THIS WEEK'S FREEBIES OCT. 31-NOV.6 >>>

Bobble Tiki loves lists. Before Bobble Tiki passes out, he makes a list of what he'd like to accomplish the next day. Sure, list keeping helps Bobble Tiki stay organized and on task (like those things even matter), but there are even greater benefits: First, Bobble Tiki feels infinitely superior to everyone who hasn't caught on to this list thing. Second, he gets to align himself with a great dead figure like Bobby Kennedy, who was a notorious keeper of lists. And third, he has a printed record of what he has been up to should Eric H. Holder, Jr. ever want to know. Bobble Tiki is, in fact, so manic about his list-keeping that if he does something that isn't on the list he'll write it down just so he can cross it off. He earned it; he went out of his way. He went "off list." Do you have any idea how fricking hard that is? Do you?

For this week's Freeloaders list of free things to do this coming week, Bobble Tiki will focus on transformation, just like you'll make to be more organized ... by keeping lists.

MONDAY, OCT. 31: The Tacoma Cult Movie Club will gather at The Acme Grub Cage for a special session of cult films in keeping with the situation - Halloween. Rev. Colin will screen classic horror films, the kind where normal Joe's transform into monsters beneath a full moon. With an earlier 5 p.m. start time comes a potluck. Don't just bring candy. As always there's no admission fee, and there'll be plenty of raffles prizes and booze, which could induce a number of transformations within the crowd.

TUESDAY, NOV. 1: Ezra F. Vogel, Harvard professor emeritus, has published dozens of articles, reviews, and conference papers, major books on China, Japan, and American-East Asian relations, and organized scholarly and policy conferences on many topics. Vogel will give a free lecture on his book, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, at 4 p.m. inside the Trimble Hall Forum on the University of Puget Sound campus.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2: Marijuana has transformed California. No longer relegated to the underground, pot in California these days props up local economies, mints millionaires and feeds a thriving industry of startups designed to grow, market and distribute the drug. If passed, Washington state's I-502 will legalize, regulate and tax marijuana with revenue earmarked for substance-abuse prevention education and healthcare. New Approach Washington will rally in favor of I-502 at 6 p.m. inside the Mandolin Café in Tacoma.

THURSDAY, NOV. 3: Back in the spring of 2007, Broadway Center Executive Director David Fischer announced a 14-page strategic plan broken into five main categories to transform the Tacoma arts organization into a viable business, as well as a medium to unite the community. Hello success. Fischer will be awarded the Arts Leadership Award during the Tacoma Art at Work Month opening party from 6-8:30 p.m. inside the Museum of Glass. At the free party, the Tacoma Arts Commission will also honor the other 2011 AMOCAT Award recipients: The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts, and Stella Haioulani, as well as recognize the 2011 Tacoma Arts Commission funding recipients. That's all good, but Bobble Tiki is more stoked about the free desserts.

FRIDAY, NOV. 4: For the first time in 500 years, the Salvadoran government is serving the poor, excluded majority. Come hear an FMLN youth leader of El Salvador's left party discuss: how youth are stepping up to win justice and dignity for all Salvadorans; what's at stake in the 1st elections since the 2009 victory; how you can be a part of El Salvador's transformation! Cristina Cornejo, the FMLN Political Commission & Substitute Legislative Assemble deputy, will give a free talk from 7-9 p.m. inside Last Word Books in Olympia.

SATURDAY, NOV. 5: Bobble Tiki thinks it would be cool to hang with a young writer before he or she transforms into someone famous. Then Bobble Tiki could say he saw them when, and annoy absolutely every one he knows in the process. That's why Bobble Tiki will check out Stages on Pages at 4 p.m. Stages on Pages is a touring group of young adult writers who write about the arts. Stasia Kehoe, Tara Kelly, Jessica Martinez and Louise Spiegler will be reading and discussing their novels, as well as talking about the connections between dance, drama, music and literature. The free event will be held at Orca Books in Olympia. Bobble Tiki will grab all four autographs because you never know. Wait. Are they already famous?! Crap.

SUNDAY, NOV. 6: The Tacoma Buddhist Temple hosts a free Fall Food & Crafts Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (food costs vary). Bobble Tiki loves the sound of that and was all set to go, until he discovered that Buddhism helps you wake up and find your true self.  Bobble Tiki has made a career of being both unconscious and shallow, so maybe this event isn't for him.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, OCT. 28, 2011 >>>

1. Walking the line between sanity and madness - or pretending to do so - helps give Halloween its juice. Stripping that path down to historical storytelling heightens the experience in ways that slasher movies can't, because written words conjure up images unique to each individual's cranium. The scare becomes customized. That's the approach taken by The Fort Nisqually Foundation as it celebrates Halloween in the style of past centuries by telling ghost stories around a roaring bonfire from 7-9 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. Once again held inside the walls of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, "Bonfires, Beaver Pelts & Bogeymen" will send shivers down your spine as storytellers bring forth the spirits of the fur trade.

2. Nancy Fullerton, assistant curator of Latin American Art from the San Antonio Museum of Art, convinced the folks at the Tacoma Art Museum to let the public have a sneak peak of the new exhibition, Folk Treasures of Mexico: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection from the San Antonio Museum of Art. The terms of the agreement forces Fullerton to lead a 10:30 a.m. tour of the exhibit and something about a private margarita party. We'll investigate the margarita thing.

3. Orca Books in Olympia welcomes poet Linda Back McKay and photographer Lenny Zimmerman at 7 p.m. to celebrate the release of their new book, The Next Best Thing. McKay is a Minneapolis poet, writer and teaching artist with the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Zimmerman is an artist and photographer living in Puyallup.

4. Lynn Di Nino has organized another TRIPOD Slide Show inside Madera Architectural Elements in downtown Tacoma. At 7 p.m. Marse Lear, Peter Serko and Kristin Giordano will show their photographic wonders under the theme, "Landscapes For Interior Transformation." Grab a gist of the TRIPOD series here.

5. Doing its part to keep Fircrest's Halloween celebrants from choking on family-friendly pabulum, Wheelz Skate Arena will fill its rink with chainsaw exhaust, dry ice and rock music. Beginning at 8 p.m. the skating complex hosts an all-ages extravaganza of assaultive after-hours entertainment, an invitation for the morbidly curious to skate to the musical stylings of Argonaut, The Fun Police, The Plastards, Verlee For Ransom, as well as DJs Klik and Travis Bakers on the ones and twos. Warning: If Plastards singer Bill becomes enthusiastic with a chainsaw, sit up and take notice.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Movies open today!

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26, 2011 >>>

1. Olympia producer/director Terrence Knight turned the streets of Olympia into the Bronx for his indie short film, The Prince of Arthur Avenue, which screens at 6 p.m. inside the Yelm Cinemas. The film features John Fantasia (The King of New York, Highlander) and well as many denizens of downtown Olympia. Admission is free.

2. Pour At Four wine bar in Tacoma's Proctor District will pour $10 tastes of the 2010 Mollydooker wines, including the Scooter, Two Left Feet, Boxer, Blue Eyed boy, Enchanted Path and Carnival of Love from 5:30-8 p.m.

3. Poet Carolyne Wright spent four years in Bangladesh collecting and translating the work of Bengali women poets and writers. She will read from her book Majestic Nights: Love Poems of Bengali Women at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books in Olympia.

4. The music of Canadian prog-rock gods Rush will reach the screen of The Grand Cinema at 7 p.m in a special showing of the concert film Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland. The film captures a show from Rush's "Time Machine" tour, during which the band played its album Moving Pictures in its entirety every night. That 1980 album contained the power trio's most well-known songs and perennial radio favorites including "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight" and the Grammy-nominated instrumental "YYZ." We know exactly where Publisher Pappi and his old-fart friends will be tonight.

