If you see folks walking around with some dirt on their foreheads today, they proabably did it on purpose. It is Ash Wednesday, where Christians are supposed to fast, pray, repent after the debauchery of Mardi Gras and (Super Tuesday). So here' are a few debauch-free events for tonight:

WORDS
The ALOUD series continues with John Burnham Schwartz, author of Reservation Road, who talks about his new novel set in 1959 Japan where a non-aristocratic woman marries the Crown Prince and enters the sealed-off and mysterious Japanese monarchy.

7 pm // ALOUD at the Central Library: Mark Taper Auditorium // 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles //Free, but reservations strongly recommended.

MORE WORDS
"The New Materialism and the Mind" is Manuel DeLanda's lecture topic tonight at SCI-Arc. He's a philosopher and professor at the University of Pennsylvania and will discuss New York
Artificial intelligence. This lecture will "argue that connectionist neural nets are a better approach to modeling embodied skills, the type of intelligence needed to interact with the material world."

7 pm // SCI-Arc // 960 East 3rd St., Los Angeles //Free.

FILM
The double feature at the New Beverly focuses on rockers 70s and 80s rockers. Screening tonight are Control (biopic of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis) and Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten about the Clash’s front man.

7:30 pm (Control) and 9:50 pm (Joe Strummer) // New Beverly Cinema // 7165 W. Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles // $7.

TRAFFIC TALK
Metro’s holding public meetings to discuss the feedback received on traffic alternatives in a 38-square-mile study area that stretches from K-town to Santa Monica. Learn how they plan to make the ride from West Hollywood to Century City easier. Or not. There’s free parking available – or take Metro Line 4.

6 pm // Plummer Park in WeHo // 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles // Free.