The Strangest Damn Thing I Have Ever Seen
I’ve been resisting posting this for two days now, because I don’t want this blog to turn into a board for irrelevant crap … but this is just too freaking strange, hilarious and full of nonsense, and I can’t resist. It’s apparently some sort of emergency English video for travelers or something. But it still makes…
Wha?
Do most of our idiot legislators have their priorities misplaced, or what? Who cares about education? Or the rising inequities in society? All is well now, because it’s a law that classrooms have flags.
Double Rainbow
It seems that color is a hot topic in Tucson right now. First there’s the gaily hued La Placita Village downtown. I remember the first time I saw it. It was Thanksgiving Day 2000. I had just moved to Tucson. A friend was visiting, and I put a turkey in the oven and decided to…
Anyone have $2,100?
‘Cause that’s how much www.impeachthepresident.com is allegedly selling for. Impeachthepresident.org is also available, for who knows how much. Figures. But the interesting thing is, impeachthepresident.com was first registered Nov. 2, 2000, but the .org domain name wasn’t created until December 2005. And even more interesting: Who registered these domain names, and why hasn’t anything been…
Go Green
Ward 6 Council Member Nina Trasoff is inviting everyone to an open house about the environment on June 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. More than 25 participating organizations will cover such topics as alternative travel and travel reduction, resource conservation, green building techniques and examples, biological preservation, and more. Let’s put your creative minds to…
Tinder Box
The fire burning between Sedona and Flagstaff has the potential to get very ugly, very fast, it seems. Given the fire danger all across the Southwest, thanks to all sorts of things (invasive plant species, bad fire management and, of course, the drought), this should serve as warning. If you live in an area where fires…
Watch TV Wednesday! Seriously!
Sure, there are waaay too many reality shows out there, but I implore you to suck it up and watch one more for the team. “The team” in this case is my cousin’s jump team, who are contestants on the new NBC show America’s Got Talent. My cousin Greg jumps off of trampolines and does…
Fried Brains
As evidence of the fact that being a desert dweller can fry one’s brains to the point of near insanity, I present to you the following: After four days of humidity (And rain! Remember that stuff?) in Little Rock—something I just can’t deal with, after living in the bone-dry climes of Reno, Las Vegas and…
The New Semantics of “Generator”
Generators are online software trifles that do fun things. F’instance, via this Max Cannon auto-strip generator, you too can share in the magic of Max’s benign misanthropy. Or, if Cannon’s a bit too advanced, you can always revel in some in the feline indulgencies of that sybaritic kitty Garfield.
50 best magazines
Every year, the Chicago Tribune lists their opinion of the 50 best magazines. As I view the list, admittedly I am not on the cusp of glossy reading and have never heard of some of these (Blender, VegNews, Conceive). But the article a good read and makes me want to relax with a stack. The…
New Advances In Health
I see great possibilities for this gadget during the blistering Arizona summer. The Weekly offices ought to get in on this trend.
Live From Little Rock: Bill Clinton
There’s something weird about a convention of a bunch of people from alternative newsweeklies making national news. I guess it helps to have the former president—and husband of the potential next president—show up. Bill Clinton’s speech was by far the highlight of the now-concluded Association of Alternative Newsweeklies annual convention. His speech started around 1:15…
“The 10 Commandments Is Not a Bad Thing”
Or so says Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who has co-sponsored a bill to display the 10 commandments in the House and Senate. Here he is on Colbert talking about it. Unsuprisingly for a man with such a limited grasp of grammar, Westmoreland is unable to name the 10 commandments. But still, he’s sure they is not…
Your Internet freedom is at stake
Last week, Jim Kolbe voted in favor of mega corporations instead of people. (So what else is new?) Kolbe along with majority of the House of Representatives (both Republicans and Democrats) voted for a telecommunications law that would give big Internet operators like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast more control over what we can view online.…
Live From Little Rock: The General
I believe Wesley Clark when he says he isn’t sure whether he’s going to run for president again. However (rampant speculation alert!) I am pretty damn sure he wants to run again, and is paving the way just in case he decides to give it another shot. The former NATO allied commander spoke to us…
Hi and Stuff
Greetings, all. For some reason, while I am running around being a convention dork, all the other Weekly bloggers are napping or pillaging or doing things that actually pay—but not doing very much blogging. To quote Kyle (or is it Stan?) from South Park: You bastards! In any case, later tonight (early tomorrow morning?), I’ll…
Live From Little Rock: Day One: A Bit of a Bummer
So, day one of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies convention has wrapped up, and even though it was a great day in many respects, I am a bit bummed. We enjoyed a reception at the beautiful William J. Clinton Presidential Library. The library gives short shrift to our former president’s problems, but it effectively depicts…
“You think gay pride, bimbo.”
For those of you who haven’t seen what turned into a hot catfight on Fox News over the Phelps funeral protests: Check out the Westboro Baptist Church on Fox. I wonder how you regain composure and carry on with a news program after an exchange like that.
The Skinny
JUST SAY NO These are good times for the state of Arizona. In the month of April, the state pulled in the most money ever: $1.2 billion, which was $161.3 million more than forecast. For the first 10 months of the fiscal year, the state has collected $7.49 billion, which is almost $295 million more…
Nine Questions
John Schuster
Education Envoys
Community colleges attempt to temper anti-immigrant rage
Live
Slaid Cleaves & Rod Picott, at Old Town Artisans, Thursday, June 8
Land Lovers
Radical environmentalists get together for a day of warnings and celebrations
Rhythm & Views
A singles collection? Over the course of only one year? What, dear Wedding Present, were you thinking? Perhaps you were thinking that since you have only recently emerged from a nine-year absence, your beautiful 2005 release, Take Fountain, wasn’t enough, so you released multiple versions of songs from Take Fountain and nine songs previously unavailable…
Media Watch
Gina Corraled by San Diego
Rhythm & Views
These self-professed Northwest trash-core lunatics hone the same juvenile delinquent sarcasm and lo-fi garage archives mined by trailblazing nerds Supercharger and the sorely missed Fells. Furthermore, this ramshackle foursome (who probably jerked off watching Darby Crash’s performance in The Decline of Western Civilization) are held together by intelligently twisted, goofball lyrics reminiscent of the Weird…
The Range
A recap of last week’s news
Rhythm & Views
Modestly produced with members of the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Jon Langford’s 1998 solo debut, Skull Orchard, was an intensely personal collection of observations about his native Wales. After 20 years with the soulful punk Mekons, and a half-dozen more with the ravaging Waco Brothers and the history-plumbing Cosmonauts, not to mention an entire other career…
For Real Audiences
Demetria Martinez’s ‘confessions’ require few words to convey wisdom and insight
T Q&A
Tucson Q&A with Edella Schlager
Top Ten in Music
Hear’s Music top sales for the week
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books best-sellers for the week
Police Dispatch
Welcome Home Ina Road and La Cholla Boulevard, May 26, 6:34 p.m. According to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report, a son thought his mother would be pleased that he and some friends had vandalized her home while she was in Nevada visiting her dying father. A deputy noted all of the walls in the…
Sizzling at Soleil
Invisible Theatre’s cabaret series is back, this time at a smaller, diner-friendly venue
Noshing Around
On Broadway Austin’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream is now at 6129 E. Broadway Blvd., in the former Souper Salad space; 514-5132. The old location at 2920 E. Broadway was supposedly closed for repairs, but management tells us it is closed for good. Viva Las Zona Zona 78 promoted Patrick Vezino to lead chef. Before joining…
Pick of the Week
Funky Flecktones
Play as Metaphor
A skinny Englishman playing a Palestinian? It’s no problem at LTW
Leisure Sushi!
J Nippon proves to be quite the northwest-side hangout–and it’s a good Japanese restaurant, too
City Week
Our top picks of what to do and where to do it for the week.
Hard Edges
New Tucsonan Kirk McCoy finds art in rhyolite
Danehy
Tom on film: his take on a list of controversial movies
Plot With Explosions!
The French have made an excellent action film. Who knew?
Downing
You think conservatives don’t trust the media? Ask a liberal how she feels
Satanic Memory Lane
The remake of ‘The Omen’ stays amazingly faithful to the original
Guest Commentary
New Arizona school nutrition standards go too far–and will accomplish too little
Now Showing at Home
“Deadwood: The Complete Second Season,” “Dazed and Confused: The Criterion Collection,” “Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (The Unrated Movie),” and “Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection, Volume 2”
The End of the Whine
A note from the editor.
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week
Mailbag
Howls of outrage and squeals of delight from our astonished fans.
Pop Cabaret
Man Man’s milkshake is probably better than yours
A Music Geek’s Dream
Hundreds of people–from fans to producers to well-known bands–are descending on Tucson for TapeOpCon 2006
Soundbites
TAPEOPCON OPPORTUNITIES Without question, the best musical bet and bargain this week is the big-ass showcase of acts performing as part of TapeOpCon, the music recordists’ convention hitting town (which you can read all about in the front of this book, courtesy of yours truly). While past musical lineups at the event–previously held in Sacramento,…
Tech Trials
TUSD’s selection of a technology proposal–more than twice as expensive as a competing proposal–raises concerns
Favorite Moments
Neko Case’s music sounds like Tucson feels
