Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo.

Naturally

Tucson Mountain District Guided Bird Walk. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? If you’re going to find the answer to that age-old question anywhere, it’ll probably be on this 30-minute walk through the wash behind the Red Hills Visitor Center. Park volunteer John Higgins will guide the public on a tour to see woodpeckers, sparrows and other birds found among cacti and shrubbery. Interested parties may want to head over to part two of the walk at Sus Picnic area, where they may see specimens such as sirens and haws. Wear walking shoes, hats and sunscreens, and it’s not a bad idea to bring a water bottle and a trusty pair of binocs. 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. Red Hills Visitor Center at Saguaro National Park West, 2700 N. Kinney Road. Free with paid admission to the park.

Starfari. One of the only things that’s as truly “fun for all ages” as the International Wildlife Museum itself is looking up at a sky full of stars. Whether you’re looking at them as a scientist, an astrologer an artist or just someone with a thermos of hot chocolate and a heart full of wonder, stars are just really neat. Tucson Amateur Astronomy will have telescopes set up for the event, and there will also be nocturnal animal crafts, activities and an inflatable planetarium inside with animal constellation shows. Hooray! 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. International Wildlife Museum, 4800 W. Gates Pass Road. Included with museum admission ($10 adults, $7 military and seniors 62 and over, $5 kids 4 to 12, free for kids 3 and under. Free for museum members.)

Now Showing

Jingle Bell Rock. You don’t want to be a regular mom, do you? You wanna be a cool mom like Amy Poehler in Mean Girls. So grab your video camera and your pink sweat suit and head over to this local production, in which a Christmas Cheer Squad faces off with J.B. Coulson, head of the coal industry and certifiably anti-Christmas cheer and anti rock ’n’ roll. You have to be there to sing and dance along with the cheer squad—that is, unless you want evil to prevail. Your call. 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26 and Sunday, Dec. 3, 10 and 17. Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. $7 for kids, $10 for adults.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. They don’t make ’em like they used to, Doc. Now, we wouldn’t have thought to create a Bugs Bunny at the Symphony show, but now that it exists, we can’t stop thinking about how episodes like What’s Opera, Doc, Baton Bunny and Rhapsody Rabbit were always meant to be played in a symphony hall and accompanied by a full orchestra. George Daugherty, co-creator of the show, will be conducting. 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26. Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. $15 to $86.

Carnival of Illusion. Got a wedding? Anniversary? Date night? Birthday? UNbirthday? Just looking for a fun night out? Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed, the Tucson magicians behind this sweet, smart and cozy magic show, are back to give you the perfect way to spend a Saturday night, even if all you have to celebrate is that you have an open night to spend at a magic show. All of the seats are the good seats at their intimate venue, and they have a very special assistant named Harriette you won’t want to miss. 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave. $33 to $48.

Irish Christmas in America. Irish ballads, Celtic dancing, and a guy named Séamus? That’s right, the Irish are coming! There’s something about Ireland that just makes it seem a little bit more festive, year round, than the rest of the world. So get into the Christmas spirit with the talents of the award-winning Irish group Téada, featuring vocalists Séamus Begley and Sligo Niamh Farrell, piper Sean Gavin, keyboardist and dancer Samantha Harvey and harpist Grainne Hambly. Plus members of the Celtic Steps Irish Dance Academy, and probably at least one redhead! 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress. $20 to $30.

The Voice of the Prairie. This award-winning show tells stories of love, longing, loss and living rooms during the time in America’s history when families used to gather around their radios each night. There are more than 20 characters in the show, all portrayed by only three actors. It’s nonlinear and lovely, and features local actors Josh Parra, Christopher Young and Samantha Cormier. If that’s not a compelling enough description, then just know it was written by a man named John Olive, which sounds like a pseudonym John Oliver would use if he ever wanted to get into playwriting. 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. on Sundays, through Dec. 23. Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. $18 to $20.

Shop!

