Tonight, June 26, 2008, at 6:00 p.m., marks the opening of a ten week free film presentation at the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Annenberg Theater in downtown Palm Springs.  The films presented in this annual collaboration are part of the touring film exhibition Global Lens, a project conceived by The Global Film Initiative (GFI) to encourage filmmaking in countries with developing film communities.

Also, don’t miss out on the Art Museum proper, because it has free admission on Thursday nights as well.  Among the half dozen exhibitions during 2008, you will currently be able to see, Seductions: Impressionist and 20th-Century Painting

The third free thing you will get to do tonight and every Thursday, is a short walk from the museum and theater over to the blocked off section of Palm Canyon Drive for the Palm Spring Villagefest street fair.  You will want to leave you car where it is parked, because closer parking is chancy.  Besides, it will save gas. 

So, if you walk a couple of blocks along Tahquitz Way you will end up at my favorite Starbucks on the corner of Palm Canyon Drive.  Soaring gas prices have put everyone in a crunch. 

A left column sub-headline on the front page of the Desert Sun newspaper last Friday read, “Latte fiends falling back on cheap joe”.  This subheading was positioned under a round green and black Starbucks’ mermaid logo.  This teaser for an inside section wire service article went on to say, “Tough economic times have coffee drinker reconsidering their $4 fix.  Starbucks blamed rising food and gas prices for a 28 percent drop in second quarter earnings.” 

Would you believe it… when I picked up this newspaper I was holding an iced coffee, instead of a latte!  Just goes to show you…