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Not that we need an excuse to dine at any of Ethan Stowell's restaurants--hello, How to Cook a Wolf--but unloading our cork collection in the name of the environment and a newsworthy discount is as good as any. From November 1-December 31, pack your pockets and purses with corks to dine at any Ethan Stowell restaurant and receive one dollar off your check for every cork, up to 25.

Woodland Park zookeepers tossed soccer balls to some of their charges last Wednesday to commemorate the first round of the MLS Cup Playoff Western Conference Semifinals, which ended, of course, in a lame tie. The Sounders better win Sunday or AMY GET MAD!! Regardless, check out the 15-year-old, 850-pound grizzly brothers, Keema and Denali, demolishing the hapless balls while five-month-old snow leopard cubs Gobi and Batu and the zoo’s Humboldt penguins take a more friendly, frisky approach. The soccer balls are part of the zoo’s animal enrichment program which aims to promote natural animal behavior and keep the animals mentally stimulated.

Our favorite fake news blowhard took aim at Referendum 71 this week. In a cutting segment, Stephen Colbert turned the issue on its head:

Are there memories in particular that stand out when you think about playing Seattle or just memories about Seattle in general? I remember seeing some very straight but totally homoerotic lumberjacks at four in the morning somewhere. And it was one of the most enthralling visions of my West Coast existence. I always remember Seattle as a very sexy, rough and tumble town.

Today is the first Thursday in November, and the First Thursday Seattle Art Walk is taking place again this evening in Pioneer Square. The Art Walk opens from noon to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, and allows a first-dibs foray into the newest installations at participating Pioneer Square art galleries.

DCist visited the Washington Humane Society to get some ridiculously adorable photos of some of the pets currently there waiting to be adopted.

Jules Verne was a veritable prophet. Before automobiles hit the road, he imagined electric submarines, journeys to the moon, global communication, television, and dozens of other zany advances. But his greatest creation has got to be Captain Nemo, a hero for both the 19th and 21st centuries. The courageous captain of the Nautilus, Nemo is an anti-imperialist who creates a sustainable underwater community, his blue and green paradise away from the gray industrial revolution (The Nautilus, it has been said, was a zero emission, VOC-free vehicle). Nemo is a vengeful self-exiling cynic, irrevocably heartbroken and purely ingenious. In other words, Literary Perfection. But best of all, he is his own master, removed from our messy, nefarious, landlubbing world.

"Leaves with intensity." by Elliot Norwood, from our Flickr pool

Brian was an affable man whom you could trust when he handed you a pint of a freshly tapped beer from the brewery. When he wasn't at the pub or inside the brewery he was at festivals offering conversation to those that listened. His advice came from years of being in the industry (fifteen of which were spent with Diamond Knot) and he was an open book. Brian is survived by his colleagues Pat Ringe and Bob Mophet as well as countless, loyal employees, friends, family, and fans. You will be missed Brian, but through each pint we will never forget you.

The cranberry is one of only three commercially-important fruits that originated in North America (the other two are the blueberry, and the Concord grape), and Washington is one of five states that produce the majority of the cranberries in this country. While you may have missed the local harvest, it is still worth a trip out to Long Beach to check out the cranberry bogs and visit the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation Museum.

YOUR MOMMA DON'T DANCE: And your daddy don't rock and roll. But you can do both tonight! Check out timeless Loggins and Messina, and try your best not to laugh thinking about the scene in Wet Hot American Summer when he sings "Danny's Song."

CRAZY RUGGED: Have you ever thought about walking to Canada? How about Alaska? Erin McKittrick and her husband Bretwood "Hig" Higman did just that, but instead took it one step further by making their way to the Aleutian Islands using only their feet, skis, and a raft. Not only did they live to tell about it in their new book A Long Trek Home: 4000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski, but the dynamic duo will be in Seattle tonight for a reading and discussion on their rugged, incredulous journey. We actually got to see this manuscript as a forthcoming work a couple years ago, and for all you hikers out there--this is one not-to-be-missed unbelievable tale. Talk about reducing your carbon footprint!

We're terribly sad to relay that the much-loved Capitol Hill bookstore, Bailey/Coy, will be closing its doors at the end of November after 26 years of service, announced owner Michael Wells yesterday.

THE LIFE AQUATIC: The aspiring marine biologist in all of us owes a great debt to the achievements of Mr. Cousteau. His contributions to the development of scuba gear alone led to great advancements in underwater exploration. Vashon Island author Brad Matsen reads from Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King tonight. Let's hope that he doesn't leave out the pirate raid and revenge plot against the shark that killed his partner.

The fourth annual Sips & Shoes wine tasting and shoe auction is taking place this Sunday, November 8 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, with proceeds benefiting the Ryther Child Center. Try wines from over 30 Northwest wineries. Ogle shoe fashion displays. (No hot mingling firefighters like last year, however, boo!) Attendees are encouraged to dig in their closets for pairs of new or barely worn shoes to bring as a donation as well; later in the evening a raffle and live shoe auction will take place with all donated shoes: mo’ shoes, mo’ money for Rythers. Raffle prizes include a Grand Prize drawing for two tickets to the May 2010 American Idol Finale, Chef’s Dinner for four at El Gaucho and tickets to Teatro Zinzanni.

"Breakfast Panini" by Seadevi, from our Flickr pool

BACK TO THE MOON!: Andrew Chaikin, author of “A Man on the Moon,” recounts his conversations with Aldrin, Armstrong and other Apollo astronauts and discusses the recent LCROSS moon mission. It’s been forty years since One Giant Leap and instead of lunar suburbs and sweet dune buggies, we’re intentionally crashing rockets into the moon’s surface. Sounds like something we’d do.

"Architecture puzzle." by Elliot Norwood, from our Flickr pool