The Washington State Penitentiary’s presence in Walla Walla is pretty obvious. The lights from the prison are visible from many places in town, signs warning against giving rides to strangers line the highway and KWCW gets its most consistent numbers of listeners from behind bars.
Not as many people at Whitman think much about the Walla […]

The future of Iraq, the war on terror, and America’s response to global warming are all at stake in the 2008 presidential election. As such, electability should be the prime concern when picking a Democratic candidate, as the policy gap between Democrats and Republicans on these and other key issues is simply too great to […]

At the turn of the century, female athletes made up 40 percent of sports participants nationally, but received only 8 percent of the entire sports coverage. Those numbers haven’t changed much since then.
When female athletes do get covered for major news publications, it is done in such a way that reinforces traditional images of femininity. […]

“Remember: A freer world begins with a freer mind,” said junior Aisha Fukushima in a “Reflection on Identity.”
Five students presented their reflections on identity as part of the Plenary Session of Whitman’s second annual Symposium on Diversity and Community. The theme of this year’s Symposium was “Unfolding Identities.”
“When we talked to faculty and staff and […]

“What are you wearing?”
This was the disgusted remark which came from my eternally fashion-savvy roommate this morning as I emerged with my cup of coffee wearing thick, sensible, black goulashes over my blue jeans.
“They’re goulashes.” I knew how I looked: I looked like a clown.
“I’m aware. But why are they goulashes?”
“I don’t know if you […]

“The 10th Kingdom” is seven hours long. Perhaps I should start by saying that. It first aired as a nine-episode TV miniseries. But what I’m recommending is setting aside an entire day (or night) and watching the whole thing, start to finish. You can only leave the couch to make more popcorn.
Everyone knows Manhattan […]

I was going to write about the problem of specialization. How the notion of the whole is lost, how the ultimate goal of a better life is forgotten in the details, how the idea of good work is perverted and put to the service of aimless wanderings and meaningless tussles. But such criticism […]

“Atonement,” directed by Joe Wright and adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel, is a beautiful film. With cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, Mr. Wright has filled the movie with popping, liquid moments like a shot following a young girl (Saoirse Ronan) down an overgrown garden corridor, or the much-ballyhooed four-minute take on a war-worn beach. Given the revered […]

Recycling is not necessarily good for the environment.
Or at least it might not be unless it’s done correctly, claimed Walla Walla City Manager Duane Cole, speaking at Walla Walla Community College last week.
“The city and I personally support recycling and I did not propose to end it,” Cole said. “With that said, however, the systems we […]

On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend I flew home to Reno to participate in my first presidential caucus. This year, Nevada was selected as the third state to vote on the presidential nominations, after Iowa and New Hampshire. Nevada was selected to represent the views of a western state as well as a […]

On Dec. 13, I landed in LAX airport. I took my first two steps on U.S. soil, feeling worldly and smug from the past four months of cold showers and composting. That high lasted for a good seven seconds. And then I ran to Starbucks.
I sat there for about two hours during my layover […]

Debris blankets Pioneer Park. Near its center, a large pine lies on its side, partly obscured by snow.
Indeed, although no deaths or injuries have been reported as a result of the Jan. 4 storm that ravaged Walla Walla, the town has lost many of its oldest inhabitants—its trees.
“It’s sad. It’s really a shame,” said Walla […]

The 2007-‘08 women’s basketball team started out strong with wins on the road in California. They carried the momentum by beating league opponents they have had trouble with in past years. However, on their last road trip, the team lost against the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University. The bi-week schedule left […]

President Bridges,
I am writing in response to evidence that indicates that your office is shifting financial support from students to teachers. If, by my counsel, you can be persuaded to do otherwise, I will have succeeded beyond any expectations.
I should first cite examples of the grievance I am referencing here. I note that each […]

Dayle Smith: “Under-Represented Groups in Science”
Q: How did you decide to run a Symposium workshop?
A: A lot of people are interested in increasing the diversity of people who take science classes. It’s something that the National Science Foundation and our local and national government are interested in, and that’s something that I care about as […]