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According to WWU’s AS Review, it’s a good time to talk about transportation — and they are correct! There are a few things that I want to share with you today, lurkers, so listen up!

First of all, AJ and I are in the AS Review! The article is concerning ways that students can get home over the holidays. You probably know a lot about that already if you’ve been reading this blog, but you still might want to check it out.

Okay, enough self-promotion! Time to get serious. There is another article in the AS Review that discusses the ways in which the WTA is changing — pretty important stuff! Like all of us, the WTA is feeling the strain of these tough financial times and the board of directors is currently grappling with budget cut options. One option is to cut service by 10%, with the affected routes determined by ridership. Since they’d still be “in the red”, as the AS Review puts it, the other option is to make those service cuts as well as discontinue Sunday service.

If you think like I do, you’re probably saying: “NOOOOO! I need to be able to go places on Sundays!” It’s a little more complicated than that, though — WTA needs to be able to afford to fill essential positions, pay their employees fair wages, and provide them with reasonable benefits. Since their staff is stretched thin, canceling Sunday service would be fairer to the workers who make the bus system we know and love possible. Though the service changes (if they’re approved) won’t take place until June 2010, you can make your voice heard at the public hearing this week, with whatever you feel should be done. As stated on the WTA’s Rider Alert page, the hearing will take place at 8:00am on Thursday, November 19th at Whatcom County Council Chambers (311 Grand Ave, 98226).

Oh yeah, and there was a power outtage this morning. Heh.

And another thing — Amtrak trains going out of Bellingham the day before Thanksgiving are selling out fast! Get on it if you want to get out of town that day.

WWU's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Department of Art and the WWU Cold Beverage Fund will co-host renowned Native American artist James Luna for a lecture on Monday, Nov. 16.Luna, according to the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, is "internationally recognized for his installation and performance art ?and does work that confronts and challenges commonly held stereotypes about Native Americans, museums, art, and life ? and does it with irony, humor, sorrow, and a strong sense of story-telling in motion."The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Luna?s lecture, contact John Feodorov at (360) 650-2556.

The Western Front takes an exclusive ride with Bellingham Police

The Vikings closed out their regular season Saturday night at Carver Gymnasium against the Yellowjackets of Montana State University Billings....

As the “Star-Spangled Banner” drew to a close, the crowd surrounding the ice at the Bellingham Sportsplex erupted. Over the...

The future of transportation at Western will focus on sustainability and shared space as new projects and policies are implemented...

Visiting experts at Western say northern border too strict

I still find myself intrigued and disturbed by 1984, and have dog-eared so many pages (it's a library book - my bad!) that I'm going to buy a copy. The text has cast a filter on my news consumption (and even sports viewing!) lately, and in light of the apparent continuation of our "little" wars in Afghanistan and Iraq I'll share this quote:
"Goods must be produced, but they need not be distributed. And in practice the only way of achieving this is by continual warfare. The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence in the long run, too intelligent. (I'm not sure about that -- fat and complacent might be more like it.) Even when weapons are not actually destroyed, their manufacture is still a convenient way of expending labor power without producing anything that can be consumed." Are we on the path of continuous warfare? And let's not forget that we are the largest weapons producing nation in the world, a fact that should make any sane person a subversive. Along with this continual warfare is all the pomp and jingoism and choreographed mourning for the killed soldiers, who gave their lives for their country. Don't bother asking why the f*ck we're over there anyway.
The other insight I picked up from 1984 was how the populace needs to be kept joyless. Anger, pain, cynicism, bullying, violence and fear are all legitimate emotions or psychological states because of their ease of manipulation. The prevalence of these negative energies, or the condition of cynicism, which is so prevalent in most media, has caused the poet Robert Hass (and many others in different ways) to state that merely "Feeling human is a useful form of political subversion."

The Western Gallery will present artist Geraldine Ondrizek's "The Sound of Cells Dividing" as its first major exhibition of the 2009-2010 academic year. The exhibit will be on display from Sept. 28 through Nov. 25."The Sound of Cells Dividing" will exhibit Ondrizek's recent film "Cellular" and its corresponding set of drawings of a blastocyst, a multiple-cell embryo, as well as her "Sound Wall" installation, which was created for the Center for Art and Technology (CAMAC) and housed in a 17th century monastery in France. "Sound Wall" will be recreated for the Western Gallery. In conjunction with the exhibition, Ondrizek will offer a lecture about her work on Wednesday, Oct. 21. For information on the time and location of her lecture, visit http://westerngallery.wwu.edu or call (360) 650-3900.Both the lecture and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Wednesdays, when the gallery is open until 8 p.m., and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Live music and poetry readings frequently are presented in the Gallery on Wednesday evenings. For more event details, visit http://westerngallery.wwu.edu/.

Several good snacking suggestions.

It was over a year ago that I first wrote about Mambo Italiano Cafe. At that time I was writing about their fabulous vegan pizza and their tasty mixed greens salad, and I closed the post by promising to write more about their vegan options "soon." Now here I am, fourteen months later, finally getting back to that promise.
Now I must explain that this is not because I have not eaten at Mambo's during the past year--on the contrary, I have consumed my fair share of pizza and salad during this time. That's the thing, I am afraid. I have eaten pizza and salad every time I have gone there since I first wrote that first post.


Some of you may recall my earlier vegan sausage sandwich from Pastazza obsession; I am afraid this is a similar situation--I tend to get into happy food ruts and order the same thing over and over from many of my favorite places. So the reason I have not written sooner is not because I have not eaten there, but rather because I had to make a conscious effort to order something besides my favorite pizza.

Last week we had a happy occasion to celebrate and it was finally the perfect time for me to be adventurous and try something new. So I ordered the completely vegan "Rigatoni Primavera," described simply on their menu as "seasonal sauteed vegetables" cooked in a garlic, white wine, and olive oil sauce, with fresh basil.


I definitely did not regret stepping outside of my pizza comfort zone because this pasta dish was absolutely delicious. Zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, artichoke hearts, and everything cooked to perfection.

One change thing that has changed since I first wrote about Mambo's is that they now have a fabulous website. It is one of the better local restaurant websites I have seen. They even have a great commercial that gives you a little taste of the place. One thing that has not changed since I first wrote about Mambo's is how much I still love the atmosphere of this place. The service remains consistently wonderful, as does the food. So next time you are in Fairhaven trying to decide where to go to dinner, may I recommend Mambo Italiano Cafe?

I realized today that if I was to go through all of my home-cooking-related blog posts, a rather high percentage of them would be about brunch and lazy weekend mornings. I think many vegans share my love of the comfort breakfast/brunch. Luckily, it is something my husband also shares with me. I remember when we first started dating, a mutual friend of ours took me aside and said, "One thing you have to know about Doug is that he absolutely loves breakfast." This was crucial information that I was glad to find out about early in our relationship.

So I have to admit that my breakfast-loving-husband is more than half my inspiration when it comes to my weekend breakfast-themed cooking endeavors. This morning I woke up determined to try something altogether new, and behold, my "eggs" benedict was born. Granted, this took a little while to cook and the kitchen was a bit of a mess afterwards, but it was fun to make and tasty to eat.

The biscuits are the "Easy biscuits" from Sarah Kramer's cookbooks (Preheat oven to 450. In large bowl sift together 2 cups flour, 3 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Cut in 1/4 cup vegan margarine and 1 cup sour milk, which is 1 cup soy milk mixed with 1 teaspoon cider vinegar. Divide dough into six portions and bake for 12-18 minutes.) I usually use more like a tablespoon of cider vinegar in the soymilk because to me it is a little more reminiscent of that buttermilk flavor.

The eggs are the basic omelette recipe from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, only with 1 tspn kala namak added to the mix and cooked in smaller round portions fried-egg style (in a non-stick pan with non-stick spray). The sausage was a modification of Felicity's "savoury veggie burger," only with "sausage" type seasoning ( sage, coriander, marjoram, etc). The Hollandaise Sauce was from Isa's Vegan Brunch and it was sooo yummy. So yummy that we ate too much and had to brave the cold and go on an afternoon walk to work some of it off. All-in-all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday.