CONGRATS TO OUR NEW HEAD BOOKWORM >>>

In theory, every single person Tacoman Erik Hanberg sees in this town next winter will have a copy of "the book" somewhere on their person or property, dog-eared, damp with sweat, and, most importantly, read all over. He'll do his best to make it so.

Last Friday, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland announced she selected Erik Hanberg as the new chair of Tacoma Reads Together, a community reading initiative.

"I selected Hanberg because he is a voracious reader, a champion of social media, and very active in the civic, arts and business arenas," stated Strickland in a press release. "As our city moves forward, I want to ensure that new voices are brought to the table to serve on boards, commissions and in other positions of leadership."

The Tacoma Reads books are selected by the mayor as a way to bring the community together and discuss critical community issues. These issues, according to the press release, included racism and discrimination, the balance between the needs of the individual versus the rights of the State, immigration and cultural assimilation, and the ever-increasing role of science in our lives.

I'm very excited," Hanberg said via email. "It's kind of a dream job for a book lover."

Hanberg hopes to have the book announced by late fall, with the event programming for "the book" beginning in January or February 2011.

For more information about the program, visit the Tacoma Public Library Web site.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010 >>>

1. Wednesdays seem to be the hottest night for the overeducated South Sound masses to prove their intellectual worth. And where do such brainiacs head? Glad you asked. Harmon Brewery and Eatery's 6 p.m. Trivia Night is hosted by Gordon Adams, Doyle's Public House Tacoma hosts Knowledge Night Team Trivia at 8 p.m., The Engine House No. 9 holds Quiz Night Trivia at 8 p.m., and Trivia Newton John commands the infamous 10 p.m. Trivia Night at Le Voyeur in Olympia. Did we miss any?

2. Original works of art by local artist Mindy Barker hang at The Hub from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

3. Today is the last day to vote in our 2010 Best of Tacoma Readers' Poll. You have a chance to win a dinner at El Gaucho and a night at the Hotel Murano.

4. This week Danno's Showcase at Jazzbones features the Moss Men and Hillbilly Jesus performing at 9 p.m.

5. Surreal Ultra Lounge hosts "I Heart House" with DJs Sticky J and dAb beginning at 9 pm.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLE AND BITS >>>

Hurry Ladies!: Tonight is the last Wednesday Brooke and Monti from Movin 92.5 FM will be at the Varsity Grill for happy hour, which goes down from 5-7 p.m. More South Sound happy hours can be found here.

Cookbook Club: Food For Thought cookbook club meets the last Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. inside Garfield Book Company. At each meeting they discuss cooking books, exchange recipes, watch cooking demonstrations, and eat.

The Weekly Pick: Avery Seventeen and Session Black are the two beers 99 Bottles in Federal Way are pouring tonight from 4-8 p.m. - for a buck.

Drinks Matter: Yes, there is such a thing as smoked salmon vodka. To whom do we credit this outdoorsman's gem? Wasilla, Alaska.

LINK: South Sound happy hours

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Wine and beer tastings today

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

METAL: I have a big ol' soft spot for hilarious band names. For my money, Death Valley Murder Squad is just about the funniest name possible for a heavy metal band. And I'm willing to bet that DVMS knows it, too. Check out this quick sample line from their song, "Sons of Thunder": "Helter Skelter, demon hunter, six feet under." The whole song is like that. Seriously! It's sort of like "It's the End of the World as We Know It," except it name checks just about every heavy metal cliché ever imagined in quick succession. It's kind of awesome. Lay funny lyrics over a pummeling riff and you've got it made in the Satan-worshipping shade. I'm talking devil horns, bro. Ridiculous devil horns.With Kids on Fire, A Sic End, and Nothing You'd Like, Wednesday, June 30, 9 p.m., no cover, Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003

POP: Camp Out is a two-girl outfit, made up of Maddy Hanks and Jackie Law. Their music, full and harmonic, errs on the side of uber-sunny California pop. Utilizing looping pedals, keyboards and drum machines, Hanks and Law (sounds like a buddy-cop duo) flush out their sound and become much more than a guitar-and-drum band. Wednesday, June 30, 10 p.m., no cover, Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E,, Olympia, 360.943.5710

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY, JUNE 30, 2010 >>>

Michael Phelps is 25 today.

>>> SOUTH SOUND SPECIFIC

The name Tacoma stems from the Indian name for Mt. Rainier, "Tacobet," meaning Mother of the Waters.

>>> TODAY'S WORD

mummer "me-mer\ noun [MF momeur, fr. momer to go masked] (1502)

1) A performer in a pantomime; broadly: actor

Usage example: And then companies in China hired white mummers all dressed like the really cute Jonas Brothers brought into their business lunches to portray business partners or clients, which never failed to spur a fresh bout of deeply sinister chuckling.

>>> STORY PICK OF THE MORNING

In one of the more adorable examples of stories about a sadly moronic teen lug-nut male that make you say, Jesus with a latex thong, even with all my little problems including but not limited to that strange rash and the sock-sniffing fetish thing and the goddamn government's unpatriotic position, at least my life hasn't come to this, Colton Harris-Moore - 19-year-old Camano Island burglar known as "The Barefoot Bandit" - was caught on surveillance video at a northeast Nebraska airport earlier this month, so an arrest warrant has been issued.

"Dude, my mom use to attach tiny bells on my shoes with like The Weeping Helix knot, you know, impossible to take off, so she could hear my coming up from the basement, and I was all, "I'm 12 Mom," and she was all, "So," so I threw my shoes at her head all Middle East Guy like and ran away," Harris-Moore probably didn't say to the depressed magazine and Chiclets vendor in front of Gate 13 at the airport.

Police collected fingerprints that may help link Harris-Moore to the theft of a Cadillac Escalade from the Norfolk airport earlier this month, which later turned up in Pella, Iowa, with the words "Pella Sucks" spelled on the ground in front of the car with the laces off several pairs of shoes taken from the car's trunk.

>>> MORE THINGS WE HAVE FOUND

It's awesome in the Unitard Universe.

Hurricane Alex has propelled more oil from the Gulf spill onto coastal beaches and sidelined cleanup vessels.

After 25 years on the air Larry King is ending that show we've never actually watched.

What's the difference between Silly Putty and a McNugget? Turns out not much.

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The Weekly Volcano follows B & C-list celebrities so you don't have to >>>

Just like most good, new-age, social media applications, Twitter allows people to share and be privy to once personal, almost wholly pointless information about peoples' lives. It's seemingly endless. While Twitter is mostly full of everyday, ho-hum people - just like you and me, sharing info about what type of oatmeal we ate for breakfast and where we get our hair cut - Twitter is also a magnet for the moderately-famous.

Stars of yesterday, illiterate millionaire athletes, former cast members of Saved By the Bell - you can follow them all, intimately, on Twitter.

But, you've got standards. We get that.

That's why we'll do it for you, in a feature we like to call Weekly Volcano Twitter Stalker.

Today, checking in with...

Bryan Adams

June 25: Oooohhhhh Bryan Adams is still alive

"Went to see Pearl Jam tonight in London, Hyde Park, what a great night..." 4:48 p.m., via web

June 23: Boom! Bryan Adams takes no shit via Twitter

"Message to Ryan Murphy / Glee: Please stop telling the press I rejected your show, when we've NEVER spoken. Be polite and pick up the phone." 5:41 p.m., via web

June 4: In Canada, this is considered really fancy

"Here is a shot of a guitar/piano set up at the Warehouse Studio...my studio in Canada :)" 6:46 a.m., via Twitpic

May 23: So many possible jokes...

"Post show band meeting, Denmark 2010" 5:46 a.m., via Twitpic

Tune in tomorrow for more  hot Twitter Stalking action from the Weekly Volcano.

BONUS BRYAN ADAMS TWIT PHOTO!

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010 >>>

1. The silent flick Peter Pan will screen tonight at 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Library Main Branch. Harpist Leslie McMichael's will score the magic.

2. Tacoma Drinking Liberally will discuss recent political events and tip back a few brews at 7 p.m. inside The Hub.

3. Theater Artists Olympia will stage their interpretation of Shakespeare's classic, Othello, at 8 p.m. inside the Olympia Little Theater.

4. Chalet Bowl in Tacoma is throwing a luau with beer and food specials, prizes and contests at 9 p.m. to kick off their Flip-Flop Thursdays summer special.

5. The Go Hard Or Go Home MC Battle hosted by SP featuring DJ Travisty kicks off at 11 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Going Online: Starbucks Corp. offers unlimited free Wi-Fi at all of its company-operated U.S. locations beginning today.

Taco Thursdays: Rock the Dock Pub & Grill now serves dollar tacos every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. Have one at 535 Dock St. in Tacoma.

Blizzard Of The Month: Daily Queen is busting out the Pecan Pie Blizzard through July.

New Menu: Salty's at Redondo Beach has a new summer menu.

Week Two: Pacific Grill hosts a Noodle Bar every Thursday night at 9 p.m.

Food Matters: Artificial food dyes may be dangerous, new report warns. Shocker.

LINK: South Sound happy hours

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Wine and beer tastings today