5. There is no such thing as too many open jam nights. If you agree with that statement, then you probably know the Harmon Tap Room has launched a Wednesday Open Jam from 7-9 p.m. The Stadium District brewpub hosts spotlight local performers every week to back those willing to get up and jam.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Freebies this week

TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 2011 >>>

1. French director Catherine Breillat takes Charles Perrault's late 17th-century Sleeping Beauty and turns it into a heady, witty exploration of a young girl becoming a young woman. She's considerably aided in this endeavor by Carla Besnaïnou, the young actress who occupies the bulk of the movie as the prepubescent Anastasia, a 19th-century tomboyish princess cursed to sleep for 100 years and wake up at 16. This French film with English subtitles screens at 2 and 6:30 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema as part of the Tacoma art house's Tuesday Film Series.

2. Sonia Nazario, named one of the most influential Latinos by Hispanic Business Magazine, has tackled issues such as hunger, drug addiction and immigration in her 20-year career as a news reporter. Nazario wrote the Pulitzer-prize winning national best-seller Enrique's Journey, which deals with the struggles faced by a Honduran boy. Nazario will tell all at 11:30 a.m. inside Tacoma Community College's Bldg. 11 Student Center.

3. Artist Colleen Carrigan will discuss her art cards editions and originals in a power point presentation at the Peninsula Art League at 7 p.m. inside the Cottesmore in Gig Harbor.

4. Author Lisa Wade, Ph.D, from Occidental College will lecture on "The Promise and Peril of Hook Up ‘Culture'" at 7 p.m. inside theScandinavian Cultural Center on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University.

5. Under the banner "Forward With Scotland's Past," Battlefield Band has been cranking out Scottish music since the sixties. The Scottish band mixes the old songs with new self-penned material and will perform them on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments at 8 p.m. inside Traditions Café in Olympia.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Freeloaders this week

THIS WEEK'S BEST FREEBIES OCT. 17-23 >>>

Let's think about this. Dia de los Muertos goes down Nov. 1-2 and everyone will have Day of the Dead stories on Nov. 3. Some will be wild; some will be amusing, and - depending on what sort of crowd you run with - many could be incoherent. Yours should be different. Because, you know, everybody should be different. You celebrate Day of the Dead starting Monday all the way through Nov. 2. You call it 17 Days of the Dead. Here are a few suggestions that should knock you dead. You're welcome.

MONDAY, OCT. 17: You know the story: Ebenezer Scrooge is a miser who couldn't give a fig about his fellow man. He's dismissive toward his nephew, his only remaining family member; abusive toward his impoverished employee, Bob Cratchit; and just a miserable wretch in general. In the days leading up to Christmas 1843, Scrooge is haunted by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. This is not a social call. Marley - doomed to forever walk the earth alone, in death as he did in life - warns Scrooge that he has one chance to mend his wicked ways, and so Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts who will teach him the lessons of Christmas. You were born to play Marley. Give the Tacoma Little Theatre a call right now at 253.272.2281 and sign up for Monday's night's auditions for A Christmas Carol.

TUESDAY, OCT. 18: The My Lai massacre, which took place on the morning of March 16, 1968, was a watershed in the history of modern American combat, and a turning point in the public perception of the Vietnam War. Investigative journalist Seymour M. Hersh is best known for exposing the cover-up of the My Lai massacre, as well as the recent series he wrote on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in The New Yorker. Hersh will lecture on his career at 7 p.m. in the University of Washington-Tacoma's Philip Hall. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19: Are microplastics floating in the ocean killing organisms when ingested? What happens when microplastics enter the food chain? Dr. Joel Baker, science director at Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma, will share the answers, for free, in a 7 p.m. lecture at the WET Science Center in Olympia.

THURSDAY, OCT. 20: You've always had a fascination with the Grim Reaper and art. Why not combine the two? Once again the Tacoma Art Museum is partnering with Centro Latino and Proyecto MoLÉ once again to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which includes the annual construction of altars or ofrendas (offerings) dedicated to the spirits of the deceased. During Third Thursday Artwalk - with free admission to TAM from 5-8 p.m. - the altar artist will discuss their works from 6-7 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 21: OK, you have "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi down pat in front of your mirror. It's time to go all the way - a live karaoke band. At 8:30 p.m. every Friday night at the Varsity Grill, the Rock-Bot band backs karaoke singers on more than 450 songs. Who knows, maybe you'll knock 'em dead. Or die on stage.

SATURDAY, OCT. 22: The Fireside Story League will tell spooky stories about the dead the whole family will enjoy at 2 p.m. inside the Bonney Lake Pierce County Library.

SUNDAY, OCT. 23: Tacoma's favorite Victorian-style glass conservatory offers a botanical montage of madness, paralysis and death Tuesday through Sunday. The exhibit Wicked Plants: An Exhibit of the Deliciously Dark Side of the Plant Kingdom features deadly flora that would please a homicidal 19th-century botanist. The W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory exhibit is inspired by Amy Stewart's bestseller Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, a much-needed compendium of plants that rack up body counts. Go see it from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., if you dare.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 2011 >>>

1. You can stick your werewolves, stuff your zombies and ram your mummies where the sun don't shine. October is about one monster and one monster only - the clattering, grease-infested, brake-clutching, butt-busting, beady-eyed demon-beast of the increasingly pocked streets of Tacoma: The Bone Collector Alley Cat Race 2011. The Tacoma Mob Riders host this alley cat bicycle that combines strategy and skills, as well as time bonuses available at each checkpoint. Rides will launch from The Acme Tavern at 4 p.m. and careen through downtown Tacoma streets with bikes created by Terry Andrews for the male and females winners.

2. Tacoma Poet Laureate Josie Turner and poets who participated inher workshop in July will read their work at 2 p.m. inside the walls of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum at Point Defiance Park.

3. Video artist Joseph Taylor Golding will screening his film Tacoma A Tale of Two Cities at 7 p.m. inside The Acme Tavern. Watch the trailer below to grab a sense of what to expect.

4. Pianist Jeff Orr will "Rach" the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ at Mason Methodist Church when he performs Rachmaninoff's "Allegro Moderato in G Major" (Concerto No.2 for Piano and Orchestra) on piano as a pre-recorded organ accompaniment is played off his laptop through the church's sound system. It will be tricky, to say the least. The 7:30 p.m. program also includes J. S. Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," Joseph Bonnet's "Titanic: In Memoriam," Jean Sibelius' "The Swan of Tuonela" (Transcribed for Organ) and Leo Sowerby's "Symphony in G Major." The concert is free with donations to the American Cancer Society accepted.

5. Get ready to Rock The Revolution with Per Capita, May Palmer, Rise Cosise, Krookid and KRS-One at 9 p.m. inside Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway.

PLUS: Northwest Sinfonietta and Occupy Tacoma in our Weekend Hustle

PLUS: US Women's Soccer Team Defender Stephanie Cox appearance in our Freelaoders

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, OCT. 14, 2011 >>>

1. Show up at Jazzbones at 8 p.m. and you'll encounter a pulsing, breathing, three-pronged attack of art-meets-music. The gist of this gig won't be much different than the image the name conjures up, combining the mastery of the "violinistextremist" known as Kytami, billed as "perhaps Canada's most diverse and engaging fiddle player," the DJ skills of The Phonograff, a venerable turntable wizard with almost two decades of experience in the game, and reggae-bred mic-master Mista Chatman - mixing the varied ingredients into a sight and sound rarely seen.

2. Sorry fans of Pearl Harbor and The Prime Gig - the Gig Harbor Film Festival doesn't include "Gig" and "Harbor" flicks. Instead, the three-day festival will include today's screenings of Family of the Wa'a (10:25 a.m.), Paint (2:30 p.m.), A Relative Thing (5:45 p.m.), OxyMorons (8:45 p.m.) plus many more that include features, documentaries, shorts, and foreign films at the Galaxy Theatre at Uptown.  We have call into the festival folks regarding the rumor that For Whom the Bridge Tolls will screen.

