TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010 >>>

1. The Lakewood Historical Society presents Steilacoom historian and author Joan Curtis, who will discuss "The Bad Boys of McNeil Island" - Robert Stroud, Roy Gardner, Alvin Karpis, Frederick Emerson Peters, Charles Manson, and others - at 7 p.m. inside the Lakewood Library.

2. The Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club hold their monthly meeting, which will include a presentation by the staff from Tacoma Bike about mandatory bike equipment, at 6 p.m. inside the Wild West VFW Post 91 at 2000 S. Union Ave. in Tacoma.

3. Does the idea of having a "Q" and no "U" give you the fantods? Do you know what it means to be greedy about triple-letter and double-word scores? Then the Scrabble Rousers have an event for you. Their "Schools Out" Scrabble competition pits adept, strategic descramblers of seven letters against each other, both competitively and socially, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. inside the Washington State History Museum. So put that Machiavellian plotting to capitalize on triple-word tiles to use for a great cause the $10 entrance fee goes directly top the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund, which assists students as they transfer from TCH to community college.

4. Banned Book Club - a book club reading books that have been banned or challenged - will discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker over cocktails at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

5. Neutralboy, The Depths, Locke N Load, and Nothing You'd Like rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FUN WITH TACOMA HISTORIC PRESERVATION >>>

Tacoma artist Joshua Casey, he of Josh Casey Design - saddened by the destruction of the historic Heidelberg Student Price mural during renovation of a building at the University of Washington Tacoma - recreated a composite of what the mural might have looked when it was first painted in 1934.

With an interest in historic preservation, and a hand-painted sign nearly identical to the mural that he borrowed from a friend in Eatonville, Casey spent 10 to 11 hours recreating the mural with photo imaging software.

Does Casey have another project in mind now that he finished this reproduction?

"Always," he said.

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2010 >>>

1. The Grand Cinema will host a free screening of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, described in promotional materials as "a fun family film about bikes!" The - once again FREE - event starts at 10:30 a.m. and, well, will be a "fun family film about bikes" - kind of.

2. The Clean, Green Boating Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Foss Waterway Seaport featuring "citizen science" boat tours of Commencement Bay, storm water education and more.

3. Musket volleys, bagpipes and cannons abounded when Hudson's Bay Company forts across North American celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday in the mid-1800s. Visitors to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum can relive the festivities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also, it's Bear Awareness Day over at Northwest Trek.

4. Tacoma's original roller derby league, the Dockyard Derby Dames, move to historic Foss Waterway Seaport for their third bout of season four. Three Chicks Catering, Inc. will be serving plates of barbecue grilled on-site. There is also a beer garden serving $3 wine and beer. All the action begins at 6 p.m.

5. The New York-based filmmaker Ana Joanes directed Fresh, which is being screened at 6 p.m. at the Carwein Auditorium on the UWT campus. Fresh is the result of two years of work, talking to advocates from the real food movement. Joanes said industrialized food production poses a threat to food safety and community health. The film is sponsored by the Tacoma Food Co-op.

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

MONDAY, MAY 3, 2010 >>>

1. The Stacy Jones Bands sings the blues at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

2. Mike McGuire of the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum lectures on "Hardly a Scapegrace: A Closer Look at the Life of Joseph Heath, HBC Tenant Farmer and Frontiersman" at noon inside the State Capital Museum.

3. Tacoma Art Supply is showing paintings and sculptures by a wonderfully authentic outsider artist Tyrone Patkoski from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

4. Learn piercing, filing, stamping, hammering, riveting, soldering and simple stone setting with copper, brass and silver on a jewelry scale from 2-5 p.m. at the Tacoma Metal Arts Center.

5. DJ Jason Diamond and friends spin reggae at 9 p.m. inside O'Malley's Irish Pub.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

COMING THIS WEEK >>>

Rainier beer fan. New York Times bestselling non-fiction writer. Corner Bar patron. Magician. Father. Fox News Network endorsed wacko.

Depending on whom you ask, University of Washington Tacoma professor Michael Allen is many of those things - if not all of them.

The truth, of course, is not as cut and dry. It never is.

Allen, a professor of history and American studies at UWT, with his signature Yosemite Sam mustache and matching belt buckles - has become quite a story, and it all starts with a simple 800-plus page book, A Patriot's History of the United States.

Published in 2004, A Patriot's History - written by Allen and right wing religious conservative Larry Schweikart, a professor of history at the University of Dayton - is a seriously right of center leaning rebuttal to liberal Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, an equally massive work published in 1980 that took a view on history that few had bothered with up until that point (or shortly before it, as Zinn and many likeminded liberals were coming to control academia after the '60s). A People's History showed the formation of our country from a working class perspective, history from the eyes of those who were trampled, lost or purposefully forgotten - and it's a monumental work. There's a reason - whether Allen and Schweikart like it or not - why A People's History helped redefine and focus our country's complex story, and why it's now part of high school and college curriculums across the country. There's a reason Matt Damon takes his shirt off every time he reads it.

Allen and Schweikart are rebels of sorts. In the world of academia, non-liberals are hard to come by. Allen is as Libertarian as they come. I have never met Schweikart - and he and Allen have only hung out on a few occasions, once watching Team America World Police in a small hotel room (picture that shit and tell me it's not funny!)- yet Schweikart comes off like your stereotypical, delusional, Fox News blowhard ... at least from my liberal perspective. If you didn't know any better, you'd expect pretty much the same from Allen.

And, really, those last two sentences are the key to all of this. We wouldn't be having this blogular conversation if it wasn't for Fox News, perspectives and perceptions -  liberal and conservative, right and left.

You see, a funny thing happened one day. After selling modestly, as you might expect an 800-page history book with an agenda to, Schweikart appeared on Glenn Beck's show. Soon, after being handed a copy, Glenn Beck had endorsed A Patriot's History, saying, "This book has taught me more about our history than any I've read in years." Naturally, Schweikart made return appearances on the show.

The rest, of course, is New York Times bestselling history. In scared, misinformed, government hating, Fox News worshipping households across the country, Beck is gold - and anything he touches shares the wealth - including little ol' belt buckle wearing, history teaching Michael Allen, right here in Tacoma. Our Libertarian man in T-town doesn't have any reservations about accepting the Beck bump.

Over the last month I've gotten a chance to know Allen, interviewing him at length on two separate occasions in his UWT office. He's even showed me a few magic tricks.

That story is coming in this week's Volcano - and it's one you're going to want to catch.

THIS JUST IN >>>

Remember the cocktail cubbyhole with a tiki motif called The Monsoon Room? The exotica lounge disappeared in the Fall of 2008 and the 1022 South lounge emerged from its ashes last year. Well, the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters just received the follow email from former Monsoon Room owner Laura Malone, who now signs her name Kimberly Laura Mychal Malone. Apparently, Malone will resurrect The Monsoon Room close to the Spanish Steps in downtown Tacoma, which Malone urges everyone to help restore said Steps.

Dear Monsoon Room Friends, Family and Lovers alike:

Due to the urgency of the below request we do not have time to fill you in completely...

We hope it is enough to have the insider information that The Monsoon Room will once again be welcoming you into her warm embrace, once again, by the close of November 2010.

Not sure you will recognize her at first. Don't worry, you'll see. We ain't shy about introductions anymore (plus, she's more of a wild woman these days;-)

In the mean time please take notice below!

The Monsoon Room's new projects will be founded in the neighborhood around the Spanish Steps (one of our favorite Tacoma landmarks.) So yes, the request for your votes to preserve and restore this landmark is totally self serving.

...

Vote now to help the City of Tacoma raise funds to restore the Spanish Steps!

Read more...

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MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010 >>>

1. The Jazz Senators will perform at 7 p.m. concert inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

2. Washington State Supreme Court Justice Debra L. Stephens discusses "Washington's Experience with the ERA" at noon inside the State Capital Museum.

3. Tacoma Art Supply is showing paintings and sculptures by a wonderfully authentic outsider artist Tyrone Patkoski from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

4. Algerian blues guitarist AEK plays at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

5. DJ Jason Diamond and friends spin reggae at 9 p.m. inside O'Malley's Irish Pub.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 >>>

1. The Garfield Book Company will celebrate Pres. Abe Lincoln's 200th birthday by hosting Dr. William Breitenbach from University of Puget Sound who will speak to Lincoln's accomplishments while serving as the 16h president from 861 to 1865, from 10:30-12:30 p.m.

2. The Hub in Tacoma's Stadium District hosts Trivia Night with cash prizes at 6 p.m.

3. Danny Vernon brings his Illusions Of Elvis show to the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m.

4. Tough Guys Tuesdays action film double feature begins at 7 p.m. inside the Urban Onion Restaurant and Lounge.

5. The Brothers Comatose play an all-ages Americana concert at 7 p.m. inside the Mandolin Cafe.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

AN INTERESTING EVENT A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY >>>

TONIGHT: The Rev. Colin will host Sing Like A Crooner Dress-A-Raoke tonight at the Tempest. With props plucked out of the, er, prop chest, singer will compete for Crooner Bucks, which may be turned in for fabulous prizes. Got get your Sinatra on - wearing a feather boa. March 4, 8 p.m., no cover, Tempest Lounge, 913 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.272.4904

FRIDAY: It's the first Friday of the month and that means only one thing: Dance Oly Dance. Head on over to TCTV Studio A on Olympia's Westside and dance to DJ PhilosoBitch's bumpin' set on TV! March 5, 8-9 p.m., no cover, TCTV, 440 Yauger Way SW, Olympia, lukon100@hotmail.com

SATURDAY: Local actors bring Washington state historical figures alive to discuss unsolved mysteries during Ghosts of the Great Hall: Unsolved Mysteries at the Washington State History Museum. Hunt for lost treasure with D.B. Cooper. Listen to the sole survivor of the Andelena shipwreck. Chat with a Can Can girl from Steve's Gay 90's in the '70s (haven't confirmed this one yet). March 6, 1-3 p.m., $6-$8, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.798.5877

SUNDAY: If James Cameron made a four-hour movie about paint drying, chances are it still wouldn't be as pointless as watching the Oscars. Check that - it wouldn't be as pointless as watching the Oscars alone in your sad little hobble. Watching the Oscars amongst friends at The Grand Cinema's annual Academy Award Party, on the other hand, is sure to be far more captivating than anything involving funny looking blue aliens. Hosted by Tacoma City Councilmember Marty Campbell, maestro Gavin Guss and "Tinseltown legend" Quinton Loyne-Packard, the Grand's Oscar party is sure to be a hoot. March 7, 4 p.m. red carpet, $15-$18, Rialto Theater, 310 S. Ninth, Tacoma, 253.572.6062

MONDAY: The dorky Graphic Novel Book Club will discuss DMZ, Vol. 1: On the Ground by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, which may be purchased at King's Books. It's the story about the ultimate embedded war journalist trapped in a most unlikely war zone: the streets of New York City. March 8, 7 p.m., no cover, 21 and older, 1022 South lounge, 1022 S. J St., Tacoma, 253.272.5801

TUESDAY: Take a break from the slots to watch Danny Vernon performs his dead-on Elvis impersonation.  March 9, 6:30 p.m., no cover, Red Wind Casino, 12819 Yelm Hwy. SE, Olympia, 360.412-5000

WEDNESDAY: Kirk Larson of the Social Security Administration will present "Social Security 101" at Cascade Park Vista assisted living community. Afterward, all the visiting children will cry. March 10, 6:30-8 p.m., Cascade Park Vista, 242 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.3833

THURSDAY: The crafty group Tacoma Is For Lovers hosts another Craft Night, this time welcoming Tacoma artist Chris Sharp who will introduce collage using a 1980s book on breakdancing as source material. Bring your own cardboard for impromptu head spins. March 11, 7 p.m., $15 fee for materials, King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.2672.8801

SATURDAY, FEB. 6, 2010 >>>

1. The Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association hosts "The Art of Chocolate" - a chocolate walk offered in conjunction with the First Saturday Art Walk from noon to 6 p.m.

2. As part of their Icons of Washington History exhibit, the Washington State History Museum will bring Washington state historical figures to life in the theatrical production, Ghosts of the Great Hall: Icons of Washington tours from 1-3 p.m.

3. D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts hosts the Reality Check Dance Troupe's 5th annual Krunk dance showcase featuring hip-hop music at 7 p.m.

4. Corson Swift, Dreams Jaded, and guests perform at 8 p.m. at Stonegate Pizza.

5. urbanXchange throws a launch party for its new fashion blog featuring live music live music, DJs, door prizes, art, photographers, fashion photo booth and a "Zoolander" Walk Off from 8-11 p.m.