Cover Story
America’s Worst Politicians
King George III was “a Tyrant… unfit to be the ruler of a free people,” Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence exactly 238 years ago this week. Tommy had it right. Ever since then, Americans have been calling out their leaders. “Tyrant” was just the start. We’ve moved on to crook (Nixon), liar…
Heroic Cocktails at Comic-Con
Plenty of folks from our burg are making the trek to San Diego for Comic-Con (including the Weekly’s Henry Barajas) to soak up comics, films, anime, celebrities and more. Comic-Con takes place from July 24 through July 27 at the San Diego Convention Center. In typical PR fashion, a couple of establishments have concocted some…
Puggles for People
Meet Gus. Gus is a puggle. What is a puggle, you ask? A puggle is a crossbreed dog where one parent is a beagle and the other parent is a pug. As of the writing of this post, Gus is available for adoption at Arizona Puggle Rescue, the only puggle rescue organization in the state. APR…
Wish Max Cannon a Happy, Happy Birthday
Tucson is the home to one of the most prolific cartoonists in the industry. It won’t be until Max Cannon is worm chow when we truly appreciate the genius that is Red Meat. Thankfully, the man with a van is celebrating his birthday today. Max has been graciously giving us a weekly comic strip for the…
Transgender Advocacy Group Returns to its Roots Following Wingspan Split
The Southern Arizona Gender Alliance issued a press release this morning announcing it will separate from Tucson’s LGBT community center and return to how it all started—”as an independent grassroots organization.” This past year, the Weekly has reported on different challenges facing Wingspan—a series of staff firings and management issues, and then concerns that transphobia…
Grijalva Did Not Say Buses Were Scheduled To Arrive In Oracle Tuesday
I’ve heard in a few places that Rep. Raul Grijalva indicated buses with immigrant children were scheduled to arrive in Oracle Tuesday but that they wouldn’t arrive. I called Grijalva’s office. Someone in the office confirmed that Grijalva received a one line message from Health and Human Services saying no buses would arrive in Oracle…
Daily Show’s Jon Stewart Tears Into Protesters of Migrant Children Shelters
The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive As only he can, Jon Stewart points out the hypocrisy of those on the far right demonstrating in front of buses of Central American migrant children and our elected officials pontificating on the floors of Congress—completely missing the basic principles…
Antigone Books’ Best-Sellers
Antigone Books’ best-sellers for the week ending July 11, 2014: 1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou ($6.99) 2. Goldfinch Donna Tartt ($30) 3. The Fault in Our Stars John Green ($12.99) 4. Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist Tim Federle ($15) 5. The Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert ($17)…
AZ Rep. Adam Kwasman Mistakes YMCA Campers for Migrants
I think we can all unanimously agree that Tuesday’s gathering in Oracle wasn’t Arizona’s proudest hour. Our bloggers James Hudson and David Safier made the trip and grabbed some photos from the gathering, but I imagine we can totally concur that the Republic’s Brahm Resnik struck gold. Republican congressional candidate Adam Kwasman was caught describing the concern he witnessed…
Tiny Mix Tapes Debuts Steff & the Articles’ Latest Single
Steff & The Articles have a busy summer on their hands. The local progressive piano-pop band will soon embark on a west coast tour soon. They are playing a free concert (must be 21 and older to attend) with other local favorites The Electric Blankets and Sorry About the Garden at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2 at Club…
Watch Kacy Catanzaro Kick Ass on American Ninja Warrior
Meet Kacy Catanzaro. She is a 5-foot gymnast that only weighs 100-pounds. Catanzaro broke some records on the NBC sports entertainment television, American Ninja Warrior. She became the first woman to complete the demanding “Warrior Wall” and qualify for the Mount Midoriyama challenge in Las Vegas. After she completed the course, her boyfriend/coach climbed the Wall…
The Oracle Standoff Is Over For Now
The people protesting against immigrant children being housed in the Oracle area was 4 miles down the road. I spent 3 hours as part of the bienvenidos group welcoming the children to stay and be cared for until the next step of their journey. The buses didn’t show, so the day ended as a standoff.…
Benjamin Needs a Home
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents, Benjamin, a 2-year-old, male, Catahoula mixReference no.: 82802 Benjamin is simply the best! This happy, lovable sidekick makes every day wonderful. Benjamin adores people and other dogs. Plus, he has terrific manners and an endless eagerness to please. He’s got the perfect amount of energy for someone who…
