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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
News El Rio: Steve K Says Grand Canyon U Move to El Rio Not Likely
Posted by Mari Herreras on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM
On the Bill Buckmaster Show on Friday, May 17, when Steve Kozachik was asked if the city's courting of Grand Canyon University to develop a campus on the the El Rio Golf Course property in Barrio Hollywood would move forward, the Tucson councilman said he didn't think it would and doesn't think it should.
Grand Canyon University wants to build a 100-acre campus in the Tucson area, and the city offered a special deal or lease for the golf course — although the Range was told recently that there have been 11 potential sites total that the city and university has identified for its campus development. Kozachik said he isn't involved in negotiations, so doesn't know the other sites identified.
"It was a big mistake going into negotiations with that group," he said.
One concern, Kozachik shared was an existing contract with the Conquistadors for their First Tee program, an after school program that is "well received by the community in the immediate area," and is known for teaching life skills, not just golf. The organization recently put in $2 million in to the facilities there.
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The next reason he questions the idea is the west side community's 40 year history with the park, Joaquin Murrieta, the golf course and community center, that happened with organizer and community members protested and took over the park.
"On the heels of PCC (Pima Community College) and TUSD, we don't need a huge food fight," he said.
Plus, the school bylaws, will most like not play well in a community like Tucson, he quipped.
Community organizers called El Rio Coalition II released information early in the week when it was announced the city council would discuss the Grand Canyon University proposal in executive session at the Tuesday, May 14 meeting. The school's bylaws were released, and yep, the private university's bylaws are pretty clear on page 23:
Sexual Misconduct
Grand Canyon University will be guided by the understanding that human sexuality is a gift from the creator God and that the purposes of this gift include the uniting and strengthening of the marital bond. These purposes are to be achieved through heterosexual relationships within marriage.Misuses of God's gift will be understood to include, butnot be limited to, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual
assault, incest, adultery, fornication and homosexual acts. In an effort to minimize awkward situations, and to
protect their personal relationships, students are expected to refrain from inappropriate or lingering public displays
of affection or confrontation.Grand Canyon University will strive to deal in a constructive and redemptive manner with all who fail to live up to these standards. Dealing individually with each case, efforts will be made to counsel and assist those involved. Constructive forgiveness will guide all efforts. Sexual misconduct as described above, depending on the facts and circumstances of each case, may result in disciplinary action.
Students who engage in sexual misconduct will be subject to the disciplinary process as follows:
1st time
10 hours community service2nd time
15 hours community service3rd time
20 hours community service and possible loss of campus housing privileges.
Visit the by laws here.
Kozachik said the city moving forward to negotiate with the university to help them acquire the city golf course property "will generate nothing but ill will and just a mistake to move forward."
"I don't think the City of Tucson, the west side residents and the Conquistadors are not here to curry favor with Grand Canyon," he said. "If they want to curry favor they could come in gracefully and encourage the community ... not create a huge blow back."
The councilman added that he didn't think it was the city's obligation to find them a site — plus the school's anti-gay policies doesn't reflect Tucson.
You can listen to the entire show here, including the interview.
Chow Burning the Bacon - Was Bacon Fest Worth It?
Posted by Jerry Morgan on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Last weekend was the first Arizona Bacon Fest held at Reid Park that I talked about here. As a lover of all things pig I was bummed that I would not be able to make the porcine festivities due to work. Now from the information from people I know that went, and the plethora of post on the events Facebook page, looks like I might have been disappointed if I did go.
Now working in restaurants, I have worked these types of “Festivals” and such in the past, and there are some things that you just can't do if you want them to work.
First, they opened late. That alone set them up for failure. Huge inrush of people + waiting in the heat = angry mob lines.
Next, they were running out of food. It’s not Beer-fest or Sun-fest; it's Bacon Fest. They came for the swine! Now I know from experience, from prepping food for events like this to being there to serve, it’s likely you will run out of food…at the end. The food was running out way too early, not even halfway through the event. The restaurant people were either misinformed of the amount of people coming, they weren’t really pacing the food, or they way oversold the event. $25 bucks and no pig, strike two!
Another comment that was repeated often was that they ran out of the commemorative glasses. You should know how many tickets you have sold therefore you should know how many glasses to order. Seems logical to me, unless we go back to the oversold concept.
One good comment I kept overhearing was that there was beer aplenty. On the other hand, there were also many comments that, while food and beer samples were included in the ticket price, folks were paying to buy bottled water and stay hydrated in the Tucson sun. It’s the desert and with alcohol being served, water should probably be given freely.
