The indispensable principle

Sherman W. Thurston stood by Haggard Hall in Red Square Tuesday, June 1, in protest to the United States' involvement with war. He distributed an essay entitled "The Indispensable Principle: Forgiveness," in which he calls war, specifically the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an atrocious act of evil.
He said his intention is to rally students on Sunday, Aug. 8, to apologize for those crimes.
An excerpt from his essay:

"I dream of thousands, even millions, of Americans gathering in groups, large and small, next August on Sunday the 8th, to apologize for our crimes against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I truly believe that showing our sincere remorse, acknowledging our complicity in terrorism, would be a compelling, compassionate example to the world." 

Smalltime smile-makers

From left, Oliver, Danny, Eli and Terrie play their instruments on Saturday, May 29, at the Northwest Folklife Festival.

Left, Danny, 39, plucks the stand-up bass in his family’s band. The family is from Seattle and twang an old-time country style of music. Right, Terrie learned to play stringed instruments for her children because they showed a musical talent from a young age.

Jane Blanchard, Eli and Oliver’s grandmother, came from New Hampshire to visit and see the family play. She said they play old-time country because it makes people smile. “They all smile,” she said.

“Look over there — the woman, the man,” she said as she points to onlookers. “It makes people happy.” 

Eli, 7, foreground, strummed the banjo for most of the performance. Later on, he played the washboard hung from his neck. Eli said he practices eight or nine times a week. “I just get the melody in my head,” he said, “and then ‘BAM,’ I go into a dream or something.”

 Foreground, Oliver, 11, bows the strings of his fiddle. Terrie said Oliver picked up the fiddle at a young age and it fit him perfectly. Oliver ended the set by singing the old gospel tune “Amazing Grace.”

Oliver taps his foot on one of the hundreds of cement walkways throughout the Seattle Center, the home of the 39th Northwest Folklife Festival. The family band, dubbed “Smalltime Family String Band,” busked in front of an open banjo case.

Eli inspects his banjo case as Susan Haupt, center, and Elisa Haupt, right, look on. They traveled to Seattle from Bend, Ore. “This has been our highlight of the day,” Susan Haupt said. 

Bullet-proof truss moved in over pipeline

Olympic Pipe Line Company crewmembers guide an 85-foot steel truss onto the pipeline that crosses Whatcom Creek on May 25. The truss had to be lowered within a 1-inch window. “I asked the crane operator if it felt like she was doing surgery rather than operating a crane,” said Pamela Brady, Olympic Pipe Line Company media contact, “and she said, ‘absolutely, yes. It was very precise.’”

The truss will protect the pipeline from falling trees and bullets. Since May 3, crews have assembled the structure and drilled pillings to support it. Read the full story here.

Employees of B & C Well Drilling & Pump Services display their drill to Western professor's Pete Stelling's geology class on April 7 in the Communication Facility courtyard. They bore a 6 inch hole about 10 feet deep.

nothing

About 25 students blanketed Western's campus advertisements and promotional posters with white butcher paper early in the morning on Tuesday, May 11. Most of the paper was removed by faculty, students and Facilities Management employees by 9 a.m.

Newton's second

Western lacrosse player Colin Gaddy, 19, shoots a lacrosse ball into a goal on the Wade King Student Recreation Center field. He and his teammates practice three times a week before the national tournament in Denver, Colo. The team lost 8-11 against Davenport University on Tuesday. “We went 8-5 this year,” Gaddy said.

Here comes the sun

Pilates instructor Ella Eastham, right, stretches with Kate Blystone, 28, during International Pilates Day, Saturday, May 1 at Zuanich Point Park. “Now, reach to the sky,” Eastham said. 

Pilates instructor Ella Eastham, left, encourages Kate Blystone, 28, to continue her muscle-stretching exercises on International Pilates Day, Saturday, May 1 at Zuanich Point Park. “Keep those legs up, ladies,” Eastham said.