Holiday Gift Boutique. Yup, another one! But this one is gluten free! Held at Dedicated, the boutique will feature local artists selling their pieces and other unique vendors offering up their wares. C’mon, you know if you get your best friend that cute scarf from Target, she’s going to know exactly where you got it. So have your loved ones saying “Where did you GET that?!” in excitement this holiday season by checking out local events like this one—especially for Small Business Saturday. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. Dedicated., 4500 E. Speedway Blvd., suite 41. Free entry.

MOCAShop Holiday Market. What could be better than getting a ton of your Christmas shopping out of the way while supporting local businesses AND keeping your blood sugar up so you don’t get grumpy halfway through the day? How about enjoying MOCA for free all day? Not only will this Holiday Market include jewelry, ceramics, records, prints, frames and textile vendors, but it will also be host to food trucks, the local coffee collective, Altar and a Scented Leaf pop up! MOCA members also get mimosas and early-bird access to the market from 9 to 10 a.m. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. MOCA, 265 S. Church Ave. Free entry.

Annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair in Reid Park. We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it now, and we’ll probably say it again: You gotta start your holiday shopping, and it’s extra awesome if you do it locally. And this event will bring you 140 crafters, bakers and artisan soap makers (also jewelers, potters, photographers and everything you can imagine, including hand-painted sunglasses). Even if you don’t buy anything (and good luck trying to not buy anything), you can gawk at how talented your Southwest neighbors are and enjoy a beautiful afternoon at the park, right? 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 26. Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way, just west of the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center (best to enter at the Concert Place entrance from Country Club). Free.

IMC’s World Famous Rummage Sale! Get ready for some magical, musical money-saving fun. Instrumental Music Center has $99 clarinets! $20 ukuleles! $10 guitar straps! $5 metronomes and tuners! $1 drumstick sets! And a whole lot more stuff on sale. It is literally billed as “THE MOST FUN YOU’VE EVER HAD IN YOUR LIFE.” We here at the Weekly can’t guarantee that this will be true, but it seems pretty ballsy of them to make the claim, so it's gotta at least be worth checking out. It’s at the Speedway location only, and their Facebook event has a $10 off coupon, so be sure to pull that up on your phone during checkout. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 to Sunday, Nov. 26. Instrumental Music Store, 7063 E. Speedway Blvd. Free entry.

Celebrating Culture

Western Heritage Festival. To celebrate all of the reasons that Tucson is the best in the West, head over to Old Tucson, where—good news!—there is enough room in town for the two of us. Artists from Raices Taller 222, the city’s Latino-based, contemporary nonprofit art gallery/workshop/cooperative, will be there with special demos and exhibits. Also, local cultural group demos and the opportunity to get some holiday shopping done at all these neat vendors. Bring a donation to their Goodwill clothing drive or Salvation Army Toys for Tots drive to get two bucks off admission (on up to four admissions). 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 to Sunday, Nov. 26. Old Tucson, 201 S. Kinney Road. $18.95 for adults, $10.95 for kids four to 11.

American Indian Month Social. Celebrate the OG Americans and a rich tradition that has survived for thousands of years at this cultural celebration. See authentic artwork and crafts, hear traditional music and celebrate 15 tribal nations. Award-winning hoop dancer Cecil Manuel, a Tohono O’odham and Apache, will present the featured cultural presentation. Feel free to bring your cameras and video cameras, and enjoy the free parking and admission! 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, Saturday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 26. Sheraton Hotel Ballroom, 5151 E. Grant Road. Free.

IRC Presents: Cross-Cultural Refugee Panel. The Tucson branch of the International Rescue Committee is partnering with the Murphy-Wilmot Library to host the third part of this series, which features speakers from the refugee community. Hear firsthand stories of the multicultural group, hailing from all over the world, who have resettled into new homes in Tucson. Gain some perspective, learn about other cultures and get to know your neighbors all in one go. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Murphy-Wilmot Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road. Free.

Beyond the Wall. If you’re looking for a getaway where you can celebrate borderland culture and the people of both Mexico and the U.S., don’t miss this two-day festival in Nogales. It starts Friday night with an art exhibit featuring pieces by artists on both sides of the border, and continues Saturday with an all-day block party downtown north of the border preceding a concert and festival on the southern side. Fifteen-foot tall puppets will be parading through Nogales both nights, but on Saturday they’ll come together at the wall and connect neighbors across the border. 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. Nogales, AZ. Free, with donations gratefully accepted online.

Art

ArtNow! With Einar and Jamex De La Torre. This is definitely an example of a picture being worth a thousand words. Or in this case, the vibrantly colorful, gorgeously detailed and altogether stunning glass art by the De La Torre brothers is worth about a gazillion words. The two will be at MOCA talking about how how they create their pieces, and how they do it together. Take one look at their website (delatorresbros.com) and you’ll want to learn everything about them—and this is your chance! 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. MOCA, 265 S. Church Ave. Free for MOCA members, $10 nonmembers.

Desert Corridors and Royce Davenport at Tohono Chul. Two new exhibitions went on display at Tohono Chul earlier this month. Desert Corridors explores the natural superhighways that creatures of all shapes, sizes and species use to travel across the great state of Arizona. In taking a look at the beaten path that isn’t always obvious to us humans, the exhibit examines where animals are going and where they came from. Royce Davenport’s art of Vail uses everything from sardine tins to saguaro ribs to mouse traps to create his wonderfully wacky folk art creations. Desert Corridors shows through Feb. 7, with a curator’s talk on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. Davenport’s art shows through Jan. 7. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. $13 adults, $10 seniors/students/military, $3 children five to 12, free for members and kids under 5.

Holi-yays

Enchanted Snowfall. Get ready to get walkin’. And we’re not talkin’ just any old walkin’. You gotta get ready to go walkin’ in a winter wonderland! Many people aren’t aware that, due to an anomaly in Southwestern weather patterns, it snows every Friday and Saturday from Nov. 24 to Dec. 23, and only at La Encantada Shopping Center. It’s no use trying to understand the science behind the event, so just stop by and soak up the magic with a cup of piping hot cocoa and some live music. 6 and 6:45 p.m. every Friday and Saturday until Saturday, Dec. 23. Begins this Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25. La Encantada Shopping Center. 2905 E. Skyline Drive. Free.

Krampus Bedtime Christmas Scarol Tour. The RavenHearse Family Classic Haunt, Trail Dust Town’s resident spookiness supplier, is dishing up a helping of that alt. holiday, frighteningly festive, Nightmare Before Christmas-esque spirit. It’s Krampus, the half-demon, half-goat, all-terrifying folklore figure comes around during the holiday season to punish all of the children who have been naughty during the year, and during RavenHearse visits, will also be available for photo ops. 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Saturday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Jan. 7. RavenHearse Family Classic Haunts, Pinnacle Peak and Trail Dust Down, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road, #26. $5 Haunt admission, $10 Krampus photo ops.

Black Fur-Day SpeedAThon. What could be merrier than a terrier? Or more jolly than a collie? Nothing! So treat yourself to that recreating that scene in Lady and the Tramp where she opens a present on Christmas morning and finds a dog, but do it on Black Friday instead. Pima Animal Care Center is doing FREE pet adoptions at their Amado location, and every pet will go home with a free pet starter kit. There will be more than 30 animals available for adopting, and inanimate stuff like foods, toys and treats will all be 25 percent off. Plus free Sonoran hot dogs, a DJ, giveaways and raffle baskets! Two Petco stores in town (5625 E. River Road and 585 E. Wetmore Road) will also be doing PACC adoptions for the day. Festivities are Friday only, but the waived fees at PACC go through Monday, Nov. 27. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Road. Free.

Sweat!

Stilts on Sundays. We’d be lying if we said we’d never fantasized about how fun it would be to walk and dance around on stilts, and we think you would be too. Not sure where to start? Right here! Beginners and all-ages are welcome at this class to get you going from baby giraffe to graceful gazelle (if gazelles had legs as long as giraffes). Reps from Tucson Circus Arts will go over form, fitness, acrobatics, sculpture, four-legged (no idea—we’ll have to go to find out!) and parade skills. They’ll also have loaner stilts available if you don’t just happen to have a pair lying around the house. Beginners should include shoe size in their RSVP. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. Himmel Park, 1000 N. Tucson Blvd. $15.

POUND at Reid Park. Make sure you bring some water to this one, a drumming-inspired cardio jam session that’s gonna have you swingin’, swayin’ and sweatin’. Especially sweating. It’s going to be sweaty. Your muscles will burn, your heart will pound, your Thanksgiving meal will start to burn off and maybe…just maybe…you’ll actually have fun. Bring water (as stated), a yoga mat and $5 cash, but Stay Fit With Olivia will provide the sticks. The class will be next to the big lake. 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. $5.

Nightcrawler

B.A.M! French rock combo EXP and Texas hip-hop crew The Word Association formed Binary Audio Misfits (B.A.M!) several years back. “I ain’t met a man who could break me/So I’ll be damned if I let a nation shake me/I think and feel outside the flag.” Yes, outside the mold and the genre, too. This is indie rock-rap, a blast-out fusion of bilingual word salad, atop glacial instrumentation. At their worst, B.A.M! is the downside of both genres—amelodic and tedious. But when they’re on, the dynamic interplay of cultures and styles exhilarates. With the slow, deliberate flow of a Brother Ali disciple, and the light staccato of Serge Gainsbourgh-y spoken word, the music melds virtuosic scratching with persistent chugga-chang guitar riffs. Fuck “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” this is “Get Loud or Get Dyin” music—new, fresh and tres tres chouette. Monday, Nov. 27 at The Flycatcher, 340 E. Sixth St. Doors at 9 p.m. 21+. Free.—B.S. Eliot

Bryan Thomas Parker. With the rousing, shambolic spirit of Flogging Molly and the whiskey-loosened No Depression roots of early Uncle Tupelo, Tucson’s own Bryan Thomas Parker takes no prisoners, calling out exactly how we got here: “Do you see the tree of liberty/Bleeding bloody tears from years of inequality?” Anthemic, Irish fight-song acoustics uphold a gritty voice that speaks, sings or shouts as content dictates. There’s Johnny Cashian mayhem when Parker plugs in, reaching full-tilt hellbilly as he pushes past primal instincts of survival, daring anarchy to reign like Captain Dan calling down God on the ladder of that great big fishing boat. “Well I don’t know where the next time will be … just gimme gimme blackberry wine.” With Brokedown Palace and Half Broke Town on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The Flycatcher, 340 E. Sixth St. Doors at 9 p.m. 21+. Free.—B.S. Eliot


Molotov. Bringing together the sonic fury of rock and the cutting urban wordplay of rap, Mexico City’s Molotov have been stepping to their own beat since 1995. Their lyrics, which juxtapose satire and debauchery alongside scathing social commentary, have incited controversy. Following an alleged incident in 2013 when a gay Chilean teenager, Esteban Navarro, was viciously attacked by six anti-gay assailants shouting anti-gay epithets and wielding knives, iron bars and a machete, pressure came down from LGBT activists to drop the word “maricon”(loosely, “faggot”) from one of their most popular songs, “Puto.” Molotov balked: “Our music gives a voice to people who aren’t in a position to do so for themselves...It was never meant to disrespect the gay community.” Molotov have recorded nine studio albums, including the latest, 2en1 (2017). Politically correct? They have sold over 3 million records being not so. But what would the world of rap rock be without insulting someone? “Frijolero,” off Dance and Dense Denso (2003), is an exchange in which characters trade racially charged insults. ([In Spanish, frijolero means “beaner.”) The American character is described as a “pinche gringo puñetero.” (Roughly, “fucking white boy wanker.”) Tongue-in-cheek humor? You be the judge. With Simpson A Huevo on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. Doors at 7 p.m. $40-$45. All Ages.—Xavier Otero

Great American Tragedy. The winter sun falls early lately and it gets harder to shake that Sonoran chill in the bones. Days are filled of easy, cheap regrets, and you’re broke but you thank any god you’ve ever heard of for the wine and the back-up bottle in your kitchen, and maybe Great American Tragedy. The soothing lo-fi of a pining man and his acoustic guitar offers sonic protection with the gentleness of Sun Kil Moon and the sad melodic harmonies of solo Crosby, Still & Nash. Songwriter Alex Scheitinger reminds you how true comfort comes from taking solace in someone else’s sadness, in someone else’s nostalgia. “Silhouette I see you there, quite beyond compare.” Everyone he longs for is already a ghost. Like Nash, Scheitinger wisely and subtly pairs down to serve the spare beauty of his songs, and the moments they exist in. With Texas T Trash and Dirty Magic, Friday, Nov. 24. 191 Toole, 191 Toole Ave. Doors at 8 p.m. 21+. Free.—B.S. Eliot

Sammy Wilk. If you’re a white dude from Omaha, a fake Jamaican Patois probably ain’t OK. At least on record. You might roll mad blunts and sip 40s with other Nebraskans, but those deliberate “goddamns” are as convincing as Mouseketeers flipping birds. Still, it’s hard to hate Sammy Wilk; he’s an internet “personality”––so what do we get? There’s an inexplicable Wilk clothing line because a million Twitter and Instagram followers can’t be wrong. He stiffly rhymes with his buddy on Sammy and Skate singles, and there’s a laughably bad romantic beach video (“Aye Ma”) that makes Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” classy. Wilk does bestow a portion of his proceeds to help a Sierra Leone school “break the cycle of poverty,” and, despite zero authenticity, he seems surprisingly sincere. But don’t blame him: His celebrity is merely a sign that doomsday is here, a final shiny ornament atop our glittery tower of babble. With Derek Luh on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. $20-$80. All ages. —B.S. Eliot

Thriftworks. Since the age of 16, electronic music producer Jake Atlas (aka Thriftworks) has been splicing together dark glitch, electronic ephemera, eclectic samples, trippy psychedelic effects and the bass-soaked thump of hip hop to create his unique sound. On The Feather & The Sword (2017), Thriftwork’s futuristic instrumentation weaves a tapestry of baroque soundscapes full of bass heavy synth riff, the percussive sound of steel pipes clacking together in time or eerie vocal samples that ensnare the listener? Beautifully strange. Undeniably, there is something unsettling about the single “Flapjack’s Revenge.” Like occult communications between spirits during psychomancy. At a slower BPM, yet equally as hypnotic, “Bone Roaster’s Anthem” is a downtempo groove seemingly made for dance-floor escapism. It may take more than one listen to excavate through all the dense layers of sound on this recording, which is drawing comparisons to glitch hop artists Russ Liquid and Vibesquad. Thriftworks brings his outside-the-box sound with Lance Rand, Noodleworks and TOT on Saturday, Nov. 25. 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Ave. Doors at 9 p.m. $10-$20. 18 and over.—Xavier Otero

Does cutting the power of teacher unions, cutting teacher salaries and reducing tenure and seniority rights— all ingredients in the conservative recipe for educational success—make for better education? Let's take a look at Wisconsin, one of the country's experiments in conservative governance.

In 2011, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that reduced the bargaining rights of K-12 teachers as well as other government employees. It also prohibited payroll deductions for union dues. Teachers and other state employees could still bargain over their pay, but they couldn't bargain over other benefits, hours or conditions of employment. The amount the state contributed to health care and retirement plans decreased.

That same year, Wisconsin's K-12 spending was cut by seven percent. The idea was, teachers would absorb the cuts with their lowered compensation, so the children would get the same education at a lower cost, while lack of seniority, tenure and other teacher protections would allow the state to get rid of underperforming teachers.

How has it all worked out? In 2016, teacher compensation was down 12.6 percent. The decrease is mostly in the form of lowered benefits, but a salary cut is a salary cut. If teachers have to spend more of their pay on health care and retirement, that means their take-home pay takes a significant hit. The number of teachers moving from district to district increased, with more experienced teachers moving from lower income to higher income districts which could pay more. Rural districts were especially hard hit by the teacher drain, which led to an increase in the number of low-experience teachers.

In terms of test scores, in high income districts which made up for the loss of state funds with local revenues, student scores either remained stable or increased. Scores in lower income districts decreased.

Do you have a heaping helping of grease laying around your house and have an unrelenting need to get rid of it?

Well, if so then you're in luck, as Pima County's Wastewater Reclamation Department is hosting its 13th annual Grease Collection and Recycling event at spots across the county on Jan. 6.

Interested grease donors can rid themselves of their translucent goo at any of the county's five stops—O'Rielly Chevrolet (6160 E. Broadway), City Council Ward 3 Office (1510 E. Grant Road), Pima Community College-Northwest Campus (7600 N. Shannon Road), Kino Sports Complex (2500 E. Ajo Way) and Sahuarita Town Hall Complex (375 W. Sahuarita Center Way).

Grease—including fats and oils—can plug up drains and cause sewer backups in homes, businesses and city streets. These collection events allow the great people of Pima County to disavow themselves of said unpleasantries, while alleviating any messy sanitation situations as well.

The grease collection event has collected more than 30,000 pounds of grease since it was introduced in 2005, with the mass then recycled into biodiesel, which is a cleaner burning fuel than regular diesel. 

The Star's Hank Stephenson has a good front page article in the Sunday paper about the controversial high school course created by UA's Koch-funded "Freedom Center." It presents an overview of the course and the districts using it, with all sides getting a chance to have their say. I'm pleased to see the Star getting the story out to a wider audience, most of whom have never heard of the Center or the two year old high school course.

Which makes me wonder. Why didn't the Freedom Center publicize the high school course when it was first taught in 2016? A call to the Star undoubtedly would have earned the Center some positive press about itself and the course it created. So far as I can tell, my column in a recent issue of the Weekly was the first mention of the course in the local press. The mentions I've seen elsewhere are a glowing account on the website of the Templeton Foundation, which gave the Center a $2.9 million grant to create and disseminate the course, and a negative review of the course textbook on another site. Even Tucson Unified's board members knew nothing about the course's existence. I first heard about it a month ago from Betts Putnam-Hidalgo, who is a diligent district watchdog and a friend who I disagree with adamantly on some issues and agree with on others. She and some other people have been looking into the course for awhile.

Why is the Freedom Center so publicity shy? My guess is, it prefers to fly under the radar whenever possible. The Center is all about furthering its libertarian agenda in Arizona's universities and high schools. More public recognition could make it harder to maneuver.

The high school course was the subject of a half hour informational discussion at Tucson Unified's November 14 board meeting. Two main questions were raised. First, why was the course authorized by the district administration without the knowledge of the board? Second, now that the board knows of the course's existence, should it officially authorize the course and allow it to continue being taught in the district, or is the curriculum questionable enough that the district should discontinue the course at the end of the school year? The board plans to make some final decisions at its December 5 meeting. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I want to bring up another issue: the troubling origins of the course.

In my years as a high school teacher and an observer of the national public school scene, I can't remember hearing of a course which was created out of whole cloth by some agency outside the schools. It certainly isn't standard procedure for a university department—or in this case, a university "center"—to receive a multimillion dollar grant for the purpose of developing a brand new high school course, complete with curriculum, a new textbook written in house, and training provided by the Center for the people who will teach the course. Nothing is left to chance here. Every aspect of the course is a product of UA's Freedom Center.

The Salvation Army of Southern Arizona has a message of good news as Thanksgiving fast approaches.

The nonprofit, which gives out free turkey dinners each year, had a serious problem coming into this week.

They were well short of the number of birds necessary to feed the masses—with 40 turkeys as of Monday to feed an expected crowd of 2,000 people on Thursday.

Well, the good news is that after our post on the subject on Monday, turkeys came metaphorically flowing in by the handful.

Salvation Army of Southern Arizona Public Relations Director Corey Leith reports that more than 800 turkeys showed up at their doorstep on Tuesday alone.

In addition to the sudden helping of avian deliciousness, the William and Mary Ross Foundation donated $15,000 to cover the Thanksgiving meal costs and any equipment purchased for the meal, according to Leith.

Last year, by comparison, the center had 300 turkeys, feeding 1,600 people in total.

More than 250 volunteers have signed up to help prepare and cook the turkey feast, with more than 600 Thanksgiving meals delivered to homebound residents.

Donations are still being accepted at the Hospitality House, including turkeys, canned green beans, instant box potatoes, butter, already cooked assorted pies, yams, eggs, cranberry sauce, turkey stuffing, loafs of bread, brown gravy and cartons of milk.

Leith expressed gratitude the community for its overwhelming response for Thursday's event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army Hospitality House, 1002 N. Main Ave.

"We would like to thank the Tucson community for their generous donations," Leith said in an email to Tucson Weekly.

Major Dawn Rocheleau, director of special services Tucson Metro, expressed a similar level of thanks to the community for helping those less fortunate, so they can have a great Thanksgiving experience.

"We want the community to know what types of resources we provide for those in need," Rocheleau said. "This could not be done without the support from the people in Tucson."

For more information, contact The Hospitality House at (520) 795-9671, or at the Salvation Army's website.

Hi there. I'm Sweetie!

I am a 5 month old female kitten searching for the purr-fect home! I have a lot of energy and love to play! I would do best as your only cat so that I can get all of your love and attention. In the past

I have done well with older kids and small dogs.

I am able to enjoy my time at HSSA while I wait for my forever family thanks to events like SWEAT for PETS. To learn more about this fun event and make a donation visit www.sweatforpetstucson.org. Come fall in love with me at HSSA Thrift Store at 5311 E. Speedway Blvd., or give an adoptions counselor a call at 520-327-6088 x155 for more information.

Lots of Purrs,
Sweetie (848282)

Ralph Terry was shocked when he heard there would be protests over Steve Bannon being the keynote speaker and award recipient at the Brian Terry Foundation annual award dinner.

The Foundation chose Steve Bannon as keynote speaker and recipient of the Brian Terry Courage in Journalism and Reporting Award because of Breitbart’s reporting on “Operation Fast and Furious,” a botched U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms gunrunning investigation into the movement of guns to Mexican drug cartels during which U.S. officials lost track of the guns.

Brian Terry was a Border Patrol agent who was shot in 2010 while looking for members of a suspected drug cartel. A semi-automatic rifle recovered at the scene was tracked back to a gun lost during the Fast and Furious investigation.

The Foundation is not a political group, said Ralph, the foundation’s president and Brian’s uncle. He hadn’t thought about Bannon being called a white nationalist, but that he was “a key player in President Trump’s election,” Ralph said during an interview with the Tucson Weekly.

“It’s unfortunate when any group has to start putting labels on people—‘white nationalist,’ ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We all matter,” he said.

The Foundation raises money for the families of Border Patrol agents killed on duty and toward scholarships for people pursuing careers in law enforcement or criminal justice. It has awarded 40 scholarships, and Ralph says he hears from people that it changed their lives.

The Terry family had a hard time finding closure after Brian’s murder because the government was not forthcoming with information, Ralph said.

“Mr. Bannon kept right on top of that for us and kept it in the public eye, and we appreciate that,” he said. “To smear the Foundation because they may or may not agree with that person’s politics is below the line that I want to go.”

At the Starr Pass Marriott resort last night, there were a few protesters holding signs calling Bannon a Nazi, but shuttles whisked guests of the foundation right past them with little disturbance.

It took the family 18 months to get information about what happened to Brian, said former Congressman Ron Barber, who spoke at the Foundation’s first luncheon and presented a Congressional Badge of Bravery to the family. Barber said the Foundation does great work, but the choice to give Bannon an award is another matter.

“I do not support that Steve Bannon should receive an award or be at the event,” he said. “I, personally, would think he doesn’t deserve an award of any kind.”

The next week should be a busy one. Between trying to avoid the El Tour de Tucson route, hanging out with (or protesting against) Steve Bannon—and maybe his local, exclamation point-loving brother—and everything else this sunny city has to offer right now, I can't image anyone is going to have much time to hang out at home and watch movies with their cats.

... but just in case you do manage to squeeze in a few low key hours at home, here are the top 10 rentals at Casa Video right now:

The Dark Tower

Wonder Woman

War for the Planet of the Apes

“I'm busier in my career than I have ever been in my entire life,” says Baltimore septuagenarian John Waters, the author, stand-up comedian, satirist, paradigm smasher, movie auteur and, not least, his hometown’s Statue of Liberty. He styles himself as “The People’s Pervert.”

Waters brings his annual, one-man Christmas show to the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tickets are $30 to $110 at rialtotheatre.com. The show’s parental advisory portends laughs guaranteed to up-end taste, decorum and firmly held beliefs of all kinds.

“I just want people to fear Christmas. It's extreme! It's coming and you can't escape it, no matter what religion you are or what your politics are or anything. You have to have an opinion about it. You have to spend money!”

Just in time, Make Trouble, Waters’ 2015 commencement speech to the Rhode Island School of Design has been released in limited edition, 7” red vinyl by Jack White’s label, Third Man. The speech earlier went viral online, then became an illustrated gift book published by Algonquin.

“I've lived my life to be a stocking stuffer!”

The joke is that he devotes his Christmas show to subverting the season’s excesses. He works up to the minute on timely content for each performance, writing with hilarious and pan-themic irreverence for the season’s tropes. Regarding dangerous toy lists, e.g.: “My friend used to give her daughter plastic bags to play with from the cleaner, and the child loved it. ‘You just watch them,’ she said. You have to watch your children.”

When he’s not touring, Waters’ days are filled with other creative pursuits and live appearances. He has made a dozen movies and published nearly as many books but, like the commencement speech, he says, “I love to get all my work re-invented all the time.” He notes that his 1970 film Multiple Maniacs came out again this year, restored by the Criterion Collection—another stocking-stuffer alert.

Waters’ career would have made history had it ended with his 1972 film, Pink Flamingos. That movie, his second, at once defined and subverted the exploitation genre. His Hairspray has been a megahit in every medium, from the Broadway stage to children’s books and multiple internet sites. While the HBO sequel hasn’t yet been financed, it’s written, and production may be inevitable.

“I'm still participating in that business,” Waters says. “Hollywood's been fair to me. My movies satirized all the things that used to be in movies. But I don't really satirize special effects.”

I enjoy Facebook. I really do. I find myself there every day I'm near a computer, usually many times a day. I very much enjoy watching the children of young families (and I'm of an age when most families are young) growing up. I also enjoy mixing it up with smart people who keep me and everyone else honest, until ad hominem attacks start flying, that is, at which time I leave the scene. I like putting my Range posts up so people who don't visit the Weekly site regularly can link to what I'm writing if they're interested. I can do without the "This is what I'm eating" and "This is what I look like an hour after the last time I showed you what I looked like" posts. I scroll past those quickly. No harm, no foul.

But Facebook is also a stinking cesspool of misinformation and propaganda. No matter your political or social viewpoint, you'll find posts designed to make you hate others who are on the other side of an issue, and even hate people who don't care about it quite as passionately as you do. Evil forces did everything they could to use Facebook to undermine our last elections, with the Russian government leading the way. Today we learned Britain's Brexit vote was most likely tainted by the same hands in the same way, which lots of us suspected already. And Zuckerberg & Co. aren't doing a whole lot to fix things.

There's not much I can do to change Facebook. I can protest by taking my page down and exiting the virtual gathering place entirely, but that wouldn't accomplish much of anything except rob me of a little bit of pleasure. So I've decided to make a token protest. I have declared every Friday will be Facebook-Free Friday. Nobody cares that I won't be hanging around Friday, least of all Mark Zuckerberg. But I have a feeling, if Zuckerberg saw his numbers drop dramatically Friday as part of a one-day-a-week boycott, he'd make an effort to fix the problems driving people away. He's no fool. He understands his empire is built on people showing up. If they decide to leave en masse, he's got nothing.