So the overall impression from those that went looks to be an oversold, understaffed, non-organized, and disappointing event. However, it does look like the organizers are aware of the glitches, as they posted this on Facebook Sunday:
Thank you for everyone who turned out. Had to stop letting patrons in and had to turn away many people. Lots of mixed reviews but our efforts will continue to make the festival everything it can be. We appreciate all the comments, recommendation and all will be taken into consideration as we continue our quest to make bacntopia all it can. Thank you to the food and beer vendors for their contributions and all the volunteers for their time and effort.
It makes me really sad that something about one of my favorite proteins was thrown such a bad party. Maybe next year, they'll throw a superior tribute to swine.
News Here's Your "Hope in the Middle of Devastation" Moment of the Day
Posted by Dan Gibson on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 9:00 AM
There aren't a ton of heartwarming stories coming out of Oklahoma today - it appears that the death toll might have been overstated yesterday, although there are still people unaccounted for, so who knows? - but occasionally, you have to appreciate even the smallest bits of good news, like this moment captured in a CBS news segment.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Fun in General The Desert Museum's Newest Addition Needs a Name!
Posted by Alison Dorf on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 5:30 PM
A contest began today to name an adorable mountain lion cub that was recently adopted by the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum.
The cub, found in the backyard of a residential home in San Jose, CA., weighed only 15 lbs. at the time of his rescue, had a massive flea and tick infestation and was dehydrated.
The cub was treated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, before he made it to his new home at ASDM in April.
Statistics on the ASDM website say the cub loves "lazing" in the shade, chasing rock squirrels and feasting on goat's milk. He is described as energetic and full of youthful curiosity.
Now 51.5 lbs., a staggering weight difference from the time of his rescue in March, the little guy needs a name.
- Rhonda Spencer
- The little mountain lion cub, new to ASDM.
The name entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. on June 21.
According to the press release, the names should also be male or unisex, and reflect the following:
1. Reflect the Desert Museum’s mission;
2. Relate to the Sonoran Desert;
3. Relate to the scientific name for mountain lion (Puma concolor); or
4. Be inspired by names created by former Museum educator, Hal Gras.
Complete entry details and entry form can be found at Enter the Naming Contest
The Top Five Finalists will be invited to a "special celebration" on July 6, where the winner will be announced. The winner will receive a personalized gift from the mountain lion cub (interesting prize), and a free annual family membership, according to the website.
- Rhonda Spencer
- The adorable cub was rescued from a residential home in San Jose, Calif. He now resides at ASDM and is in need of a name.
Happy naming!
Chow The Continuing Saga of Amy's Baking Company; No Press Conference, No PR Firm
Posted by Dan Gibson on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 4:06 PM
The Weekly had someone set to cover it, but apparently the press conference set for tomorrow at Amy's Baking Company (complete with guy-who-enjoys-attention Rev. Jarrett Maupin as host) in which the public would get the chance to decide who they wanted to side with "a famous celebrity chef or the marketplace that has supported the small, locally-owned business for six years" is now off. According to today's press release, the presser is off due to "threats" from the producers of Kitchen Nightmares and, of course, online threats.
While the press event is currently off, the re-opening itself is still a go, with Amy's Baking Company reporting that over 1,000 reservations have been placed. Then again, people go to the Weiner Circle in Chicago to have profanities shouted at them, so the public's interest in getting into the restaurant might not be directly correlated to actual support.
Also, in one of the likely shortest client-provider relationships in recent history, high powered PR guy Jason Rose is off the case, having "opted to end its relationship with Amy’s Baking Company."
UPDATE: Regarding the end of his company's relationship with Amy's, Jason Rose told Phoenix Business Journal:
“It’s been a very exciting week. With all the reservations coming in (for the grand re-opening week) it’s been a great accomplishment,” Rose said. “Beyond the preliminary success, there were differences on public relations strategies.”
There's part of me that hopes this is all over, but it's almost certainly not, considering that actual customers are going to be in that restaurant at some point, and it would seem that the Bouzaglos won't be able to keep any facade of good behavior up for long.
The text of the press release is below the cut:
Pets and Beasts Can Someone Save This Dog?
Posted by Dan Gibson on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 2:33 PM
I'm not particularly an animal person, but seeing Hope, a Labrador Retriever Mix, online, facing euthanasia if she isn't adopted by 7 pm today at Pima Animal Care Center is heartbreaking, even for me.
Info from Hope's Petfinder page:
Poor Hope hasn't lost hope yet but she has developed "Kennel Cough" and there is NO ROOM in Sick Bay to treat her. She must be rescued by 7 PM on 5/20 or she will be euthanized.ADOPTION/FOSTER INFORMATION:
To ADOPT a SPECIAL NEEDS ANIMAL (SNA, LTR, Rescue List or Sick Bay):** Go to the REAR of PACC (south side) and enter through the INTAKE DOOR.
** Ask for JUSTIN (Animal Advocate at PACC), RACHEL, or ELLIE and let them know you want to do a Special Needs Adoption and give them the number of the animal you are interested in.Please call Rachel at 243-5932/5987 (does not work Mondays or Tuesdays), Justin at 243-5929 or 248-0301 or Ellie at 243-5962 for further information.
Please visit this GREAT PET at PIMA ANIMAL CARE CENTER, 4000 Silverbell Rd (Silverbell and Sweetwater), Tucson AZ.
PHONE 520-243-5900, option 4, ask to speak with the kennels.
If you happen to be in the market for a dog, maybe consider Hope (and as soon as possible)?
Fun in General / Music Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Talk Nature
Posted by Mari Herreras on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 1:28 PM
Aw, check out Macklemore and Ryan Lewis talk about growing up in Seattle's outdoors for the Nature Conservancy. They grew up on Capitol Hill in Seattle and hung out freestyling at local parks at night. Mackelmore credits spending that time outdoors with helping his music.
Let's take this time to say thanks to both the Hip Hop gawds and Seattle's extensive parks system.
TV Shows About Women Shouldn't Just be About Being a Woman
Posted by Chelo Grubb on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 12:31 PM
About a year ago, a YouTube channel started up, promising to tell women’s stories.
Since then the channel, WIGS, has accumulated nearly 40 million video views and 180,000 subscribers. It’s the #1 channel on YouTube for scripted drama.
WIGS uploads short films and inspiring documentaries, but it focuses on producing fictional web series. So far, there have been 13 series, each with a strong female lead.
Other than the main characters' gender, the shows don’t have much in common.
“Blue” was one of the first series to premiere on the channel. It stars Julia Stiles as a single mother with a 9 to 5 job that doesn’t quite make ends meet. To help cover expenses, she starts working as a prostitute. She’s well into her career when the series begins.
Another series, “Kendra” focuses on a post-op nurse who struggles to deal with the secrets her patients spill while under anesthesia.
WIGS even makes a run for being topical and empowering in “Lauren,” a series examining sexual harassment within the military.
I love the idea. The world needs more diverse, estrogen-fueled entertainment. I just wish it seemed a little less gimmicky.
Everything WIGS airs shares its same name with the female lead—Lauren, Serena, Rochelle, the list goes on. WIGS has 13 series and it's getting hard to keep the characters straight.
It's like they’re saying, “Here you go! Another webseries starring a woman. That’s enough to make you want watch it, right?”
Talk about poor marketing. When a new series pops up in my subscription box, all I see is a name and a face. I have no idea what the series is about. It’s easy to skip over.
Yes, these are women’s stories. But they’re not just great because they star women. WIGS needs to focus on the stories of the women they’re talking about, not just their gender.
Tech/Games Yahoo Buys Tumblr; Tumblr Users Flee Like Rats From a Sinking Ship
Posted by David Mendez on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 11:42 AM
Ah, Tumblr: the source of our hopes, dreams and nightmares.
Yet Tumblr's soon-to-be-parent company, Yahoo, invites only one thing: abject horror.
Apparently, Tumblr users are fleeing in droves upon hearing that the search giant is buying their haven for soap opera obsessions and anorexic horse pornography. From cnet.com:
Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg said his company saw a major uptick in Tumblr defections after news of the $1.1 billion acquisition by Yahoo came to light.Writing on his personal blog Sunday evening, Mullenweg said that Wordpress usually imports 400 to 600 blog posts per hour from Tumblr. After news of the deal surfaced, the number of imported posts jumped to more than 72,000 blog posts in an hour.
Mullenweg updated his own blog post on Monday morning. "Some people are reading too much into the import numbers — I don't think there will be an exodus from Tumblr," he said, adding: "For most folks habits overcome internet-outrage. Even if a million people left, that's just about a week's worth of signups."
Tumblr should be fine — maybe. The deal, announced today, is just the latest of acquisitions made by Yahoo, which tend to result in terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad things happening to the things they purchase.
Gardening Resolve this Summer - No Empty Pots
Posted by Marylee M. Pangman on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 10:07 AM
- Marylee, Potted Desert Gardener
- Summer Shade Desert Potted Garden
Don’t let your pots go empty all summer. There is still plenty of time to plant everything!! You deserve it so put it at the top of your list — NOW!!
This pot will be happy in the shade. It includes coleus, geranium, impatiens and a wire vine (available in house plants.)
Be sure not to over water it!
From a previous post:
- Marylee, Potted Desert Gardener
- Potted Purples in the Desert
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