3. This weekend bird lovers from far and wide will flock (get it?) to Tacoma for the 8th annual Bird Lovers' Weekend at the Museum of Glass. Events kick off today with bird-related art activities in the Studio, Oiva Toikka documentary in the Theater, "Birds by Toikka" glass bird-making demonstrations by Tero Välimaa in the Hot Shop and Professor Toikka;s new, limited-edition bird is available for purchase in the Museum Store.

4. Sandra Sunrising Osawa, whose prolific films and television productions tell the stories of contemporary Native Americans, will deliver the keynote speech at the Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education symposium at 2 p.m., in Philip Hall on the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

5. Criticizing a poet is like kicking a crippled child in the groin. It's not pretty, and it doesn't solve anything. That's what we love about tonight's Distinguished Writer Series, which hits King's Books at 7 p.m. After the featured poet - Ed Harkness, author of poetry collections Saying the Necessary and Beautiful Passing Lives -you can stand up on stage and let it all hang out during the open mic without a single vegetable whizzing by.

PLUS: Several events today listed in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

THIS WEEK'S BEST FREEBIES OCT. 10-16 >>>

If we had an alter ego, we would be sporty. Very sporty. Extreme-sports sporty. We'd snowboard. We'd parasail. We'd skydive. Hell, We'd be able to just play a game of softball without shrieking like a schoolgirl whenever the ball came near us. Best of all, though, we'd be very, very sporty while wearing four-inch Manolos, and after winning the game, we'd walk away with only a sexy muss to our perfectly coiffed hair.

OK, so we want to be a Charlie's Angel.

Who would your alter ego be?

MONDAY, OCT. 10: Would your alter ego be Jack the Ripper? If so, hang out with the Graphic Novel Book Club as the dismember From Hell by Alan MooreandEddie Campbell,the story of Jack the Ripper. Legendary comics writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell have created a modern masterpiece of crime noir and historical fiction with scratchy lines and heavy doses of ink. The geeky book group will gather at 7 p.m. inside King's Books in Tacoma.

TUESDAY, OCT. 11: Would your alter ego be Doctor Dolittle? It might be a good idea, especially since the neighbors called the cops on you four times this summer for shooting crows of your back balcony. Yes, the crows are hella loud in the morning. But crows have feelings too. It's time to better understand the winged nuisances, free of charge. And if you think your relationship with the crows needs to go beyond the basics of understanding, attend Tuesday's Tacoma Science Café from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Swiss. Yup, the popular lecture series moved a larger venue. And Prof. John Marzluff, Ph.D., he of the School of Forest Resources, will discuss the curious behavior of these loud birds.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12: Would your alter ego be a fashion designer? Five dollars, a trip to the hardware store and an imagination will separate the truly hip from the un-hip. Duct tape accessories, and even clothes, have become a trend and it's really not all that surprising. When you think about the plastic (that's polyester, girls) content in everyday attire, it's no wonder people would be drawn to a raw engineered form of it. The look you get from duct tape is edgy and playful. You don't need to be Goth or punk. Just lose your inhibitions and get crafty with the myriad of colors duct tape is now manufactured in. It comes in pink, blue, red, gold and the traditional gunmetal grey, among others. Need a little duct tape tutorial for inspiration? The Tillicum Pierce County Library hosts a duct tape creations class Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. No, we're serious.

THURSDAY, OCT. 13: Would your alter ego be Robin Hood? You're pissed off that people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives - potentially for years to come - while the rich become richer. You've decided to become a modern day Robin Hood. But, as the movies have shown, you need mad archery skills. You're in luck! Every Thursday Skookum Archers in Puyallup hosts public instruction in its private clubhouse range. Show up at 6:15 p.m. to sign in, go through a brief safety orientation the first time and then you get to play archery under instruction till 7:45. Best part, freeloaders? You first visit is free.

