Farewell, Wendy Cho Ripp – you are the Bus incarnate

We have some sad, but exciting news to share.  Wendy Cho Ripp, the Bus’s supreme ace in the hole, is leaving the Bus at the end of the month.  She has accepted a position as a legislative aid to Seattle City Councilmember-elect Sally Bagshaw.

We’re unbelievably beyond super sad to see Wendy go – over the past two and a half years at the Bus, she has become an unstoppable powerhouse, both on the front lines and behind the scenes.  She will leave incredibly large shoes to fill – size 10 to be exact.

Although Wendy has been a guiding force at the Bus, Wendy’s transition is a perfect example of the Bus’ core mission at work: to engage tomorrow’s leaders on their own terms and empower them through hands-on democracy.  This is a huge step for Wendy and the fact that she’s was selected to be a Seattle City Council staffer at the age of 26 speaks volumes.

Wendy has been on the Bus since the very beginning, and she’s been key in building the organization. We’re going to miss you Wendy, and words can’t quite capture it. But even more, we’re looking forward to seeing you take over the world.

Check out the Official Wenzilla Slide Show below the jump, and thank you Wendy, for being you!

your daily science lesson…

This is the coolest thing we’ve seen all day, courtesy of our friend OctoPai…(and wait till the end of the video – it’s worth it)

“The coconut-carrying behavior makes the veined octopus the newest member of the elite club of tool-using animals—and the first member without a backbone, researchers say.”

Welcome to the elite club of tool-using animals, Veined Octopus. Welcome.

Olympia. In a can.

What’s the hardest part about keeping up with the goings-on in Olympia during the legislative session? Well, for one thing, they’re in Olympia. And if you’re not there, it’s not easy to stay up on what ‘s going down (you see what we did there?). If you’re not in the loop, laws tend to get passed that you might not agree with.

And that, my friend, is crap.

So here’s what the Bus is doing about it. We’re bringing Olympia to YOU. Literally. In January and February, you, the big homie, can join the Bus for drinks, art, and legislators, aka our brand new Olympia series tactfully titled: Olympia. In a can.

Here’s what you get to do: show up at Grey Gallery and Lounge on Capitol Hill on a Wednesday evening. Grab a beer (or a soda – it’s an all-ages space, people!), check out the art, and then prepare to have your mind blown as legislators video-conference in direct from Olympia just to talk to you, the young people of Washington State.

Yes, you read that right – Olympia is grabbing a beer with YOU, through the wire, live and direct. Every evening will be focused around one of two huge themes from this year’s legislative session: the environment and higher education. Unless you’re driving down to Oly midweek, this is your single best way to talk face to face with the elected officials whose votes will decide these issues. To top it all off, we’ll be recording video testimony, so you can make sure every legislator hears your voice loud and clear.

Think of it as your own personal smoke-filled room… minus the smoke.

Here’s the dates and issue-foci:

• January 27th – Higher education
• February 10th – Environment
• February 24th – Higher education

We’ll see you there!