Central American Minors Pushed North by Poverty, Violence, Hopes for Refuge
By Emilie Eaton Cronkite News Service ARRIAGA, Chiapas, Mexico – As night falls, Samuel Carcamo, in a gray button-up shirt and cuffed jeans, stands on the tracks with dozens of other migrants waiting to climb on top of the northbound freight known as “The Train of Death.” A native of El Salvador, he is already…
Brian Lopez to Perform 2 Shows at Hotel Congress in Celebration of ‘Static Noise’
Good news for Brian Lopez fans. We have been keeping up with the local singer/songwriter’s antics lately, and he has a lot to say. Lopez is not only a talented musician, but he’s a prolific tweeter. I think he discovered the true meaning behind Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” 90’s hit that launched her career. Listening to Christina Aguilera…
New UAMC Clinic Offers Free Hep C Screenings
Although the Arizona Department of Health Services does not offer free, state-funded hepatitis screenings, there’s a local free alternative—the Liver Institute at the University of Arizona Medical Center currently offers free hepatitis C screenings. According to a report from the UA Department of Medicine, people with Hep C often have no symptoms. Thomas D. Boyer,…
Migrant Children Shelter Supporters Clash with Protesters in Oracle, AZ
James Hudson A couple dozen Tucsonans met at 5:30 am this morning at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson to caravan up to Oracle, AZ, as part of a nonviolent counter-protest of sorts, showing support to the refugee children who are rumored to be arriving at Oracle’s Sycamore Canyon Boys Ranch. James Hudson By 6:45am, Oracle’s…
‘Hopped Up’ Features Tap & Bottle
Local filmmakers Charles Lynch and Nathan Lee are in the local craft beer business, and business is booming. The latest episode of Hopped Up highlights Tap & Bottle, 403 N 6th Ave #135. Lynch interviews the downtown bottle shop owners Rebecca and Scott, and talks to Vickee and Sarah of Girls’ Pint Out. Click here to check out previous episodes…
Watch The New ‘Doctor Who’ Trailer
The BBC released the first Doctor Who trailer on Sunday. Unfortunately, the series won’t debut until Saturday, Aug. 23. So why wait if you can just watch a rough cut of the first episode right now? Apparently, someone at the BBC Latin America headquarters in Miami leaked a rough black and white copy that was in the…
Fred DuVal Throws Down The Gauntlet On School Funding
A Maricopa County judge ruled that the legislature has to add over $300 million to Arizona’s education funding immediately and as much as $2.9 billion over the next 5 years. No surprise, Republicans are balking. “We don’t have the money!” “We don’t owe that much!” And their old favorite from awhile back: “We’re not paying!…
THMS Badgers Could Use Some Help
If you’re a Tucson High Magnet School alum or supporter with some love in your heart for those Badgers, a letter that went out recently from the football booster club president asking for your help with the high school’s football program. Specifically they could those brown things that every football game needs—footballs: Badger Alumni and…
The American Federation of Teachers (Almost) Calls For Arne Duncan’s Resignation
First it was the National Education Association (NEA) calling for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s resignation at its recent national convention. Now it’s the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joining in, with a twist. The AFT isn’t calling on Duncan to resign — yet. Its resolution calls for an improvement plan for Duncan. RESOLVED, that the AFT…
Tucson Streetcar Facebook Parody “CLITT” Page Has City Fuming
City of Tucson officials are seeing red over a modern streetcar parody Facebook page, “Ride the CLITT,” which has exploded since its creation over the weekend, tallying up over 1800 “likes.” The fake page will more than likely surpass the popularity of the official Tucson Modern Streetcar Facebook page by Monday afternoon. Before the source…
CD2: McSally Reports Raising More Than $653,000 in Second Quarter
Republican Martha McSally, who is seeking to unseat Congressman Ron Barber (D-CD2) this year, reported raising a staggering $653,107 in the second quarter of 2014. That’s McSally’s best three-month quarter to date and about $100,000 more than the $550,000 Barber reported raising last week. It’s the fourth quarter in which McSally has outraised Barber. Over…
Tommy Ramone, Last Surviving Original Member of The Ramones, Dies at 62
From the official Ramones Facebook page: We are saddened to announce the passing of Tommy Ramone (nee Erdelyi), the original drummer for the Ramones, earlier today, 11 July 2014. “It wasn’t just music in The Ramones: it was an idea. It was bringing back a whole feel that was missing in rock music — it…
Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers to Headline Friday Night HoCo Fest
The Club Congress Facebook page announced it’s first some news regarding the upcoming HoCo Festival on Friday, Aug. 29. HOCO Fest will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary with performances by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, The Soft White Sixties, Witch Mountain, Ian Moore, Matt Ellis, Hedersleben, Fuzz Evil and Chamber. Photo courtesy…
Watch the ‘Hand vs. Liquid Nitrogen’ Video to Burn Time
The smart scientist says you shouldn’t try this at home. Apparently, the Leidenfrost effect only works for him. The Leidenfrost effect is the formation of a gas barrier between a hot surface and a boiling liquid if the temperature difference is great enough. This gas barrier greatly slows the heat transfer between the two and allows…
Ruling Gives More Funding To Arizona Schools
Image courtesy of shutterstock.com In a long-awaited ruling — and one long-feared by Republicans — Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled that the legislature has to add $317 million to K-12 funding in Arizona right now and something on the order of $2.9 billion over the next five years. This goes back to…
Tucson’s Top 10 Neighborhoods for Renters, per Huffington Post
JAMES HUDSON The votes have been counted, and Downtown Tucson bested all in “Tucson’s Top 10 Neighborhoods Renters Love Most,” according to an article posted today on The Huffington Post. “Downtown Tucson is where Southwestern culture meets modern amenities.” The urban hub is described as the “perfect neighborhood for the culture vulture — music, museums,…
Neko Case And Kelly Hogan Duet From Space
Neko Case and Kelly Hogan dress up as Star Wars and Star Trek characters (movie authentic, of course) for this hilarious track “These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For” that will be collected in the “2776: A Millennium of American Asskickery,” compilation. Try to spot all the 80+ comedians and actors in the background. I can’t wait…
Education Leaders And Top Democrats Part Company
Last week, the National Education Association held its annual convention. Biggest news: they passed a resolution asking Arne Duncan, Obama’s Secretary of Education, to resign. Second biggest news: the NEA’s new president is Lily Eskelsen Garcia — she began as a cafeteria worker and went on to become Utah’s Teacher of the Year — who…
4th Ave Food Fest
Cross your fingers so it doesn’t rain tomorrow afternoon. The Friday Food Fest is taking place from 4 to 8 p.m., starting at East University Boulevard and North Fourth Avenue. Local food vendors, merchants and musicians play every week alongside the east side of Fourth Ave., until East Fifth Street. One of the local bands…
Al Jazeera Interview With Fired UA Marijuana Researcher
The University of Arizona fired Assistant Professor Sue Sisley before she could start her research on the possible beneficial effects marijuana can have for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. Brad Poole, new Medical MJ columnist, covered the unfortunate news in this week’s print edition. But her firing (her contract is up this fall) would not be a death knell…
Go See David Kish’s Art Exhibit at Joel D. Valdez Library
For the last 14 years, fine artist and cartoonist David Kish has been drawing his prolific weekly comic, Hoopleville. I met Kish at the Tucson Weekly booth during the Tucson Comic-Con last November. I had never come across him, but had an approximation of who he was based on what I have read in the newspaper.…
The Buffet Bar Creates the Most “Tucson” Facebook Post Ever
The Buffet Bar “If anyone sees Terry Trash let him know that we have his arm.” That’s so Tucson, times infinity. And with that photo, The Buffet Bar made just about the most authentically “Tucson” Facebook post I can recall, even earning bonus points for being non food-related. Amusing on its own, without any knowledge…
Nine On The Line
“Da Pizza Guy” may sound like the nickname of a mafia boss, but in fact, Rocco DiGrazia is the don of Chicago deep-dish pizza here in Tucson. Not to mention the Capo di tutti capi of streetside signs (no disrespect, The Shelter). He has been bringing a real taste of Chicago and his unique outlook…
Coal Be Gone
Claudio Rodriguez grew up in the Los Niños neighborhood south of Irvington Road and east of Alvernon Way, but it wasn’t until he moved to a different area of Tucson that he noticed a stench that hangs in the air. The source, he thinks, is the smokestack that hangs over that busy corner against the…
Nine Questions
Austin Alexander Counts is currently the owner and operator of the 4th Avenue Delicatessen. You might also know Counts from his award-winning student documentary “Another Side of the Border” on border issues in 2010. The UA alumnus has writen for the Nogales International, Arizona Daily Star and, most importantly, the Tucson Weekly. What was the first concert…
Troop Support
Congressman Ron Barber’s reelection team last week unveiled a group of veterans who are endorsing the Democratic incumbent as he seeks a second full term this year. Flanked by about 10 veterans at downtown’s El Presidio Park, Barber said that too many veterans were not finding the help they needed when they came home from…
Noshing Around
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE A place named after unbearable heat, Dante’s Fire, is cutting the service industry folks a break during the grueling summer months. After 11 p.m. seven nights a week, Dante’s is offering everyone in the food and drink game an employee discount (20 percent off food) as well as a late night…
The Beveled Ark
If you lost an object on the streets of Tucson in the last quarter century, there’s a chance you may see it again in The Beveled Ark, a creation of found objects that have been assembled into motion as a vessel. On display and in movement at Mat Bevel’s Museum of Kinetic Art, this is…
Primer
WHO ARE THEY While they’re poster children for the perils of ’90’s alt-rock success—hit it big with a distinctive track, have some label issues, release a follow-up album that doesn’t quite connect, disappear and re-appear in the decades to follow, particularly in those decade/genre package tours—Illinois duo Local H deserves more credit then say Better…
Mars Madness
Author Ray Bradbury, known for writing about Mars and places beyond our physical grasp, got his writing start at the age of 12 right here in Tucson. In 1995, he told the Weekly’s Jim Nintzel about his humble beginnings: “My parents gave me a primitive, $6 typewriter for Christmas in 1932 and I began to…
Soundbites
WEIGHT IN GOLD PT. 1 The build-up to the release of La Cerca’s new album Sunrise for Everyone on Fort Lowell Records (label owner James Tritten may have moved to North Carolina, but his label is still representing for Tucson; a Naïm Amor album follows in October) has already begun ahead of the release date…
A Story to Tell
Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, Odyssey Storytelling has presented a wide variety of stories told by plucky Tucsonans willing to share their life experiences. Each month, stories are told based on a theme. Six people have 10 minutes each to share and are not allowed to read or memorize their stories. This month, the…
Serraglio
I was standing in the glorious midnight darkness of the Rosemont Valley when the message came through. I was jazzing on poorwills, elf owls and one maniacal yellow-breasted chat while I gazed up at a million stars that you can’t see in Tucson, anxiously waiting for the sort that shoots across the sky. It was…
Danehy
Evariste Galois may have turned out to be the greatest mathematician of all time had he not died at the tender age of 20 after fighting a duel over a teenage girl who really didn’t even like him all that much. Just another all-too-common intersection of genius and stupidity. His was a sad and tortured…
The Skinny
DREAMERS CAN DRIVE Federal appeals court overturns Gov. Brewer’s exec order blocking licenses for undocumented youth Gov. Jan Brewer lost a round in federal court earlier this week, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an injunction blocking the state from enforcing her policy of denying driver’s licenses to so-called DREAM Act youngsters. Brewer…
Police Dispatch
The Parking-Lot Pisser North Skyline Drive June 5, 5:15 p.m. A strip-club-frequenting drunk guy physically assaulted a cab driver with his hands—and then visually assaulted her with an up-close and personal view of his genitalia—a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report stated. The driver met sheriff’s deputies in a parking lot at Campbell Avenue and Skyline…
True TV
Tough Guys Welcome to Sweden Working the Engels Thursday, July 10 (NBC) Series Debuts: Summer network TV isn’t all about imported Canadian filler—there’s Swedish filler, too: Comedy Welcome to Sweden is based on creator/star Greg Poehler’s (younger bro to Amy) real-life experience of moving around the world with his Swedish girlfriend (played here by Josephine…
DVD Roundup
Labyrinth Two women, one in Medieval times (Jessica Brown Findlay) and one in the present day (Vanessa Kirby), search for the Holy Grail in the Canadian/CW miniseries event—and there’s not a Muppet nor a David Bowie in sight. (Lionsgate) Orphan Black: Season 2 In the spectacular second season, Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) fights to protect her…
Media Watch
SHAMRELL GIVES LA A SECOND GO Sally Shamrell grew up in Southern Arizona and spent many years as a reporter and anchor at Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA TV 4. But she had other aspirations. Specifically, the pursuit of an acting career, and to do that it meant leaving the position and making a move to…
Awful Elected Officials
Likely, while you’re reading this, I’ll be in Nashville for the annual convention of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the trade organization for the ragtag bunch of journalism weirdos we belong to. I’ve been to the last four conventions and they’re always an informative and entertaining time, reminding of why I got into this part…
Research Ruckus
When the University of Arizona abruptly fired Assistant Professor Sue Sisley recently, some people decried the move as a major stumbling block for cannabis research. Sisley, a physician who hopes to study the use of smoked cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, wasn’t told why her contract wasn’t renewed, but she was assured…
Summer in the City
If you’re thinking the summer is being stingy with its sizzle, fear not. Invisible Theatre’s long-running series that puts all that jazz into those of us sturdy enough to take whatever Tucson’s summer throws at us is underway. Sizzling Summer Sounds is hot, it’s cool and it’s everything you need to put a bounce into…
Now on Shelves
THE RETURN OF COMRADE RICARDO FLORES MAGÓN Claudio Lomnitz Zone Books. $34.95; 608 pages; history There’s something of the 19th-century Russian novel in this new history about the Mexican Revolution. It’s hefty (500 pages-plus), but it also presents intimate stories of idealistic lives in a grand historic, political setting. The Return of Comrade Ricardo Flores…
Carbon Canyon: Ironside
To insinuate that the all instrumental tracks on Carbon Canyon’s five-song EP Ironside lack a voice would be misleading. On a figurative level, the skeletal, scythe-like guitar, bass, and drums that populate the trio’s sound are all conversational, with each instrument alternately taking charge of the discourse and provoke a response from the respective other…
Eastside Excellence
Eastside Tucson is a rough area for restaurants, for some reason. If you’ve been trolling the Weekly comments as of late, there have been plenty of inquiries and complaints as to where to get a meal with consistently tasty food from local restaurants—there are definitely some gems, they just seem to be fewer and more…
Ask A Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I noticed that Mexican people don’t generally smoke. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not condoning smoking, but it’s interesting to see how some groups do or do no smoke, and I have yet to see a Mexican person smoke cigarettes. Does the tobacco industry not target Latinos? Fulminating Fumador Dear Gabacho Smoker: American Lung Association…
Once Again, With Somewhat Less Feeling
Writer-director John Carney struck gold several years ago with Once, a small Irish movie that scored a major victory for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Granted, that’s perhaps the least film-centric trophy given at the Academy Awards, since many of the nominees are written and performed well after production wraps, but anyone who’s heard…
Hope is the Resolve
It’s about a minute into the opening track, “We Must Be Gods,” on local post-punk indie rock quartet Signals new EP, Hindsight. Phil Yancey’s voice is already mostly shredded by the time he obliterates it for good on the line “How will I know what is wrong if I only obey?” Yancey is singing about…
Cinema Showdown
If you were eating mashed potatoes in the early 1980s, it was almost de rigueur to act crazed and craft them into a mountain on your plate. It’s one of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic scenes, from his 1979 classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With equal parts suspense, sci-fi, drama and a load of syrup…
Complex and Confounding
It’s been 10 years since writer-director Paul Haggis, quite surprisingly, won some Oscars for his Crash, a very good but perhaps overrated movie. That film had a bunch of storylines weaving together, and gave some good actors decent showcases. It also seemed to be setting the stage for a promising directorial career. Haggis is yet…
CD2: Barber Reports Raising $550K
It’s the time of the year when congressional candidates start crowing about the amount of money they raised in the second fundraising quarter of the year. The first one we’ve heard from is U.S. Rep. Ron Barber, who told the press today he’d raised more than $550,000 between April 1 and June 30 for his…
