WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Mount Rainier Ranger Memorial: Traffic will be impacted. (News Tribune)

Republican Presidential Nomination: Mitt Romney is expected to win New Hampshire, but there's lots of speculation about who will take second and gain momentum for the South Carolina primary. (CNN)

Drat: Six things you'll pay more in 2012. (CNN)

Morning Business Round-up: Olympus shares surge. (BBC)

Separated At Birth: Michael Cera and Hitler's mom? (Videogum)

Kenneth G: He grew snowflakes in laboratory conditions. (boing boing)

Friendship Is Magic: The Bronies take Manhattan. (The AWL)

The Shins: The band has a new track. (AV Club)

Coachella: The lineup has been announced. (Facebook)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Let's Look At The Weather: Rain, lots of it, for 40 days and 40 nights. (Wunderground)

Some Of You Can't Reading This Awesomeness: Outages! (News Tribune)

Tacoma School District: There goes the few remaining field trips. (News Tribune)

Nice To Have This Now: Downtown Tacoma rain gardens will filter, not soak. (News Tribune)

Well This Is Just Super: Uncertainty lingers about what the continued fallout will be from the failure of the congressional "super committee" to forge a deficit reduction deal. (CNN)

"Ask About The Measurement Of The Sun": Leonardo da Vinci's To-Do List (NPR)

Is Jay-Z An Illuminati Puppet?: Pop music's strangest conspiracy theories. (Slate)

Anthony Bourdain: Unvarnished opinions, lots of smoking and swearing, and tales of hard living that enhance his travels rather than detracting from them. (AV Club)

Wish It Was On Right Now: Game of Thrones season 2 teaser. (Los Angeles Times)

New Mode: Depeche Mode original members Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore have announced they will release a series of EPs and a new album under the band name VCMG. (Rolling Stone)

Um: Star Wars theme engagement photos (Geekologie)

Electric Six covers "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Checking In with Downtown Tacoma Buildings: The Winthrop is in bankruptcy court, but it's not bankrupt. (News Tribune)

Idiot: A Sumner man suspected of snatching old ladies' purses is in jail. (News Tribune)

Fighting The Evil Department of Social and Health Services: Seattle's masked crime-fighter Phoenix Jones has lost his day job. (Seattle P-I)

Awesome: University of Puget Sound Ski Team is having their annual ski swap this weekend. (CBS Seattle)

There Big Fat Greek Meeting: Greek Prime Minister Papandreou and President Karolos Papoulias to meet. (CNN)

Nice: Built to Spill working on a new album. (Rolling Stone)

Cool: Neil Gaiman, his wife Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, Moby and Steven Merritt performed a cover of "Science Fiction Double Feature" from Rocky Horror Picture Show on Craig Ferguson. (Topless Robot)

Trouble In The Kitchen: Why Top Chef is bad. (Time)

Today In Photographs: 20 Stormtrooper portraits. (Dvice)

Flying Orb Robot Will Kill Us All (Thanks Blogtown)

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

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Three-Year Deal: Tacoma School Board ratified a teacher contract in a unanimous vote. (News Tribune)

Free Coffee: Oh Thank Heaven until 11 a.m. (SPEW)

They're No Michael Scott: Coverage of the action at the 14th Annual Forklift Rodeo in downtown Tacoma. (News Tribune)

It's About Time: FDA increases cantaloupe checks. (CNN)

Hipsters On TV: A retrospective from Fonzie to "Portlandia." (Flavorwire)

Oh Good Lord: First social TV network debuts. (Koldcast)

The Office: What's the future of Dunder Mifflin. (TV Guide)

Riveting: Watch Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys make a PB&J. (Grub Street)

Great pick-up lines in science

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

It's Not Over Until They Say It's Over: Tacoma teachers union and district pulling hair again. (News Tribune)

It's Not Over Until They Say It's Over II: Clear Channel placed a $75 million price tagged on the boards the City of Tacoma wants removed. (News Tribune)

Where Are The Men In Black?: 6-ton satellite hits earth. (NPR)

Probably Best: Roseanne's reality show canceled. (Zap 2 It)

Is Your Day Wide Open?: Listen to The Flaming Lips six-hour song. (Paste Magazine)

Is Your Season Wide Open?: Most anticipated fall festivals. (Stereogum)

