering Off Now. Getting impatient in your search for a great guy can lead you to stick a bag over the head of a sorta-great guy or even a not-so-great guy and insist you’ve got your man. Your therapeutic professional would call this “confirmation bias”—favoring information that confirms some be-
lief you hold and shoving away any information that doesn’t. So, maybe you tell yourself that a man’s treated you really well when he just treated you to some romantic dinners and did some of those nice boyfriend things like bringing you flowers and repair-ing your garden hose.
Any guy can learn to do that sort of stuff by reading “10 Ways To Make A Woman Cross-Eyed With Lust For You” in any number of men’s magazines. To figure out whether a man is more than the sum of his smooth moves, look at whether he’s compassionate, whether he shows empathy—for you and oth-ers—and especially when he doesn’t think anybody’s looking. Of course, get-ting to the truth takes being O.K. with the truth—even if it ends up setting you a lot freer than you wanted to be. Since it’s always possible the candles and moonlight are a prelude to the track shoes, it’s best to live with the hope that love will last but without the expectation that it will. That’s probably the single best way to avoid becoming that “bitter, jaded old woman.” Then again, somebody’s got to take care of all the neighborhood’s stray cats.
BUS CASE SCENARIOMy best friend is a man for whom my feelings continue to grow. He’s been stuck chasing his ex-girlfriend who lives four hours away. She sees him once a month for a booty call. I fall asleep thinking about him and daydream about him while on dates with other men. He’s acknowledged that if his ex weren’t in the picture, he’d explore a relationship with me. Please help. —Longing
“IF his ex weren’t in the picture…!” You can always find your way to an “if.” It’s fun to vacation in if-land for a mo-ment or two—like, if I had a TV show, I’d have a cook and a driver and a mon-key to massage my feet under my desk. But, I don’t have a TV show, and mon-keys throw feces. And this guy doesn’t want to explore a relationship with you or he’d be doing it instead of driving eight hours in hopes of servicing his ex back into a relationship with him. You can either live your life or sit around if-ing about what could be...his truck gets repossessed, and no bus lines go to ex-girlfriendville, so he looks deep into your general direction and says the words you’ve been waiting so long to hear: “Can I borrow your car for a coupla days?”
©2011, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail [email protected] (www.advicegoddess.com)
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rearEnd ›› comix
GO BE LOCAL BEE TEAM!
600+ local businesses taking action for a healthy community.
Don’t forget to Think Local First Ski to Sea weekend!
Keep an eye out for the Be Local Bee team on the course and at the finish line.
Stop by the Think Local First booth at “It All Ends in Fairhaven”festival for a chance to spin the Think Local prize wheel and Win!
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RECIPES REVIEWS PROFILES
STORY AND PHOTO BY AMY KEPFERLE
Bellingham GourmetSMART CHICKEN AND THE LAST SUPPER
SAT., MAY 28COMMUNITY BREAKFAST: Gear up for the Ski to Sea parade at the monthly Community Breakfast hap-pening from 8-11am at the Bellingham Senior Center, 315 Halleck St. Entry is $3.50-$5 and include pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy and more.
733-4030
COMMUNITY MEAL: The bimonthly Ferndale Community Meal happens from 10am-12pm at the United Church of Ferndale, 2034 Washington St. All are welcome at the free event.
384-1422
BLUEBERRY MAGIC: Learn how to plant, prune and fertilize at a “Blue-berry Magic” workshop at 10am at Bakerview Nursery, 945 E. Bakerview Rd. Entry is free; if possible, register in advance.
WWW.BAKERVIEWNURSERY.COM
TUES., MAY 31SOURDOUGH STARTER: Jeff Bode leads a hand-on class focusing on “Artisan Bread: Sourdough” at 6:30pm at Ciao Thyme, 207 Unity St. Cost is $35.
WWW.CIAOTHYME.COM
NUTRITIONAL BALANCE: Karl Min-cin leads a “Nutritional Balance on Special Diets” class from 7-9pm at the Community Food Co-op, 1220 N. For-est St. Entry is $10-$12.
