Thomas Geoghegan @ East-West University

Renowned Chicago labor lawyer, author, and playwright Thomas Geoghegan will discuss the 2004 election and the political future of the left as part of the East-West Perspectives lecture series at East-West University, 816 S. Michigan Ave., Fourth Floor Auditorium on Tuesday, November 16, at 7 p.m.  Admission is free.  Call 312-939-0111 ex.1818 for more information.

The Party @ Film Center

One of Peter Sellers' non-"Pink Panther" collaborations with Blake Edwards, The Party is the story of one Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian actor who single-handedly destroys a film version of Gunga Din and is still somehow invited to a party at the producer's house. Some subtle gags that don't hit you over the head with their obviousness (check out what happens when Sellers accidentally puts his hand in a pile of caviar). The film screens tonight at the Siskel Film Center at 6:00. "Birdie num-nums." Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.

Judy Budnitz @ Beat Kitchen

Men in dog suits, a sister's bout with leprosy – however absurd the premise, Judy Budnitz's stories unveil startling truths about meory and family. She is the author of the novel, If I Told You Once. Her stories have appeared in McSweeney's, The New Yorker, and the Paris Review. Budnitz comes to Chicago as part of the Nextbook Readings and Performances series. Free, but registration recommended. Budnitz reads at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago at 7:30 p.m.

Rachael Ray @ Piece

Watch Rachael Ray film an episode of Food Network's "Inside Dish with Rachael Ray" at Piece, 1927 W. North Ave. She'll be talking with Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen. (Shouldn't they be in Rockford, then?) Watching is free but dinner and drinks are not, and you gotta buy something if you wanna stick around.

Taste of Adventure

Head to the Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., tonight and dine on such exotic foods as crickets, scorpions and rattlesnake, washed down with Redwood Creek wines, at the "Taste of Adventure." Author and artist James Prosek will lecture. 6:30-8:30pm. Free, but reservations required: call 888/281-8502.

The Weather Underground @ Historical Society

The Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark, screens The Weather Underground, the Academy Award-nominated documentary about the 1960s radicalists, The Weathermen tonight at 6:30pm. Former Weathermen William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn and director Bill Siegel will be onhand for discussion after the film. $5 admission; call 312/642-4600 for more info.

Poet Laureate Ted Kooser gives free reading

New U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, the first Poet Laureate to be chosen from the great plains states, is giving a reading tonight at Northwestern University’s Thorne Auditorium. The event is sponsored by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry Magazine. The reading is part of the celebration of Poetry Magazine's 50th annual Poetry Day, and the event is free: first come, first served. 375 E. Chicago Ave., 6 p.m., all ages.