FRIDAY, OCT. 14: Would your alter ego be a poet? We just read the most irritating book in the world. It's called Jeremy Thrane, and while parts of it were fun, the main character had this extraordinarily annoying habit of, in moments of great stress, reciting poetry. And not his own, but stuff by Yeats, Stevens and other dead people. We think that if you're a writer and you find yourself quoting other people's work because their words express your thoughts better than you can maybe you ought to seriously think about what that means. If, however, you'd like to take a stab at writing your own stuff, jog on over to King's Books for its Distinguished Writers Series. After featured poet Ed Harkness goes off at 7 p.m., stand up and read your stuff during the open mic session. And for fun, why not wear a beret?

SATURDAY, OCT. 15: Would your alter ego be U.S. Women's Soccer Team defender Stephanie Cox? While the chances of you kicking it around with Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Heather O'Reilly remains scant, you may just lose your proverbial women's soccer cherry this Saturday by hanging with Cox at Skansie Brothers Park. The Gig Harbor resident will talk about her experience and soccer background, sign autographs and then kick the ball around from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, OCT. 16: Would your alter ego be a tango dancer? Run, run we tell you, to the florist for roses, because you're going to need it Sunday night. You'll be clutching it between your teeth as you dance the romantic and mysterious tango at the Abbey Ballroom Dance and Pilates Center in Tacoma. Milonga Tango Dance includes free beginners lesson at 5 p.m., followed by a dance ($8). Adelante!

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LECTURE SERIES >>>

It's a crisp autumn afternoon at the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters. The wood fire is burning, the rear windows look out on the green foliage, and Editor Matt Driscoll has just made the office some peppermint tea.

As we discuss our editorial focus for our Green Issue next spring, one of the phrases buzzing around our group hug is "interdisciplinarity and sustainability." At its core, the idea is environmental concerns and their solutions interweave the boundaries of scholastic departments. Today's big brains are wise to consider the opinions of academic types in other fields in developing sustainable solutions. Help is not harmful, as they say.

Well. Guess. What. The University of Washington-Tacoma has developed a lecture series on interdisciplinarity and sustainability, kicking off tomorrow with Mike Kalton, professor emeritus, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences discussing "Complexity and sustainability: systems perspectives" at 12:30 p.m. in UW-T's Joy Building.

Below is a list of the remaining lectures - all held from 12:30-1:30 in the Joy Building, Room 117. The lectures are free and open to the public. Just show up. The lectures are sponsored by UW Tacoma's Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program (natch!). No word yet if Driscoll's delicious peppermint tea will be served.

Tacoma: from gritty to green
Oct. 12  - Marilyn Strickland, mayor, City of Tacoma

The economics of sustainability
Oct. 19 - Joe Lawless, executive director, Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility, UW-Tacoma

Community gardens: effects on nutrient cycling, diabetes and democracy
Oct. 26 - Kristen McIvor, Tacoma/Pierce County community garden coordinator
Grow Local, Cascade Land Conservancy

On the working waterfront: integrating multiple uses and creating public access in urban industrial shoreline areas
Nov. 2 - Anne Wessells, assistant professor, Urban Studies, UW-Tacoma

Watershed economics for the 21st century: the value of ecosystem services with a case study in the Puyallup River watershed
Nov. 9 - Research analysts Rowan Schmidt and Zac Christin, Earth Economics

Community-based conservation in tropical ecosystems: examples from Peru and Panama
Nov. 16 - Ursula Valdez, lecturer, Environmental Sciences, UW-Tacoma

Uranium mining: sustainable solutions in a tribal community
Nov. 30 - Twa-le Abrahamson, SHAWL (Sovereignty, Health, Air, Water, Land) Society, Spokane Tribe

Feeling the heat: how American mainstream media cover environmental issues
Dec. 7 - Ellen Moore, lecturer, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW-Tacoma

THIS WEEK'S BEST FREEBIES OCT. 3-9 >>>

Rent is due on Monday, which means unless you're some type of money-saving wizard, you're probably a little short on cash this week. Don't worry, though: There is a ton of stuff to do this coming week for free, including Broadway Center's Fall Free For All community arts festival, which all on its own can take up your entire weekend. But if you're not into giant puppets and Vaud Rats, there's plenty to choose from this coming week.

MONDAY 10-3: Saxophonist Steve Munger and his quartet fill Olympia's Royal Lounge with soulful jazz every Monday from 7-9 p.m. without a cover charge.

TUESDAY 10-4 It's honestly not every day that an award-winning writer the likes of Sherman Alexie comes to Puyallup. It's not even every-other day. But Tuesday, as part of Banned Books Week, Alexie will appear at the Pioneer Park Pavilion in P-town, delivering a free talk focused on issues of censorship and intellectual freedom. Alexie's acclaimed novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, has been widely censored for it content - just one of many truths that makes Alexie's inclusion in this event so fitting. The event seats only 400, so those interested in attending are advised to arrive early.

WEDNESDAY 10-5: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is an indisputable classic of English literature. It's also freakin' 1,240 pages long, depending on the edition. Who the hell has time to read that many pages? Dr. John West had time. He'll be speaking and leading a discussion of the spiritual meaning of this book at 7 p.m. as part of a free Wednesday series on "Great Truths from the Great Books" in the South Chapel of First Presbyterian Church of Tacoma. Dr. West is editor of Celebrating Middle-Earth: The Lord of the Rings as a Defense of Western Civilization. He has some idea what he's discussing. Plan to be awake when he utters this line: "I will serve the master of the Precious. Good master, good Sméagol, gollum, gollum!' Suddenly he began to weep and bite at his ankle again." Just remember: Frodo lives!

THURSDAY 10-6: While environmental groups often get stereotyped as elitist, Prius driving, granola munching, tree hugging, sandal wearing wackos, it's a misconception that could use debunking. Especially these days, environmentalists are everywhere and are everyone - and thank goodness for it. Somebody has to look out for Mother Earth. If you need proof that environmentalists are just like you and me, consider this: Environmentalists like to drink. It's true. Not only do they like to drink, but also in Tacoma they get together and do it regularly. It's called Tacoma Green Drinks, and the group meets Thursday at 5:30 p.m. inside the Harmon Brewery and Eatery to hear the latest from the Puget Creek Restoration Society. Admission is free. You're totally invited - unless you insist on driving that 1974 Plymouth Duster. Tacoma Green Drinks suggest you take the bus or ride a bike.

FRIDAY 10-7: Beginning at noon, Downtown On the Go hosts it second free Tacoma fall walking tour of the season, this time flooding your eyes and noggin with all that is the Brewery District. Tacoma City Councilman and architect David Boe will discuss the rich architectural history of this area. This hour-long walk starts in front of the Swiss Building. No RSVP is necessary.

SATURDAY 10-8: Holy shit! Tacoma's Broadway Center will stages 75 performances and musical acts over two days for free under the umbrella title "Fall Free for All." And the acts are solid, quality performance, and not some grandma performing hand shadow puppetry while grandpa bangs on a coffee can. Nope. We're talking Professor Humbug's Flea Circus, Fab-5 break dancing, folkie Laura Gibson, Portland Cello project, YES YOU MAY show, Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives, Tacoma Round featuring Noah Gunderson, Kris Doty and Nick Principe, Concours d'Elegance and many more musical acts, theater performance, lectures and films. Check out the schedule here. And reserve your free wristband here.

SUNDAY 10-9: Tain't nothing like a gallon or so of fresh cider to clear the constitution.  The folks at Lattin's Country Cider Mill and Farm host their annual Apple Harvest Festival Sunday offering apples in every way and fashion, plus tractor rides, a corn maze and pick you own pumpkins. The free festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound