Cover Story
10 Things You Should Know About the Legislative Session
The Arizona Legislature wrapped up the 2013 regular session on Friday, June 14. Lawmakers considered plenty of odd laws, from banning the state from participating in any regulations encouraging sustainability (for fear it would somehow advance the secret conspiracy hidden with the U.N.’s Agenda 21) to a proposal to arm teachers in schools, but most…
Critter of the Week: Tigger
From the Humane Society of Southern Arizona: Tigger – #752371 – 9 Years Old – Australian Cattle Dog Mix – Male Tigger is a roly poly love sponge. This spry senior still has plenty of pep in his step and loves joining his human friends during outdoor adventures and car rides. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Tigger is feeling…
Free Dental Clinic for Children
We all know that not having dental insurance can be a drag especially if you have children. The good news is that YMCA of Southern Arizona, in partnership with the Arizona Dental Foundation, United Concordia and The Dental Health Committee, are hosting a free dental and wellness clinic for children ages 4-12 on Friday, July…
Missed Todd Rundgren?
Leave the tough jobs to our rockin’ photog C.E. Elliot. More photos after the jump. Todd Rundgren at the Historic Rialto Theatre, Sunday, July 6, 2013.
Former State Lawmaker Terri Proud Wants To Make Political Comeback
The Weekly mentioned a few weeks ago that former state lawmaker Terri Proud would not be challenging state Rep. Ethan Orr in a Republican primary in Legislative District 9, which includes central Tucson and the Catalina foothills. We noted at the time that Proud could move into Legislative District 11, a much more conservative district…
Legit MMJ Cardholders Across The Country Need Not Fear — Arizona’s Got Your Back
Good news to snowbirds who partake in medicinal reefer (because I get my weed lingo from the ’50s) — Arizona’s not going to take your stash away, so long as your credentials are legitimate. I say this because the Arizona Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that forced the Yuma County sheriff to…
We’re Not Sure About Period Art, But Period Store Seems More Awesome Than it Sounds
Sarah Anne Ward So, I was on the always insightful and informative Bust Magazine website reading about Sarah Anne Ward’s photography period-art project. I’ve gotta say — I wasn’t too impressed. I tended to agree with some of the comments that the Rorschach images on underwear, sheets and a panty liner aren’t that realistic. Period…
Let’s Help Members of an Improv Group from UA Fund Their Webseries
The Undergrads is the not-terribly-original name for a fairly interesting look at what happens when three improv nerds from University of Arizona’s “Charles Darwin Experiment” get in front of a camera and make with the funny. And honestly? It’s pretty good — which is why they’re asking for your money to help them produce a…
Woman Echos the Thoughts of Every Tucsonan Melting in the Summer Heat
In Tucson, we complain about the heat every summer even when we know that come July, it will be hot. We live in the Sonoran Desert. We live in Tucson. During the summer it’s hot. That’s the way it is always going to be. But this NSFW video making its way through the internets captures…
Gov. Brewer Asks Pres. Obama to Consider Yarnell Fire a Disaster
Today, on the day that northern Arizona came together to mourn the 19 firefighters who died combatting the Yarnell Hill Fire, Governor Jan Brewer sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he declare the fire a major disaster, which would provide benefits to the citizens of Yarnell and Peeples Valley. From Phoenix’s KTAR: “The…
It Looks Like Amy’s Baking Company Told All to the UK’s Biggest Tabloid
It’s times like this I realize I need to create a more sarcastic header for some of these things. So, Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, those baking folks that everyone loves to disdain, have decided to tell all — to the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail. Now, I’m not taking anything away from the Daily Mail here,…
Guys, I’m Worried About Barnes & Noble
Grab Mr. Darcy and hold on tight — it looks like Barnes & Noble is slipping away from us. Last night, B&N CEO William Lynch resigned. Their stocks have been going down and the company recently announced they will stop making the fancier versions of their Nook e-reader—not a huge loss for consumers, but it’s…
Ender’s Game Author Now Thinks Gay Marriage Issue is “Moot,” Wants People to Forget He Hated Gays
While we’re pumped about the Ender’s Game movie because some of us loved the hell out of that book in their formative years, it’s still difficult to marry the idea that a great book was written by someone who has a very low tolerance for the gay community. But now, following the Supreme Court’s decision…
Mexico Now More Obese Than America (U-S-A! U-S-A!)
Looks like it’s Good News/Bad News time, America. Good News: We’re no longer the fattest country in the world (barely)! Bad News: We lost that title not by virtue of becoming more healthy, but because a neighboring country is undergoing a worse obesity epidemic. From CBS News: Even as nearly half its people are poor…
Screwed Over By A Company? Tell On Them!
PissedConsumer.com While looking for an outlet where I could complain about my latest customer service let down (*coughCox CommunicationsCough*), I stumbled upon a website completely dedicated to providing disgruntled customers, such as myself, a place to bitch and moan. Humorous, honest and little mean-spirited, PissedConsumer.com, is the first consumer review site that allows users to…
Ryan Clark Again Earns Tucson’s Iron Chef Title
Noelle Haro-Gomez Chef Ryan Clark of Lodge on the Desert Ryan Clark of Lodge on the Desert competed against David Ferrara of Fire & Spice at Sheraton Tucson in this weekend’s Stella Artois Iron Chef Tucson competition at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. Just like the popular Food Network show, the competition begins when both chefs…
Congressional Campaigns: McSally Takes Step Toward Rematch With Rep. Ron Barber
Former Air Force pilot Martha McSally is edging closer to a rematch against Congressman Ron Barber. While she hasn’t made a formal announcement, McSally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for a 2014 congressional campaign on Monday, July 1. McSally was virtually a political unknown when she announced last year that she wanted to…
Yasiin Bey (a.k.a., Mos Def) Undergoes the Same Force-Feeding Treatments That Hunger-Striking Guantanamo Detainees Do — And It’s Damn Hard to Watch
I’m not going to lie: The video above, featuring Yasiin Bey (the rapper and actor formerly known as Mos Def) undergoing the same force-feeding procedure as hunger-striking Guantanamo detainees is among the most difficult-to-watch videos I’ve seen in quite some time. The video, and Bey’s participation (I hesitate to call it a stunt, because I…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Transportation Challenges
My Independence Day travels to Northern Arizona kept me from posting Friday’s AZ Illustrated Politics until now, but Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik and Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll talked about fixing streets, widening arterial roads, improving transit and more on the show. We didn’t get to as many topics…
Google Celebrates the 66th Anniversary of the Supposed Roswell Landing With a Game
In a bit of goofy fun that’s happening with increasing frequency, Google’s latest Doodle (the image that displays above the search bar on Google.com, which changes frequently on holidays across the world) is another animated attempt at celebrating geeky, science culture. And this time, it’s a point-and-click game! Today is the 66th Anniversary of the…
World Series Of Poker Main Event Begins Today; Can a Local Make a Deep Run Through The Massive Field?
It’s been a moderately successful summer for Tucson-area poker players at this year’s World Series of Poker. Through Friday a total of 17 rounders with ties to Southern Arizona had cashed a collective 21 times in the series’ first 60 events, taking home a little more than $96,000 in prize money. But 2013 could go…
A Look at the Border Patrol Through Lucha Libre
nytimes.com “Border Patrol” leader and professional wrestler “El Patrón” Oliver John. “Lucha Libre is the cheapest form of therapy there is,” according to luchadore Blue Demon Jr. in “Border Patrol Body Slam,” one of the latest releases in the ongoing New York Times Op-Doc series. From the Times: (Wrestling promoter) Gabriel Ramirez wanted to bring…
Apparently, Arizona’s Iconic Burger is Wrapped in Frybread
With the Most American of Holidays behind us, we have little to look forward to during the doldrums of summer but the Most American of Pastimes: Eating. To celebrate both, Serious Eats put together a map of the iconic burger of each state — and it’s a good one. Featuring California’s In-N-Out Double-Double Animal Style,…
National Gay Blood Drive to Raise Awareness of (and Potentially Change) Gay Blood Ban
On July 12, Ryan James Yezak hopes that gay and bisexual men around the country will donate blood. He also hopes that they’ll be turned away, simply because they’ve had sex with another man. It sounds confusing and contradictory, but the idea is that he wants to discard a ban on blood donations by gay…
Let’s Learn Why Fireworks Shows Aren’t Quite As Big As They Used to Be
Shutterstock Ooh. Aah. Fireworks shows are fairly awesome — but you might have noticed that explosions don’t seem to be as tremendous and grand as they used to be. No, that’s not just you being a jaded adult — there’s a reason for it, Fast Company Design explains: Today, shows tend to pack in more,…
If You’ve Got Leftover Sparklers — Like, 200 Of Them — We’ve Got An Idea On How To Use ‘Em
Before we get into the video, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way — you probably shouldn’t try this yourself unless you’re taking steps to ensure that you aren’t going to set our fair desert on fire. That said, there’s nothing quite like the majesty involved in setting 200 sparklers off all…
Artist Creates Barbie With Realistic Proportions
Huffington Post Barbie Got Back? Everyone’s heard the tales of what a woman would look like if she had Barbie’s proportions: Six feet tall, insane measurements, legs too tall to function — basically, a genetic experiment gone wrong. But, to this point, it seems very few people actually considered what Barbie would look like with…
Wacky Raids
What is it about? Why did they close it? These guys have helped me a lot.” —Bill Sowers, 57, a cannabis patient quoted by the Detroit Free Press. He showed up a few minutes after a raid last week at the Southwest Compassion Care Center in Springfield, Mich. Police rudely interrupted patients at three central…
True TV
You Should Watch It Life’s Too Short Friday, July 5 (HBO) Series Finale: Over a year ago, HBO debuted a British faux-reality show about the “comeback” of dwarf actor Warwick Davis (Willow, Harry Potter, Star Wars), who was going to have a dazzling second act and “raise up little people everywhere.” He failed miserably, thanks…
Dry World
Ground/Water: The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River Edited by Ellen McMahon, Ander Monson and Beth Weinstein University of Arizona Press $48; 112 pages To experience a stretch of desert riparian oasis in its glory, with the mighty cottonwoods and sycamores, and the fluttering and scuttling and splashing of life, is to be…
Ask a Mexican!
This week, readers respond to the Mexican’s “Aztec savagery” column!
The Skinny
This week, the border fracas continues even after immigration reform passes the Senate … and looking at the environmental impact summary of the Rosemont Mine!
Editor’s Note
Before you spend much time reading my editor’s note this week, flip back to page 49 and read the last installment of Michael Grimm’s The Last Days of Roland & Cid. Done? OK, good. Grimm has decided to bring the strip to an end this week, partially to pursue other opportunities, partially to get his…
Live
Current heavy metal arguably started with Pantera in the ’90s, and now has incorporated such subgenres as screamo, hardcore, and industrial/electronic music into the mix. Although lead guitar shredding (eschewed in the anti-technique era of the last two decades) has made a comeback, the focus remains on aggressive rhythms played in unison by the instrumentalists;…
Mailbag
STEGEMAN REPLIES Having practiced the dark arts for lo these many centuries, it was disconcerting to be finally unmasked by your able exorcist, David Safier (“Is Mark Stegeman using game theory to bend the TUSD Board to his will?” Guest Commentary, June 27). While not expecting men of faith to bind themselves to conventional rules…
Nine Questions
Jeff Imler was born in Altoona, Pa. He began a long and open relationship with punk drumming at the age of 8, which allowed him to pick up the guitar as a teenager, though he proudly declares he still hasn’t “learned to play it as of 2013.” A Tucson resident since 1996, Imler has played…
Danehy
There must be a special place in hell for people who write catchy jingles. You know, those 10- or 15-second ditties that burrow their way into your brain like a Ceti eel larva, and—just like in The Wrath of Khan—wrap around your cerebral cortex and cause you intense pain. Such is the case for a…
Serraglio
On June 18, the Arizona Daily Star switched its online comment feature to an exclusive Facebook format. Now, you have to be logged into a Facebook account in order to post a comment. One of the primary reasons given for this move was the elimination of anonymity, portrayed as the root of incivility in Star…
T Q&A
Donn Poll is the chief executive officer of Arts Integration Solutions, or AiS, a nonprofit that aims to “transform the education system by bringing the classroom practice of arts integration to every child, in every classroom, every day,” according to its website. The organization has worked with teachers and administrators across Arizona since 2004, integrating…
Guest Commentary
I’m beginning to think that Democrats have a sort of D-Ray that can be fired at politicians to bring them around to a far left way of thinking. In fact, I have detected a pattern that supports the claim. Take the interesting case of Steve Kozachik. He was part of a two-pronged stab at the…
Top Ten in Music
1. August Burns Red Rescue & Restore 2. Amon Amarth Deceiver of the Gods 3. Wale The Gifted 4. Transplants In a Warzone 5. Kanye West Yeezus 6. Palms Palms 7. J. Cole Born Sinner 8. Black Sabbath 13 9. Queensyrche Queensryche 10. Daft Punk Random Access Memories
Top Ten in Books
1. Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire George R.R. Martin ($8.99) 2. The Ocean at the End of the Lane Neil Gaiman ($25.99) 3. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks ($9.99) 4. A Serpent’s Tooth: A Walt Longmire Mystery Craig Johnson ($26.95, autographed) 5. The Cold…
Media Watch
This week, we catch up with Ryan Recker and Lorraine Rivera, to get their tales on how their final days at KVOA wrapped up.
Smoke With Some Style
The Settlement 5400 S. Old Spanish Trail 885-4600; settlementsmokehouse.com 3 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday Pluses: Trying to innovate a bit over the standard steakhouse; good portions; quality food Minuses: Really could use an improvement over the swamp cooler; some issues with flies If you’re planning…
Noshing Around
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails plots its next stop on its ’round the world tour … Falora partners with Ben’s Bells for a new menu item … and a new bakery is moving into Broadway Village.
Social Climbing by Stealing
Contrary to popular belief, Paris Hilton is not famous for no reason. She’s famous because people pay attention. That’s the only reason that matters. What people drink up about Hilton and other celebrities is their high life: fashion, parties, fast cars and the VIP treatment. It’s why some girls want to be princesses and some…
Mason Reed: Up to My Neck in It (Self-Released)
Listening to Up to My Neck in It, it’s hard to imagine Tucson’s Mason Reed sitting still long enough to write a song. Reed’s new album bursts with vivid tales of boozy misadventures, tumultuous romances, sour luck and days defined by an unrelenting wanderlust. The raw-voiced Reed leans toward the whiskey-drinking outlaw side of the…
Funny and Formulaic
Sandra Bullock might be top billed, but Melissa McCarthy would be the reason folks should shell out this summer for The Heat. McCarthy, reuniting with her Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, gets more laughs in her first 10 minutes on screen in this picture than the Wolfpack got in the entire running time of The Hangover…
Camera Obscura: Desire Lines (4AD)
For a band that’s so clearly defined itself on a string of excellent releases, Camera Obscura nevertheless breaks new ground on Desire Lines. The distinction may be a fine one, but Desire Lines, the band’s first release in four years, is less a hazy, delicate indie-pop record and more one that reaches for a better-rounded…
Top Ten in Cinema
1. Identity Thief 2. The Call 3. Oz the Great and Powerful 4. Jack the Giant Slayer 5. Warm Bodies 6. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 7. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 8. Snitch 9. A Good Day to Die Hard 10. Quartet
Guided by Voices: English Little League (GBV Inc.)
I recently praised an older band (Meat Puppets) for keeping active, so I would hate to court hypocrisy by suggesting another, Guided by Voices, take a(nother) break. Unfortunately, English Little League—the fourth album since the “classic” GbV reunited—indicates that the group is running on fumes. Sure, the signature fractured pop is still there, and few…
New Blood and Binders
The last time the Tucson Weekly requested an interview with Ann Weaver Hart was six months after she was appointed the UA’s first woman president by the Arizona Board of Regents less than a year ago. That request didn’t go anywhere, just like the one we made last week to ask Hart about major administration…
Hello, It’s Him
Todd Rundgren 8 p.m., Saturday, July 6 Rialto Theatre 318 E. Congress St. $32 general; reserved balcony seats are sold out; all ages 740-1000; rialtotheatre.com To tell the truth, I was never quite sure whether the title of Todd Rundgren’s 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star, was supposed to be ironic. But it’s likely…
Broken Faith
Jan Mosier’s scars, her crutches, those ugly black bruises—all are manifest signs of the crash. But what you don’t see is the shattered faith, after a lifelong devotion to the bike. This you discover only in her words, alternately angry and dismayed. They raise tremendous questions about two-wheeling in what’s touted as one of the…
Refugees as Artists
Like the Sanctuary Movement that started in Tucson in the early 1980s, the Hopi Foundation and its Owl and Panther project help provide refugees a safe haven. The project actually provides a refuge within a refuge by showing refugees affected by trauma and torture how to express themselves through poetry, art, drama, music and creative…
Pedersen on Sports
Bowling helped get me to Tucson, and for that I will forever be grateful. Granted, the $80 “scholarship” I earned for winning an all-ages youth tournament when I was 17 (the kid I crushed for the title was 11) didn’t really make much of a dent in the costs associated with attending the University of…
Blurred Lines
Lobby Hero Presented by Live Theatre Workshop 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m., Sunday, through Saturday, July 27 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. $18 Runs two hours, with one intermission 327-4242; livetheatreworkshop.org Perhaps life is hardest when you have an ethical decision to make. Or it seems to be about ethics. But it also involves…
Police Dispatch
Homeless folks scuffle and a plasma donor gets heated.
Waiting for Rain
Lluvia de Vida (Water of Life) 1 to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, through Saturday, July 13. Closing reception, 6 to 9 p.m., July 13, with refreshments and music by Cuban, Puerto Rican and Native American drummers Free Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, 218 E. Sixth St. 881-5335; raicestaller222.webs.com Tucson Weekly arts editor…
City Week
This week, a celebration of queer voices at Fluxx … Buddhists get deep … the Loft gets patriotic … and it’s time to harvest saguaros!
Soundbites
Musing on Kickstarter and Filter (who come to The Rock this week) … nostalgia-mania is runnin’ wild! … and more, so much more!