734-8158
WED., JUNE 1 GLUTEN TALK: Dr. Jum Funk leads a Brown Bag Healthcare Series talk focusing on ideas from the book Glu-ten Free Girl at 12pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
671-2626
WILD SIDE: Nettle pesto and ocean pudding will be among the edible of-ferings when Jennifer Hahn, author of Pacific Feast: A Cook’s Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine, leads a “Wild Side” demo at 6:30pm at Ciao Thyme, 207 Unity St. Cost is $35.
WWW.CIAOTHYME.COM
CANNING 101: Master Food Preserv-er Susy Hymas covers the basics at a “Canning 101” course from 6-8:30pm at the Cordata Community Food Co-op. Entry is $49.
383-3200
BACKCOUNTRY COOKING: Learn how to make Maple Bacon Scones at 6,000 feet at a “Backcountry Cook-ing Basics” clinic at 7pm at REI, 400 36th St.
647-8955
doit
warm mushroom tarts, martini glasses full of Dungeness crab salad with Napa cabbage and horseradish vinaigrette, and Thai spiced chicken skewers with peanut sauce.
Soon after accepting a glass of light-as-air Vinho Verde (a white wine I was informed came from Portugal’s Famega winery), I saw a sign informing me that both local grocery chain Haggen and Smart Chicken were hosting the event.
Canny Director of Marketing Mark Eck-strom—a Nebraska-born fella who spent more than a decade in the Big Apple be-fore returning to his Midwest roots—had selected the invitees from a roster of those who expressed interest on Haggen’s Facebook page, so the guest list included a random gathering of people who, on any other night, might not have found them-selves seated next to each other.
And, while there was some discussion of the product we were all there to sample, once we sat down to supper, talk turned, among other things, to the impending Rapture and resulted in many asides about this possibly being the equivalent of the last supper.
If it had been our final meal, I’d have been O.K. with that, as it turns out Smart Chicken—which, it should probably be noted, is only available in the area at Hag-gen stores—is decidedly delicious.
Whether it was pureed in an avocado soup topped with feta cheese and almonds, baked and served with pickled cabbage and whipped potatoes, or roasted with morels, spring onions and pecorino Romano, the chicken with smarts earned its reputation.
Haggen chefs had created our memorable meal, but guests were given the recipes and wine pairings for each course, making it clear that everybody involved was hop-ing this would spur attendees into both picking up packages of Smart Chicken for themselves, as well as spreading the word as to the gustatory goodness of the fowl fare. Smart, indeed.
Learn more about Smart Chicken at www.smartchicken.com
Register in advance for a free “Blue-berry Magic” workshop happening May 28 at Bakerview Nursery
LORE GOES that on a handful of family farms in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, lucky flocks of chickens spend their days in poultry paradise.
While not munching on hearty servings of GMO-free corn and soybean meal and dipping their beaks into aquifer-fresh water, the free-range fowl are given access to both well-ventilated barns and the great outdoors. And even when their final hours arrive, as they must to all animals raised solely for consumption, the end reportedly comes swiftly and without pain.
The result—which also factors in sustainable farming methods, air-chill technol-ogy and certified stamps of approval concerning all things organic and humane—is a brand of products proudly displaying the moniker of Smart Chicken.
Let me be clear: I was not aware of any of this insider information when I received a recent invite to an underground dinner party being hosted by Bellingham Gourmet. Truthfully, they had me at “food and wine,” “bring a friend,” and “free.”
On the appointed evening, having eventually been provided with the lowdown on the top-secret locale, my go-to gal and I drove through sunny streets full of scantily clad humans reveling in the (finally) warmer spring weather to the lush grounds of the Lairmont Manor.
Under a white tent fit for a wedding reception, a long table was lined with vases of fresh flowers, tapered candles, and plates, wineglasses and silverware set for at least two dozen people.
Bottles chilled in large silver buckets. Guests smiled. Servers offered morsels of
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Saturday June 4 F 7:30pmChrist the Servant Lutheran Church2600 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham
Sunday June 5 F 7:30pmLynden Christian High School515 Drayton Street, Lynden
$15 Adult F $12 Senior & Student F $5 Under 18Piper Music, Village Books, The Community Food Co-op
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n 2007, alternative news publications reached nearly 375,000 readers, a 3% increase over 2006 numbers. 2008 is set
to increase the readership again, making alternatives a good advertising investment.”
—2008 Media Audit
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