That's Great, It Starts With An Earthquake: Fans sings the hard R.E.M. songs(Slate)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Why The Neighbor Kids Are Still Running Through Your Sprinklers: Tacoma teachers are on strike. (News Tribune)

Moratorium Schmoratorium: Wal-Mart may hit the Elks property anyway. (News Tribune)

Make It Stop: The fifth GOP debate rolls on. (CNN)

How Big Is The Internet?: Group aims to find out if it's bigger than a bread basket. (Tech Flash)

We Finally Get The Chance To Colonize!: Scientists have discovered an earth-like planet 36 light years away. (Washington Post)

Finally Proof!: Nicolas Cage is a time traveler. (Buzz Feed)

She Should Have Stopped At 64,999: Dutch woman charged with stalking after calling her ex-boyfriend 65,000 times (AP News)

They Felt The Need ... The Need For 3-D: Top Gun is being converted into 3-D. (Hollywood Reporter)

Give this woman a Grammy!

NEWSPRINT IS BETTER THAN THE INTERNET >>>

Scientists at Tulane University have made an exciting discovery.

"Scientists at Tulane have found a natural bacteria (dubbed TU-103) that produces butanol. While butanol-producing bacteria aren't new, there are a few important points about this particular bacterium. It is the first natural bacteria that converts cellulose directly to butanol without the cellulose needing to be processed into sugar first, and it can do this in the presence of oxygen, which kills other butanol-producing bacteria. The simplification of the process could significantly decrease the production costs of butanol. This bacteria could allow virtually any plant product, such as newspaper or grass clippings,to be used to produce fuel for conventional vehicles."

That's right. Instead of his famed Prius former Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma may soon be driving a car powered on nothing but old, faded issues of the Weekly Volcano.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Gene Pankey: Owner of the Gene Pankey Motor Co., philanthropist with the Clover Park Rotary, always cool to teen Pappi Swarner when he came to collect advertising copy, is dead. (News Tribune)

They Should Set This Up Under The Viaduct Where They All Smoke: Pacific Plaza to beg City Council for DaVita health clinic. (News Tribune)

Where's The Super Hero?: Astronomers discover planet made of diamond. (Yahoo News)

Hurricane Irene: The photos (CNN)

Hurricane Irene Vs. Sebastian Bach: Irene wins (People)

Oh Brother: Tropical storm Katia forms in the Atlantic. (CNN)

Cool: Stream the new Wild Flag album (NPR)

Oh, And This: Chris Cornell has a new track. (Stereogum)

Today In Yuck: Hot dog potato chips. (Huffington Post)

LINK: Weekly Volcano crime column Ragnet

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2011 >>>

1. It's our guess that The New Frontier Lounge's Kentucky Derby Party will be filled with a bunch of julep-jolly people who don't know how to read the Daily Racing Form, the sort of people who bet on the horse with the cutest name or the longest tail. And that's awesome. After all, the Derby is a party event. Gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson told stories of sloshed Kentucky colonels puking all over their white suits at the annual event held on the first Saturday of May. The Derby is a carnival best experienced through a slight haze, and The New Frontier will do its bets to recreate such an atmosphere from 3-6 p.m. Wear a big freakin' hat.

2. Nerds everywhere squeal! Free Comic Book Day is pretty self-explanatory, a holiday to celebrate the graphic land of the comic book. Numerous South Sound spots will be celebrating with appearances, characters and, most importantly, free comics. Check it here.

3. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., as part of National Preservation Month, the City of Olympia will be celebrating the region's music at The Olympia Farmer's Market. The program will include Native American performer Paul Wagner; The Evergreen Chinese Music Ensemble; Vivian & Phil Williams playing the music of the Lewis & Clark expedition; and Vince Brown, Paul Anastasio and Cary Black will crank out swing and novelty tunes from the '20s and '30s.

4. Sustainable Tacoma-Pierce County hosts a Tinkerer's Technologies event featuring discussions on rocket stoves, thermal air heaters, passive hot water and more at 1 p.m. inside King's Books. Those awesome drawing plans you have on converting pencil erasers into floor tiles that generate power are welcomed.

5. The Jerry Miller Trio will perform at 9:30 p.m. inside Doyle's Public House.

PLUS: Check out the Weekend Hustle for more events today such as Dockyard Derby Dames bingo and the Tacoma Wine Classic.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound