Cover Story
I Am Muslim, I Am America
It was in Iraq in 2007 when Watheq Al-Obaidi began hearing reports about al-Qaida murdering fellow Iraqis and dumping bodies in the garbage, and putting explosives in those bodies, set to go off while their families buried them—killing more people, causing more tragedy. Al-Obaidi says followers of groups like al-Qaida often evoke the Quran, but…
Free Movie at the Library: Bronx Princess
The Eckstrom-Columbus library will be having a free showing of “Bronx Princess” Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. The film is the coming-of-age tale of Bronx born Ghanaian, Rocky Otoo.
Artistic Range: Birds Eye View
“Birds Eye View” by Kevan Schlamowitz is on display in Hummingbirds, through Sept. 12, at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
Free Stuff: Bridging Borders Film Series
Filmed in Mexico, Which Way Home follows the children who are left behind when their parents look for work in the US. Watch this Oscar nominated documentary for free at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The one time showing is 6:30 p.m., August 12.
Artistic Range: Gerben Mulder at the Museum of Contemporary Art
“Night Bloom No. 7,” by Gerben Mulder, is on display in The Tucson Work, through Sept. 18, at the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art, 265 South Church Ave.
The 17th Street Grill: Now Indoors
The 17th Street Grill, the mobile kitchen at the 17th Street Market, has moved indoors. The indoor seating area is a lot nicer and less hot than the old seating area in the parking lot, and now you can choose from like a million kinds of drinks as well. Unfortunately, the chicken shwarma sandwich, one…
Democrat Nancy Young Wright Considering a 2012 Run For Pima County Board of Supes
Add Democrat Nancy Young Wright to the list of potential candidates for Republican Ann Day’s District 1 seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Day recently announced she wouldn’t seek a fourth term representing the Catalina Foothills and Oro Valley areas on the Board of Supes. Wright, who served in the Arizona House of…
Tucson Padres: Two-Buck Tix, Two-Buck Brew, One-Buck Hot Dog. Just Say The Secret Word!
Samantha Sais The Tucson Padres launch an eight-game homestand tonight as they take on the New Orleans Zephyrs at Kino Stadium. And here’s the bargain of the day: The grand old traditions of minor-league baseball—cheap tickets, cheap hot dogs and cheap cold beer—collide with the high-tech world of tomorrow at Social Media Night! Just say…
Jonathan Rothschild Won’t Ever Be as Cool as Arturas Zuokas
AP Photo/Vilnius City Municipality, HO http://denverpost.tumblr.com/post/8429974819/tankcar The mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, Arturas Zuokas, had enough of luxury cars parked illegally in his city, so he ran over a few with a military vehicle. Sure, this sort of thing would certainly be illegal in a thousand different ways here in America, but it would still be…
The Only Podcast You Need to Listen to This Week
There are certainly plenty of podcasts out there to occupy your time digitally for an hour or so , but the Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show has proven to be one of the ones worth subscribing to or occasionally remembering to download or whatever. I can’t possibly be the only person who is interested in…
I Still Don’t Understand, V-Nasty
I’m a little befuddled by the recent success of Kreayshawn and her track “Gucci Gucci”, but it seems that she’s going to bring a whole posse with her into whatever minor circle fame she’s stumbled into. V-Nasty, seen earlier this year leaving jail, explains her interesting position on racial politics and plugs her forthcoming album.…
This Is Audra Christophel. She Knows A Lot About Vegetables.
Audra Christophel and lots of good vegetables (and eggs!). I stopped by the farm stand at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center a few weeks back and found Audra Christophel educating people on how they can include more locally grown vegetables in their meal plans. It was impressive. One of the barriers between people…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Layla
Layla, a 3-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, is begging darlin’ please (for you to take her home). Smart, outgoing and good looking! Layla loves people and will happily sit pretty in exchange for a treat. Among her many talents, Layla knows sit, down, stay, dance, out, off, and leave it. In addition to being one smart…
Redistricting Public Hearing in Tucson Aug. 6
An Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission public hearing in Tucson is Saturday, Aug. 6, 1 p.m. at the Abrams Public Health Building, Room #1106, 3950 S. Country Club Road. The hearing will include a presentation on the redistricting process, and there will also be a call for public comment. If other hearings across the state are…
Music, Music and More Music Marks the Finale of Rynski Radio on Party934
Update with playlist and download at bottom of post Art and photo Ryn Gargulinski The Music Man in Yellow Kooky news and even kookier crimes have been the staple on Rynski’s Shattered Reality for its past year-plus of production but, alas, the time has come to take a hiatus. Other projects are screaming for my…
Dieting Might Damage Your Brain
While there might be some argument about how much of my brain I’m actually using, I definitely need whatever I have left, so I won’t be dieting any time soon: Like other parts of the body, brain cells begin to eat themselves as a last-ditch source of energy to ward off starvation, a study found.…
City Hall Brawl: Indie Committee Targets Flores in Ward 1
Joe Flores, the Democrat who is challenging Councilwoman Regina Romero in the Aug. 30 primary election for the westside Ward 1 seat, is about to get walloped. A new independent-expenditure committee, Tucsonans for Democratic Leadership, plans to start hammering Flores for his ties to a payday-loan operation. “We’re going to make sure that people know…
Coming Soon to Downtown: Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink
We just got off the phone with Tyler Fenton, the owner of the new Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink that’s going in at the old Reilly Funeral Home at 102 E. Pennington St. Fenton, who was on his way out of town and didn’t have much time to talk, says the restaurant will be centered…
AHCCCS Suit in Court Tomorrow; Arizona Chamber Opposes Cuts to Health-Care Coverage
Attorney Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest is scheduled to be in court tomorrow to argue his case that Gov. Jan Brewer can’t simply cut health-care coverage for Arizonans under the federal poverty line. State lawmakers looked to chop Arizona’s AHCCCS spending by more than $500 million in order…
After Holding Gun to the Economy’s Head, Kyl Doesn’t Like Holding Gun To Military’s Head
Sen. Jon Kyl isn’t happy with the potential cuts to the defense budget if the super-committee can’t come to an agreement: “Can you imagine anything more irresponsible than for the commander in chief of the military to promote, not just promote, but insist on the knowing destruction of the U.S. military as a means to…
Last Chance to Vote for the 2011 TAMMIES
You have until noon tomorrow to cast your vote in the Tucson Area Music Awards, so if you’d like to weigh in on the best band in town, your favorite instrumentalist, or the best local release since May of 2010, now’s the time. Otherwise, you forfeit the right to complain about the results and what…
The Giffords Vote: “It’s Enough To Make One Feel Like a Bit Like a Heel”
Alexandra Petri reflects on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ vote yesterday: It’s enough to make one feel a bit like a heel. Here we are, supposedly hale and sound of limb, squabbling and name-calling about Satan sandwiches and moons of yogurt and brides at altars. And there is Gabrielle Giffords, who has been fighting a far more…
Meet a Guy Who Really Loves Pizza Boxes
I really hadn’t ever thought about the balance between ventilation to prevent “soggification” and keeping your pizza warm, but now I’ll never look at a pizza box the same way. This guy’s excitement about something seemingly mundane makes me re-evaluate my perspective on life a bit. I’m not kidding. [Laughing Squid]
Answering Questions for the Wall Street Journal
Short answer: no. Long answer: Wait, can he bring China and America together in hating Will.I.Am? That’s a possibility, sure. [WSJ]
Nice Rack (Wine Rack!) and Other Stupid Inventions
Hey lay-dees: here’s something to put on your Christmas Wish List. Who needs a CamelBak when you can wear a wine rack? Now attention-seeking gals can wear a sports bra that can hold up to 25 ounces of liquid-whatever-you-want in it. And, they say, it enhances your cup up to two sizes. Wow. What will…
Takamatsu Reopens Thursday
Takamatsu at 5532 E. Speedway Blvd. reopens Thursday, wrapping up a lengthy recovery from a fire that shuttered the restaurant more than a year ago. Owner Peter Koga sent out a press release this week announcing the opening and detailing the improvements made to the eatery during the reconstruction. Koga says he’s added a cocktail…
Breaking News in Backpack Safety
With school looming just around the corner for lots of kids (ugh!) and parents (woo!), above is a semi-helpful diagram of how to properly wear a backpack (in case you were wondering) and below are some anal retentive tips on backpack safety from Dr. Colin Wilson’s Health Talk: 1. A properly fitted pack should include;…
Giffords Returning to Houston Today
P.K. Weis, SouthwestPhotoBank.com Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be returning to Houston today to continue with her rehabilitation program. Giffords, who made a surprise appearance on Capitol Hill yesterday to vote in favor of the debt-ceiling legislation, will not remain in Washington to visit the White House for a ceremony honoring her husband, retiring NASA astronaut…
City Election Candidate Forum Tonight
City election candidates will answer questions tonight in a public forum hosted by the Arizona Democratic Party African-American Caucus. More from Blog for Arizona: Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 p.m.: The Arizona Democratic Party African-American Caucus hosts a candidate forum at the Historic Dunbar Auditorium, 325 W. Second Street (Tucson). Candidates in the upcoming city election…
God Will Face a Tough Re-Election Campaign
God. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a certain polling company’s building ends up turning into a pillar of salt: A new poll shows that little more than half of Americans say they approve of God’s job performance, per Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm based in North Carolina. Only 52%…
Video of Gabrielle Giffords on the House Floor
From today’s vote on the debt-ceiling, which marked Rep. Giffords’ first vote in the House following the January 8th shooting.
Debt-Ceiling Bill Passes: Giffords Gets Standing Ovation, Votes in Favor of Bill
The debt-ceiling bill passes, 269-161. In the midst of it, Congress gave Gabby a standing ovation and a lot of hugs during her return to the House floor. Giffords voted yes on the bill. Her statement: I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what’s going on…
People Really Like “Black Dog”
Really, why would you watch one cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” on YouTube, when you can watch all of them? Also, a note to bar bands everywhere: Led Zeppelin had a number of great songs. Feel free to mix it up a bit. People like “When the Levee Breaks” too.
Breaking: Giffords To Vote on Debt-Ceiling Deal
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is in Washington and will vote on the debt-ceiling deal. Spokesman C.J. Karamargin tells us via email: The vote taking place today is the single most important vote taken this year by the House of Representatives. The congresswoman insisted on participating. Congresswoman Giffords has been following this debate closely over the past…
A Comic Book to Depict Smiths Songs?
The New York Observer has an interesting article up about a Phoenix-based comic book artist, Shawn Demumbrum, who is raising money to fund his newest comic book project inspired by Smiths songs. The article gives a shout-out to Tucson (even though they spelled it incorrectly) as Demumbrum hopes to premiere his series at Tucson’s Comic-Con…
McCain: Debt Deal “Pretty Much a Success”
Sen. John McCain calls the debt deal “pretty much a success.” McCain tells CNN that the American people are right for having a low opinion of lawmakers and explains a little more about his talk about hobbits, which didn’t go over very well with the Tea Party last week. Guess what else he wants? More…
Hey, Kids: It’s Story Time!
Need a place to chill out with your kids this week? Head on over to The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures this Thursday, August 4th, from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. for story time. The first Thursday of each month this summer, the museum has had their Summer Story Series. This Thursday, come listen to Barbea Williams…
Congratulations, ‘Precious Knowledge’
Tucson filmmakers Ari Luis Palos and Eren Isabel McGinnis’ documentary Precious Knowledge, about Tucson Unified School District’s battle over and heart of Mexican American Studies, is making the film festival rounds. The latest screening at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival earned the documentary an honorable mention, a standing ovation and some kind words…
TPD Video Channel Fine Alternative to Kittens
When videos of kittens just won’t do, the Tucson Police Department has a YouTube channel with videos of intersection collisions and near-collisions from video traffic cameras around the city. The Tucson Police Department would like to remind everyone of the importance of following traffic laws and paying close atention to the lights at intersections. This…
We Wouldn’t Blame You if This Was Your Source for News
Sure, we appreciate that you turn to us at the Tucson Weekly for news, cultural updates and photos of animals, but we also recognize that a well-balanced media diet is a good, healthy thing. In the interest of helping our readers discover new and exciting sources of information, we present the Twitter feed @beakeringnews. Their…
The Culver’s on Thornydale Is Open: A Timeline
Day breaks on Culver’s. 5:39 a.m. I’m the only car in the parking lot here at the new Culver’s at 6905. N. Thornydale Road. Forgot the battery for my camera. Consider straightening the “Opening August 1st” banner on my way out. Brain obviously not functioning. 6:02 a.m. The first employee is walking to the back…
A Chimp Feeding a Tiger Creates Adorableness Overload
In Thailand, apparently zookeeping cutbacks are forcing the staff to teach the animals to take care of each other. Probably bad for the zoo, but a win for people who enjoy cute animal interactions. [Telegraph]
Grijalva: Debt Deal “Trades Peoples’ Livelihoods for the Votes of a Few Unappeasable Right-Wing Radicals”
Congressman Raul Grijalva doesn’t like the debt-ceiling deal hammered out over the weekend: This deal trades peoples’ livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it. Progressives have been organizing for months to oppose any scheme that cuts Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, and it now seems clear…
Hey, Congress! What the Hell?
Something I will never think is a good idea: requiring internet service providers to keep track of everything anyone visits online and keeping those records for a year. Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 19-10 for H.R. 1981, a data-retention bill that will require your ISP to spy on everything you do online and save…
Here’s a Pug Dressed As Paula Deen
Happy Saturday! If you feel compelled to mention the typographical error on the sign, you’re missing the point. [Pugs in Costume, officially the second best website ever]
Al Melvin Was Right! Mexico Invaded America!
They say it was an inadvertent border crossing, but that’s what Mexico would like you to believe. It’s time for drastic legislative measures, I say: More than 30 soldiers in the Mexican Army crossed the border into Texas in Humvees on Tuesday before being processed and allowed to return to Mexico. According to Customs and…
Idiot Boksen – The Best Show On Television
A couple weeks ago, Chuck Klosterman wrote a piece for Grantland arguing Breaking Bad is actually the best of the four most highly-regarded cable dramas (the others being Mad Men, The Sopranos, and The Wire). While I can’t yet put the show on par with The Wire, I tend to agree with much of Klosterman’s…
Oursourcing the Star – Friday Arts Edition
Solid day for the Star today, partially thanks to Cathalena E. Burch, who wrote most of the Arts section. No giraffe coverage, however. Section A: Star, 10; Not Star, 23Sports: Star, 3; Not Star, 8Arts: Star, 6; Not Star, 1
Groupon Just Making Numbers Up as They Go
I don’t know much about accounting, but it would seem that if you’re keeping track of how much money you’re making versus how much your spending, you don’t get to selectively choose which expenses count. But then again, I’m not getting ready to go public and raise a gazillion dollars (estimated) like Groupon: Because it…
Peggy and Ted’s Birthday Party Is Tomorrow
I love this woman like a mother. Happy birthday Peggy!!! Buffet Bar and Crockpot’s daytime bartender Miss Peggy Barclay and former owner Ted Bair are celebrating their birthdays tomorrow at the bar. It promises to be quite the shindig, and generations of Buffet patrons are expected to attend. This is a good time for me…
Believe It or Not: The New George Lucas Film Looks Great
It’s been a long time since Lucasfilm released a movie that wasn’t related to Star Wars or Indiana Jones (1994’s Radioland Murders, which you likely have blocked from your memory, if you heard of it at all) and he’s been working on this since 1988, so there’s instantly a bit of anticipation for Red Tails,…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Drivers are forced to turn right or left onto Speedway from Fourth Avenue. Drivers heading north on Fourth Avenue toward Speedway Boulevard must turn right or left onto Speedway. That and several other changes to the bicycle boulevard have been implemented. See what else has happened in the last week. Had your bike stolen? You…
Maynard’s Black Market Debuts Next Friday
[Updated: Black Market debuts next week. My mistake.] The competition for your Friday evening out has become far more competitive over the last few months, with Hot Era setting up shop at Sky Bar and now Maynard’s is transforming its restaurant space and patio starting at 11 pm for Black Market. According to the event’s…
Let’s Take a Moment to Appreciate Beyonce
Beyonce was on Jimmy Fallon last night and proved that she might be the best singer working today. You should listen to this. It really is great.
Murphy’s Laws for Dogs: Guide for Animal Lovers in Tucson and Beyond
Photo of Sawyer by Ryn Gargulinski A pampered pooch will take a mile – and the entire couch. Dogs have a keen sense of humor, so it only makes sense they would be governed by a set of laws that are equally humorous, albeit in an ironic and twisted way. Loosely based on Murphy’s Law…
Kurt Loder Didn’t Think Much of the Internet
I like how, in this clip from the late, lamented MTV News, Kurt Loder keeps using CB radio analogies to explain the internet. Also, I appreciate the use of Better Than Ezra’s “Good” in the background. Classic.
You Need to Learn How to Play Monopoly
Strangely, all the Monopoly photos on Flickr are of foreign versions of the game. Weird. According to online gaming site Critical Miss, the reason you don’t enjoy playing Monopoly is that you’re playing it incorrectly. Get it together, people: Real Monopoly is Monopoly played according to the actual rules. Now as you read this I…
Outsourcing the Star: Caliente Edition
Not too much on the news front today, but the first half of Caliente is full of local content…just close it when you get to the Cowboys and Aliens feature and you should be fine. The real question is if there will be another giraffe story tomorrow. They’re on quite a run with those. Section…
New Legislation: Remove Protection For Arizona Forests
Aldo Leopold Foundation The Black River Canyon IRA, approximately 11,800 acres, on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. A bill proposed in Congress on Tuesday would reverse a longstanding policy that protects 1.2 million acres of Arizona national forests from new road building and development. Conservation groups say the bill, called the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release…
Tucson Weekly’s Thursday Movie Break
Today’s film, the 1975 made-for-TV film Someone I Touched, starring (and featuring a theme song sung by) Cloris Leachman. Spoiler alert: Leachman’s character finds out she might have contracted an STD via her husband’s philandering and it all goes downhill from there. Someone I Touch is available on Netflix Instant.
Today in Terrible Prank Ideas
Trendhunter.com writer Souzan Michael, I understand you’re only doing your job, but letting people know that there’s a “prank” out there to make people want to unexpectedly vomit might not exactly be a public service: The high frequency sounds produced by the Sonic Nausea Device are very difficult to place, so the location of the…
Leave Me Alone, I’m Playing With a Ron Swanson Paper Doll
While I might be getting close to Ron Swanson overload (wait, not at all), I applaud you illustrator Kyle Hilton for offering the world a weekly series of paper dolls. Right now, I can only have imaginary Parks and Rec conversations between Ron Swanson, April Ludgate, and Tom Haverford, but with ten (!!!) Arrested Development…
Is the U of A Ready for a Hipster Invasion?
[Note: this video has one somewhat NSFW moment.] At NYU, hipsters have apparently taken over. While some hipster gear (scratchy, thrift store sweaters, for example) can generally be ruled out by our oppressive heat, we should still be wary of a looming hipster invasion here in Tucson. I’ve seen a few around town, but it…
I Don’t Understand the Movie Version of “Battleship”
Maybe it’s too much to ask of the movie adaption of the peg-based guessing game to have a plot or make sense, after all, there wasn’t much to work with. Note to the people who make these decisions: you could have just made a movie about ships and saved yourself a lot of money. However,…
City Week
Boys and Men’s Choral Festival; A golf tournament for displaced animals; Powwow for trees; and more!
Live
Now essentially an old bluesman, Bob Dylan continues his habit in recent years of leaning on the organ and harmonica during live performances. But in turning away from the guitar, he’s taken a greater role in his band’s sound. As the Never Ending Tour made its fourth Tucson stop in the last decade, the now…
TQ&A
The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault recently announced a new project called Safe Streets AZ that will track and map public harassment against LGBT youth ages 13 to young adults. Youth will be able to anonymously report incidents of harassment by phone, text, online submission or e-mail; share their stories; find resources; and request…
Top Ten in Music
1. Rainer with Joey Burns and John Convertino Roll Back the Years (Rainer Music Archive) 2. The Pork Torta Casual Living (Bloat) 3. Silver Thread Trio Silver Thread Trio (Old Bisbee) 4. Chris Burton Jacome Flamenco (CBJ) 5. Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl Children of Fortune (self-released) 6. Stefan George Cloth (self-released) 7. Francisco…
Cults Following
For an accidental band, Cults found an incredibly quick path to success. A chance meeting, a quick romance, some at-home music playing, three songs posted online and boom—the band winds up on Columbia Records with one of the most buzzed-about debut albums of the year. “I don’t think we ever thought about having a band,”…
Weekly Wide Web
Can we trust the GOP with the Internet?; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; and more!
Editor’s Note
The original plan was to use this space to toot our figurative horns about the awards we won last week at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s annual convention. (We won three; read more online.) Then came Black Thursday at the Arizona Daily Star, during which 52 people lost their jobs. Some locals have reacted to…
Half Empty, Half Full
Sometimes a play can seem deceptively simple. Live Theatre Workshop’s Half and Half, by James Sherman, is such a piece, and the challenges it offers become obvious in this good-hearted though uneven production. Sherman’s 2008 play spans several decades, but we only see one day in April 1970, which constitutes the first act, and a…
Rainer: Roll Back the Years (Rainer Music Archive)
The work of brilliant blues-style guitarist Rainer Ptacek, a longtime Tucson musician before he passed away in 1997, has been featured on several posthumous releases, most notably Alpaca Lips (2000), The Farm (2002) and The Westwood Sessions, Vol. 1 (2007). This latest unearthed recording shows him in action with one of the best rhythm sections…
Danehy
Watch out, folks! Arizona’s Republicans are on the warpath. They’re not out to gut the state’s public schools; they’ve already done that. They’re not talking out of both sides of their mouths, on one side whining about a federal “nanny state” while on the other telling cities how they can go about their business; they’ve…
Tell Me a Story—Not
There’s often some really exciting theater on display in the Old Pueblo. Currently, Exhibit A is the Now Theatre’s excellent production of Martin McDonagh’s screw-with-your-head-while-punching-you-in-the-gut play The Pillowman. Recognized for its power with a Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 2005, The Pillowman is a multilayered story of a story, told by and within…
The Distortionists: The Mark Side of the Dune (Tu-Lo)
This local trio injects a glorious variety of punk styles into its full-length debut album. Garage rock, proto-metal, psychedelic thrash, Batman-meets-spy movie rave-ups, surf punk, atonal experiments and herky-jerky art-squall are among the mad flavors that come at you like a rampaging jukebox on steroids. The Distortionists prove that ADHD can fuel creativity, romping through…
Messina
The melody of The Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain” involuntarily pops into my head during monsoon season. The sad song—about a jilted man who wishes for rain to disguise his tears—sometimes plays on an endless, irritating loop. I can sometimes quiet the melody, but the truth is I really do want it to rain.…
A Big Honor for Big Jim
Last Christmastime, Jim Griffith glided onto the stage at the end of A Tucson Pastorela, Borderlands Theater’s annual holiday retelling of the shepherds’ search for Baby Jesus. That glide was courtesy of the wheelchair he uses, not the wings he wore. “I wanted to play all seven deadly sins from a wheelchair,” the folklorist jokes.…
Liam Finn: FOMO (Yep Roc)
New Zealand’s Liam Finn crafts a sort of quirky orchestral pop that just doesn’t seem right coming from a one-man band. It’s a full, layered sound that nonetheless shifts instrumental focus song to song, showing an array of skills. Finn, the son of Crowded House’s Neil Finn, draws comparisons to Elliott Smith, Badly Drawn Boy…
Mailbag
Keep people enrolled in AHCCCS; No-growthers are hurting Tucson
Soul Food With Soul
OK, so maybe the reason fried chicken was in short supply on the night of our first visit to The Onyx Room was because it was National Fried Chicken Day and there had been a run on the stuff earlier in the day. Or maybe it’s because the word is spreading that the fried chicken…
Guest Commentary
There’s a sign near my house that reads, “Don’t just stand there, Stop Bullying!” I remember being teased by the cool girls in middle school during the 1980s. Having survived adolescence, I naively assumed that pint-sized tormenters mature before reaching adulthood. But not always: Adult bullies employing the tactics of gossip, misinformation and fear have…
Teacher’s Pedagogy
Tucson Weekly readers never encounter reviews of amateur writing in these pages. Tucson possesses so many “pro” writers who regularly publish that there’s little need to discuss collections of juvenilia. This book of juvenilia is so inspirational, however, it demands serious consideration. Twenty-five years ago, Tucson writer Christopher “Kit” McIlroy co-founded ArtsReach, a creative-writing program…
Media Watch
Layoffs at the Arizona Daily Star signal big trouble at Lee Enterprises.
Top Ten in Books
1. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 2. Mockingjay Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 3. The Help Kathryn Stockett, Berkley ($16) 4. A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2 George R.R. Martin, Bantam ($8.99) 5. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1 George R.R. Martin, Bantam…
Living on the Edge
Michael Veasey is acutely aware of the ironies that have apparently cost him his essential medical insurance coverage. He just hopes his experience can help others avoid a similar fate. The 56-year-old Veasey’s need for health care is critical. In March he was hospitalized at Tucson Medical Center (TMC) for three days, he says. “I…
Noshing Around
The Fat Greek Restaurant folks open a farm; From truck to restaurant; Janos plants pumpkins; Breaking happy hour news.
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: A few years ago, my girlfriend and I visited the beautiful city of Merida in the Yucatan. We were surprised to see a sentence in our guidebook warning us to be on the lookout for Mennonites pedaling queso in the mercado. Sure enough, we bumped into a bearded, light-skinned Mennonite carrying cheese! As…
The Skinny
Pima Community College looks for a new prominent employee; Tyler Vogt spams the city; Battles over Tucson water; Copper and a PR machine
Pretty on the Surface
Summer’s cavalcade of superheroes comes to an amusing, if nowhere near amazing, end with Captain America: The First Avenger. While it boasts a slick retro feel and does a good job of showing us what the title character is made of, it comes up a little short on the action pow. Chris Evans, no stranger…
The Equality of Knowledge
As a kid, Sol Gomez was no stranger to the library. He’d visit with his folks, pick out a book—and leave. Today, it’s his job to make the library a place where people like to linger, one where they can easily get information without feeling intimidated by language or cultural hurdles. Where he works, in…
Better Than Advertised
A solid, enjoyable collection of intertwining stories momentarily offset by a couple of incredibly silly scenes, Crazy, Stupid, Love has its sights set on being an out-of-the-ordinary romantic comedy, but ultimately settles for just being a pretty good run-of-the-mill one. Writer Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled and, embarrassingly, Fred Claus) brings a lot of scenarios to…
Police Dispatch
Bath salts strike again; Don’t put lunch meats on cars
Top Ten in Movies
1. Potiche Music Box 2. The Clone Returns Home Animeigo 3. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night 20th Century Fox 4. The Fish Child Wolfe Video 5. Goblin Lionsgate 6. Heartbeats MPI 7. Ironclad Arc 8. Life During Wartime Criterion 9. Source Code Summit 10. Trust Millennium
Lunatics, Lovers and Poets
With a mesmerizing exuberance, Therese Way sashays across the rehearsal stage for Chicago. She shimmies. She slides. She does cartwheels in heels, never missing a note of her solo. Her comedic timing is perfect. You’d think she was a professional. That’s the goal of Summer on Stage, Arizona Theatre Company’s training program for high school…
Soundbites
Al Perry, visual artist; Ukulele-Fest; Monsoon Mania; and more!
Now Showing at Home
The Reef (Blu-ray); Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Blu-ray); Limitless (Blu-ray)
Keeping the Music Alive
When the snowbirds pack up for the summer, Tucson’s songbirds are just getting started. The Mixed Summer Chorus, a collection of 70 local singers from about a dozen different community and church choirs, will perform Friday after eight weeks of rehearsal. Terrie Ashbaugh, executive and artistic director of the Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus, started the…
Nine Questions
Roger McGuinn is best known as a founding member of the influential ’60s band The Byrds. Now 69 and living in Florida, McGuinn has a mission of keeping the folk music tradition alive—see his Folk Den project (www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/folkden-wp/) for free MP3s and lyrics. He just released a new album, CCD, a collection of traditional sea…
UFW’s Richard Chavez Dead
Tonight’s news on the death of Richard Chavez reminded me of the saying that death comes in threes. This past month, the Chicano community has lost three important figures — artist Gilbert “Magu” Luján, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, columnist and Los Angeles Times editor George Ramos and tonight, Richard Chavez, kid brother of Cesar Chavez,…
‘Hit so Hard’
While it looks like it’s still playing the festival circuit, I’m hoping Hit so Hard, a documentary about the career of Hole drummer Patty Schemel, will eventually make its way to our lovely Loft. Not that I really want to find myself sucked into Courtney Love interviews like a freak-show voyeur, but anything that tells…
